#all they know is that she’s from a NOBLE family

[autisticmudkip]

Once, Amal Ashour @amalashuor lived happy life with her family. Amal had a home to live in with her husband and her baby daughter Maryam. She was studying to get a master's degree in the French language.

However, Amal and her husband and daughter were forced to flee their home when the war in Gaza began. Amal's daughter, Maryam, is only a toddler, but instead of being able to play and explore the world, she is forced to grow up during a genocide.

Amal started her fundraiser with the goal of evacuating. However, with the crossing closed, and necessities like food and shelter being extremely expensive, she has been forced to use these funds just to keep herself and her family alive.

As well as this, instead of just focusing on her own wellbeing, she has drawn attention to the campaign of her friends and family. She has also chosen to use the funds of her own campaign to support over 20 extended family members, rather than just herself, her husband and daughter.

Amal shouldn't have to do anything to earn your support (no one living through a genocide should have to earn it.) But if you want some reason to help her, Amal and her family are more than worthy of your aid. Amal is a very intelligent and kind woman. She has worked to bring attention to the campaigns of others, not just her own. She knows several different languages, and she has even written thoughtful and insightful posts in English on Palestinian liberation.

Recently, donations have slowed down Amal, but she still needs your help to feed and care for her family! This fund supports 20 people, all of whom need things like food and shelter from the increasingly cold weather. Please, support Amal however you can. Share and donate, do whatever you can to help!

Number 175 on nabulsi and el-shab-hussein's list

Tagging for reach (dm for removal):

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@t4t4t @grapejuicedragoon @itwashotwestayedinthewater @mossdeep @a-scary-lack-of-common-sense

[cressidagrey]

It's a Love Story - Chapter 5

Summary:

Azriel's shadows find their master a wife.

Azriel would just really like his heart not to get broken again.

And Sky...well, she's just really surprised that that far too handsome male is interested in her at all.

Warning:

Rhys Bashing (as usual), I classified this as Azriel x OC, even when it't technically Azriel x Sellyn Drake (but we kinda know nothing about Sellyn Drake other than that she writes books so Sky is kinda an OC), Cassian is kinda a good guy for once, Azriel has a horrible time, as usual... Stuttering, toxic families (For once I do not mean the IC), Self-Esteem Issues, Secret Identity, Body Image Issues, Fat Shaming, People being utterly horrible.

If any of this triggers you or makes you uncomfortable, please take care of your own mental health and don't read it.

“Where’s Az?” Mor asked as Nesta and Cassian entered the dining room at the River House.

“Busy,” Cassian said with a shrug, as he pulled out the chair for his mate, greeting the rest of their family with a smile. 

Mor cocked her head, a small frown appearing on her face. "Busy?" she repeated, a note of curiosity in her voice. "What's he up to?"

Busy. That had been Azriel’s answer to nearly everything after Koshei. Busy.

Even quieter than usual. Keeping away from all of them…and Cassian still heard that one sentence echo in his head. Better me than you. Like somehow Cassians life was worth more than Azriel’s.

Azriel was just being noble and self-sacrificing as usual, right? Cassian knew that his brother didn't really think that way, didn't really believe that his life was worth less than anyone else's. But still, the words haunted him. He couldn't shake the feeling that somehow, somewhere, he had let Azriel down. That he hadn't been there when his brother had needed him the most.

Maybe he should have tried to talk to him...when it all went down… but then he hadn't realised what exactly was even going on, until Nesta had flatly laid it out for him one evening. Azriel had gotten over Mor only to fall in love with Elain...and that hadn't ended in his favour either.

Cassian grimaced just thinking about it. Azriel deserved to be happy. Azriel deserved a mate that loved him, a female that fucking adored him…and instead his brother had fallen not just for one, but two unavailable females. 

And Azriel hadn’t complained. Not once. He had never let it show.

He always kept his emotions hidden under that stoic mask of his, like he was afraid of letting anyone see how much he was hurting. Cassian knew that Azriel would never ask for help, that he would never admit that he needed someone to talk to. But that didn't mean that he didn't need it. 

Cassian just wished that he could find a way to get Azriel to open up, to let him in…that wouldn’t involve beating him to a bloody pulp. 

Azriel acted like everything was fine. Azriel acted like he didn't care. Cassian knew that it was a mask, knew that it wasn't the truth...but Azriel liked to pretend it was...and maybe it was better to let him pretend. 

It wasn't like he was hurting anybody with it, right? He was doing his work just as well as he always did...and if he wanted to spend his free time reading Sellyn Drake books, maybe they should just let him do that…maybe it made him feel better. 

"Maybe he's seeing his secret girlfriend," Cassian drawled.

Mor snorted at that suggestion. "Please," she said with a roll of her eyes. "As if Azriel would ever have time for a girlfriend, let alone a secret one."

"You would be surprised," Cassian muttered under his breath. Apparently Azriel had time for reading Sellyn Drake novels while locked into his room, after all. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mor wondered. "He has been...distant lately," she said with a pout.

Cassian could only stare at her. Mor couldn't be serious right now, could she?

Of course, Azriel was distant to her. Mor had fucking broken his heart and trampled on it to top it off. And Cassian had helped her with through the years. He probably owed Azriel an apology for that as well.

And still, Azriel hadn’t complained. Azriel hadn’t called them out. Azriel had taken it silently. Had even congratulated Mor when her Mating Bond with Emerie had snapped. Had been painfully polite, making painfully sure that he didn’t cross any lines, didn’t make Emerie uncomfortable in any way. 

"Just leave him be," Cassian said with a shrug. "He's reading Sellyn Drake novels, he'll be fine,” he waved her off. 

Rhys nearly spit his wine over the table and instead started coughing violently. "Azriel is reading Sellyn Drake novels?!" he asked Cassian with an incredious stare.

"Apparently he has trust in Nesta's taste of literature," Cassian answered easily.

Mor raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Sellyn Drake novels?" she repeated, eyeing Cassian like he had gone mad. "Since when does Azriel read those kinds of books? He's not exactly the...romantic type."

Or maybe there just never had been a single person that had appreciated that side of his brother. Who knew what Azriel actually was into. 

Elain and Mor weren’t similar in the slightest after all. 

Cassian shrugged. "Maybe he's expanding his horizons," he said with a grin. "Or maybe he just wants to see what the fuss is all about. After all, Sellyn Drake is...surprisingly good. Or so I've heard, anyway." He gave a sidelong glance to Nesta, who simply rolled her eyes at him.

Still, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rhys play absentmindedly with the stem of the wine glass. There was something there...between Rhys and Azriel that Cassian couldn't quite put his finger on. Some kind of tension...some kind of...something.

But lately, it had seemed like that tension had only been getting worse. Like they were both holding something back, like they were both waiting for the other shoe to drop. Cassian couldn't help wondering what would happen when that tension finally snapped.

***

"Winnowing or flying?" Azriel asked Sky as they stepped out into the icy early winter air.

"I...I can't...fly?" Sky answered haltingly, looking at him with these devastating blue eyes. They were beautiful. Not a light blue, not a teal, not bordering on violet…just beautiful near cobalt blue. She probably would match his siphons, he reflected weakly. 

"I'll fly, I'll carry you," he gave back with a chuckle. She stared at him like he was insane, her cheeks reddening.

"I...I...you...can...can't carry me. I am too...heavy," she mumbled. Now it was his turn to stare at her.

Azriel couldn't help but scoff at that. "Too heavy?" he repeated, shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm an Illyrian warrior,” he told her drily. “I could carry a full-grown male into battle if I had to,and I have dragged full-grown males off the battlefield…I can carry you.” 

Azriel couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. Was she...was she seriously trying to tell him that she was too heavy for him to carry? She just so reached the middle of his chest! She definitely wasn't thin...her body was covered with soft flesh and lush curves, every inch of it soft and inviting...but even if she weighed twice her weight, he would easily be able to carry her. She would probably weigh next to nothing to him.

And yet, he could sense the insecurity in her voice, the way she didn't quite believe that he could carry her.

He stepped closer to her, placing his hand gently under her chin and tilting her head up so that she was looking directly into his eyes. "You are beautiful," he said softly, his voice full of warmth and sincerity. "And I don't care how much you weigh, I can carry you. I want to carry you. Because you are mine and I will always protect you, no matter what."

Her breath hitched at that, and he could see the warmth spreading through her cheeks as her heart began to race. She looked up at him with those stunning blue eyes of hers, her lips parted slightly in surprise and wonder. "You...you really mean that?" she whispered, her voice soft and shaky. "You...you don't mind how big I am?"

Azriel chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No, sweetheart, I don't mind," he said gently. "I think you are absolutely perfect just the way you are. And if I have to carry you to prove it, then that is what I will do." And without another word, he scooped her up into his arms, cradling her against his chest as easily.

She squeaked as they shot up in the sky and then she laughed, the sound bright and beautiful

They soared through the sky together, the wind blowing through their hair and clothes as they flew. The City of Starlight sprawled out beneath them, a beautiful tapestry of color and light. Azriel held her close, feeling the warmth of her body against his, the sound of her heartbeat pulsing in rhythm with his own. He knew that he could never tire of this feeling, of having her in his arms like this.

Sky looked up at him with a smile, her eyes shining with happiness and excitement. "I love this," she breathed.

How very fitting it was for the female that called herself Sky to love flying.

"Good," Azriel said softly, his voice full of warmth. "Because we can do this anytime you want, sweetheart."

They soared higher and higher, until the city below them was nothing but a sparkling sea of lights. Azriel was in his element up here, his wings powerful and graceful as they sliced through the air. He could feel the wind whipping through his hair, the cold night air stinging his skin. But he didn't mind, not with her in his arms. In fact, he felt more alive than he had in months. Years, even.

He flew a loping circle over Velaris, towards the Lake House the shadows had purchased and he thanked them mentally for their foresight. He couldn't very well bring Sky home to the House of Wind...but here...he could take her. It was private and safe...and if the expression of her face was anything to go by, she loved it.

He angled his body towards the Lake House, gliding towards it with expert precision. As they approached, Azriel saw the soft glow of the lights in the windows, the gentle sway of the curtains in the breeze. The lake glittered in the moonlight, the surface of the water undisturbed and serene. It was the perfect place to bring her, a place that he felt she would love just as much as he did.

"You live here?" she wondered, wonder in her voice as she took in the sight.

Azriel felt a warm swell of pride in his chest as he landed smoothly on the deck of the house. "Yes," he said simply, his eyes fixed on her face, watching as she marveled at the house. "I wanted a private place," he admitted. "Somewhere quiet and peaceful, where I could escape from the chaos of my life for a little while.I haven't been there long though, it’s still a work in progress…" he warned her. More like 2 hours before he had met her. "But I love it."

He set her down gently, his hands lingering on her waist for a moment before he stepped back. "Come on," he said softly, holding out his hand to her. "Let me show you inside."

The shadows skittered inside as soon as he opened the door, like a bunch of little busybodies, rightening the curtains there, fluffing pillows on the couch...It seemed to amuse Sky though. "You must ne...never have to deal with a mes...messy kitchen," she teased him

Azriel chuckled at that. "No, the shadows don't like when things are out of place,”  he admitted.

It wasn't a lie. But then he didn't like it either. 

Like a moth pulled to the flame, Sky was pulled towards his bookcases, fingertips tripping over the spines as she hungrily read the titles.

Azriel suddenly hoped that the shadows had put something other than Sellyn Drake novels in the bookcase, because otherwise he was going to look like a fucking stalker.

He watched with a mix of amusement and apprehension as she examined the bookshelves, his heart pounding in his chest. *Please,* he silently pleaded to the shadows, *please tell me you didn't leave those Sellyn Drake novels on the shelf.* Because if she saw those, it would be disastrous.

The shadows seemed weirdly frozen in place.

"You read Sel...Sellyn Drake?" Sky asked him, sounding delighted and shocked at the same time.

Azriel groaned inwardly, feeling his face flush with embarrassment. "I...yes, I do," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I...There is...I...I need to tell you something."

"Te...Tell me som...something?" Sky asked, turning towards him, these big beautiful eyes staring at him.

"I...It wasn't a coincidence that I was in that bar tonight," he told her, watching as she stared at him. "The shadows told me to go."

"The...The shad...shadows?" she asked him, looking utterly shocked.

"I...I told them...a few weeks ago...to...find me somebody that....that I could love...somebody that I could make happy. A wife," Azriel admitted. "You were the one they picked."

She stared at him, her mouth falling open slightly. Azriel braced himself for her reaction, not sure what to expect. Would she be angry? Scandalized? Horrified that he had sent his shadows to find him a wife?

She stared at him wide-eyed. "You...You as…asked yo…your sha..shadows to fi…find you a wi…wife?!" she asked him, repeating his words back at him.

He could feel his cheeks reddening but nodded nonetheless. "...are you angry?" he asked her weakly.

Sky stared at him for a moment, but then she shook her head. "No, No...no, I'm not," she repeated again, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm...I'm flat…flattered, actually...Though...though I am cu..curious what it…what it was about me that...made…made them pick me," she admitted.

For the first time in his life, his shadows talked to somebody other than Azriel. *We thought you would treat Master like you treat your cat,* the shadows told her brightly.

She blinked at the bunch of shadows that had gathered in front of her.

"You...You...You want me to...treat Az..Azriel like...like a cat?" she asked them incrediously.

Azriel spluttered, his cheeks burning with mortification. He hadn't expected the shadows to be so blunt, and the idea of her treating him like a cat was...well, it was absurd, to say the least. He wanted her to be his mate, his equal, not to treat him as if he were some kind of pet.

"No, no," he quickly interjected, trying to salvage the situation. "They...they don't mean it like that, Sky. The shadows have their own...unique way of looking at things. Please just...just forget they ever said that."

Sky fixed him with a look. "What do you mean?" she asked the shadows.

*You love your cat,* the shadows said quickly. *You buy him ridiculous overpriced Tuna, and you let him sleep in your bed and you scratch him behind the ears. You even knitted him a sweater!*

Azriel winced, feeling his embarrassment and mortification rising even further. 

"That...thats not important," he mumbled, feeling like he was on the verge of spontaneously combusting from embarrassment. "The shadows...they have a habit of exaggerating things. Just...please, don't take them too seriously. I'm not expecting you to treat me like a cat, I swear."

Sky looked at him, then at the Shadows, then at Azriel again. She seemed to be lost in thought, clearly trying to decipher what the shadows meant.

"You..You want your mas…master to be tre…treated...well?" Sky finally asked the shadows, her tone of voice serious. "You pick…picked me because I...be..because I was nice to my cat?" she asked them curiously.

*You are so kind,* the shadows said softly. And so pretty. And we knew you would treat Master well and wouldn't judge him.*

Sky blushed at the compliment.

Azriel felt a sense of relief wash over him as the conversation shifted away from the whole "cat" thing. He had to admit, the shadows were right. Sky had been nothing but kind and considerate towards him since they met, and he was grateful for that. Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed by the whole situation.

"Look...I apologize for the shadows' behavior," he said to Sky, his voice soft. "They can be a bit...blunt, sometimes."

"I…I un…understand where they are com…coming from," she said nearly thoughtfully. "They just...want to see you hap…happy?" she said carefully and he nodded.

"Yes."

"Though they…they don't seem to have much of a sense of boun…boundaries," Sky said with a laugh. "You hid in my apartment didn't you?" she asked the shadows.

Azriel cringed as the shadows seemed to twirl in agreement. He had hoped that particular detail would have gone unnoticed, but he should have known better. Sky was too observant for her own good.

"Yes, they did," he admitted reluctantly. "I'm sorry about that. They...they have a tendency to go where they please."

Sky still mustered the shadows that were twitching in front of her

"I…I prom…promise to t…treat your ma…master well." Sky said seriously. "He's my mate."

Azriel felt his heart skip a beat at her words. The sound of that word coming from her lips made his knees weak.

He stepped forward, closing the distance between them and taking her hands in his. "And I promise to treat you well too," he swore fervently. 

"And I'll…I’ll even knit him a swea…sweater," Sky continued, looking at the shadows.. "I…I don't know if he likes Tu…tuna, but I'll…buy him some… sweets."

He couldn’t help but laugh at her words, feeling a surge of affection for her that was almost overwhelming. "Sky," he said softly, looking into her eyes. "You don't have to do any of that for me. Just being with you is more than I could ever ask for.But...if you are willing to knit me a sweater, I surely won't say no to it," he added with a laugh. "And maybe you could try scratching me behind the ears too, just in case the shadows are right."

He meant it as a joke, but there was a part of him that was secretly delighted by the idea of her spoiling and doting on him. Maybe, just maybe, the shadows were onto something after all.

"And...who knows, maybe I'll develop a taste for Tuna," he added, grinning playfully. "As long as it's the fancy kind, that is."

He kissed her forehead gently, holding her close for a moment longer before finally pulling away. "But Sky…you don’t have to do all of that…Just being with you is enough."

She smiled up at him, beautiful and blinding and he couldn't help but kiss her.

As his lips met hers, Azriel felt a wave of warmth and tenderness wash over him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as he deepened the kiss. In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not the shadows, not the world outside, nothing but her.

He broke the kiss reluctantly, resting his forehead against hers as he caught his breath. 

"You…You can absolutely sleep in my bed with me," she whispered. "Or I'll sleep in yours," she offered, a grin on her face... and that was all he needed to hear, as he picked her up again.

[fickleminder]

the matchmaker

Happy birthday Barney woooooo 💜

- You’re a matchmaker who works mostly with nobles, seeing as they’re the ones still rooted in traditions and such. Personally you believe in marrying for love, but this pays the bills so…

- You’re damn good at your job too. You know how to read your clients; you can suss out what kind of demons they really are underneath whatever front they put on for you. You can tell which personality traits are likely to work well together, and if you’ve had a hand in helping lesser demons from bad families escape to safer and more comfortable lives, they would never tell.

- One day this little demon no more than several centuries old walks into your office asking for a marriage partner.

- “Not for me, for my big brother!” He clarifies while you’re mentally cursing the noble families who still follow child bride practices.

- Said big brother barges in not two seconds later apologizing for his rudeness and trying unsuccessfully to stop his sibling from spilling his entire life story.

- You recognize Mephistopheles immediately. Not only is his family well-known in your network, but you’ve done business with many of his associates and one of his underlings had interviewed you for an article before.

- Apparently he’s under pressure from his family to marry, despite not being open to the idea at this time. You know how messy noble politics can be, so you don’t pry and instead get him started on the process. At the very least, you can match him with someone he won’t completely detest. Best case scenario, he finds an accomplice to fake a relationship with.

- (After a preliminary screening, it seems like Mephisto’s ideal partner is Lord Diavolo himself, but rumor has it he’s already infatuated with one of his students, so he’s off the table. Not that you’d go anywhere near the prince, especially with that butler of his constantly by his side.)

- You soon discover that Mephisto is one tough customer. He finds fault in every single match you send his way, even when you suggest that he pick someone just for show. He insists that even a fake partner has to check all his boxes, but you suspect he’s being overly selective on purpose to delay any potential marriages.

- But he’s never rude about it either. His matches tell you about how he’s always the perfect gentlemen on their dates, how he’s polite even when turning them down at the end of the day. He’s essentially wasting everybody’s time, going through the process for the sake of it while trying to change his family’s mind, but he’s still paying you for your efforts despite everything, so you continue to do your job.

- You tweak Mephisto’s matches with every feedback he gives you, and you start to wonder if there’s anyone he’d be willing take a chance on, even if it’s to play pretend and get his family off his back.

- His little brother tries to help out. The little demon often visits you behind Mephisto’s back, telling you stories and sharing every tidbit of information he can think of to better help you help his brother find happiness. He doesn’t quite understand why Mephisto doesn’t want a partner (he’s used to fairytales with happily ever afters), but he’s determined to make sure his older brother gets his happy ending too.

- One day one of your old clients visits you out of the blue, looking much healthier than when you first found her taking shelter in your office building. She warns you that there’s been unsavory characters loitering in the area recently. She recognizes some of them from her old circles and warns you to be careful.

- You’re no stranger to this. There’s a reason nobles have entourages of bodyguards with them wherever they go, and working so closely with them has put more than one target on your back over the centuries. You always make sure to keep magical wards in the area to warn you when demons with malicious intent have entered the premises, and stash a few teleportation talismans for a quick getaway if needed.

- It’s during one of the days Mephisto’s brother drops by to chat with you that your wards go off. You don’t hesitate to grab the little demon before activating your talismans, teleporting both of you to safety. You don’t reappear in front of your house, no; you don’t know if your own home has been compromised, so you told the frightened demon in your arms to picture the safest place he could think of—

- You land in a puddle of mud in the middle of a nondescript field, barely managing to catch him before he gets all dirtied as well. There’s a stable nearby, and the guards stationed there immediately notice your arrival and surround the two of you.

- Things happen quickly after that. Mephisto’s brother vouches for you even as he’s crying for his sibling, and after verifying your identity and giving a brief rundown of what happened, the two of you are escorted to the family manor.

- Mephisto finds you within the hour, throwing decorum out the window and bursting through the main doors to rush to you and his brother. Poor kid wouldn’t let go of him for the longest time, while you stand quietly in one corner to let them have their moment, not wanting to track mud over the pristine marble floor more than you already have.

- “You kept him safe…” Mephisto acknowledges you with an indescribable look in his eyes and, to your surprise, grabs you in a hug as well, muddied clothes be damned. “Thank you.”

- He promises to personally fund and oversee the repairs, your office having been thoroughly thrashed by the attempted kidnappers when they had trespassed in search of his brother. They’d been stalking him for weeks and knew he often snuck away from his bodyguards to see you, and they thought it’d be a golden opportunity to ransom him for a hefty amount of Grimm.

- Mephisto also prepares a security detail for you, despite you insisting you’re not high profile enough to warrant one. He decides that so long as you’ll be working closely with his family, he’ll make sure you’re protected too.

- Business goes on as usual after that. Mephisto still meets with you to go through his matches, still turns everyone down at the end of the day, but somehow you get the feeling he’s already made up his mind. Sometimes he doesn’t even look at the documents you give him before rejecting the candidate, which kind of annoys you given how much work you’d put in—

- And then his brother tells you that their parents already backed off the marriage idea weeks ago. Whatever phase they were in had passed, and now they were focused on the next big thing in noble society.

- …Oh. Well then.

- The next time Mephisto meets you in your office, you bring up the subject of payment for your services. He confirms that your fee is scheduled to be deposited into your account at the end of the month as usual, but you suggest he takes you out for dinner instead.

- Mephisto pulls at his tie and looks away, only mumbling something about picking you up at 6 before marching out of your office with steam coming out of his ears.

[committingwarcr1mes]

unpopular opinion: i really love caitlyn in her military dictator era

i started to love her in a REAL WAY just right now. i won't be one of those who's like "i only love season 1 caitlyn" or "i miss the old cait so i'm gonna be delulu and tryina find smth good deep inside her" FUCK NO. her arc is a masterpiece and we really needed children of propaganda to be portraited as they REALLY are. cait is kinda like azula at this point, she was raised in a noble powerful family with idea of people of zaun being an enemy, unworthy, inferior. though at the beginning she had that idealistic hope for different people being different, etc, the result of propaganda is that all those piltover ideas went deep inside her and took root. two shocking events (her mother's death, the attack in 2x01) were enough for this hope to die and everything evil put into her for all these years to grow up and reveal. that is how propaganda works. she had a direct confirmation (not the only one actually) of everything she was told about zaun, so what was she supposed to do? irl people rarely can keep kindness and tolerance and whatever in their hearts after they survived some kind of traumatizing shit.

cait's anger on jinx is justified. like i know that jinx is also understandable here, piltover is guilty for her parents' death and cait is an enforcer which equals evil diabolical creature in her mind, but some people forget that they BOTH watch it from their own perspectives only. cait thought of herself as someone who actually cares of innocent people and wants to bring peace, she didn't mean to hurt jinx on a personal level, and yet jinx kidnapped her, almost got killed and then exploded the council so there her mother died. the problem is that cait put her anger on jinx to the whole zaun, and this is, AGAIN, how propaganda works.

cruel, harmful intentions now will get stronger and stronger in her. for me the scene where isha protected jinx by standing between her and vi and cait still wanted to shot jinx is exponential. vi was like "she's a child" and cait was "i was gonna hit JINX", but actually every shooter, no matter how skillfull they are, knows that there is always a chance to miss. cait knew it, she knew she could kill an INNOCENT child, and yet she was ready to risk. so there was a moment when her idealism died and the results of propaganda start blooming. further will be worse. and this is amazing.

though i'm totally on zaun's side, caitlyn's character development is so realistic, so magnificent, and i'm just in love. she's so well written character at this point, and i hope she won't get a redemption arc or smth like that, it will ruin her, so let her die as a dictator if you need to, but not try to fix my villainous wife 🖤

military dictator aesthetic fits her so well btw

[justrainandcoffee]

The Lords.

Masterlist

Meet the Lords, rulers of the different lands and the fathers of the creatures.

Lord Samuel Tyrell, first of his name.

Forced to marry Mary Serry, a noble woman from the Shield Islands, Samuel Tyrell didn't find pleasure in his marriage at first, but slowly fell in love with his wife. Lady Mary's kind soul and her smile were enough to win his heart.

He loves his family, even when is her wife the one who takes care of the three children they have.

He has a good relationship with his children, but it's the youngest one, Louis, the one who is more affectionate. The eldest are more reserved.

When Rose, his firstborn, was 14; Lord Lawrence Frey from The Twins asked her hand to him. It's this day that the Frey deny they went to Highgarden. Not even the cold Lady Mildred Frey mention it.

The alliance between the Stormlands and his lands has the form of his pupil, Alfred Baratheon II.

And the future marriage between the second son of Lord Stark and his girl, is the promise of a prosperous future between the North and the Reach.

Lord Alfred Baratheon, first of his name.

Ruling Storm's End the last 25 years, Lord Baratheon has the reputation of being a temperamental man. He's famous for getting angry very easily and for having several bastards around the Stormlands as well.

He didn't have any successor because his first marriage ended tragically when his first wife died during the birth of his first son. The boy didn't survive either. He had no willingness for getting married again but his council convinced him that it was necessary. So, years after he lost his first wife, a quiet but strong woman from Blackhaven, Svetlana Dondarrion, become his second wife. And he gave him a healthy boy named after him.

A boy, that people say, has the same temperament as his father.

Lord Jared Stark, first of his name.

Jared The Cruel, is called. And there's s reason for that. He's a merciless man. Under his control, the North never witnessed so many decapitations before and not only because of treason. All you need is him having a bad day and he'll use his sword called Darkblood against you. And as the northern people know, that's very frequently.

He's married to Alysse Karstark, to make the north more powerful. They have three sons, being the eldest one, Jared, captain of the Night Watch after his father sent him to the Wall after finding him having sex with a young knight. Certainly, his firstborn was luckier that the knight who's now resting six feet underground. His wife is a very religious woman, who believes the Seven sent him to clean her soul for past sins and that's why she accept his violence against her every day. Some people call her Purple Alysse, because her bruises are impossible to hide.

The only reason he went to the Reach to force a marriage between lady Tyrell and his second son, James, it's because he knows if the girl have a boy part of the Reach then it'll belong to him.

.

Neither of them knows that a forbidden romance between two of their kids, will end with broken alliances, destruction, involving the Major Houses and with several of the people named here, dead.

The war of "the Rose, the Stag and the Wolf", not even 100 years after Aegon's conquest, it's remembered centuries after the events.

@mischievouslittlecreature @peakyswritings @call-sign-shark @hoodeddreams13 @evita-shelby @shelbydelrey

[deliciousindelusion]

A little bit more about the history between Terra and Mithrun pre-Melini dungeon.

Some spoilers under the cut.

In the beginning of Mithrun’s Canary career his first dungeon subjugation mission was near the small dwarven village of Luz. There was only one inn available to house the troops, and it happened to be the one that Terra’s family owned. Terra, the young daughter of the owners, was often out in the forests skipping out on work so the one who welcomed them was the friendly Elios. There was obvious tension in the village since the dwarves were wary of the elves, but Elios paid no mind to that and treated them equally. He enjoyed speaking with Mithrun in particular since he was way more social than their leader, Milsiril.

Mithrun’s first encounter with Terra was when Elios had asked for help looking for her, and this young noble elf definitely wasn’t expecting this dwarf’s wife to have been a half-race. It explained Elios’s friendliness towards the elves and the alienation he received from the other dwarves. Terra, however, was insanely wary of the elves and was very unfriendly and cold towards them. Mithrun expected the hostility, but was intrigued by her absolute love and devotion to her husband, even though Elios himself was considered an ‘outlier’ amongst the villagers (for having absolutely no interest in mining or ores and favoring gardening instead).

He was initially intrigued by Terra, not because she was beautiful or had a good personality, but because she was a half-race. He felt superior to her. He felt that he was better than her for being a full elf and was confused by her ‘don’t give a fuck’ attitude towards him. But what he found himself watching more of, was her unconditional love. Towards someone different. For someone who didn’t fit their society’s ‘normal’.

And deep down, way way deep down that it barely touched his consciousness, buried under all those insecurities and superiority complex, he wanted that too.

Young Mithrun didn’t particularly want Terra. He wanted the love she offered.

But his troop had left the village before he could fully digest his feelings. They left the dungeon half-heartedly sealed because they didn’t particularly care about the dwarves and thought that they could handle themselves. And unknowingly, they set them up to be destroyed by an eventual monster raid. Mithrun didn’t care though, he didn’t even know about what happened to the small village of Luz because he was kind of busy dealing with his own…dungeon problems.

And when they eventually met again, it was deep in the dungeon of Melini, where she had become a changed person and fought him fiercely to protect the ‘Lunatic Magician’ that he was on the hunt for. There she was again, showing fierce loyalty and devotion to someone that everyone should have sought to destroy. A dungeon lord. Someone who was placed with so much responsibility on their shoulders. Someone who eventually became something they despised. Someone who had nothing left to them.

Someone like himself.

And the feeling of wanting that same love reared its ugly head again, but this time he didn’t have the desire to stop them.

[papilio-anima]

Hu Tao led the two of them deeper into the woods. Up toward the infamous hill where night seemed to blanket the sky at any point of the day. More so on this particular night the yin energy that radiated from the place was much stronger. The wisps had a more distinct glow while the temperature dropped at least by ten degrees. Eventually a low fog slowly came rolling in.

Hearing Chongyun speak of his past so openly with her was a bit of a surprise to the funeral director. She seemed to hang on to every detail he relayed about his clan and their experience delving into thaumaturgy and blacksmithing.

"It's a relief that it wasn't too personal," Hu Tao remarked with a soft smile. It wasn't often that she had a client open up to her. But then again, she thought of exorcist as more of a friend. One who had been patient enough to invite her along on such an important trip.

"I can relate following in footsteps cause of tradition. In fact, both your clan and my family worked along side the Adepti for many generations. I think working to help dispel evil from Liyue is a noble cause...that and well i'd love to take you up on the opportunity to learn more of course~"

By the time she finished replying they had reached the edge of the abandoned village. The old wooden homes were barely held up on their eroding supports. Vines and cobwebs decorated a good portion of the structures. A variety of tools, books, and even toys were strewn about indicating that whatever happened the people had left in a hurry. Oh there was definitely a saturation of yin here.

Hu Tao turned to Chongyun noticing that he had been bracing himself for a fight. She couldn't exactly blame him. It was just part of how he was raised and trained. Still.

"Ya know... let's try something a bit different," she suggested gesturing toward the claymore he carried.

"Perhaps try being a bit more discreet when it comes to wanting to battle. I'm not saying it will definitely work...but I'm thinking it's worth a try. I mean I'm just saying it's a lot easier to hunt something if you give them a false sense of security"

Aiyaaa...that didn't sound all too kind of an explanation. But it was the best advice she had at the time. The crystal flies she released before hovered around the decrepit doorways of a few of the homes. Eventually a few of the wisps started to take form, although they hesitated.

"Do you sense anything at all being here?"

Lo and behold as soon as she spoke it had seemed a few of the monsters of Wuwang Hill had honed in on the same location. While not evil spirits they still meant trouble for the pair. They came in from all directions, quickly encroaching. Instinctively Hu Tao clutched onto her polearm. So much for heeding her own advice.

"I don't think this was that sort of miracle you were hoping for"

there's a change in chongyun at the question. they seem to grow taller, their eyes widening with an eager light. turning to hu tao briefly, they continue walking toward wuwang hill.

"my lineage can be traced back to the guili assembly," they explain. "thaumaturges and blacksmiths came together to forge weapons, and became a singular clan that i am proud to be part of. for many generations, we've always worked alongside the adepti to dispel evil from liyue. i've never been more proud to continue that tradition."

the hill is not far from then now, but chongyun is still talking, glad for a chance to give hu tao some of his family history. "we may not be a large clan, but it's still one steeped in tradition and honor. even if i haven't yet personally met the adepti. at least i am acquainted enough with adeptus xiao now, which makes it easier to seek him out should i need training or advice."

he glances at her over his shoulder. "it's also not a personal question. i'm glad you asked, i enjoy sharing my clan's history. maybe one of these days i'll have you come over and i'll share some of the documents and journals we have saved, too. if you're interested, that is."

when they reach the area, chongyun stops walking to take a deep breath. he's not out of breath by any measure, but he's bracing himself for the experiment hu tao offered. chongyun wants so badly for her idea to actually work. the claymore is even coming off his back; held firmly in his hand.

"if you're ready, i'm ready," chongyun tells her. "let's see if your presence can actually do good for me."

[silviakundera]

more Li Rong/Pei Wenxuan/Su Ronqing dynamic thoughts...

Ep 18, Su Rongqing: "Don't forget that if it wasn't for His Majesty's fear of the imperial relatives, you wouldn't have even been able to get close to Her Highness in your life. Not to mention to be with Her Highness."

imo it's key that SRQ is from a super prestigious land-holding family, whose wealth and power are old & deeply entrenched. He's your modern day chaebol nepo baby, smart & educated & ready to inherit his family's slice of the empire.

Because he's every insecurity PWX has, tied up in a bow and sneering dismissively at him lol. PWX whose family worked hard to get out of the countryside and entered officialdom just in his dad's generation, and who doesn't even have the backing of that family. He has had to work 40x as hard and without being the princess consort he would never in his lifetime have achieved the stuff that's just handed to SRQ.

Part of PWX being determined to fight for Li Rong and not letting SRQ get in his head is that he needs to internalize that she sincerely thinks PWX is valueable and has never thought he was inferior to SRQ. None of their problems were ever about that. She saved SRQ for her moral conscience. Then she settled for him because her husband couldn't let go of his childhood engagement crush (plus his own acknowledged pride issues about a marriage arranged by the throne). He never actively tried to repair the marriage - his insecurities overtook him and he gave up. SRQ didn't "win". There was never any contest.

But though Pei Wenxuan tells himself this and tells Su Rongqing that she'll never say yes to him.... we gotta know that it's not that easy to defeat all your inner demons. That's why I think he gets a bit erratic and overblown in his romantic moves in the succeeding episodes - subconsciously anxious to tie Li Rong further to him.

[katartna]

Song of Frosted Light ❄️🕊️

[msue0027]

Doctor who 60th anniversary specials? More like "in today's episode of 'bullying the Doctor'"

[the-au-with-no-name]

You think, but sadly if her father was so easily defeated, there wouldn’t be so much of a story…! Her father is a merciless ruler, who has ruled Ithaca for many decades now. You think he’d lose to some young adult hedgehogs who happened to know Iris for only a few months? Please, as if he’d be willing to sway so easily!

“Oh, our ocean of love. There’s no need for tears.”

Apex seelkadoom: “After all, you’re safe with us now; That old man will never take you away from us again..”

Iris rushes into seelkadoom’s arms and hugs him tightly, tears falling down her face as she feels her lovers’ arms wrap around her in a secure, protective, and loving embrace.

Oh if only it would be that easy. Her father, despite his negligence, is not an easy man to sway for who he thinks is best suited for Iris. There is surely going to be struggle for her hand, and blood will be spilled in the kingdom of Ithaca.

…. To be continued…!

Taglist:

@hunniegl4zed @thebreadmeower

Special thanks to @thebreadmeower for giving me inspiration for nicknames for Iris! 🖤💙🩵💜

[delightfuldevin]

People in the comments of the new splatfest song are kinda annoying ngl,,

Marina is very smart y’all. Even if she was sheltered by growing up in the Octarian domes, I’m preeetty sure everyone wasn’t super kind and genuine to each other all the time. There’s no way Marina doesn’t know what being passive aggressive looks like. She’s not too uwu pure to tell that Shiver was insulting her. She’s just a genuine fan of Deep Cut and she ain’t about that petty insults stuff.

[myfairkatiecat]

mysterious benedict society medieval au

[quietwingsinthesky]

i have many many thoughts about rose & tentoo and how their relationship would evolve in this verse. about how you can't just take the love you have for one person and put it on someone else. not even a clone, a regeneration, a metacrisis. about how that doesn't mean you can't love them, or that you can't fall in love with them the same way, but that love has to be for them.

[theheadlessgroom]

@beatingheart-bride

"Oh, I'm very sure," he replied with a grin, making a mental note to wear the pearl cufflinks with his suit on the big day, in order to match with his blushing bride. "I think Ma always anticipated passing them on to my future wife; that and the necklace she wore..."

Remembering it, Randall went back through one of the other boxes kicking around and fished out his mother's jewelry box, including the aforementioned earrings and a few other little bits of jewelry (chiefly bracelets and brooches, nothing overly-extravagant, but still quite lovely), as well as a lovely silver necklace he pulled out to show Emily.

"This is a claddagh," he explained with a small smile. "Pa brought it with him from Ireland; his ma wore it to her wedding, and her ma wore it to her wedding and, uh...w-well, you get the picture. A-Anyways, Pa brought it with him and asked if Ma wanted to wear it, and at first, sh-she was a little hesitant, since she's not Irish herself. But it was such a symbol of love and a celebration of Pa's heritage, a heritage so many people frown on, that she couldn't say no. She took good care of it in the years since Pa died; she planned to pass it on to the next generation."

He smiled as he cradled the necklace in his pale palms; two hands holding a crowned heart, a simple but elegant symbol of love, loyalty, and friendship. It seemed only right that this also be a part of Emily's wedding ensemble-he had a good feeling that, much like with the earrings, his mother would be very happy to pass it on to her son's new wife.

[sage-nebula]

I've now finished DA:I and have a completed World State in the Keep for DA4. I will say that, out of the three games (Origins, 2, and Inquisition) I think that the Inquisition party feels the closest to me. Like they're the ones I feel would actually want to stay together after all was said and done, helped I think by the fact that so many say that's what they want (with Sera almost starting to cry if you have the Inquisitor tell her that Skyhold will always be her home if she needs it). With Origins, it really felt like everyone was there and working together purely because of the mission to stop the blight and no other reason. With 2, it felt like they were there and working together because they lived in Kirkwall and wanted to make their lives easier. But with Inquisition, everyone who was there chose to be there, and sure it was for a cause . . . but also we got bonding scenes like them playing Wicked Grace together, or eating cookies up on rooftops. Even when they fought with each other, I felt a real closeness there. Like it was them against the world (which it kind of ends up being during the Exalted Council).

Of course, this is just all my opinion, and it's possible that this had something to do with how the personalities of each character developed over my playthroughs, as well as the fact that I found it a bit hard to track people down in Kirkwall sometimes and as such didn't bond with my companions as much as I would have wanted. (RIP Fenris, I missed the opportunity to do your character quest and so you died 😔). But at the end of DA:I Trespasser, I had the Inquisition stay together not just because that's what my Trevelyan wanted (as making the world a better place / helping people is very important to her), but also because I didn't want to see the squad break up, even though they had to break up a little due to responsibilities elsewhere in the world anyway. It's just how they made me feel.