#AND they don't look that different in Tale of Two Brothers either | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

marthawrites · 1 year ago

Note

"don't shut me out. please"

I hope it is not too late for me to join the celebration ☺️ Congratulations! 💕👏🏼

Thank you sooososo much! You are such a gem and I appreciate all of your fandom love more than you know! I did my best to include a (one shot appropriate) slow burn, angst, and a happy ending. I hope you enjoy this ride MWAH!

Summer's End, Autumn's Beginning

Modern Aemond Targaryen x fem reader

Word Count: 6.3k+

About: A chance encounter with Aemond leads to a whirlwind of emotions. Over the next few months you both fail, in yourselves and in the relationship, and learn from the mistakes.

Includes: Chance encounter, age difference (references to Aemond x Alys) mentions of cheating, allusions to cheating, angst, second chance romance, and smut featuring vaginal fingering, possessive sex, and unprotected protected vaginal sex

Note: Hello lovely reader! This is the longest piece I've wrote in quite awhile - whew! I also feel like it's one of the more ambitious one-shot fics I've worked on/completed. Reader is non-descript. As always, please, enjoy!

read part 2 Between the Covers here

There were two things tied for number one on your five-year goal list.

First, be out of your city apartment (preferably as a home owner and not a renter)

Second, have a dog.

They went hand in hand. One couldn’t happen without the other. So, it was a hard tie and you weren’t willing to budge on either. Until then, to take the edge off your self-proclaimed animal loneliness, you volunteered at a local shelter two nights a week. Mondays and Wednesdays.

While your day job wasn’t a doctor, lawyer, or professional athlete – ones that your family pushed you to have while growing up – it still paid decently and had the potential for career advancement. And! You were able to live on your own. Not having a roommate was worth the dry job description. Besides, your boss was fair and most of your co-workers were friendly; a win win, really.

Tonight, Monday, you finished your shift, went home to change, then headed out to the shelter. Even though it was all volunteer hours you valued punctuality and did your best to get there around the same time each night.

“Hey! You made it!” Arryk called out to you when you stepped inside the building. Chaos sparked all around. He did a great job running and maintaining the schedule, and with the help of volunteers alongside regular staff, it was, more often than not, smooth sailing. Tonight, however, it appeared quite the opposite.

“Hey! Yeah, a few minutes later than usual, sorry!” You said as you walked over to him.

He waved a hand brushing off your apology. “No worries. We had a few people call in today. So, since being short staffed we’re definitely running behind. I know you normally help bathe the dogs with Baela tonight, but can I ask you to do something else instead?” He winced slightly with his question, unsure of your answer. He knew how much you loved Baela and cleaning the dogs!

You squinted at him suspiciously. “Why are you looking at me like that?” You asked, crossing your arms. “You know I won’t administer shots. If I could get over my fear of needles I’d be a veterinarian and not an office worker like I am!” You scrunched your brows before one, all on its own accord, arched up dubiously.

“Ha!” He laughed. “No no no, I know. We have six dogs that need walking tonight. And I don’t think Targaryen can handle all of ‘em.”

“Helaena? She’s back?” You asked, eyes bright with surprise.

“She’s still away for that college trip. It’s her younger brother, Aemond. Have you met him before?”

You’d heard Helaena talk about him, of course, but you’d never met him. Shaking your head, you peered around the shelter looking for anyone else with the Targaryen tell-tale silver-blonde hair. No one caught your eye. “I haven’t. But, I don’t mind.”

“You are a lifesaver!” He praised. “He’s down the west hall getting them ready. Depending on how long you're here afterward, there might be another couple who could use a second walk. Terriers. You know how they are.”

“Happy to help, Arryk!” He was a good guy. You’d always liked him.

“Aemond’s tall, towheaded as the rest of his family, and has an eyepatch. You can’t miss him.” And with that Cargyll switched tasks and got right back to work.

Turning and walking down the west hall, you were happy to say, chaos began to fizzle out. This hall had the larger dogs; no wonder Aemond wouldn’t be able to walk all six at once. Even with the slow turn of summer to autumn sunset wouldn’t be for another three hours. Assuming all went well you’d be able to walk the second batch of dogs, too.

Down the aisle were five opened doors with each respective dog ready for their walk. Their leashes were hooked onto the door so they couldn’t run amuck. You patted and scratched them, earning yourself more wagging tails, a few happy barks, and some excited licks. Looking to the end of the hall you saw someone who you assumed was your evening walking partner. He was kneeling, talking soothingly to a great big senior hound, while clasping the final buckle of their harness. “Hello, uh-, Aemond?” You called out feeling slightly self-conscious.

Still kneeling, he turned his head to look up at you. Any softness in his single eye quickly hardened to match the rest of his sharp features. “Hey,” he said, caught off guard by your presence; someone he’d never seen calling him out by name. “Is there something I can help you with?” Slowly, in a single fluid motion, he stood up and the aged dog kept his eyes on him the whole time, panting happily.

Whoa. He was tall. And, at first sight, incredibly good looking: dressed in casual black clothes, long silver hair tied into a braid, with a scar along the left side of his face that you had to tell yourself not to stare at. His mouth was a unique shape, too, and you weren’t sure if he was merely waiting for a response or if he was smirking the tiniest pout at you. “Hi,” you said again with a nervous laugh. You told him your name. “Arryk sent me. Said you could use some help with the walk tonight?” ‘Play it cool, dummy. He’s really handsome, so what? He could be a huge asshole. Play. It. Cool,’ your inner voice said.

Did he have a mechanical eye beneath his patch? The way he looked at you, then, made you feel like he read your thoughts. “Ah. I could certainly use the help,” he said smoothly with a small curve of lip, turning his attention to the three dogs at the front of the hallway. “Wanna take those three?” He asked, looping the big dog’s leash around his wrist. “I mean, you can have any of them as long as I get this guy. He’s my favorite.”

Your pulse raced a little too fast. Clearing your throat, you smiled in an attempt to ease the butterflies in your belly. “I don’t mind. Why is he your favorite?” You turned and began to unclasp leashes from their doors; happy tips and taps of claws growing louder at the pups’ excitement.

“Reminds me of my girl at home,” Aemond replied, adoration clear in his voice. “Big and old, a little stinky, a little slobbery. The best kind, really.”

“Aw, that’s very sweet. I don’t have any pets. I get my fix here,” you laughed. Holding all three dogs in one hand, you pulled the door open with the other. Except, it didn’t open. On instinct, you tried again hoping Aemond didn’t notice.

He strode up next to you with the rest of the dogs in tow, smirking at you for real this time, as he said, “it’s a push door.”

You knew it was a push door. Fuck. He gave you a knowing glance over his shoulder as he walked out, waiting for you to follow along.

II.

You didn’t see Aemond on Wednesday and you couldn’t deny your disappointment when you left for the night. Come to find out you two had been volunteering at the same place for months – only on different days. He tended to be there Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Monday had been a chance encounter. One you couldn’t shake out of your head.

Before leaving tonight, however, you took a selfie with Aemond’s favorite old hound. You’d exchanged numbers but hadn’t an excuse to strike up a conversation. Yet. Now, with the selfie as an excuse, you opened a fresh text thread and sent him the photo along with:

Someone missed you tonight!

While buckling up in your car and getting ready to reverse out of your parking spot, your phone dinged with an incoming message:

Very cute. Will you be there on Monday? Maybe Cargyll will assign up walking duties again.

Your belly flipped. Truthfully, you weren’t expecting him to message back – especially so quickly. Before you could stop yourself you sent back:

Yup! See you then?

And he sent:

I’ll find another excuse to be there.

Feeling a little bold, you replied:

Excited to see you again! You have these adorable dimples when you smile. Maybe I’ll see those, too?

When nothing came through for a few minutes, you feared you might have gone too far. It was just a little innocent flirting, right? Nothing bad? And then:

Maybe so. See you Monday.

Smiling, you didn’t send anything back. It’d be your luck to say something dumb and rub him the wrong way.

During your first walk, as soon as the ice broke, you both clicked really well. Hopefully – just maybe – things would flow like that again. The connection you felt, something akin to a liveware, couldn’t have been one-sided. He had to feel a spark of it, too; even if just a little.

You drove home, made dinner while facetiming one of your friends from uni, and when she asked about the spark in your eye you told her about your friend Helaena’s younger brother.

III.

“I seriously cannot believe you’ve never seen The Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit trilogy was a little silly, but watchable. But you haven’t even seen that?” Aemond asked clearly aghast at your lack of understanding his reference.

Tonight, you both got walking duty again and neither of you complained. And, this time, he regarded you with a softer look in his eye than his original sharp glance. He was dressed in dark casuals again and you hated (loved?) how good he made them look. His hair was in a bun and his eyepatch stayed firmly in place. You wanted to ask him about it but weren’t sure if you should try it yet. Instead, you rolled your eyes and laughed. “You’re making it sound better and better the more you talk about it.”

“That’s because it’s the best.” The dogs pulled both of you along and you had to walk brisker than normal to keep up with them and Aemond’s longer legs. He seemed unaffected by it.

“So, you recommend I watch it?” You asked playfully.

“No,” he started, very serious. “I recommend you read it first and then watch the movies.”

If you had more breath in your lungs you’d have giggled – not laughed, but giggled. Something about the way he said it, and the totally serious look on his face, tickled you. “Will you watch them with me?”

The question appeared to catch Aemond off guard. He looked at you, lingering over your pinkened cheeks and smirking lips, before finally making it back to your eyes. Just when he opened his mouth to say something in reply, a completely unrelated thing stole his attention. Sometime during your bantering you’d made it back to the shelter, and a tall dark-haired woman called out, “there’s my sweet Aemond. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you and you haven’t been answering your phone.”

If you thought Aemond attractive, this woman made him look like any regular ol' Joe. She was elegant, warmed by a late summer tan, and had raven dark hair cascading down her back; truly a vision of enchantment. When she sauntered to him and pressed her body to his, you felt like a voyeur watching the embrace.

“Alys,” Aemond breathed quietly. “What do you want?”

“You know what I want,” she answered as she trailed manicured fingers across the front of his chest.

She had a timeless look to her, the kind that concealed her age. She could have been anywhere from twenty-five to fifty, you thought. You really hadn’t a clue. All you knew, now, is that you should finish your task alone.

Aemond’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. Posture tense. “I told you I was busy tonight–”

Before you could stop yourself you cut him off with an awkward wave. “See you later, Aemond.” And, with that, you walked inside before you overheard anything else they might be saying to each other. Turning to glance over your shoulder one last time, you were met with a look of deliberate triumph from Alys; she had the greenest eye you’d ever seen.

It was haunting.

Driving home, you felt stupid. Aemond was just a guy you just met. It was silly to think someone like him would be single and even sillier to think your innocent flirtations would be working on him. You had half a mind to delete his number. Or, at the very least to delete the short message thread of your texts.

Instead of making dinner like you normally did, you called in delivery and facetimed with your friend as you waited. She immediately knew something was off and you were quick to tell her everything that happened.

Twenty minutes passed and you were starting to feel better. It’s not like you two hooked up or even kissed. It was just a chance meeting with playful banter. Nothing to get shook up about. “Food’s here. Thanks for listening to me. I’ll talk to you later. Love you!” You said as you got up to answer the door.

When all else failed, your favorite food could always make you feel better.

Turning the tv on and sitting down amongst your couch pillows and blankets, you were getting ready to dig in when your phone rang.

Aemond.

Your insides did a weird flip and hunger disappeared entirely from your mind and belly. Should you answer? Let it go to voicemail? Turn the stupid thing off and completely ignore him? Right before the final ring, you decided. “Hello?”

“Hey,” he said, immediately sounding relieved. “I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t yet ready to call it a night with you.”

“It’s no biggie,” you replied. Lying. “I didn’t want to interrupt anything–,” you paused, searching for something else to say to soften the edge of your voice, “–the dogs were getting tired anyway.” God. It sounded stupid even to your own ears.

Aemond sighed through the phone. You wondered if he slid his hand down his face or through his hair. It sounded like he did. “No. Alys is… it’s complicated. She’s my ex and–”

“ –you don’t have to explain anything to me,” you said, cutting him off. “Really. It’s fine.” Despite it being a phone call, you tried to smile as if it would blunt the dismissal of your tone.

“I mean it,” he said. “I really wasn’t ready to say bye yet. What do you say you skip your regular Wednesday night plans and grab a milkshake or something with me?”

Your insides flipped again but for an entirely different reason this time. You knew it: the sparks definitely weren’t one sided. The firm set of Aemond’s jaw and the rigidness of his shoulders flashed once more in your mind’s eye. Since your break up with your long-term boyfriend you’d been on a few dates, but none of them lead to anything worthwhile. With how you and Aemond clicked, however? This date might lead to something more than a hook-up (or, attempt at a hook-up. Some men truly had no game). “Are you sure…?” You asked after a moment. “You and Alys looked pretty comfortable–,”

“ –I’m sure,” it was his turn to cut you off.

“Alright then. Let’s do it.”

IV.

It'd been two months since your first milkshake date with Aemond – the first of many dates. It was a guilty pleasure of yours and apparently one of his, too!

Your first kiss, first time meeting his elder dog, Vhagar, and first time meeting his family were all memories you cherished.

The more you learned about Aemond’s relationship with Alys, the more you understood it "complicated". Including Targaryen drama, Targaryen business, and a list of other things you had a hard time following. It didn’t matter anymore, though, Aemond reassured you. Things were done between them and he only wanted you; proving it to you with fingers and mouth until you begged for a break.

A lesson you learned from your last relationship – one Aemond learned from his, too – was to be careful with love. As much as you genuinely enjoyed him and his company, a barrier stood between you that neither dared yet to cross.

Love.

Each day you fell for him a little more; you were scared to admit it. The scar of heartbreak healed slowly. Could you truly trust Aemond with that part of yourself? With the very essence of your heart? It’d been two months and you still weren’t entirely sure.

If he felt the same he’d say something, right?

Autumn blanketed the lands with brisk air, rainy days, and rolling fog. As days grew short and nights long, you and Aemond spent more time at your apartment or his quarter at the Targaryen estate. Your apartment was the clear favorite. Living alone had its perks: never having to worry about nosy family or friends who showed up unannounced.

And thank God you didn’t live with anyone else.

"Mmh… fuck, baby, I've been thinking about this all day. I can't get enough of you. Let me make my girl feel good," he said against your mouth as one of his hands moved up the inside of your thigh. "Are you wet already? I bet you are," he chuckled, fingertips tracing your slit. "Mmm… I knew it. Your clit is sooo needy, isn't it?"

Shit. Those hushed words, the glint in his eye, his rasped tone… you happily indulged him in whatever way he wanted. And him, you. Fingers, mouth, cock, he quickly learned what tricks made you melt.

As much as he loved having you ride him, or bending you over, his absolute favorite was fucking you into the mattress. You sprawled out beneath him, hair messy and fanned out around your head, legs wrapped tight around his waist, fingernails on his body… he could never get enough of your blushed face beneath him, trembling and arching as he pushed you to peak after peak.

Your sheets had never been cleaned so often in your entire life.

It was particularly rainy today and you were both finished with everything on your to-do list. Aemond sat on the floor in front of you as you lounged in your overstuffed chair. You told him you'd read the Lord of the Rings as long as he read it to you. He didn't even pretend to be annoyed by your bargain. He read to you from his own collection, claiming he liked the worn feeling of the pages better than a new book's pages.

Like any proper reader Aemond started with The Hobbit. You enjoyed it more than you thought you would. More so than the story, however, you enjoyed him reading aloud to you – he had the loveliest voice. You were about half way through The Fellowship of the Ring and the story continued to get better.

But, all afternoon, Aemond's phone never stopped going off. It seemed like every few minutes it would ping with some kind of notification. "Who's blowing you up?" You asked, annoyance creeping into your tone.

Stopping mid sentence, he looked. "Alys," he sighed as he scrolled through the various messages.

You tried to not look over his shoulder to the texts. You really did. But there was something about Aemond's shift in posture, and the air around him, that made you suspicious. "What's going on?" You asked in your best nonchalant manner.

"She's asking if I have some of her clothes at my place still," he answered and you swore you saw pink spread atop his cheeks.

That caught you off guard. "Why would she have clothes–"

And whatever else you were going to say was abruptly cut off.

There, in a new string of messages, was the single text line, "I miss you, baby boy," followed by at least three photographs of Alys in lingerie and various stages of undress.

"What the fuck Aemond!?" You asked, anger and hurt instantly warming your blood. "What the hell were those? Are you fucking joking?"

"I have no idea why she sent–"

" –is that why she left clothes at your place? Couldn't let her go for real? Jesus Christ I can't believe you." Anger flushed your face and bittered your words.

"Listen, please. Hear me out, bab–"

" –oh fuck off, Aemond, you don't get to 'babe' me around anymore. In fact, just leave."

He looked as hurt as you. And shocked. A hundred emotions played across his chiseled features. "No, really. Let me explain," he pleaded with eye and tone.

You weren't having it. You were cheated on before and he knew it. It made your own hurt cleave even deeper. You really fucking liked him. Maybe even loved him. And this whole time he had you and Alys? "I'm seriously about to get really fucking angry. Leave. Now."

He stood and left. Silent fury screamed around him like a whirlwind. He didn't even give you one final look over his shoulder.

He shut your door with a deliberate click.

You curled up in your blanket alone as fat ugly tears streamed down your face. You couldn't be bothered to grab a tissue for your snotty nose.

Aemond's leather jacket was still draped over the back of your couch and his book still lay on the floor. Your crying somehow turned uglier at the realization.

Eventually you dozed off. With Aemond, you always had your phone on silent so you didn't hear all his missed calls and texts.

The following month went by in a blur; you drowned yourself in work. You also stopped volunteering because you didn't want to give Aemond the opportunity to meet you there. By some feat of strength you ignored all his attempts at talking – and by proxy, apologizing.

The only thing you said to him was a single text:

I need time. Please understand

Part of you wondered how it affected him. His calls and texts became sparse until they eventually stopped.

Helaena asked where you'd been and you felt horrible lying to her. So, you didn't. After telling her the story she sighed and asked if you'd want to grab tea. You agreed. Meeting her at a local cafe allowed you to air out your feelings; laughs and tears alike. She was kind, and sweet, and supportive without being passive. She loved her brother but knew he had many of his own issues. You'd been friends for over a year and this was the first true heart to heart you shared.

Upon returning home you picked up the Fellowship and tried to read from where Aemond left off. But, it wasn’t the same without him and it only made you cry. Again.

VI.

The following morning, despite your car's newer model, it barely wanted to start for your drive to work. By a stroke of luck you made it there fine. And, made it back home that evening, too. But that was the end of your luck. It needed to be picked up and taken to a shop until a mechanic could see it.

Carless, you had to rely on Uber or public transportation. Yuck.

A few days of stress passed and now you were done for the week. Thank God for weekends. Unfortunately your groceries were extremely low and you would need to make a trip in the morning. You sighed and used it as an excuse to order pizza.

After waking up and a breakfast of (the last, and past its sell-by date) packet oatmeal you got around to make the walk to the nearest grocery store. Knowing you'd be walking home, too, the list was small. Carrying bags up two flights of stairs was hard enough, much less carrying them home a mile!

On the way back it started sprinkling. Great. Just great. You started walking faster with hopes of making quicker time than your leisurely stroll to the store. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, you heard your name called. Was that…? Stopping in your tracks you looked across your shoulder to the side of the road and saw none other than Aemond. You knew his car and voice anywhere. You didn't have to see yourself to know a dozen emotions played across your face.

"Hey," he said gently, his own features a mirror of yours.

"Hi," you said.

"Why are you walking in the rain with groceries?"

Slumping your unintentionally scrunched up shoulders, you sighed. "Stupid car died on me and it's been with the mechanic for almost a week."

He smiled softly. So soft. The outside of his seeing eye crinkled and emotion rushed to your chest. Your gut. "You're way too good to be walking alone. Let me drive you home at least?"

You didn't resist. How could you? "Alright. Sure. Just dropping me off though, okay?" Guilt panged your chest. Did he feel it too? Could he read it on your face he knew so well?

"Alright," he answered, expression falling just slight. You might as well have stomped on his foot with how it affected you.

I miss you. I love you. I'm sorry. Can we try it again? Can I hold your hand? God I love your hair in a ponytail. You smell good. Did you see the trailer for that new horror movie? I miss you. I love you. I'm sorry. It all turned around your head like a fucking rotisserie chicken. It shouldn't be so hard to say any of those things to him. But it was.

You didn't say anything on the short ride home. Neither did he. His right hand flexed a few times and you wondered if he was having a hard time, too.

"Can you get it all upstairs?" He asked as he pulled into an empty spot and parked, looking across to you with horribly concealed emotion.

"Yes, but…," you trailed off momentarily, trying to read his face. "I still have your book and jacket. Wanna come up and grab them?" You asked hopefully.

He killed the engine faster than you could blink. "Yes! So that's where they've been. You could have mentioned it sooner," he said slightly accusingly, grinning at you with a spark of playfulness.

Leading the way upstairs to your apartment, you unlocked the door and disappeared inside. After placing your items down and grabbing Aemond's, you turned to look at him standing in the doorway. He leaned against it. Waiting. Quiet. He glanced around with a wistfulness that made your throat tight. You watched him watching you and your home until the air became awkward – was it half a second, a few seconds, longer? You weren't sure.

Slowly you walked over to him. Your gaze flickered up at him as you handed his things back. "Were you ever going to tell me the truth?" You asked. "Did you think I really wouldn't find out? Why did you stick around if I wasn't good enough?"

He blinked. Taken back. "You never even gave me the chance to explain." His jaw feathered before it tightened. His eye hardened.

You grabbed the door, fixing to close it on him. Now that you started talking – unloading pent up questions which kept you tossing and turning at night – you couldn't decide if you wanted to slam it on his face or yell. "I told you how I was cheated on! And you did it anyway! I trusted you, Aemond." Your voice thinned, sounding shrill even to your own ears.

One of his hands braced on the door so you couldn't close it on him. "So this is your revenge then, huh? Punishing both of us? Why don't you trust me?" Hurt and fury simmered in the lovely hue of his eye. A storm. No, a hurricane. "Alys and I have been done for months. Months. Even before you and I met. I'm sorry for what she did but I can’t control what she does. She was playing her wicked games trying to sabotage us– you and me. Don't shut me out. Please."

He pleaded, every pore and line of his face begging for forgiveness. As each word came off his tongue they clicked into place in your head. He meant it. He was telling the truth. Before you could stop yourself your fists balled into the front of his shirt, pulling him down so your mouth crashed up to his. "You mean it?" You asked through the kiss.

Instantly he leaned down into you, and instantly he held onto your waist pulling you deeper against him. His other hand cradled the side of your face daring to curve along the shape of your skull. "I mean it. Yes I fucking mean it," he answered against the kiss; breath stealing yours away until it left you in a little moan.

You pulled him inside and shut the door, locking it. You moaned as he nipped and bit at your neck. Your heart thumped wildly. He sucked at the sensitive skin, again and again, pulling away just before leaving a mark. "God, Aem,” you whimpered. Goosebumps covered your body. The only thing on your mind was him.

"Fuck, I missed you. I missed you so much." His hands were somehow all over you all at once. His mouth trailed, and dragged, and kissed over any exposed portion of your skin. He happily pulled off layers of your clothing to expose more and more of your soft, warm, saccharine flesh; intoxicating him. After weeks of your separation the last thing he wanted to do was to push too far too fast. “Can I take this off?” He asked before taking your shirt off.

“Yes,” you replied breathily. “Fuck it. Take all of it off. I missed you too. So much,” you said as you helped pull his clothes off, too. He pushed you against a wall. You kissed. Heavier, and hotter, and hungrier. You pushed him against a wall.

He gasped as he smirked. “I love when you act all tough when we both know I can have you squirming under me in minutes,” he growled, pupil swelling. The dimples at the very corners of his mouth betrayed his amusement, however, as he once again pushed you against the wall. You were both only in your underwear, now, and his lean body on yours had you aching. “My tough girl… how quickly do you think it’ll last when my fingers are in you?”

“Why don’t we find out?” You asked defiantly, knowing damn well it wouldn’t last long at all. By now you were both down the hallway and your bedroom was only a couple feet away. You needed him. Now. And judging by how fucking hard he was he needed you too.

The next moment went by in a blur and before you could catch yourself you were sprawled out on your back atop your bed. Aemond made quick work of moving you both inside, and made quicker work of pulling your panties down. He groaned as your thighs immediately spilled open for him. He dragged two fingers up your slit and circled your clit with your arousal. “Shit–,” he hissed. “Never make me wait so long to have this pussy again. Do you understand me? Never,” he said as he worked your already swollen clit. He played with it just how he knew you liked it and your cunt’s tiny wet sounds sent his cock throbbing. “Answer me.”

Tension built in the low muscles of your belly. Your legs began to tighten already – one of the tell-tale signs of your approaching climax. How the hell could he push you there so quickly? “N-never! Ahh-h never again!” You replied, voice light, and sweet, and tantalizing as any sin Aemond ever knew. “Please, Aemond, I want to cum…!”

He shoved those same two fingers into you. “Good girl,” he said as he curled those fingers. “This pussy is mine. All fucking mine. Give it to me,” he said huskily as he worked them in and out of you. It was sloppy and wet. Borderline obscene. Each time he slammed his hand against you he was mindful to press the heel of his palm against your clit and your mound, knowing how the extra pressure sent your pretty toes curling.

You cried out his name as your eyes clenched shut. The tension in your belly snapped and a wave of glorious bliss washed over you. Sweat sheened between your breasts and along your lip. You arched, quivered, shuddering in the aftermath of his intensity.

Aemond’s mouth crashed to yours and you threaded your fingers through the roots of his hair. It was still in a ponytail and you had no mind to take it out, you just had to pull him deeper into the kiss. He tasted the salt of your sweat and groaned. “Relax your pussy, baby, you’re clenching me really hard. It feels amazing but I don’t wanna hurt you pulling out,” he said tenderly, nuzzling his nose into the crook of your neck.

“Sorry,” you giggled. “Just feels too good.” You tried to steady your breath and relax as he laid beside you, continuing to kiss your neck and shoulders. When your spongy walls finally eased around him you were sad to feel him withdraw. Stress melted away from your subconscious and you wanted to thank him for the pleasure. You wondered if your eyes said it while he looked at you.

Leaning up, he discarded the final piece of his clothing and sighed in relief as his cock sprang free. He got between your thighs and looked down at you hungerily. “Look at you all doe eyed already. See? I knew you couldn’t stay tough for long,” he said, smug, as he lined up with your drenched cunt. He held one of your legs up against him, and you pressed the other against his side.

When you left for the store this morning you had no idea your afternoon would go in this direction.

He pushed into you. Inch by inch he sunk into you and soon he was as deep as he could be. A moan escaped both of you, and a throatier one left him when his free hand tugged at your bra. It was one that clipped in the front. He popped it open and rocked into you as soon as your tits spilled free. "You're so sexy like this."

With your body already sensitive from your first orgasm, and now with Aemond building a rhythm between your thighs, you weren't going to last long. "You feel so good," you purred, eyelids heavy. "Fuck I missed you."

Another sound left his chest and when you wrapped your legs around his slim waist you swore you felt goosebumps pebble all along his skin. Or, maybe those were your goosebumps on your legs. Whatever the case, Aemond leaned forward and kissed you again. "I missed you too," he rumbled. "Gonna let me fill this pretty pussy with my cum again?"

You two made good use of your birth control and you weren't about to deny him – or yourself – the pleasure of being thoroughly fucked and stuffed. "Y-yeah," you stammered, smiling.

Aemond mumbled something incoherent into your neck, and if your brain wasn't foggy from his perfect fucking cock you might have caught what he said.

He leaned up and supported himself on his forearms, pressing his forehead to yours. "You're my girl. You're my fucking girl. You're my fucking girl," he repeated again and again until the pace of his thrusts grew sloppy. Somehow the sloppiness of it, the neediness and urgency of his voice, sent emotion swelling in all of you.

Heat collected and grew out from your spine, webbing throughout your entire body. You clung to him desperately. You rolled your hips up into him and shamelessly grinded your clit against his pelvis as he drove in and out of you. It was all too much. You crumbled beneath him and let orgasm take control of you. The depths of your body squeezed and convulsed around him, holding him tight and soaking the fullness of his length with your slick. He never stopped or paused his thrusts.

His own peak followed. Once he was as deep as he could be he released everything he had into you. He stayed there, both of you panting through little moans, until he no longer twitched between your stretched walls. Slowly, he pulled out, and slowly, his seed dribbled out of you. Grinning, he rolled onto his back and scooped you against him.

"Let's stay here like this all day," you mumbled happily, fingertips trailing up and down his abdomen and chest.

"You'll get no argument from me," he said.

Quiet minutes passed and the sound of his heart nearly put you into a trance. "I'm sorry for how I acted," you finally admitted.

All the while he'd been petting and trailing his fingers through your hair. He didn't stop as he answered, "and I'm sorry for not trying harder." He kissed your forehead and held you tighter.

"Let's try it again. For real this time. With the titles and commitment and everything."

"Are you asking or telling me to be your boyfriend?"

You smirked. "I'm suggesting."

Returning your smirk, he pulled you atop him so you could straddle him. "You're all mine," he said with a dark eye. "My perfect girl."

Leaning down, you kissed and nipped his bottom lip. "Are you already hard again, Aemond Targaryen?"

A chuckle rumbled somewhere in his chest as his touch dented into your hips to hold you at just the right angle. With a roll of his hips he pushed himself up inside you again. "Whose cock is this?"

You gasped, eyes darkening with another round of lust. "Mine."

"That's right. Yours. Not anyone else's. It's fucking yours."

You rode him until your tits were covered in fresh hickies and you were filled with another load of him.

Yours. His. The second chance you both needed.

Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed, please consider a follow, and/or reblog, and/or letting me know as it all makes me vvvery happy! ♥

To be added or removed from the taglist, hit me up!

Masterlist

Main taglist: @watercolorskyy @melsunshine @girlwith-thepearlearring @arcielee @barbiedragon @dreamsofoldvalyria @chompchompluke @fan-goddess

Aemond taglist: @darylandbethfanforever9 @bellaisasleep @aemondsblog @khaleesihel @sirenofavalon @sahvlren @doublesparrows @aemonds-fire @nikstrange @abbyandizzysmum @lost-and-founds @castellomargot @okfashionista @avidreader73 @snh96 @boofy1998 @evermorre

#house of the dragon #aemond targaryen #aemond x reader #modern aemond #aemond smut #aemond fic #aemond imagine #request

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let-us-cultivate-our-garden · 3 months ago

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What would your direction be for The Collector? I find the show did a very hard retcon by turning him into an uwu fandom baby, despite the fact that he was shown to be astute in his earlier appearances. Actually, what's the point of his character beyond providing Belos the keys to that genocide spell on the Day of Unity?

This one will be another two-fer.

For the first question: If I were Dana, and I just received news that my series was going to be cancelled and I only had 3 long episodes to wrap everything up, I would have done one of two things: either not include the Collector or actually make him the Final Villain.

Obviously, Dana did neither of those things.

His overall role is to provide powerful magic to Belos and hint at what happened to the Titans. If we're not going to include the Collector, then just have Belos be the one to have made the Day of Unity Spell since he spent hundreds of years studying magic, it's logical for him to have come across different and more powerful forms of magic. The mysterious fate of the Titans would then be left for the fans to speculate.

But if we are to have him, then he has to provide another angle than Abused Baby Character Is Yet Another Victim of Belos that we've seen multiple times already. If Belos represents the dangers of oppression and not allowing the Individual to reach their full potential, then the Collector has to be the thematic opposite. He needs to demonstrate how unlimited freedom for one person can be dangerous if the effect it has on others are not considered.

Belos is defeated with the power of individualism and self-expression but the show could have examined the other side of the coin. Freedom does not mean getting to do whatever you want. People still have roles and responsibilities to play if society is to function. Relationships don't function if it's all me-me-me. The Collector could have been that other side of the coin with his disregard of other's opinions and focus on things that entertain him. That would force Luz to actually realize that she can't choose herself every single time, that she has to be responsible and considerate of other people. It would be a great arc for her character and a fitting resolution for her to teach someone else about growing up. Otherwise, there's no thematic purpose for the Collector, who's currently just there to act as a Decoy Antagonist until the Real Villain can reestablish himself as a threat again.

Second question: If I had a full season 3, then the Wittebanes would definitely have their own episode. But even with the cancellation, Thanks to Them should have been a more Wittebane-centric episode instead of being crammed into the final 10 minutes.

I would avoid the Good Brother-Evil Brother trope like the plague; Philip is the younger brother here, he's going to look up to and emulate Caleb. They both became witch hunters to fit in, which implies that they were somehow different and this was the only way to gain community acceptance and safety. Philip is the most "unusual" of the brothers and is fundamentally dependent on Caleb, so he has more to lose if the community turns on him, thus he embraces witch hunting more readily. Caleb can outwardly fit in but the stress of raising his kid brother are taking its toll and he's growing disillusioned with the town's culture. Meeting Evelyn allows Caleb to relieve some of his stress but it also makes him blind to how radicalized Philip is becoming. The town loves his little brother! He can leave for a little bit and his brother will be in good hands :) I can finally be my own person! Pip is fine....he's fine....it's fine...

Except that we know the truth. Philip tied his grief over losing Caleb to the witches because it was ingrained into him that they're all evil and destroy lives. It's much easier to accept that reality than the one in which Caleb willingly left him.

The Wittebanes should be a tale about how young people are radicalized and how communities can fail vulnerable children. How grief can destroy us if not processed properly. Not "guess lil' bro got mad that big bro got a gf, lol!"

Finally, Belos' backstory needs to play into his ultimate demise. The Titan can reveal the full story while Luz only got the legend the first time around. She can remind Belos that he wasted his life for nothing, that killing everyone won't change anything. That he brought this hell onto himself and he's the only one to blame.

Basically this.

#asks #the owl house #toh critical #toh criticism #toh collector #luz noceda #emperor belos #philip wittebane #caleb wittebane

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gingermintpepper · 1 month ago

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Day 3: Asclepius

Interpretation notes and trivia under the cut!!

Woo boy, this guy was another difficult character to settle on both a design and an interpretation for! Asclepius tends to have two big schools of thought for his tale, either he's the tragic doctor who resorted to illicit methods in order to save his patients or he's a strict scientist who was so skilled at his art that his resuscitations were called magic but were just science. I don't actually mind either interpretation, but due to the way I personally see Coronis and the way I chose to interpret Asclepius' birth story, I chose to focus on a different facet of Asclepius; Asclepius the family man. The theme of geneology and the inheritance of 'curses' through blood and birth is one that permeates this work and Asclepius, in a lot of ways, has not only inherited both his mother and father's banes but his actions and talents create new ones for his children. Throughout this, and all the many messy crimes Asclepius will commit in the name of what he thinks is necessary and right, he will willfully ignore the warning signs staring him dead in his face screaming that he will leave the burden of his work to his children and it will be easy. After all, Asclepius has made a career out of ignoring his own father's warnings and cautions, what are a few more red flags to ignore?

Less of a character note and more of a personal thing, but for a very long time I used his teenaged design when sketching out scenes and ideas but after tidying up my timeline, I realised that he would be an older man throughout the events of the story!! Since he's properly mortal, he would have to look his age and while that was slightly intimidating since I've not drawn many older characters, it also made me very excited since characters in the 40+ age range are rarely protagonists of these sorts of adventure/fantasy stories and working in the physical differences between him and his brothers was extremely fun!

Some fun trivia:

Youngest of Apollo's children currently alive and kicking. Maybe it was because Apollo so intensely regretted the way he dealt with Coronis but he doted endlessly on Asclepius and essentially personally oversaw his education and training. Because of this, Asclepius, without a doubt, is the child with the best relationship with Apollo between the brothers and believes unfalteringly in his father even if they have many practical and philosophical differences.

Has a bit of a sixth sense when it comes to necromancy and communing with the dead and spirits beneath the earth. Because he was rescued from the torch of death when he was babe, he has retained a connection with the chthonic. While he cannot exactly see figures like Thanatos or Hermes, he can certainly sense when they are afoot. Is very aware that Thanatos cannot stand him and expects to be taken by Ker when he does finally die.

Always keeps gold coins on him on the off chance he is spontaneously struck down while doing research or healing some previously unhealable disease. His father, upon realising that his warnings would be thoroughly ignored, pleaded for him to do at least that since after Asclepius is dead, Apollo would be unable to intercede for him.

Happily married and has four children! His eldest Machaon chose to follow his footsteps and became a gifted surgeon in his own right while his second eldest Iaso chose to follow her mother's footsteps and become more of a nurse than a doctor. He's endlessly proud of all of his children and hopes his research makes the world a better place for them.

Was recognised by Apollo at 15 and became Doctor Laureate at 17. Lost said laurels at 22 after he revived his second corpse from the dead and since then has been on a strict probation when practicing his medicine. Has a mark on his left wrist that will fill itself out if he commits such an atrocity again and then he will be marked for death and supposedly tormented until he forfeits his soul.

On very good terms with Orpheus and the two often work together and catch up when they happen to meet up while travelling. Never knew Eurydice but he gets the feeling that he would've really liked her.

Despite being a son of Apollo, has absolutely zero musical talent and cannot dance. He can't maintain his hair either and would've cut it multiple times over if Apollo himself didn't stop him and chastise him for even thinking about such a thing. Epione does his hair. The little braids in his beard are courtesy of the twins Hygiea and Panacea who enjoy putting little braids in anything they can get their hands on.

Doesn't resemble his father or his mother actually! The relative he resembles most is his paternal grandfather Zeus, a fact that gives his wife endless grief because his hair is thick but not curly, a trait she covets. Asclepius having thick body and facial hair was also very awkward considering Apollo is incapable of growing body hair and, for a while, his lack of curls and cascade of body hair when Asclepius started puberty made Apollo doubt whether Asclepius was truly his or if he had saved Ischys' child instead.

Has zero self preservation and will hunt monsters and creatures for their blood, teeth, claws and hides for his medicines. Like his father, he has a personal 'wall of horrors' where he stores everything from gorgon blood to pegasus feathers to hydra venom. Sometimes gods in the guise of men will simply give him precious materials because they know Asclepius is the one who will take their unsolveable cases in the face of disaster. It is a very risky exchange and has only barely skirted by Zeus' notice because actual money hasn't been exchanged (yet).

Preferred weapon is the scalpel and doesn't like fighting humans. Has a fire-retardant mantle made from chimera skin Apollo gave him when he was a child that doubles as a very good shield in a pinch.

Favourite colour is withy purple and his favourite food is goat butter spread on bread and topped with celery, tomatoes and olive oil. Has a lot of snake themed jewellry that he's passed on to his son because he thinks they're too gaudy for his old self to be wearing.

#ginger draws #pursuing daybreak posting #the way I want to talk about Asclepius and Artemis but CAN'T because that'll inevitably lead to talking about Hippolytus??#and that is BEEG spoiler nonsense because Hippolytus' whole affair plays out so much differently here than in myth #anyway Asclepius is fun - a fun guy #if I had to describe his personality in a word it would be dangerous #Dangerous in the kind of way you can only be if you're tempting fate and have a family tbqh #Asclepius is well meaning but because he's gotten away with flouting rules for so long he has the confidence #of a man who thinks he'll always get away with it even after Apollo's warned him so many times #He also has what I affectionately call “Dad-blindness”#All of his brothers have gone through it - that phase where they're super disillusioned with Apollo as a father because they haven't seen #how ruthless and cold he can be as a god #most of Apollo's mortal children don't live long enough to actually get disillusioned? but Aristaeus and Orpheus very much #have a much more complicated view of their father than Asclepius' “Apollo will always protect me because he's my father” view #no one tell him #asclepius #greek mythology #october art challenge

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drstonetrivia · 11 months ago

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Chapter 221 Trivia

I hope you like Stanley, because this is mostly about Stanley.

Once again we have Stanley represented as the knight. Sure Xeno was his original princess (even if he denies it), but now his princess seems to be the rocket.

Will Stanley get a fairy tale ending?

Xeno obviously wants to keep up his act as a villain, but Ryusui is denying him the privilege.

Stanley's original criteria for revival were loosely based on society being up and running, which is now the case as Ryusui mentions here. Like they'd agreed earlier, what Stanley did was considered justifiable acts of warfare and thus they trust him as a soldier.

Stanley and Xeno are both said to be 180 cm tall on their character files, yet in this picture there's clearly a height difference.

Obviously, the only explanation for this is so that Stanley could fondly tilt Xeno's head up towards him in the following pages.

Stan's new outfit makes him look less imposing and inhuman than his previous one, and instead mimics the buttons on the the front of a double-breasted military jacket.

The double "V" of his belt buckles could be the zig-zag of the American clothing, or it's two halves of an X.

(Conspiracies for the belt buckle, don't take these seriously:

a marker that he's loyal to Xeno

a simplification of the current KoS crossed-rockets flag

V + V = X

"V" for victory)

Stanley's scar is still here, but it's changed slightly: the line across the bridge of his nose is gone.

However it may fully disappear soon, since he'll be petrified on the rocket. This change will likely mark his atonement.

This is a brand new lighter based off the one Stanley had before they got petrified. For most of the Americas arc he simply used matches, apart from the "gag" lighter that looks like his handgun.

The math checks out.

This is, in fact, Stanley and Senku's first conversation (if you can even call this one).

Before now, Senku's never allowed Stanley to get close enough, and they never communicated directly over the radios either.

All Ryusui has wanted since he was a child was to make one of his models a reality and to pilot it himself, along with the help of his brother Sai.

Now, he's forced to sacrifice that dream for the greater good.

Sai knows this, which is why he's shown in the same room Ryusui was (across the table from him? In the same seat? It doesn't seem to be the same window, but the rocket is aligned the same.)

It looks like Stan does say the exact same thing: "dekiru ne", which literally translates to "I can". The "ne" at the end is used as a form of agreement, similar to saying "right?" in English. I sort of wish it was translated the same...

#trivia #dr stone #chapters #221 #stanley snyder #stanxeno

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galadrieljones · 4 months ago

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Chartreuse, P.A.D.R.E., The World Beyond coda, and some other potentially wild connections to Daryl Dixon season 2 (Team Delusional)

Hello friends. This post contains spoilers pertaining to recent script leaks, outlined in this helpful post by @bookqueenrules. If you don't want to know anything about these leaks, you can read this post all the way until I post a WARNING. At that point, you should stop!!

Anyway, here we go. Let's look at the shot above.

When I saw this shot in the DD2 trailer, I paused for several reasons. First of all, and most obviously, I saw the Mona Lisa, which is housed at the Louvre. Recall this shot from season 1, which draws a visual connection between the Mona Lisa (shot in the left side of the forehead) and Beth. Daryl literally stops to look at her, as if he is seeing exactly what we are seeing.

Now, the second big thing I noticed in that shot from the trailer, and what I want to talk about today, were several bottles of some sort of green liquid...

These are definitely bottles of CHARTREUSE.

Chartreuse is a unique French liqueur made of alcohol infused with 130 different herbs, flowers, and plants, and which always appears to be either bright green or yellow. Of course, the color green is always interesting to TDers when it is used out of context (ie: on things that are not usually green). It reminded me of two other important out-of-context examples of green in TWDU: the green chlorine gas from The World Beyond and The Ones Who Live, as well as the green corrosive substance which causes Amanda's death in the Tales episode "Davon."

The thing is, while it seems out of context here, it's really not. Chartreuse is supposed to be green. Very green. As far as alcohols go, it, just like moonshine, has quite a bit of symbolic significance pertaining to what's going on in TWDU...

A Quick History of Chartreuse

Chartreuse has many imitators, but much like French Champagne, there is only one real Chartreuse. Real Chartreuse is very expensive because it is in limited supply, literally produced by Carthusian monks near Paris. It is named for a monastery in the Chartreuse Mountains near Grenoble, France. It began with an alchemical recipe in 1605, presented to the Carthusian monks in the monastery outside of Paris by French King Henry IV, called an "elixir of long life." Over 120 years later, it was enhanced by a monk named Brother Gerome Maubec, and over the next 60 years became quite popular in France.

Anyway, during the French Revolution in 1793, the Carthusian monks were exiled from France. They took refuge in Spain until 1816 during Napoleon's reign, when they returned to France and continued to hone and develop their "elixir of long life." But in 1903, they were exiled again, their distillery confiscated by the French government, and they returned to Spain, specifically a city in Catalonia named Tarragona where the French monks would remain, distilling the only authentic Chartreuse in the world, until they were finally invited back to France after World War II.

Parallels to French History in DD season 1

Okay, why is any of this important? To answer this question, we need to return to the World Beyond season 2 coda, but first, we should recall the events of Daryl Dixon season 1. In season 1, Daryl is taken in by Catholic nuns in an abbey near Marseille. He befriends a nun who implores him to embark on a journey to Le Havre, a place called the Nest, where he will deliver Laurent, a "sacred" boy whose "power" we don't really understand. When they finally arrive at the Nest with Laurent, we meet Losang, who is, in fact, a monk, and who has just come from Spain. Losang is not just a monk, and he wasn't always a monk. Though we know little about his past, we do know that he is originally American, and that he came to Paris to study before the fall.

In season 1, we also meet Genet whose movement The Power of the Living (or Pouvoir des Vivants) espouses strong French Revolutionary vibes. She wishes to return the power to the people in France, implying that in order to do this, the people must rise up to "usurp" said power from somebody else. We don't know for sure who Genet's true enemies are, but it does seem that Genet's enemies have some relationship to Losang, The Union of Hope, the Nest, and the USA, hence her relentless hunt for Daryl and Laurent and her impending assault on the Nest. She even shouts "Vive le France!" during the arena fight at the end of season 1, an exclamation associated with the Storming of the Bastille in 1789.

Losang's faction the Union of Hope is described in season 1 as a movement that unites all religions and all people. While it is helmed at the Nest in Le Havre, it knows no borders. We meet several sub-factions in France, including Lou's group of "Lost Boys" as well as Fallou's people in Paris. We also get some sense that there are arms of the faction in Spain, as Isabelle mentions a spaniard on the radio, and Losang has come from a pilgrimage in Spain, one that @frangipanilove has written about brilliantly. Read here.

The World Beyond: The Science of Wildfire

Let's return now to the World Beyond coda. In the coda, we meet a nameless French scientist who downloads the contents of several hard drives onto her laptop at what appears to be an old bioresearch laboratory, somewhere in France. One of the hard drives contains several folders of interest, including one titled "TB Ellis Papiers" and another titled "Slingerland," which is currently still a mystery, though very interesting, as it is the name of a prominent American musical instrument manufacturing company from the mid-to-late 20th century, which mainly manufactured drum kits and guitars. (If anybody has their own theories on Slingerland, let me know, as it's an obsession for me lol).

The French scientist proceeds to watch a video of correspondence from Dr. Jenner from season 1, who discusses at length many scientific angles on producing or addressing a cure or some sort of treatment or mitigation factor for the Wildfire virus.

As she is watching, an assassin enters with a gun and asks if she is on the "Primrose Team." She corrects him to say that she is on the "Violet Team," and that the Primrose Team was in Toledo, Ohio at the time of the fall. The Teams, as we can gather, are groups of scientists, possibly dispersed internationally, who developed the Wildfire virus and, in their efforts to curb its effects, the French teams specifically, created deadly variants, which, according to Jenner in the video, are not endemic to the US. We believe that the Jenners were members of the Violet Team, given their correspondence with the French scientist on the Violet Team and the fact that Jenner's computer assistant is named "Violet." Of course, that's just speculation...

The assassin in question seems to be unaware of the details of what's gone on with the French teams and is only carrying out assassinations on his leader's behalf. He mentions that they are no longer simply jailing the scientists. They're killing them. His faction, which I believe is the Power of the Living, blames the scientists for causing the Wildfire spread, and also for "making it worse." He shoots the scientist in the head and leaves, at which point, even despite the headshot, she turns into a walker and runs violently toward the door.

In this interaction, we learn that at some point in the first ten years after the fall, a major faction (likely the Power of the Living) began hunting the scientists responsible for the Wildfire virus, jailing, and killing them. Some of the scientists were in America at the time, in Ohio, and we think that some of them are still there, and that they possibly attempted to migrate down to the CDC in Georgia at the beginning of the outbreak. The reason for this is that there are variants of "smart" walkers which seem to exist *only* in Ohio and Georgia and *not* in Virginia. In seasons 1-4 and 11 only, we run into walkers who can run, climb, and use tools. Some even have keepsakes, such as the very first walker we see in "Days Gone Bye." She reaches for her stuffed bear, which implies some semblance of "memory" hanging on from her old life.

Mainly these walkers are encountered in Atlanta and later at the Commonwealth. Since Jenner verifies in his video that he hasn't seen any evidence of variants at the American CDC, this suggests that the variants arrived in Georgia at some point in the first three weeks of the outbreak, or before Rick enters Atlanta for the first time.

Anyway, given that we meet one of the scientist in the WB coda, this suggests that there are more in existence, but that they've simply left France. She came back to see if the Primrose team might be there, after all this time. She was wrong, but this scene has given us many massive clues. This is where the folklore of Chartreuse becomes very interesting.

When the Carthusian monks, or the makers of the "elixir of long life" were kicked out of France, BOTH times they went to Spain.

In Spain, they continued their operation until the French were so threatened by it, they finally invited them back after WWII. Given all the WWII callbacks we get in DD season 1, including the revelation that Daryl's grandfather died on the beaches of Normandy, it may be that we are currently entering into a "proxy" situation, in which Daryl fights alongside his allies in France to defeat an existential threat. Only this time, unlike his grandfather, he will survive, and he will live to see his home and his loved ones again, and soon, the "cure" or science which could mitigate the Wildfire virus, could return to France.

The "elixir of long life," aka Chartreuse, could be a compelling historic and symbolic proxy for the Wildfire virus, which I have speculated, based on its regenerative effects in walkers (ie: slowing down their rate of decay, a scientific process that is discussed in World Beyond, but which is not well understood) could have started as a cure for death or the aging process, or a way to heal and regenerate mortal wounds. A literal fountain of youth. The holy grail. A true "elixir of long life." Unfortunately, it was leaked and allowed to infect humans en masse before it was adjusted beyond its most destructive phases. This is just a theory, mind you. It's just based on a hunch.

Either way, remember that the holy grail, which is determined to be "holy blood," is the object of an intense search in the book and film The DaVinci Code, which has been cited multiple times in relation to the lore of TWD, particular TD theories, and which was the inspiration for the TV show DaVinci's Demons, which Scott Gimple wrote for prior to his work with TWD.

Like the Carthusian monks, the scientific teams in France were hunted, jailed, and exiled by a revolutionary cause and took their science with them. If this comparison is intentional or holds any water, it creates a very likely scenario for why season 3 will take place in Spain. If Genet is behind the exile, then this would also explain why Genet is so intent on attacking the Nest and neutralizing Losang and his forces. She wants the scientists dead and out of France.

What are Losang's Motivations?

Returning to Losang, my fellow theorists and several other TDers are suspicious of Losang after his motivations come into question in the ten minute preview currently available on AMC+. Losang is hesitant to attack Genet even though she has taken several of his people as prisoners. He is also critical of Daryl's attempts to teach Laurent self-defense. Why would that be? He says that it is unhealthy to expose Laurent to so much violence, but he says this knowing that Laurent traveled all the way to the Nest with Daryl and Isabelle, and was almost killed multiple times, that he already had to kill a walker to save Isabelle's life, and that said walker was his own biological father. In what way will teaching him to protect himself in a dangerous world keep him from experiencing the same trauma that he's already experienced?

One reason could be to keep Laurent as helpless as possible, ignorant, focused only on the intellectual and the spiritual, not the physical. It could, of course, be innocent but we believe Losang may have ulterior motives or plans for Laurent, who was born to a walker. The speculation that Laurent may have inherited some sort of immunity to the Wildfire virus has been rampant in the fandom, prompting many to make comparisons to Ellie in The Last of Us. Within TWDU, Laurent having any sort of immunity would make him very valuable to cure research and very interesting in terms of deepening the Wildfire origins lore.

If Losang, as an American, was in Paris to "study" at the time of the fall, it is likely he was at one of two major research universities in the region: the Sorbonne or the Pasteur Institute, the latter being at the forefront of vaccine technology in the modern world. While, of course, we don't know for sure, and we could always be wrong, the notion that he could be a scientist or medical/research doctor is not unfounded. Eastman, a good character proxy for Losang, and who counsels Morgan in the season 6 episode "Here's Not Here," found a similar spiritual awakening in the Eastern philosophy of Aikido after the fall. Eastman was a psychiatrist in his previous life.

I also believe that, logically, it is time for Daryl Dixon to follow through on the connection to the World Beyond coda, considering the fact that Scott Gimple verified a connection between the two some time ago. The set-up with Losang, a highly intelligent leader and "pilgrim," reformed monk who has just come from Spain despite being an American with an academic past, would be the perfect opportunity for the writers to draw a strong connection between two major themes in TWDU, which have been percolating for a while: science and faith.

Child Abduction, the Nest, and P.A.D.R.E. (***Major Spoilers Ahead***)

This is where you should stop reading if you don't want spoilers!

Something my fellow theorists and I have started kicking around, in the wake of a recent script leak, which is apparently the final moments of the final episode of season 2, is the possibility that Laurent will be abducted, or that he'll be lured away from the Nest by someone he trusts, perhaps Losang.

Note that the leaked script implies that, by the end of season 2, Isabelle has apparently died. Laurent is also not present in the final scene. I do not believe the writers will kill off Laurent, but that instead, they'll use him to broaden the scope of the world (and to soften the hearts of both Daryl AND Carol). I also don't believe that Daryl would leave Laurent behind in France with Isabelle dead, or that Laurent would want to be without Daryl, given all they've been through and their attachment to one another. In the trailer, we hear that Daryl and Isabelle have begun to discuss taking Laurent back to America. After the war in France, if Isabelle is gone, it might be that Laurent will still want to go back with Daryl and Carol. But since we don't see him in the final scene re: the leaked script pages, and we haven't heard anything about him in Spain, could it be that, when Daryl and Carol return to the Nest to retrieve him (in a coda, perhaps) he's just gone?

Let's talk about child abductions and missing children in TWDU. While the notion of child abduction starts with Jocelyn in "Scars," it comes to a head in Fear, seasons 7-8, in which we learn that children are being abducted by mysterious "snatchers" and taken to a highly secretive place called P.A.D.R.E., where they are trained to fight, essentially, a walker war. P.A.D.R.E. began as a US Military operation, designed by politicians, military personal, and other experts to maintain sustainability after the fall of civilization due to the Wildfire virus; however, for reasons I don't have time to get into, it turns into something else completely. The children at P.A.D.R.E. are all given BIRD NAMES, ie: Finch, Dove, Wren, etc. Madison Clark, who turns up alive in season 7, is nicknamed Lark, and she starts her journey toward redemption as one of the "snatchers" who steals "eggs" or babies and children from "unfit" parents and returns them to the safety of P.A.D.R.E..

This is very interesting. Let's consider the terminology, which greatly revolves around BIRDS. Children who are good prospects for "snatching" are called "eggs," and where might eggs be stolen from?

A NEST.

The children are then nicknamed after birds and taken to P.A.D.R.E.. "Padre" is a SPANISH word. It means priest or father.

So we have bird eggs being snatched from their nest, taken to a place with a Spanish name related to themes and inventory of Catholicism. Is it possible that P.A.D.R.E. was foreshadowing for the events of Daryl Dixon? Is this why the writers chose bird names for P.A.D.R.E.'s wards?

This is also where we might consider Beth coming in, because Beth's main job when she was with Team Family was taking care of Judith and the children. When they escape the prison, she survives because she leaves the bus to go searching for the children. In "Inmates," she leads Daryl on a search for missing children, which ends badly.

Beth also has a bird cage in her cell in "30 Days Without an Accident."

Is Beth in Spain? Will Laurent be taken there? Is this where the French scientists are hiding out, continuing to develop their "elixir of long life" in secret? Some sort of "Spanish Slabtown?" Are they conducting research on children who are "special," people who have "immunity?" Was Beth part of something bigger than we realize? Bigger, even, than the CRM? Something that spanned international borders? Something related to the origins of and cure for Wildfire?

For a very long time, the season 5 templates have lead us to believe that Daryl and Carol will leave together to search for Beth, but what if they're searching for Laurent, and they find Beth by mistake? OR, what if, while they're searching for Laurent, Beth finds THEM? In any case, it's very important that Carol be there for it, as she is the only other living person who we know of that has been inside of Grady and might have memory of what went on there.

Only time will tell. For now, it's fun to speculate...

💫

#the walking dead #team delusional #bethyl #I feel it!!

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chaotic-nick · 2 years ago

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✨️Boyfriend Ichigo Headcanons✨️

Note: unedited/ college to working adults au

Bleach headcanon suggestions are open

Boyfriend Ichigo who doesn't make fun of the height difference the two of you have. In the first few months of your relationship you catch him staring at you as you try to reach for the item on the highest shelf.

"Usually I get a step stool from the people . . ."

Boyfriend Ichigo who feels stupid after that and just grabs it in silence. Ever since then he's been doing it quitly.

Boyfriend Ichigo who throws Renji a glare when he laughs at your height difference.

Boyfriend Ichigo who uses you as an armrest as you order in front of the machine, eyes narrowed.

Boyfriend Ichigo who sits with his back against yours when you work on your schoolwork together. A shared playlist playing from one of your laptops.

Boyfriend Ichigo whose hand finds yours and gives it a squeeze before going back to work.

Boyfriend Ichigo who tells Isshin to actually behave when you come over for the first time.

Boyfriend Ichigo who's nervous because how you act/ talk to his sisters is his test. Depending on that it's either he breaks up with you.

Boyfriend Ichigo who's relieved when your nervous demeanour turns happy at the sight of his sisters.

"ICHI, YOU HAVE SISTERS?" "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I've always wanted sisters, mom only gave me brothers. Three of them"

Boyfriend Ichigo who sits quiet at the table allowing Karin and Yuzu ask you all the questions they have. Even if it embarrasses him.

Boyfriend Ichigo who wears a gummy smile when he walks you home as you tell him, "Next you should bring them here. Meet my brothers. It'll be cute."

Boyfriend Ichigo who tells you that one day he'll get you presents that you deserve when he gives you a plastic bag of sweets from the convenience store across your university.

Boyfriend Ichigo always being teased by Keigo and the others when he tells them that he's got a girlfriend studying in another university. At first he's angry, irritated even. Overtime he gets used to it.

Boyfriend Ichigo who takes you to his university's event week, holding your hand. He feels all so cool having everyone look at you and then at him. He loves the wide eyes stared they have on you two.

Boyfriend Ichigo who realises that you never have a picture together on his Instagram feed. One that was full of sports tournaments [he's an athlete in my non-soul reaper au] restaurant dinners with Renji and Ikkaku.

Boyfriend Ichigo who watches the likes on your first photo on his Instagram together. It's your hand wrapped around his, walking across the corridors of his university with the caption, 'showing her my world'.

Boyfriend Ichigo who stands embarrassed as you tale pictures of him in his interview outfit, eyes casted down on the ground and a red hue colouring his cheeks.

Boyfriend Ichigo who got his first job and suddenly he's excited with the amount of money in his hold.

"Don't," you tell him, hand hovering above his that held the cash he wanted to give you. "Treat your sisters first. Then your dad."

"But . . ."

"And then your mom to a beautiful bouquet."

Boyfriend Ichigo who falls in love with you more in that moment.

Boyfriend Ichigo who slowly saves from every paycheck to buy you a ring you deserve. One that wasn't for marriage. But to celebrate the growth the two of you went through, the milestones you two achieved.

Boyfriend Ichigo who went from waiting for you at your university's gates to waiting at the ground floor of where you work, work bag slung over his shoulders and sleeves rolled up.

Bonus:

Boyfriend Ichigo and you winning an oversized plush at an arcade and calling it your child.

Boyfriend Ichigo who thinks it's a 'y/n thing' to do. Dressing it up, sparying your perfume on it, etc. And suddenly he's punching Renji to shut up as he puts an old hoodie over it.

#nick headcanons #ichigo kurosaki x y/n #ichigo kurosaki x reader #ichigo kurosaki headcanons #bleach fanfiction #bleach headcanons

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cocoacat323 · 1 year ago

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Naruto Fic Recs

Since so many people liked my svsss rec list I thought I might do one for Naruto, warning all of these are either sasuke-kakashi centric so if you don't like that I recommend you don't read this! Anywho!

heroes come back Summary: Sasuke Uchiha is reborn as Timothy Drake

With Friends Like These Summary:

“I’m from the future—seven years in the future.” There’s a long, drawn-out silence. Itachi’s face is unreadable as he stares at Sasuke. “You’re what?” he finally says.

Sasuke travels back in time to stop the war. He infiltrates the Akatsuki in order to kill them - he doesn't expect to take a page out of Naruto's book and befriend them instead.

CCG Public Enemy No 1 Summary: Kakashi had a single red-and-black eye for more than half his life. Now, he has two.

twist 'verse Summary: Team Seven, in all its iterations, gets fucked over by whatever cosmic powers yet again and time travels/reincarnates/possesses bodies of the Founders. (Note: This is a series not a fic, but I thoroughly enjoyed it so it's making the list anyway.)

Frayed Truths 'verse Summary:

"What are you saying?" Kakashi demands, distress turning his tone harsh. "That you don't know when he'll wake up?" "I'm saying I don't know if he will."

When Itachi uses the Tsukuyomi on his brother that day in the hallway, he miscalculates. In the aftermath, Sakura and Naruto struggle with what it means to be a team and Kakashi sits by the bedside of a boy that might never wake.

A single misstep, and everything changes.

[NOW UNDERGOING EDITING]

(Note: This is also a series and not a fic, I'm sorry about that, but once again it's very good. The series itself has no summary so I went with the summary for the first fic in the series.)

How a Young Heart Really Feels Summary: It was absolutely the most devastating thing to ever happen to him in his six years of life. He knew Uchiha were supposed to love too deeply, but this was ridiculous! He was just a kid, for god's sake! He didn't want to be in love!

Or: Sasuke gets a crush and it messes with best laid plans.

Misrecognition Summary: During the fight on top of the hospital after Itachi's tsukuyomi Sasuke sees Naruto's rasengan and decides that was the final nail to hammer home his weakness, how he would never be able to become stronger than his brother. He was a loser, destined to fail, destined to die. So he might as well die now.

Sasuke tries to use Naruto's rasengan as a means to an end. Friend-killer Kakashi watches this.

Restore My Faith Summary: Sasuke was consumed with hatred because his family was killed. His entire family, not a single person left alive except him and their killer. It was enough to drive someone insane, or into the arms of the first maniac promising him enough power for revenge.

Instead Sasuke finds a little baby Uchiha on a meaningless mission and leaves Konoha for a vastly different reason. (Note: Very literally my favorite fic in the world, of you were to read any fic on this list I beg that it is this one.)

Never Trust Your Rinnegan (Tales of Sasuke's Travels) Summary: "Sasuke isn't in the Elemental Nations.

None of the Elemental Nations have buildings quite like this, people quite like this. Sure, Ame is weird, but this is really pushing it. These people don't have Chakra signatures, they shouldn’t be alive.

The Rinnegan has never teleported him somewhere he hasn’t already gone."

OR: Sasuke is transported to the world of BNHA and has a very hard time trying to get out.

Road to Nowhere Summary: Hitoshi knows there's something wrong with himself before he's even old enough to have a sense of self. He looks at his reflection and knows that the infant looking back at him isn't what he should be seeing.

His dreams are a maelstrom of grief and fear, his mind overwhelmed with a lifetime of emotions his brain isn't developed enough to comprehend. There's an ingrained instinct blaring that everything is wrong wrong wrong.

In which Hatake Kakashi is reincarnated as Shinsou Hitoshi, and he wants nothing to do with this world's so-called "heroes."

A step to the left (and right off the cliff) Summary: Team Seven starts off on a different foot and Sasuke's canonical journey to get stronger goes off the rails a bit. It all works out though. Probably.

#naruto #sasuke uchiha #fic recs #fic rec #fanfic rec #naruto fanfiction #uchiha sasuke #kakashi hatake #team 7 #narusasu #obikaka #naruto uzumaki #haruno sakura #uchiha obito #itachi uchiha #naruto shippuden #naruto fic recs

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spaceless-vacuum · 1 year ago

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Hi my friend sent me your Lynn cub reader fanfic and it was Soo cute!🥰

And I wanted to request something different

But the same thing at the same time

Can I have a yandere link's playtonic x baby hatchling lizalfos female reader

The links found the egg it a weird one and it just hatch in front of them

Like who would be her father and mother figure

And we all know wind is the best big brother!

I just think it funny and think differently links would be good monster fathers and mothers lol

The egg twitched- then bounced. Moving across the ground while bouncing from side to side.

“Is that… I mean is it really?” Sky trailed off. He was asking the question on everyone's mind, Was there really a baby lizalfos in there? Was this where they came from? The group had seen groups of enemies spawn from dust or dark magic- but never considered how they might go about creating their own young once fully grown. It was an assumption they were all born through darkness.

It all felt so natural to just assume the creatures didn't have any young. He had never fought a baby lizalfos or ever heard of one. So why was this egg moving? There was no way this was some egg they carried in as food because if it was they'd have swallowed it by now. Sky looked to the spot where the two lizalfos guards had died. They refused to move even as the rest of their camp was slaughtered.

“Seems like it. I’ve never even seen this before but I've heard the story. Their babies hatch so quickly they're only in eggs for a day or two which makes them hard to spot in the wild.” Twilight tilted his head studying the egg as it twitched again before standing still. It almost knocked itself over. “I don't think it's going to stay in there for much longer.”

“Are you guys just going to talk around or do we plan on actually doing something?” Four was the first to make his way over after clearing out the rest of the camp.

“It's just a baby.” Twilight was quick to defend the egg. He could see the anger in Four, the man wouldn't do anything, but it was smart to remind him that you were no danger. When you hatched you would be too young to do anything and hardly the size of a cat. If you attacked they could manage getting away and leaving you alone. For the sake of a new life in the world he would choose peace.

“It's a monster!” Four couldn't understand why Twilight was acting so nonchalant. Did the rancher really have it in his mind that this thing was anything like his goats? That the moment you hatched you would come out and sniff his hand? Of course not. Ganon’s minions would never know rest. You would either grow up in the wilds and be a killer or by some miracle you would be raised in an environment that would encourage goodwill.

“I’m still unsure about this. Granted it's still a monster, but you guys were wrong about dragons." Both the rancher and smith turned to Sky. He was staring off into the distance. A tell tale sign that he was somewhere else right now. “I mean everyone here thinks they’re evil but I’ve met friendly faces of theirs.”

“If we keep them we’ll have to feed them and keep them out of trouble. It may hurt us or it may imprint and protect us. No way to tell.” Time made his way over with the rest of the group. This was Wild’s era. if anyone would have a good clue what was going on it would be him. Four broke away from the group to ask the champion some questions.

The egg hadn't moved again. Time knew the stomping of their boots and sound of combat couldn't have made you feel safe. It was possible you were too scared to come out. With time maybe you'd grow closer to the group, it was only a matter of time. Both parties were apprehensive of each other. Unsure if the other was friend or foe.

Time knew the men here well enough to know that no matter what happens they would be taking the egg. Everyone could argue about it but it was set in stone. Curiosity would get the better of them all. If they left the camp now- leaving you in it- someone would wrap back around to take the egg. It would cut down on time if they just took the egg and let the baby run off when they hatched.

“You found WHAT?” Wild had heard the news and was going to rush over at any moment. Time scooped the egg up with both hands. You could fit in one but he wanted to make sure he didn't drop you. The boys wouldn't let him live it down if he did. It felt a bit rude to be taking you from what was your home. He knew however that your family was dead. taking you with them to a palace more packed with food was your ebay chance at survival.

“Our leader has spoken.” Twilight studied the old man's face. There wasn't a sliver of doubt in his mind that they would be taking the child with them. The rancher knew where to look to see the curious child that was hidden in their commander. The other may only see the kind and tough leader but his elusive other self was right there underneath the surface. Time had let his curiosity and hope get the better of him- or maybe make him better than the rest.

Wild was the first to run over. Hyrule was rushing over as he heard the news. The rest of the group was left to search for loot and make sure no stragglers snuck up on them. Wild was enamoured by the egg. In all his time in the wilds he had never come across one. He assumed they must be rare or well hidden but Hyrule disagreed. He had seen a baby lizalfos along with a few eggs in his home era.

Hyrule was insisting that it wasn't terribly difficult to find an egg or baby even. It was the danger of them that made you lucky if you never found one. The hatchlings were vicious. Born with a ferocious appetite they would eat anything they could get their hands on. They needed a large amount of food to grow up as fast as they could.

They spent very little time in adolescence and grew full size in the matter of weeks or months. Hyrule had never come across an adolescent lizalfos- which only made him think they could grow within a few days if supplied enough food. Why else were there so few accounts? Wild had no need for these accounts. He had heard rumours from stable hands and was sure he knew everything he needed to.

“How cool is all of that?!” Wild was ecstatic. Eyes wide he stared at the egg in Time’s hands. The old man kept trying to walk but was stop by the constant barrage of questions and hands trying to touch the egg.

“No! Not cool at all.” Hyrule turned to Time. “We can't bring this thing into our camp. We don't know-”

“I've made up my mind.” Time was calm as he interrupted Hyule. “We know what we're doing and if the worst happens we'll just leave them and let nature take care of the rest.”

“You don't know how much they eat!” Hyrule said.

“Two WHOLE raw cucos.” Wild stared at Time. “Hyrule said he saw one- a baby- eat two whole raw cucos. Twice the child's size.”

“I'm sure he's exaggerating.” Time was not sure any child could eat that much.

“When I was travelling I came across a baby lizalfos and I saw it eat two whole raw cucos. Whole! I stayed hidden because I had never seen one before and couldn't recognize what it was until it was halfway through the first. If we allow this to hatch in our camp it will eat everything it thinks is food.” Time could see what Hyrule was trying to stay. He was worried about those that had food that wasn't locked up in magical sheikah tech.

“I’m sure we can manage. It won't be able to swallow us whole and the champion can hold all food we don't want them getting their claws on. We won't allow them to just help themselves but there are ways to make sure they get fed.” Time pated the egg and felt it twitch as the child inside moved.

“How big?” Sky turned to Hyrule.

“What?” Hyrule looked past Time to the other man. Twilight was silent watching Wild prance around Time trying to get a better look at the egg now that it was moving again.

“How big was it? A cuco is pretty big, bigger than our egg here. If it ate a whole one it wouldn't be able to move from the weight of something its size stuck in its mouth.” Sky thought he had a good point. Hyrule held out his arms to represent the size of the one he saw. It was roughly the size of a gator. The egg was as big as one of their heads. The newborn hatchling would be too small to eat that much.

“I think we should be more worried about when this’ll hatch.” Twilight moved around Time and put a hand on Wild’s shoulder. He was not able to stand still at all and was bouncing around. You had been moving when they approached to take care of the monsters, and only stopped once the fighting was over. He figured since they were all new they were scarring you from coming out. You had to get used to them first.

“We need to keep moving. We simply don't have the time to wait there all day. We're taking them with us. If we can handle the adults in this camp we can handle whatever the kid throws at us. If they turn out to be hostile we will leave them or take them to a different monster camp.” Time walked out of camp. Everyone followed behind him and made their way back to the road.

. . .

“You can't rush nature. They'll come out when they feel ready to.” Warrior was sick to his stomach watching the champion do something crazy. It was always the fear someone would get hurt while on his watch that got to him. Everyone else watched with their breaths drawn waiting for the champion to finish his task.

“They might be stuck!” Wild had heard stories of this happening. Sometimes baby birds would get stuck in their eggs and would need help coming out or else they wouldn't hatch. You had to intervene or let nature take its course- and take the life of the young in the egg.

“Do you know what you're doing?” Wind was sitting next to Wild helping him by keeping watch. He planned on cracking the egg himself. He was hesitating. The idea of hitting your head terrified him.

Everyone was unloading their packs in the clearing. It was midday and the weather in this region was far too humid to push any further. Faron was a jungle and the line of sight here was terrible. The moment anyone went off road they were out of view. Time was the only one to stay on the road the whole time. Electing not to take shortcuts or other paths so they wouldn't get lost.

He was the one that was holding you for the most part. He was worried you would hatch and scurry away into the underbrush and disappear. The others all got their chance but everyone passed it back once they had their fill. Warrior said the egg reminded him of a dragon which got Sky talking and by the time he was done it was time to call camp. Everyone was exhausted and sore from fighting and then walking for hours; but the most unbearable part was how the egg wouldn't hatch.

It had been hours and not one time did the baby break the shell. Four figured they had the hatch date wrong but Hyrule was sure that they only started moving when they were ready. What was the point of the rocking if it wasn't from you trying to get out. That meant something was wrong. It shouldn't take anymore than an hour or two and it had been double that since they took you along.

“Alright, here goes nothing.” Wild took his right hand and tapped the hilt of his dagger. Just hard enough to hammer the tip of the blade into the shell. He pulled the knife out. There wasn't any blood. He put the tip back in and tilted the knife wedging a sizable piece of shell off. Once it started to give way he removed the knife and pulled it away with his hands.

There was a flash of silver scales through the hole he made. You were in there and moving around. Squirming to try and break out. You had been stuck; not strong enough to break the shell on your own. Wild took another piece of the egg and broke it off. There was now a hole small enough for a hand to fit through.

“Hey Wind, think you can reach in there and pull them out?” Wild tilted the egg towards the kid. His hands were small enough that he would have no problem reaching in and grabbing you.

“Sure thing!” The sailor was all too happy to help out. He reached in and pulled. He had his hand around a leg of yours and was gently tugging you out of your shell. Wild helped out by breaking more of the shell off. In a matter of moments they had managed to free you. The inside of the egg was dry. A testament to however long you had been stuck in it. Everyone watched as a singular silver lizalfos opened its eyes and looked around.

“Well I’ll be.” The rancher was off to the far side of the camp watching. For something so strong you sure weren’t a fighter. They wouldn't have any issue caring for you that was sure.

“Hey everyone! Look!” Wind stood up and held you by one leg; holding you like a prize fish he just caught. The smile on his face was wide and you looked from him to everyone else in the camp out of surprise.

#eye write #linked universe #legend of zelda #platonic yandere x reader #platonic yandere #platonic relationships #Lizalfos reader #child reader #request

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hellomisst · 1 year ago

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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: Lucy Gray Testing Coryo After Leaving the Cabin

I watched TBOSAS this weekend and, yes, I have been planning to read the book. Actually, I am reading the book already.

But I really can't get it out of my mind. This "theory". Someone else might have already thought of it but...

Spoilers beyond this line.

It might be that Lucy Gray was testing Coryo when she left the cabin saying she'll get some katniss. She had been very suspicious when Coryo said he killed three people, when Lucy Gray only knows two. At that point, she already knows that he was lying... and she said that trust is important to her. When Coryo saw the guns while looking for fishing rods, he acted extremely creepily. I think it was at that point when Lucy Gray decided to run away.

But the thing is if she really wanted to run away, she had enough lead time for her not to be seen nor caught by Coryo even when he realized she was gone for too long and decided to go look for her. She even had time to set up a trap with the scarf and snake. When Coryo was shouting for her, she was there. The only time she realized that she really had to run away was when he started to have a meltdown and lose his mind/ sanity... or the last of his goodness.

I think what she was testing was his genuine goodness; if she can really trust him with her life or not. When Coryo decided to look for her, his initial thought and feeling was that she left him and betrayed him. He did not think that she might have been caught by the mayor or peacekeepers or just the government in general (if this was in the book, I'm not at that part yet). He did not think that she might have fallen into a trap or a hole or that she was caught by an animal. All he thought of was that he was found out and that Lucy Gray turned her back on him, when it was he who turned his back on her. I think that if he reacted differently, if he showed more concern about her wellbeing rather than his own, if he genuinely cared for her, Lucy Gray might have revealed herself saying that she had a hard time looking for a katniss that was ready to be picked and that he did not need to worry. And that her scarf had fallen when the rain swept it away and that they should look for it, but to be careful because there might be snakes somewhere.

But no. Coryo panicked and took a gun with him. He kept shouting accusations at her, kept revealing his own guilt, kept being aggressive. When he could not get an answer, when he realized he cannot own nor control her, he raged. He did say that they can talk about it, fix it, if he said or did something wrong; but his actions, tone, and gun showed the exact opposite: he was not going to trust her and that he might (will) kill her, Lucy Gray, the loose end he hoped to tame and control for the sake of love... but couldn't. All these and his raining of bullets showed Lucy Gray that she was mistaken in hoping that Coryo genuinely cared for her. All these showed that he was and will continue to be selfish and manipulative for his ambitions. The evidence was already there: Sejanus, his "brother", dead because of him and his ambitions to reign over Capitol and the whole of Panem. Which is why she ran and was (almost?) shot by Coryo. And why she sang The Hanging Tree to stir up the mockingjays and cover for her.

But then again, we really don't know what happened. The story was told in Coriolanus Snow's perspective, and for all we know, he might have been delirious that time. Maybe Lucy Gray Baird was already gone and it was some forest creature that he shot. Maybe he imagined The Hanging Tree. Maybe she was really shot but just got away and died on the way up north. Maybe she was really shot but was only grazed, so she still got away on time.

Either way, the ambiguity is amazing. There are tons of heroic tales, especially of women, that were erased from the records of history or were really not recorded for fear that they might inspire uprisings against the ruling class. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes portray this perfectly, and why and how it happens... and The Hunger Games trilogy show what happens long after history was tried to be remade, but then marks of the past remain to see the downfall of an abusive and oppressive power.

#tbosas #the hunger games #hunger games #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #ballad of songbirds and snakes #lucy gray #lucy gray baird #coriolanus snow #president snow #snow #coryo snow #coryo #snowbaird #lucy gray x coriolanus #coryolucy #can't catch me now #the hanging tree

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liketwoswansinbalance · 8 months ago

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Sources of Conflict, Secondary Characters, and Agency in SGE

The supporting cast of the prequels is awful as far as them as human beings with the barest shreds of common decency goes. I'm tempted to say they have no restraint. They are madmen—take the Pan for instance—unlike the Coven, Agatha (not that she's a side character), and even book one Beatrix, who all have some ethical standards and rationality to them. Really.

The brothers are the only "Good" characters, possibly along with Kyma, Midas, and Rufius, albeit, about two of these three don't have the most major impacts on the plot. (And classing either of the brothers as moral is a stretch by itself.)

Literally everyone is against them, if we're operating with protagonist-centered morality. The brothers have a solid relationship, and external factors tear them apart. It's a man vs. society/world conflict with them.

And, nearly all the supporting characters, the jerks in particular, enter the narrative by themselves. They are out for their own personal gain. Aladdin fits this description, to a point; he's on a fine line. And, Vulcan, Marialena, and the Pan definitely fit without question. They are invaders. I'd add pre-reformation Hook to the list, but to be fair, Rafal "recruits" him by kidnapping/human-trafficking.

In contrast, the main series cast of secondary characters are mostly decent people, which makes for a completely different atmosphere, however hostile the Schools may be with Evil Rhian at their head. These side characters were simply trying to live their lives, have a normal school year. Then, Sophie and Agatha arrive, and their appearance creates a major disruption.

Things don't go on as they normally would because they are meant to overhaul the status quo while Rhian and Rafal were meant to uphold it, which is an interesting juxtaposition by itself. The creation twins and the destruction twins. Both forces/freaks of nature, the pairs. Inevitably leading to upheaval and uproar. They're forces of order and chaos, plain as day.

Nearly all the supporting characters in the main series are ambivalent and are dragged into the plot/tale by the sheer force of Sophie's drama. She's the prime mover, with the magnetism of a black hole. She's the will of Man, the engine for conflict. The supporting cast is just trying to stay alive and exist alongside our all-consuming protagonists. They're not truly out to get anyone until they're offered the chance to leap at, until they're given any kind of motivation to take offense. They revolve around Sophie and Agatha and the tale, while the prequel side characters revolve around themselves and their own desires.

The main series' supporting characters aren't active agents in their own stories—unlike Marialena, Vulcan, and Aladdin, all with indisputably ulterior motives—they're along for the ride: the Coven, Tedros, even poor Agatha... The story revolves around Sophie and her decisions/actions. The conflict stems from them, her and Agatha.

Meanwhile, in the prequels, the conflict arguably stems from a wide array, a multitude of sources, and the brothers themselves are only one factor or source of conflict among all the rest. Rhian and Rafal are along for the ride in everyone else's games (the Storian's included). And the brothers are both active and reactive.

Their decisions matter, sure, but the determining factors are often out of their hands. For two immortal School Masters who would/should probably have control over a lot of the Woods/the future of civilization under usual circumstances, they sure don't have much agency on an in-narrative, plot level.

Look at Rhian, even on a lesser, personal level: his soul seems to override his self, sort of, and he ends Fall as if he's been possessed by his own inherent Evil. That's the most obvious example I can point to.

Basically, my point is that, unlike Sophie, unlike even Sophie and Agatha as a duo (and they are mere, seemingly powerless Readers), Rhian and Rafal do not orchestrate the events of their own plot nearly as much. You'd think the brothers, as aware of their genre and the workings of their world as they are, would have the advantage, but no.

They aren't the "authors of their own misfortune," at least not entirely. It doesn't matter how much claim free will seems to have. (It doesn't have much, considering we have a non-negotiable prophecy in play at all.) It doesn't matter how much the narrative claims they have free will (it doesn't really claim that to begin with). They're both far more beholden to the yoke of fate than Sophie and Agatha could ever be.

The dynamics in these pairs of twins are similar, on a small scale, but how they interact with their plots is different. Therefore, Man/free will/choice wins in the main series, and Pen/Fate wins in the prequels.

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queentheweeb · 11 months ago

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Male Ronal X Fem Metkayina Reader Pt 2

Part 1, Final

A/N: Your friend/tsmuke's name is Yira'vo, and I'm re-using my OC Ranari as Ron'ek's best friend.

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You're not sure if something transpired between you and Ron'ek or if you were the delusional one here and believed he was treating you differently, but he was so much nicer and appeared everywhere that you were. You were either by yourself, with your family, or with Yira'vo, and he would somehow, someway, be there in the background watching. You caught him smirking a few times and started telling Yira'vo about it.

"You're not crazy, Y/N. I've noticed." The two of you were at the communal dinner talking amongst each other about the phenomenon that was Ron'ek. "How do you feel about it? Do you like it? Would you want it to continue?" You thought about it as you munched on the Nalutsa with veggies. You must have been quiet too long because she nudged you, urging you to look at her. "You can tell me the truth, and I won't judge you." You knew that already. You sighed, turning to face her fully with a small smile.

"I do like the attention. I like that he acknowledges me. It reminds me of how he was when we were growing up. I have always thought he was cute, funny, and sometimes stupid. Now he is so strong, the perfect leader, he's the man of your dreams, honestly... I just miss his smile." You were looking down, smiling to yourself as Yira'vo grinned to herself.

"Well, since you told me all of that... It's only fair I tell you about Ranari." You leaned in excitedly as she started telling you about Ranari, Ron'ek's best friend, who was popular among everyone, too. Look at the two of you gossiping about the Olo'eyktan and his brother.

"I know this is childish, a little, but...imagine we both get who we want." The two of you bumped heads, giggling, missing two pairs of footsteps coming your way. Yira'vo was always on your type of timing, though.

"For all we know, it could be true. Imagine the look on-" The clearing of a throat stopped your conversation. You both yelped and looked up at the exact two people you both were talking about. You looked as they both sat down with their food across from the two of you.

"You don't mind if we sit here, right?" You minded for one reason but chose not to say anything.

"You can sit anywhere you want." You smiled at both of them, turning to share a look with your friend, who was staring at Ranari. At least someone was enjoying herself a little more. It was a little tense, but it felt nice when Ranari and Yira'vo started talking. You had a feeling that Toni'va and her crowd would come really soon.

"Are you alright, Y/N?" You glanced up at Ron'ek, giving him a tense smile and a head shake. "We can leave if you want." You shook your head no again, reaching a hand-out but stopping midway. You saw how his own hand twitched.

"You're not the problem, and neither is Ranari... It's the people coming right now." Your eyes bored into his, and when he heard the tale-tale noise of Toni'va, his face changed along with Ranari's. You felt an unnatural rage swell up inside of you that you broke the utensils you were using with your fingers. You sighed and turned to Yira when she grabbed your hand and squeezed. She let go, and you used your fingers to finish eating your food as your once quiet spot was overrun with noise.

"Why are the two of you sitting over here? Everyone else is over there." You were so mad it was unbelievable. You ignored what was happening as you ate slowly, trying to savor your food.

"We wanted to." His voice wasn't even soft anymore. He was using the voice that everyone heard, even though Toni'va didn't pick up on it.

"It's so boring over here, though, nothing of importance or someone to talk to." You were getting light-headed with how angry you were getting. You couldn't look at anyone but Yira, who was also losing her patience. You missed how Ron'ek was looking at you.

"No one told you to sit over here; you could go sit back over there." You saw Toni'va's eye twitch at Ranari but focused back on Ron'ek. Ranari had a good point; no one told them to come here and be obnoxious. They squeezed themselves onto the log that you were already sitting on and were pushing you, but you weren't budging. The amount of self-control you have is astounding.

"Even though it's a little cramped, I don't mind sitting here." They kept making jabs at you and Yira and being obnoxious on purpose. You had finally finished eating, with Yira's tail wrapped around yours as the two of you could talk to Ranari a bit, but even the others demanded his attention. It was crazy how they came into your space and wanted the two of you to leave.

"Can you move over? Or just sit on the ground. It's cramped." You were done and simply were going to swing, but Yira saved you by dragging you over. Now, she was pressed against Ranari, and you were pressed against her.

"Thanks for being a sweety." The sarcasm dripping from her voice was enough to make you go for her throat, but Yira wrapped an arm and leg around you, whispering rapidly in your ear.

"They are not worth it; I hate them too, but they are not worth it." You relaxed completely, and she let you go, turning to talk to Ranari while you looked around at everyone, and to your chagrin, they took up the space and were still being obnoxious. They wanted the two of you to move so badly.

"You move anymore, you'll be in his lap." Yira nodded, but Ranari gripped her by the waist, pulling her halfway into his lap.

"I'm not bothered by it." He grinned lightly at Yira, and you smirked at her; maybe your delusion wasn't delusional after all. It was calm, and Ro'nek seemed more bothered as time passed, and you didn't blame him. Yira finally left, leaving you alone with them, and you were about to get up and go yourself when Toni'va's snarky voice interrupted you.

"Phew, we can all breathe and move around freely." That was your last straw, and with a speed that surprised you, your foot connected with her face, sending her sprawling back. Before her friends could get up and do something, Ron'ek stood between you and them, growling and silencing everyone. Toni'va got up, holding her nose, which was bleeding.

"Enough." He looked at everyone and glanced back at you, meeting your eyes.

"Punish her! She can't go around attacking people! Look at what she did to me!" Ron'ek was looking, and he was impressed with the speed at which she did that.

"You were verbally attacking her. You kept annoying and picking on her; she had had enough of it." Toni'va looked like she wanted to screech, and it's a miracle that she didn't.

"You're taking her side?! You're just going to let her get away with it!" Toni'va wanted to see you get punished, and you're unsure if you need to be humiliated like that. You didn't want to be, but if what everyone said was true, you just assaulted his future Tsahik.

"Whatever I tell her is none of your concern. Get. Away. From. Here." He added a growl to the last word and watched as they all left, but not without hissing at you. You were going to go for her throat again, but he lifted you up, threw you over his shoulder, and started walking with you further into the woods. It was silent for a while as you dangled, watching the trees get thicker and trying not to think how your ass was next to his face.

"Where are we going?" You didn't get an answer, and you hissed, hitting his back, but he was unphased. "Arrogant man giving me the silent treatment." He walked a few more before stopping and placing you down on your butt, and you looked up at him only for him to sit down in front of you. You huffed and leaned against the tree, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Look at me." You refused and closed your eyes to be more stubborn. You heard him sigh, and you yelped when he grabbed your legs and tugged you forward. You turned around then, and he wrapped your legs around his hips, which forced you to be on his own legs/lap, and he wrapped his arms around your waist. "Wrap your arms around me." You looked at him, stunned.

"Huh?" He wanted you to do what now? He kept scanning your face just...taking you in.

"Come on. Do it for me, please." You blinked and wrapped your arms around his neck, and he smiled at you. "There, now you're looking at me." You felt yourself getting flustered but didn't look away from him. "I want to know what's wrong with your relationship with Toni'va." That triggered you, and you frowned at him.

"There is no relationship; she made sure to get rid of it when everyone told her she would be Tsahik. She started treating everyone who doesn't worship the ground she walks on as beneath her, and I fall into that category. Everyone follows her orders as if she already got the title when she has nothing." Toni'va bothered your soul.

"Why does she act like that?" You weren't sure if he was probing for answers, but you'd give them to him.

"Everyone put it in her head; everyone listened to her, convinced her she was the most desirable, and you didn't bother correcting anyone. You don't like to speak; you avoid her and avoid any conversations about mating her. People believe you're being mysterious and playing hard to get." He snorted at that.

"I don't like her and am not interested in mating her. Never was. She is too arrogant and difficult for me. She will not make a good mate for me nor a good Tsahik. I do not know why everyone thinks I am choosing her." That was a relief to you, but it was short-lived.

"If she is not the one you want, then why not tell her and go after the one you want? Who's feelings do you really care about? Do you like the idea of having everyone chase after you? Is that why you haven't told her?" You could tell you were aggravating him, but you needed to hear his truth.

"She's never alone. I do not wish to embarrass her, but it looks like I have to, so the one I want doesn't think otherwise." You both were pressed so close together that you could feel his heart beating fast and taste his breath on your lips. You wanted to kiss him so bad.

"Who's the one you want?" You already knew, but you wanted to see what he does. You saw how he glanced down at your lips before meeting your eyes again.

"You." He closed the space between your lips, and this was intoxicating. You found yourself pressing harder against him, and he moved a hand to the back of your neck to hold you in place. When the two of you pulled back, both of you were breathing heavily, and you giggled, which made him chuckle. Your eyes widened at the sound, and he let out a little laugh, showing his teeth. "You act like you haven't seen me smile before." You shook your head in disbelief

"Not like that...Not since we were children." He hummed because there was nothing he could say to that. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against yours, and the two of you stood like that, breathing each other in. "Is it me that you truly want?" You wanted to believe, but you also wanted to protect your feelings.

"Yes, ma Y/N. I want you. I want to be with you for life. I want to mate in front of Eywa with you...I have a courting gift that I want to give to you...if you will have me." That was the first time you'd heard him sound nervous, and it was endearing that you made him nervous.

"...Yes, I will accept as long as Toni'va and everyone else in the clan knows. Be sure of your feelings for me because there will be no turning back." You weren't threatening him, but you didn't want him to make a mistake.

"When the sun rises and the day starts, I will announce who my future Tsahik will be. I want everyone to know who I want, and that is you. Not Toni'va. I want my Y/N, and I will have you." You both had opened your eyes at the conviction in his voice, and you couldn't help but smile at him.

"Tomorrow?" He took a deep breath and pressed another kiss to your lips.

"Tomorrow ma syulang."

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Part 3 will be the final part of this! Hope you guys enjoy reading this.

#fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #na'vi reader #metkayina reader #ao3 #atwow #avatar x fem reader #ronal x reader #ronal avatar #ronal x fem reader

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artichokefunction · 8 months ago

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yours is a holy gun, and you serve a holy duty. you know this, you are told this. you don't believe this. you need the job, you need the money, you know this. and you're good at the job. you keep your head down, and you do what you're told. normally. for the longest time, you've done this. but this, now, is different. it's worse.

you stand behind the company spokesman, on stage, live, and he announces the next phase of the organization's plans. a holy crusade, a blessed war. only our best guns to keep all of us safe. so many will die. so many will die by your hand. the crowd of journalists applauds, discordant, and the stage lights sing too loud, and you stand in your place, two steps behind his right shoulder. and you know you can't do this. you will not be able to live with yourself past this. you will not live past this. you will die here, then. you take your holy gun, and your hand is quick and your aim is true, and you shoot the spokesman straight through the skull. quick and efficient, because you're good at your job. and he falls. and then you fall. you're gunned down by the security complement, quick and efficiently, because they're good at their jobs.

you don't die there. that would be too simple.

you're not alive, either.

there is a way for a person to live past death. it takes a very skilled individual, and a lot of money, but it's possible. if the self is returned to the body, the person is no longer dead. if the self is lost, the person is lost. if the self is stored somewhere, very carefully, the person is not dead, but they are empty. more receptive to orders. a gunman who asks no questions is a perfect gunman, except for the cost of construction. it's only worth it sometimes. when the empty gunman is sent to the mess hall for meals, the other agents see them, and they know. it's hard not to know, it's very noticeable, when a person is empty. they're like a black hole, like if you stand too close, you'll go tumbling down into nothing, forever. that's an old wives tale, everyone knows this. it's a perfectly safe and well understood process, the emptying. everyone avoids looking them in the eye. they are not there to notice.

a weapon is only as good as it's wielder. this empty gun is only as good as their commander. normally, the commander is not incompetent. but sometimes there is an error made in paperwork, somewhere in all the layers of bureaucracy, and someone underskilled is assigned a job too big for them. this is one of those times. it wouldn't have been an issue, except the commander needed to access storage, and he was a coward, and a fool, so he brought the empty gun with him. this wouldn't have been an issue either, truly, except for the fact he got lost, down in the maze of sensitive archives and artifacts. and he kept the empty gun with him, because he was scared. and he brought the empty body right past the shelves, tucked away into a corner, where the souls are kept. they walk right past it, and they feel their hands again. what? you feel your hands again. what? these are your hands. you come to a stop. these are your hands. where were they? where were you? what happened? what? you died, you think. probably. this is your body. it's been so long. you want to cry. you want to scream, and sing, and dance. you start to dance. spin around yourself, step light, step heavy, dip deep, arc high, this is your body. it's been so long. arms out at a nice steep angle, spin in place like the old spinning top at your grandparents house. throw yourself, arms first, wildly, side to side. get tackled to the ground. the floor rings out with a single pure note. no it doesn't. where did your hands go. he hisses something into your ear, and you aren't there to hear it. the empty gun comes back to a stand, and continues to follow the commander. the rest of the mission is uneventful. everyone goes back to work.

one day, a good few months ago, your brother went to work, and never came back. there's a hole in your life, in your every day, and no one believes you. or, they think they deserved it or something. they never said what their job truly was, it was some government thing, it paid well. supported the family. they left and never came back. the police gave up on searching, after a while. you knew not to trust police. you also know your brother. they wouldn't just leave you, you know this. you refuse to believe that they're dead. you cannot. if they were gone, the world would have stopped spinning already. you know this. in your bones, in your soul, you know this.

during the day, you work your retail job, and in your free time, which you don't have a lot of, you've started meeting up with this small group of radicals. not, like, proper real radicals. you guys aren't blowing anything up. it's mostly art you guys make. mostly graffiti. you're a good writer, you do what you can do, and you write. anti-establishment stuff, mostly. anti-war. there's a girl in the group who has connections with news publishers, and sometimes she can get your stuff in the papers. all anonymously, but it gets the word out there. a good few people have joined because of your writing. it makes you feel like you're doing something good. you're doing what you can. lately, your group has been organising speeches, at universities mostly, and small protests. nothing big enough to get big eyes on you. you think. you thought. turns out you were wrong about that.

the protest is scheduled for six, and you are here with a few members of your group, getting your signs in order in front of the library, at five thirty. you are anxious, and you aren't sure why. no, you know why. this is a very public protest, more so then you're used to, because you're marching from the library to the big statue of Reverend Colonizer in the city center. it's a peaceful protest, you are doing nothing wrong. you don't know why you keep looking over your shoulder. you feel like you're being watched, or something. someone tells you that you have nothing to be worried about, and you believe them, and you keep looking over your shoulder. and- that was your brother. you saw them. you fucking saw them, you swear, but only for a second. they're gone now, into the sparse crowd. you scan desperately over the faces, all strangers. you think you've never felt so lost. you would swear on your life that you saw them- THERE THEY ARE you run to them. you don't waste a moment. distantly, you hear a sound and identify it as a silenced gunshot, and you only notice that it hit you after you've thrown your arms around your brother. you're sobbing into their shoulder like a child. you say a lot of choked, muffled words in that moment, you meant all of them, you remember none of them. but one of them has to have been something along the lines of "come home with me. let's go home" because their gun hand drops quietly to their side, and when you eventually compose yourself enough to walk back to the library, their hand in yours, they follow, silent and unquestioning. something is wrong. you knew that already. something is truly wrong. someone's called out medical aid for you, because you got shot in the shoulder. right, yeah. something is wrong. they aren't saying anything. they aren't looking you in the eye. that's not weird. they don't seem like they're looking anywhere at all. they don't seem like they're there, really. there's a hole, in your life and in theirs, you find, literally. their hand is warm and unmoving in yours. you refuse to let go, even as the EMTs arrive and draw the bullet out of your shoulder. they ask you about them. you tell them they are your brother. you are told that they are dead. you understand, in a quiet, empty way. at some point you find the emergency services are gone, and you are sitting somewhere, the library? you don't know. you are sat against the wall, and your brother's hand is around your shoulder. they smell like harsh chemical cleaner, and being too close to them pulls at the edge of your senses. but their hand around your shoulders feels the same as it used to. so you close your eyes and pretend things are normal, and you're watching some scary movie, late at night. and they're teasing you for crying at the jumpscares but they still put their arm around you. keeping you safe. they smell like chemical cleaner. their breathing is shallow, and regular, and they don't move. you scrub your hands across your face. it doesn't do much. they don't tease you for crying, this time, because they aren't there.

#THIS IS PART ONE. part two will get written at some point but first i gotta work out how heists work #[fiction]#[category: the empty gun]#death tw

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