#O-dragon fics

[klaus-littlestwolf]

The Chase-Alpha!Aemond

(This is an Omegaverse fic. I was asked several times to write something with Aemond and chasing/predator-prey as well as something with Alpha!Aemond and this is what came of it. Honestly Alpha!Aemond is probably my favorite Alpha that I write for. I hope everyone that asked for this enjoys it and in the future I’m always happy to receive Alpha!Aemond requests.)

Warning: Primal Kink (predator/prey/chase), A/B/O Dynamics, Knotting, heavy smut, Alpha!Aemond threatening everyone

Viserys decided to make a big deal out of it. Rhaenyra’s only daughter was coming of age (all children presenting on their 18th name-day). He loved his granddaughter to death and wanted it to be special, even though she hated parties and crowds of people with a passion.

Most of the time you could tell what someone was going to present as just from their personalities, Alphas always being stronger personalities, usually cocky and tough. Both Daemon and Aemond were known to be Alphas before presenting. (The only Targaryen Alphas currently in the world). Omegas were sweet and kind, usually very soft, however there had never been a Targaryen Omega before, at least since the Doom.

Y/n didn’t present until the afternoon just before the celebration started, everyone shocked to find out that the Princess was the first Targaryen Omega in over 1000 years. It was that much more to celebrate in the sickly Kings eyes and the party went on, Daemon spending most of the evening with his daughter to ensure the room of Alphas keeps their hands to themselves.

Y/n was annoyed. She was hot, and tired, and finished putting up with all of these Alphas trying to speak to her, all of the noble houses ready to put forth their Alpha sons for an alliance with House Targaryen the first day she presents like no one cares to let her acclimate to her new existence at all. They had all been prepared to put forth their Beta sons at the assumption she would present as such, however since she didn’t she had no choice. An Omega can only be mated by their Alpha, a law made by the Targaryens long ago when Alphas in the realm were assaulting Omegas any time they pleased, leading to babies that were sick and deformed (the only reason Aegon the Conqueror ordered their protection supposedly though most people believe it was because it how much he loved his Omega sister wife). Now all of the noble houses will be praying that she will be the mate of a member of their house, she will end up spending an entire day smelling a line of Alphas and odds are never find hers…it will be torture.

By late that evening she had decided to be finished with the party and go to bed. She made her way out the servants entrance and down the halls of the Red Keep, making her way to the library to find a book for the night. She wasn’t in there searching for 5 minutes when she smelled it, the heavy, woodsy scent that filled her nose was amazing. She knew instantly what it was, even if it hadn’t been for the jarringly loud growl that came along with the Alphas scent. Never in a million years would she have expected her Alpha to just so happen to be here and yet here she is. She hadn’t been an Omega for more than a few hours, she had no idea what to do, she hadn’t even spoken to her mother about Omega mating as there was no chance it would be relevant in her life but now in this moment, the only thing she could think to do was turn towards the door and run.

It was only at that moment as she was sprinting down the corridors that she remembered the horror stories told to her by her brothers as a child. The ones of Alphas hunting down their Omegas. An Omega running from them triggered their hunting instincts and they would give chase until they caught their mate, the Alpha had no control over it. If only she had been an Omega for more than just a few hours, maybe she would have remembered that.

Y/n turned down a corridor where she knew a servants hallway to be, no one just visiting the Keep would know anything about it and she quickly moved the tapestry that it resides behind, sprinting down the hallway and towards the exit. She stumbled, nearly falling off of her heels which she quickly kicked off as she ran, not willing to break an ankle, pausing as she came to the door to the gardens the servants used to serve lunches out there discreetly. She was panting heavily, trying to catch her breath when she heard shoes hitting the stone floor behind her and yanked open the door, continuing her run. All she had to do was get to her Dragon that slept on the beach, her ghostly mount not willing to reside in the pits or be around any other humans but his rider. If she could get to Ghost she would be safe in the sky, at least until she had to come back down but it would give her time to gather her thoughts…or flee to Dragonstone and never return…yes. She liked that option.

That is exactly what she did as she stumbled onto the beach and saw her Dragons head pop up. He bared his teeth, clearly realizing that his rider was in distress and he stretched, spreading his wings. He lowered his head and she hopped onto him as quickly as she could, never happier for his smaller stature than in that moment, standing about three quarters the size of Caraxes and very slender.

Her father had loved that his daughter had mounted the Grey Ghost, enjoying the idea that she could easily protect herself from other dragons (such as Vhagar) by going unseen in a cloud bank for as long as it took for others to leave. He also suggested that if it were ever necessary that she would be a good spy in the same way, able to see what others were doing and still hide so as not to be spotted. Rhaenyra was insistent that it would never be needed but Daemon trained her for it regardless.

‘Aderī Ghost! Sōves!’ She shouted, the dragon already prepared to take off and leaping into the air quickly, roaring out a loud warning to whatever his human had been running from as he flew away. Once over the water Y/n looked back, expecting to see an angry Alpha on the beach watching her fly away but there was no one. (Quickly Ghost! Fly!)

She did not slow Ghost all the way back to Dragonstone, happy to be home as soon as they landed in the courtyard. The staff was very small as no one was currently home and so she ordered Ghost to be fed before making her way into the castle and finding her bedroom where she requested a bath.

Y/n felt much better after a long soak in the scalding hot water to ease her sore muscles, running was something she already hated and her calves would hate her in the morning. The maid had been given the night off and so she dried off and dressed herself in her small clothes for bed, prepared to send a raven to her mother in Kings Landing to tell her what happened when she heard the loud roar of a dragon that definitely wasn’t hers. She considered it for a moment and came to the realization that only Daemon could have gotten here so fast, it would have taken time to realize Ghost was gone and then Caraxes is the only one who could fly almost as fast as her small lithe dragon could. The roar didn’t sound like Caraxes usually did though, it was much deeper.

As she made her way out of her chamber and through the halls to greet her father she stopped as she turned, seeing a much different person at the end of the hallway. ‘Aemond? W-What are you doing here, Uncle?’ She had been close with her Uncle in their childhood but the night that Luke maimed him had ended that sadly, whether either of them wanted it to or not, their mothers were adamant that they no longer speak.

It was at that moment that she was overcome by the smell again and her eyes widened as she realized what was happening. She hadn’t gotten away at all, just fled somewhere that no one would find them. ‘Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to run from your Alpha, Byka Zaldrīzes?’ He questioned, her old nickname sending a chill down her spine as his scent set her body on edge. (Little Dragon)

‘I’ve been an Omega for half a day…no one has said much of anything…please don’t do this, Aemond? Kostilus Kepus?’ She knew it would make no difference, he couldn’t stop now and she knew that as he had been stepping closer since the moment she opened her mouth. (Please Uncle?)

‘I will take care of you Omega…no need to worry.’ His voice was deeper than normal, almost distorted as he spoke, moving forward a bit faster now. He moved to run just as she turned around and sprinted back down the halls. She got into her chambers just as he caught up to her, catching the door before she could shut it and shoving it open, landing her sprawled out on the floor. Moving to crawl under the bed, he slammed the door and caught her ankle, sliding her back out and lifting her abruptly, dropping her back onto the nicely made bed. She whimpered, trying to push his hands away but he shushed her and now this close she could see that his pupils were dilated, nearly taking up his entire eye like that of a dragon. ‘Omega, sweet Omega, My Omega!’ He growled, nuzzling his face into her neck as he yanked his trousers off, shoving her shift up her body and ripping it off in pieces.

‘Aemond! Please, I’m scared, please just wait-‘

‘No! No fear, Alphas right here. Nothing will ever hurt my Omega.’ It was as if he really couldn’t rationalize that it was him she was afraid of as he lined his cock up with her dripping hole and shoved himself into her roughly. The pleasure that rushed through her body as he nuzzled against her scent gland at her neck, his scent fully encompassing her now, dulled the pain of his intrusion. ‘Wanted you so long Byka Zaldrīzes, so long…pretty little Omega.’ He rumbled deep in his chest, enjoying the feeling of being inside of his Omega before he moved.

‘I’ve only been an Omega for a day…’ she muttered as she tried to relax her body that was now desperate for him as well as his scent that was torturing her.

‘I’ve always loved you, Y/n…pretty Omega…’ he growled, thrusting up into her and licking his tongue up the side of her neck. She clutched the soft fabric of his shirt and pulled at it as he moved. ‘I love you so much Mandianna. All mine now, Alpha will protect you…’ (Niece)

‘Kepus! Oh Gods! D-Don’t stop!’ The tingly feeling that was now rushing through her was euphoric, knowing that it’s her Alpha that is rutting into her was more pleasurable than she ever could have imagined.

‘Never! Never going to stop Omega! Alpha will fuck you every day, knock you up so good! Be so pretty all full of my pups! Imagine these full for me, such a good Omega, so fucking perfect!’ He moaned, leaning down to bite along her breasts and leave marks before wrapping his lips around her nipple and suck which gave her more pleasure than she ever expected.

‘Fuck Aemond! Alpha! Want my Alpha in me forever!’

‘Yes Omega! Yours, Your Alpha! Gonna fill you up so good! Made me wait for you so long, almost killed me-‘

‘I’m sorry! So sorry Alpha, I was so-scared-‘

‘No! No more. My Omega will never be scared again, Alphas here. Alpha will protect you! My Omega! Mine-Mine-Fucking Mine!’ He roared, thrusting as deep into her cunt as he could and feeling his knot expand to lock him into her as he came, feeling his Omega cum around him, crying out and clinging to him like the needy Omega she is. ‘Good girl, my good girl.’ He mumbled before burying his fangs into her throat over her scent gland and tasting her sweet blood as he marked her as his mate, feeling her little fangs in his flesh as well.

Aemond held her close as they both fell asleep almost as soon as Aemond pulled the blanket over them, sleeping for the Gods only know how long before awakening to see it was clearly night time. They were both finally fully aware again and thinking clearly, Y/n blushing as she looked up at her Uncle to see him looking at her already.

‘I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to run, I just-‘

‘Shh…it’s alright Byka Zaldrīzes, I know. That party never should have happened, someone should have helped you. It’s not your fault my love.’ He brushed his fingers down her face and along her shoulder, enjoying touching her skin every chance he got seemingly. ‘I apologize for behaving like a brute, it will not happen again, I assure you. I will be gentle with my Omega.’

‘Oh…well I liked it…maybe you don’t always have to be gentle?’ Aemond smirked, leaning close to nuzzle his nose against hers.

‘I will make my mate happy, however you need to be fucked.’ He teased and she glared playfully. ‘You running wasn’t such a bad thing. If you hadn’t we would have been interrupted already.’

‘We’ll still be interrupted-‘

‘Yes but not until they notice in the morning that we’re both gone. Everyone will have assumed you would be exhausted and gone to bed, everyone else will be too drunk to check. When they realize that you’re missing and that both of our dragons are gone as well they will figure it out I’m sure…at least Otto and Daemon will, I’m not sure about anyone else. However by then you will most definitely be carrying my pups and we will be dragged back to Kings Landing.’ He joked but she knew he was right. ‘I love you Y/n…I’ve always loved you…Marry me.’ He said suddenly and she looked up at where he now was leaning over her and smiled.

‘I don’t think I have a choice.’ She laughed but he didn’t seem to like that.

‘I want you to be my wife because you love me as I love you. I loved you before I was ever an Alpha and-‘

‘Yes. I love you too Kepus. I always have…’ Y/n reached up to his face and took hold of the eye patch that he had slept in before removing it and tracing her thumb along his scarred cheek. ‘I never stopped loving you Aemond.’

‘My sweet Omega.’ He pulled her closer and nuzzled into her throat as he heard the soft purr that escaped her chest at just about the same time that his knot finally went down and he could move again.

Aemond fucked his Omega twice more before allowing her to rest, sleeping on his chest for the rest of the night.

He had been correct of course, not only Daemon but Rhaenyra and surprisingly Aegon arrived on Dragonstone early that morning just after the sun came up, barging into Y/n’s chambers and startling the newly mated couple awake.

‘Y/n! Are you alright, my Darling?!’ Her mother demanded, rushing to the side of the bed and taking her face into her hands as they both sat up.

‘I am fine mother. I promise, my Alpha has taken wonderful care of me.’ Rhaenyra eyed Aemond but Aemond was focused now on Daemon and Aegon, the ladder of which was staring straight at his Omegas exposed chest prompting him to growl loudly.

‘If you do not avert your eyes brother, you will cease to have use of them ever again.’ And for once, Aegon listened, knowing that in this case his brother was not exaggerating in any way. He would carve his eyes out of his skull if he continued to ogle his Omega, prompting Aegon to turn around quickly. ‘You as well, Uncle. Turn.’ He warned, Daemon glaring back at him.

‘I’m her father.’ He snarled.

‘Yes, you are. And an Alpha all the same, Turn!’ Daemon looked ready to reach for his sword just as Aemond stiffened, prepared to jump onto him when Rhaenyra spoke up.

‘You wanted a protective mate for her, now she has one. Give our daughter her privacy and turn Husband!’ She snapped and finally Daemon did as he was told. ‘What happened my Darling, why are you here instead of in your chambers or even Aemond’s. You had us so worried!’

‘I am sorry mother. I…I didn’t mean to but when I walked into the library and smelled Aemond I didn’t know who it was and…I ran…’ Rhaenyra’s eyes went wide and she looked at Aemond, instantly concerned. ‘He didn’t hurt me mother. He was a bit frantic at first but it was my fault-‘

‘That is not your fault Byka Zaldrīzes, no one told you anything and you were scared. That is never your fault, you are perfect.’ Aemond assured her, taking her hand into his and kissing it sweetly.

‘My brother is correct my Darling, I should have prepared you for the possibility. I just never considered that it could even be a possibility. I am sorry…so you ran from your Alpha and came here with Ghost?’ Y/n nodded her head.

‘When I realized what she was doing I stopped running after her, I knew I wouldn’t catch her and that her dragon may just set me ablaze if he felt how scared she was-‘

‘That was a good idea. Ghost was pretty angry the moment he awoke. He always knows how I feel and he has killed 6 separate guards for coming too close to us when we’re together…and one other one for being in my room and startling me.’ His Omega explained, pointing to the wall on the opposite side of the doors to her balcony. ‘He was very quick I admit, he landed on the railing and burned him. By the time my parents arrived he had shoved himself through the doors and was taking up most of the room with his head on my bed here. My dragon is extremely protective of me…though I doubt he could fit through the doors any longer, he barely could before. Squeezing him back out was a nightmare.’ She giggled, Aemond looking shocked but Y/n could also feel that he was happy as well.

‘Good. Dragons have always been more protective when they’re bonded to Omegas, rare as it is. They’re also more protective of their riders Omegas, which means you will have nothing to fear from Vhagar as well…anyway, instead of chasing her to the beach I grabbed a horse and went to Vhagar. She is large but she could never keep up with how fast Ghost is, I arrived an hour after her-‘

‘Hour and a half I would say. I had a bath before he arrived. I’m honestly thankful for it, I felt disgusting covered in all those Alphas scents from the party.’ All at once Y/n realized all of those Alphas that she hadn’t met yet were still waiting for exactly that. ‘Mother! Please tell me I don’t have to meet anymore of them, please? They smell horrendous and I-‘ Rhaenyra shushed her immediately while Aemond rumbled out a soft growl, pulling his Omega closer.

‘No my Darling, your father will make the announcement that you have found your Alpha and none of them will be willing to come near you. We do need to get back though, the party is still in effect and the King demands both of your presence. Get dressed, I will go and have the staff move your things to a larger room for the both of you here.’ Her mother kissed her head before leaving the room with Daemon, Aegon who had yet to move spoke up before closing the door.

‘I didn’t know you had it in you brother. I’m so proud.’ Aemond grumbled but Y/n held onto his arm to stop him from going after his retreating brother. ‘You’re welcome by the way, lovely Niece, without me your “Alpha” wouldn’t even have known where to put it. I’m so happy that I could be of service-‘ just as Aemond was about to lunge at his brother who was ready to close the door behind him he was struck in the face by a large book making the Prince yelp, slamming the door behind him.

‘Are you alright?’ Y/n asked and her Alpha nodded, pulling her close and roughly kissing her, loving her assault on his brother and her clear defense of him.

‘That was wonderful, nice shot.’ He grinned, kissing her again only to have his hands grabbed before he could take her hips.

‘We will have all the time in the world later but we have to get back, I promise you I am all yours all night.’

‘Good.’ Aemond growled. ‘Because you are not getting away like this from now on, your mornings are all mine.’ He teased, nipping her scent gland before allowing her to move and get dressed.

He didn’t allow her to “clean up”, insisting she smell like him for the rest of the party, God forbid one of those young, stupid Alphas decides to try his luck.

Aemond had tried to get his Omega to fly with him and while he was determined to make it happen, Ghost was not up for it today as he started screaming when his rider walked passed him with only a nose pet. In the end she kissed her Alpha and met Vhagar (who seemed to like her considering she’s the only one the 180 year old dragon hasn’t tried to burn for touching her) before climbing onto her own dragon who tolerated Aemond.

Viserys was thrilled to find that his son and granddaughter were mated, almost every single one of the Alphas would not even meet her gaze once Daemon announced the news, though a few of them still stared. One Alpha boy actually attempted asking her for a dance while her Alpha spoke to his mother, forcefully kissing her hand before having his face slammed into the table and allowing her to hear his bones crack. No male of any designation approached her after that. Apart from Peter of course, who was an Omega as well, Aemond having no problem with his presence at all. They became fast friends and Peter actually became her hand maid, since an Omega needs an Omega for such a task and most are already mated, Y/n was happy for him to have the job.

Everything considered, Y/n figured it could have been much worse had her Alpha been anyone else. She was happy with Aemond as her Alpha knowing that she was safe and though she would have to spend her days keeping her brothers out of trouble with her Alpha, it was worth it.

Aemond eventually dragged her from the party (though he didn’t have to try very hard), carrying her back to their shared chambers and spending the rest of the day and night locked inside-Peter being the only one allowed in to bring their meals.

No one was surprised when 2 months later they discovered that she was pregnant, Aemond determined to keep her that way for the rest of their lives on Dragonstone. He adapted to life there fairly quickly and became his Omegas “official” personal guard and that was where they remained until Viserys passed-Otto and Alicent not even daring to attempt to steal Rhaenyra’s throne without Aemond and Vhagar under their thumb. He took orders from a different Queen now, and it definitely wasn’t his sister.

Mandianna-I believe translates to (from what I can tell after way too much research trying to get it right) “Older Sisters son/daughter” (no gender)

Aemond T. Masterlist

[hinamie]

hhmmmmm uh im dusting the cobwebs off my brain trying 2 come up w something interestinf uhh.......anything non spoiler-y you can discuss w regards to geto in the atla au perchance?

hi rin !!!!! tysm fr sending i hope u r doing well <3

atla geto lore fr u courtesy of sam:

he's a waterbender from the northern water tribe. he can bloodbend but finds it distasteful

he gave gojo the betrothal necklace/proposed to him when they were 20 (all of the adult characters are aged up in the fic vs jjk canon ages)

all of his decisions are driven by a desire to lighten the burden placed on gojo's shoulders

aaaaand atla geto draws fr u courtesy of Me :3

jjk atla!au with @philosophiums

[mythicmanuscripts]

Omega!aemond trying to act tough in front of the public but as soon as the dominating scent of his future alpha hits him he’s just wandering around like a puppy trying to find the delicious scent, and when he does he just does anything to get alone with them so he can smell them more he’s just so addicted the pathetic boy

God I love omega!aemond so so so much!! Incredible thoughts anon.

As always, I've added a cut so that you guys who arent into this type of thing can scroll past easily. All of my a/b/o writing will be tagged with 'a/b/o hotd' so if you don't want to see it at all then block that tag.

So I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: despite the fact that Aemond is an omega, he really has no idea how to be an omega.

He trains his entire life to try and overcome his designation. He’s ashamed it, ashamed of being a male omega, ashamed of being the second son. He’s not well liked and he knows this, and he also knows that alphas aren’t exactly tripping over their own feet to get to him.

Any alphas that did show interest were so domineering and controlling that he immediately turned them all down. He resiles himself with just being alone and doing what’s expected of him.

Because of this, when you come to the red keep with family to discuss matters with the Targaryens and Aemond smells your scent in the corridors…. He has absolutely no idea what to do with himself.

He’s never liked an alpha’s scent, ever. Some were more manageable than others but he’s never actually liked it before. And now he’s smelling something that’s just utterly intoxicating and he has no idea who this person is and also has no idea what he’s supposed to be about this.

When he sits down at dinner and sees the guests, he immediately picks up the scent again and releases its you. He barely even says two words that whole dinner because he can’t keep his eyes off you and is trying to think of how he can approach you.

The biggest problem is that he really has no idea what to do now. He’s spent so much of his life trying to suppress his designation and so now that your scent has triggered him he just doesn’t know what to do. Most omegas know exactly how to dress and act when they’re interested in an alpha and needless to say, Aemond hadn’t given that one second of thought until he saw you.

He’s so quiet at dinner that Allicent even asks if something was wrong. He mealy choked while trying to tell her that everything

You notice him too of course, and not just because his reputation proceeds him but also because you got his his scent when he walked into dinner and you immediately loved it more than any other omega’s scent you’ve ever encountered.

He eventually manages to plot to get you in a room alone with him. The only issue is that once you’re in that room he realises he actually has no idea what to say to you. He never even thought that far.

You ask him what’s going on and he’s losing his mind because you smell so good and you’re standing right there and he doesn’t know what to don. After a bit of awkward silence you ask him why he wanted to talk with you. Again, he tries to answer but it’s like the human part of his brain has completely disappeared leaving only desperate horny omega.

For the first time he wishes he actually paid attention when the other omegas tried to rope him into watching romcoms and talking about his feelings. Maybe if he had listened to them than he’d know what to do here.

And of course you’re very respectful and you keep your distance and you wait for him to make the first move. He stands there looking at you, not knowing what to do now that he’s actually around you.

I think the best way to his heart might be to first just treat him kindly, but like any other person and not like an omega and especially not like an omega in line to the throne. You had seen him practicing his sword skills in the training yard the day before and so you ask him about it, about how long he’s been training and what his favourite styles are.

The conversation flows easily from there, and because Aemond is not at all used to how haywire his instincts are going right then, he keeps on drifting closer and closer to you? You try to subtly take steps back each time because Aemond has yet to show any romantic interests and you wouldn’t want to risk making him uncomfortable or getting your scent on him.

Aemond meanwhile hadn’t even noticed how he keeps on trying to get closer to you. If Aemond were more in tune with the omega side of him and didn’t spend his entire childhood blocking his ears every time someone spoke about courting and dynamics, then he’d probably realise he’s trying to get more of your scent and the back away because it’s considered improper. But the poor thing doesn’t even notice.

Eventually you’re literally backed up against the wall and you cannot move any further away and even then he only realises when his nose is just about against your neck. Of course he jumps back immediately and apologises, saying he doesn’t know what got into him and promising to never do that again.

If this were any other omega, you’d accept their apology and offer to continue a discussion in public with everyone there and then decide what the omega thinks of you. But this is not any omega. Based on what you’d heard before and what you’ve just seen, it’s clear to you that Aemond either wasn’t trained at all about courting or, what’s much more likely, that Aemond pushed his designation down and ignored all aspects of it.

As a result, when he’s faced with someone whose scent is addictive to him, he can’t control himself? He doesn’t even know what urges to expect nevermind what to do about them or what he should be doing instead. It’s like now the can of worms has been opened and there’s nothing he can do except make a fool of himself over and over again.

It’s because of this that you tell Aemond he doesn’t need to apologise. You say you enjoy talking to him and he can stand as close as he wants, can be as close to you as he wishes and that you’d be honoured with any level of attention from him.

You think this will make him relax and then you can continue talking in your won little bubble.

And well, you’re half right. He certainly does relax, but hearing you say he can be as close as he wants makes him immediately step closer and burry his nose in your neck.

For a moment you’re in complete shock, because this is against everything you’ve been taught. You’ll be fine, you’re an alpha. But Aemond? He’s going to walk out of the room smelling like another alpha and no one else will even look at him anymore.

Despite that, you can’t help but hug him back. You rub his back and be actually purrs?? You just keep hugging him, telling him it’s alright because you don’t want him to panic.

After that, he’s attached to your side at all times. Good luck speaking to any other omegas because you have a jealous dangerous omega with zero control over their instincts following you around at all times.

[lovesickeros]

☆ decadence divine [ act I ]

{☆} characters arlecchino, neuvillette, furina {☆} notes yandere, drabble, gender neutral reader {☆} warnings yandere content, stalking (implied), kidnapping (implied) {☆} word count 2.3k

ARLECCHINO

Arlecchino was wont to leave social gatherings to her subordinates– the private meetings were where she thrived. It was so much easier to lure your prey into a trap when you didn't have prying eyes and ears waiting for the barest hint of blackmail.

She clicked her tongue in distaste, her eyes narrowing beneath the mask of the fox as she set down her cup sharply. It was difficult as it was to draw them from the safety of their bubble– at the slightest hint of danger, her quarry would run. A chase would be fun, but she couldn't risk getting caught here. The political nightmare it would cause..it already gave her a headache. She had to be discreet.

They weren't making it easy, however.

Which is why she never liked crowds. But this chance didn't come by every day. She wasn't going to simply let it pass by because of a little danger. She'd have them eventually, it was just a matter of how. There were already numerous of her own lingering in the crowds, hidden beneath the masks that every patron bore. It was difficult to stand out amongst the flurry of masked patrons constantly shifting around the room, moving from one conversation to another, gliding from one dance partner to another.

Her heeled boots clicked sharply against the tile as she stalked through the crowds, keeping a wide berth yet always lingering nearby– she was sure they could feel the vague sense of being watched, but with the huge crowds..her lips quirked into a grin with the barest flash of teeth. There were a great many ways to break them in– she'd spent a great amount of time and mora to get anything she could for blackmail, if she so wished. She had the backing of the Fatui as well if she played her cards right– it wouldn't be difficult to convince them that they were a valuable target, and none of them would dare to question just what she did with them afterwards.

Perhaps a bit of play, first. Test the waters. She was familiar with playing the polite gentleman, despite her status as a Fatui Harbinger. Stage something for her to intervene, perhaps, to look the hero. The look of shock when she revealed the wolf beneath the wool..she could see it already. That wide, doe-eyed look as they realized the monster they've followed blindly like a lost lamb..she was beginning to see the appeal.

All it took was a few hushed words and subtle signals before the tiles started to fall in place, her hand gliding along their lower back as she leaned over their shoulder with a thin, predatory smile. She'd have to organize for the agent to be released later, her eyes following as the Gardes dragged him out of the room in a flurry of curses, but for now..she tilted her head to peer down at them, polite and almost apologetic.

"You aren't too startled, are you? Now now, there's no need to look so..scared, poor thing. I won't let another lay a hand on you," She cooed in a sickly sweet tone, the husky rasp of her voice whispered in their ear like dripping honey. "You have my word. Now, why don't we get you some fresh air? Come. Allow me to escort you."

Her lips pulled into a jagged grin at the relief in their eyes– the blind lamb following the shepherd as it led them into it's maw. Just a little longer, and she could finally have her own caged bird– a pretty thing to admire, to protect, to possess.

Something no one else would ever touch again. Something hers.

NEUVILLETTE

Neuvillette was not one for parties. The intricacies and delicate handling of public relations he oft left in the capable hands of Furina, rather then himself. It was only at her behest he even attended at all, but he still felt rather..out of place amongst the bodies constantly shifting through the ballroom like a constant rush of water from one end to the other, no rhyme nor reason to the flow. The only thing that kept him afloat among the tides was the mask of the deer obscuring his face– even if it was exceedingly difficult to truly hide himself among the crowds, most passed over him without second thought.

Though he had to be honest with himself, even if he couldn't bring himself to admit it to Furina despite her insistence that his attendance was mandatory. He had his own reasons for coming– selfishness that left a sour taste in his mouth. It was purely by chance he'd seen the briefest glimpse of them prior, and he..was intrigued, that was all.

He refused to let his thoughts linger on the sleepless nights he spent prying every piece of information he could from loose tongues and obscure documents, every moment he managed to squeeze in between trials spent lingering in their most favored locations– cafes, stores, restaurants, the like.

Now a masquerade.

He tried not to let the guilt gnaw at his conscious, but it lingered like an age old scar that still ached.

So he relegated himself to simply residing in the further corner, nursing a goblet of water like a fine wine, trying not to let his eyes stray to the brief glimpses of them through the ever moving bodies filling the center of the room, dancing like puppets in music boxes.

Still, his hand twitched in an instinctual desire– a need to clasp his hand in their own, to touch his lips upon their knuckles, to indulge in a moment of reprieve and unshackle himself from the mantle that bears heavy upon his shoulders. He seeks reverence, worship, but not of himself– but towards the one who had drawn the eye of the dragon amongst the waves of humans he'd seen come and go for a great many years.

No one could compare, he is certain. None have left him as breathless, as hopelessly infatuated, as the one who made him wish only to kneel at their feet in senseless reverence until he could no longer speak. A hopeless man, indeed, if he has never even truly met them.

Instead he's spent his time prying into their life from the shadows. Caution, or simple cowardice?

He dares not ponder.

Yet in his ceaseless pondering he'd blocked out the world without, failing to notice the figure stepping up beside him until their hand brushed against his elbow– just the briefest touch, but it had his pupils narrowing and his entire body tensing like a coiled spring. That touch..bliss. It left him breathless and lightheaded as he tilted his head to regard them, his lips parting in a shaky sigh. They are as beautiful as he remembers– even with their face obscured beneath the mask, he would never forget them.

"Greetings, Monsieur– I hope I didn't frighten you too much." Their laugh made him feel rather faint, just the sound of their voice making his hand tighten around his cane. "..Not at all. I was simply lost in thought." He admitted apologetically, trying to reign in the urge to cup their face between his palms. A dangerous thought. He didn't want to scare them off when they'd provided him a priceless opportunity.

"My apologies, you must have needed something. It was rude of me to have been so absorbed in my thoughts to have ignored you." He continued, gently turning to set his goblet down– offer them his full attention, be a gentleman. The words rang in his skull like a ceaseless alarm, blaring and rattling his thoughts as he gently took their hand in his own. It was a split second decision– an indulgence, but he could simply not help himself. Even with his gloves between them, he felt like he was going to lose his composure just from such a brief touch..

He truly was a hopeless man before an altar, praying for a salvation he intends to bury deep beneath the waves– to keep it hidden in the darkness of the depths that only he can reach. A selfish man, he must be, to even think of it, but it is an itch that he cannot scratch. A need that must be satisfied. He cannot allow any hands but his own to tend to them, to know what it feels to touch them, to hear their voice and see their eyes as he prays– prays like a man starved, devotion born of desperation.

"I hope I did not make you wait too long." He smiles, soft and affectionate, like the bloom of spring beneath the winters chill– yet just as deadly, only masked by the sweet fragrance of flowers.

He had waited too long.

No longer.

FURINA

Furina was right at home amongst the crowds– where the masks obscured the identities of most, it was impossible to not recognize the charming banter of the Hydro Archon beneath the mask of the lamb as she graced the masquerade with her presence, speaking with a silver tongue to any who would listen. A truly enthralled audience fitting for the grandest of performers in Fontaine.

But her eyes lingered not on the people who's praise dripped from their lips like honey– yet so very bitter upon her tongue. Even the mask obscuring her expression did little to hide the longing that had her visibly deflating like a popped balloon. She hated all the eyes on her, really– it was suffocating. She was only putting on a show in the foolish hope that they'd finally pay attention to her. Just her luck, she supposes, that instead she's had to throw herself straight into the role of Archon without a pay off..

They hadn't even spared her a glance! It would be infuriating if not for the fact she couldn't even keep her composure just seeing them across the room. They didn't even have to look at her and she could feel the heat rush to her ears as she forced another smile at the crowd gathered around her. It was unfair how easily they could fluster her without even knowing it– her heart was thumping so hard against her ribcage she felt like it might burst.

Her only solace was the fact none of the patrons seemed to realize she'd clocked out of the conversation, her thoughts and eyes lingering on the distant figure– what a lovestruck fool she makes..it was a chance encounter she'd seen them during one of her outings. That was all it took to enthrall her, evidentially, try as she might to have ignore it for months.

They never left her mind for longer then a day, in the end, and she had to face the fact they had managed to enrapture her so deeply she felt like a newborn lamb learning to walk whenever she so much as thought of them. What an embarrassment! She..she was the Archon, she had a reputation to maintain, she couldn't be seen fawning over a human.

But oh, she still longed for it, beneath the veneer of a God. She'd watched them more times then she'd admit even to herself, wishing to find herself in place of those who'd hands were cradled so casually in their own– to hear their voice, their laughter, as often as she pleased..like a fine delicacy she so badly wished to taste, yet so far from her reach.

Would they think her pathetic for her infatuation? She pursed her lips at the thought, trying to bury the sour mood beneath her faux image of the Archon. Yet it lingered, and with only the quietest of excuses, she slipped into the crowd like a ghost– she needed to leave before she did something..stupid. Neuvillette would surely have a few choice words with her if she did, and she was inclined to avoid such a fate.

She..she just needed a moment to collect herself was all. That was it. She could go back to playing Archon for a little longer, she just needed a moment to herself. At the very least, the balcony had been regarded as off limits so late into the party– which gave her an opportunity to slip out of the public view for the briefest of moments. A welcome reprieve– she was starting to feel suffocated amongst the crowds.

Perhaps on instinct, she reached for the mask, lifting ever so slightly away..only to let out a startled yelp at the touch of a hand on her shoulder, the mask slipping back into place far too easily. It made her lightheaded, even now, but she dared not to dwell on it.

But when she turned sharply on her heel to chew out the person who'd followed her and had the gall to scare her..oh, she was done for, her ears flush with heat. The brief glimpse of their eyes beneath the mask, the curl of their lips as they smiled– her heart stuttered in her chest, and she was certain it had stopped all together when they clasped her hand.

"Y–you.." She wanted to be angry, to brush them off and leave with her rationality in tact, but the warmth of their hands on her skin rendered her speechless. She was no better then a fish on land, struggling to fill her lungs with air as she drew in a shaky breath. "Ahem, you caught me off guard. That's all. Surely you do not make it a habit to sneak up on people?" She huffed in indignation, trying to mask the fluster that threatened to break through her carefully crafted facade.

Ah, what a cruel twist of fate..she'd slipped away to escape their allure, but here they were, dragging her back into their orbit without even knowing how deep her infatuation ran. They were alone, too..it was a chance she wasn't sure she'd ever get again.

Maybe, just this once, she could do something for herself rather then everyone else.

She buried her guilt, the fear– buried it beneath the need to be seen.

"But if you want to make it up to me.."

[sirbird]

Dance

Chapter 11

[thestarlightforge]

“COME WITH ME”

[lulublack90]

Prompt 16 - Summer

@wolfstarmicrofic August 16, word count 803

Previous part First Jegulus part

Sirius had popped home after the café had closed for the day and picked up their airbed. He’d offered Regulus a place to sleep at theirs while he got the flat sorted, but he’d refused. Sirius could see how excited his brother was to have a space all of his own, so he didn’t push it. He’d collected a few other things for Regulus that they had going spare. A floor lamp, pillow and duvet, the picnic set and travel kettle, a rug that he’d bought home and Remus had hated, that had been rolled up on top of their wardrobe ever since, and a few of their books, on loan, of course, or Remus would have his guts for garters. Remus was a book dragon and hoarded his books like they were precious treasures. 

He had so much in his arms that he ended up dumping it in the sidecar of his motorbike and drove it over to the café. It had been too long since he had driven the second love of his life. She growled happily beneath him as he drove the short distance to the café. He beeped the squeaky horn when he arrived and saw a disgruntled Regulus glaring at him from the upstairs window. 

“Come down and let me in!” He called after he’d taken his helmet off. Regulus, seeing it was him, gave him a small wave and disappeared from the window. 

“You didn’t have to bring all this, Sirius,” Regulus said quietly as Sirius plied his arms high with the things he’d brought. 

“Nonsense, it’s too late to go get anything tonight, and you need a few things to make it feel more like home,” Sirius grinned at him as he began to lug everything upstairs. 

The summer sun was still shining outside and bathed the room in its golden glow. “Sorry, I didn’t think about curtains. I can go back, I’m sure we have some spare,” He said when he took in the bare windows. Regulus shook his head and pointed above the frame. 

“There’s nothing to hang them off any way.” 

“Oh, you’re right.” Sirius huffed out a laugh. “Well, we’ll add it to the list of things you need,” He furrowed his brow as he tried to figure out when they could go shopping. “I can maybe see if we can shut the café a bit earlier tomorrow so we can go look for some things for you. But we’ve got the BBQ and Remus will go mental if we’re not there on time, so we’d have to look around quickish,” Sirius said as he set up the floor lamp in the corner of Regulus’s bedroom and began to spread out the air bed. It was a fancy one with the pump in it, all he had to do was plug it in and it did the rest. 

“Erm, about that,” Regulus said from the doorway, scuffing his shoe against the floor. “I kind of already agreed to go with James tomorrow morning. He said he knows a place that had good furniture for reasonable prices, and they should be able to do same-day delivery,” Regulus was chewing his lip nervously, clearly waiting for Sirius’s disapproval. Sirius pressed the on button on the air bed and stood back as it began to fill with air. 

“Actually, that’s a much better idea,” He smiled at his brother. “You’ll have more time to look, and I can help Remus set up,” The look of relief on Regulus’s face let Sirius know he’d said the right thing. “Oh and don’t tell Remus, but I borrowed a few of his books for you to read until you can get some more of your own. I’m guessing you didn’t have time to get any before…” He didn’t need nor want to finish that sentence. 

“Yeah, I had to leave most of them behind,” Regulus said sadly. Sirius’s brain went into overdrive and a plan began to form in his mind. He’d rectify that situation as well as he could, probably with the help of a certain matriarch and her electric blue 500. 

“Shall we order in for dinner? I don’t know about you, but I’m famished,” Sirius said, pulling out his phone and punching in the number of his favourite pizza place. “You eat carbs, dairy and processed meats again, don’t you?” He grinned wickedly at Regulus. Regulus rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, alright, get me a Hawaiian will you, please,” He said as he sifted through the books Sirius had brought. 

“Heathen,” Sirius winked at him as he turned the air pump off and placed their order. He smiled to himself, as he realised that this was the longest he and Regulus had gone in a long time without fighting. It was nice. It was really nice.

Next part

[grif-hawaiian-rolls]

“Why am I a fucking dragon?!” Wyvern. Technically he was a wyvern, what with the wings-as-arms and all. “Shut up, Simmons,” he mumbled.

THIS FIC has been rent free in my brain and I realized upon my reread today,, i have the power to draw So,,, dragon(wyvern) Grif fuck yes

[inkblackorchid]

What the hell happened with Crow: an autopsy (Part 2)

Hope you didn't think I'd forgotten about this post yet. Lads, ladies, and other lovely people, here we go. I have more yelling about bird boy to do.

But first, a few disclaimers. For people who may have missed part one, yes, as the title implies, this post is part two of an attempt to analyse Crow's character throughout 5Ds' whole run. You can find part one here. Now, both for people who may not have the time/energy to read my first, huge post about this right now, let me explain what I'm about here before we start again: My analysis is not meant to deter people who like Crow from liking him. It's also not meant to convince Crow haters otherwise, even if I admittedly personally like Crow. All of this stuff is just my personal attempt at dissecting how his character was handled in the show and why that might have been. And because this is part two, and I covered the Fortune Cup and Dark Signers arc in the first post, I'll start with the pre-WRGP arc, then dig into the backstory Crow was given directly before the WRGP begins properly. Also, mind the length of this post. I'm physically incapable of writing short things.

I also feel the need to reiterate another thing before I really get into the meat of things again: If you were hoping to see any old rumours about 5Ds confirmed, this is the wrong post. In fact, thanks to the very thorough work of someone over on Reddit (another shoutout to @mbg159 here, who's the author of those posts), I know for a fact that literally all the big rumours surrounding Crow are one big pile of logistically impossible horseshit, and I think after so, so many years of people citing this nonsense, the fandom as a whole finally deserves to let these go:

No, Crow was not meant to be a dark signer, least of all the final boss of season one, and Blackwings were not the reason he got more screentime later.

No, Aki being sidelined was not the result of her irl voice actress' pregnancy.

Yes, I know these two posts are both a long read each, but I cannot begin to tell you how tired I am of these rumours. So even if you don't have time to read the stuff above, please take away this: The big 5Ds production conspiracy theories are. all. bullshit. Because, to put it in as simple terms as possible, none of them work out logistically. The events people have pretended affected the show's production in a major way all don't line up with the actual production timeline. So just can the rumours already. Please let them die. And no pitting Aki and Crow against each other on his post or because of this post, yes? I beg you, I am so tired. Ok? Ok.

All right, now we can get to the good part. In my previous post, I left off at the end of the DS arc. So, in what position is Crow at the end of the DS arc? He helped save the world by defeating Goodwin and got his very own signer mark after Rudger/Roman Goodwin's death.

And now, where is Crow at the start of the pre-WRGP arc?

(Bam. Delivery bird boy be upon ye.)

This time, Crow wastes absolutely no time coming back on screen. We see him again within the first episode of the second half of the show, and wouldn't you know it! He moved in with Yusei and Jack and the three of them have a funny, brotherly, bickering dynamic between them. Also, as a fun little add-on that is very much in line with his deeply Satellite, down to earth characterisation from the first half, Crow now works as a delivery driver to earn money for the household. That's all very nice and good.

But what is his role in the plot from here on out? Well.

First, a small note about the pre-WRGP arc. Though this arc is fun to watch because it gives us a lot of silly character interactions the show no longer found the time for once the WRGP started, the pre-WRGP arc really can't be said to bother with actual plot much. It's the known filler arc of 5Ds, and as such, Crow is not the only character who gets pretty much nothing plot-related to do during this arc. Thus, I'll only give a quick run-down of what he does get up to, just in case any of these tidbits end up showcasing a relevant aspect of Crow's character I might come back to later.

Furthermore, another thing that's pretty much obvious to everyone who's ever watched the show in its entirety but still bears mentioning: Crow gets a lot more screentime from this point on out. Technically. Why do I say "technically"? I'll get back to that further below. For now, just keep it in mind.

So, how does Bird Boy spend his time during the arc where the plot's on the back burner? To be honest, on the sidelines, mostly. Don't get me wrong, Crow's there. Most of the time. But he gets pretty much only two episodes where he's the focus, and both of those aren't exactly known for being 5Ds' most memorable episodes (even though I still like them both tbh, but I digress): For one, in episode 68, he gets to convince Bashford to move in with Martha so the depressed old man isn't spending his entire retirement living in a scrapyard.

(This episode's comedic moments are actually fairly solid. But those are just my two cents.)

And for two, in episode 85, Crow gets to bond with the boys' somewhat cranky landlady, Zora, by duelling some sense into her son, Lyndon. (Which also introduces us to a duelling tactic only Crow uses that we will later see again: Losing on purpose.)

(And here we can see Crow showing off his skills at dealing with petulant children.)

Now, do these two episodes where he gets to be relevant actually do anything for Crow? As a character? Debatable. If nothing else, they strongly reaffirm the values Crow represents which we were introduced to in the first half of the show, though. They reintroduce us to his stubbornness, to his (in comparison to Jack and Yusei) more playful nature, to his very Yusei-ish dedication to doing the right thing, to his penchant for spite, and to his strong sense of family and community and his belief that these two things shouldn't be abandoned unless you have a damned good reason for it.

You may notice that there's a sizeable gap between these two episodes. That's because those episodes are where we get the only smidgens of plot in this arc. Among them, highlights like Sherry's introduction, the first reveal of accel synchro, Aki's turbo duelling license exam, three separate story beats hinting at the machinations of the emperors of Iliaster (Luciano's little stunt with Rua and Ruka, Placido getting started on building a killer robot army, and the Jack double being unleashed onto NDC), and Bruno's introduction. So, here's the thing: Crow is technically present during most of those episodes, too, but he doesn't actually get to meaningfully interact with the plot-relevant elements. (Which is not to say he doesn't have nice moments here and there. He does get to bounce off the other characters, and, just as one example, helps Yusei and Jack upgrade Aki's duel runner, as well as help Yusei build Rua's duel board. Crucially, he doesn't get to do anything that later becomes plot-relevant, though.) Moreover, not one, but two characters who end up becoming major players in the series' finale are introduced here, which is relevant insofar as that Bruno and Sherry both end up needing a good amount of development before they can impactfully take their later roles. Now, I say this with nothing but genuine appreciation for both these characters, because I do like them, but I feel the need to point out what this means not just for Crow, but for pretty much everyone who isn't Jack or Yusei: Every minute of screentime that was dedicated to Bruno and/or Sherry was one minute less the writers could spend on the rest of the cast. This is not to say that time shouldn't have been spent on them, they needed it, especially because they were introduced so late, but it's something I do want people to keep in mind when talking about who got how much screentime and whether or not that time was well spent. (I also have a larger gripe with the definition of "screentime" in general, but more on that later.)

So when does Crow get to be relevant to the plot again, now that he's even a signer and all? Well, not until episode 94, when the WRGP arc has already started. (Note that I'm using the 5Ds episode list on wikipedia as a general guide for which arc and which season starts where. You can find it here.)

*Deep breath*

So. Episode 94.

(Pictured: One very scruffy dragon. Bird? Dragon-bird. Bird-dragon. You figure this shit out.)

That episode. The episode where Crow, who was awarded with the status of a signer during the finale of the DS arc, finally gets a dragon to match his mark. And the episode where we finally, finally, get some actual backstory for Crow that goes beyond his involvement with the Enforcers and childhood with Jack and Yusei. A backstory that's only Crow's own. Except. How do I put this politely...

This shit doesn't make a lick of sense. Neither the events in the duel between Crow and Bolger in the present resulting in Black-Winged Dragon's appearance, nor the Pearson backstory.

Now, I'm not saying this to step on anyone's toes. From a writing standpoint, I can even make a fairly reasonable guess as to why this episode/mini-arc is here, I think: As I mentioned in part one of this analysis, Crow was not only introduced very late, but also got very little backstory of his own, which set him apart from the other signers. Don't get me wrong, he did get some backstory—we know of his strong connection to Duel Monsters because he learned to read from cards, and we know of his involvement with the Enforcers/Team Satisfaction. Crucially, though, Crow doesn't really get a backstory segment that feels as unique to him as the others. Aki gets her tragic past with her parents and her powers, Jack gets his betrayal of Yusei, which also doubles as part of Yusei's backstory, who as the protagonist understandably gets the most backstory, and even the twins, though they are as always treated as one unit, get their very own segment about the time when Ruka was essentially in a coma. Meanwhile, Crow only has that one-off tear-jerker moment about learning to read from his cards and his being a part of the boys' duel gang, which, and I cannot stress this enough, is treated as more of a Yusei and Kalin/Kiryu backstory by canon than a Crow backstory. Thus, it makes perfect sense from a writing standpoint that the Pearson/Black-Winged Dragon mini-arc would be here. Crow, up until this point, has neither a backstory segment dedicated solely to him, nor a signer dragon to call his own. So, how do we solve this? Give him both in a strategic double-whammy! The math checks out. Unfortunately, the writing of said mini-arc... doesn't.

Now, look. The juicy question of whether Crow would have worked better as a non-signer or not, which I already discussed in part one aside, I personally don't hate what this backstory is trying to do. It's just that the whole Pearson-drama has some very notable, logical holes which I'll get into below. Furthermore, this is not the first time something related to Crow has some unfortunate, logical and/or chronological issues. I already brought up the infamous fridge and Rex Goodwin's rather confusing backstory in part one, both of which raise some serious questions. However, Pearson and everything surrounding him arguably blow that clean out of the water. Let's examine this more closely, shall we.

The long-overdue backstory we get for Crow begins with a mystery: Mikage and Trudge, for a reason that is never given to us, are investigating the death of Robert Pearson (whose death would have been several years ago at this point), whom Crow knew very well, and they're doing it because they found a hint that the person who killed Pearson used an illegal card, Crimson Mefist, to do it.

(Post redemption-arc Trudge actually doing his job instead of bullying random Satellite citizens. Who would have thunk.)

Thing is, here, we already encounter our first, minor problem: Pearson has never been mentioned up until this point, not even as an aside. And this issue is compounded by the fact that not only Crow seems to know him, but Trudge claims to as well, because "Satellite used to be his jurisdiction". So, a named character who's familiar to both one of our protagonists and a notable side character, and we've never seen hide nor hair of him. If we pull our heads out of the story for a second, the irl reason for how this came to be is probably pretty obvious: Pearson was never mentioned before because the writers had nowhere near as solid of a plan for Crow as they did for the other characters, which leads to him being introduced out of nowhere here because we need a backstory and a dragon for Crow and we need those now. Moving on.

The mention of Pearson having been not simply killed in a fire, like Crow previously assumed, but having been murdered through a special, illegal card immediately makes him suspicious. So, he goes to consult Bolger/Bolton, another never-before-seen character who gets introduced in service of this backstory, and who knew Pearson well. And while this guy certainly acts amiable towards Crow at first, implying that the two have a good rapport, at least, he quickly starts acting suspicious when Pearson's murder comes up. Moreover, we as the audience at this point already know Bolger's looking for Black-Winged Dragon so he can use the card essentially as collateral to save his company. And the name "Black-Winged Dragon" already leaves very little to the imagination as to whose deck this monster is supposed to fit into. But, in a small twist, we learn from Crow that this was apparently Pearson's card, and supposedly lost in the fire where said man died, to boot. Then Bolger challenges Crow to a duel, too, offering to tell the truth about Pearson's death if he loses, but demanding Black-Winged Dragon, which he believes Crow to be in possession of, if he wins. So far, so good. We've got a mystery here, and canon is not contradicting itself just yet. Until we get to the actual backstory, which shows us the time Crow spent with Pearson, that is. Before we get into that, I'd like to highlight one theme this mini-arc introduces that actually feels like it fits Crow: Legacy. Over the course of meeting Bolger again and being reminded of his time with Pearson, Crow starts thinking about whether he's taking over his former mentor's/father figure's legacy well enough.

(Crow having some Deep Thoughts TM, featuring one of Yusei's most relaxed, easygoing smiles in the entire show, probably.)

This theme, I would argue, is one of the major things this backstory introduces that really meshes well with the Crow we already had until this point. He's a community-focussed guy and absolutely a family person, if him taking care of Satellite orphans is anything to go by, so leaving behind a good legacy for the people after him (read: the kids he took care of) would absolutely be something he cares about. We see this element of legacy again in his cards during this episode, too, which canon implies he inherited from Pearson. (I'll get to THAT can of worms below.) And on paper, with the themes he's already got going, Crow being the only one to inherit his deck rather than build it all by himself would actually make sense!

However. This is where we have to get into the meat of the backstory. I'll start by listing the barebones information Crow's backstory with Pearson gives us, then going into why several aspects of it are either logistical or chronological nonsense.

So, as canon tells us, Crow met Pearson after Kiryu/Kalin was arrested, when the Enforcers/Team Satisfaction all went their separate ways. During this period, Crow had already set up shop near the original Daedalus Bridge and started out taking care of orphans, but it wasn't all smooth sailing. He was, by his own admission, "living aimlessly". Then, during a pinch, Pearson and Bolger show up, take care of some bad guys for Crow and the kids, and Crow sees a new role model in Pearson. Pearson, who rides the Blackbird, plays a Blackwing deck and owns Black-Winged Dragon. So, he joins up with Pearson, presumably learns how to work on duel runners from him, and also befriends Bolger. Then, one day, a fire breaks out at Pearson's workshop and the man in question dies, but leaves Crow his runner and his duel disk before he does so. End flashback. Because I want to tie this together nicely, we also learn later that Pearson technically left him Black-Winged Dragon, too, by sealing it in his runner. And, of course, that dragon later becomes Crow's very own signer dragon.

Several points to be dissected here. And funnily enough, Bolger's duel with Crow isn't relevant for any of them. Let's start with the big one: The timeline. I want you to remember that as far as canon is concerned, Crow is 17 during the DS arc. Moreover, it's canonically stated that Jack stole Yusei's first duel runner two years before the show's start, at which time Crow would have been 15. And their time together as the Enforcers must have been even before that, because Kiryu/Kalin was already in prison for a while at that point and Crow and Yusei don't reunite until the DS arc is basically in full swing. So, I'll make a vague estimate here and say that during the time of the Enforcers, Crow would have probably been 13-14. (Which is hilarious when you think about the fact that this gang of angry teenagers essentially took over the entire duelling underground of Satellite, but I digress.) Now we add the idea that Crow met Pearson after the Enforcers, but that he died before canon starts into the mix. That means Crow first ran into Pearson sometime around age 15, and that he then died presumably before Crow turned 17. So far, so good, that still slots into canon, even if it makes Crow pretty damn young for some things. He's even missing the personalised Blackbird duel disk he later wears during the Enforcer days, I went back to check. What he is not missing, however, are his Blackwings. And this is where canon may or may not have made an implication that, if intentional, breaks this timeline. See, during the scene where Pearson's workshop is burning down and he's already trapped under debris and has embraced death, he tosses Crow his duel disk and leaves him his runner.

(Two important screenshots, in sequence. One, Pearson with his duel disk still strapped to his arm. His deck is very obviously still in there. Two, Crow with that same duel disk, as made obvious by its distinct shape.)

What this implies is that Pearson also left Crow his deck. Which, yeah, fair enough, if I were dying in a fire I'd probably also think "fuck it, not like I'll need my cards in the afterlife". What this (and Crow's look the first time he sees Pearson's monsters) implies, though, is that Crow didn't start playing Blackwings until Pearson left him his deck. Which is factually untrue, because there is literal evidence in the show that Crow already had Blackwings during his time as part of the duel gang, before ever meeting Pearson. (The exact episode, if you want to check for yourself, is 33, where Crow summons both Bora the Spear and Blackwing Armor Master during a flashback.) However, I will concede that the show never actually states this is the case, it's just implied by what we see on screen, so perhaps the idea here was that Crow already played Blackwings before Pearson, but grew to love them even more through his mentor/father figure, and so later happily integrated the deck he inherited into his own. Crucially, canon never states this outright, either, though, so the option remains on the table. But, to give the benefit of the doubt here, the possibility that this could still slot in with canon and that it was just handled poorly is there. The same cannot be said for the Blackbird, however.

(Uh oh. So much for canon continuity.)

The above two screenshots directly contradict each other. First we have Yusei, upon reuniting with Crow in Satellite during the DS arc, casually remarking that Crow finished his duel runner. Which means that canon at this point suggests to the audience that one, Crow built this duel runner by himself, for himself, and two, that Yusei knew about it for a while already. Then there's the second screenshot, from the Pearson backstory episode, where Crow outright claims the Blackbird was left to him when Pearson died. I don't think I need to tell anyone that these two things can't be true at the same time. And again, I think this is where Crow fell victim to the writers not having a clear outline for him. At first, he was supposed to be this scrappy guy who also built a duel runner for himself, just like Yusei. But now, he's a signer, needs a backstory and a dragon, and because a theme of legacy is introduced alongside Pearson, the runner suddenly needs to be inherited, as well as (possibly) Crow's cards. Now, a crafty fanfic writer could probably reconcile the above contradiction somehow, and I know some stories that accomplished that. But the point isn't that we, as the audience/fandom could make this work, the point is that canon didn't make it work. What canon, sadly, also didn't get to work was Black-Winged Dragon.

(We meet again, bird-dragon.)

Here comes the next elephant in the room: Everyone and their mother who has watched 5Ds knows that Black-Winged Dragon was never implied to be a signer dragon up until the duel where Crow acquires it. In fact, an entirely different dragon is teased so heavily long before BWD ever shows up that it to this day is one of many people's major gripes with the show's writing.

(Why, hello, Life Stream Dragon! Fancy seeing you here.)

And yet, Black-Winged Dragon is turned into a signer dragon before Life Stream Dragon, who was teased more than sixty (!!!) episodes before BWD was ever even mentioned. Why? Simple: Because Crow became a signer and Rua/Leo didn't, because the signers all need dragons (or else the "5Ds" part kind of doesn't work), and because Life Stream Dragon thematically doesn't fit Crow.

Now, I've seen people post theories to reconcile this weird hitch in canon, hell, I've even posted an idea for how it could be reconciled myself. But, again, that isn't the point here. The point is that as far as good old, barebones canon is concerned, it isn't reconciled. Canon at first states there are five signers, suggesting that there are also five dragons. But then, the fifth dragon never shows up, and one of the signers dies, to boot. Only for canon to then teach us, oh, no, look, the signer marks can wander from one person to the next. And to add insult to injury (at least where the show's writing and internal consistency is concerned), the signer mark that was "freed up" by Roman/Rudger's death doesn't wander to Rua/Leo, who any attentive watcher would have expected to become a signer because it was heavily teased during the DS arc, but to Crow. Frankly, I'm not surprised many people were angry about this, but in case my disclaimer didn't make it clear, I don't think it's productive to pin this on Crow by claiming his cards became super popular irl. There was definitely an out-of-left-field writing choice made here, but the only answers as to "why" were left in the 5Ds' writer's room, I believe. At a guess, if you want me to throw out a non-sugarcoated theory as to why, though? They probably thought Crow would be a more interesting character for their target audience. He's a scrappy guy who sticks it to authority, he's brave, he's funny, he plays a cool deck, and most of all, unlike Rua, he never embarrasses himself in a duel on screen. Why am I highlighting that last part? Because I feel like people sometimes forget that the target audience for this show, at the time of its creation, were about twelve year-old boys. And you can feel free to contradict me on this, but most twelve year-old boys I've known and know don't want to project themselves onto a chracter who loses and gets his butt kicked a lot, and who's a bit awkward and steps in it sometimes, which is much closer to how actual twelve year-olds are—but that's exactly why they prefer the cooler characters. And Crow is the cooler character, by average twelve year-old boy logic, regardless of what the grownups of this fandom think.

So Crow gets a dragon and the writing doesn't bother explaining the how or why of it, let alone tackles any of the implications made by Black-Winged Dragon's existence as a signer dragon. (Like what does this mean for the larger worldbuilding? Does the Crimson Dragon actually have more than five servants, but chooses to only ever bestow five marks at a time? Can any "dragon" the Crimson Dragon chooses be a signer dragon, and it just so happens that the constellation of signer dragons is nearly the same as the original one in present-time 5Ds canon? Did the Crimson Dragon specifically elevate BWD to a signer dragon because it felt like it? Was BWD always supposed to be a signer dragon? Was Pearson supposed to be a signer, but died too early before the dark signer prophecy was set into motion? Am I overthinking this? (Yes.)) He also obtains his dragon in what feels like the weirdest way possible to me, because it suddenly??? Just decides to appear in his runner????? Out of nowhere??????

(Why is that here. How did it get there. Why did Pearson even put it in there. And HOW. Is it just wedged between the machinery or what???? And how on earth did Yusei, Bruno, and/or Crow never find it before this point considering how often someone tinkered on the Blackbird on screen???)

(This scenario, of course, also raises the question how the other signers even got their dragons. But like many other, interesting questions, this episode chooses not to interact with that one whatsoever.)

In short, this backstory is a bit of a mess, to say the least. For as much good as it tries to do by contextualising Crow's character and giving him something that sets him apart from the rest of the protag group, it feels like a rough draft of an episode was given the green light to be produced without any editing, judging by the contradictions and weird implications. As such, it harms Crow's character as much as it builds it, as evidenced by how much fandom backlash he still receives years later for the things that were bungled in this backstory and also in different aspects of his character writing.

Now, you may notice this post has gotten stupidly long due to just how convoluted the specific hangups of Crow's backstory are. I originally meant to cover the WRGP and even the Ark Cradle arc for Crow in this post, too, but due to how much there was to say about canon's attempt to finally make Crow a "proper" signer, I've decided that trying to force another two whole arcs in here would be a disservice to the analysis and the character, and also make this agonisingly long, so I'll close this part out here and write a part three, perhaps even a part four depending on how much material the WRGP gives me to work with.

There's one more thing I need to get back to before I finish up this part, though: The "screentime" discussion. I mentioned far above that I take issue with how some people seem to be using the word screentime, and now I can explain why. First, I want you to take a look back at the episodes I covered here, those being 65-95, essentially. Now, as anyone who usually dislikes Crow will tell you, Crow is present in most, if not all of these episodes. He's on screen. He's getting screentime, and, according to many people, hogging it, even. Okay. Now, I want you to look back up at the analysis. How many episodes did I cover where Crow actually gets something to do? As in, where he's either the focus of the plot or gets to contribute to it in a significant way? There's the old man Bashford episode. There's the Poppo Time clock episode. There's his two backstory episodes. That's four. Four episodes. If you're generous, you might add in the episode where he gets to narrate Yusei's backstory alongside Jack and the two fake Jack episodes where he gets to have an emotional moment or two with his foster-brother. If you're less generous, you'll note that none of these episodes have Crow actually interacting with the main antagonists in a meaningful way or set up anything important that pays off later. (Hell, he doesn't even get any, and I really mean, any meaningful setup interactions with Sherry, who ends up being his final-boss-level opponent during the final episodes! Aki gets more meaningful interactions with Sherry than him, not that this ever gets a payoff.) And this is why I take an issue with people claiming Crow gets so much "screentime" post DS arc. Because to me, "screentime" should be time spent letting a character act meaningfully within the story, which most of the pre-WRGP episodes aren't for Crow. He's on screen, yes, but in many episodes, it wouldn't matter one whit whether you replaced him with a nameless side character, which isn't exactly a great look for a supposed third of a protagonist trifecta. Perhaps I'm being too strict with my definition of "screentime" here, fair enough! But the claim that Crow hogs screentime already rubs the wrong way during this comparably unimportant arc, so I can't leave it alone. It feels very decidedly malicious to claim a character who during some episodes seems to only be there to provide exposition or make whatever jokes Yusei and Jack's personalities aren't suited to is stealing screentime from other characters. As for the WRGP duels and whether he's "hogging" anyone's screentime there, I'll dig into that nonsense in the next part, please be patient with me.

...Phew. Okay.

Now, before I leave you to wonder whether I'm every finishing my Crow analysis in full again, I want to attempt to do the same thing I did in part one—propose some changes that could have been made to the writing for Crow's character in order to make things slot in better with the rest of canon. With a small disclaimer, of course: These are just my suggestions as to how Crow's character could have fit into canon more smoothly and been done less of a disservice by his own backstory.

So. First, a quick-fire thing about the pre-WRGP, to get that out of the way: Crow, alongside Aki, is the only signer who didn't get his own confrontation with either Iliaster or their minions. (Yusei had Ghost, Jack had fake Jack, Rua and Ruka had Luciano.) Instead of having him confront a cranky old man in a scrapyard or Zora's son, they could have easily given him a very short side-story where he gets to experience the threat of Iliaster up close and personal, too. Hell, they could have very nicely cut the recap episode where Crow and Jack lie in the mess of Jack's terribly built coffee table and philosophise about Yusei's backstory for this, too. (As funny as their interaction about the coffee table and Jack lying on the floor with a perfectly intact coffee cup are.)

(Pictured: Two idiots (affectionate) contemplating life among the scraps of a shitty, broken coffee table.)

Then, there's the Pearson backstory, of course. So, here's the thing, I think two very different kinds of "fixes" could have worked here. Crucially, they both depend on Crow's status as a signer. I argued in part one that Crow might have worked better as a character if he hadn't actually become a signer, so I'll give both versions here. Let's go.

Option A: We try not to touch canon too much and Crow stays a signer.

How to do this? Frankly, I think what Crow's mark and Black-Winged Dragon were majorly missing was setup. The mark is the smaller offence here, since, fair enough, the idea that signer marks can wander from person to person isn't too out there for 5Ds canon. However, the lack of a dragon despite the alleged 5Ds stands out, and Life Stream Dragon's wasted setup only makes it worse. Thus, making Black-Winged Dragon make sense would have required giving him the same amount of foreshadowing as Life Stream Dragon, at the very least. And you know who could have been great for that? Sweet, ever-forgotten-by-canon Ruka. She was already shown having flashback dreams to the signer dragons' first battle against the dark signers, so who's to say she couldn't have gotten dreams about a shadowy, new dragon she's never seen before? Perhaps even dreams where she's not sure if the dragon is good or bad at first! It could have provided intrigue, it could have made the audience curious. To strengthen that, canon could have also bothered taking the question "hey why are there only four dragons now" seriously. No character in canon ever questions why there are five marks, but only four dragons. Even Rua, who was previously hopeful that he might secretly be a signer, never brings it up. If canon had bothered to actually point this mystery out, they could have used it not only to foreshadow Black-Winged Dragon, but to aid Life Stream Dragon's setup, too. What the fuck am I talking about, I hear you ask. Hear me out: Life Stream Dragon is shown way, way later down the line, long after the audience probably already accepted that it was simply never going to show up, literally bursting out of Power Tool Dragon's armour. We are not provided with an explanation as to why. Imagine if they had sprinkled in another dream Ruka could have had about the ancient past here. Imagine if they had used the opportunity to show something like, oh, during the battle, Life Stream Dragon got injured so badly they had to protect its wounded body with a suit of armour, in the hopes that it would heal. And with one original signer dragon out of commission, the Crimson Dragon sadly had to choose a replacement in between, because the Earthbound Immortals were sure to return. Bam. Black-Winged Dragon. Two signer dragons, set up simultaneously, without forcing the canon lore to do somersaults. Furthermore, to actually explain why Pearson had the dragon but wasn't a signer, they could have easily sprinkled in a flashback between him and Crow. Maybe Pearson could have mentioned how the dragon always feels like it's never really his, as a joking aside. It would have been enough for me to suspend my disbelief, you know? And then the rest of canon could have played out exactly as we know it. Crow could have confronted Bolger, could have obtained Black-Winged Dragon because maybe the dragon finally decided he was worth throwing its weight behind. The mystery behind the missing fifth dragon could have been solved, and it would have made for satisfying payoff without kneecapping Life Stream Dragon's setup or conjuring an extra dragon out of thin air. And really, stuff like the runner thing could have so easily been solved by simply picking one version (did he build it himself or inherit it?) and sticking with it. All it took was a little more care.

Option B: We assume Crow didn't actually become a signer, but try to keep his backstory intact.

Okay, this version works under the assumption that Crow, despite partaking in the final battle against Goodwin during the DS arc, didn't receive a signer mark. To make this work, I would, bluntly put, simply make it so that Black-Winged Dragon doesn't exist. Pearson can still play a powerful Blackwing monster during his flashback that Bolger wants to find and sell later, but it simply isn't that dragon. Really, Blackwings have enough to choose from there. If the backstory episodes had been placed a little later, say, during the pause in the middle of the WRGP, he could have even received something like Blackwing Full Armor Master here. (Yes, I know that card didn't exist at the time, but my point is that he could have simply received a powerup like Yusei and Jack did, instead of a completely new monster.) With this setup, they could have still added the intrigue of taking the question why there are only four signers now seriously. They could have still set up a mystery about why no one ever saw the fifth dragon outside of dreams. And it could have made Rua becoming a signer later, and in this version getting the tail mark instead of a completely new one, that much more satisfying. And Crow could have kept his "fuck destiny, I'm trying to save the world here"-attitude from the DS arc, providing a nice, amusing counterweight to our heroes chosen by an ancient Incan dragon deity. All it would have taken would have been not giving him a mark and switching out Black-Winged Dragon for something else.

So, take your pick, I guess. In the meantime, I'll try my best to work on part three faster than I did part two, lmao.

See you next time!

[leonanette]

Chapter 4 of Crescent Isle is now up!

Chapter Title: Seven Years Ago - Part 1

Chapter Summary: Aemond awakens on a strange island with a giant monster beside him. He manages to get away unseen but, as he explores the island, he discovers a omega in the process of presenting.

First Flashback Chapter!

[countsmoon]

a cake for the victor

lucerys velaryon x reader

Summary: lucerys is known to many, but few know his affinity for sweetness. worn out after training with jacaerys, he gets the best reward: his beloved and cake.

Warnings: mentions of food and spraying someone with crumbs + a tiny sprinkle of aemond slander in u squint

Psst: how tf do u write lucerys plural or possessive??? Just lucerys?? lucerys’ wtf– also definitely not projecting my love for cheesecake onto my bb boy. Btw if you see typos just know im crying inside abt them

Word count: 1.2k :00

The sun was bright upon Dragonstone, its heated rays casting a foggy aura around the island. Many wished to visit the sea and cool off or stay indoors to prevent the sunburns that the weather would cause. Alas, for the young princes, it was training day.

Metal clashed, tunics were nearly cut and loud shouts sounded from a small beach. Brown curls ducked as a sword slashed near, only to trip over a stone and fall back onto the sand. A grunt came from the boy, letting go of his sword out of surprise. “Oh gods, are you alright?” Jacaerys said, reaching for his brother. Lucerys, the boy now on his elbows covered in sand, waved his brother off, “Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Twas only a slip.”

His brother looked unconvinced, his brows raised in questioning. Lucerys only handed him his sword, “I think that's where I end our training today. This heat is getting to me.” It was true, every hour they spent in the blistering heat, Lucerys’ headache grew worse. It felt as though someone was throwing rocks at his head and would not stop.

Jacaerys picked up Lucerys sword, “I’ll meet you there, don't rush, okay?” He sounded like mother. “Yes, yes! Now bugger off!!” Lucerys waved him off yet again, this time more forceful and playfully. As he stood, he heard his brother yell as he walked home, “Don't get washed away!”

Lucerys sighed and laughed inwardly, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head. Brushing back his curls, he decided to go for a walk along the shoreline. The sound of the waves, he believed, would help soothe his headache.

x|x|X|x|x

Later that day, the sun decided to mellow its relentless heat. Clouds began to gather in the sky, bringing shade for people to enjoy. Lucerys still walked, enjoying the breeze the clouds brought. It was so serene, only the ocean beside him and the birds above made noise.

Looking up, Lucerys saw a gull above him. He smiled, wondering what it was like to be in the air constantly. Although he had Arrax and went flying every other day, he wondered what it would feel like to fly alone without assistance. He watched as the gull took a look at him and screeched, flying down into the ocean. Lucerys sighed and closed his eyes, breathing in the sea air.

“There you are!!”

A loud shout came from his right. Opening his eyes, he turned towards the voice, the wind blowing his hair into his eyes. Vaguely, he could see someone running towards him, their dress flowing as they held a basket in their hands. When you reached his side, you could only laugh at the sight.

“You look like a mop.”

It wasn't like you were wrong. His hair was curly, brown and all over his face. Lucerys pouted, finally managing to brush out his hair from his eyes. “You are so horrible.”

You only smiled, laughing under your breath. You held your arm out, indicating for him to lace his arm through the gap. Holding the basket in your other hand, Lucerys joined arms and walked with you.

Your breath hadn't returned to you fully yet, your lungs heaving still. You had ran to the kitchens as soon as Jacaerys had told you of Luke’s fall. Plucking treats the kitchen staff turned a blind eye to and stashing them away in a woven basket, you had hastily made your way to the beach to find your wandering love.

“Did you run to find me?” Lucerys asked, having picked up on the obvious fact that you were out of breath. You nodded, taking deep breaths. “Yes, I couldn't just let you wander the beach alone. So naturally, I had to follow.” Luke smiled at you, “Any other reason?”

“Well. Let's just say the Septa was a pain in my backside.” You giggled to yourselves, resting your heads together as you walked. Soon, the two of you chose to sit under the cliff, shade now resting underneath. Laying out the cloak you stole from one of the sleeping guards, you began to sieve through the basket.

“Now, you are very lucky Mr,” you twirled your finger in front of Lucerys face, ”I almost got caught taking this, so you better appreciate my hard work! Now, close your eyes!” Lucerys was puzzled, “This food is so grand I must close my eyes?” He chuckled. “Yes, do it before I pluck them out and make you look like your uncle.” That shut him up quickly and his eyes were closed.

Lucerys heard cloth unravel and felt a weight upon his lap. Furrowing his brows and smiling to himself, he thought of all the possible things you could have gifted him. Most thoughts were.. Quite strange. You tapped him, “Go on, open up!”

His brown eyes fluttered open, becoming wide as he stared at his lap. There before him lay a slice of cake. This wasn't just any cake, no no no. It was Lucerys favourite; Cheesecake. A smile quickly adorned his face as he moved the cheesecake off of him, placing his hands on your face and surging forwards, placing kiss after kiss on your cheeks. “Thank you, thank you, thank youuuu!!” He cried between kisses, his smile still wide. You giggled and swatted him, “As much as I love the attention, you best eat your cake before a gull steals it!”

Settling, he placed one last kiss on your forehead before picking up his cake, happily munching down and moaning at the taste. You watched him calmly, a smile graced your face too. You hadn't brought any food for yourself seeing as you had eaten before you began your marathon down the steps of the castle to find your beloved.

Lucerys saw this and wiped his mouth, “Where is your piece?” He asked, placing his hand over his mouth so he didn't spray you with crumbs. “Didn’t bring any apart from that.” You said blatantly. Lucerys looked gobsmacked, you bring him a cake and nothing for yourself?!

Making a sound of disagreement, he held the rest of the cake out to you, “Have it!!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“YES!!”

Before you could scream another ‘no’, Lucerys scoffed the rest of the cake before kissing you. It surprised you and caused you to fall back upon the sand, Lucerys now on top of you. You lay there for a few moments, hands holding each other's faces and chasing each other’s lips until you lost your breath. When you finally separated, you made a face of disdain as you said, “I want cake now.”

Lucerys laughed, his hands drawing circles on your cheeks, “My evil plan has worked!”

Shoving his chest playfully, you meekly asked, “Can we go see if there's any left?” Lucerys pulled you to your feet and began to shove the cake cloth and the knight's cloak into the basket, “We might have a chance to get the scraps if we run.” You both burst out laughing as you legged it back to the castle, holding hands tightly and praying Jacaerys hadn't scoffed it all.

[klaus-littlestwolf]

I am Yours, You are Mine -Aemond T.

This is an A/B/O fic. You have been warned.

Everyone knew, they had always known.

It wasn’t hard to figure out from what I assume, my mothers children are all boys with brown hair and brown eyes, I have white hair and purple eyes. Everyone knew my older brother Jace and my younger brothers Luke and Joffrey were Harwin Strongs children and just like that, everyone knew that I was the daughter of Daemon Targaryen.

Laenor hadn’t been able to give my mother a child and I looked nothing like him, Daemon however…I’m told I’m the spitting image of him. So while I am technically a bastard, I’m also full Targaryen, so I was never treated like it. I was born only 5 moons after Aemond was and therefore was raised with him in a way, as we grew up his older brother Aegon and my older brother Jace got close, at least closer than they were to us and Aemond got picked on a lot. He didn’t have a dragon, and while I didn’t either, everyone knew to leave me alone, whether it was because I was a girl or because I was Daemons daughter I don’t know. My father is the only current Targaryen Alpha in the world and that made people so much more terrified of him than they already were.

Most people in the world present as Betas, it’s normal and no one really thinks twice about it, an Alpha however is a blessing from the Gods. He will be stronger, and tougher, and defend your family better than a Beta can, at least that’s what people believe, an Alphas instincts being so much stronger than a Betas, the only presentation stronger still is an Omega, and an Omega is considered a blessing from the mother herself. Presentation happens around puberty but usually you can see certain traits in children to tell if they will be anything other than a Beta, my mother believes I will be an Omega because even with a father like Daemon I’m quiet and sweet, always the most submissive in the room which for a Princess is a good thing.

Aemond and I spent more and more time together as we got older, him being shunned from the group with his older brother and mine, along with Luke who followed them around like a puppy and didn’t mind getting pranked once in a while. Aemond was the smartest of all of them, he enjoyed learning, and training, but most of all, he had no dragon. Neither of our dragon eggs hatched and the both of us bonded over that, and I always tried to make my uncle feel better when they had been particularly cruel, like the day they gave him a pig instead of a dragon. We skipped dinner that night and sat together in the library for hours just talking. He was my best friend, and my closest ally in the world, we made promises to always be there for each other.

The promises of children never seem to last though…even if the children weren’t the ones to break them.

After Joffrey was born mother moved us back to Dragonstone, me kicking and screaming, clinging to my uncle who held me just as tightly until our mothers gave up. We had a small second of hope as I wrapped my arms around his neck and he held me to him so tightly it almost hurt. That’s when our mothers called for their guards and we were yanked apart harshly and I was carried all the way to the ship that would take us home.

We weren’t apart for long after that, my fathers wife dying in childbirth brought us back together for her funeral. As soon as I saw him I pulled away from Jace and ran to Aemond who held me close and breathed in my scent as I did his, it was a comfort that only we seemed to give each other. I stayed by his side holding his arm while everyone spoke about Laena, saying kind words about a women I barely knew while my “father” stood in the ocean below, crying for the Gods only know how long.

Aegon was with us for some time, watching the maids and being his normal vile self and eventually we were alone, speaking as if no time had passed at all. That moment as we sat on the steps talking would be one I regret for many years to come, watching Aemond as he gazed at Vhagar. I knew my uncle wanted a dragon, more than even I did and I told him he should go, as the sun went down and people filed inside to bed, I encouraged him to mount her while he had the chance. 2 hours later I was awoken to a knight running into my room to check on me and seeing I was in bed and fine. I followed him downstairs to my mothers relief, Luke was bleeding from the nose, Alicent was angry beyond belief and my uncle and best friend sat with a maester stitching his eye up. I moved to his side quickly, taking his hand in my own and holding it tightly, allowing him to squeeze it as he got stitched up and everyone continued screaming. I didn’t care for the politics, I didn’t care for the threats, or insults, only that my favorite person sat beside me maimed and my brothers had done it. I stayed by his side for the rest of the evening, even as the maester gave him milk of the poppy to be able to sleep, snuggling into his chest and feeling his arms around me as he slept soundly and all the while I felt sick to my stomach knowing that what Jace had said to me when I hugged my mother had been completely true… ‘This is all your fault’

I was taken from Aemond’s bed late in the morning, he had awoken to eat and been put back to sleep, all the while clinging to my hand. My mother took us home immediately, we went back to Dragonstone and so did Daemon who quickly married my mother as soon as Laenor passed.

Jace and Luke were quick to blame me for everything, knowing that I had encouraged Aemond to mount Vhagar, maybe if I hadn’t he would still have his eye and I wouldn’t have had to leave again. Maybe Rhaena wouldn’t despise me for “helping to steal her mothers dragon” even if I don’t believe you can have claim to a dragon if it hasn’t chosen you. Jace and Luke spent all their time with Baela and Rhaena and I was left alone, not wanting to be near my brothers to hear about how much they and Aemond despise me, how the only person I had ever truly loved besides my mother wouldn’t even write to me anymore no matter how many times I wrote him apologizing. My mother and father were the only people I ever spoke to anymore, Daemon practically claiming me as his own even if he couldn’t “officially” do that and I learned that being alone is better for everyone, especially once I presented. Jace, Luke, Baela and Rhaena had all presented as Betas as expected but I was “blessed” to a life as an Omega, suffering through my heats alone in a locked room, only maids to bring me food and try to relieve my pain which never worked.

I was 15 before I was truly blessed with anything in my life, out for a walk by myself, having escaped my guard and stumbling upon a dragon. The Grey Ghost was a name given to a shy, pale dragon, one I never hoped to even get a glimpse of in my life and I suddenly had, his eyes locked on mine as if waiting to see what I would do and so I reached into my bag to get the bread I brought with me and the fish I planned to cook on my little adventure, tossing them to him and watching as he snubbed the bread and ripped the fish apart. I had sat down on a boulder, watching as he ate, assuming this would be the only time I would ever see this elusive creature but it wasn’t. He had laid down to nap after eating and the next day he sat at the same spot as I brought him an even bigger fish. That went on for nearly 2 weeks of me bringing him food and talking to him before he approached me and allowed me to touch him, letting me mount him after that. I kept him away from the pits, away from everyone who only saw him when I went flying, knowing he was just as comfortable around people as I was, which was not at all. I even had all of my riding gear dyed as close to his color as I could, making it truly impossible for anyone, even another dragon rider to find us in a cloud bank. Daemon was impressed, believing it was a useful skill, especially for an Omega to be able to hide like that. Life continued on like that until Corlys’ injury, resulting in all of us needing to return to Kings Landing to fight for Luke’s inheritance. I was less than enthusiastic about going but my mother forced me onto the ship.

In Kings landing once again I was stuck with Jace and Luke as mother and Daemon wanted to go see Grandfather, forcing me to follow them to the training yard that I hadn’t seen since I was a small child. Everyone’s attention was on a fight in the center of the yard and I pushed between Jace and Luke to be able to see, seeing Criston Cole fighting a young man with an eye patch and knowing instantly that it’s Aemond, and that he is winning, dodging the mace repeatedly before his blade was at Cole’s throat and I ducked behind Jace and Luke, catching a very strong Alpha scent as I did and feeling my stomach twist into a knot.

‘Nephews. Have you come to train?’ He questioned and I knew they were no where close to as good as he is, he would kill them. They had continued training but not very much and Aemond is clearly quite passionate about it. ‘Niece, lovely to see you again…or smell you I should say, and what a lovely scent it is. Hmm?’ I blushed darkly, not moving from behind my brothers until Jace turned and pushed me to walk back the other way.

‘I would stay close if I were you sister, wouldn’t want to be alone with him, would you?’ Luke teased and I wanted desperately to strangle the cocky little bastard but the last time I had hit him I’d given him a black eye and made him cry like a bitch, mother made sure I knew Omegas should never be violent, especially when they’ve been trained by Daemon and could make a man feel emasculated enough to be murderous.

I sighed, rolling my eyes and following them inside, finding my room as quickly as I could and locking the doors. I sat on the windowsill and stared out over Kings Landing, seeing a dip in the clouds and knowing my dragon had followed us, it was a comfort in case I needed an escape and knowing my family, I definitely will.

I stayed in my room until my mother came to get me, walking all of us together down to the throne room where I stayed as close to my father as I could, feeling men’s eyes on me, flinching from one who leaned in to smell me making my father turn and glare down at him, the man moving to the other end of the room quickly. I held onto his belt as Otto Hightower spoke, feeling eyes on me and knowing Aemond was staring as well. That same Alpha scent was back and my stomach felt like it was quivering as the wonderful smell assaulted me. My attention was only drawn when the doors opened to reveal our grandfather looking rough…half dead honestly as he walked into the room, stumbling up to his throne, Daemon helping him as he dropped his crown and leaving me exposed with no one to hide behind until he came back. I watched on, thoroughly entertained as Vaemond shouted about Luke and Jace being bastards, and actually couldn’t contain my snort as Daemon cut off his head though as expected nothing happened to him and Luke keeps his inheritance.

‘Now, if we’re through with this useless event, I think we can-‘

‘Actually my King, if I may?’ Otto asked, approaching the throne and mumbling something to him quietly.

‘Are you sure? Rhaenyra! Why was I unaware of your daughter presenting as an Omega?’ The King asked and my blood ran cold, Daemon pushing me completely behind him.

‘She was not ready for every noble man in the kingdom to be vying for her hand Father, I was protecting my baby. I apologize if you think I’ve hidden it from you but that was never my intention.’ She explained.

‘My girl, this is wonderful! Otto is right, there’s no need for anyone to look for a husband when we have a perfect Targaryen Alpha right here. Honestly I always did believe Aemond and Y/n would end up marrying, they were so sweet when they were babes.’ I backed away from Daemon, moving around the crowd and moving towards the doors the maids use to get to the kitchen quickly. ‘My son, you will take Y/n as your wife, do you have any objections?’ The King asked and I waited a moment, waiting for him to start yelling, or begging to get out of it…but he didn’t.

‘It will be my honor Father. Thank you.’

‘Well then it is settled, there will be a wedding, right here tomorrow night-‘

‘Tomorrow?!’ My mother exclaimed.

‘I’m a sickly, old man Rhaenyra, I would like to witness their union before I pass on. You can afford me that, can you not?’ He questioned and I knew my mother would cave at that as I got to the door, pushing it open quietly.

‘Father, I would like to request one thing. Since it must be such a quick wedding, I would like to do it in the traditional Valyrian custom.’ Aemond asked and I took pause.

When we were children we discussed just this, we talked about how we would be married one day and I told Aemond that I wanted to do it right, in the old customs. Since the day I learned of the traditional wedding I thought it was beautiful and I wanted it more than anything, Aemond promising me the perfect wedding. The idea that he remembered and even cared enough to request such a thing brought tears to my eyes.

‘I don’t see why not, I leave it to my wife and daughter to sort out the details with the bride and groom.’ My mother and the queen? And they want me in the middle of that? Fuck no.

I turned, leaving out the door, quickly running down the corridor and into the kitchens which were busy making dinner, allowing me to run through quickly and out another side door. I just made it to the gardens and down the steps, hiding in the bushes when a guard rushed out after me. ‘Princess! Princess! Your mother demands your presence!’ He shouted, running into the garden while I crept out and down the side of the castle. One good thing about growing up in a castle, you learn how to get around quickly and unseen.

I looked up to the sky, hoping to see my dragon, knowing exactly what he looks like now that I’ve spent so many years by his side and on his back. ‘Come on Ghost! Where are you?’ I questioned, getting down the stairs to the front of the castle, peeking around the corner to see many guards and I quickly moved around the wall and past the gates to the plaines where I knew Vhagar rested by the water. I kept far away from the resting place of the nearly 2 centuries old dragon and whistled, seeing the grayish white color separate from the clouds and dive down towards the ground, landing just ahead of me and just as he nudged his giant head into me in greeting a voice stopped me.

‘Byka Zaldrīzes!’ I froze, knowing only my uncle had ever called me that. He had since we were kids and I was trying to comfort him when he was upset about not having a dragon. My child brain figured, I’m a Targaryen, I can be your dragon and it made him laugh so hard he couldn’t breathe. He called me Little Dragon ever since. ‘Where are you going to go?’ He asked, not yelling…not even seeming angry.

‘Home…’

‘Going home already, and I didn’t get a hello or a goodbye. I admit, I had hoped for a different reaction.’ He stepped closer, Ghost growling but not doing anything more as I shushed him to keep him calm. ‘You used to be excited by the prospect of us being married.’ That wonderful Alpha scent came over me again and I could no longer deny that it was him I was smelling, though deep down I knew it was. ‘You can’t even look at me?’ His voice held more emotion now, upset at the idea I couldn’t face him.

‘Please Aemond, please stop this? You don’t want to be married to me, there’s no point in whatever you’re doing…’ I told him, turning to face him and I couldn’t deny how beautiful he is. I had always found him cute but he had become incredibly handsome the past 9 years.

‘You dare tell me what I want? You?! After all of this time?! I have always wanted you Y/n and I always will, nothing will change that apart from you telling me you no longer love me and that my face is too much for you to accept as your Lord Husband.’ My eyes widened and I took an unintentional step forward.

‘Aemond, you are beautiful, you always have been! No scar changes that, and it could certainly not change the way I feel for you-‘

‘Then why do you run from me? Why have you spent 9 years not answering my letters? Why do you find it so hard to look me in the face? Why-‘

‘Because it’s my fault!’ I shouted, unable to take his questions anymore. ‘Because if I hadn’t encouraged you it wouldn’t have happened, no one would have fought, you wouldn’t have lost your eye! It’s my fault! And Jace and Luke, they tell me all the time and I don’t want to hear how much you hate me! I don’t want to hear you lie and tell me I ignored you, I wrote you every day for months! You never responded and I don’t think I can handle hearing how much you hate me Kepus…I can’t…’ the tears were now streaming down my face like crazy and as I reached to wipe them away he grabbed ahold of my wrists, forcing me to look at him.

‘You think I blame you?’ His voice was so soft it actually startled me. ‘Y/n…first of all I never got letters from you and I’m realizing you didn’t receive mine either which I’m assuming was your brothers but Gods Y/n! I have Never blamed you for that night!’ His face was so serious and hard I knew he wasn’t lying.

‘Never?’

‘Not for one second! You are the only one who gave me any kind of comfort, everyone else was either scared or angry, but you just held me. I loved you so much in that moment I thought my heart would explode! Waking up next to you in the morning, in so much pain, but you were there to make me feel better…then you were gone. My Little Dragon was gone and I couldn’t even speak to her, and now I come to find out you’re carrying guilt that has never been yours to hold! Your brother did that, not you, Luke! He chose to pick up that blade and slice my face, not you! And Vhagar was no one’s to claim, she chose me and I chose her, and yes you helped make me feel better about it but I was going to go to her no matter what you said…please let go of that guilt, my Princess?’ I nodded, sniffling as he let go of my arms and used his thumbs to wipe my eyes before leaning close and pressing his lips to mine. ‘You’re mine Byka Zaldrīzes, all mine!’ He swore, kissing me again, harder this time and pulling me flush against his chest. ‘My Little Dragon is going to be my wife, the mother of my children, my perfect little Omega…Fuck you smell amazing!’ He groaned, digging his face into my neck and inhaling deeply.

‘That’s enough!’ A deep voice shouted and Aemond jumped but I knew exactly who it was.

‘Father, you ruin everything.’ I teased and he just smiled as he got closer, Ghost rumbling in irritation at how many people are here now, seemingly willing to deal with my Alpha and that is all. ‘Did you take my letters?’ I asked and he instantly looked confused.

‘What?’

‘The letters I wrote Aemond, and the letters he wrote me, we never got them. Was it you? I am asking you despite the fact that you’re the least likely…I’m going to kill Jace…and Luke.’ I told him and he seemed irritated.

‘If they really did that, then they will be punished, I assure you. However right now, we need to get you back inside and help your mother plan a wedding.’ I hesitated but nodded my head, moving to follow Daemon and he turned to walk away as well just as I pulled away from Aemond and climbed onto Ghost.

‘Y/n, what are you doing?’ He laughed.

‘You think I’m going to mediate our mothers? Not gonna happen, by this time tomorrow we’ll be married or they’ll be dead, but I won’t be in the middle. Bye father!’ I shouted, hearing Ghost rumble. ‘Sovēs!’ I commanded before he leapt into the air and began climbing towards the clouds. ‘You saved my life, you know that?’ He screeched and I snorted. ‘Not really I suppose, but it wouldn’t have been fun…at all.’ We stayed like that, flying contently over the clouds for several minutes before Ghost seemed agitated and I turned to see the shadow of a large dragon above us causing me to push Ghost down before seeing Vhagar behind us, Aemond laughing while Ghost complained. ‘Not Funny Kepus!’ I shouted, diving after him as he turned to land on a nearby island.

‘I like it when you call me that, Princess.’ He told me as we both got our feet back on the ground.

‘Really? I would have thought you would hate it. My father does, it makes him feel Old when my mother uses it.’ I laughed and he just snorted, laying out his jacket for me to sit on so I could be comfortable.

‘He is nearly 20 years older than your mother, of course he hates it. When you say it, it just excites me.’

‘Hmm, well then I will refrain. Wouldn’t want to excite you too much, would we?’ I leaned into his side and he wrapped his arms around me, Vhagar laying down behind us and Ghost wanting to lay his head on my lap but I wouldn’t let him with Aemond here too.

‘I knew you would be a perfect little Omega, I just knew it. So perfect Y/n, and all mine.’ Aemond’s nose trailed through my hair and I loved the feeling.

‘Not yet Kepus, you need to wait to say that until we’re married-‘

‘Are you going to tell me that you belong to someone else, Omega? Because I will remove their organs.’ He threatened. ‘I’m already keeping myself from killing your brothers so save yourself more problems. If any man has dared put their hands on you-‘

‘Aemond!’ I exclaimed, laughing as he went on his tirade. ‘No one has touched me! Jace tried once when I went into heat the first time but I smacked him so hard his ears rang for a week. I love the possessive attitude but no one has touched me.’ I teased him, giggling as he trailed his nose over my scent gland, groaning.

‘Good, because I would’ve killed them. I told you before, you’re all mine Byka Zaldrīzes, Alphas pretty little Omega.’ His lips wrapped around my scent gland, sucking on my neck and making me cry out. ‘Oh, such sweet little sounds you make for me, my good girl.’ He teased, pushing me onto my back and laying over top of me, arm circling my waist. ‘I’ve waited so long to have you under me like this, to have to wait one more day is torture.’

‘You will survive Kepus, no one will keep us apart again…I am yours, and you are mine. Forever.’ I trailed my fingers up his jaw to his cheek and removed his eyepatch, dropping it to the ground and taking his face into my hands, his eyes closing as I held him.

‘Should they try, I will set this whole world on fire my love. No one will dare take you from me again.’ His voice was firm and fiery, every bit the Dragon that he was always meant to be.

As he leant down, I turned my head and let his lips touch my cheek. ‘We’re not yet married Aemond.’

‘Surely you can afford me a kiss, we will be married by this time tomorrow, don’t make me wait to kiss you one moment longer.’ I had to giggle at the way he made it seem like a life or death situation. ‘I had your first when we were only 8, I would have your last before you’re married.’ His fingers trailed over my cheek as I blushed a dark red before I leaned closer and felt his lips on mine. They were soft and warm as he held me close. I touched my fingers softly to the scar under his eye, hating that he had had to suffer so much pain and I couldn’t even be there for him, or even write to him. ‘I am sorry this is the face you must look at for the rest of our marriage, I-‘

I glared up at him and flicked his nose hard before he could finish speaking. ‘You will not speak ill of the man I love that way! Do you hear me? I care very little about a scar, I’m just sorry that I could not stop it.’

‘Little Dragon-‘

‘All this scar shows me is how strong and tough my husband is. It tells me that I will be safe in his arms and bed, and that our children will never know the feeling of danger…I love you Aemond.’ I could see the unshed tears in his eye that I knew he would never let fall and I pressed my lips to his again.

‘I love you Y/n. You are mine, and I am yours. ‘

For everyone who asked me for more Aemond content as well as those who asked for more Alpha/Omega fics.

I hope you liked it, cause I loved writing it!

Aemond T. Masterlist

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Ideas #44: HotD, but make it The Brady Bunch

I have many, many feelings regarding House of the Dragon. Most of them involve the toxic nature of the patriarchy and the inability of men to treat women as human beings. The remaining few considered the absurd amount of drama House Targaryen is able to come up with, decided they prefer fluff, and came up with this instead.

Or: What if Alicent Hightower's children were Rhaenyra's?

Just imagine it:

In an a/b/o universe, there is no reason why a female alpha and female omega cannot marry and have for biological children beyond convention. I imagine the Faith of the Seven would be very intolerant of anything other than male/female marriages regardless of the secondary genders involved.

So at the start of canon we have a newly presented alpha!Rhaenyra and omega!Alicent who might not be in love yet, but are clearly on their way there...

...but no matter how much beta!Otto wants his blood on the throne, he'd never press for their marriage because the Faith would consider it an abomination - and the Faith of the Seven is dominate in Westeros. The lords of Westeros only put up with Targaryen Exceptionalism because of dragons; giving them more reasons to dislike their rulers only destabilizes the throne.

So Otto marries Alicent off to alpha!Viserys as per canon.

Only Rhaenyra isn't one to take no sitting down. She and Alicent carry on an affair beyond her father's back, so that all the children Alicent bears her husband are really her stepdaughter's. (Or, knowing that no one can replace Aemma in his heart, Viserys knowingly encourages Rhaenyra and Alicent's affair, desiring only more Targaryens in the world and to get the Small Council off his back. Either/or.)

Naturally, this puts a crimp in Otto's plans, but Alicent can hardly tell her father that she's having an affair with the crown princess.

Rhaenyra marries omega!Laenor and has three children with him. Alicent's not pleased that her lover has married someone else, but they're both bound to the expectations of their station. She tries to be as understanding as possible...

...but ends the affair after Lucerys takes Aemond's eye. After all, Rhaenrya may not be able to be an alpha parent to Alicent's children, but she can at least treat them as her half-siblings and not demand them sharply questioned for a schoolyard taunt.

...and grows downright bitter after Rhaenyra marries alpha!Daemon and carries three more children for him.

The truth doesn't come out until after Viserys' death, which Rhaenyra manages to be present for. Alicent supports her claim as she is, after all, Viserys' only living child, but is disgruntled that she'd name Jacaerys heir over Aegon the Elder, who is after all her eldest son.

An immense amount politicking goes on in the background regarding who should eventually succeed Rhaenyra: her eldest son or her eldest legitimate son. But the real drama centers around the children - Alicent's coming to terms with the fact that their hated half-sister is really their alpha mother, Rhaenyra's trying to accept their half-uncles and -aunt are really their half-siblings, &c...

A Great Council eventually settles the matter, with Rhaenyra's eldest alpha son, Aemond, and Rhaenyra's legitimate omega son, Lucerys, being wed to each other and named co-heirs. But until then there is all the drama that only House Targaryen can create. It should feel like a particularly sexually-charged, HBO version of The Brady Bunch.

Alicent eventually becomes Rhaenyra's second consort and rekindle something akin to what they had before Aemond lost his eye, but Daemon takes the whole revelation badly (less so for the affair than for Rhaenyra's taste in lovers) and would probably cause all sorts of problems for the future if he wasn't killed in a joust at the tournament celebrating the double marriage of Alicent and Rhaenyra, and Luke and Aemond.

Bonus points include: 1) Aemond and Lucerys having been engaged in a secret relationship since at least Aegon's marriage to Heleana, which Rhaenyra has been secretly enabling and Alicent was secretly trying to prevent; 2) Rhaenrya and Alicent's affair being exceptionally obvious, but dismissed by nearly everyone as a close female friendship; 3) Aegon the Elder as a dissolute but generally decent person, having learned of his mother's affair as a small child and being secure in the knowledge that his bastardy would keep him from the throne.

And that's all I have. As always, feel free to adopt, just link back if you ever do anything with it.

More Terrible Fic Ideas

[blorboazula]

I'm re-writing my Azutara fics, so the dragon AU will be back soon + more dragon!Azula fics for my fellow dragon!Azula fans out there

[aces-to-apples]

WIP Game

Rules: You will be given a word. Share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that starts with each letter of that word.

Thanks to @hawthornsword for the tag! My word was BOWL.

B: Blondie here's got an ass that won't quit and a morph gun with at least eight different mods that he'd seamlessly rotated through mid-battle. He definitely takes precedence. (Jak/Jinx, wastelander!Jak AU)

O: Of course, it's easy to look at mission reports and requisition numbers and agree to bring the 'Kith' into Skyhold. (F!Adaar/Cullen, with bonus Valo-Kas)

W: Whatever else, he does not lie to Cadash—not ever. He was not good company in Kirkwall, and he was not looking. (F!Cadash/Cullen)

L: Learning that Jak was his stolen daughter, once upon a time, had muddied the waters. (Jak/Jinx, a potential sequel to "pretty (handy with that iron)")

To anyone who wants to play, your word is DULCET.

[dottores]

crying hysterically i have such a good fic idea for post-cataclysm teyvat but i just dont have enough time for another series rn