#I thought it would be cool if he told her a bit about his journey with Ash as well as his work with inventions so that she could be a bit

[selarina]

aemond targaryen x reader

content warnings: modern au, fluff, pet lizard, making out, best friend's brother

The first time you meet Helaena, it was on a warm summer evening at the local neighbourhood park. And everything shined yellow.

She was there at a spot closest to the entrance, crouched down, gracefully like a princess picking on the mud before her, intently. You wonder if she’s collecting cool looking stones. You hovered a few paces away, the sweat from your walk sticking your cotton shirt to your skin.

You had promised your mother you'd make at least two friends, and Halaena seemed a likely candidate—if you could just figure out how to make her notice you.

You had arrived there with a purpose. You were to make friends. You had promised your mother, you would at least make two.

So even though your heart was beating right out of your rib cage, you steeled yourself, fist clenched as you walked up to the squatted blonde girl.

When you approached her, she had seemed nice enough. A bit dazed out, like she had just woken up from a dream. You had many dreams back then, they were so eventful and wondrous, you had started to prefer them to your own life.

“Hi,” you spoke up, your voice louder than you expected.

“Hi,” she replied, not bothering to look up at you. Your mother had told you that was not good manners.

You frowned. "Do you go to Dragonstone Academy?" you asked, trying to sound casual.

No response.

"I’m starting next week," you added.

No response.

“I know we’re already half way through the year, so that might be hard but think I’ll manage.”

No response again.

This time you consider shaking the girl, wondering if she needs help. If she’s okay.

You thought for a second about shaking her awake, to check if she was okay, or sleeping sitting up, but before you could, you heard footsteps,.

A boy appeared, older, with the same blond hair as hers. You assumed they were siblings.

He looks at you for a mere second before turning his eyes back to his sister.

“Mother wants us home by 5. We should go,” he says. His voice sounded a bit like he had a cough. But most boys your age sounded like that these days. Maybe there was a viral disease of some sort going around.

Anyway, for the first time since you saw her, she looked up, her eyes shifting like clouds clearing

"Alright," she murmured, her voice syrupy, like that one singer your mother loves listening to every morning.

She stood, gathering something in a small cloth bundle at her side, and then her eyes met yours. “You should come,” she said, smiling softly. “Mother will like you."

The boy blinked, like he'd just now noticed you existed. "Who is she?" he asked.

Halaena’s hand slipped into yours, so gentle you almost didn’t notice. "She's a friend," Halaena said, like it was a fact.

"I’m… your friend?" you asked, confused. You had barely managed to speak to her, and yet here you were, your hand in hers as though she had known for ages.

"Of course," she said simply, as if the question itself didn’t make sense, her fingers tightening gently around yours. And that was that.

For the whole journey to her house, she had held your hand in her soft grip as she stared at the trees, once again, not speaking a single word on the way back. You remember it had been painful and awkward.

The boy, on the other hand, was the same in a way. He said nothing and once you lot reached, he ran up to his room, something about studying his languages. You’re not sure what language. You later found out it had been French.

“Mother,” she spoke up as she approached a tall lady with fluffy red hair in the living room of their big house. You hadn’t seen many red haired women before, plenty of men though.

“What is it sweetie?”

“I brought a friend,” your new friend said.

Her mother who was previously engaged into looking at a paper, swivels her head up to look at her and then you.

Her dark brown eyes peer into you, as though she’s just as surprised as you are about this new development.

You want to tell her that you’re confused and scared because she's an adult and she could help, right? But instead you smile, polite as ever, and speak up. “Hi, I’m new. I just moved by the street about a week ago, and will be joining Dragonstone Academy soon.”

“Oh, good good. You’ll be in the same class then?”

"I’m… not sure," you admitted, glancing at Helaena, hoping for some confirmation, but she just stared at the floor, lost in thought again.

"How old are you, sweet one?" her mother asked.

“Thirteen," you said. "In nine months.”

"You’re twelve. Same as Helaena" her mother mused, her smile softening. "Maybe you'll be in the same section."

You nodded again, unsure of what else to say. There was something about the whole situation that made you feel like you were in a dream, the kind where everything looks just a little off. Like Alice in Wonderland, except there were no smiling cats or tall mushrooms.

"Mother," Helaena spoke up, her voice picking up a small note of excitement. "I have a surprise for you."

You watched her draw closer to the sofa where her mother was seated.

“What is it sweetie?” she asked, her hand patting her child’s hair down.

“My friends,” she confesses, sounding happier than you’ve heard all day.

Your brows cinch in confusion as you step closer then, curiosity getting the best of you.

She then gently places the bunched up cloth onto her mother’s lap, causing you to gasp.

Her mother unfolded it slowly. Inside you saw small stones, a few bugs crawling over them, and a couple of worms wriggling in the soft specks of dirt.

"Oh, sweetheart," her mother said, her voice catching just a little, like she was about to cry. "Thank you but I do wish you’d show me your friends in the garden."

Helaena says nothing in return, as you watch, fascinated by the worms, by Helaena, and her mother.

"Besides, wouldn’t they miss their family if you keep taking them away?" her mother adds.

"They like me," she counters softly but surely. She wasn’t trying to convince anyone— it seemed to be just the truth to her. She didn't even frown.

You couldn’t help but smile at that, the way she said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like 'Mother will like you'. It seemed a bit silly to you.

Her mother gave a small laugh, trying to hide her discomfort as she bundled the cloth back up.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked, turning her gaze to you, her hands still cradling the little bugs like they were some strange gift. "Juice, maybe?"

“I like juice,” you smiled with a nod. Surprised by the normality of the offer.

Her mother stood, still holding the bundle in her careful grip. "I’ll be right back," she says with a restrained smile.

And so, given that this was your very first experience with Helaena, an experience that was relatively less tame in comparison to her general aura of otherworldliness. You made the assumption — a terrible assumption that Aemond was normal. He had temper issues, a bit of asocial-ness about him, but despite it all, he was normal and didn't have worms for friends.

You're freshly dating, only got about 3 weeks and 2 days under your belt. It was a tumultuous affair, getting him to date you, really. But it's happened and now you're rewarded as you're sitting in his warm lap, kissing him pretty with your gloss stained lips. His arms are on your waist, they always seem to go through the motions. They lay there against your hip, sort of loosely before the grip gets firmer and firmer until you feel how much he likes having you sitting in his lap. The heat of him, solid and real beneath you, roots you in the moment.

You’re in the rhythm of it when—

A scream bursts from your throat before you can stop it. You scramble off Aemond’s lap, your back hitting the headboard. Your eyes, wide and uncomprehending, fix on the creature—an enormous lizard, staring at you with unblinking beady eyes.

Aemond looks up at you, shocked only for a second before his face halts at a calmness, a dejectedness you've come to realise isn't as harsh as you may have assumed it to be. There's a softness in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” His voice is steady, but you can see the flicker of confusion in his one visible eye.

You stare at him, incredulous. "Are you seriously— Aemond, there's a lizard. A giant lizard right in front of you!"

He glances down, casually, then back at you. “Oh, that’s Vhagar,” he says, like that’s meant to explain everything.

You blinked. “A what?”

“Vhagar,” he repeats plainly. “My pet. Named her after my great aunt’s dog.”

You don't say anything for a good while. Simply baffled.

“That’s… a pet?” you manage, voice thin.

He nods, his hand moving up and down, slowly against your calves.

He nods, his fingers tracing idle patterns on your leg. “She’s harmless.”

You blink. "She's a lizard."

“A Tegu to be precise,” Aemond corrects, his tone as cool as ever. “Isn’t she gorgeous?”

Your eyes flit between Aemond and the creature—Vhagar—now lazily blinking at you from across the bed. The way his hand moves so easily, up and down, fingers soft against your leg, like he’s describing an old photograph, a rare painting, not the giant reptile lounging in his room. “Uh, sure,” you say, voice shaky. “Gorgeous.”

He smirks then, a glint lighting up his eye. “I can put him outside, if you’d rather.”

You hesitate for a second, fully ready to nod a confirmation, but instead you shake your head. “No, it’s fine. Just… maybe warn me next time?”

Aemond chuckles, low and quiet, as you settle back into his lap. His lips press against your hair, “I’ll remember that.”

And just like that, you're settled in this grip of Aemond's warm hands, while Vhagar watches from her distant perch. You couldn’t help but laugh. What a strange, strange family you're going to be part of.

[wellofdean]

how can a show be about hatred of women when there are no women in it who are important that aren't doomed by the narrative? now misogyny is for men? supernatural hates and kills women, and you want to claim that that the misogyny is towards the men? god forbid women do anything i guess.

You know what? Your unwillingness to own your opinion publicly and your tone notwithstanding, this is actually a good question, anon. You are referring to this post, I think.

Misogyny in its simplest definition is hatred of women. For me, though, that definition feels a bit too narrow and a bit too gender essentialist. As a rejector of gender essentialism, I would broaden that definition to say that misogyny is the hatred of that which is seen or understood as feminine, or all the things that appear to exist on that side of the binary -- man over woman, logic over intuition, rationality over emotionality, etc. The things on the feminine side are weak, irrational, soft, untrustworthy, dangerous.

I like philospher Kate Manne's take on it -- she calls misogyny the enforcement arm of the patriarchy in her excellent book Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny, arguing that misogyny (like racism) is not about personal feelings, it's “a social and political phenomenon with psychological, structural, and institutional manifestations”, and it's mission is to maintain the status quo of gender hierarchy. Misogyny operates as patriarchy's "police force" to enforce gender roles, punishing those (usually women) who deviate from them, and keep everyone (again, usually women) in their rightful places, and while obviously misogyny is directed at women, and this is the topic of Manne's book, I would argue that if women under patriarchy have a place to be kept in, so do men, whose deviation is, in some ways, even more threatening to the status quo.

I said in my post that the overt misogyny directed at women in Supernatural is cartoonish and ridiculous and feels too obviously stupid to be unintentionally placed there, and amounts to a depiction rather than a replication or approval of it. Meanwhille, Dean's masculinity is often just as cartoonish. He's practically play-acting Fonz Solo when he shows up at Sam's in his daddy's big leather jacket and muscle car. However, while Dean does performatively pose as the ultimate man's man and womanizer, leering at college girls and cheerleaders and even Sam's girlfriend, when he is actually called upon to interact with a woman who is not troped to the gills with hot girl stereotypes or posing for Sam's benefit, he is very consistently nothing but respectful and does no leering whatsoever.

Meanwhile, though Sam is too cool and urbane for the leering, he is lying to Jessica about his life and his family, which endangers her and gets her killed, while Dean, we learn soon enough, told Cassie everything the minute he thought he was in love with her. Dean play acts misogyny, but Sam is the one infantilizing his woman. And, even though Dean spends a lot of energy aggressively big upping his man-cred, the fact is that he is the intuitive, emotional one, and he plays an undeniably feminine role in his family. He's John's partner, Sam's mother. He's the one who wants to hold the family together for the sake of love.

All of this is in the FIRST SEASON. Watch it again. Think about the way Sam only agrees in the end of episode 1 to go with Dean after Jessica gets classically fridged, so Sam gets called to his hero's journey. Think about how Dean went to his brother, vulnerable, alone and afraid, needing help, and how, in the end, Sam's acceptance of their quest is not an acceptance of Dean at all. Think about how Sam is a direct mirror to John who has deserted Dean at the time the story begins. John wants Dean to submit himself to John's will, but he treats Dean with scorn, and respects Sam, who refuses to do so. Think about how trope-loaded Mary's white nightgown and Jessica's skimpy tomboy/girlish and self-consciously cute briefs and smurf crop-top are -- how what is being killed when they both die is symbolic mother/modern-twist on maiden (or whore?) femininity, which sends John and Sam on a revenge quest, and about how Dean DID NOT CHOOSE to be on that journey; he was DRAFTED.

The final episodes of the season make Dean's role explicit when he pleads with Sam and John for family, for love; tells them they are all he has, and Azazel, possessing John, praises Dean for being the one who keeps them together, who always looks out for their family, and think about what a knife to the heart it is that that's how Dean knows that John is possessed: his real father would never value those things about him. He'd think they were too soft, too feminine.

If you watch Supernatural from the beginning, keeping an eye out for every time Dean is feminized or someone (often SAM!!) drags him by impugning his masculinity (I think @ilarual is doing a tally of this? Or someone else?) it's really hard to unsee once you start noticing it: Dean is subjected to misogyny ALL THE TIME, and he subjects himself to it -- pushing down all his softer feelings until all he has is anger and fear -- it's the kind that tells him that he's isn't man enough.

Like, can you not see that a saying 'Supernatural kills female characters' ergo it is a misogynist story is just...too blunt an instrument? Supernatural kills women, and it also kills and tortures men. Is there misogyny in it? ABSOLUTELY. Misogyny is a deep vein running through absolutely everything in it, but most of that misogyny is THE REASON TO TELL THE STORY. The fact that it is a story ABOUT MEN is not misogynist in and of itself, particularly when it is so critical of what men become and and are forced into by hegemonic masculinity. For my money, Dean is intentionally and thoroughgoingly queered from the off! It is no accident. It would be difficult to do that as completely as they do without it being part of the actually DNA of the story.

WHICH IT IS.

And PS. the fact that you think none of the women in SPN are important is pretty misogynist of you.

[hazel-eye-coffee-shop-girl-blog]

Limelight Series - Chapter 5

Happy Monday! So this chapter 5 of Limelight is a bit longer than the last couple of ones for a few reasons.

1) I felt after reading the first draft of this chapter that I was ending on a downer conclusion, which I really didn’t want to do.

2) This longer version gives a wide range of emotions which I think make for a fun reading experience. We get some swooning times with Jensen, some angst, some laughs, and then ends on a cliffhanger, but I think it’s a more manageable one.

I want to thank you all for reading this story and going on this journey with me and a big thank you to @hobby27 for sending in the ask/message for this story.

All your likes, reblogs, comments and ask to be on the tag list are appreciated and helps my confidence grow as a writer.

I am thinking this story has one more chapter to it, but I am really liking these two, so I may come back to them from time to time.

If you haven't read chapter four, click here to read it and then come back to read chapter 5.

This series came way of a message/ask from @hobby27 she asked:

"I would love something with Jensen and reader. He sees her when he’s at a convention and he’s bonkers for her. She isn’t so interested in a relationship with him because of the fame. So he has to woo her. Make her understand that he’s not a typical movie/tv star. Slow burn."

So I give you the Limelight series- It's a Jensen x reader (plus size, curvy girl) story, Jensen meets the reader in a bar, he falls fist, she is reluctant of course, but secretly she fell for him the second he walked through the door. So can a small town girl and a celebrity make it work?

Warnings for the whole series: language, multi-pov and switching between the pov mid chapters (sorry I can't help it), Jensen coming off aggressive for a hot second but then cooling off. Some douche side characters and some lovable ones, body shaming, angst, fluff, swoon, Jared is there and Micha is mention.

This story takes place an AU where Jensen is not married but Jared is and has kids.

This chapter is 4K+. Feedback, likes and reblogs are always welcomed. Please don't post as your own work, this is my work. If you would like to be added to my tag list, just ask, I am always happy to add you.

Thanks!

Next Morning

Your 5 am alarm goes off and fills the dead silence of your darkened room with that of the standard chime tones that progressively get louder and louder before you slap the phone and shut the alarm off. Fuck, why does 5 am come so goddamn early, you think. Your brain quickly catches up and reminds you why you have a splitting headache about your date with Jensen and the makeout session to end all makeout sessions.

You bolt up in bed and silently pray your alarm doesn't wake him. However, for him to hear the alarm, he would have to be in your bed, and he's not. Being the gentleman he is, he insisted that he take the spare bedroom since he didn't want to drive back to the city at such a late hour and didn't want to rush things with you. 

You are thankful he suggested the sleeping arrangements since you were also not ready to share a bed with him. Getting up and finding your navy plaid robe to wrap yourself in as you head out of your room and down the hall to Jensen. 

The door is open, and you see that his bed is already made up, and the sound of the coffee pot pulls you to the kitchen. He's there with his back to you, searching in the fridge. 

"I told you I didn't have much in the house." You say, startling him, as he quickly turns around to face you. You give him a smile, walk over to him, and grab two coffee cups from the cabinet. 

"Yeah, you don't." He jokingly agrees and shuts the fridge door. "Guess we will just have to go out then." He says, leaning in to give you a kiss. 

You quickly turn your head so his lips make contact with your cheek and not your lips. "Well, that's different from last night." He says with confusion, wondering what had changed in the few hours apart. He thought you two were on the same page when you went to bed last night.

You quickly turn to face him and give him a reassuring smile. "Sorry, I haven't brushed my teeth yet. As soon as I woke up, I came to find you." You reach behind him and grab the coffee to pour him and yourself cups. 

"I just assume you wouldn't want to taste my nasty morning breath, is all." Bringing the steaming mug to your lips, you start to blow in it to cool it slightly. 

Jensen waits for you to take a drink, and he does the same. Once you set the mug down, he pulls you to him and touches your lips. "I could never not want your lips on mine. Morning breath or otherwise." He states, after breaking from you. "So where do we get breakfast? Rosie's?" He questions, leaning up against the counter and drinking his coffee.

You take a moment, taking him all in. His casual demeanor, just hanging out in your kitchen drinking coffee on a Saturday morning, makes it seem as if this is a regular thing that you two do. 

"How can you make me weak in the knees one minute by kissing me and declaring you love my morning breath and, in the next breath, casually talk about where we're going to get breakfast from?" You question, wrapping your arms around yourself and wondering how this guy is real and how he is still single if he uses lines like that one on women?

He gives a short laugh, " Well, first of all, I love that I make you weak in the knees with my kisses. I will definitely use that to my advantage in the future. Second, you make me feel like myself. I can be myself around you. I don't have to put up a front or be 'on,' as I call it, when I am around other famous people, my management team, and fans." 

He sets down the empty mug in the sink and pulls the robe tied to him and you along with it. 

"Lastly, I don't use these 'lines' on other women; you're the only one I have felt this way in a very long time, " he states, giving a chase kiss. 

You let your head fall onto his chest. "Oh my god, I actually said that out loud! I am such a dork!" Your voice muffled as you talked into his chest, embarrassed to even look up.

Jensen gives a short laugh that shakes his torso. "Don't be, you're adorable. I love that you say what's on your mind. It's refreshing." He replies, rubbing his hand on your back. "Now, where can I take you for breakfast, and do you prefer pancakes or waffles?"

****

You decide on breakfast in the city, actually in the hotel lobby, since Jensen needs to get back for an 8 am panel, and you need to do some work at your studio anyway. Of course, Jensen insisted that you ride with him and that he could bring you back home once he was done for the day. Still, you won out with the argument that there was less chance of the paparazzi snapping a photo of you leaving his car and printing another salacious story about you two if you drove separately.

Jensen must have called ahead while driving, as the hotel was ready for you two once you arrived and made sure to have a corner booth in a private area waiting for you. Getting to the booth and sitting down proved most challenging for Jensen. Fans have camped out around the lobby and flock to him as soon as he steps in.

You entered the lobby a few moments after him, and although he gives you a pleading, 'I am so sorry about this look.' You knew better than to try and intervene or save him. He has Quinn holding the fans back at arm's length, and you start walking towards the restaurant when Evan approaches you. 

"This way, Miss. Y/N," Evan says in a serious, low voice, lightly placing a hand on your elbow and guiding you through the restaurant, bypassing the hostess station and going to the private area behind.

"This isn't necessary; I am a big girl and could have found my way." You quip, pulling your arm back from his touch. Jensen is the only one who you will let manhandle you. Hoping he will leave as soon as you get to the table.

"Sorry, it's my job. You don't have to like it, but I am here for Mr. Ackles's and his protection." He replies, keeping his face stone cold and neutral, showing no emotion or feeling whatsoever.

You take your seat facing away from the entrance, not needing to watch the mob that is still going on in the lobby. "Well, maybe you should go out there and help Quinn. I am fine with sitting by myself." Picking up the menu, you fake look it over as if it was the most exciting thing you would read today.

"My brother can handle it. Mr. Ackles asks that I stay with you."

Oh fuck, so they are brothers. "I don't need a babysitter, and your conversation skills are something to be desired, to say the least. Lest we forget you and I didn't get off on the right foot a few days ago." You quip, remembering that he was the one who was disappointed in the fact Jensen and Jared had dragged them out to a bar in the sticks.

You pull your eyes from the menu to see his face has fallen, and he looks genuinely upset by your words. 

"That wasn't my finest hour, Miss. I am sorry about that. I was a bit buzzed and tired from working all day." He starts to explain to himself, "That's no excuse. I was off the clock but acting not professionally at all."

He is genuine in his apology. "It's fine. Nothing I haven't heard before." You reply, it's best to put it in the past and move on. It's not like you will see him again after this weekend, nor will you see Jensen again. 

Losing your appetite suddenly, you look at your phone and see it's 1/2 hour to 8 am. Fuck, he's never going to make it to his panel if he doesn't get in here. 

"Is there a back way out of here?" You ask, getting up from the booth and quickly glancing at the lobby. The crowd has not let up, and although you want to stay and have more time with Jensen, you also know you've lived in this fairytale long enough.

You look back to Evan, and he seems slightly panicked and confused. “Yes, through the kitchen. The back door opens to the alleyway." He says pointing to the kitchen behind him.

"Great, thanks." You say, making your way past him, stopping and turning back. 

"Tell Jensen…I had to…something came up, and I am sorry." You give him a nod and turn back to walk out of the restaurant and out of Jensen's life. 

****

You put your phone on Do Not Disturb mode as the back door to the restaurant shuts behind you in the alleyway. Letting out the breath you had held ever since you got up from the table. Your lungs feel on fire as you walk the few blocks from the hotel towards your studio, your second safe haven.

Holding back the tears you felt coming on as soon as you had walked away from the table, you keep your composure until your studio door shuts behind you, and you can finally cry it out.

Sliding down to sit on the wood floors, the feeling of the world's weight is somehow off your shoulders, even though you're more miserable than ever. 

Why did you let him get under your skin, into your heart, and make you feel something again? How could you think this would have ended any differently? 

He wasn't going to give up everything for you. You wouldn't wake up and be OK with living in the spotlight, having your every move watched and analyzed by every stranger who picks up a gossip magazine. To compete with fans for his attention, becoming resentful over time, and learning to get along with the bodyguards.

“Fuck!!!!” You yell out, slamming your head against the door and your fists into your thighs. You have never been more thankful this studio was sound proof in your life. 

You sit on the floor for a few hours. You have no energy to move or do anything; you just sit with your thoughts, thinking about him, replaying your conversations repeatedly. Remembering his lips on yours, feeling his body against yours, how you wish you could just get over your insecurities and just be with him. Stop being too rational and thinking about the long game.

You're probably overthinking, thinking he's heartbroken by your leaving. You're sure he's not. Maybe he's happy you decided to walk away so he didn't have to. Ultimately, he keeps his face and looks like the good guy.

A knock at your door pulls you back from going down that dark thought process of him just using you. God damnit, you really don't want to see anyone. 

Keeping quiet, you hope whoever it is will just leave. But they keep knocking. Finally, you get up, dusting your pants off and wiping your cheeks; you take a deep breath and open the door.

****

"What the hell are you doing?" James questions, giving you a look of confusion and slightly pissed off.��

You're taken aback by his attitude. " Excuse me?" you ask, keeping the door slightly closed as you stand in the slightly open doorway and not letting him in.

"I said, what the hell are you doing? You up and leave Jensen in a restaurant with no explanation. And then don't answer your phone while he calls and leaves you dozens of texts and voicemails. The man is out of his mind!" He states he is trying his best but failing to keep his voice reasonable. 'Are you going to let me in or what?' he asks, not waiting for an answer as he pushes his way through.

You're slightly stunned by his tone. James is not one to get pissy with you. Even at his worst, when you two have fought before, he's always the level head of the two of you. 

"Do come in," you quip. Shutting the door behind him, you turn to see he has made his way to the couch. 

Giving the cushion a light pat next to him, you leave and sit down. "Explain yourself." He states after a few moments of silence.

"What? I told Evan that I had to go. Oh, did you know Evan and Quinn are brothers? Besides, Jensen was busy with his fan, and he wasn't going to make it to have breakfast with me and his 8 am panel. So I figure…." you start rambling but then let the conversation drop off. 

James obviously knows what happened or some version of it. "How did you get rope into this?" You question, now wondering why and how he was here?

"Jensen called me when he couldn't reach you. He was, and is, worried about you, " he said, handing me my phone. 

I click it open to see a dozen text messages from Jensen and his voicemails. Begging for you to let him know you are alright, asking for a simple yes or no. Seeing the distress you caused him, how could you be so selfish. 

You're sure he hasn't been himself all day, and the fans have probably noticed. Another reason for them to hate you. "Fuck…what have I done….he probably hates me!" You state to no one. 

Sliding open the text chain, you can quickly send a reply.

You: I'm so sorry. Please don't be mad. I'm fine. I hate that you have been worried about me. Please, I'm fine. 

Jensen: I am not mad. I want to talk. Please, can we talk tonight?

The thought of talking with him about something that can't be changed. You either need to learn to live with or live without this. What more is there to say?

Jensen: Y/N… Please, talk to me.

You know he won't let up. 

You: Come by the studio tonight when you're free. 

Jensen: I will see you at 7, thank you.

You close the text chain and set your phone on the side table. You look up to see James waiting for an explanation. 

"Spill, don't leave anything out. You owe me that much since I had to drive into this god-awful city." He quips, giving you a smile and wink to let you know he wasn't mad that he had to drive in.

"Fine, but I think we need a drink or something," you reply, getting up from the couch and heading for the door.

****

You talked everything out with James over a pint of margaritas and the best greasy tacos, chips, and queso on this side of the Mason-Dixon line. 

"Girl, he is in love with you! how can you not see it!" James exclaims, finishing off his third margarita and pouring the rest of the pitcher into your glass. 

"Can I get another one!" he states, holding up the empty pitcher and motioning to our waitress.

The restaurant is dead, so his outburst through the quiet restaurant is jarring.

"Keep your voice down!" You hush him and give the waitress a sympathetic smile as she picks up the empty pitcher and plates. 

"I promise a hug tip is coming your way," you say to her, hoping it will comfort her.

She gives you a smile, "You're fine, really. If you guys weren't here, I would have to be in the back cleaning. Please take all the time you want." She states, turning and walking back towards the bar.

"She is sweet and a good worker. You should see if she is looking for a second job. She would be…" You start to divert the conversation away from you and your impending relationship with Jensen. Was it a relationship? You've been on two dates and made out a bit.

James can see right through your antics and cuts you off. "No, we are not discussing my need for more staff at the bar. We are here to talk about you and Jensen. So spill why you are sabotaging yourself, " he states, leaning back in the booth, plucking a chip out of the basket.

You let out an audible sigh. God, you hate talking about yourself and your feelings especially. 

"Ok, OK, OK, I am just being a realist. It's never going to work out between him and me. It's just not," you state, hoping that will suffice.

"And why do you think it can't work? He's crazy about you. You've said that you have fun together and feel like yourself around him." Throwing your words back at you. 

James has that perfect recall to remind you what you said when you were happy. Taking a smug drink, he knows that he's right, that you have been happy these last few days.

Ugh, taking a beat, you pour yourself a drink and down it. Fuck, thinking about this is one thing, but saying it out loud.  Running your hands through your hair, you let out another sigh before finally saying it. 

"Because he's….him, and I am nobody. Why would he want to be with someone who can't deal with being in the spotlight, someone that everyone will judge him for being with." Taking a beat, you know, was a lot. Even hearing you say it and putting yourself down like that, you know it's not good, but reality hurts, right?

The waitress comes by, silencing you before you plunge the last dancer in you. "Do you guys need anything else?" She says sweetly, giving you a smile.

"No, just the check will be fine, thanks." You reply, trying your best to be upbeat, but you know you're falling.

"OK, sure. Is it on one or…." She drops the sentence, unsure if we are together or just friends. 

"Together." Both James and I say at the same time.

She snickers, pulls the check out, and sets it in the middle of the table. "Whenever you're ready, I will be back."

You quickly grab the check, but James beats you to it. "What are you doing?" you ask, feeling that you should be the one to pay since we talked about your problems the whole time.

"It's on me, girl," he says, pulling out his credit card and handing the check and card to the waitress. 

“Now, where were we? Oh yes, you lying to yourself and me about why you and Jensen wouldn't work."

"Look, I just know he is in one class, and I am in another, OK. God knows I am not the prettiest girl he could have on his arm or live up to his typical model arm candy." You mumble out.

"Oh, hell no! Y/N, don't you ever think you're not beautiful, OK." James tries to keep his anger and voice in check at a reasonable volume. 

"You are beautiful, a knockout. Do you think he's been slumming it with you these past few days? That once this conference is over, he is going to forget about you and move on to the next town and next girl?"

"Yeah, in a nutshell, that sounds about right." You reply, knowing that James will always come to your defense, especially when it comes to you putting yourself down.

"Has he ever done that? Has he ever come off as a douchebag player?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Exactly, so why would he start now with you? There is a reason why he's never been with anyone long-term."

"Oh, do tell, what is that reason then? And when did you become such an expert in all things Jensen Ackles love life?" You question, wondering where this enlightenment knowledge is coming from.

The waitress stops James from answering, coming back with his card. "Thanks again, guys…and for the record, I think you and Jensen make a cute couple," she says, giving you a smile and wink. 

You're stunned by her comment. She either listened in on the conversation or recognized you from the tabloid. Either way, it was nice of her to say such a nice comment without prompting. 

"Umm…" you're about to thank her, but she doesn't wait for your response. Turning back to head towards the kitchen.

James quickly signs the bill and leaves a generous tip. "See, someone else thinks you and Jensen should be together," he quips. 

Sliding out of the booth. "Let's go, got to get you back to the studio." He states, heading for the door.

****

The walk back is short, and James doesn't pick up the conversation, which you're OK with since talking about this in the restaurant was one thing, but out on the busy street, where anyone could hear, yeah, not going to happen.

Back at your studio, you open the door and walk in, but James stays in the doorway. 

"What? You're not coming in?" you ask. Looking at your phone, you see that you still have a few hours until Jensen should show up.

"I am going to go. You need time by yourself before he gets here, that's all."

"OK, but you never answer me about his love life. Why do you think it's all fake?"

"I mean, come on, his management team has to be behind it. I am sure it was all for publicity; he had to show up with someone." He takes a pause, and you can tell there is more. You give him your perfected stare-down that always gets him to talk. 

"OK, fine, Micha told me, alright!"

"What!? When did you talk with Micha? And why were you talking about Jensen's dating life with him?" You question, now wondering what James said and what Micha knew. Did he know about you baling on Jensen today? Fuck, what did the other cast members think?

"Look, Jensen came through. Micha and Jared showed up at the bar the other night, and we hung out and talked. They both knew that Jensen was out seeing you, and I may have come off a little bit like a protective older brother…"

"What the hell did you say, James!" Now, I really feel your cheeks red from embarrassment. God, why do you do this to me!

"No, it's fine. I just asked if Jensen was a good guy or a player. I keep it very cool and casual. OK, I didn't act all 'I got a shotgun in my truck, and I know how to use it' mode." 

"Ugh, OK, fine, I can't be mad at you for caring." You conceded, knowing that he was coming from a good place and that you should be so lucky that he cares for you like a friend so much that you do not want to see you get hurt.

"So what else has got you wanting to put the breaks on this and shut him out?" He asks, leaning against the door frame. 

"I don't know if I can get used to being second place to his fans. And I would never ask him to choose between me or his career. The idea of having people follow me around taking photos, digging through my past and personal life."

"That's true; it would be something that you would have to get used to, but it's also something that you and he need to discuss and work through. You can't just drop him for something he can't completely control. Do you think he likes having to sneak around or keep you waiting because he can't escape a group of fans? I am sure he would have rather spent his morning with you."

"You're right. I need to be honest with him, tell him what I feel, and see where he is with everything. Come to some understanding."

"Exactly." James phone goes off, and he quickly looks at the incoming text, 

"Oh, I have to go. I am meeting someone," he says cheekily, giving you a smile and wink.

"Would it be Micha?" You question, now wishing he would stay so you could start grilling him about his interactions with the superstar.

"Maybe…come here", he says, slipping his phone back into his pocket. He reaches for you and brings you in for one of his best hugs. Holding you tight against him, the feel of him, the pressure of his arms around you, helps ground you. 

"You got this; just be honest with him," he says in your ear.

"I will," you say back, holding on for a few more seconds before letting go.

To Be Continued......

Tags List:

@ladysparkles78 @smoothdogsgirl @n-o-p-e-never @stoneyggirl @lmhf1 @kr804573 @deansimpalababy @livingdeadblondequeen @winchesterwild78

[mistywaves98]

yfsdtydcstshegwsvjhgv hear me out hear me out,,,, yandere!scara controlling reader like he did Haypasia but instead of just making her follow him, he turns the reader into his personal cumdump- reader tries oh so hard to fight back, watching as if its a movie as her body is used as a fucktoy for the ex-harbringer- but the thing is, after a while of this, the reader begins to believe everything he says, that her only purpose in life is to bring him pleasure and becomes scara's perfect obedient little pet <3

-super duper cool anon

This is such a juicy idea anon!

Edit: I think I strayed a bit from what the ask said, sooo uhh, really sorry about that anon 😬😔

✧･ﾟ:* Yandere! Scaramouche x Fem! Reader

✧･ﾟ:* ¡Warnings!: Not proofread, Yandere themes (but not that intense), Non con, Degradation, Lots of repetition of words, collaring, rough sex, Mean! Scaramouche, Kidnapping, I think that's it!

✧･ﾟ:* Minor writing smut! DNI if uncomfy!

✧･ﾟ:* Reblogs are greatly appreciated!

As another one of the scholars who dedicated their lives to trying to connect their consciousness to Irminsul, that is what you spent all of your time doing. Yes, you knew of the tales of what happened to most of those who did manage to accomplish such a task but your desire for the kind of knowledge you could potentially gain blocked out any protests against your actions.

One time you actually saw something while meditating, visions of some sort and although they were blurry and barely distinguishable, it excited you. Since then, you've been training hard, hoping to experience that again.

You heard from somewhere that the Palace of Alcazarzaray was a good place to practice your meditation, so that's where you could be found as the days followed. As you meditated more and more, you could feel yourself getting closer and closer to your goal, it was only a matter of time, you told yourself. However, you also realized that during the rare times when you weren't meditating, you felt dazed and unfocused and often times you swore you saw something, or glimpses of someone. Though this worried you to a very small extent, instead, you thought you just needed to work a little harder. Eventually it got to a point where you spent all your time meditating, evoking worry from your relatives. In fact, the only thing that stopped you from meditating full time was them coming to 'snap you out of it' as they said. This annoyed you very much and although you knew they meant well, you were too close now and you had already accepted the risks this journey was accompanied with.

So, taking a small choice of possessions, you went to a remote, isolated part of the forest where you would meditate for days on end, not sleeping, eating or drinking. Strangely enough, your body seemed fine with it too, you weren't fatigued at all, it was just the haziness and hallucinations.

Now you were sitting on the floor of the cave, face relaxed but at the same time fixed with an expression of concentration. You focused....and focused.....and focused.....

Yes....

You could feel it, just a little more....

Your eyes suddenly shot open.

Scanning your surroundings you immediately realized something was off. The earth seemed to be layered with a gray tint and there was someone standing right in front of you with their back turned.

"Have...I...finally done it once more? Is....my consciousness.... connected to Irminsul?" You hesitantly ask, "Hmph. Not even a 'hello' at least? I expected better from my first follower."

What? What is he talking about? But wait.... He seems familiar..."Who...are you?" It's difficult to talk, your mind feels heavy and your vision is blurring momentarily. "Me? They call me Scaramouche or 'the Balladeer.' I am a member of the eleven fatui Harbingers but soon I will be known as the god of Sumeru. For now, however, you will address me as 'master,' understood?" He turned around and you were met with two purple eyes glaring down at you. The Harbingers? You've heard of that before, back when you were in the Akademiya, they're from Snezhnaya, right?

Scaramouche's voice brings you out of your thoughts,"I said, 'is that understood?' " "U-uh, yes....master..." His frown turns into an expression of smugness. "Good, I suppose you're pretty baffled by the situation you've found yourself in, but I'll have some mercy and explain it to you."

Your eyes widen when he reveals that he had been watching you ever since you had that experience with the indescribable visions. Those were...his memories? And apparently he's going to become a god? And he has chosen you as his first follower? "Why, you may ask? Well, no one has ever managed to connect directly to my consciousness before, so I took this as a sign. A sign that you are the chosen one." Huh, so you didn't connect to Irminsul after all and instead you're peering into the consciousness of one of the Harbingers? This information is hard for your now unstable mind to process. It hurts...You bring a hand to your aching forehead and try to soothe the pain. "...Can't...focus.."

Suddenly, a hand grips your jaw and tilts your head up so that you make eye contact with him,"You look so dumb right now, but it's alright, you won't need to think much from now on." You gasp as he kisses you roughly, pushing his tongue into your open mouth. His hands grab both of your wrists in a painful grip as he shoves you into the ground, lips still connected. You try struggle under his grip, only to find you can barely move. You try breaking the kiss but not only does he push harder, you can't even move your head and when he pulls away, you cringe at the strings of saliva between you two.

"Why...?" Is all you can manage as you gasp for breath,"Don't ask questions, all you need to know is that you are going to be my little stress toy from now until the day you die." His tone is snappy and you shut up at once, mind hazy. Scaramouche looks as your flushed face and chuckles darkly,"Your mind is weak, you can't even think straight, can you? And without the ability to properly process things you leave your body in a very vulnerable state, don't you know that? Hehe, I'm going to have so much fun with you..." He was right, your mind was under so much strain during your intense meditation sessions, now you don't have the brain to fight back.

His hands let go of your wrists and began to trail down your body, stopping to cup your breasts. You couldn't help but moan as he massaged the soft flesh through your clothes. Then, without warning he tore your top apart, exposing the white bra confining your chest. He made quick work of that two and as soon as the piece of fabric fell to the ground, his fingers went up to flick your now-hard nipples. Suddenly he gave them both a particularly harsh tug, grinning when you yelped in pain. With one hand playing with your left breast, he used his free hand to hike up your obnoxiously long skirt.

"You don't even wear a pair of shorts under this? Such a whore." He smirked at the help you let as as he smacked your pussy. You bit your lip as whimpers threatened to leave your throat as he used his slender fingers to circle your clothed clit. "Please....stop..." "Stop? When you are this wet? Just admit it, you're getting off on your god fucking you." "No...I—" You gag as Scaramouche stuffs three fingers deep down your throat "Stop talking and suck if you know what good for you."

When he finally decided you're wet enough, he slipped your panties off and pocketed them despite your protests. He then flips you unto your stomach before taking his cock out of the confines of his pants,"Now we move on to my favourite part."

A ragged scream is ripped from your throat as he immediately bottomed out inside of you. The situation doesn't get any better when he starts moving right after, barely giving you time to adjust to his size. His pace is fast and his thrusts are brutal, your body rocks back and forward with each slam of his hips. Your own hips feel bruised from the grip he has on them. The burn of his cock abusing your insides has tears streaming down your face and choked out sobs and moans leaving your mouth. A sadistic smile is plastered across his face, clearly enjoying your discomfort and pain,"You look so pretty with tears flowing down your face—hah—you feel so good, these virgin walls are squeezing me so tightly. Yes, cum of my cock, on your lord's cock and show me that only I can pleasure you like this."

Until that moment you didn't even realize you were getting closer to orgasming but you did as he said and the knot in your stomach snapped as you released all over him with a cry. That didn't stop Scaramouche from continuing to fuck you though, his pace barely faltered and his thrusts were just as hard as before,"Please—ngh—stop...no—more..." "Shut up. Your master hasn't had his pleasure yet and you will take everything he gives you until he's satisfied."

He then proceeded to bury his teeth into your neck, biting down so hard the skin broke, causing blood to leak from the wound. You shiver as his tongue darts out to lick a long stripe up your neck, gathering the warm liquid on it in the process. The way his cock is pistoning in and out of you has you weakly clawing at the dirt beneath. You continue to helplessly moan as his breathing gets more ragged and heavy, he must be close. Said assumption proves to be right when you suddenly feel a burst of hot liquid shoot straight into your pussy. Scaramouche finally stops and pulls out of your sore cunt, watching as the white substance leaks out of your abused hole, past your trembling thighs and onto the ground. A pleased look adorns his face,"Hehe, seems like I forgot to mention that I was about to cum, but that's alright, you couldn't anything about it anyway even if you knew."

You sat on the bed situated in the corner of the room, staring at the wall. Your eyes eventually landed on the chains binding your hands to the bed posts, restricting your movements. They were so short, you couldn't even walk a few inches away from the bed.

It had been months since Scaramouche kidnapped you from the cave you originally resided in after fucking your brains out. Since then he has kept you here, occasionally coming to 'check up' on his little pet which mostly consisted of him manhandling you till you were about to pass out. Everytime he came to you, you could see how he was gradually falling into madness. His words became more cruel, more unghinged, more obsessive.

It made you afraid of him and you were worried that someday he might snap and do something unthinkable.

Your gaze shifted to the mirror on the dresser right across from you. A collar was tightly looped around your neck with the name 'Scaramouche' in bold letters. Your hand came up and you tugged it slightly. It didn't budge. Tears filled your eyes at the humiliating memories it brought back. When he first showed it to you, you absolutely refused to wear it and after a lot of resistance from you he was able to secure it, he also fastened it so tightly it choked you at first. And he never bothered to loosen it. Sometimes, on the days when he was feeling it, he would attach a leash to the collar and use it to suffocate you if you were being to bratty.

Your eyes went lower to observe your attire. You'd been forbidden to wear anything besides a town that barely covered your thighs. That is, unless Scaramouche demanded otherwise. The material was so thin and you weren't even allowed to wear anything under it. For easy access, he said.

You've gotten over your dizzy, hallucinating state a long time ago and since you're usually locked up in the room, it's given you a lot of time to think. What has happened to your family? Have they noticed your disappearance? Are they looking for you? Did Scaramouche kill them? But he has no reason to do such a thing, but then again, you wouldn't put it past him to kill innocent people.

You flinch as the door opens. He's back already?

Your eyes widen in fear and you can't help but back up little by little when he approaches you. Soon you're pressed against the headboard and he gets on the bed and crawls over you. You stare into his dull eyes with your frightened ones. You can't see anything but obsession, lust and insanity in them.

"How's my little servant doing? Have you been enjoying your time here? You better have been. Why do you look so afraid? Hehe, you thought I wouldn't notice? You can't hide anything from your god you know." His cold hand rested on your cheek, slowly going down to trace the letters engraved on the collar you were forced to wear. A maniacal smile stretched across his face as he looked at it, pupils dilating with lust. Suddenly he hooked his fingers under it and gave it a sharp tug, briefly laughing when you gasped and instinctively grabbed his arm, as he pulled you forward.

Now he was so close that you could feel his hot breath against your lips. Without warning he kissed you with so much force your head hit the wooden headboard of the bed. This caused your mouth to slightly part in surprise and Scaramouche's tongue was practically down your throat instantly.

His knee made it's way between your legs, pressing up against your bare pussy and rubbing against it. You felt him smile against your mouth as your thighs squeezed his own in a futile attempt to conceal your now aroused state.

When he finally broke the kiss, you gratefully inhaled the much needed oxygen as your face burned with humiliation. You hated being in such a vulnerable state, you hated being so easy to take advantage of. But there was nothing you could do about the way the Harbinger's hands snuck under your gown to roughly grope your chest. No matter what you did or wanted to do, you could only moan in guilty pleasure.

Soon enough, you found yourself in a familiar but unwelcomed position: face pressed into the pillow with your 'lord's' dick thrusting in and out in an attempt to get off. Your hands held onto the sheets for dear life as you came for the 3rd time. Tears rolled down your face and drool stained the pillow as Scaramouche laughed cruelly at your fucked out appearance,"Need a break? Too bad, you won't get one."

You could only mumble inaudible phrases in between gasps and moans in response,"Ngh—please master—hngh—please cum in me—!" "What's that? You want me to fill this slutty hole of yours with my cum? That's right, fill up you like the cumdump you are?" He smirked as you only panted small, breathy 'yes'' to his degrading words. Moments later he finally reached his high and shot his load into your tight pussy.

Scaramouche didn't bother to pull out and instead pressed his chest against your back and whispered into your ear, possessiveness evident in his tone,"No one else can or ever will make you feel like this, only I can bring you this kind of pleasure. You're mine, mine to fuck how I want, mine to do with whatever I please. Right, my little servant?" You nodded dumbly to his statements, mind too mushy to think straight.

You really were just a cumdump for him.

[nonnieapple]

Can I request for afk journey reinier x reader sfw and nsfw relationship headcanons. Love you work:⁠-⁠)

⛈️⚡️Reinier x g/n!Reader Headcanons⚡️⛈️

• (Reinier x g/n!Reader Headcanons)

• r a t i n g: m a t u r e • 1 4 1 2 w o r d s

• p o s t e d: 10.10.2024 🌧️ navigation

n o t e: thank you~ this was fun to write, i love this guy. he wasn't technically on my req list but i'll allow it, he should've been.

SFW:

• Dating, or even befriending, Reinier would be a miracle and a curse. You'd have to get over the whole... symmetry thing. I've got plenty of ideas and if anyone wants I'll expand on them, but I chose this one. 

• The "Fix This Guy's Perfectionism OCD" route! 

• You, the illustrious and eternally errand-running Magister Merlin, keep running into cases of things being duplicated for symmetry. 

• At first, it wasn't too detrimental. It was a slight bit stressful for the people who had to watch their town statues disappear. With the exception of Lyca, who found it beautiful. Good for her...? 

• Along the way, you met Talene and found the perfectionist culprit- Reinier. His obsession with symmetry ran deep, and even if his arrogance was understandable due to his good looks, his personality made him hideous. 

• Talene had chased him for a while. You ran into her many times more, and eventually, he duplicated buildings and entire towns.

• Reinier needed an intervention.

• How do you do an intervention on a demon? 

• You summon him, of course! 

• With the (totally not coerced) help of a farmer, you made patterns in Ryeham fields. Beautiful patterns, nearly perfect, yet slightly off. 

• Reinier appeared ENRAGED. 

• You had to restrain him, which almost took you and him out in the process. 

• You told him he did not have merely an obsession, but an illness of the mind that humans dealt with, too. (Humans didn't have the power to do the shit he did. Thank Dura for that.) 

• What ensued was the strangest thing you remembered doing. 

• His progress was slow. For the first month, you thought you'd go mad. Not to mention his mysophobia which was also an issue to get through. 

• You were not his therapist, you were his "handler"- keeping a muzzle on him with your magic. Besides celestials, no one was powerful enough to do so. 

• When he made enough progress, he was still himself (annoying & hot), though his murderous and more destructive tendencies were curbed well enough. 

• Point out his mismatched shoes and he will lose it.

• Point out his mismatching colors and he will try to break through the bonds on his magic to kill you. 

• You're not sure how it happened, but along the way, you tripped and fell in "love". 

• At first, it was pure physical attraction. Obvious and cheap. 

• But when you saw the way he admired snowflakes and the "perfect" knit of your clothes, you found him endearing. Make sure not to let him see the snow melt or a hem get frayed- that's a recipe for an episode. 

• Reinier used to be cool due to being a demonic being. Now, with his magic being held back, he accumulates it and it builds up as heat. He can't hold snowflakes anymore.

• You make some out of magic and hang them in his room. 

• His room in the Mystical House is asymmetrical. Exposure therapy and all. The therapist said it'd help him, but he still arranges the furniture weirdly. It can't be helped...

• Reinier LOVES hearing himself talk. He will yap on about actual nonsense and will repeat phrases in a symmetrical way, with perfect rhythm and syllable count. Unfortunately, he has no mouth to cover. 

• The way Reinier fell for you? Well...

• He did not confess until he was several months into living in your house. 

• You had to torture it out of him, going softly first, only asking him how he felt to various insulting answers. You started making his room uneven to piss him off.

• He clawed at your cloak, praying you to stop, and he finally spat out the words like they were poison.

• "Fine! I- gag- well isn't that a pretty word- I... 'like' you!" 

• You put the dresser back to where he had it. "I'm listening."

• "I see, now, that symmetry is not all there is to life. I'll never rid myself of the way I think, but, you're the second best thing to perfection, and I... feel what you humans would call love, towards you."

• You halted, something blooming in your chest. 

• That was the day you got together. You never put much of a label on your relationship. It was beyond simple words. 

• Reinier admires your magic. He says it's organized and the neatest, warmest magic he has ever encountered. Even though you're used to compliment his feel special because that bastard doesn't bother to lie. He supposed that that's what made him gravitate towards you, along with your unending patience and wisdom.

• If you do makeup (especially more artsy things) and mess up even a little, Reinier will offer- no- INSIST on fixing it. You'll usually accept because it's cute and he focuses hard. It's one of the only times he's truly calm. 

• Sometimes he adds different shapes to each side. Each time you celebrate internally. Therapy was worth it!!!

• You have to remind him that people are not less worthy due to being imperfect. If he gets stuck in one of those loops you bring out... The Spray Bottle (which is filled with water but is a reused vintage perfume bottle. You know the one, with the thang) 

• Long after he gets better (but he isn't cured. He's just Like That) you let him out of his quarantine. He'll tag along with you and you only. He doesn't care for other people.

• He's nice to the hamster familiars because if he isn't it's over for him. They're mildly scared of him. 

• If you let him out of his bonds your opponents will be COOKED. 

• And no one wants to mess with a 6'5 tall floating demon anyway...

• If you choose to get gay demon married Berial will try to crash the wedding and Reinier will be a bridezilla. The wedding? Immaculate. His attitude? Spray Bottle worthy. 

• He is terrible at cooking. He will summon an eldritch horror if in the vicinity of a kitchen, and he hates touching food with his hands and is generally sensitive to sensory input. That's why you shower daily and clean the house often, his fear never goes away completely and you accommodate it, sharing some similarities with him in that regard. 

• If you cuddle it has to be symmetrical. You are laying ON HIM and nowhere else, too bad that he's like a rock in softness.

• Hates kids. Too chaotic.

• Everyone is horrified at the pairing of Reinier x Magister Merlin. All that matters is that you're happy. 

• You act like an old couple. Constantly. 

• He might make jewelry for you similar to his if he gets bored. Which is often. 50% of your wardrobe is now created by him, not that you mind. 

• Temesia is especially horrified by your relationship. Dionel isn't surprised, and Valen finds it funny. Talene is glad he's domesticated because she doesn't have to deal with his BS.

• Reinier is all bark and no bite. With you around him, being cruel is not an option.

NSFW:

• The reproductive systems of (most) humans are symmetrical... Which fascinates him.

• He has no mouth, so it's mostly his hands doing the work. 

• Reinier can create genitals for himself if you're into that. He's in control of what they are, but they'll always be demonic in a way- spiked, shaped strangely, segmented, tentacles, etc. 

• If you're into degradation/praise you've met your match. Either dynamic works. 

• His horns look pretty pullable 

• TWO SETS OF ARMS??? TWO SETS OF A-

• Since he's strong and TWO SETS OF ARMS, he could easily hold you up in any way and position, and restrain you easily. Two sets of arms, guys. 

• Since he has claws, I imagine he'd be into scratching you and sadism. It fits his lore.

• Hear me out- he likes bondage, creating patterns out of rope or magic on his partner. Non-sexually, too.

• If he takes longer to work through his mysophobia, he might use magic and not touch you at all to please you. 

• He doesn't have an inherent drive to have sex, he does it for you, and you're the only one who makes him feel any of that attraction and desire.

• As a stickler for rules, he can be rather obedient. 

[spicywhenspeaking]

If I'm There: Chapter Twenty-Three

read from part one here!

summary: Noah and Natalie met in high school and developed a relationship through their love of music and art. Falling in love, innocent and young, they think nothing can keep them apart. However, sometimes in the pursuit of your dreams the things we love the most get left behind.

this is a complete work of fiction, some characters while based on real people are totally made up. :)

Taglist: @lma1986 @cookiesupplier @notingridslurkaccount @blackveilomens @thisbicc @laurpartyprogram @concretenoah @thebadchic @jessitpwk@madomens @samanthasgone @myownthoughts12@missduffsblog @jilliemiw86 @malerieee @hi-fancy-seeing-you-here @badomensls @robabankfuckmickeymouse

“Things are pretty normal given the situation. Noah has called a lot since he left and talks with Erin for almost an hour on the phone each time. We talked for a little bit but honestly, my feelings for Noah are getting so cluttered it’s hard to talk to him for too long” 

“When you say cluttered what do you mean exactly” 

“It’s just hard talking on the phone, you know, with everything. We saw each other for the first time in ten years and then I shook his whole world telling him he’s a father and I just wish I knew what he was thinking. We didn’t have enough time to talk about it all. He met Erin and it was great but I just…I feel like a failure of a mother for depriving her of him for so long and I don’t know how to express to him that I’m sorry. And honestly, I’ve never let myself get fully over him, I just feel like there’s always been a piece of me that has loved him, maybe just from what I see in Erin.” 

Dr. Grady is quiet for a few moments while she thinks and takes in my words. 

“I cannot speak for Noah, but I believe forgiving yourself for the past is important and a necessary step in your healing. You’ve already mentioned that there’s nothing you can do to change what has happened and it seems like you’re focused on helping Erin navigate this situation. As for your feelings about Noah, there is nothing I can tell you, that is a completely personal journey that you will have to take.” I sink lower into the sofa in Dr. Grady’s office and try to unjumble my thoughts, but those surrounding Noah will take time to fully unpack. 

“And on top of all of it, my brother just got to town last night and I swear if you had told me ten years ago I would say I was jealous of Kyle's emotional maturity I would have pissed myself laughing.” As I tell Dr. Grady more, I recall my conversation with Kyle last night after Erin went down for bed. 

“So, she met Noah huh? And she seems pretty happy about the whole situation so I’m guessing it went well?” Kyle asked cautiously. “Yeah, it went better than I expected. He was great with her, asked her questions about what she likes, talked to her about music and his life. He’s called her every other day since he left and they talk for hours.” I tell him as I pour the two of us a cup of hot tea. 

“How do you feel about all of this?” He asks while blowing the steam off the cooling cup of tea in his hands. 

“When I myself understand my feelings I’ll let you know.” I let out a pathetic laugh, “I’m happy for Erin, she’s happy and that’s what’s important. I’m trying not to think too much about all of the "what ifs you know? I told myself that I wasn’t going to let my feelings mess this up for her. She deserves a relationship with her father” I tell him honestly and then because I’m unable to stop it the word vomit spews out of me. “But I can’t help thinking what if I had told him ten years ago, would we have gotten back together? Would I have ever known truly if it was for me or just because I got pregnant, I mean how would you feel missing Natasha’s birth, her first steps and her first words?”

He takes a sip of tea and sits up straighter in the kitchen chair. “I think I would be upset at first, which you said he was but Nat, you’ll drive yourself crazy if you keep thinking about all of these hypothetical scenarios.”

“But like would you be able to forgive Maggie? Would you still haven’t wanted to marry her?” 

A look of complete understanding washes across his face, “Nat, why do you insist you deserve to be hated for this? Why can’t you accept that he’s forgiven you and move forward? You forgave him for leaving all of those years ago. You’ve forgiven me for all the terrible things I’ve done, forgiven Dad too. You forgave Mom before she died. You believe everyone is worthy of forgiveness but you, why?” 

“You believe everyone is worthy of forgiveness but you…that’s what he said. It sent me for a loop. It’s true. I’ll allow everyone to be flawed and make mistakes but when it comes to myself I wonder how I haven’t been dropped by every person in my life” I explain the conversation to Dr. Grady and wait for her response as I sit up and prepare for the end of our session.

“It’s common for people with anxiety to suffer from severe self-criticism. I’m going to send you a few readings I’d like you to look over before our next session and we can discuss it more since we are almost out of time.” She clears her throat and straightens up the papers in her hand. “It’s a very good question your brother asked. I think you should think about that one, why do you think everyone else is worthy of forgiveness but you? Because you are Natalie, you are worthy of forgiveness and you need to start by forgiving yourself.”

I quietly thank Dr. Grady for our session and leave once our time is finished. 

She’s right and so is Kyle. I constantly forgive everyone all the time but never allow myself the grace of forgiveness.

Erin is happy, Noah is happy and it’s about damn time I let myself be happy too. 

It’s around 4pm when I return home from therapy and my grocery store run. I got all of the essentials for a fun backyard fire pit dinner. We’re roasting hotdogs and then s’mores for desserts later. 

When I get into the house I hear laughter and music filtering in through the kitchen, I walk through and notice the sound is coming from the backyard where Maggie and Kyle have set up the waterslide for the girls. 

“Uncle Ky! Go go!!!” I hear Erin bellow as I see my brother fling himself down and slide all the way to the end of the slide. 

“Oh hey, Natty!” Kyle calls, standing and shaking the water out of his hair. “How was your appointment?” He asks softly. 

“It was good! Yeah, I feel good, thank you for talking to me about it last night, it was really helpful Ky.” 

“Of course sis! What are twins for?” he says and then wraps his arms around me wiping water all over my dry clothes. “Kyle! Ugh!” I call out and push him off of me while he lets out a full bellied laugh. 

A few hours later we are sitting, dry,  around the warm fire. Kyle and Maggie are staying at a hotel but when Natasha started to get sleepy we put her in Erin’s bed until they left for the night. 

I’m helping Erin roast a marshmallow when Maggie comes into my view, handing me a glass of wine. “I think it’s time for that girl-talk I was promised” she giggles and turns to Haylie who’s sitting and roasting her own s’more, “and I mean you as well girl, I wanna hear about this new book. You gotta tell me if they’ll end up together in the end please” 

Haylie laughs and zips her lips, “hey I’m spoiler-free over here.” 

Handing Erin her assembled s’more she thanks me and takes a huge bite causing marshmallows to overflow out the side and drip down her chin. I laugh and wipe it before it hits the floor. 

Kyle stands to leave us to girl-talk and gestures towards Erin, “Come on sweety, let’s go watch a movie while your mom has her lady talk, it’ll be boring” 

Erin giggles into her s’more “They just want to talk about Noah and how mom used to like him and now they’re both weird” she states while tossing a strand of hair over her shoulder and I can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of me, “yeah, sorry for being weird kiddo. I’m working on it.”

“Aren’t you observant?” Kyle says to Erin steering her towards the back door. 

The three of us giggle at the way Erin was able to perfectly sum up the situation, “She sees everything I swear and she’s too smart.” I comment under my breath as I take a small sip of the wine Maggie brought me.

“What’s going on in that head of yours Natty,” Maggie asks and her face is nothing but compassionate. “Too much Mags, too much.” I take another long sip of wine and look into the slowly dimming fire. “I am so unbelievably happy to see Erin happy..”

“I’m sensing a but coming,” Haylie chirps from her chair on the other side of me. 

“But.” I say, giving her a pointed look, “but I am just still navigating my own feelings about all of this, so I’m just a little scatterbrained.” I admit.

“Do you think it’s possible Noah could still have feelings for you?” Maggie asks and I shoot up in my chair, surprised by her question. 

“Oh god no, I was just talking to my therapist about how shocked I am that he can even stand being around me,” I say and Haylie busts out laughing. 

“Oh my god, are you blind? Dude the way he was looking at you not only the literal day you told him about her but the day he came over and was here for like eight hours, for Erin of course but Natty, there is no doubt he was also here for you.” Haylie says with a matter-of-fact tone and my eyes roll back so far I think they might never come back. “Oh please, there is no way Noah has feelings for me, It’s been ten years and at this point, we are just trying to navigate this co-parenting thing.” 

That gets a laugh out of not only Haylie but Maggie as well, “you’re either blind, stupid or both if you don’t think that guy is and always has been in love with you, knowing he now shares a child with you is only going to cause him to further attempt to submit himself as the only man in your life,” Maggie says but I shake my head in disagreement, I just don’t think that is in the cards for Noah and me anymore no matter how easily I lose myself in his eyes, or how I secretly listen to his music and have always known he was the most talented person in the world. 

“Whatever our feelings for each other may be, Noah and I have agreed that the most important thing is Erin’s happiness. I’m not going to risk that so I just need everyone to respect that.” I say with more firmness in my voice than intended. Maggie looks at me with a quiet understanding, “I will support you either way. I’m always on your side.” she says. Haylie nods in agreement “Me too.” 

We spend another hour outside finishing our wine before heading back inside to see Kyle and his family off for the night. Erin heads up for bed soon after and I do a final sweep of the kitchen before heading up to bed myself.

As I’m laying my head down my phone rings lightly and I hesitate slightly before answering. 

Hey Noah, is everything okay? Sorry but Erin is already asleep if you wanted to talk. 

Hey, yeah everything is okay. I figured she’d be asleep, I was hoping to talk to you actually. If thats okay?

Oh, um yeah, we can talk. Whats up?

Are we okay Natty? 

I freeze. What does that even mean? Are we okay?

Um. yeah? Why wouldn’t we be okay? 

I just feel like…I don’t know how to say this. I’ve been trying Natty but when I talk to you on the phone it’s like you can’t get off fast enough.

What do you mean? I just figured you wanted to talk to Erin so you could get to know her more. 

I mean, of course want to talk to Erin, but Natty I want to talk to you as well.

It’s been ten years and I meant what I said about wanting to be in your lives. 

You want to talk to me? About what? 

He laughs and the warmth of it climbs into my heart and makes a nest. 

I want to know about your life, I want to meet the Natalie that you’ve become and I want to try and make up for all this time I’ve lost.

Oh. I’m - well I’m sorry if I was short with you on the phone. Honestly, all of this has been a big change for us all.

I haven’t been good about dealing with this, obviously. 

Yes, It was a big change but I want you to know that I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this alone anymore. I truly do intend to be there. For both of you.

That’s co-parenting right? We’re in this together now. 

Yeah. Together. I like the sound of that. 

I can’t help the blush that spreads across my cheeks and down my neck, I know he meant together as parents but for a moment I allow myself to believe we could be the happy family I’ve always dreamed of. 

I know it’s late so I can let you go if you’re getting ready for bed-

No, no, I can talk. Unless you’re tired.

No, we just got off the stage and I’m to amped up to sleep yet.

So Natty, tell me about your life. 

We talk on the phone for hours. About the last ten years, I told him about life with Erin and we reminisced about life when we were young. I don’t remember hanging up, but I guess I fell asleep sometime while we were talking because when I woke up there was an unread text on my phone.

Noah S : goodnight :) I have missed talking to you these last ten years Natty. It is good to be back in your world. 4:13 am

I walk down the stairs with a spring in my step and I feel lighter than I have since this all began. I know we will all be okay and I can finally say that Noah and I are friends again after all of this time.

The rest of the week with my brother and Maggie is so much fun. We spend time at the park, go to museums and even a minor league baseball game. When they leave at the end of the week I give Kyle a big hug. "Thanks for everything Ky, I love you bro."

"I love you too sis, you're an amazing person. don't ever forget that."

Noah and I start texting more frequently in-between our phone calls and I find myself smiling and laughing more at my phone than I have in years.

In a week Noah will be back and Erin is so excited.

I won't lie, I'm pretty excited as well.

next chapter

[nonbinarykai]

righhhhht and she was loyal!!! she loved her dad!! she loved him and he just (would have) let her die!!!!! and later in crystalized (i think the seasons kinda blur together lmao) she talks about wanting a family?? and??? that felt so loaded to me? its not just about wanting the stability (that kai cant give, but this is not about him. i have my own thoughts about the smith siblings and their commitment issues, but thats for later) but family? she just. is a family person. she was INTRODUCED as a family person, and i know ninjago probably sidelining her wasnt some intentional thought out desicion, but i like to headcanon it as her SPECIFICALLY not joining the ninja bc. theyre so obviously a family. and. she just needs to distance herself from that a bit, to find out whi she is outside of a group (*frantically writes a 15k character study following her throughout her journey into self discovery bc FUCK it makes me (someone who grew up in a cult) a bit insane)

and and. the tattoo?? like she was marked along with the rest of his followers, no different than a pawn, a mere minion. does she still have the tattoo?? that permanant physical reminder?? bc chen changed her, irrevocably. even after she turns back from becoming a LITERAL SNAKE AGAINST HER WILL (body horror angst, anyone?) she still has a mark.

i just. i want to give her more love and attention bc god holy shit. AND SHE COULD HAVE REALLY INTERESTING DYNAMICS WITH THE GROUP!!! IF PEOPLE JUST REMEMBERED HER!!!!!

she has to have formed some sort of bond with nya and lloyd after hunted. does she talk to him abt evil dads? i want to see her bond with zane over their love of cooking. does jay ever tell her abt her role in sky bound? they could talk abt their experiences turning into snakes lmao.

and her element is so interesting!!! literally absorbing others powers how cool is that?? what are the specifics? is there a time limit to how long she can use the power once she has it.

anyway this is getting too long but you get it. she needs to come back in dragons rising. she needs to bond with jordana over being ex-cult kids following her redemption, bc that girl is getting redeemed.

(i apologize for any typos i tried to be careful)

Can’t believe you didn’t mention how Cole’s fav restaurant is canonically Chen’s noodles which means he probably has ended up seeing skylor a lot and it’s possible they became friends.

Anyways I agree. I feel like it makes sense that even though skylor was abused she still loved her father. Thats unfortunately why a lot of abused kids stay with there parents to try to make it work. But I also wish skylor had more agency in choosing to go against her father other than “boy told me to”.

Speaking of which I do wish we saw more of skylors social life outside of whatever *he* shows us. It genuinely makes alot of sense for skylor to have some connection to the other ninja in some way. The only indicator of ppl she hangs out with is chamillie and that’s it. I want to see her have a group of friends that are completely detached from the ninja. Like regulars at her restaurant.

[buggaboizz]

Kwazii Ref Sheet +Character Details and Backstory!

Character Details!

Headshot:

He has a gold tooth, lol

Also, though he does wear an eye patch and has a scar there, he does in fact still have that eye. He wears it cause Calico Jack wore one.

Earrings:

I once read in someone else's headcannon that pirates would have a gold earring that said their home (like, in case they died away or smth) and I thought that was SO cool, so his say "Octopod" (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)

Fish Biscuit

I just needed something to fill the space, he does love fish biscuits tho

Bandana

It's a red bandana with gold stitching that once belonged to Calico Jack. It was given to Kwazii before Calico Jack left for the Amazon River. Ever since he has worn it on his tail as a piece of his long lost Grandfather.

Knife

It's the knife from his pirate days. It doesn't get much use nowdays, but he loves using it whenever he can.

Kwazii's Backstory

Kwazii's father left as soon as he was told she was pregnant. Luckily, Kwazii's mom wasn't alone in this as she had her dad, Calico Jack. Unfortunately, she didn't make it through child birth, so Calico Jack had to face this on his own.

Kwazii was raised mostly out on the sea, being a pirate and learning the ways of the water.

Kwazii was only 14 when Calico Jack set off for the Amazon River. He didn't want Kwazii coming as he knew it would be dangerous, but he promised he would come back to him. He left Kwazii with his bandanna, the only surviving piece of his grandfather.

Kwazii spent years searching for Calico Jack. Sailing across the seas, searching every dock and town, but he never found him. He did sometimes find Calico Jack's old crew, but they all said the same thing. They didn't know where he was or what happened to him, or even worse, that he was dead.

Kwazii was at a dock town when he got into a fight with some sailors. He was sitting in an alleyway, beaten and bruised, when someone walked up to him. Barnacles was in the Navy when his ship came to this place. He was just having a night on the town when he found Kwazii. Kwazii was just some beat up kid in an alley with no parents or family, so he took him in and fixed him up. Of course he couldn't stay long as he was in the Navy, but for that short moment in time, he was the family Kwazii needed.

Why did Kwazii Join The Octonauts?

Kwazii continued searching for Calico Jack, and continued getting the same results. Years past until at the age of 22 he found himself at a dock. He overheard some Seagulls talking about this group of people that went around the world's oceans and helped creatures in need. He learned more about these people, they were called The Octonauts.

He had decided that he had done enough searching, that he needed to make something of his life. He was wasting himself and his life just searching, so he decided to join. But, deep down inside, he still had hopes that maybe he'd find Calico Jack on his journeys with them.

When he had his interview, Captain Barnacles was out, so Dashi was doing it. They decided it would be good to have a pirate on the team. Who knows the sea better than a pirate? Plus, he was very passionate about it. So he was made a member of the team.

Later when Barnacles returned he went to meet their new recruit. They recognized each other as soon as they laid eyes on one another. It was a very happy reunion. Kwazii finally had the permanent family he needed.

Headcannons and Bits

-Kwazii plays the fiddle

-Him and Barnacles like to groom together

-Kwazii was named after his mother

-He LOVES getting pets and scratchies

-He sleeps in a hammock

-His fur coloring is based off a local stray cat named Pickles (they are very sweet)

-Kwazii uses A LOT of pirate slang

-Kwazii transitioned after Calico Jack had left, so he didn't know Kwazii was now a boy. But once he was back they did have a heart to heart talk about it (CJ loves and supports Kwazii no matter what) that was also the first time the team learned he was trans (only Peso knew, cause doctor things)

-You can point to ANY of his scars and he'll tell this crazy story of how he got it

-He LOVES snuggling

-He HATES licorice (but that's cannon)

[luvsfootball]

wildest dreams - aurelien tchouameni.

requested by - @certainsaturn

author’s note - this is specified to an asian reader!

you were panicking.

it was your first time travelling by aeroplane, usually depending on cars or trains. but today you couldn’t seeing as though you were going from valencia to boredeaux.

you were texting your sister who was telling you to just go and get something to eat and stop worrying. after paying, you walked off to a lounge close by where your plane was taking off from.

a boy, around your age, was sitting there, half asleep but trying to keep himself awake. he had a travel pillow wrapped around his neck and you tried to hold in your laughs at how silly he looked.

“excuse me, is this plane flying to bordeaux?”

he opened his eyes at your sudden question, confused for a moment but he nodded. “yes, it shouldn’t be too long now.”

aurelien could sense how nervous you were. “first time?”

“yes. can you tell?”

he gave you a sympathetic smile. he still remembered the first time he flew by plane, and it definitely wasn’t an experience to be remembered.

“what are you going to bordeaux for?” he wondered. “i’m a music producer. going to work with an upcoming artist over there.”

“i’m just visiting family until work starts up again,” he told you, trying to play it cool.

the noise came over the speakers to tell you that your flight was boarding. both of you stood up, and you said goodbye and wished each other a safe journey.

“i’m aurelien, by the way.”

“y/n. it was nice to meet you.”

aurelien was a couple of people behind you in the queue to board and when he got on, he was surprised to see you in the seat next to him.

“well, this is a coincidence,” he laughed, relaxing into the seat.

he figured that if you were going to be sitting together for the rest of the flight, he might as well get to know you for a bit.

“so, where are you from?”

“singapore originally, but when i got my job i work all over. i lstill live in singapore, though. what do you do for work?”

aurelien didn’t want to sound big-headed, but he was surprised you didn’t know who he was. “i’m a footballer. that’s where i’m coming back from, actually. i’m just not travelling with my teammates because i’m visiting my family.”

you raised your eyebrows, double checking him to see if you recognised him but you didn’t. “sorry, i don’t really keep up with sports or anything like that.”

“don’t worry, i don’t keep up with music producing either,” he laughed, cracking a joke to try and make you cheer up because the flight was about to take off.

+

things between you and aurelien were going great and you really hit it off. you both walked to the exit of the airport together, and even exchanged numbers.

“so, y/n. where are you staying?”

“oh, just some hotel. my manager said he was going to set it up for me.”

aurelien pondered on the thought for a moment. if he invited you back to his family home, you could stay there free of charge and he could at least have a friend instead of just him and his parents.

“i know we just met and everything, but do you want to stay at mine? it’s close by and free.”

you had just met aurelien, and he wondered if he was being too pushy or creepy by inviting you to stay at his.

but to be honest, you didn’t want to be alone in a hotel and if his parents were there, surely everything would be okay.

“sure, why not.”

he hailed a taxi and you both got in the back, aurelien directing him to his family home.

it was a beautiful house in the country, with a lake for fishing and even a patch for fruit and vegetables. “my mum takes pride in her house, but she’s a lovely woman. i think she’ll like you.”

his family dog immediately jumped on you when you entered and you cuddled him, leaving aurelien to let his parents know about you.

when his mum came out, she seemed like a really nice woman, rushing you off the kitchen to show you her new plants and things.

his family were extremely welcoming and loved you, constantly telling aurelien that they think you were the one for him.

but he’d push them away in private, telling them you were just a friend and nothing more.

+

it had been an amazing year for aurelien. you were living in madrid for a while due to work when he told you that real madrid want him to play for them.

you were aware of the football club, how could you not be?

they were one of the most decorated clubs in history and you were incredibly proud of aurelien for getting a transfer there.

he had been apartment hunting ever since he touched down in madrid, and it wasn’t going well. so you offered your home to him until he found somewhere.

but there was a problem.

aurelien was bringing back women every now and then. most of the time, you’d spend the night out somewhere to leave them be, but you couldn’t help but feel jealous.

all of the women looked different to you, and it made you upset. you cried on the phone to your sister plenty of times, confessing how you really liked him, more than a friend.

he obviously had a type, and they didn’t look like you.

“hey, is it okay if i bring eduardo over tonight? just for dinner?”

“yeah, sure.”

you didn’t mind one bit. eduardo was a likeable guy and always made you laugh and feel good about yourself.

when he got here, you pulled him in for a hug. he returned it, ignoring aurelien’s little glare and asked how you had been.

you all ordered some takeout food, eating it whilst watching a movie. that was when aurelien’s phone began ringing and he left the room to answer.

you and eduardo listened in discreetly and it was obvious he was talking to a girl. “you like him, don’t you?”

your head shout up, signalling for him to be quiet. if aurelien knew, you were scared it would ruin the friendship and leave. “please don’t tell anyone.”

“i won’t. you know he likes you too, right?”

scoffing, you shook your head and sighed, “i’m not even his type. i’m-i’m just his friend…”

eduardo chose not to touch on the subject again for the rest of the night in front of aurelien, until he said he was going out for the night.

“oh, where are you going?”

“just to see some woman i met on a dating app.”

it felt like your heart had been took out of your chest and stomped all over. you should have been used to it by now, but the thought of him with someone else was upsetting.

“i’ll walk down with you. i’ll see you soon, y/n.”

eduardo kissed your cheek as the two boys left your apartment together.

as they were in the lift, eduardo wanted to help you both in some way. and the only way he could that wasn’t nice, but it would be worth it to see his two friends happy together.

“i was um… i was thinking of asking y/n out on a date.”

aurelien stopped texting the woman, turning his phone off to look at eduardo. “are you serious?”

“yep. she’s a very beautiful woman and she’s kind to me. i think i like her.”

suddenly his date didn’t feel important to him anymore. not after eduardo had confessed that to him.

+

“how was your date?”

aurelien was surprised to see you still awake seeing as though you were supposed to be flying out to america tomorrow for the grammy awards.

if he was being honest, aurelien blew her off. told her some bullshit about ��a family emergency.’

his mood had totally soured after he had left eduardo and he just walked around town for a bit before coming back.

“i didn’t go,” he confessed. you furrowed your eyebrows, standing up to go and check if he was okay. he didn’t look it.

aurelien was tearing up.

“what’s wrong? did she do something to you?”

“no, no. it’s my fault, really.”

confusion filled you. what was wrong with him?

you grabbed his hands, pulling him into you. it was something you had been doing for ages. whenever he was upset, you’d pull him in for a hug and he’d spill.

but he didn’t move.

he pulled away.

“what is it?”

you were worried. the frenchman sighed and rubbed his face with the palms of his hands.

“i was speaking to eduardo earlier. he-he said he was going to ask you on a date.”

it was news to you. eduardo hadn’t even shown an ounce of interest in you in that sense, and then it hit you. you knew exactly what he was doing.

“and what’s that got to do with your date?”

“it ruined my mood.”

you scoffed, crossing your arms, “why would eduardo asking me out ruin your mood?”

aurelien looked at you like you were stupid. how did you not know that he liked you?

“because i like you!” he burst out, moving towards you now and grabbing your own hands.

“me? you like me?”

aurelien sighed, shaking his head and whispering, “why wouldn’t i like you?”

“i thought i wasn’t your type.”

“how can you not be anyone’s type? you’re gorgeous!”

his words felt like a warm blanket being wrapped around you, sparking fireworks in your stomach that you didn’t even know was possible.

you could tell he was waiting for an answer but you were rendered speechless. never in your wildest dreams did you think aurelien would be stood there, confessing he liked you.

“you are the girl i want. none of those instagram models who love my money. you’re my best friend, and i want us to be together.”

squeezing your eyes shut, you pinched the inside of your palm to see if you were dreaming. aurelien swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing up and down before he said, “i love you.”

“you love me?”

“i’d me crazy not to.”

you giggled and aurelien compared it to sunshine in his mind. “so will you have me?”

nodding, you smiled at him and whispered, “i’d be crazy not to.”

[paullovescomics]

First, an aside. I still did not get Absolute Superman #1. I got to the comic shop around 17:30, and the second printing was sold out again. There was a just a blank spot with at card that said "one per customer". I'd thought about emailing the store that morning, but then work got busy and i forgot. So i made sure to put in an order for the 3rd printing, but that doesn't come out for like a month. Oh well.

***SPOILERS***

Absolute Batman #2 -- The significance of the thing with the bats that opens this issue escaped me until we see a bit more of it later in the issue. They are covering him, protecting him. They're his armor, and he makes his literal armor in their image. That's cool. Also, those first two panels where young Bruce is calling for his dad, and his dad's body is slumped against the other side of (what i'm assuming is) the door, having put himself between his son and the shooter; and there are bullet holes in the door -- that is some heartbreaking stuff. If this is ever adapted to film, the director would be stupid not to steal that.

The narration by Alfred works well. This idea of Batman continually charging forward, never relenting, is compelling. It's true to the character. It's an effect of his trauma and it's enabled by his drive and abilities. It's a strength and a weakness. Of course we know it's going to eventually go wrong. He'll meet some foe that he can't bowl over, an opposing force that makes him stop; or, his body will inevitably falter and a canny villain will be there to take advantage of it. Either way, he'll be caught off his game, and then we'll see how clever he can get when things are desperate. That might be more exciting with this iteration of the character, since we haven't seen it with him before.

This version of Alfred is growing on me. Normally, I don't like the super spy version of Alfred. I just think that a superhero's world gets more shallow when everyone in it is some type of badass. You need different kinds of people to add more life and variety, and to let normal people contribute in relatable ways. But I guess because this is a fresh start, and we're not learning that he was secretly a badass all along, even though he didn't act that way for decades, etc., but he's just still a super spy, it's working for me. It definitely helps that he's tired and suspicious of his controllers, and that he sees in Bruce someone he can put some hope in.

We get a little time with Gordon, Barbara, and Bullock. Barbara being a cop is interesting. The Batman Beyond show had an older Barbara as chief of police, but I don't remember seeing her as a regular officer before. She's sympathetic to Batman here, so I assume she's become some version of Batgirl, but who knows. Bullock certainly looks different, but I can imagine the familiar Bullock becoming this guy if he were born later, or at least going through this phase before he becomes the deeply disillusioned guy that he is in his classic version. I also like the interaction between Gordon and Martha. If Jim becomes Batman's ally here, and Martha learns what Bruce is doing, there could be some very interesting conversations between them in the future.

The poker game is fun. I hope that the journey to villainhood for these guys takes a while. If we really get to know them, and their turns to the dark side are well told, we could be in for some very emotional tragedy.

I've said before that I wasn't all that hyped for the Absolute series, because there was a chance that they'd just be gritty and no fun. I'm glad that's not the case. There is a tone here that is different from the regular universe, though I'm not sure what to call it yet. But the inclusion of things like the Bat-axe, and this issue's "Batman AF" and the fact that Bruce not only somehow stole and hid a massive, multi-million-dollar construction vehicle (the owners of which are definitely searching for in manic fashion) but also tricked it out with bat-themed armor enhancements reassures me that we are far from po-faced grimness.

And that last page! I can't wait to see young Bruce and Selina getting into trouble. That Bruce is good friends with criminals is so interesting. Where will that go in the long run? Is he sympathetic to "petty" criminals because he knows first hand that some of them come from places where there aren't many options? So only the murderers and the capital V villains need to have their heads bashed in? It would make sense if this version of Bruce was very conflicted about that stuff, and constantly found it difficult to draw that line. So much to mine in this set-up!

[dragonnwriter]

Inviolable Bindings

Aemondxfem!OC and Aegonxfem!OC

All Chapters Here!

***NSFW CHAPTER 18+ ONLY!!!***

Chapter 44

The horses held a steady speed until dawn rose on the horizon. As the sun grew brighter, they veered off of the main road into a secluded area before daylight would give them away. Eventually, they came up on a small stream and dismounted near it to allow the animals a chance to cool down and drink.

Robbet found his place on a long fallen log, letting out a long sigh as he pulled a piece of bread from the pack. Viserra, however, refused to sit, unable to let her guard down enough to enjoy the moment of rest.

“Are you going to tell me who you are?” She asked, her voice relaying both suspicion and curiosity.

Robbet chuckled, not ashamed of his amusement at her persistence. “I suppose I owe you some sort of explanation,” he admitted. “But I do not think it would hurt to first hear just a bit of appreciation for getting you out of that castle.”

Viserra pursed her lips and shot him a look. “I am thankful for your help, but how am I to know you do not have ill intentions as well?”

Robbet rolled his eyes and offered her half of the bread that he had taken out. “Come on Viserra,” he sighed. “That would be quite the risk to take just to harm you after. If it eases your concerns, I have worked many years now for someone who knows most of the royal happenings in this land. Someone you trust.”

Viserra did not need him to say the name out loud, knowing without a doubt that he was in some way affiliated with Larys. Though she thought it bold for him to assume she trusted the man. Truthfully, only a fool would do such a thing. “And what about my chambermaid, Cassella? Has she been in his service as well?”

“I had not met her until my arrival in King’s Landing,” he explained. “Truthfully I am not sure who her point of contact is and was only told I would be working with a girl fitting her description. From idle chatter, I believe she might come from somewhere close to your home.”

This revelation took Viserra by surprise. “Home?” She asked.

“Yes, Volantis I believe?” He answered with a shrug.

The ambiguity of his responses annoyed her, but part of her understood the need for him to remain cautious. Even now, they were still well within reach of those who would already be on the road searching for them.

Processing it all, Viserra finally allowed herself to sit. But even with the new information, she still remained on edge. Finally, she accepted the piece of bread from Robbet, racking through some of what had been revealed to her. If Cassella was indeed from Volantis, or at least had some connection there, had she been sent by her father or someone close to her from home?

As the morning light filtered through the trees, they both ate in silence. Viserra wondered how long it would take to get to Harrenhal and if they had allies along the way to stop and rest when it would be needed most. The plan would be to travel quickly under the safety of nightfall and divert off the Kingsroad during the day.

Robbet reassured her that they would find time to rest when safe, but Viserra pressed that making the best time to Harrenhal was to be of utmost importance. Neither could deny the unease that came from knowing ravens would have already traveled to those loyal to the Blacks. Because of that, Viserra made sure to keep her hair wrapped tight and let Robbet do the talking when they came across others. Each stop was brief but needed to fill their bellies and let the horses rest.

By the morning of the sixth day journeying north, Robbet kept them traveling on the Kingsroad. Viserra, sensing that something had shifted in his plans, pulled her horse up to his to question his reasoning. But before she could voice her concern, Robbet spoke up, knowing exactly what she was going to ask about.

“We are close now,” he explained. “Just up ahead, we will go west to arrive at Harrenhal by sundown.”

The revelation that they were closer than she had thought sent a wave of emotion barreling in her chest. She felt tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, only just now realizing that she had suppressed so much in the last few weeks.

Quickly, Viserra wiped the tears before they could fall, embarrassed by the show of emotion but unable to completely push the feelings back down. “Let us not waste any time then,” she pressed, pushing her horse ahead of Robbet’s.

Robbet glanced at her, furrowing his brow before catching up. “Do not worry, we will make good time. There is no need to rush anymore than we already have.”

They rode for the morning and afternoon at a pace that Viserra felt was too slow for being so close. But the feelings of frustration were quickly replaced by alarm as the distinct smells of dragonfire hung faintly in the air. As they continued on, they approached a village that had been devastated by the fire she had smelled from afar. The lands there bore the unmistakable signs of violent destruction.

Amidst the charred ruins of the structures there were also remains of villagers as well. Viserra’s heart dropped into her stomach at the realization. Everything had burned here, the fields, the people, the animals, the buildings. Worry struck her deeply, was it Aemond’s doing? Or possibly another dragon and its rider?

The uneasiness stayed with her as they passed through the village and she wondered what the state of Aemond’s mind was. The weight of power and need for victory could drive any man to madness, but one born with the blood of the dragon most certainly could produce such needless destruction.

Viserra urged her horse to continue without any more delay as soon as they reached the end of the burned village. Robbet followed her close, nudging his heels into his own horse to follow her in a gallop. He could see that something troubled her but did not think it a good time to pry.

Over the next hour, the visibility around them slowly developed an eerie haze. Soon after, they reached a large body of water, and Viserra realized they had made it to the Gods Eye. The shoreline was easy to follow and they had only made it a few more minutes before seeing a group of men in the far distance.

As each soldier came into view, Viserra recognized them easily as Aemond’s men. Not slowing her pace at all, she pulled ahead of Robbet, wanting even more to get to Harrenhal quickly. As she had expected, the men quickly gathered themselves into defensive positions. While she understood where they were coming from, it did not annoy her any less.

“I am Viserra Targaryen,” she began. “It has been a long journey and I would like to be taken to the Prince Regent without any more delay.”

The men looked at each other for a moment, seeming to bear some confusion over who she was. “Viserra Targaryen is in the Black Cells.” One argued, spitting on the ground in front of him.

In an attempt to strengthen her word, she pulled at the fabric wrapped around her head, letting her silver hair fall down over her shoulders.

Another took a few steps closer, squinting his eyes and looking her up and down. After a moment, he seemed to relax and turned to address the others. “‘Tis her,” he declared. “I had seen her around the camps on the way up to Rook’s Rest. No doubt about it. I’d reckon to not forget such a girl in the middle of such a cock-heavy march north.”

Viserra was relieved she did not need to press any further on the matter, but ignored his distasteful comment. “It was no easy feat to get here. I would like nothing more than to continue on without delay.”

“Where’s your dragon, girl?”

The question caused Viserra’s jaw to clench. Not only did she wish to try and keep it out of her thoughts, she did not feel she owed them any explanation. “I was only able to escape myself,” she spoke, keeping her words short. “My dragon is back in King’s Landing.”

The soldiers seemed satisfied with her answer and two of them agreed to escort them to Harrenhal. Climbing atop their own mounts, they started back towards their destination.

The mist might have faded around some of the lake’s perimeter, but overall, the visibility remained poor. As they neared the fortress, the true size of Harrenhal came gradually into view. The massive towers were intimidating and she realized it was just as grand as the texts had described it. They continued to approach the large castle until arriving at the main gates. Standing in front of it made Viserra feel small, with no doubt that this structure had been an unbreachable fortress before Aegon and Balerion had proven it to be susceptible to dragonfire.

“An audience with the Prince Regent has been requested at once.” One of the soldiers called when they finally made it to the gates. The men stationed atop quickly began the process of opening them, letting them in as their shouted commands towards each other could be heard ricocheting off the stone.

The true thickness of the gates was revealed as they walked their horses into the courtyard and Viserra was amazed to see such a fortress. Briefly, she glanced at Robbet, noting his calm demeanor and wondering if he had been here before. 

Once inside, the gates began to shut quickly behind them and Viserra realized they were indeed trapped within. Dismounting her horse, her eyes continued to scan everything that was not visible from outside the walls. There was a large main castle and five massive towers to its right side. Everything was made from black stone and she thought it seemed to fit quite well with the overall climate around the lake.

The men dismounted their horses and both Viserra and Robbet followed in suit. Without delay, they were led through the main doors of the castle into an enormous hall. Viserra felt that Harrenhal had been built for a significantly larger number of inhabitants than there was at the moment, noting the hall was large, dark, empty, and cold.

Turning again to Robbet, she began to ask him if he had any knowledge of the great hall. But before she could get out a full sentence, a familiar, sharp voice suddenly cut through her own and the words were taken right from her mouth.

“Viserra.”

Her chest tightened at the sound of her name.

Snapping back to the source of the voice, Viserra’s eyes widened as she settled on a figure who she hadn’t seen in a great while.

“Aemond,” she answered, her voice thick with emotion as she held back the urge to run to him.

For a moment, she did hesitate, caught in the uncertainty of how to approach him in such a setting. But with just the sight of him, after everything she had endured, she quickly broke through all of her reservations.

Viserra’s steps began cautiously but they soon quickened until turning into a near run. When she reached Aemond, she did not even attempt to slow down, colliding herself into his chest and letting her arms wrap around his thin, yet strong frame.

For a brief moment, everything around them stopped. Though she knew she would find him here, having Aemond physically there in front of her seemed like a fever dream. He reached up to hold her face in his hands, searching her features with an expression she surprisingly could not read.

“I said she would return, did I not?” Another voice cut through the air and Viserra turned her attention away to see who it belonged to.

A woman stood just a few paces behind them. Her pale, thin frame and long, dark hair made her appearance somehow both beautiful and unnerving. A dark green dress that hung off her body, contrasting with her skin and flowing loosely to the ground. Her eyes were sharp and full of knowledge, perhaps with something deeper than what ordinary eyes could see.

“Who are you?” Viserra asked, slightly stepping away from Aemond. Her instincts told her to be wary of this woman and she knew better than to disregard her own gut feelings.

“My name is Alys,” she began. “I have served Harrenhal for many years, likely longer than you have been alive, my dear.” Her voice did indeed sound wise of many years, something that did not match the youthfulness of her face.

Viserra’s brow furrowed with skepticism. But before she could inquire further, Aemond’s voice brought her attention back to him.

“I thought you to be dead,” he confessed. “There was word that your dragon was struck down when King’s Landing was taken. That the fall from the cliffs alone would have been near impossible to survive,” he paused for a moment, his brow now furrowing. “But then, word reached us again that you had been seen in the Red Keep, seemingly allied with those you once called our enemies.”

The accusation in his tone was undeniable and it brought a rush of anger and hurt up through Viserra’s chest. She opened her mouth in defense, but Aemond continued on, cutting her off instead.

“They said you looked rather comfortable amongst them,” he added. “That you had even been seen sparring with my uncle in the training yard.”

Aemond’s words were cold but Viserra could hear the hurt behind them. She met his gaze squarely, her own eyes burning with sharp intensity.

“You have no right to judge the decisions I made to end up back to you,” she snapped. “Each step I took was a move towards finding a way here, to Harrenhal.” Her voice was steady despite the betrayal she was feeling inside her. “When Rhyn and I were struck down leaving King’s Landing, we were trying to fly to you.”

Aemond’s expression softened slightly, though his eye remained narrowed. There was a long moment of silence as he seemed to think through her words. But finally, the rest of his face softened and he took a step closer to her.

“You will tell me everything,” he demanded. “But it can wait until you have been fed and had a proper bath.”

Viserra felt his resolve waver enough that she knew he had not turned on her. “And for you as well,” she replied. “I would like to know everything.” Her eyes then quickly darted back to Alys as she fought back the urge to assume anything about the woman.

Aemond did not agree or disagree to her request but she knew she would not leave it at that. He then looked past her, his gaze landing on Robbet who had been standing there patiently. Narrowing his eye once more, he could not hide the suspicion and curiosity of the man that had arrived with her. “You brought her here?” Aemond asked sternly.

Robbet met Aemond’s intensity with a level of confidence that somewhat surprised her. “Indeed, Your Grace,” he replied. “Not only did I escort her here from the Red Keep, but if it were not for me, she would not have escaped the castle before things took a turn for the worse.”

Aemond’s eye darted back to Viserra, seeking both confirmation of this claim and also gauging her reaction to his words.

“He is telling the truth,” she confirmed. “I will explain it all once I have had a moment to collect myself. But he did indeed aid in my escape and then led us through these lands which I am not familiar with.”

Aemond softened his expression once more, giving Robbet a small nod. “Then you have my deepest gratitude. If we were to lose another dragonrider, it would be a substantial hit for our forces. Make yourself comfortable, enjoy what hospitality this place might have to give.” He then looked back to Alys, gesturing for her to go to him. Without hesitation, the woman smiled and carried on as she took over gracefully.

Aemond’s hand found the small of Viserra’s back and he guided her in the direction from which he came. They moved out of the great hall and entered into a long corridor, their footsteps the only sound echoing against the stone walls.

Despite the small amount of tension still between them, she stayed close, her steps matching his. Finally, they reached the end of the hallway where two guards stood at attention beside a heavy wooden door.

After the door was opened and they walked through the archway, Viserra observed a lower room to the right and a winding staircase to the left. She began to take notes of each place she would familiarize herself with when given the time, but for now, she followed quietly behind Aemond.

There were more stairs than she would have liked, each flight carrying them higher and higher in the tower. As they reached the top, the stairway opened into another large room that was warmed by a fire and had only a few small windows. To the back was a simple, yet large bed covered in various furs and blankets in the most unkempt ways. In the center of the room was a long, wooden table, littered with various items such as papers, trinkets, and bottles.

Something seemed off, but Viserra could not place exactly what it was. It was an observation she would need to put more thought into eventually, but now was most definitely not the time. Turning back towards Aemond, she began to speak his name in order to get his attention. However, the attempt at speaking was cut short as he was suddenly right beside her. His firm hand pulled her in at the nape of her neck and his lips silenced any words before they could leave her mouth.

The intensity of the kiss said more than words could have. It was obvious that his usual capability to restrain himself had been at play in the hall but as soon as they had been secured behind closed doors, he let himself go.

Aemond did not waste any time pushing his tongue past her lips. The heat between them was almost overwhelming as he grappled with pulling her even closer. The way that her curves fit against him was comforting and familiar and gooseflesh prickled her skin as his hands began searching for the means to separate her from her clothing.

Viserra pulled back to take a breath just to see that his eye looked at her with more unbridled intensity than she had ever seen before. Her hands came up to his shoulders, her nails digging into the leather of his doublet as she watched him unravel in front of her.

He did not let their interaction stop for more than a brief second before taking her mouth again, this time successfully pulling the fabric of her shirt, ripping it at the neckline. The action surprised her, but she felt too intoxicated with the overwhelming attention to care. The sound of the shirt tearing down past the arm filled the room and she felt the cool air now brushing against half her torso.

As the fabric fell away, Aemond ran his hands over her now bare skin. The pace at which he touched her made him seem uncharacteristically desperate, like he could not possibly get enough with just two hands and his mouth.

The sensation of his rough fingers on her skin left her silently begging him not to stop. It had been well over a moon’s turn since she had felt any sort of real affection radiating from another human. And for the first time in a while, she remembered what it was like to have the fire in her blood making it impossible to even consider rational thought.

Aemond’s mouth broke away from hers, finding its new place on the delicate skin of her neck. She let one of her hands run up into his hair, pulling him in like she wanted him to melt into her. When she was suddenly hoisted up off of the ground, she had been so distracted that a squeal escaped from her mouth from the surprise. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she held onto his shoulders for the brief journey over to the bed.

Aemond’s thin frame was deceiving so that it might surprise another how effortlessly he lifted Viserra off the ground. But as he tossed her on top of the already disheveled bed, he quickly worked on undressing, revealing his muscular tone and strength that hid underneath.

His eye watched her with a hunger that matched the way she felt inside. And as he climbed onto the bed, he hovered just above her, taking the remainder of the shirt in his hands and tearing it down the rest of the way.

Viserra’s hands came up to rest on his now bare chest, grounding her and bringing her sense of peace. There was an overwhelming comfort knowing that he was indeed very real and there in the flesh.

Aemond’s hands focused next on untying the laces of her breeches, pulling them to her thighs when loosened just enough. Digging her nails into his chest, she shimmied her hips in an attempt to get them all of the way off, though she knew he did not actually need her help.

In the exact moment she was totally freed from the binds of her clothing, Aemond pulled her hands and pinned them above her head. His fingers wrapped tightly around her wrists and she watched as his eye trailed down her completely exposed body.

Carefully, he adjusted his grip to free one of his hands, letting it come down and begin roaming over her body once more. His lips came back down to hers in a kiss that had just as much intensity, but was much slower and more deliberate.

It was clear that he needed to control the timing of each movement, that there was some sort of internal battle he was having with their reunion. When Viserra attempted to pull her hands free with only minute effort, he pushed harder on her wrists and darted his eye back up to hers.

“No,” he spoke firmly. It was clear there was no room for negotiation, that he needed to keep the control in that moment. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” she breathed, though if she was being honest, even though the trust was there, it was shakier than it had been in the past.

Most people did not know of the things that plagued Aemond’s mind but Viserra had been able to see glimpses of what it looked like inside there. If it had been in another moment, she might have put up a bit of a fight, but right then, she actually enjoyed being able to give him what he needed. Especially since it was all under the illusion that he was the one in complete control.

Her wrists were still tightly pinned above her head and Aemond brought his mouth down to her neck once more. This time, instead of leaving a trail of kisses where his lips had been, he sucked a bit of her skin into his mouth and bit down onto her flesh.

Viserra winced at the pain, but she did not find it unwelcome. He worked down in a line to her breast, continuing to leave the marks with as much care as there was discomfort. She took a sharp breath in as his lips closed around her nipple, anticipating that he would use his teeth there too. But to her surprise, he reigned in the roughness and gently sucked and nibbled instead.

The attention to her breast did not last long as he broke the suction from her. His free hand came down to push her knee aside and he leaned his weight onto the other. Without warning, he thrust himself into her, filling her completely before she realized what was happening.

A gasp left her lips at the suddenness of it all. Feeling him within her after the weeks of separation and the events that had happened brought more than just physical pleasure. Viserra felt a wave of emotions whirl in her chest as she took all of him. And by the way that Aemond momentarily fumbled the grip on her wrists at the same time, she realized he too, was overwhelmed by it all.

Neither moved for a few moments as they savored finally uniting in the most intimate way. But when Viserra wrapped her legs around him as if she were worried he might disappear, he quickly found his rhythm.

There was a shift in Aemond’s focus and he released her wrists as a bead of sweat formed on his brow. She ran her hands over his skin, refamiliarizing herself with the way his muscles contracted and moved as he drove himself into her. When she realized he was putting significant effort into ensuring that he did not finish before her, a smile teased on her lips as she quickly felt the tight ball building within her lower abdomen. Together, there was only the two of them, and even if just briefly, the rest of their slowly collapsing world seemed absolutely irrelevant.

Viserra’s body rolled into an orgasm sooner than she had anticipated and it was only a split second before Aemond let himself go as well. Coming down to rest on his forearms, they both let themselves recover listening to the other slow down their winded breathing.

Aemond eventually fell to the side, and even though she saw his eye still burning with a similar intensity, the hunger behind it had quieted. Perhaps he could not have even begun to focus on the logistics of things until that tension had been released.

“I want to know what happened and how you have ended up here,” he pried, the light tone of suspicion coming back once more.

Viserra shifted to her side to mirror him, taking in a deep breath as she tried to bring herself to a place to begin talking about it all.

“They came when we were anticipating your word that you had made it here safely,” she spoke, her voice steady. “There was little to no time to react. It was nightfall and they arrived from the skies and also from the sea.”

Aemond did not waver for one moment as she detailed the aftermath of it all. She explained that she had tried to escape and come to him but was stopped while leaving the city. That she had not even seen her dragon since that day, and that his actual wellbeing was still unknown to her. Watching his reaction carefully, she explained how Aegon and the children had escaped with Larys, yet his mother and sister still were prisoners of the castle.

His expression darkened with a scowl at that revelation. “Of course my brother would leave the others behind,” he spoke bitterly.

A surge of annoyance built up as she listened to his remark. “It was not Aegon’s idea to leave anyone behind,” she argued back. “He was hardly in a physical state to escape himself. It was not really a matter of choice.”

It almost looked as if Aemond rolled his eye at her defenses.

“I speak the truth,” she rebutted once more. “Your brother could barely make it out of the castle himself and there were not many who followed them through the passageways.”

“Hm,” he hummed before looking away from her. 

Dropping it altogether with a huff, Viserra continued on. “I had nearly escaped too but it was Daemon who found me in the skies.”

Aemond turned his attention back to her with talk of his uncle. She explained how she awoke imprisoned and injured, that she had been forced to sit with Rhaenyra on the same night and why she had decided to play the victim when realizing how poorly her odds were at surviving if she did not.

Detailing the rest of the days there, she stopped just before the events of the feast and the night of her escape. A knot twisted in her stomach at the thought of how close she had come to being in a situation she really had no idea how she was going to get herself out. Choosing her words carefully, she attempted to brush past that moment, but her fears were confirmed when Aemond did not miss her omission.

“They let you leave for your rooms alone on the night of a feast and then by chance Daemon stumbled upon you sickened from the poison?” He asked, his mouth turning down into a frown.

Viserra rolled her eyes, irritated that he had picked up on her evasiveness. “There is more, but it does not matter. I have told you what is most important,” she replied, hoping to steer him away from the details. Feeling suddenly uncomfortable with the direction their conversation was heading, she reached for the blankets behind her and pulled one around her.

Aemond’s face hardened and it was clear he was frustrated with her hesitancy. “I want to hear it all, Viserra,” he insisted. “The truth of what happened that night.”

After pausing for a moment to work through the discomfort of it all, slowly spoke of the full extent of the night. “They did not let me retreat without an escort,” she began, hugging the blanket tighter around her. “Initially it was to be one of the guards, but after Rhaenyra had left, Daemon took it upon himself to do it alone.”

Aemond’s eye was now wide and his attention sharp as he listened. His initial frustration at her withholding information was now transforming into an anger that was beginning to boil under his skin.

“The poison’s effects began right before reaching my rooms and I found myself on the ground expelling everything I had consumed for the evening,” she continued on, not letting her voice falter. “I was lucky it happened when it did.”

“Did he lay even one finger on you?” Aemond asked through his teeth.

“No,” she responded quickly, knowing that depending on how she might have interpreted his question, her answer was not entirely a lie. “I could not get up and was grateful for guards to stumble upon us and that is when he called for a maester.”

Aemond looked as if he were struggling to find his next words, but when he spoke, the anger had not left his tone. “And what would you have done if you hadn’t accepted the wine? How would you have gotten yourself out of that situation?”

Viserra snapped her head in his direction, now feeling irritated at what felt like some kind of accusation. “I do not know, Aemond. But I would have figured something out,” she retorted. The mere fact that he seemed to question her actions when he had not been in her place not only offended her, but hurt.

Shaking off the hurt with another eyeroll, pulled the blanket closer and stood. He had no idea how awful those days and moments had been and she would not hear anymore of what he had to say unless it was in support of her.

To her surprise, Aemond’s reaction was quicker than her intent to distance herself from him. Reaching out, he grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her back.

“I am sorry,” he spoke, his voice now much gentler. “I do not mean to judge the decisions you made. It is just that Daemon-” he paused, appearing to bite his tongue for a moment, “-believes he can take whatever he pleases.”

Viserra relaxed slightly but still did not look to him. When she did not respond, he gently wrapped his arms around her hips and pulled her down onto his lap. Feeling the warmth of his body next to hers again washed away most of the negativity that had quickly built up but she knew she would not let it slide without addressing it.

Finally, she turned in his arms and faced him directly. “You are right to realize I might have found myself in a much worse position. But this is war and much more terrible things happen to people in war.” Her voice was quiet yet firm. “Do not let your feelings for me cloud your judgment. ”

Aemond kissed her bare shoulder, then met her eyes. “My feelings do not cloud my judgment,” he disagreed. “And I am sorry that I have made you feel as if I questioned you. ”

Viserra let out a long sigh, realizing that she was foolish to think that he would be able to recognize that he let jealousy drive his actions. And as he pulled her close to him once more and his lips dragged softly across her skin, she decided she would hold her tongue for just a moment longer.

Author's Notes: It has been a long couple weeks! Here is a 5k update for your patience in the meantime. Thank you for the reads, kudos, and comments. I am completely in awe at having 21k hits on this. It drives me to continue to write!

Also, only 12 more days until season 2 comes out! Holy moly, I cannot wait!!!

[spork-supremacy]

⭐ for the commentary game - dealer's choice!!

okay I know I’ve already told you about my big fic, The blood isn’t what counts, but want to describe and explain my ye ol’ pirate age sections.

granted this will probably jump between chapters because I can’t help myself so spoilers if you care much

The fic starts off with a scene from the destiny’s bounty many years ago, back in the pirate age of Ninjago.

this scene wasn’t originally going to be added in this way but I wanted to pad out my word count as I set a standard of around 4,000 words per chapter. I thought it would also be a cool introduction.

eventually I kept adding more scenes like this throughout the start my chapters, each somewhat helping to foreshadow part of the chapters

the first one was about setting up the crew of the bounty and establishing the status of the misfortune’s keep. But the big part about it is the ending where we pan to captain Soto but when lightning from the storm flashes behind him he doesn’t look quite like himself. This looked better in my head but I tried my best to make it seem like Soto looked very much like Jay, with the big twist of the chapter of course being that through cliff, they are related. I also had fun with visually building Soto because I started the story early into his captaincy, being relatively young, around the age of 26.

In the scene for the second chapter it’s being implied that Soto is hiding something from his crew, a deal he made with the Keep.

much like him in this chapter Jay is hiding a lot from his team, particularly his intentions for the journey. Sure what Wu said about finding the physical elemental source of lightning used by the fsm to hold it once he passed and fixing it is why they’re going. But also he knows of a prophecy that might be about him and who is he to say no to something that can help find him a purpose or better identity beyond being the funny man.

In the third the crew travel to the city of stixs for a supply run, considering it’s a giant port I thought to make it the go to pirate hangout place. It’s revealed that Soto did have deal with the Keep and he attends a meeting he has with Delara, head of trade and relationships for the Keep. (I chose this role for her because of the amount of times it was implied she was good with handling the crew so probably a people person, but a tough one)

Soto stole a map for them in order to gain protection from well, them. This map is of course the one found by Jay in chapter 2. But the important bit is the end where he hands a bottle of scotch to Delara remarking how it’s Nadakhan’s favourite liquor. Later on in the chapter everyone takes a surprise detour to stix after the autopilot malfunctioned and the bounty did it’s thing if you know what I mean (it’s busting an engine, not a full explosion but close enough)

Jay manages to find the exact bar and pick up a bottle of scotch (the same one from the scene) to take back, it was practically sealed tight and there was no expiration date, he’ll just take it to Kai and ask if it’s good. What he doesn’t notice though is that the contents of the bottle are slightly green. *wink wink, nudge nudge*

oh and it’s revealed all these scenes are dreams that Jay have been having over the past couple of months, well the first one was. Once he started going down the right path they started to progress in story.

man I love these pirate sections so much, all the stuff in canon was not enough but allowed me a lot of wiggle room for story telling.

[dipperscavern]

On your answer to ⭐ anon, you said you felt like GOT ending screwed the Starks over and I'm curious to hear more of your thoughts on that ? I only watch S8 when it aired (I don't plan on rewatching it anytime soon lmao) so I might not remember everything correctly and I may be a little bit too much of a Dany stan (still love the f out of House Stark tho, I promise). But imo, besides Jon who really got the short end of the stick, the remaining Stark got it fairly okay ? They're still the Honorable Nice Guys™, Bran sits on the Iron Throne, Sansa is Queen in the North and Arya gets to do her own thing. That's pretty much as good as you can get in the ASOIAF world. Or did you mean it in more a of a public reception/ character development/ book accuracy kind of way ? 👀

Sorry for the long ask, but I would love to hear your thoughts ( and I'm always down to bitch about S8 soo 😂)

hi!! you’re all good — dw about the length :3 i love shitting on season eight

let me see if i can word this right. i guess if you look at it from an outside perspective, the starks weren’t that screwed over. bran sits the throne, arya’s free to travel the world, sansa is queen in the north etc, but i mean it in more of just a poor-house-portrayal way. the starks’ ending isn’t what any of the starks would’ve actually wanted, and they strayed pretty far away from the pillar of house stark (family) in the finale.

arya has spent 5 seasons desperately trying to get back to her family. sansa has spent 5 seasons desperately trying to get back to her family. bran, even in his journey with becoming the three eyed raven, planned to at the very least visit jon at the wall. jon has spent 5 seasons doing his duty, and wishing desperately to be able to do anything but. wishing to be able to save his family.

but in the ending, after arya reunites with her family, aka — what she’s wanted most this entire time — she leaves. she decides, oh, yeah, when the white winds blow the lone wolf dies but the pack survives or whatever, i’m going to become jack sparrow!

and sansa, who has been defiled and disrespected and just dehumanized by every male figure she’s come by, allows jon to be exiled without second thought. jon fought for winterfell only because she asked him too — told him he must. he protected her, slayed her rapist, promising he would never let him touch her again, and she doesn’t bat an eye when he’s exiled for killing the woman he loves for her? she has the strength of the north behind her, and doesn’t fight for him, as he fought for her? okay. no yeah that’s cool or whatever

bran sits the iron throne after saying he could never be lord of anything. jon was exiled for saving the world from a tyrant (sorry early seasons dany ily)

house stark is family, family is house stark. they didn’t realize it until they were apart, and when they were, they spent all their time wishing they were back together — fighting tooth and nail get back to each other. but when they finally do, they choose separate lives? they choose solidarity? get outta here

[snorky]

Caraphernelia

Hey y’all! A short-ish angsty Auston Matthews fic. The idea came up a while ago and I had just finished it recently. It can either be read as platonic or romantic, whatever makes you happy! Title and outline of this work is based off of the song “Caraphernelia” by Pierce The Veil, with little snippets of lyrics in italics. I hope you all enjoy this!

Pairing: Auston Matthews x F!Reader

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: Angst/Hurt

—

—

Sunshine,

There ain’t a thing that you can do 

That’s gonna ruin my night

Growing up with Auston wasn’t easy. From his busy hockey schedules, to her own busy routines. It was hard to find a middle-zone for the both of them, a time when they could both relax without any stress between them. And yet they were inseparable whenever they were together.

They played mini-sticks in their hallways, roller-bladed down the street watching the Arizona sunset, got ice cream together on especially hot days, and practically anything together if they had the time. Even if it was for something mundane as picking up a book from the library.

“Hey Aus, what book do you think I should get next?” she asked, looking through the fiction aisle of the library.

“Hmm, maybe a classic, Of Mice and Men?” he suggested.

She looked over at him and gave him a confused look. “Like the book we read last year for English class? Like, that specific Of Mice and Men?”

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “I mean, c’mon it was a good book,”

“Yeah it was a good book, but it was so boring,” she sighed.

The high ceilings of the library hung proudly above them, the large windows allowed light to pour into the main area, and the tall bookshelves stood tall in rows side-by-side. It was mostly silent, apart from their conversation, and it seemed so serene.

He looked around, trying to help her find a book that would interest her. Looking through the aisles of alphabetically sorted authors, he spotted a book that sounded interesting. The excerpt that was printed on the back cover caught his attention, and he flipped the book open to read it a bit. He quickly became lost in the story, standing there in the middle of the aisle with a book in his hands.

“What’cha reading there?” She looked at the book curiously. He handed the book to her, allowing her to fully examine the cover and excerpt that was printed. She skimmed the pages of the book before smiling at Auston. “Dang, good pick.” She put the book on top of a few other books that she was already carrying in her arms.

And you've decided there is so much more than me

And baby, honestly it's harder breathing next to you

They walked out of the library together, the Arizona sunset above them, and a cool breeze rushed past them. It was a quiet journey back. Silence is prominent. Just silence. It was odd having it be this quiet between the two of them. Usually the walk home would be filled with laughter or conversation, but this time it wasn’t.

Auston had told her that he had to move away to focus on hockey. He told her that he had to move to Michigan for the development program. Hearing this broke her heart. She couldn’t accept at first, the thought of him moving away from her scared her. Her biggest fear was growing distant from him, slowly talking less and less over time, and then silence.

They didn’t speak for a week after he told her, and it slowly killed Auston inside to see her this quiet. He knew that telling her about this would upset her, but he knew that if he hid this from her, it would hurt her even more. It worried him.

“I won’t forget you.” He sighed. “You know that, right?”

She looked at him, confused by the suddenness of his words. The sun was casting a gentle golden glow on his strong features. She knew well what he meant, but she didn’t want to think about it. “I don’t know what you’re on about Auston,”

She continued to walk as if everything was fine. Tears brimming her eyes blurred her vision, her breath was quicker, less steady, and she started walking at a quicker pace. She swallowed her tears back, wiping quickly at her eyes.

Auston noticed this, and the guilt ate away at him. He didn’t want to see her heart broken. He didn’t want to see her hurt. Especially because of him. 

Following behind her, they continued walking in the direction of his house. Silence trailed behind them once again, lingering in the air, clashing against their footsteps against the ground. Soft and gentle clouds danced against the sky, a light blush of pinks, purples, and oranges together.

Hold my heart, it's beating for you anyway

They arrived at his house, the countertops and furniture basking in the warm sunlight. It felt like home to the both of them. Making their way up the stairs into Auston’s room, they remained silent. No words were exchanged, not even a small conversation.

Stepping into his room, it seemed so odd not seeing posters on the wall. Not seeing a jersey hung up on the wall was abnormal. His walls were blank and it seemed so out of place. She sat on his bed, facing the TV that was still there on a table in his room, setting her books beside her.

“Chel?” He asked, handing her a controller.

She nodded her head as she took it in her hands. He inserted the disk, loading up the game for the both of them to play. 

Growing up with the game, they both enjoyed it together whenever they could. The banter exchanged was like no other, the snarky comments and remarks always made each other laugh. It always cheered each other up, and Auston hoped it would do the same today.

Once he set it up, he grabbed his controller, and they began playing. He sat on the floor, concentration evident in his face as his hands moved. She focused on the screen, moving her character precisely to score, weaving between other players, and passing the puck to Auston. He then maneuvered his character around the net, and then released the puck, sending it straight into the goal.

“Hell yeah! Sick assist as well!” He jumped up and turned to face her, his excitement faltering as she gave him a soft smile back, rather than matching his excitement. “What’s wrong?” he spoke softly, afraid that if he was too loud he would break her.

Her lips pressed together tightly, as if trying to keep her words in. She gave him a shrug, her smile falling, and concern grew on his face. He moved himself to sit in front of her, his hand on the bed by her knee, and looked her in the eye.

“Please tell me what’s wrong,”

What if I can't forget you?

I'll burn your name into my throat

I'll be the fire that'll catch you

She thought about speaking, but she allowed the silence to dance between them for a little longer. She thought about all the times they had play-dates as kids, their laughter being the only thing she remembers. She thought about all the promises they had made to each other. All the whispered words, all the genuine paragraphs.

They looked into each others’ eyes, seeing the tears well up once again, their reflections visible. She had never seen Auston cry before, but there he was in front of her, his own tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Don’t cry, please Auston,” she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want to forget you, ever.”

His hand wiped his tears away messily. “Sorry,” his voice cracked.

Silence was still in his room. It hid in the corner of his room, waiting until they were both vulnerable to come out and float around in the air. They sat there, no words exchanged, but they knew well why they were crying.

The soft glow of the TV illuminated the room with a blue light. It glittered in her tears. It casted a shadow behind the both of them. It created a halo around Auston’s head, calling him an angel, adorning him.

“I’ll be here for you Auston, I’ll be waiting,” she said. It wasn’t a lie, but it felt like it. She knew she had a future as well, a life ahead of her. But she never wanted to leave Auston behind in her childhood, and neither did he.

“I’ll wait for you as well, even if it’ll take years.” He tried to hold back a sob, but it was no use. He started crying again, his tears flowing, breath trembling.

They both stayed there, the silence overtaking them once again as their breaths steadied, their bodies calm. That’s what it looked like on the outside, but on the inside? Their minds were rampant with anxious thoughts, little murmurs of hopelessness.

What's so good about picking up the pieces?

None of the colors ever light up anymore in this hole

It had been one week since Auston had moved away. Silence took over her. Maybe just her. The Arizona sunset kept reminding her about him, the memories they shared, the stories they created together. Everything.

Mailing out letters, he tried to keep in contact with her, trying to keep the fire, the soft candle-lit fire burning. She wouldn’t dare to open them, her heart couldn’t deal with the thought of seeing his handwriting again. His words and promises, the pages and paragraphs and photographs, all of it.

She tried to comfort herself, but Auston knew her the best. She tried to move her mind away from him, but he was always there. He was a name that scarred her throat, a ghost that haunted her dreams. He would always be with her, whether she wanted it or not.

She could never forget him. Nothing could replace him it seemed. The silence could haunt her, but he could do it better. 

[marlo-noni]

Thank you @cynosurus for asking if I've ever written about my Mandarin learning journey, because I haven't, and I have stuff to say about it!

So, why and how did this middle-aged white lady learn Chinese? Here's the first part of that story, which focuses on why and how I started, and gets pretty introspective.

First of all, I was born and raised in the suburbs of Vancouver, Canada, and I've lived in Vancouver proper since 2003. We have a very large Chinese-Canadian population. As of 2009, about 30% of people in Vancouver have some Chinese ancestry.

I've always been really into languages. In my first year of university, I studied Latin, and the grammar was so difficult that I wasn't motivated to continue studying a dead language.

So in my second year, in 1999, I started studying Mandarin. I thought (1) it would be a challenge, (2) it's a very useful language to know in Vancouver, (3) I grew up around a lot of overt anti-Asian racism and wanted to combat that, and (4) I wanted to learn more about the Chinese culture that was always around me but that I knew practically nothing about. It also helped that my grandmother, always a free thinker, had been practicing tai chi since 1980 (the year I was born), and my grandparents went on a trip to China in the mid-90s and came back with interesting photos and stories.

I think it also must have been in the zeitgeist in the 90s that Asian culture was cool, and white people wanted to appropriate it. I was certainly into J-pop and anime by then, and I actually wore a qipao to grad (Canadian equivalent of senior prom) that I bought in Chinatown. If you've seen or read Scott Pilgrim, which takes place in Toronto (which also has a very large Chinese population) in the 90s, that gives you a bit of an idea of white Canadians' relationship with Chinese-Canadians at that time.

I say all this just to make it clear that although very few white people in my community studied Chinese back then, and one of the reasons I started studying it was anti-racism, I wasn't some galaxy-brained politically pure being. I had good intentions, but I still lived in that time and did a lot of the same ignorant stuff other white people did. I had Chinese friends, but I cringe when I think of some of the things I said to them and did back then. It has been a decades-long learning process for me.

I'm also very lucky that my university (the University of British Columbia, aka UBC) has an extremely robust Asian Studies program. My Chinese* classes were very intensive - 2 hours long, 4 times a week, with language labs on top of that (I can't remember anymore how long). We got 6 credits per semester instead of 3 because it was double the coursework and class time of a regular class. Because I intended to minor in Chinese, I also took Asian Studies classes, including a general overview of Asian history (2 semesters long), modern Chinese literature in translation, and early Chinese dynastic history.

I studied Chinese in university for 3 years. UBC had two Chinese language streams - one for "non-heritage" speakers, and one for "heritage speakers". They interviewed all the students beforehand to decide which stream we should be in. Being in the non-heritage stream made it nearly impossible to minor or major in Chinese, simply because it takes so long to learn. I would estimate we were only at HSK 2, approaching HSK 3, by the time my third year was done. But the fourth year, the last year, placed all the heritage and non-heritage students together, and the fourth-year classes were reading Chinese literature. One girl in my class, who'd lived in Taiwan before and was the best student in our class, went to speak with a fourth-year professor to ask if she could take his class because she wanted to minor in Chinese. He basically told her it would be impossible. I can understand the university's dilemma, though. I don't know how they teach it now - if they've ever come up with a solution. I think now there are probably more non-heritage students who studied Mandarin in high school. That simply wasn't an option when I was growing up.

The other thing is that I wasn't a great student in university, because I hadn't yet been diagnosed with depression and wouldn't be until my 5th year (I was also working part-time, so I did fewer classes and attended for an extra year). University was slowly making my mental illness worse until I finally had a breakdown in my final year. So my first year of studying Chinese, I got pretty good grades, but by my third year (fourth year of being in university), I was getting C+'s.

So by the time I was done university, I'd say I was at about HSK 2 level, and it was time for me to start working. From then on, any Chinese study I did would be self-study, and like many people's hobbies, my interest waxed and waned over time. More on that in future posts.

(*)at that time, UBC didn't teach Cantonese, even though the vast majority of the Chinese diaspora in Vancouver spoke it. I think that's been historically true for most West Coast cities in North America, although that has been changing. So the only option at that time was Mandarin. Also, we learned simplified characters.

[fanfictiongirlie]

HP: Forbidden - Chapter Five

Click here for masterlist

Parings: George Weasley x Female OC (Slytherin)

Description:

Rosalie Riddle lives in the shadow of her father, going to Hogwarts made her feel safe and happy and when she meets George Weasley she feels a whole new emotion. Follow her story from the beginning of her Hogwarts Journey.

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Can fluff be a warning? Little bit of angst. Fred still dies, sorry.

P.s. So this is a rewrite from a fanfiction I originally wrote when I was roughly 16. It was awful, truly awful, but I adored the story so I decided to rewrite it ten years later. Enjoy.

I was curled up on a armchair in the Slytherin common room, with a book in my lap. It was 2am, and I couldn't sleep, so I was reading and watching the lake, it brought me peace. 

"Couldn't sleep?" 

I turned around to see Draco, I shook my head, he joined me and sat on the armchair opposite me. 

"I really want to know more about the secrets of this school" I spoke 

"I know that only the heir of Slytherin can open the Chamber" Draco said. 

"Are you hoping it's you?" I asked, he shrugged, most people thought it was me. I couldn't find any records of my family tree in the Library. So I had no idea. 

"It would be cool, I suppose if I were the heir" Draco spoke, I chuckled. 

"Though you would know, your parents would probably of told you" I explained "Plus, people have already been petrified, and you didn't order the monster to do that, did you?" I asked, Draco shook his head. 

"Who has been petrified?" He then asked. 

"A first year from Gryffindor, a few others and Hermione Granger" I answered. 

Draco laughed. 

"Glad it happened to know it all Granger" He sneered, I shrugged, over the last few weeks Hermione and I were civil to one another, and unlike my father I had no bother being mean to everyone around me. It's what made me think I was more like my mother, if only I knew who she was. 

_________

"Where do you think Potter and Weasley are going with Lockhart?" I ask, watching them, for the last few weeks, Draco and I had been watching and following Potter and Weasley, we were curious to see what they were up too. And we wanted to know who was the heir of Salazar Slytherin, people actually thought it was Potter! It kept them from staring and whispering it about me. 

"Come on Draco!" I say, we watched Potter, Weasley and Lockhart jump town this pipe inside of the girl's bathroom. Draco and I stared down, it didn't look like it had a bottom. 

"We have to jump" I say, reaching my hand out, Draco held on right, and we jumped. We screamed as we fell until we slide down and hit something hard. I looked around, seeing thousands upon thousands of bones. 

"Draco, oh my god, why did we do this?" I ask panicking. 

"Rosalie, be quiet, we don't want them hearing us do we?" 

Draco was right, we had to be quiet. We stood up, brushing the dust and dirt off of us, and started walking. 

I could faintly hear the other's voices, so we followed that, we turned a corner and I saw Potter, Weasley and Lockhart. I sped forward leaving Draco behind until I caught up to Harry. 

But then rocks started falling, creating a wall between Harry, me and the others. I looked at Harry, nervous. I felt scared. I know I could of avoided this, but where's the fun. 

"Come on" Potter spoke, I nodded and followed him. 

"Why are we down here?" I asked, but he didn't answer. We walked through a door, into a huge room, covered with gorgeous snake statues, and a giant head statue at the end. 

"Ginny!" Potter suddenly yelled, he ran forward to the small body lying on the ground. 

"She won't wake up" A voice suddenly spoke, I looked around to see a boy, a few years older than us in Slytherin uniform, but an older version. It was my dad, when he was at Hogwarts. 

"Who are you?" The man asked, looking at me. 

"Rosalie" I answered, I took my wand out of my robe and held it close to me. 

"Riddle, she's your daughter" Potter spoke to him. How was this possible, I knew he was powerful when he was alive, but how could he be scattered throughout, and how have I met two different versions of him in my two years at Hogwarts. I had to stop following Harry into these situations. 

"Soon Ginny Weasley will die, and her power will become mine.. Lord Voldemort will rise once more" He spoke, I was taken back.. I stepped back until I reached the edge of the room. I slid to the ground and watched as the head statues mouth opened, and out came the Basilisk. 

It was beautiful really, but I was scared, I felt tears dripping down my cheeks as I watched it chase Harry and I did nothing. 

Suddenly Tom Riddle walked over to me. 

"You can't be a child of mine, no child of mine would cower at the side" He sniggered, I felt a pang of hurt in my chest. 

"I'm sorry" I whimper. 

"Pathetic" He spoke, walking away from me.. I couldn't do anything. I was powerless, pathetic. 

"No!" Tom screamed, the basilisk shook from side to side, screaming in pain. I looked up to see it's eyes running red with blood. I was sad really, I almost wished I could have it as a pet. 

Potter kept fighting it though, he looked bloodied up and in a lot of pain, I stood up and took my wand from my robes, but I couldn't think of any spell I had learnt. I truly was pathetic. 

But Potter had thrusted the sword up into the Basilisk's mouth killing it, he took a fang which was lodged in his arm and stabbed the black book which was closed to Ginny's body, and suddenly, Tom's body started to fade away in fits of a shining light. 

I ran over to them. 

"Harry, I'm sorry" I whispered to him. He lifted his hand and placed it on my shoulder.

"You were scared, don't worry okay?" He smiled at me. 

"We need to go back, get to Dumbledore!" Harry said, he helped Ginny up and we hobbled back to the wall, which Ron and Draco managed to break down. 

"How will we get back up?" Draco asked. 

"Fawkes can take us" Harry smiled, petting the birds head. 

And soon, we were holding on to one another, flying upwards whilst Lockhart was screaming.

"It's just like magic!"