#also showing off my sweet fire sword

[jnkgrnde]

— glossy kisses, clarisse la rue, pjo

summary — in which, clarisse is in love with the way your lipgloss sticks to her.

pairings — clarisse la rue x black!fem!reader (any descent)

content includes — fluff, soft/sorta needy clarisse, kissing

you sat at one of the makeup tables set up in your cabin, getting ready for the day. it wasn’t much, just some simple coverup and lip gloss.

clarisse’s favorite lip gloss.

your girlfriend hasn’t directly expressed that she loved when you wore lip gloss, but you knew she loved it. she showed it when you walked out of your cabin after finishing getting ready, and she had a smile on her face as soon as she saw you. she was happy to see you, of course, but she also saw you wearing lipgloss that day.

she knew she’d end the day with having multiple glossy lip marks on her face, and eventually one on her lips at the end of the day, when she walks you to and drops you off at your cabin.

the first one came when you met up with eachother at breakfast. today was your day to sit at the ares table. “hi, sweet girl.” she greeted. she wrapped her arm around your waist to bring you in for a kiss. you grinned when you kissed her, and she almost kept going before you pulled away. “patience, pretty.” you reminded her.

clarisse had a ‘bad’ habit of always wanting to have her lips on yours, and it only got worse when you wore the lipgloss. she looked at you with puppy eyes, all because she just wanted to kiss you so bad. “baby, jus’ wait.” you promised. she faked annoyance, “fineee.” she dragged out. you laughed at her antics before interlocking your fingers with hers and walking into the dining pavilion.

you two grabbed your plates and got the food you desired before scraping some of it into the fire. you sat down at one of the ends of the ares table, right across from each other, discussing your plans for the day. “are you gonna come help me teach the little kids how to spar, princess?” you winced at the mere thought of the activity.

“wish i could, but i have to pick strawberries from the fields today. i’ll wish you luck, though!” you grinned devilishly. clarisse fake glared at you in agitation. “you’re training them next time, you know that, right?” you shrugged. “don’t doubt my way to sweet talk people, la rue.”

it was after you two finished eating was when you separated to get your activities done. you usually kept your tube with you, so you reapplied before setting off to the sweet fields. “see you at dinner?” you knew the answer. you nodded, reaching up to grab her face and kiss her cheek. she had such a large grin on her face at the mere fact of knowing she had an imprint from you for the day.

you went your separate ways, clarisse staying to watch you before finally leaving. you ready the strawberry fields, the sun beaming down on your skin. the star was making the smell of the strawberries greater, and you yearned to have at least one before the day ended.

you picked up a sunhat, gloves, cutters, and a basket before setting off into the dirt and through the fields. you hummed softly to yourself while you worked, and before you knew it, it was the end of the day. you breathed out tiredly. the weight of the basket was starting to get to you. it was filled to the brim with the sugary berries.

you made your way back to the front of the entrance of the patch, setting down your basket for the others to collect, not before sneaking some into your fists. you munched on the delicious fruit, the taste exploding in your mouth. you’d always loved strawberries, and these ones only amplified the feeling.

by the time you reached the main campgrounds, clarisse was wrapping up lessons. she was tired and definitely had a few cuts from the kids with swords and spears. she was instructing them to put the weapons up carefully before leaving for the day. she saw you and broke into a tired smile.

you gave her one back before you took notice of the cuts she had. “that bad, huh?” she let out a sigh. “you have no idea.” she loved fighting, she really did, but teaching the younger, newer kids was a whole other level. she pecked your lips, pulling back before actually tasting you. “you taste so good.” she mumbled. you pulled away, “just had a couple strawberries after i finished. need to bring up to chiron that we should make some-“ she cut you off by smashing her lips to yours.

she was definitely addicted. it took some time, but you finally pulled away to get air. “baby, please,” she whined. “i haven’t seen you all day. let me have you.” you giggled at her desperateness. “well, can you at least wait till i’ve washed myself?” you told her. “just ten or fifteen minutes, baby.”

she stood like she was thinking it over before agreeing. she gave you one more peck before letting you go. “don’t be too long, pretty girl.”

you had finished getting dressed when the conch sounded for dinner. you walked happily along the ground, eager to meet clarisse. you two talked about your day and how one of the kids almost stabbed themselves in the eye, and then hers.

it was finally the end of the day. you were worn out and ready to go to bed, and you knew clarisse was too. she walked you to your cabin, hand in hand. you swung them back and forth as you walked, just listening to the campers get ready to go to bed, the fireflies in the air. the atmosphere was just comforting.

the lights at the cabins slowly started going out as some stragglers finally came in and turned out the lights. you and her were some of them. you walked up the steps to the doors, where clarisse turned. “you’ll come to me if anything happens, right?” “always.” you promised. “good. night, sweet girl.”

the night ended with a kiss on her cheek, the same place you kissed after breakfast. she kissed your lips before heading down the stairs with a smile. you went inside your cabin, and she watched for the light to go out. the flame extinguished, and she knew you were turning in.

she walked off to her cabin, her cheek tingling with your form of an imprint — a glossy kiss.

[tuktukpodfics]

The Problem With "Dao Swords": My love-hate relationship with pleonastic translations

An essay that no one asked for.

A lot of fanfics call Zuko’s broadswords “dao swords.” As a Chinese to English translator, this phrase makes me pause every time. Here is my humble opinion on “dao swords” and other pleonastic translations:

What the heck is a pleonastic translation?

I’m so glad you asked! “Pleonasm” is a fancy term for a redundant phrase, like “black darkness” or “burning fire.”

A pleonastic translation is a phrase that puts the source language and the translation back-to-back. A common example is “chai tea” which literally means “tea tea.”

“Dao swords” is a pleonastic translation. “Dao” 刀 is the Chinese blanket term for blade. The phrase basically means “sword swords.” Sounds pretty silly, right?

Pleonastic translations are bad?

I think it depends on your audience, the text purpose, and how special the word is.

In advertising, pleonastic translations can help increase a product’s searchability. Ex: “Longjing Dragonwell tea” would appear in a Google search for either “longjing” or “dragonwell.”

Tourist destinations often use pleonastic translations to help foreigners navigate. Ex: “Nanzhan South Station” on a map helps foreigners know what the place is, but also gives them the Chinese pronunciation so that they can communicate with their taxi driver.

In literature, a pleonastic translation is a succinct way to introduce a culturally significant term without a footnote or distracting tangent. A lot of translators will sneak in a pleonastic translation the first time the word appears in a text, and then use the untranslated term alone every time after. Ex: "He slouched on the kang bed-stove. His grandmother sighed and took a seat on the kang too.”

Is "dao" a culturally significant word?

No.

Dao is a super mundane word used to describe any kind of single-edged blade, from butter knives to ice skates. It feels weird to keep such a normal word untranslated. Using the Chinese word emphasizes its foreignness. They’re not just swords, they’re special, Chinese swords. 

Yes, words take on different meanings as they pass from culture to culture. That’s how language works. But English is also a unique case. Because of imperialism. I think English speakers have an obligation to avoid exotifying every-day words.

Also, English is a global language. Chinese speakers are reading your translation, and…I dunno...“sword swords” feels off putting. Disruptive.

But I want to acknowledge the real-life culture behind the swords

Giving credit to the cultures that you're borrowing from is an A+ idea.

...I don't know how to do this in a fantasy setting.

Zuko’s swords and fighting style is based on oxtail sabers (牛尾刀）and Shaolin dual broadswords (少林双刀). @atlaculture has a very cool post on oxtail sabers. But calling his swords "oxtail sabers" doesn't work because cows don't exist in atla. Shaolin is a type of martial arts that originates from Shaolin temple in Henan, China (Shaolin itself literally means “young forest”). But you can’t call them “Shaolin broadswords," since Shaolin does not exist in the Fire Nation.

It’s quite a pickle.

Maybe just use a footnote?

So what should I call Zuko’s swords?

I don’t know.

I think you can just call them broadswords. That’s what the TV show calls them.

Dao by itself could work too if you need to differentiate Zuko's dao from Sokka's jian (double-edged blade). Readers can probably figure out what dao means from context.

If it’s not clear from context what dao means? *sigh* ..."Dao swords" it is, I guess.

To end on a happier note, here is a video of Chang Zhizhao busting some sweet moves.

[theamazingmaddyas]

This is probably extremely niche (or not, I dunno) but my brother and I were playing Skylander Trap Team, and that got me thinking about Percy Jackson characters as Skylanders (ie their element, their catchphrases, their move set, etc.) So, I decided to answer these pressing questions with the Seven, Nico, and Reyna(maybe I'll do a part 2). Also, some of the characters I could not choose one element so I made them a Swap Force. I know that's not how Swap Force works (which is that you can mix and match top pieces with bottom pieces to create new characters with different skill sets) but some of them really are a tie between two elements and I have to do it. (I did not do combos with Light/Dark as those elements were first introduced in Trap Team and not Swap Force.) Also also, if their catchphrases suck, no they don't. I tried.

Percy Jackson:

Element — Water

Attacks —

+Creating a whirlpool that he floats in (like in TLO)

+Creating a wave when Riptide hits the ground

+Slashing with Riptide

+Water shooting from his hands

Catchphrase — Let's get this over with, alright?

Note, I considered Earth as well for his earthquake powers, but decided to make it a wave instead because I only had 1 Earth attack thought up and a bajillion Water ones.

Annabeth Chase:

Element — Tech

Attacks —

+Slashing with her dagger

+Invisibility hat for a sneak attack

+Weaving a trap for her enemy (like in MOA)

+Little statues appear and attack (plan 23, TLO)

Catchphrase — I'll show them who's boss

Note, while Annabeth doesn't weave the trap for Arachne herself, she is shown to have superhuman weaving powers at other points in MOA that I think is underutilized, and decided to add it.

Jason Grace:

Element — Air

Attacks —

+Stab with a sword

+Stab with a spear

+Fly

+Summoning a lightning bolt

Catchphrase — These the guys that needs killing? (parody of off HOH)

Note, lightning counts under Air, right? I'm like 90% sure, but if not, change the Lightning to a Tornado with Lightning in it.

Piper McLean:

Element — Magic

Attacks —

+Slashing with katoptris

+Summoning sweets with the cornucopia (in a similar fashion to Food Fight) (MOA)

+Charmspeak — makes an enemy touched by her blade fight its ally for a few attacks

+Blowgun dart (TBM) (the cornucopia can double as a blowgun

Catchphrase — Don't mess with the Beauty Queen

Note, Piper was hard to classify, as her powers don't really fall into any of the elements neatly, but Charmspeak seems magical to me, hence the classification.

Leo Valdez: SWAP FORCE

Elements — Fire(top)/Tech(bottom)

Attacks —

+Boinks enemies on the head with a flaming hammer

+Creates a miniature dragon that can breath fire

+Drops Greek Fire bombs

+Shoots fire from hands

Catchphrase — The Supersized McSizzle at your service

Note, I kept switching whether Fire or Tech was his top half or bottom half, but this was chosen because most of his fire powers come from his hands (ie top) and belts are on the bottom half of Swap Force characters which makes his tool belt, and therefore tech, the bottom half.

Frank Zhang: SWAP FORCE

Elements — Life(top)/Undead(bottom)

Attacks —

+Shooting his bow

+Transforming into a bear and biting

+Grows to twice his size and tramples enemies (blessing of Mars, HOH)

+Summoning a skeleton army to help fight

Catchphrase — Bears with bows? Let's go!

Note, I did contemplate making Frank Life/Fire to do that really iconic scene from Tyrant's Tomb as an attack, but he summons an army twice and only does that once so it got scraped)

Hazel Levesque: Swap Force

Elements — Magic(top)/Earth(bottom)

Attacks —

+Stabbing with her spatha

+Summoning Arion to trample enemies

+Three exploding diamonds near where she stands

+A bunch of diamonds shooting (think like Flashwing)

Catchphrase— Watch out for the diamonds

Note, Hazel was also considered for Undead for obvious reasons, but the other two elements are more prominent in her story

Nico di Angelo:

Element — Undead

Attacks

+Slashing with Stygian Iron sword

+Wall of bones

+Summoning a skeleton army to help attack

+A ghost appears and does an attack

Catchphrase — Fear the Ghost King

Note, Nico was also considered to be duo with Earth for his geokinesis, ie sommoning a wall of stone, but I turned that into bone because I couldn't think of any other Earth attacks for him. Additionally, Dark is not able to be a Swap Force, though it was considered for Shadow Traveling, but I decided against it and leaned more into his undead attacks.

Reyna Ramírez-Arellano:

Element — Magic

Attacks —

+Stab with her javelin

+Summon Aurum and Argentum

+Heal her ally with her own health (transfer health)

+Ride on Scipio for a limited time

Catchphrase — Ave Portal Master

Note, see Piper's, picking an element fot her was difficult. Decided not to add the Hunter stuff since I had other ideas.

[mxtantrights]

Bounded by shadow and blood (18)

azriel x magic!fem!reader

Kynas walks up the steps to Dias. No one in the crowd reacts. He really had them under his control, which was scary. Controlling that much blood at once is not easy and it takes its toll. 

You wonder if that is also why he looks so close to death, or if it’s the other powers running through him. How’d he do that?

“How did you get like this?” You ask.

He smiles at you from your brother’s side. 

“Does my darling wife want to nurse me back to health? That’s sweet.” He snarls.

You wanted to buy time. Amren could have gotten the message but maybe she needed time to get here. And if the wards are down then the whole inner circle could help her. Not that they would help you, but if they knew the shadow singer was in trouble you have no doubt they would do all they could and more.

Your eyes waver over to the man in question. He looks stone cold. And he’s looking right at you. His face isn’t giving anything away. Not even the pain that he’s feeling because of Kynas. 

He really should have left as soon as he got here. 

“Well I think you should at least wear something more appropriate to my throne ceremony.” Kynas says.

You look at him wildly at that. So he did want the throne. Why? Sure power is one of the greatest loves of his life—you never quite made the list. But there were so many ways to get to the throne, why this way?

While you’re not paying attention, your outfit changes. You don’t feel it. Not at first. It’s not until the red sleeves cover your arms that you get it.

You weren’t wearing the clothes from before. Now you were in a red dress. One of the dresses that Kynas had picked out for you to wear at the wedding ceremony. One of the dresses you passed on—and pissed him off.

It was barely a dress. A deep cut down the middle of your chest, only strings to cover your back. The only thing you liked about the dress was the long trail that faded from red to black. 

You reach up to touch your ears. Earrings. And your hand roams down to your neck, a blood pearl necklace no doubt. His favorite. 

“You always wanted me to be docile and obedient but this is a new low.” You bark.

Kynas laughs at that, “No the low would be you giving out your blood to a fae. A lower born fae at that!”

“Who cares?!” You shout back.

At your words Kynas’ eyes shine with amusement. You go slack. Your body temperature rising quickly. You focus on keeping control of your own blood.

“I take it the bastard doesn’t know that its sacred to give blood?” Kynas asks.

“Kynas—“ you start.

But he turns right to the shadow singer. Azriel looks him in the eyes.

“You performed a marriage ritual, did your friend tell you that?” Kynas asks him.

But of course he can’t answer. Azriel struggles against his hold but he can’t break it. You are silently praying for Amren to show up. Or Cassian. Or Morrigan. Maybe even Rhysand. Hell, even Nesta would do at this point.

“I took down the wards, I’m wearing this stupid dress, what more do you want?” You ask, trying to take his attention away from Azriel.

Kynas looks back at you now. He interlocks his fingers together. Menace. Coward. Idiot. 

“I want you to kneel.” He says.

But he’s not commanding or forcing you to do it. You feel his hold on you release. The temperature in your body going back down, ever so slowly even if you feel like you’re on fire from rage.

“Don’t you…dare kneel to him.” Your brother says in between puffs of air.

You look at how he’s struggling. His eyes are turning red. His whole body is trembling. You want to run to him but you can’t. You know that as soon as you do Kynas will do something.

Kynas growls and sends your brother flying down the steps. He rolls and rolls until he lands flat on his stomach. You gasp and take a step closer but as soon as you do, a heavy blood blade forms. The red sword now pointed behind your brother’s skull.

“You will kneel!” Kynas shouts.

You can see your brother resisting. He’s shaking violently now. 

A voice from behind you calls your name. You recognize it as Amren’s voice. You hear other footsteps behind her. You can’t turn back to see them. The shadow on your wrist warms. 

You cannot give your back to Kynas, not when he holds your brother’s life in his hands.

“Never!” Your brother shouts back.

It happens in a matter of seconds, though it feels like eternity. You watch as your brother smiles at you one last time. No matter how forced it looks you will savor it for the rest of your life.

Your brother, breaks out of Kynas’ hold. Kynas doesn’t expect it and stumbles back, his hold on everyone else in the room faltering for a second. A second is all you need.

As you send three blood daggers from your hand, the blood sword that Kynas has pointed at your brother’s head rushes forward. Your daggers hit their intended target. 

Kynas falls on his back with a loud thud. The towns people, gathering their senses, rush away from the front of the room. You however look fro your brother, who is no longer in front of you. The blood blade staked into the floor, but no sign of him.

“Orlin?!” You scream.

“Right here, sister.” 

You turn around. There he is. Your brother, leaning against Cassian by the front of the door. You gather up the ends of your dress and run to him. He grabs a hold of you and brings you in for a hug.

It’s not hard to notice that you are crying. You duck your head down as you brother holds the back of your head.

“I’m so sorry sister,” he whispers.

It’s years of feelings that you’ve held onto pouring out of you at once. Grief, rage, tension, guilt. All of it comes out of you in between broken sobs.

“We’re okay. You saved everyone.” Your brother continues.

You pull away from him, shaking your head, “I didn’t—I mean I couldn’t have done it alone.”

You look over at Amren. She walks over to you and envelopes you in a hug. She whispers in your ear about the blade, and how she came as quick as she could when she realized something was wrong. You thank her over and over again.

From behind you can feel his presence. You turn your head to look. There Azriel is, not a scratch on him. He gives you a once over, you actually watch his eyes search you from head to toe. You have a feeling if no one else was here his shadows would physically make sure you were okay too.

You don’t notice it on first glance. That’s why when you look him over you notice how tense he is. 

“I’m okay,” you start saying.

He starts shaking his head, like he can’t believe it. You move to him at once. You grab his hand and place it at the juncture of your neck and shoulder. He lets out a strangled breath at the feeling of your blood flowing beneath his hand.

You nod your head again, “I’m okay. We’re okay.” 

He nods his head too. 

“Sister,” your brother says.

You pull away from Azriel. A few of his shadows climbing up your arm. You turn to face your brother but when you do you wish you hadn’t. He shows you his hand, which came from the back of his head, and there it is. It’s not blood. You wish it was blood. 

A dark substance coats his hand. You take two large steps to him. But it’s not quick enough. He stumbles into your arms. You go down to the floor with him.

Your brother lay on his back on your knees. You can feel the tears coming down your face again. Red. The color of the tears and all you can feel right now.

“Orlin, please, I can fix it!“ you cry.

He shakes his head.

“He gave his blood to the bog of Oorid. What he got back was slowly killing him.” Your brother says, coughing in between words.

If the blood inside Kynas was killing him, then the same blood he used to form the sword he pointed at your brother…was already in him. When he held him by the blade at the neck and when he nicked the back of his head.

He was already...

“I can take your blood, I can give you mine—“ you start.

All of these options could work. In theory. By taking your brother’s blood you could temporarily heal him. But if it’s been spreading for longer than you think you would have to take much more blood, and he wouldn’t survive that.

You could give him your blood, but that wouldn’t work as a cure. It would only work if you could stop the infection. Which, once again, might have been taking root for a long time.

The scars and bruises on his body. You doubt Kynas would use any other blade than his own blood to hurt your brother. 

“I am your older brother, my job is, was, to protect you. I cannot let you give me your blood.” He speaks.

His voice groggy now. He holds out his hand and you take it in yours

“I should have came sooner. I should have known.” You say.

“It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault, sister. But they are going to look to you know.” 

You let out a shaky breath and look around the room. The towns people are all taking in the scene in front of them. This wasn’t like the death of the council members which you hid from them. They are all witnessing the death of their emperor, right in front of their eyes.

They’re all watching in real time as the throne is being passed from one sibling to the next. From the heir to the spare.

You look back down at your brother, “I can’t do it. I don’t want this.”

“I know,” you brother hacks loudly and a bit of dark liquid comes out of his mouth, “but I know you’ll figure it out.” 

In your grip you feel his hand loosen. You shake your head and keep repeating his name. As if that would simply wake him up from this awful nightmare. When his chest stops rising you gasp.

You hug his body to yours. Even though you can feel it going cold by the second. It doesn’t feel real. You and your brother were supposed to live this life together. Yes you left and he stayed, but it didn’t matter. You weren’t supposed to be the only one left.

You don’t know how long you stay like that. It doesn’t feel like long. It feels like time is passing you by.

And you don’t move from your position until you hear a voice calling you. It’s not Amren, or Azriel. Or anyone from the inner circle. You know this voice like the back of your hand.

You slowly let your eyes trail up, up, up to the door of the throne room. Standing there in the threshold is Semaj. He looks shaken up but you can’t sense any injuries on him. He’s looking at you now with a scared look on his face.

He gets down on one knee and places his hand over his heart. Sadly he bows his head.

“Empress.” He says.

It’s strikes a reaction in the whole room. One by one all of the towns people bend their knee and bow their heads. You even see Amren joining in. They repeat the same word Semaj had said. The same word you had run from your whole life.

Empress.

[squalchinglobotomy]

Two people asked about my AU and because I want to ramble I’m gonna answer them!!!!!!!

(Pic isn’t related I just wanted to add it <3)

This is jst about certain characters and what little lore I gave them:,D like I said!!! Still trying to figure out the character and their stories

OK!!! Starting off with Ignacio because @cupcake-catastrophe11 blew me to all the way to Texas with their drawing!

Ignacio always wanted to be a star, specifically in acting, and he definitely had the face for it. Dare I say he was a pretty young lad before getting his face and (nearly) entire body burned due to a stunt! Because you couldn’t get a place in acting with a face like his, the freak show is where he had to go!

Ignacio has been in the circus for the longest. He’s even picked up some extra talents besides charming the guest, like fire breathing and sword swallowing!

But Atlas (skids dad) and Lila see so much more in him because of how long he’s stayed with them. They gave him a role in preaching to the others; every Sunday when’s it’s time to learn about the one and only god!

-

Now 4 @eyedrateanatomy little questions !!!

Roy and skid are like brothers! Since Roy was abandoned and Skid is an only child, they needed some “family” comfort that wasn’t from someone decades older than them!

Though they aren’t “glued together” close, they do like chatting from time to time and messing around. Sadly, Roy can’t hang out with skid too much, as he has to practice most days and has very little free time.

And Bob just has a gut of steel! He can eat nearly everything you throw at him… seriously! That’s an actual bit he does for guest, lots of wood and metal have perished in his tummy <:D! He was also meant to be the most tatted but I’m not drawing allat. X((

Radford looked mischievous in my drawing becauseee… idk !!! Let’s just say he was being mega homo to Kevin and blew his mind bc Kevin didn’t know gay people existed !!!!

-

This wasn’t asked by anyone but whatever’!!

I wish I could’ve drawn more of the people that were in the circus! But I couldn’t bc I had no more room and I had to save some characters so they could be citizens/workers outside of the carnival.

The chars I didn’t draw (and will dw!!) are:

Actress/Millie(4 legged woman), Rick (ticket taker), Streber(4 pegged pirate), Frank(sells sweets), Lila + Atlas(show runners), and I’ve been thinking about adding these two in bc they would literally have no other purpose in this universe - thin thief & fat thief(can “read each others minds”(they can’t))

-

OK OK I’m gonna shut up now but I wanna talk abt their relationships so baddd!! BUT TAHTS 4LATER

[maidragoste]

Cloack

A little drabble into the past with Harwin Strong.

It is part of the universe of "The Queen and Her Husbands" but it is not necessary to read it to understand since this happens when Reader and Aegon are kids

Reblogs, likes and comments are always appreciated. I hope you like it 🥰🥰💕💕

Disclaimer: English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes. I'm also posting this while I'm half asleep.

Harwin had just returned from his patrol. It was still early so he thought of stopping by your chambers to give you the sweets he had bought you during his patrol. When he arrived at the door of your chambers he heard your crying. Normally he would have knocked on the door before entering but this time he entered without hesitation, letting himself be carried away by worry and panic thinking that someone had managed to enter your chambers and was doing you harm.

Honestly, Harwin didn't know exactly what he expected to see when he entered, but he was relieved to see that there was no dangerous intruder…There was only Aegon. You were kneeling in front of the fire. There was a burning smell but he couldn't find anything in sight that was on fire. Your cheeks were stained with tears and Aegon held your hand carefully.

"What happened?" asked the captain of the city guard.

"The fool burned herself" replied the prince with a frown.

You released yourself from Aegon's grasp, then shoved him with all your might. You caught him off guard so he ended up on the floor. He didn't even have a chance to get back up when you jumped on top of him and started punching him in the chest. "It's your fault"

You are not an aggressive person so both the prince and the captain were surprised by your attitude. Harwin was quick to react and pull you on top of Aegon. The last thing Rhaenyra needed was for you to end up hurting the prince and enraging the queen. The relationship between Princess Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent was already tense enough, and the last thing he wanted was for it to get worse.

"Hey, hey, that's no way to solve problems," Harwin reminded you as he gently grabbed you by the shoulders. "Do you want to tell me what he did to you?"

"I didn't do anything to her," Aegon said, offended that someone thought he would be able to hurt you. "All I did was prevent you from burning further," He said looking straight into your eyes hating being the reason for your anger and sadness

"You burned the cloak I made for Aemond!" you said furiously as you tried to hold back your tears.

Oh sure, Harwin knows which cloak you were talking about. You had been making that cloak for weeks, whenever he came to see you you proudly showed him your process and asked if he thought Aemond would like it. You took the trouble to learn how to embroider a sword and a dragon. Even he heard Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey complain that you didn't want to play with them because you were busy sewing. You had put too much dedication into it for Prince Aegon to burn it like nothing. Now he understood the reason for your anger.

"It's just a stupid cloak! It wasn't even well made, surely Aemond would have been embarrassed to wear that!”

Aegon was still angry and surprised at how you didn't hesitate to stick your hand into the flames in an attempt to save the cloak you made for Aemond. You could have gotten badly burned just because of that stupid cape.

Harwin was surprised by the prince's words and actions. He knew that normally Aegon wouldn't do anything to hurt you. It's not like it's a secret that Rhaenyra's brother had a devotion to you and he seemed ready to do anything you told him to. So Harwin did not understand why the prince's attitude.

"Good, then I'll save you the embarrassment of wearing yours!" You walked over angrily and grabbed the other cloak you'd made before throwing it into the fire.

"You made me a cloak?" asked the prince with a choked voice and red cheeks.

"I do." you answered with a frown"But you're an idiot and you don't deserve it"

Now the one who seemed to want to jump into the fire to get the cloak was Aegon. Harwin wanted to laugh as he realized the reason for the prince's attitude. Kids could be such jerks sometimes. Aegon had only burned the cloak out of jealousy because he thought you hadn't done anything to him and he was jealous that his brother had something of yours and he didn't. The prince wanted to be the only one to have your attention and your gifts. He didn't want to share you with Aemond.

"My prince, why don't you go find the maester so he can see the princess's burn?" Harwin asked to save Aegon from further embarrassing himself. Now that the fire had completely consumed the cloak, he looked as if he were about to cry.

"I'm sorry" the prince murmured before almost running out of your chambers.

The next day Harwin wasn't surprised to see Aegon with a black eye and how he looked like an abandoned dog because you ignored him and stuck to Aemond.

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[raayllum]

THE WAY THE FROZEN SHIP IS CALLED THE "RAY OF ILLUMINATION" + RAYLLUM LIGHT MOTIF... (also how the ship is consumed by light in the form of flame – rayla/callum's love for her is going to be what (temporarily) sinks due to callum's posession... CHET...)

ALSO CALLUM FOLLOWING IN VIREN'S FOOTSTEPS AND VIREN DYING THIS SEASON (for real this time) SO THERE'S SOMEHOW EVEN MORE EVIDENCE FOR CALLUM DYING A METAPHORICAL DEATH AKA POSESSION, BY DOING DARK MAGIC AS SOME SORT OF SACRIFICE I'M NORMAL-

(sorry for flooding your notes and this but aa i love your metas so much, i'd NEVER think of the show in the same way had i not read them and there would be so many details i missed (eg both things above) – thank you so much for every one!)

(aah i always appreciate seeing you in my notes, no apologies ever needed!! that's so sweet and i'm so happy it makes you appreciate our amazing show even more!)

And honestly I think a lot about how the boat only starts breaking after Rayla says "Make the sacrifice," and then Callum ("every step forward is a choice") stumbles backwards. And then he makes her promise to sacrifice him as they watch it burn and sink? Which is what'll happen if they don't choose each other over everything? Yeah.

The boat name being a way to spell Rayllum but also continuing with the ever present light connotations, Lux Aurea's great light falling to dark magic sickness, and Katolis being burned to the ground, and the boat's destruction bringing these two things together in some ways.

The Viren-Callum dying parallel — one literal as you pointed out, and one less literal is also one I've mulled over a lot since s6's release. Callum and Viren's mirrored arcs in S6 are largely resolved in 6x06, with both of them facing/finding their truth, which allows Callum to repair a relationship (embracing his light) and causes Viren to realize it's better to leave it as is (burning the letter, returning to that emphasis on fire his character often has, which honestly might be worth a meta someday).

Like... Viren swore off dark magic, and then did it to save everyone (at Soren's request) and Soren himself (despite his willingness to lay himself down), and it was the Right Thing To Do, even if that meant sacrificing his Human!! heart and his life. And the potential parallels of Callum having sworn off dark magic again (2x08 / 6x06) and then doing it again to save his heart because he refuses to sacrifice Rayla, even if that means sacrificing himself (to dark magic corruption / Aaravos' control as a metaphorical death, or desired death at her swords in a more literal sense) because it's the Right Thing To Do ("do the right thing. make the sacrifice" can be subjective as hell, after all). And of course he'll get saved afterwards and end up not dead but like... it'd really bring their foils relationship full circle I think in all the best ways (Viren hesitating and then giving up his life; Callum never hesitating but being saved, etc etc.) and I'm really hoping that's the path we're on tbh

[detectivereads]

Batman: Wayne Family Adventures Vol 3 by CRC Payne & Starbite

5/5

This post is for Fan entertainment, I’m not being paid.

Now this is probably one of my favorite cover art (althrough I do like volume 1 food fight.)

Ok this volume compared to volume 2 this one was rather skinny. But hey a new Batfam book I am ok with that.

Right off the bat (ha!) Chapter one was funny to read, even superheroes can have fun in a friendly game of paintball assassin. However, they must do it without Bruce finding out. This chapter was crazy on how resourceful each of the kids and a few of the adults are.

Ch 2. shows not to mess with Barbra and her mad tech skills. By doing routine stuff making sure that the Batfam and Wayne family are ok online. Babs finds something most interesting on a dating site. Jason is looking for his partner in crime, which I thought was really sweet and it was adorable when Babs started to lightly tease but she also reassures him that it’s ok.

In the later chapters I saw why Alfred has given a lifelong ban to Bruce from the kitchen. Bruce is too easily distracted and sets a pan on fire while reading and talking to Clark.

Later both Red Hood and Orphan were teaching Signal or trying to break a habit that he has been doing. Signals have been using doors instead of crashing through windows or walls to stop the bad guys. While both Red Hood and Orphan have made valid arguments about the merits of going through the window, bit Signal also turns the lesson back on them about the element of surprise, if you normally going through a window or wall to often the bad guy would be expecting them.

Now from the original broody comics I know both Tim and Damin are the closest, but one chapter has them comes to terms, that it took a lot for Tim to go from Robin to Red Robin. He loved being Robin. While Damin had to deal with his upbringing and being the newest Robin, he has a lot to live up too. Damin has heard how great Tim is and is trying to be the best Robin in his own way.

Yes, little Damin has insecurities, because he thinks he has some big shoes to fill on being the next Robin. Sometimes it’s nice to step back and look at a different perspective, that Damin may seem to be this confident person but deep down, he is still a kid. (With a sword.)

The last chapter that I like to read is the one where Harley gets hurt, and Pamela comes to see her (yes I love these two!) poor Harley is on powerful pain meds that puts her to sleep. Now this leave Pamela and Spoiler and Orphan together, which they get some bonding time. Pam teaches them how to care for plants properly.

This volume is just a hodge-podge of coziness, they do have some seriousness in here, but I think its really balance.

But I did really like the one on one that Tim and Damin did, and I would like to see more of that in future chapters. Don’t get me wrong, I like the cozy crime fighting family, but I know that the Batfam has their rough patches.

[stellar-solar-flare]

From the wip ask!

7. What is your favorite scene you’ve written so far?

I'm answering this on For Centuries since that's the one I've most recently worked on.

Spoilers for chapter... 12 of Centuries, if you haven't read that, under the cut.

So I love the entire scene of Steve and Archduchess having their peace talk and finally communicating and trying to see things from the POV of the other.

But the scene of Archduchess finally being comfortable enough to tell Steve what she really thinks to his face has to be my favorite; it's also a very important scene for the future.

⚔️.

He looked at you for a brief moment, and you could tell from the clouds gathering on his brow that he was wondering of unpleasant things, of the people and their reasons of being in your bedroom. He took another breath, and the tone was almost comically official considering the words:

“That reminds me; I would be… pleased, if you would reside on the upper level with me, after we have been wedded. But if you wish to keep these rooms, if you wish for some marital… arrangement of looking the other way to be established, then —“

Fire leaped in you at his words; you could almost feel the flames licking your insides, and if this was one more line of proper crossed piled on top of every other breach of etiquette, then so be it.

“Stop it!”

The scalding words had already left your tongue before you truly realized that you were commanding your husband-to-be, and by then it was too late for regrets, so you continued:

“I do not want an arrangement of any sorts,” you said, stepping back even as you kept your eyes in his. “I want a husband. I want someone who cares whether or not he’s married to me, someone who wants me to be his wife. And if I have misread your every deed, if you truly consider me such an unfortunate consequence of falling into whatever trap King Stark set for you in Ridgeshire, at least have the guts to break the betrothal off yourself instead of repeatedly attempting to push me out the door! If you don’t wish me to be yours, truly yours, then please do that and save us both from the misery of some arrangement!”

The flames didn’t burn you; no, their crackling hunger was comforting, and you could feel them spreading onto the restraints you’d let yourself be bound by all these years, the sound of the ropes snapping almost audible in your ears. Whatever had escaped from its cage when you’d allowed yourself to show your teeth at Sir Barnes, you weren’t so interested in catching it and shoving it back into its cage.

Was this how it was to want, to desire, to reach, to take what you wanted regardless of what the world thought of it? Was this the sweetness of the wine Emperor Rogers had drunk with his blade when he had decided that the world had nothing to offer him, so the world could burn?

Gods, you would lick its taste off his sword when the time was ripe.

Just like Sir Barnes, Emperor Rogers was staring at you like you’d suddenly gained another form, and finally, he swallowed, shaking his head as if trying to drive away a ghost he thought he’d seen. For a brief moment, you thought about the gross overstep you had just made, and yet, the knowledge didn’t quite seem to reach you through the fire that had ignited.

“I didn’t…” he whispered, more to himself, and then he was moving.

With two long strides, Emperor Rogers was standing in front of you again, and his hands cupped your face. His bare hands, on your bare skin. Cradling your jaw from both sides, tilting your head gently up.

He was touching you, standing so close that it certainly was the furthest thing from appropriate, his head slightly nodding down as if he wished to kiss you. His eyes were riveted on your face, and it was obvious you weren’t the only one having trouble controlling your emotions.

And gods, you didn’t want to. You had had enough of that.

⚔️.

[shadowsageingempress]

Tierlist of the Twilight Princess costumes from Hyrule Warriors Legends.

Costumes and explanations below the cut.

While Warriors did get a costume based on Twi (which I will show later), his normal costume for the Twilight adventure map seems to be based on the rare chu jelly powerup. While I don't hate the gold on Warriors, I think it could have been done better. It's not great, but it's far from terrible.

I think Impa's design from Skyward Sword might be my favorite one, and that version herself is my second favorite (only behind the one from Ocarina of Time). So I obviously love this look for the Hyrule Warriors version of Impa. The dark blue clothes look perfect with the red and orange highlights and her pale blond hair.

I think that Lana's outfit is based on Warriors', kind of like Cia's Masterquest outfit. The multiple greens work well together and especially with the blue cloak and her hair. Solid design.

I'm 90% sure that this Sheik costume is based on the concept art for her scrapped appearance in Twilight Princess. If that's the case, then that's really cool. As for the costume itself, it's good, but nothing too special.

I'm pretty sure that this costume is what made the Zelda team make Flower's main outfit in Breath of the Wild blue, because damn does Valor look awesome. The slightly silvery metal that her armor looks to be made of compliments this cooler colored dress.

Holy sweet flowers of Hell in a handbasket. I love this coloration for Ganondorf! The black metal and cloth of his armor. The gold trim. The orange hair and red crown. Gods, I love it!

Even though the changes made to Darunia's appearance in his costume aren't as drastic as some of the others, I actually like it quite a bit. The face and body paints look really nice and blend well with his subtly paler skin. He also looks really cool with that white mane.

Ruto's Twilight map outfit appears to be based on Rutella. I find it pretty similar to her Great Sea outfit being based on Laruto, partly because it's thematically appropriate and partly because she looks really good. She's very pretty in ponk.

Agitha has apparently evolved from normal goth to pastel goth. I can respect that, and she looks really good. Not much else to say.

Midna's costume gives off vibes of shadow turning to light, which I think fits very well for her, both in terms of theme and aesthetic. The cyan markings being turned gold and the visible paler stone of the Fused Shadow just have this aura of light, but at the same time, she still retains her distinctly shadowy beauty. This is one costume begging for an artistic rendition, and I would be happy to do so.

Apparently for this costume, Midna decided to revive Zant's spirit for the sole purpose of stabbing him to death again. Okay, jokes aside, I really love the phantom Zant inspired costume. The colors and slight translucency are already some of my favorite traits for design just in general. Also his scimitars also being affected by this change is the cherry on top and looks cool as hell.

Fi's Light Spirit outfit is easily one of the most beautiful out of the Twilight Princess themed outfits. It might also be the case that this is what she would look like after the Master Sword is infused with the two Sols, which I think is a cool idea. Also, I remember seeing an artist joke about her looking like a lemon meringue pie with this outfit, so that gives her a few bonus points.

Another outfit inspired from another game, Ghirahim takes on the appearance he had in his Fire Sanctuary boss fight. I think the black on his arms look pretty cool and I appreciate the reference. There probably could have been another reference made with this one, maybe one to Twilight Princess, but I like this one for what it is.

With this costume, Lana and Cia can dress as each other for Halloween. And she looks really good. I'm a bit disappointed that her hair wasn't changed to blue, but the cool colors of her clothes make up for the lost potential.

Volga's costume is suitably goth for Twilight Princess, and it looks awesome on him. Like with Ganondorf's, the gold lining of the armor adds a lot to this outfit. It's simple, but it's very well executed

I think this is probably my favorite of Wizzro's costumes, maybe even better than his normal one. It's obviously inspired by the Twilight Princess poes, which are already cool looking, so not only does the costume thematically fit, but it slaps harder than he does. I think his eye being blue is my favorite detail, but the pale robes looking slightly singed around the edges is a close second.

Bonus: Also reviewing the other character-based costumes because the tierlist doesn't have options for them

I've probably made it no secret that the Twilight Princess incarnation of Link is easily my favorite. So I was obviously going to like the costume based on him. While Warriors does lack the kindness in his eyes that Twi has, I still love this costume and regularly use it while pretending to play as Twi. S tier.

I think the postman uniform is a joke costume. I did chuckle a bit when I first saw it, but it's nothing to write home about (pun not intended). C tier.

I was fully prepared to hate the Cassiopeia inspired outfit for Valor on principle alone. But I actually think it's pretty nice. I like the dress, hair and crown, and Valor looks much warmer and kinder than Cassiopeia ever could. A tier.

I never got too attached to Ilia as a character when I played Twilight Princess, so I don't have any strong feelings about the outfit for Valor based on her. I do, however, think the idea of the town horse girl beating up monsters to be funny, so that's worth something. B tier.

Finally, the Era of Twilight armor for Ganondorf. This was already one of my favorite designs for the character, so I'm obviously going to like it here. S tier.

[intheticklecloset]

Motivational Squeaker (Black Clover)

Summary: Finral unintentionally finds himself without an assigned chore during a work day, so Magna takes it upon himself to give him a way to be useful.

A/N: Finral is undoubtedly one of my favorite Black Clover characters! He's such a sweetheart, and watching his character development has been amazing. Poor boy tends to get brushed off a lot, though, hence the desire to write a Finral appreciation fic! Short but sweet - enjoy!

Word Count: 1018

~~~

Winter had come to the Clover Kingdom, and with it came all of the chores associated with winter. Insulating the headquarters, gathering firewood, pulling out the heavier blankets for everyone’s rooms, and so on. Today was the day designated to getting it all done, and everyone was on the move.

Asta had been sent out to chop the firewood with his sword, giving him the opportunity to train and get work done at the same time. Magna and Luck were making trips back and forth from him to the storage space inside the Bulls’ headquarters where they kept it all once it was chopped, Noelle and Vanessa were swapping the sheets and blankets on everyone’s beds, and even Gray and Charmy had found things to do to help.

Finral, meanwhile, found himself without an assigned chore, through some miracle (or curse) or other.

Honestly, he was surprised he hadn’t been assigned to firewood duty with the others; Yami almost always had him taxi the firewood from the forest to the base itself to save everyone the extra hassle, but not this time, for reasons unknown. He wanted to help somehow, but with everyone seeming so efficient already, he also didn’t want to get in the way.

He was just beginning to wonder if maybe he should try to do some general cleaning when Magna burst through the door with an armful of logs just a minute after Luck had departed to get another round himself.

“Yo, Finral,” Magna grunted as he lay his stack in the storage area and stretched his back. “What are you doing to help, lazy bones? Just standing there watching us all work?”

Finral wilted a little, but he tried to shrug it off. “Captain Yami didn’t assign me anywhere, so I was just about to start dusting or mopping or…or something.”

Magna gave him a disbelieving look. “Captain Yami didn’t assign you anywhere. Are you sure he didn’t want you to be our taxi like usual and you’re just trying to get out of it?”

“No!” Finral snapped, then realized how it sounded. “I mean, yes, I’m sure! He didn’t, so I’m…I’m trying to find a way to make myself useful. I swear I’m not…lazy.” The brunette let out a huff and dropped his eyes. “Just forgotten.”

“Ouch, dude.” Magna’s voice had softened, and he brushed off his hands as he walked over to his teammate. “I’m sure you’re not forgotten. Listen, I didn’t mean to come off so harsh, okay?”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

“Hey.” The fire mage put a hand on his shoulder and shook him once, looking over the rims of his sunglasses to make eye contact. “I’m sorry. You’re not lazy. Well, you are, but I know you’re not trying to be now.”

Finral hated how his insides felt like they were being crushed the more Magna showed pity on him. The delinquent never showed pity on him; he must really be showing off how pathetic he was to get this kind of attention from his teammate.

“It’s fine,” he said again, shrugging him off. “I’ll just go get the cleaning supplies and get to work.”

Magna caught his arm as he turned to leave. “I have a better way you can be useful.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Like this,” Magna said before shoving his hands up into the brunette’s underarms and wiggling.

“Ah! Ahahahaha, wahahahahahait!” Finral squealed, clamping his arms to his sides futilely, squirming and twisting. “Nohohohohoho, whahahahahat are you dohohohohoing?!”

“Messing with you is giving me motivation to keep working hard. It’s like a reward for doing so well out there.” Magna’s grin was wicked, but his voice was playful. He caught Finral by his shirt when he tried to twist away and wrapped an arm around his waist, hugging him close and digging his fingers into his side. “Ah-ah-ah, where do you think you’re going?”

“Plehehehehehehease!” Finral cackled, hands gripping Magna’s arm weakly.

The fire mage chuckled and wormed his fingers underneath his teammate’s hoodie to squeeze his hip. Finral shrieked and arched so hard Magna nearly lost his grip on him.

“GAHAHAHAHA STAHAHAHAHAP!! YOUR FIHIHIHINGERS ARE COHOHOHOLD!!”

Magna held him tighter and growled playfully, “Never tell me my fingers are cold, you little pipsqueak. Fire is my specialty.”

“THEHEHEHEHEN WAHAHAHAHARM THEM UP!! GAHAHAHAHAHA PLEHEHEHEASE!!”

“Nah. If it makes you laugh like this, I think I’ll let them stay a little chilly.”

Finral screeched with laughter and squirmed helplessly in Magna’s arms, trying and failing to shove him away from his hips and waist. He didn’t know how he’d found himself in this situation, but he was losing his mind from the ticklish sensations and was more than ready to get out.

“MAHAHAHAHAHAGNA, PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE!! PLEASE, STAHAHAHAHAHAP!!”

Thankfully his friend seemed to understand he meant it, and he ceased his tickling but didn’t loosen his grip on Finral until he knew he would be able to stay upright on his own. Then Magna chuckled and punched his shoulder lightly.

“There, see? Don’t you feel better now? I’ll make sure to tell Luck that you’re our motivational squeaker for today, and to make sure and see you when he comes back in.” With that, Magna offered a smile and a salute and turned to head back out into the cold.

“M-Motivational…don’t you mean speaker?” Finral stammered, confused.

“No, I mean squeaker. Because when we tickle you, you squeak like a mouse. But today, it’s motivational!”

Then he was gone.

Finral felt his heart race in nervous anticipation. His immediate instinct was to hide, but then he knew Luck would just come hunting him down, and that would be even more terrifying than simply standing there waiting for him to come tickle him; Luck was even more ruthless than Magna when it came to tickle fights.

He really should go find those cleaning supplies and get to work. Then again, if he was in the middle of something and Luck – or anyone, really – started tickling him by surprise…

Finral shivered, a hesitant smile playing at his lips.

This was going to be a very interesting winter work day.

[alovelyburn]

WIP! WIP! WIP!

Usually when these festivals come around I try to get something together and contribute to the cause. This time I was unable to finish... because I found out about it rather late, and also had a lot going on in my real life.

But I did start something. So I'm dropping the first part of the WIP on you guys; no idea if it really qualifies for inclusion in @griffgutsweekend but I'm cool either way.

All the thanks to @zombiesgohome for basically being my cowriter on the beginning of this - she's my Guts expert. Also bear in mind this is a first draft, ok, be kind.

Quick Background: many many years ago, by which I mean in like 2014, someone told me they'd like to see me try to tackle a romance between current canon Guts and Griffith. It took a while but here we are.

It's called Thirst Drove Me to the Water.

1.

The room has already been thoroughly trashed by the time Griffith opens the door. Before him like broken furniture and upturned chairs. All the vases have been  emptied of their white flowers – their water soaked through the plush rug and dripping down white marble walls. An overturned table has been split in two, and gashes mar the walls where that oversized sword bit through the marble.

It’s unsurprising and yet somehow disappointing. Still, Griffith’s expression remains, as always, stubbornly impartial. Around him, the room ripples and shifts – an invisible wave that runs over the room and leaves all as it was, before. Immaculate. Untouched.

His guest seems less than impressed by this.

Guts stares at Griffith from his place on the floor, his one eye smoldering with black fire, his famous sword resting across his knees.

“You sure took your sweet time showing your face,” he says. There’s a sharp edge to his tone, and a growl deep in his throat. “Finally remembered I was here?” He looks like a caged animal. It’s appropriate.

Griffith tips his head just slightly. “I didn’t forget,” he says, “You’ve been pounding against my barriers all day. I thought I would give you a moment to collect yourself.” Griffith glances over the room to where a small table stands, off to the side, away from the center of the now corrected chaos. He’d had a basket of fruit and bread brought to Guts’ rooms as soon as Guts himself was sent there, unconscious, and still bleeding. Griffith hadn’t tended the wounds himself. He wouldn’t have trusted himself to. He looks at Guts. “Have you eaten?” It’s a question of propriety. From here, he can see the half-eaten bread and apple cores.

“What the hell do you care?” Guts snaps. Despite his words, Griffith catches sight of Guts’ gaze as it moves to the table.

Griffith untips his head. “Hm.” He moves to the table quietly, his fingers dragging over the polished wood, the white lace cloth that protects it.

Typically, when one stays silent during an exchange long enough, the other person eventually feels the need to fill that gap. Guts is a man of few words, yes, but unless he’s changed considerably more than he seems to have done, he is also a man without much impulse control. Griffith, being far more curious about what Guts might say than interested in talking, himself, remains silent.

A moment later, Guts pulls himself to his feet. His sword plants itself in the carpeting and the floor beneath it as easily as it would plant itself into soft ground and grass. The sound of steel splitting marble rumbles, swallowed by the thickness of the carpet. “So, what is this?” he asks. His expression hardened as his gaze. “Some kind of game? Is being King too boring for you? If you’re gonna kill me just do it.”

“Impatient as always,” Griffith says.  It occurs to him that Guts is still in his armor. “And always so demanding for a mad dog.”

“You got some nerve calling me mad.” Guts’ muscles clench. Griffith can see every emotion running over his face, settling in his neck – the tension in his shoulders, the clenching of his jaw. “I ain’t the one who—”

“You can list my sins until morning and I won’t be any more enlightened than I am now.” Griffith’s voice cuts the air – sharp and soft as it is. “You invaded my home and tried to kill me, yet I have been nothing but cordial.” With some minor exceptions. Even now, he can remember the rush of battle, Guts’ steel against his. He had played along, but in the end only one outcome could have come about... and it did.

“Now that we’re here,” Griffith says softly. “Feel free to swing your sword as much as you like. It will do you no more good than it did the last time... or the time before that.”

The weight of that massive sword hits the ground with a crash that jolts the floor... and just that quickly, Guts is rushing at Griffith, his armored fist swinging. Griffith stands motionless for a moment, watching the light catch on the edges of that so-sharp black armor. Watching the barely burning fire in Guts’ eye turn to an inferno. And then, just when Guts is there – only a few short feet away, Griffith reaches up and grabs that fist in the bare palm of his hand... and holds it.

They are close – close enough for Griffith to feel the feather-light stirring of Guts’ breath. That one eye widens in—fear? Panic? It isn’t rage, not this time. There’s something savage inside Griffith that smiles at that reaction. His fingers curl down, and he feels the metal creak, just at the edge of bending, or snapping. One never knows with cursed items.

It's enough to make his point, at least, in that second before he lets go.

“You really never change,” Griffith says, voice quiet but not quite soft. “I would have thought you’d learn to control yourself between the Hill and today.” He flexes his fingers. “You should have tried a slap.”

Guts snaps his armored fist back, pressed to his chest. “What the hell is this? If you ain’t gonna kill me, if you won’t fight... what is this, just some kind of cage? I’m just your prisoner, now?”

“If I release, you’ll just keep coming after me.” Griffith runs his tongue along the inside of his lips. He can almost taste the bitterness on his tongue. “So, yes, I suppose you are.” He looks away from Guts, toward the floor length windows. From here, inside  an obscure corner of one of the palace’s towers, Outside, he can see Falconia spread out before them like a painting – the view from the sky. “Well,” he says, “If you say you will leave here and move on with your life – give up your vendetta and leave me be – then perhaps I will let you go.”

“Like hell I will.” The answer comes too quickly. Griffith almost laughs; Guts says, “You know damn well I won’t.”

He does know. Or, rather, he suspected.

“That being the case,” Griffith says. “Here we are.”

“Yeah, here we are.” Guts raises his head, his back straightening to his full height. It must be terribly intimidating to anyone who isn’t Griffith. “So now what? You can’t just shove me in a box and come by when you wanna be smug for a while.”

“That’s a presumptuous accusation. I don’t recall saying I would be coming back.”

Griffith hears his own voice – hard as marble and just as cold. Guts hasn’t moved. His hand remains pressed to his chest, and outside, the sun is growing crimson with the coming night. Griffith watches the red light dye the white buildings; somehow his gaze refuses to land on the man in front of him, no matter how close he stands. And he’s never had a difficult time finding things to say – it was only ever a matter of whether he had anything that needed saying. Now, nothing that comes to mind will make its way past his lips.

Best to leave. Griffith sighs. “I don't suppose there's much purpose to my staying here any longer. I thought I should explain the situation. But I'll have servants set aside to attend to your needs. There's no need to disturb your... equilibrium any farther.”

“You send your servants in here, you ain’t getting them back.”

Griffith glances at Guts. Lines of tension run up his neck.

“Would you kill them for bringing you breakfast? Not all of them are demons.”

“Fine by me. I don't just kill demons.” Guts shrugs his heavy shoulders... but the casualty of it is affected.

Guts’ face is just as tense, just as angry. ...it’s frightened, too... though it isn’t immediately clear what it is he’s frightened of. Griffith himself, perhaps? That would make sense... though it seems somewhat incongruent with Guts’ personality to show it in this kind of situation.  

No. It’s something else.

Griffith is quiet for a time, assessing Guts’ body language, the way his eye burns. Anger, frustration and fear. If he thinks about it, it shouldn’t be surprising. After all, who knows abandonment and imprisonment better than Griffith?

 “I see,” He says. “I wouldn’t have thought you would want me to come back.”

Something flashes in Guts’ eye – surprise, yes, and then a wall of stone to block out Griffith’s sight... or maybe Guts’ perception of himself. For a moment, Guts is just. Silent. Motionless. He opens his mouth... even so, it takes a moment for him to find his voice.

“I didn’t say—” Three words, and then his voice fails quiet again.

Griffith looks to the table not so far away – the apple core and half-eaten bread.

“Very well,” he says, quietly. “I'll bring you your meals personally. At least for now.” He takes a deep breath and turns toward the door. It’s only a few steps off; he takes hold of the latch – silver and engraved with feathery markings, like most things in Falconia.

“Heh.” It isn’t an actual laugh. Feet away, Guts’ weight shifts. Griffith can hear the clanging metal; it shifts, but doesn’t approach. “Never thought this was gonna end with a damn God Hand offering to bring me dinner.”

“We are not one body, Guts.” Griffith looks at his hand – long fingers wrapped around the silver latch while the metal warms. “Each of us has our own goals, our own priorities, and our own experiences. I am what I am... but I am still Griffith.”

The armor shifts behind him again, and it’s so quiet. Griffith doesn’t look back. “Whatever has become of what we were... you were once the most important thing in this world, to me.” It’s surprisingly easy to say. Perhaps because it’s no longer true. “I will honor that.”

And then, without waiting for a response, he opens the door and steps into the hallway beyond.

* * *

Guts stares at the door long past its closing, his heart pounding violently in his chest. In that moment, hot rage and cold sorrow rushing through him, he doesn’t know whether to scream or cry.

[blueberrypancakesworld]

I will protect you in the time to come

Aegon Targaryen (son of Aenys i) x fem!reader

warning : comfort, fluff, kiss, small wound, implied fight, small angst

Summary : During the royal walk, the carriage carrying the Prince of Dragonstone is stopped by the faithful and his chambermaid is harmed…the young prince must be angry about the interruption, right? And why is a tincture brought to her? But above all, what is the prince doing outside her room in the evening?

Info : I didn't think it would start with Aeon the uncrowned but the tragedy is just too good not to make it a little better with some sweet stuff. Alse have fun ;)

cover by me

masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the year twenty-seven after Aegon's conquest, the second child of Queen Ayssa was born, a boy named Ageon like his grandfather. Aegon the uncrowned as he would go down in the books of the Masters and the minds of men.

A young man who looked more like his grandfather than his own son. Aegon a skillful fighter with axe and sword well-bred and more elegant and kind than his uncle Maegor could ever be.

A good prince, a prince who, however, in the year forty-one after Aegon's conquest at fifteen, still had no dragon. His violet eyes on the sky, his hands wrapped around his sister's body to keep from falling off Dreamfyre, his older sister Rhaena's dragon. ,,I can see why you like flying so much," he told her a little louder to fight the wind that seemed so much stronger up here than on the ground.

He heard her laugh, her courageous and determined manner, what was once shy without Dreamfyre was now a young woman who seemed to take after her grandmother. ,,Then hold on tight because it's going down!" she shouted and one command later the dragoness swooped down seeming to break through clouds and tame the wind while the followers on the ground waiting for the two highborn looked on with wonder and concern.

Aegon held on tighter and closed his eyes for a moment he knew what the dragon was to his family but he himself...he was a prince without a dragon the second generation after the conquest and a man without a dragon...a shame.

But it wasn't just him who had thoughts, but also the king and the people, thoughts and whispers that disappeared with the roar of Dreamfyre, who landed with a swirl of dust in the courtyard of Dragonstone.

The non-violet eyes of the girl of the same age rested on the prince as she watched him rise from the dragon and look happier than his princess sister. ,,I hope the flight was pleasant, my prince?" she asked, walking slightly behind him, her gaze narrowed even though she glanced at him from time to time.

To the side, she could see the bright white moon-colored hair, the violet eyes and the axe on his belt. ,,As pleasant as a flight with my dragon sisters can be...says father has contacted me?" the prince asked, stopping for a moment at the entrance to the tower, surprising her who thought he was going in and showing the chambermaid surprise.

She nodded and handed him the letter with the royal seal, ,,It arrived during the river, my prince," she said and felt his warmth, a fire in the prince as he took the letter from her, his fingertips touching only a moment before he decided to leave with a ,,Thank you".

A letter a hearing with a father, a letter that had an effect a letter that caused him to marry his elder sister a match that was foreseeable, the flights together and that they got along well was just one thing and yet it was a political marriage.

A fact that not only Aegon and Rhaena were aware of but also she knew that it was a dream a daughter of the master at arms a reverie nothing more and yet it had to come.

The feast on Dragonstone, though full of money and rich in food and wine, was a feast in which the widow queen Visenya stormed out, enraged by her nephew's decision.

A wedding in which the young chambermaid was also present at the back tables to see Lady Flame as he had always called her...at least before the wedding. A nickname for dragons not for me she thought and took another bite of the meat pie as she looked at the dance floor and saw the siblings dancing a dragon dance together and singing in Valyrian.

,,We'll find you a good match, daughter, ,,I've already found a few knights with land," her father, who was standing next to her, pulled her out of her thoughts and she looked at his hard face, the slightly white beard and the sword on one side that he always wore.

Her father could be gracious and domineering and above all stubborn about a decision she painfully knew she would have to make.

,,Yes father that would be nice" she replied and looked down at her plate and fork and suppressed a sigh My days on Dragonstone and with him are gone she thought sadly and took a big sip of the wine floating in her cup she didn't want to think about it now.

Unaware that a pair of eyes was on her and a look just as sad was searching for hers sooner or later. And so the wedding passed and the royal progress through royalty was about to begin a journey that was ill-starred.

The couple boarded the great carriage together with their servants who sat opposite them and offered food and drink when the couple requested it. ,,Have a nice journey my princes and princesses," she greeted them and bowed slightly, stepping aside to give them a nod and a hint of a smile from Rhaena, but from Aegon came a ,,Thank you, we will have that with your help," a fact that amused him and made him smile, much to the chagrin of his wife who was annoyed that she couldn't ride Dreamfyre.

Closing the door and the horses moving, the royal frog-step began and out of the castle onto the streets of the great city, a journey that would only be interrupted by minutes of joy.

They both looked at the future queen, who looked beautiful in a reddish dress with black dragons embroidered on it and golden rings with precious stones that emphasized her violet eyes.

But he, Aegon, whom she had known for years, looked like a king, his robe dark with golden red embellishments and a ring with an onyx and ruby that looked like flames in the light, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword and his axe hidden under his cloak.

But when his eyes settled on hers with a gleam of knowledge, she glanced hastily at her shot, not seeing the smirk and the way he leaned forward. ,,Two goblets of wine, please, my maids" he said happily, and she and the others set about offering the two goblets she already had in her hands and was about to hand them to the two of them when a sudden jolt went through the carriage.

Not strong enough to overturn it, but it was enough to spill a little of the wine. There was silence for a moment before Aegon stood up and opened a small flap to look at one of his companions, ,,What happened?" he asked and saw that it was no longer just the people who had gathered around them.

He saw the rainbow-colored stars, the followers of the faith of the seven, throwing dirt at the carriage and making threats. ,,The followers of the faith, my prince, we should get out of here," the royal household heard inside and the chambermaid held the other two behind her protectively, putting her arm in front of them to protect them, who were another two years younger.

,,If I had taken Dreamfyre with me," she heard Rhaena murmur, crossing her arms and not at all happy with the situation, but there was also worry in her violet eyes.

Humans seemed to be deadlier than dragons. Only moments later, there was the sound of screams, the neighing of horses and the first shouts of betrayal. The carriage was suddenly lifted and the people inside came crashing to the ground, and another crash barely set the hood right again.

Dizziness briefly ran through her vision as she lay on and under her fellow servants trying to help them up and then the princess holding on to the wood. ,,Go out to one of the attendants on horseback!" she called to Rhaena, helping her up as best she could and opening the door to the back where one of the lords pulled the princess onto the back of the horse and rode back to the castle.

The prince Aegon she thought and wanted to rush back into the carriage when someone grabbed her by her white hood and tore some hair off her head. Her scream was drowned out by the crowd and she turned around to see the hate-filled eyes of the faithful, ,,She's under there, she's part of the pack!" shouted one of the priests and hands grabbed her dress, seeming to want to pull her into the crowd for worse.

Rushing to the carriage, she kicked one of the men away as best she could, grabbed the door and was about to enter when something sharp hit her arm and the first weapons were drawn. ,,Come here, hold on!" shouted a familiar voice and inside the carriage stood Aegon, who grabbed her by the hand and pulled her inside, her fear-filled eyes meeting his determined, angry gaze.

,,Stay with me, flame," he said more calmly and actually held her tighter before he reached for his sword and opened the door, behind which one of the last vassals was already waiting and the two of them jumped onto the carriage horse, he pulled her up and held her, not letting her go, not handing her over to the pack and Aegon untied the ropes.

,,Back to the castle, away from these unworthy bastards!" he shouted the order before the young prince and the rest of them made their way back to the castle in the gallop back to safety where nothing could happen.

But his one hand was still wrapped around her and he pressed her to him, his rapid heartbeat could be felt, ,,Everything will be all right," he said and urged the horse to run even faster to get back to safety.

But she complied with his command, closing her eyes, hearing the wind, his breathing, the beating of their two fast hearts, the smell of steel and smoke, his engaging body against hers...almost as if she were flying on a dragon high above the clouds, saving them.

But it was over as soon as the group arrived at the castle courtyard with the prince, the city guard was sent to deal with the perpetrators and the king intervened to protect his children, who remained in their apartments for the time being while the royals dealt with the incident.

The servants who had been released for the day were also trying to get ready in their small room. She still seemed to be able to hear the crowds and the fear.

The trembling of her hands was only an indication of this as the thoughts that formed were all of horrible events she would have died, been raped or tortured scary thoughts that would haunt her.

She had walked up and down hundreds of times with a bowl of water and a cloth to lightly clean the wound and yet the cut seemed relatively tight that it would have needed stitches, something she could not do herself.

The candles in her room the stone room lit the small fireplace the only room with a fireplace a fact Aegon had taken care of as well as the holder on the wall where she could place her wooden sword a sword that reminded her of her childhood when she had trained with the prince under her father's supervision sometimes secretly and sometimes in the courtyard of the castle.

The banner on the Targaryen wall was another gift from the prince when he gave it to her on the day of a tournament when they were both still children and yet it had meant everything to her. ,,So much of you and so little of me," she murmured, knowing that she would see less of him, a future king would not need chambermaids to look after him, he would grow up and simple slaves or servants would take care of him.

Sinking into self-pity again, she was torn from her thoughts by a knock on her door. Looking out of the small window, she saw the moon high in the sky, a fact that could only be one of her servant friends.

Perhaps they wanted to say thank you? Perhaps they were afraid? Or maybe they just needed company? But when she opened the door, hiding her wound under her dress and rolling down her sleeve, the young prince stood in her doorway. ,,Aegon…my prince, what are you doing here?" she asked, more confused than calm, and automatically made way as he simply walked in and closed the door behind him.

The fact that he didn't say anything made her nervous, his violet eyes looking around and the room seeming far too small when it only took a few steps for them to be next to or near each other again. ,,You have shown courage today my lady flame," he said suddenly, looking into the fireplace at the small flames before reaching for the few stacks of wood and throwing another log into the flames.

A dragon like him did not froth but she was all the more alone at night without him, without her dragon. ,,Please don't call me that anymore my prince what are you doing here it's late and you must be exhausted" she mumbled and looked at her hands not wanting to meet his gaze only heard a smirk before he simply sat down on her bed.

,,What should I call my chambermaid? A friend, a slave, the armorer's daughter, the future lady of a knight or my lady flame," he listed the names and she felt her cheeks heat up and she couldn't resist his "come closer", the knocking on her bed told her where he wanted her. Nervousness and tension in her body as she sat down next to him, he smiled at her and she didn't understand what he wanted.

On the contrary, she feared he was making fun of her. ,,Please Aegon my prince if-" she started, looking at him and flinching when she suddenly felt his hand on her arm, pain showing in her eyes and she saw Aegon showing that anger again like before the escape. ,,Those traitors hurt you and that will never happen again," he seemed to promise and suddenly he took out a small wooden box containing a white ointment for her wound.

Something she had seen in the masters, an ointment to heal wounds and relieve pain. Pulling away from him out of fear that it would only hurt her more, out of anger that this marriage was taking place and out of insecurity that he was only using her, she withdrew from the bed and seemed to flee from the fireplace.

,,Aegon you-you call me my lady but I am not, I am not the princess, I am a common daughter so please tell me in the name of whatever I am worth to you what you want?" she asked desperation in her voice and her eyes felt with slight tears shining in the fire turned away from him. It was too much, the day was too much and she was too exhausted to try to do well in front of him.

Hiding her face in her hands in shame and pain, she could only hear Ageon approaching her. Slowly and quietly he began to take her hands away, a Valyrian song came over his lips and he gently placed a hand on her cheek.

,,You are in my heart my lady, my flame that has always lit me up when the realm saw me as weak, you are the daughter of a fearless man and so you are…today on the carriage ride I was afraid for you for your death but you-you saved my wife even though you didn't have to" he began and wiped away a few tears that flowed down her warm cheeks before he reached for the ointment again and let his words work on her and the Valyrian song echoed through the room again before he pulled up her sleeve.

Her protests were drowned in a painful and sadly soothing on as he gently applied the white ointment to the wound with two fingers. ,,Please Aegon…what's the point of this I'll be gone and you'll be king" she sniffled finally looking into his violet eyes that showed understanding and something like affection as he leaned down to kiss her wound and pull her away.

,,What's the point? I was a jester not to realize what you felt and did for me. I can do anything I want as king and a king can take women…a prince wants to take you and not look at you from afar anymore," he confessed, breaking the silence as the fire flickered, making their two shadows dance and he gently pulled her closer.

,,I always want to look at you so close from the throne, from your bed and mine, from dragonback or horseback riding…I want you to stay with me forever my brave beautiful flame lady" he murmured coming closer to her overcoming the last moments between them and kissing her giving her the kiss that was long overdue, her hands holding onto him holding onto her dragon holding onto her prince holding onto her heart.

Aegon did the same, holding her and not letting go, the dragon had found his second wife who would always be his first choice. His lady flame his love that he would now begin before it was too late. ,,I love you" he murmured to her finally saying the words she had longed to hear ,,I've always loved you" she replied a smile forming on her lips that he had longed for before he held her close his words assuring her that everything would be alright.

That he would do his "royal" duty but his sister also preferred other societies, that once Aenys gave him and Rhaena the crowns the Targaryen tradition would be something he would enforce…for his Lady Flame the young prince would do anything, together with his sister he would rebel against their common uncle not knowing that the love they three would experience in those times would end with his death but until the flames of Balaerion enveloped him the only flame in his dragon heart was his beloved Lady.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope the Aegon lovers liked it, the poor boy shouldn't have had all this happen to him

Targaryentuesday 1 - Aegon (Son of Aenys I)

[tubbytarchia]

j

IM LATE i was out with a friend... forgive me jimmy solidaritygaming....

SOMEONE STOLE A DISC FROM THE DISC WALL...... jimmys guess is eloise (apparently he knows exactly what disc is missing???)

he goes to get the disc but comes across martyn. whos building a one piece base? idk anything about one piece but its like... a white boat with a fish head on it.

THEYRE FIGHTING THE DRAGON TODAY!!! just jim and martyn. martyn gives jimmy some slow fall potions and they head off.... martyns already found the stronghold (but not looted it) so they know where theyre going.

jimmy does a water clutch off the disc and he. lands on top of some tall grass?? insane clutch

martyn collects some flowers and jimmys like "dude its crazy that youre collecting items like youre coming back" TOTALLY UNCALLED FOR martyn also doesnt fire back which is a little odd.... maybe he is nervous about dying

for some reason theyre travelling at night. theres so many skeletons.

they start talking about tiktok and. i really don't know what's going on here.

they talk about if they die what'll happen and they say they can have each others stuff which is cute i think.

they arrive!!! its quite far down its like... y-10. and its all split up by a dripstone cave which makes it look really cool but also hard to navigate.

they explore a bit and jimmy breaks a lot of blocks and it stresses me out. JIMMY NO!!!! THE SILVERFISH!!!! they get some good books some armour trims but nothing crazy.

they get lost trying to get back. martyn keeps pretending he knows where hes going and its really funny.

they get back to the portal and go through and theres a SILVERFISH ON THE OTHER SIDE

new effect when u blow up the end crystals.? but its only on jimmys screen and only the first one he did. looks cool though theres probably some lore reason we can make up

JIMMY GETS THE KILL!!!!! martyn ran out of arrows JUST before. he gets immediate payback by somehow managing to pick up every single xp orb. im not exaggerating jimmy picked up One (from 8 to 8) and martyn is level 68. for some reason the xp dropped as just a singular large orb.?.??? martyn apologises and offers to enchant jimmys stuff :') its cute....

they head back and jimmy puts the egg on his bookshelf. he says this base is one of his favourites that hes done in a while!!!

jimmy and martyn meet back up and jimmy shows him the disc wall. martyns reaction is really funny "oh we love a waterfall entrance-OH MY GOD" martyn is largely unbothered by jimmy stealing his stuff.

they go over to eloises base together. eloises base floor is a pattern involving chiseled bookshelves. martyn accidentally breaks one and is confused when it doesnt drop. they proceed to break like 5 before realising they dont drop. they then joke about her hiding her disc under all the shelves so they break all of them. they arent expensive to craft or anything but... why......

jimmy goes off topic and asks martyn his thoughts on shepherd's pie. when martyn says hes not a big fan jimmy goes dead silent. he puts on his radio voice and goes "thats the day they stopped being friends. its crazy a little thing like that broke the love/law" (I CANT TELL WHICH ONE HE SAID. I THINK? LOVE. 1:03:50 SOMEONE HELP ME.)

there's a wandering trader and martyns like i cant even repeat what hes selling. and jimmys like whats he selling?? so martyns like "hes selling crack cocaine. cant believe it." i think this is the closest ive seen to genuine bewilderment on jimmys face. he goes through like 5 expressions in a second. he then checks the trades to prove to his chat that hes not selling it???? strangest bit of the stream but its funny

martyn comes over to jimmys base to enchant for him and jimmy gives him everything (all armour + sword and pick) at once and its a big display of trust.... i love them a lot

martyn doesnt like mess around and he does properly enchant all of jimmys stuff. its all very sweet to me then jimmy decides to say "bring it home papa" and. Okay

they split up (jim offers to stay with martyn but martyn sends him off since hes worried that he himself will not make good company while building) and jim goes to fish for a nametag again.

there may or may not be a stream break soon since he was talking about how he really didnt feel like streaming today and offhandedly said he needs a bit of a rest ^_^

new roblox video tomorrow and some next week too. with katherine!

HE GOT HIS NAMETAG!!!!! he forgot what he had planned to name it but he ends up naming him HONK

stream ends shorter than usual wooooooooo

Oh my goodddd the property police.... "it's crazy that you're collecting items like you're coming back" so uncalled for?? Why did he say this... Is he expecting Martyn not to come back... Because he fears that Martyn would die or that Martyn would just choose not to... Oh the Evo demons are getting me. Them saying the other can have their stuff if one dies and Martyn pretending to know his way is such property police banter mannnn. Offering to enchant stuff for him and not being bothered by Jimmy stealing from him... The exaggerated break up joke...

Something especially about Jimmy taking off all of his gear at once for Martyn to enchant. Big display of trust as you said... the maid demons are getting me now. And Martyn not fooling around here nor in any of the earlier instances to any notable degree?? Feels odd... I feel like he would at least a little... Something melancholy to me about the fact that he didn't. Sweet but melancholy. Banter between these two has usually gone both ways in the past to at least some degree (Not just Jimmy being picked on). I would scoff at the papa comment but. I can't, papa is too cutesy lol I'll let Jimmy get away with that one. The split up feels weirdly melancholic too even just from reading about it. Mmgh something about all the property police stuff this time around is making me feel so many vaguely sad emotions :( Feels so nostalgic too though... I really need to watch this part of the stream sometime. Especially cause these two are funny together. Finally jokes that I can chuckle at that aren't just "lol sex!!"

At least he finally got the nametag.... Honk...

[reunionatdawn]

My Analysis of the Best Paired Endings in 3H (Part 3: Claude/Hilda)

Byleth: (His easy smile is striking… But that smile doesn't reach his eyes…)

Claude is a Leo, a fire sign ruled by the Sun. Leo traits include being confident, comfortable being the center of attention, drama-adoring, ambitious, loyal, fiercely protective of their nearest and dearest, generous, luxury-loving, sunny, and big-hearted. Like Edelgard, his goal was to usher in the dawn of a new age as supreme leader.

He bears the Crest of Riegan, which is associated with The Moon arcana. The general meaning of The Moon is that everything is not as it seems. It is also the Major Arcana of intuition. It tells you that something about a situation or person in your life is not what it appears to be, and you need to trust what your instincts are telling you in order to see past this illusion.

Claude: When I first saw you wield the Sword of the Creator, I wanted to use your power to my advantage. I wanted to use you to make my dream of a new world come true. But before long, I realized what I really wanted was to see that new world…with you by my side. I still feel that way, you know. I always will. That's why I have to leave.

Claude was taking advantage of female Byleth's romantic interest in him to achieve his dream. He admitted as much himself in his S-Support. That explained why his Goddess Tower scene was all about his political ambitions and lacked any genuine romantic undertones. Supposedly he fell in love with her somewhere along the way. But something felt off to me. He couldn't even attend Byleth's coronation?

Byleth & Claude After ascending the throne as the first leader of the United Kingdom of Fódlan, Byleth sought to rebuild the war-torn towns and villages and to help guide the reformation of the Church of Seiros. After a few months of peace, remnants of the Imperial army joined with those who slither in the dark and marched upon the capital city of Derdriu. The new kingdom lacked the power to repel the invaders, but when defeat seemed imminent, a battle cry rang out from the east. Claude, the newly-crowned King of Almyra, led a mighty army that broke through the rebel forces with ease. This show of solidarity forever altered the course of history, heralding a new age of unity.

If he is paired with Petra, he postpones his return to Almyra for years due to his love. With Lysithea, his love for her compels him to give up the throne entirely. Even when he does return to Byleth like he promised, it's to defeat the remnants of the Imperial army and TWSITD. That earns him the title "King of Unification". But there's nothing in their paired ending to indicate a marital union.

Claude did care about Byleth as more than just a tool. But to me, it felt like the writers were trying to portray that he didn't love her romantically, albeit in a very subtle way. Which I actually found to be a very great idea. He definitely had a reason to marry Byleth for political purposes, considering his dream. And I liked that his reputation as a schemer finally amounted to something in the end after all. Besides, he had more chemistry with Hilda, anyway.

Hilda: It's just a legend, sure…but I prefer to be cautious about such things. One of the guys was pretty handsome, and he came from a good family… But that doesn't really tell you what a person's like on the inside. I want a life partner who's good-hearted and good-looking.

Claude is a very flirty person in general and has a lot of chemistry with most of the girls he can Support with. But he was particularly flirty with Hilda. Even their C-Support was surprisingly sexual. But their connection gradually developed into more than just physical attraction. The tagline for the game was, "Sweet memories twisted by time's cruel hand". Claude has many sweet memories of his childhood and Hilda is the only one who takes an interest in them.

Because of this, she was the only girl he offered to bring home. Claude is usually a very guarded young man who keeps his secrets close to his chest. He was afraid of his Almyran heritage being exposed because he's been the constant victim of racism. While Hilda made the occasional off-hand racist remark (moreso out of ignorance than malice), Claude still offered to introduce her to his family, showing his trust in her character and her ability to be judge people for who they are on the inside, not their heritage.

Holst: But what if the next king of Almyra turns out to be a kind and decent man? What if Hilda even likes him? Claude: Uh, if Hilda wants to marry that hypothetical heartthrob, I'm not gonna stop her. Look, what's all this really about? Holst: Apologies. My imagination ran free for a moment. If that is what Hilda wants, then I will not stand in her way either. Claude: Your imagination's definitely still running there. Holst: I'm just as worried about Hilda's future as I am about Leicester's—maybe even more so. Claude: I completely understand, so let me just say this… I believe that both Leicester's and Hilda's futures are as bright as they can be. All I ask is that you trust me.

Claude and Hilda don't need Byelth to choose the Golden Deer house to get married. Golden Wildfire proves that. Holst approves of their relationship. His A-Support with Claude even foreshadowed the Claude/Hilda paired ending. So, it definitely feels like it's the one Claude ship that's most rooted in "canon".

Hilda: I don't understand why anyone would want to risk their life for someone else. When you die, no matter how you died, it's over. To me, it's more important to enjoy life. We only live once, after all. It's a waste to spend all your time working and being responsible, right?

Hilda was the only character I did not recruit on my AM New Game+. If I had to guess, I'd say she was probably not even gonna be recruitable outside her home route, similar to Dedue and Hubert. I left her behind because I didn't want Claude to be alone. But also because she truly belonged on that bridge in Derdriu defending him. It's the ultimate fulfillment of her character arc, showing how she's changed from a spoiled and lazy girl into a mature woman who will try her best to not let down the people she cares about.

Hilda and Claude were the only lord and retainer I felt comfortable shipping because their differing social status had practically no effect on how they related to each other. Hilda could see through his fake smile because she was just as manipulative, constantly flirting to get people to do things for her. In CF, she died for Claude because she had fun with him and found him sexy, not because it was her duty as a Crest bearer. Claude expected her to run, but she stood her ground.

As a lord, Claude was in the middle. He was ambitious like Edelgard but not quite as ruthless. He shared Dimitri's distaste for war, but would compromise those ideals in pursuit of his goals. What I liked about Hilda as a retainer was that she supported him emotionally, but she also challenged him on his decisions when it was necessary. She questioned whether being king was really what he wanted when he was a natural free spirit at heart.

Claude: You and I may not hold any grudges, but if you look to our history, you'll see it was the Kingdom who tossed us to the wolves first. When our people were fighting for independence from the Empire, Faerghus attacked and conquered Leicester for themselves.

Claude certainly had good intentions, but in the end, he was perhaps a bit too motivated by self-interest. In VW, he realized that, which is why he stepped down in favor of Byleth. In GW, there is a chapter called "The End of the Alliance". Claude becomes king of the Federation and allies with Edelgard. He announces his intention to eliminate the church and invade the Kingdom using historical disputes as a justification, however questionable that may be.

Claude: If you're going to lead Fódlan, then the Alliance lords will follow you. Back in the day, the Alliance split off from the Kingdom. I'm just putting us back together again.

In AM, there is a cutscene called "The End of the Alliance". Claude puts aside all historical animosity and willingly unifies with the Kingdom. Why the change of heart? He admitted he wouldn't do anything unless he had something to gain, but Byleth and Dimitri selflessly came to his rescue. And because of that, he gives his Hero's Relic to Dimitri, something he did not to for Edelgard. Symbolically this gesture is so important because he always thought he needed the power of the relics to realize his dream. But he doesn't.

Claude & Hilda Trusting the affairs to his comrades with whom he had fought, Claude departed for his homeland. While in Fódlan he was no more than a noble, upon returning to his homeland of Almyra, he was a prince of the realm. Having grown strong and mature, he gained recognition among the royal family and eventually wielded influence in national politics. Several years later, the king of Almyra retired, and Claude succeeded to the throne. Simultaneously, a queen was introduced – none other than Hilda. Leveraging her brother's support, she unexpectedly demonstrated diplomatic prowess, contributing to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Almyra and Fódlan. Furthermore, with two consecutive queens from Fódlan, the values of Almyra began to evolve.

In AM, Claude's fate doesn't change much compared to VW. He still goes back to Almyra, presumably with Hilda if she wasn't recruited. So, I don't even think their VW paired ending would be any different in the AM timeline. And their marital union is what will help Claude achieve his dream. He didn't need Byleth, the Hero's Relics, or to become supreme leader. Marrying Hilda opens Fódlan's Locket. This is the only ending where Hilda gets involved in politics instead of making accessories, but it is better for her character development, and I think she'd be happier that way in the end.

[akwolfgrl]

How sweet it is to be loved by them 28

Zoro had hoped to run into another pirate. He was itching for a good fight as his rut approached. He grumbled under his breath as he used his observation haki to find the general area where Luffy was. The other Alpha would fight him. If he found Sanji, it would end up being a different sorta fight. That could wait until they were back on the boat tucked away in the nest away from preying eyes. During his rut, Zoro did not like the idea of anyone else looking at his mate. How he felt about Luffy seeing sanji during his rut he was unsure about.

Zoro headed for the massive circus set up at the docks. He really didn't like Buggy. The damn Clown was flashy and annoying. He also keeps trying to take his cook from him.

Zoro heard the sound of a massive cannon being fired, the sounds of breaking and shattering wood. He ran, he knew Luffy was imprisus to bullets but what about cannons? Sanji was also in that general area. What if Buggy finally snapped and decided that he was sick of no? As he drew near, he stopped running, his hand on his swords as he assisted the situation.

Luffy and a women with orange hair were tied up in a cage together, a large cannon pointed at them, it didn't appear to bit lit, a scene of mass distucsion, horse blow to poses law stretched out behind the pair and who he would could only assume to be Buggy standing in front of the two.

“Is this your idea of fun?” Zoro asked, storling into the pirates camp. “Frist you drag me into town, and then you get lost. Now, here I find you locked up.”

“Zoro!” Luffy cired out a grin on his face. At least the other Alpha was happy to see him.

“Hey, that guy…Z-zoro? Did the other guy just say his name was Zoro?”

“The pirate hunter Zoro? What's he doing with a thief?”

Zoro ignored all the muttering of Buggys crew as he made his way towards the cage.

“Your crew mate is pirate hunter Zoro?!” The cage women asked Luffy in shock.

“Yup! He's also my mate!”

“So you're Roronoa Zoro! Are you aiming for my head?” The annoying clown asked him. He seemed rather cocky. Zoro walked past him.

“No, I've no interest in collecting your bounty, “ He would take his head thugh. “I'm no longer a pirate hunter. Quit it.”

“Ahh but I have interest in you! If I kill the infoums pirate hunter, my name will be the famous one!”

“If you don't wish to die just fuck off.”

“Ooooohh! Kill him, captain! Kill the Alpha! Kill the pirate hunter!” The pirates cheered and egged on thire captain.

If you don't show me your true skills, show me why you're so feared, you'll soon become covered in blood!” Buggy came at him knives in-between eatch finger, Zoro pulled out his swords.