#and he weren't a better father than he was a husband 😭😭

[muttplatinum]

learning my momma coulda put my dad in jail cuz adultery is illegal in my state was a TRIP

[allfearstofallto]

Hey girl found your blog and loving it so far

Can I request a yandere alhaitham forcing a marriage while making it seems he is not (does that even make sense 😭)

Hi friend! I could be wrong, but I think you're asking to be gaslit and manipulated. In which case, I got you.

It's What You Wanted

Yandere! Alhaitham x Reader

The papers in front of you had this foreboding energy around them, like you were doing something wrong, even though it was something you agreed to. Or maybe it was the ramifications of them, the papers themselves weren't scary, they were just pages after all, but it was what they meant. What they represented for you.

His name was already signed on one side in his usual neat, cursive penmanship. The other line lay blank, empty, and waiting for your name next. Your name. You. It was just waiting for you to finish it.

“Well?” He questioned into the silence that sat over the both of you. He was always so nonchalant and today was no different. One leg crossed on the other and a book sat over his knee, keeping the pages open for him to begin reading again. He was treating this as if it wasn't a major decision for him, life changing even, but that energy suited his character.

You picked up the pen, but it felt heavy in your hand and you trembled, making you sit it back down, “Don't you think this is a bit of a bad decision, Alhaitham?” You questioned with a little sweat on your brow.

“You're the one who came up with the idea,” he retorted.

You opened your mouth to defend yourself, but shut it again. What he was talking about was an offhanded comment you'd made at the table a few days ago. After a night of drinking and complaining about having to return home, at the wishes of your mother and father, you drunkenly complained on and on about your problems. Once your term was over at the academia, they expected you to be on your way back home, despite your wishes to stay.

Your parents, being the old fashioned people that they were, wouldn't listen to your word, but the word of your husband? That's what mattered most in the world to them. You muttered something about actually wishing you were married for once, how it'd make it easier for your parents to actually listen to you, but didn't say much else.

You remembered seeing Alhaitham raise an eyebrow over the cover of his book at that and take another small sip of his drink, but other than that, nothing more was said about the comment. Not until now.

“But…would this even be okay with you? This is marriage,” you tried to press the importance of this to him, but his green eyes didn't even seem phased. He was always so hard to read, unless he outright said it, you never knew what he was thinking.

“You want to stay, don't you?” His words made your stomach drop. He was right, you did want to stay. You wanted to live in Sumeru for as long as possible. You wanted to keep studying and learning. You wanted to be close to your friends.

“I do, but…”

“You should just sign it,” he pushed the paper on the table closer to you once more, “It’s better you do this with me than some random guy who'll just use this against you. Think logically.”

You sighed and looked down at the blank space. Your name was to go there, but your hesitance was eating you alive. This didn't feel right. The idea, while a fun one in theory, was one that you wouldn't be able to get yourself out of easily.

Before you had the chance to think about it more, the page was picked up. Your eyes followed it as he held it in his hands and stood from the table. He didn't look at you once as he did this, the lack of acknowledgement making your heart drop to your stomach.

“What are you doing?” You questioned rather hurriedly, surprising even yourself.

“Destroying this,” was all he said, a hint of boredom in his voice again, “It's obvious that you want to go back home with your parents, so there's no reason to keep it around. I can't risk anyone taking it and having my signature.”

The speed at which everything was happening made your mind spiral out of control. All the emotions you were feeling swirled together, crashing inside your head until all that was left was fear. Fear of having to leave, fear of losing your freedom, the fear that your last chance was just going to walk away.

“No! Wait!” You shouted and Alhaitham stopped in his tracks, “I'll- I'll sign it.” The words felt like an anchor on your chest, but you knew they were what you had to do. He was right. You didn't want to go back to your parents.

He placed the page back in front of you, but instead of sitting back down, he stood beside you. His large body hovered over yours, casting a shadow that felt even more ominous. You could feel the heat coming off of him making your skin prickle up with goosebumps.

Alhaitham picked up the pen for you, his touch was gentle as he handed it to you. His finger tips brushed across yours, his touch lingering a bit longer than it should've.

Your hand shook the entire time you wrote. Your name was scribbled, but it was yours. You'd signed it. You thought you'd breathe a sigh of relief, of joy knowing that you'd done it, you'd secured your freedom, but instead you still felt that suffocating pressure.

He picked the paper up before you could change your mind, “I'll get this registered,”

“But we'll get it annulled after talking to my parents, right?” You asked a bit neverously, a feeling of dread sinking it.

“Sure,” he responded, it sounded like his usual monotone voice or at least he was trying to make it seem that way. He was still facing away from you, so you didn't know for sure, but a part of you could swear you were hearing a smirk in his voice.

[dreamwreaver]

You are so right! I'm the anon who talked about my theories, and I agree with everything you said!

There is also that ONE tidbit that hints to Charlastor in the future possibly. The most important person Alastor would do anything for, and I feel that it's Charlie. I've seen others be like, Rosie, his Mom, Nifty.... but to be honest if it was any of them, Amir + everyone would be able to say it really. Who is Alastor doing things for so far in season 1? 🧐 he even made his friend Mimzy leave the hotel because she brought chaos to it, and if he wanted to show off to Charlie, for manipulative purposes, he would have did that in front of her. Ofc we need more evidence in season 2.

In my delulu brain, Charlastor /might/ be codependent on the other? It's not gonna be healthy obviously, but imagine 🧐 maybe like Stolilz? I've seen people show side by side scenes

For Vaggie and Charlie, I feel if they had more episodes, it would of been better than the 8 we got. Originally they had 28 episodes planned for, but Amazon said nope!

For the RadioApple thing, is true, it's cute but it's literally just Charlastor. If Charlastor is just a father/daughter relationship, then why replace her in screenshots with her own DAD in those scenes? Isn't that even more weirder because they're basically confirming, there's something there, enough to put her dad in it???

I don't mind the ship, but constantly hating on Charlastor for being manipulative, toxic, Alastor is EVILLL. But wanting him to be her dad is counterproductive. Charlie is a full grown woman, probably in her 20's in human years and isn't that naive, she's just sweet and optimistic. People act as if Charlie is someone who needs to be babied by other people and is a kid, like no? What?

I doubt Charlie even took him seriously in that song being referred to as like a dad to her, she forgets about it right after and is focused on her actual dad.

Also Viv confirming, no Alastor don't see her as a daughter

If I'm being honest, that song can be seen as a: "She calls me daddy too." with how flirty he low-key was in it with her, or I'm being delulu brained again. Those looks weren't platonic ?

anyway, either how you look at it, if it gets revealed Charlie is his person and someone he *likes* not platonically, watch the blow up 😭

As for the discord, what's the link to it? 👀

If you have a tumblr pls dm me, I try to vet people only because there's a lot of stuff that's... well it's not gross but it might be too much for certain people.

Also Charlie is definitely alastor's person. It can be completely in a platonic/nonsexual way or it could be that he develops a crush. As someone on the ace spectrum myself I like thinking Alastor is demi, specifically charliesexual. Like he *needs* that deep emotional foundation to find anyone attractive (and it does resonate plausibly with how hard he tries to keep people at arms length) but Charlie is the only person who's ever been able to break through his walls and get that close. What's even funnier is that she's never doing it on purpose.

And then, quite possibly my favorite part; Alastor speedrunning 130 plus years of sexual buildup. Not that he's been repressing it, but slippery slope and all that. It's a total loss of control and I crave it, I want this big tough demon broken down and stripped bare and made weak because of the only person who'd never take advantage of that weakness.

Mimzy likes Alastor for what he can do for her. Rosie likes Alastor in part because his sensibilities align with her own and I do think they're close friends but she's been through at least two husbands, possibly 3 if that Franklin from the pilot was a husband that was killed. I think her appetite would be too much for him. Charlie doesn't expect anything from him. She takes him up on services he offered, only made a royal command just to avoid striking a deal with him in the first place, and accepts that even if she doesn't like his methods what he does is for her. She recognizes and to some extent, appreciates what he does for her whether it's fixing a clog or devouring sinners.

As for chaggie, I am not against the ship being canon on principle. Like I'm all for wlw main pairing canon ships. The problem I have with chaggie is that you can watch most of the episodes and not know they're a couple. The stuff they have going on is the same subtext people complained about wanting more than for literal years. I don't need them to have sex on screen but like, some pet names? Casual touching or sitting on one another's lap? Someone getting upset that hotel shenanigans are interrupting their date nights/putting a strain on their relationship because mostly Charlie is putting too much of herself into the hotel?

The also part of it that bothers me is that vaggie as a character doesn't feel... finished. Like, at least in the pilot her designs had elements that gave some sort of insight into what type of character she could be. Now it looks like she's wearing a hotel uniform. She and Charlie share a room, it's all Charlie in there. Circus motifs and apple imagery. It doesn't look like vaggie's done much of anything to make the space her own as well. Even her nightclothes clash with the decor; she's a stark white and angelic in a nightgown surrounded by hellish red in all directions. More importantly the pilot indicated vaggie had something of a temper when it came to angel's antics affecting the hotel's reputation. She would be like the benson to everyone else's mordecai and rigby. Except she isn't. Also there's the little annoying fact that you got mirabel madrigal's voice actor to play this character and she gets maybe 5 lines max an episode on average and two songs that are not her own. Especially the more than anything reprise. That one codes chaggie as more mother/daughter than that damn line in dad beat dad did for charlastor. They took the literal father/daughter song and applied it to the main couple. Make it make narrative sense.

People think I'm mad at chaggie because I don't like it. I do, I'm mad because this is frosting and everyone's treating it like fillet mignon. Not the year of Charlie's uncle Josh 2024. Steven universe did better back in 2013!

[creedslove]

🌹Anon here! No headcannon just a thought I wanted to share. Imagine if Carol admitted to her cheating on Dave, and that their daughters aren't actually Daves. He knew about the cheating but not the daughters not being his part. He was already planning on leaving her for Reader but this just finalises it and so he decides that night to have a baby, a baby that is actually his, with the woman he actually loves. Also wouldn't Teressa and Carol make a lovely couple?

Dave York x f!reader

A/N: bestie I know this ain't a headcanon request but like, how can I not write a headcanon out of this wonderful idea? I love you and your idea and you are right, Carol and Teresa make a lovely couple to rot in hell 😭

• Dave had never been a cheating husband, even if his marriage with Carol wasn't something that made his heart race and his hands sweat, butterflies in his stomach in a big anticipation to see his spouse, he just settled, mostly for the kids after she showed up pregnant and it had become a comfortable arrangement for everyone

• so he was just glad in working and providing for his family, in exchange she took care of the house and the girls and Dave had the normal unsuspicious family which came in handy to hide the kind of job he had

• sex with Carol was alright, surely there was something better out there, but he had had worse, so he settled for that too

• when he met you, however, he felt like a stupid teenager, as all those dumb signs of being in love were there: he felt slightly nervous around you, he felt butterflies in his stomach (!) he spent his day thinking of and yearning to see you; you were the last thing on his mind when he fell asleep and the first one when he woke up

• so when you both started dating, he felt guilty, not because of Carol, though, he knew she had slept with men here and there, and each time she went for "girls night out" with her friends and came back home smelling like booze and men, he just felt more indifferent, being sure he didn't love her and perhaps he never did in the first place, he just didn't have a meaningful feeling to compare with, but now he had it with you

• but he did feel bad for you, because you were a beautiful, decent woman and you didn't deserve the mistress status, instead, he wanted to come clean and be with you without having to hide

• so the divorce was already in his mind, he just needed to have a couple of meetings with his attorney and get the paperwork done

• when Carol found out about it and made a huge, terrible scene, Dave and her engaged into a real bad fight, he had to hold himself back not to get physical with all the provocation and horrible things she said

• but the moment she said the girls weren't really his daughters, Dave thought he was going to lose it

• at first he held some hope she was just bluffing in the most cruel way possible, but then, all the information she offered made a lot of sense and he realized she was telling him the bitter truth: he wasn't really the father of his daughters

• it broke Dave, he loved them so much, more than anything in the world, he took care of them since they were tiny little helpless babies, he couldn't believe they weren't his

• Dave's eyes were full of tears, he was brokenhearted as his girls had been the best part of his life, luckily to them, they were having a sleepover at their grandparents' so they didn't have to witness the grotesque scene their mom caused

• when Dave got to your home, he was devastated, he'd been crying and drinking and he gripped your body not wanting to let go, telling everything that happened once he stepped inside

"please, let's have a baby, I wanna start a family with you, you'll be my wife, you're the only one who's worth being Mrs.York, I need to put a baby in you, you will never gonna lie to me, it will be our baby, I need to know I'm the one responsible for something good in this world"

• he begged you

• and Dave York wasn't the kind of man to beg someone anything at all

• so you couldn't say no to him, taking that powerful and strong man who was so broken and small at that moment to bed and made love to him, a couple of times, always making sure he was inside of you and you were both doing the possible to get your baby to grow in your womb

• the next morning, Dave was a little ashamed of his behavior, but at the same time he was excited that maybe he'd got you pregnant

• you both had a heartfelt conversation and you reminded him that no matter what Carol had done, he would always be the girls' dad and they'd always love him as such

• and he was sure he'd made the right choice to have you by his side, even if being lied to was terrible, he was convinced he was going to have his happy ending with a woman he truly loved

____

[rinrinx2]

Heyy! I read the 'the other woman' Fic and omg 😭😭🙏 fell in love.

So, I was wondering if you could do like a part two ish type of thing, but like this time the reader is the wife and she finds out about the affair, and Nanami feels completely guilty, etc. I'm just craving some taste of angst. Angst with happy ending, hurt/comfort? 🥹 Like they restart their relationship from scratch, divorce -> lovers kind of trope 😩 thank youu 💕

Okay I originally wanted to make the other woman a series but I felt like it would be better as a one-shot but like now you're making me want it to be a series so it will be. Thank you for motivating me 💕💖💖💖

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The other woman

Pt 2

Nanami x reader

Warnings: Angst, Heartbreak, Delusion, Cheating, Adultery, Mistress

The open window caused a breeze to blow into the room, the chilling breeze that if another were in the bed with you might not have minded.

The tears on your face glistened in the moonlight, while your gripped the hand that held that gold ring tighter.

The soft sheets beneath you did little to comfort your aching heart.

You starred at the phone, looking at the name of husband as you called him, letting the phone ring over and over, as you waited for some response from him... from Kento Nanami.

But it never came, the ringing never stopped only once you had stopped the call that never went through did the ringing finally cease and you could hear the sound your were emitting as your cried.

So many nights you were left like this, with tears spilling down your face as your gripped his pillow crying into it, trying your best to not cry loud enough to alert your two sons who slept unaware of their mothers breaking heart over their father.

You hadn't heard from Nanami for more than two weeks, your usual phone call that occurred every Thursday evening for 20 minutes never happened, and even when they did they weren't enough to settle your heart that ached out for him.

You felt the tears on your face drip down on the sheets as images of your husband flashed through your mind, images of him holding you close, your nude bodies embracing each other, his larger hands traveling down your body as his lips molded to yours.

Crying as the images continued to fill your teary vision until it was overcome with darkness.

You weren't sure how long you had cried, but you were sure it must of been for more than a few minutes as your eyes were puffy on this morning and your throat hoarse.

You sat up in your empty bed, looking around the room hoping you'd see a briefcase at the bedroom door that would signal your husband's arrival, but there was nothing at the door, just am empty spot.

Starring at the door, until it began to swing open to reveal none other than

Takato.

"Morning Mom, what's for breakfast?" Your 17 year-old son said, as he stood at the doorway of your room.

Your daze was quickly broken by your sons words as they thrusted you back into the reality that you were living.

"Pancakes" you said quietly as you continued starring at the door, watching as your son gave a simple nod as he left the room closing the door behind him.

The heat of the stove caused your cheeks to burn slightly but you were willing to endure it to make the pancakes that's your sons so happily anticipated.

You had promised to keep them happy even if you couldn't keep your husband happy, as they were the only physical memory you had left of him, when he ventured so far away for his business trips.

You carefully plated the pancakes as you walked over to where your sons sat, carefully placing the plate down on the table watching as the grabbed for them.

You watched as Takato grabbed 3 and Tatsu grabbed 2, one less than his older brother of one year.

"Don't forget I have Kendo lessons after school Mom" 16 year-old Tatsu said as he began to eat.

Tatsu starred at you a moment longer after he spoke, hoping for some response, but you sat silently just watching your sons that looked so much like Nanami as they ate.

"Mom?"

"Yes sorry honey" you said as your mind quickly snapped back to reality.

Once you son went back to eating you stood up from the kitchen table, walking over to the sink readying to wash the dishes from the night before when you heard the door of the apartment begin to open.

'It must be my imagination' you thought as it wasn't uncommon for you to think you heard the apartment door open, it was your heart playing tricks on your ears making you believe Kento was entering the apartment.

But this time it was not.

"Morning sons" you heard a familiar voice say in a stoic tone.

You quickly turned your head to see your husband, Nanami, standing at the kitchen table.

He looked just as handsome, as when he left for Tokyo all those months ago.

"Are you okay (Y/N)? You look terrible" Nanami said as he walked out of the kitchen not even sparring you a second glance as he headed for the bedroom.

You quickly wiped your hands try, and followed your husband into the bedroom, not even noting the distasteful looks that your sons had painted onto their features.

"Welcome home honey" you said as you stood in the doorway of your bedroom while your husband was crouching down looking for something at the small side table that used to be his.

"I won't be staying long, I forget an important work document that could not be replicated, I'll be heading back to Tokyo" he said without even looking back to speak to you.

"Oh" you said as your head slightly dropped at his words, but still you remained optimistic at his arrival.

"Maybe you could stay for dinner. They boys haven't had a family dinner in a long time" you said hoping Nanami would agree.

You quietly waited for a response that never came.

"Nanami-san" you said softly trying to get his attention back.

"What (Y/N)" he said while he continued looking around the small draw, his suit getting wrinkled from the awkward postion he was crouching at.

"Dinner?" You asked again.

Nanami finally turned around from his postion of the floor, his gaze just as cold and stoic as it had been when he left and his jaw slightly tensed.

"Yes okay" Nanami said with a sigh of irritation, turning back around looking for the document he had left at his house in Aichi.

A massive smile stretched on your features at his response.

You didn't waste a moment from his reply as you began to prepare dinner, not caring that it was still early hours of the morning.

"Why are taking out all the pots and pans?" Takato asked.

"Daddy is having dinner with us" you said the smile still ever present on your face.

So blinded by your happiness he hadn't even heard the quiet whispers of your sons.

"Isn't a father supposed to have dinner with his family"

You looked at Nanami who sat opposite you at the dinner table, while Takato sat on Nanami's left side and Tatsu on his right.

"I made udon your favourite" you said, with red painted lips.

It wasn't just the food your prepared, but yourself. You had spent hours getting ready for this evening, going as far as getting dressed in the guest bedroom to not disturb Nanami in the main bedroom.

"Pass on the rice, Tatsu" Nanami's said.

Tatsu looked at Nanami, starring daggers into him before he reached for the rice, passing it over to his father abruptly.

Takato ate in silence with a scowl present on his face, not even sparring his father a glance.

You on the other hand smiled with every bite, looking over at Nanami with a smile as he ate.

This is how dinner continued with your looking over at your husband with love who ignored you while your sons ate silently in anger, and you accepted it even when you heard a ringing that you became familiar with.

You watched as Nanami quickly reached for his phone in his pocket, quickly standing from the table as he walked out of the kitchen and into the lounge abandoning his family at the dinner table.

"Picked that phone call up rather quick" Takato said snarkly as he took another bite.

"It's probably a work call" you replied back at his remark, telling yourself it was a work call was much easier on your heart than having to admit that he would so willingly pick up another's phone call but not yours.

It had been 15 minutes since Nanami left to answer his phone.

Your sons didn't even bother to ask you if they could leave the table as you would just say your husband would only be another 5 minutes, the same response you had been giving them when they had asked 10 minutes ago.

You now sat alone at the dinner table, food going cold as you waited for Nanami to return.

10 minutes became 20 and 20 became 30 and before you knew it you had been waiting 50 minutes for him to come back to the kitchen table.

It was finally your turn to stand up from the kitchen table, but instead of going to your room to sulk you went to the lounge where Nanami stood, with his back towards the door.

"Honey, can't the work call you later" you said softly as you stood at the door way.

But Nanami hadn't heard you, and you remained silent at the door waiting for him to turn around and see you standing there in the sexy black dress you had put on for him.

"I promise I'll be back tomorrow" Nanami said, as you listened to the conversation he was having on the phone.

"Yes, I have it with me"

"Yes I'll leave first thing in the morning" he said.

'They really make him work so hard' you thought as you continued listening to his conversation.

"Why you scared I'll sleep with her"

"I promise I won't. I only want you"

You heart began to race as the content of his conversation was now becoming more personal.

'Whose he not sleeping with' your thoughts screamed out.

'It's a good thing, his not cheating on me, his not sleeping around' your mind tried to calm itself by making you believe that he was referring to some other woman that he would not be sleeping with.

"Let me see what you have on"

And quickly you saw as the phone call was now a video call, and splayed on the phone was a young woman in pink lingerie smiling at Nanami, not even noticing his wife in the background.

Not even noticing you starring back at his mistress.

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All rights reserved to @rinrinx2

[thegreymoon]

The Story of Minglan

Food to eat and air to breathe 😭

Definitely better than this vipers' nest. But first her father would have to let her go and he won't do it because it would mean losing face, and second, what's to stop this family from selling her too as soon she's old enough for more plots of land?

***

Still screaming internally about this.

Neither of these two women is her mother. Her mother is dead.

***

Shut up, you lying liar who lies.

She was lying there, dying thirsty in a pool of her own blood and it took two children to get a doctor for her, none of you fuckers lifted a finger to save her. You gave zero shits about her. Die.

***

Of course he won't let her take her.

Also, I'm cynical. I don't believe that she doesn't have an ulterior motive for wanting this child. Everyone in this drama is guilty until proven innocent. Except Gu Tingye. He is a good one.

***

Oooh, they took her child from her too? 👀

But I thought she was the official wife since she adopted him?

***

Oh, shut up about Molan already 🙄

Granny is pissed off as it is.

***

Oh, so they weren't gone for the funeral, it was because of this promotion?

Then she is not related to Gu Tingye's uncle? But what was he doing at the funeral, then? I feel like I have misunderstood something fundamental here.

***

In any case, they are both stupid. No love.

***

So nice.

***

Aww, babies 🤗🤗

They are both still fetuses and I'm already shipping it like there's no tomorrow.

***

So beautiful!

***

Ha! Take that, Molan!

All of Lin Qinshuang's scheming couldn't get her this.

***

Eh. First of all, that won't last.

Second, there is nothing stopping your shitty husband from getting a fourth concubine.

***

LMAO, MTE 🤣🤣

Go, Madam Wang, go! Manipulators threatening self-harm really grind my gears.

***

Yes, please start revealing!

I, for one, really want to know 👀

***

Ugh, this slimy lowlife 🤮🤢

I now understand why Meatbun hated Song Qiutong the way she did and just smote her down like the plague that she was in both lifetimes.

I will remember Lin Qinshuang every time I'm tempted to feel sorry for her from this moment forth.

***

The worst.

Sure, blame it on the "wicked" servants 🙄🙄

***

Disgusted.

***

Madam Wang's face is my face.

The next time someone catches me feeling sorry for Song Qiutong please smack me. Smack me hard. Somehow, reading about it does not hit as hard as watching it in action.

***

Speechless.

In my opinion, the legal wife should be allowed to murder her husband the moment he brings up bringing home a concubine.

This whole thing is such a farce.

Gross system. I'm so glad I live in an age where divorce AND STAYING SINGLE are options.

[ramonag-if]

I just had to tell you. The way you write family angst? Akin to how our old pal Da Vinci wields a paintbrush. Masterfully.

When Ahlf died? I was gutted. Genuinely. I'd been watching him and MC interact, holding out hope that they'd one day get to form a... warmer father-child relationship. Then he died. MC watched him die. I watched him die. I MC was so devastated, I MC called Crown's name stupid (Sorry, Crown. You too, Irus). Let it be noted that I'd been playing the shy/sincere MC till then. I was so gutted, MC moped/angsted all the way to the temple, while I sat there internally blubbering over the loss of MC's grumpy, emotionally unavailable, father.

(In case it hasn't been made clear yet, I also have father issues in the spades).

(Also, MC recovered their shy/sincere nature eventually. And became absolutely besotted with Irus. He obviously already knew, but still. Don't tell him that.)

(You can bet that I MC took all the chances to mourn/blubber over Ahlf whenever the chance came up, though. Those chances did come up frequently enough, now that I think about it. That moment when MC goes through Ahlf's box of letters in his room at Ellie's castle, mourning him and whatnot. Thanks for that, by the way. Really. I'm glad you didn't gloss over the persisting, subtle ache that comes with loss, which so many stories seem to do.)

Then, Salyra. Mama. MC had thought she was dead. I was convinced she was dead. So, seeing her alive and well and with a whole new husband and child to boot was. Wow.

By then, I had already fully immersed into the story. And while I don't see MC as myself, rather as an odd extension of my soul that I'm watching like some omniscient being who has nothing better to do with their time, I was, well.

Gutted. Again. And MC, too.

I MC's been going back and forth between being uncertain or bitterly angry for a while now. And Maybe accidentally gave Rana a Mean Look while still reeling over how Salyra was alive, with a new family.

When Salyra protected Rana from MC's Big Bad Stare and gave MC a disappointed look? Wow. Delicious scene. MC damn near imploded into a very sad confetti of abandonment and bitterness anger, but I really have to admit. That was peak writing and character interaction right there.

The best thing? None of the characters were demonized for all the things they'd done wrong. Not Ahlf, not Salyra, not MC. They were so human, in their actions and reactions and emotions and tears. You can hate them, you can love them, you can feel nothing about them, but they weren't just characters with an 'MC's parents: kind of really bad at it' label tacked on. They were characters made human, fleshed out and alive and raw.

Which is why it makes it hurt so much more. Makes all the family angst hurt so, so much more.

And I'm all for that, obviously.

Ah, and a special mention! The scene where MC just hugs Irus for comfort after another showdown with Salyra? Spectacular. Outstanding. Covering your arm with gold star stickers as we speak. I have to admit, I damn near melted at that scene. They're so cute. God.

Aaand after that long, long spiel that was definitely just 90% rambling, I'm bringing whatever this mess is to a close. So, Ra; (can I call you that? It sounds cool) thank you for bringing this story into existence, and for sharing it with us all. It was a lovely, beautiful experience, and I'm excited to see what lies ahead in this bloody wild ride you're taking us all on. You're awesome. Once again, thank you!!

Ah, thank you so much! 😭💖 Your message just made me smile like a fool! I don't think I'm anywhere near Da Vinci levels in writing family angst, so it means a lot to me that you enjoyed what I've written so far.

I felt really bad at the way Ahlf died, but his death had been planned long before Chapter 1 had been written. His death was supposed to be less dramatic than the way he went, but as I do try to remind readers, I'm a pantser opposed to a planner when writing so I rarely stick to my chapter outlines and will usually just go with my gut 😅 Ahlf's death really set the tone for the rest of the game, so I'm glad you enjoyed all the small moments to simply mourn his death. I knew that I was going into IF the way I normally write books - emotions are valued over branching/plot points.

Salyra was never going to be this complicated. She wasn't going to be married with another child either 😅 I obviously ignored plans and went right ahead into Angst Central, because I kept questioning Salyra as a mother and the person she would have become in the absence of Ahlf and the MC and suddenly, she was very complicated and brought a lot of baggage.

It was definitely important to showcase that it isn't all good and bad with Ahlf and Salyra. I know neither of them is perfect - no parent is perfect though they are quite far from that bar of being good parents 😬 You'll always get the choice to feel as you feel and the characters will always respond to your MC's choices. I do prefer the emotional development of the characters to the external factors, so glad you're feeling it too!

I actually enjoyed the scene where the MC cries into the ROs shoulder opposed to the hug. But that's just me, being an emotional wreck of a person when playing IF 😅

Please feel free to call me whatever you want 😋 I am quite liking Ra because Ra is my favourite Egyptian god and from my many nicknames over the years, I've never been called Ra before 😂

Thank you again for your support and kind words! I really do appreciate it 💖 It really makes writing the game worthwhile and pushes me to continue writing it.

[mejcinta]

Why you said that book alicent ate while leaving viserys's body as if he wasn't a good husband to alicent and a good father to her children, better to them than rhaenyra 😭

I support Alicent's wrongs. But more importantly, Viserys was a known weak willed king who set up the Dance by his political dillydallying. He was never entirely fair to the children that weren't Rhaenyra and on the show it's even worse. So I wish they'd keep Alicent's book treatment of his dead body on the show as a way of depicting how she's over his manipulation, contempt and lies. It would be fitting.

[therealvikingstrash]

I think hvitserk was wrong for raping that girl but in a way I think he was better than ubbe. For example when ubbe left margrethe and hvitserk take care her also if she was mad. He was so kind to her where no one elsa was😭

No, I don't think so. I doubt he would've helped a different woman in Margrethe's place. Anyone else would be dead. She was "lucky" that she let Hvitserk get his dick wet in the past. And also, he was wrong for raping the nun AND the women in Algeciras (and we don't know how many more) Don't forget those just because they weren't Saxon's.

In my humble opinion, many mistake Ubbe's choices for abuse or intentional pain inflicted on others. Meanwhile he is put into those situations by other's.

Ubbe was in a very difficult position with no one on his side after the fiasco in England. As far as he knew, both his brothers wanted him dead. Ivar, who he had basically raised and loved like his own son and Hvitserk who he loved more than anyone else, so much he shared his wife willingly with him. Ubbe was betrayed and his trust broken. He went with Lagertha and what she told him, because frankly, he didn't have many options in this situation. All the shit that happened made him numb and cold towards other's.

Torvi basically groomed him into a relationship with her (she used to be his babysitter for crying out loud!! And she still had this air of superiority towards him); he was more a father to Bjorn's children than Bjorn ever was. The reason he didn't kill Lagertha was that he didn't want to lose another brother (Bjorn). He didn't want to be alone. So he grasped for what was there. I don't think he liked betraying his mother, but she was dead and he was alive and needed to find a way to stay alive.

Margrethe had been a slave for a long time, possibly her whole life, the child of a slave perhaps. I cannot imagine the abuse and trauma she must've gone through. It messes with your mind and there are no modern doctors or therapists around, their society is NOT the same as the modern society. While they share some aspects, it is still different, obviously. There is no one who understands that those aren't demons who possess her and make her "crazy". She had horrible visions of death and was left alone with the children of the woman who- in her eyes- stole her husband. Sadly, she appeared to be a danger to Asa and Hali. Not so much to the others since she had zero fighting skills, but they couldn't leave her in Kattegat because they assumed she might've heard of their hiding place. She couldn't be roaming their hiding spot alone/unsupervised, because she could get it in her mind to walk back to Kattegat and maybe unintentionally give them away. They couldn't take her with them to England, because she could turn against them on the boat. You don't want to be in an enclosed space with a person who got massive PTSD and thinks of you as the enemy, trust me.

As horrible as it was to leave her there, they also knew Ivar was hot on their heels and she wouldn't be there on her own for long. Does that make it okay for them to put her in the pig pen? No, absolutely not. She could've been in the "house" with them, sheltered and warm. They even could've set her free before leaving, if they did it right before they got on the boat.

Yet we gotta keep in mind, none of those people knew what was going on with Margrethe and she acted strangely in their eyes. They had only Torvi's word that Margrethe tried to kill her kids and didn't think any further since children's lives are valued a lot. So they left her in chains.

Also, I think it wasn't even Ubbe's idea to put her away. I'm convinced it was Torvi's and Lagertha's idea. To humiliate her for trying to hurt Asa and Hali. I don't think Ubbe had much say in the matter and seriously, was he supposed to go against anything they decide? He had Bjorn, Lagertha, Torvi and Heahmund against him in that case- three of those extremely skilled fighters.

You don't think Lagertha would be this cruel to a fellow woman? Make no mistakes, if she wants something she sacrifices anything and everyone. She raped Harald Finehair and she killed Aslaug for no reason at all other than power play. I believe this kind of person is capable to put another woman in a burlap dress and chain her in a pig pen.

I love Hvitserk, but let's not twist the facts that he can be a cruel and non-caring bastard as well when he wants to be. And just because he is my fav, doesn't mean I let it slide to pin everything on Ubbe when he simply isn't the one at fault. He shouldn't have cheated and that one time he got aggressive towards Margrethe because of Lagertha's schemeing, was also wrong.

[1eos]

reading anon's ask and ur response only serves to remind me how sickening it is for society to expect women and young girls to somehow be "naturally motherly caretakers instantly capable of taking care of children," to the point where mothers are considered the "default" parent and therefore the one expected most to do the child rearing while nothing is expected of men/fathers (in fact they are expected to be bad at parenthood which is why we have the whole "idiot dad" stereotype) 😐😐 reminds me of this reddit AITA where OP got sick of having her identity reduced to being merely a mother: she kept on getting gifts related to motherhood and nothing abt her own interests while her husband got gifts related to his hobbies/interests (like no father related items at all), which shows just how much the "the woman/mother is the default parent" crap has been normalized.

yeah....the 'all women are naturally amazing caretakers' is the bane of my existence tbh. the vagina to mother pipeline is getting a BIT better but the ideals are so ingrained in society it actually drives me crazy. and i saw that aita! that made me fucking sick like other adults in her life weren't even calling her by her name just 'mama'. 😭😭😭😭 i swear the more i hear accounts from women who have kids the more i feel like i would rather die than have kids. ppl really will act like you exist for nothing but popping out kids! dark sided! but this also raises my respect for ppl who DO have kids. like wow............you're made of sterner stuff

and speaking of reddit i feel like that's the easiest way to see just how fast ppl are to shit on a woman for not wanting to take a bullet for literally any child or infant on earth. they will light women UP for not wanting to swoop in and breast feed some other man's child regardless of how weird and manipulative he is abt it. a man could literally bring his children to a strangers house and if she's a woman someone will get mad that she didn't take them in and sacrifice her whole being to raise them when she didn't want to. it's VILEEEE

and even tho my family has.......issues.......i'm thankful p much everyone has seen my lack of """"""motherly warmth""""" from birth and accepted that it's not gonna change 😭 apparently when i was a kid i begged for one of them dolls that acted like a real baby and when i got it and it started crying i immediately asked my mom to get a refund lollllllllll. but even with this bare minimum im INCREDIBLY lucky like soooooooo many girls are basically being harassed by everyone around them to be a mother and if they're not perfect at raising a child they may not have wanted they get vilified.

which is my main problem tbh and shows that most ppl don't respect children like coercing ppl who don't want kids to have them and then do a BRUNT of the child rearing will inevitably negatively affect the kids? the kids you are so desperate for? 89% of shit around children i don't understand but it's like? by forcing ppl via societal pressure to have kids there's a slim chance these kids are gonna have the upbringing they need? and they think oh suck it up even if you resent having kids they'll suffer without you but they'll also suffer.........with you....bc you resent them? children are a gift but they don't raise themselves and the fantasy that everybody w a womb who don't want kids will change their mind when they look into the baby's widdle eyes is literally just misogyny lol

[maidragoste]

The Council

Aemond Targaryen x Targaryen!Reader (Daughter of Rhaenyra) x Aegon II Targaryen

the second part of this part3

please reblog cause i'm not showing up in tags again 😭😭

Disclaimer: English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes.

It's been a long time since Aemond felt at peace. But that's what he felt when he was with you and the children. Every time he saw you smile or heard one of the twins laugh he felt his heart warm and he thanked the gods for letting him live, for letting him come back to you and the children.

Reading to the twins before they fell asleep had become one of Aemond's favorite times of the day and for the children as well. There was one night when he had to go to a council meeting and the children were whimpering, sullen until his father came back and told them a story.

“Why are you so surprised? They already love you” you told him that night.

You weren't lying. The twins loved Aemond. Baelon always wanted his attention, always screaming excitedly or in extreme cases pulling his hair, and Aemon loved being in his father's arms, he always had the best naps in Aemond's arms. Sometimes you made fun of your husband because every time you told him to put Aemon in his crib he always refused with the excuse that he was afraid of waking him up.

"No, no, Baelon. Don't hurt your brother,” the prince said seriously taking his son's small fist to prevent him from hurting Aemon, who was sleeping in his arms again.

Baelon had been distracted watching his cousin Jaehaera and you making flower crowns but now that he wanted to give his dad a crown and saw him with his brother he got mad and wanted to hit Aemon. When he did not achieve his mission, what did he do? He started crying and his crying woke up his twin, who also started crying.

Just when you were lifting Baelon up to comfort him. One of your maidens appeared running, when you saw her you stood up, with some difficulty for the child you had in your arms, fearing that something had happened to Aegon, you could not bear to lose another brother.

"Princess, prince" he made the quick bow "The king requests that the council meet and wants you there too"

•••••

You and Aemond knew something bad was about to happen. They had never asked you to join the council before so whatever they were going to talk about had to do with you or Prince Aegon.

Aemond was sitting next to you, looking ready to plunge his sword into anyone who would look at you, and you couldn't stop thinking about holding his hand. But if you did, the rest would see you weak. You had to prepare to fight for your life and your brother's. You couldn't look nervous or you wouldn't be taken seriously.

"Well? What is the meeting for today?" Tyland Lannister asked breaking the silence.

"Cregan Stark" replied the king and you noticed how everyone tensed upon hearing the name of the guardian of the north. "He refuses to pledge loyalty to me," he said and handed a scroll to his mother. "And he's coming over here with his army of northerners."

"That damn idiot, Rhaenyra Targaryen is dead he has no one to fight for," said one of the men.

"I'm just going to bend the knee and swear allegiance to the true queen. Y/N Targaryen" Alicent Hightower read and you froze, you felt like all the air was suddenly gone "Give her the throne or we'll fight to get it back to her"

You didn't understand Why was Cregan Stark fighting for you? Yes, you are Rhaenyra's daughter but he didn't know you, he didn't know if you would make a better queen than Aegon. You didn't even fight in the war, you had been locked up taking care of your children while your whole family died. You didn't deserve the throne.

"You have to kill her!" one of the men said and Aemond soon had his sword pointed at the man's throat.

"Do you want to repeat that again?"

"Aemond, please," Alicent said not wanting there to be bloodshed.

"Kill him," said the king drawing everyone's attention "He can't talk like that about his future queen"

Aemond wasted no time slashing the man's throat. The table was soon covered with blood. He watched the scene satisfied but then assimilated the words of his brother.

"What do you mean future queen?" he questioned now pointing his sword at the king. You quickly got up and put your hand on his shoulder.

"Aemond lowers the sword before they accuse you of treason" you whispered.

"I'm going to marry our niece" answered the king with a smile and you felt that at any moment you could faint. The only thing you could think about was that the gods must hate you because not only are you married to the murderer of your brother and grandmother but now you were also going to marry the murderer of your mother. You still have nightmares about her being burned alive by the king's dragon.

"Aegon, you can't marry Y/n. She's already married to your brother" Alicent told him like she was talking to a little boy.

"Aegon the conqueror had two wives, I don't see why Y/n can't have two husbands," he replied.

Aegon had always thought of making you his wife. The only reason he agreed to be king was so he could marry you too. Helaena would be his wife out of duty and you out of love, you would be his Rhaenys. Of course, Aemond beat him, he married you after the last supper with his father while he was in bed with fleas. But now that didn't matter, nothing could come between you. Helaena was dead and neither his mother nor his brother could not refuse because the marriage was necessary or they would all end up dead at the hands of the northerners.

"I will not share my wife just because of one of your whims" Aemond refused angrily and the king snorted. Aegon was being nice, if he wanted he could have murdered his brother and married you but he didn't. He was willing to share you.

"It's not on a whim. It's to prevent a war," corrected Tyland. "We don't have enough forces to fight the Northlanders and I'm sure Jeyne Arryn is about to bring an army as well. The only way to get loyalty from them is if we make princess Y/n queen and the only way to do that is by marrying the king."

You didn't want to marry Aegon but after listening to Tyland you would. You wanted the war to end once and for all, and if the only way was to marry your mother's killer, you would. You couldn't keep being selfish, you weren't going to let more people die for your family. The town had already lost too many. Aegon and you had to put the war behind you and start rebuilding the kingdom, rewarding the people for all the damage they had caused.

"And what if Cregan Stark doesn't agree with that? He wants the princess on the iron throne, he doesn't want him" said Larys Strong.

"Y/n will rule as my equal. She will wear the crown that belonged to my father"

"Oh gods, all that's left is for you to let her sit on the iron throne," Alicent said.

"Jaehaerys came to sit on the throne along with Alysanne," Aegon reminded her.

You felt so confused. You did not know why Aegon was willing to give you so much power. Why didn't he do that with your mother? This all made no sense but you weren't going to question it.

"We'll talk to him," you said drawing everyone's attention. "Aegon and I will speak with Lord Stark. We will show each other how a united front and he will swear loyalty to me."

Aemond turned to look at you, feeling betrayed. Was this some kind of payback for Alys Rivers?

"Perfect. My lords, there is a wedding to organize" the king announced with a smile and left the room.

tag list: @afro-hispwriter @inmmyowndefender @justsumtuffstuff @crispmarshmallowllow @daduol @safrish @lilithskywalker @solacestyles @zverea

[r0-boat]

How to Train Your Dragon AU

( excluding rescue Riders and Nine Realms🤢)

Hello welcome back to my Rambles time to talk your ear off now .

Hi I am obsessed with dragons and we should talk about my favorite Dragon series.

Some parts are heavily based on the first movie LOL

Y'all I'm still upset I made memes for this post but tumblr won't let me add them 😭

Story:

The story takes place in Another Universe that isn't the normal How to Train Your Dragon timeline, so you will see some differences.

The twins grew up in a mostly seafaring Village however the waves around their Islands were violence and biking lives were threatened every time they set out to sea. At the time dragons were still considered a threat and the Vikings natural enemy...

Their mother was a born Warrior, and their village praised her for her many stories of heroic rescues and daring slaughtering of dragons.

Their father was a "simple" blacksmith however it's handcraft was like no other with Innovative technique to make not only better and lighter more durable weapons but he occasionally traveled into can crafting and construction.

( he gave his wife a sword that took him years to find materials for and forge for a wedding gift)

Like all Vikings during that time the tradition was when a child reaches a certain age, as a coming-of-age ceremony they must slay their first dragon, their mother's first dragon was a Skrill, the village had pretty high expectations for her kin.

Ingo was always the nicer one his mother still loved her boys deeply but was worried that ingo wouldn't survive, of course her boy did know how to defend himself he always protected his brother and himself when they were little, but if that time came where it was a Do or Die situation she's afraid that her son wouldn't make that decision.

When Ingo just so happened to overhear a conversation of his mother explaining her worries too her husband. He packed his stuff and set out for the Wilderness .

Ingo story follows similar to hiccup trying to kill his Dragon before eventually becoming friends with it

constantly sneaking it into the village while the rest of the village worried and fretted over one of the Chiefs Children. No one took and goes disappearance harder than Emmet. Refusing to take place into the ceremony until he finds his brother.

Ingo slips up and leaves one too many tracks behind causing Emmet to be hot on his tail

( Ingo has been gone for a well over a couple years, thinking about whether or not to come back home with knowing that dragons weren't demonic beasts like everyone else thought they were he still misses his family and he constantly visits in disguise but he doesn't think he could come back knowing the truth about dragons)

Emmet eventually finds him and they have a moment. Emmet tries to go for a kill thinking that the dragon was endangering his brother but gets knocked by the dragon while Ingo attempts to hold his brother back.

(At this point both of the Chief's sons are missing and she's in agony lol.)

Emmet is pissed not only because ingo love his entire Village and family behind for years also because he's tied to a chair made of rock.

Ingo Tries desperately to convince his brother to not tell anyone about him and being with a dragon.

To trust him and he will show him what dragons actually are like...

Despite everything... Emmet agreed( not before saying that his brother lost his mind.)

Ingo unties Emmet and watches him leave

Emmet keeping his promise return to the Village without mention anything. Still making an effort to visit his brother weekly.

Emmet slowly starts warming up to dragons but is not sure if he should have his own yet...

Emmet wasn't the only one searching for his sibling, a dragon flew trying to attack the humans thinking that it took their sibling hostage. Before Emmet could react and goes Dragon leaped in and put their body in between their rider and the dragon.

The other Dragon snarls but trusts its sibling; it is still wary of humans, keeping its distance.

Emmet eventually tames this dragon tensions between humans are dragons are still there but they are no longer at War

( they probably fight some large Dragon queen or something LOL haha)

Since the waves make traveling by boat tough ingo and Emmet start a system where they bring passengers from one island or one part of the island to another.

Occasionally dabbling in Dragon Racing

Now to give the boys their dragons

Emmet

At first and it's dragon would be extremely protective to the point of almost being aggressive Firepower is its only source of Defense. However, it has melted out now, probably because it has been baby

Don't take this lizard for granted this dragon is extremely smart and will gain the upper hand.

The dragon uses its powerful blasts and skills.

Emmet is a very competitive person and needs a dragon to match

I can see them having a hookjwng and anot loud relationship, butting heads a lot but having mutual respect to being very close.

Nightfury

Also Possible picks: Monstrous Nightmare, Skrill

Ingo

Ingo's Dragon would be skittish but slowly opening up and at first, using their surroundings to their advantage other than pure firepower.

It uses Firepower at its last resort.

However over time Ingos Dragon will be more socialized even being more playful even a little reckless.

Like his Dragon ingo will use the environment to his advantage or any Gadget he has in his hands

When Ingo is making things his Dragon helps by providing fire and grabbing tools you requests

Light fury

Also possible picks: Deadly Nadder, Changewing

[theshelbyslimited]

an unplanned commentary on the first part of this series bc I'm reading it again after the second one to jog my memory on this stellar yet heartbreaking series (so far) ❤️

"They were waiting for me. They know who I belong to. I couldn’t do anything. They didn't want to kill me, but I think I'm about to die. I won't make it through the night. Today was my last day at work, they waited across the street, followed me and then chased me down like an animal, a deer." my heart breaks so much for Y/N 😭

“They dragged me into an alley. There were five of them. I didn't stand a chance; they were too fast, too strong, I tried to fight, I really tried, but they." don't you look down on yourself miss Y/N, you tried to right and that's all that matters. even if the odds were clearly stacked against you, you weren't going to go down w/o a fight and that makes you a warrior 😭

"Thomas Shelby may be my husband but he doesn't love me. His heart is hard as a rock. He married me because I'm a good catch. His family, every one of them hates me, even the women but the children are nice. They like me, I think or they feel sorry for me." Y/N DESERVES SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS 😭 FUCK HER FAMILY AND FUCK TOMMY.

"Of course, you can stay here Y/N, you can stay as long as you want, you can move in for all I care." I LOVE YOU PEGGY, YOU'RE A REAL ONE

“Y/N/N, if you want you can stay for the rest of the week, my parents won't mind and if you don't want to be alone, you can help me with my work tomorrow, you can help me with the dresses." I have so much love for Peggy's character and I feel like everyone needs someone like her in their lives 🥺😭 (I don't have one but you get what I mean).

"At the end of the day, who am I? They don't need me, if I disappear my father will continue to work for them, he never liked me, I'm not his blood after all, I'm just a replacement and my mother, I don't even know when we talked together in peace. And even if I were lying there in the alley, it would be more likely that a dog would find me and lie by my side than one of them fearing for my safety." THE WAY THIS BREAKS MY HEART SO MUCH. Y/N has clearly been let down time and time again, made to feel that she is invaluable and worthless and I HATE IT bc it's so far from the truth (I feel like Y/N's words are mine though bc I feel that way a lot too 🙈)

“I don't have a home. Thank you, Peggy, I don't know how to thank you, I'm very grateful for what you do for me. Go to sleep, I'll rest too." Y/N has me on the verge of sobbing bc my heart aches so much for her 😭😭😭

she deserves SO! MUCH! BETTER! and I hate how the family ignores and despises her, especially when they've not even taken the chance to know her as a person. I want justice for our Y/N so badly, thank fuck for Peggy being such a saving grace this chapter and a solace for poor Y/N. mayhaps I am a mess over this story again 😭

Who did this to you...?

Pairing: Thomas Shelby x female/Reader

Summary: Bruised and broken, Y/N, trapped in a loveless marriage, arrives at her best friend's house, desperately hoping someone will help her, aware she cannot return to the estate of her husband.

Warning: fear, anxiety, Angst, Fluff,

Word Count: 2.2k

a/n: Requested by anonymous.

Part Two

A deep silence descended upon the land. The ocean was calling, singing, and chanting. Oblong clouds obscured the waxing moon. Creatures cried out and escaped the shelter of the rising shadows. The door was shut and a low prayer escaped her quivering lips.

The wounds pained terribly, crimson oozed, a narrow river and the stabbing pain in her side made it impossible to form a clear thought. Helplessly, Y/N banged on the door. Peggy must be in the house, Y/N thought to herself, saw a faint light flickering in the living room and, listening closely, she thought she could hear the sounds of a sewing machine.

Footsteps echoed again, and the flame of hope awakened. The light was blinding and Y/N squinted her eyes, stumbled back, and cursed like a sailor.

Peggy whispered Y/N´s name. Her eyes were wide, threatening to fall out. Hands clawed into the holey material of the filthy coat, pulling Y/N into the depths of the house. Peggy gulped, and closed the door, locked it, had looked earlier to see if anyone had followed her best friend. Her lips parted, could not speak, dared not to ask questions, feared the worst, the answer. The young woman swallowed and stared at her hands. A liquid clung to her trembling fingers, and cursing, Peggy realised it was crimson. Y/N's blood. It was warm and dripping down onto the carpet. A cry escaped her, pacing, wondering what to do, had never seen so much blood. It was too much blood, Peggy thought to herself, knew it.

Guiding Y/N towards to living room, Peggy tried in vain to get information from the beaten woman, but Y/N stayed in silence, unable to answer, to speak, to pray nor to curse. Carefully, fearing to hurt her even more, Peggy guided Y/N to the sofa and pushed her down, ignoring the fact the reddish liquid would soak into the pale material of the sofa opposite of the table with the sewing machine.

            "What happened? Y/N talk to me! Who did this to you?" Peggy asked hysterically.

Mud, dried, and fresh, stuck to shoes and coat. The red lipstick was smeared and a horrible blueness spread over the flesh, like ice, shining faint but Peggy saw the wounds clearly in the dim light. She prayed again. Warily, she placed her trembling fingers on Y/N´s and repeated the question she had asked hundreds of times.

            "Why are you here? The Shelby's can help you more with this. I am not a nurse! I am a seamstress, Y/N/N.", "No." was all Y/N found strength to say.

Promptly Peggy understood, remembered the stories shrouded in shadows. No questions escaped Peggy and helped her good friend out of the ruined garment, once a beautiful coat. Peggy turned hesitant, freed Y/N´s arms and narrowed her eyes. Shocked, she noticed Y/N was not crying, but staring into the void, not reacting in any way when she accidentally brushed against the gaping wounds.

Eyes grew. Marks pale as the moon, hoary footprints spread across the torn blue dress, and Peggy could not believe her eyes, thought for a moment it was a terrible dream from which she would awake, but then as the sticky crimson dried on her skin, she realised it wasn’t a dream. Urgently Y/N looked up, didn’t look at her fingers, feeling the awakening pain in her chest yet she felt empty, couldn’t scream, having screamed too much, pleading for mercy.

            "I won't call anyone, I understand, you can stay with me, they won't look for you here, no one will find you. No one followed you, I looked. I'll take care of you; you don't have to worry." Peggy breathed, trying to speak as calmly as possible.

The torn fabric fell to the ground. Peggy knelt down and played with the laces of the shoes, freeing Y/N's feet from the clutches of the uncomfortable looking shoes.

Suddenly eyes shot up.

            “...did they?" Peggy couldn't finish the sentence.

            "No.", "I told you from the beginning that this family would bring you nothing but pain. I would kill your parents; they should be ashamed of themselves and if I were them, I wouldn't even leave the house. They sold you out. Shame on them! Bloody pigs." Peggy yelled indignantly.

Swiftly she rose but Y/N did not answer, glancing after her as she disappeared with hasty steps through the open door into another room and after a few moments in which the only sound filling the room was her heavy breathing she returned cursing with a first aid kit in her possession.

            "Talk to me.", "Tell me what happened." Peggy urged in an almost imperious yet loving tone.

Peggy needed to hear what happened, but again Y/N shook her head, wishing to stay in silence, fearing the words resting on the tip of her tongue, trying to ban the memories from heart and mind. Y/N clawed her fingers into the ragged dress, felt the fibres threatening to cave in, the fibres tearing. The memories rolled in waves, overtaking her like an army, but Y/N knew she had to be strong, that she didn't have a strong shoulder to lean on.

Firmly, she pressed her lips into a line. Sickening sensations spread through her mouth. The nasty taste of copper spilled into her mouth, but Y/N suppressed the urge to spit, to puke.

            "They were waiting for me. They know who I belong to. I couldn’t do anything. They didn't want to kill me, but I think I'm about to die. I won't make it through the night. Today was my last day at work, they waited across the street, followed me and then chased me down like an animal, a deer." Y/N whispered.

Y/N felt like a fool and took a deep breath. White dots danced. The reek was sickening, but no complaint crossed her lips as Peggy wiped the crimson with the damp cloth away. She breathed a low excuse and continued to clean Y/N´s arms and legs.

            "I have seen them once or twice, in a bar with Thomas. I know them.” she continued.

            “What happened after?” Peggy asked hesitantly.

She knew the answer, saw it clearly, the cuts and deep traces.

            “They dragged me into an alley. There were five of them. I didn't stand a chance; they were too fast, too strong, I tried to fight, I really tried, but they." Y/N mumbled.

She closed her eyes, saw the men lunge at her like ravenous barbarians, laughing as tears escaped, hands clenched into fists, cursing and shouting, and when the man noticed more and more blood oozed, they stopped and fled as quickly as they had come.

Peggy glanced up. Flashes of flame blazed, seeing the memories Y/N's eyes reflected, but she continued with her work, disinfecting the deep wounds with the cloth, applied ointments and bandages, hoping it would be enough.

            "Why hasn't anyone picked you up. I would. Why did nobody pick you up? You are a woman, you need protection. I hope you know how I mean it. Yes, you are strong but not strong enough to fight with your fists. I rarely leave the house alone and I am not associated with the Shelby’s. What will you tell your husband? Won't he be looking for you?" Peggy asked.

Y/N laughed dryly. Her head fell back. She bit hard on her lower lip as Peggy apologised for the pain she was causing.

            "Thomas Shelby may be my husband but he doesn't love me. His heart is hard as a rock. He married me because I'm a good catch. His family, every one of them hates me, even the women but the children are nice. They like me, I think or they feel sorry for me." Y/N gasped as the ointment burned into her skin.

Laughing, it sounded bitter, full of pain, Y/N looked down at the ring Thomas had given her, a sign of loyalty, endless love and trust, but Y/N knew as well as Peggy that this was not the case.

            "But what can I do. If it was up to him, he would throw me out of the house. He doesn't need me. My father is a good lawyer, he doesn't care about me and I won't talk about my mother." Y/N breathed, so softly, unsure if Peggy had heard the answer.

She closed her eyes, felt tears travelling down her cheeks, but she didn't wipe them away, let them flow in narrow streams.

            "That's why I came to see you. What am I supposed to do there?" Y/N laughed bitterly.

Y/N imagined the situation when she would enter the house, she couldn’t call home.

            "I might also be told that it's my fault. I shouldn't have been on the streets. Maybe they will say I need to dress differently. Can I stay at your place tonight? I don't feel like walking to the Shelby's nor my parents, they probably wouldn't even open the door for me." Y/N said.

She did not doubt her words for a moment.

            "Of course, you can stay here Y/N, you can stay as long as you want, you can move in for all I care. Don't you want me to call him? Won't he be surprised if you don't arrive tonight?" Peggy said.

Carefully, she placed her hand on Y/N's knee and slowly lifted the hem of the dress to inspect the blueness more closely. Y/N shrugged her shoulders, knew the answer, knew it well, but the words didn't escape but she was sickened by her own thoughts, by the truth.

            "I don't care, you don't have to call the Shelby's, it's not necessary, but I won't stop you, I want to protect you, don't be surprised if no one cares, but maybe the kids will come to see me. There are days when he doesn't even come home. Maybe he visits local houses. I don’t know, but I suspect it.” Y/N answered.

            “Y/N/N, if you want you can stay for the rest of the week, my parents won't mind and if you don't want to be alone, you can help me with my work tomorrow, you can help me with the dresses." added Peggy, almost joyfully.

Weakly, Y/N nodded, already looking forward to spending time in the presence of a friendly person. She had almost forgotten the pain, but whenever she thought it had faded into nothingness, an unpleasant twinge spread through her chest, bearing hundreds of arrows.

            "Would you like to come to my room? My bed is big enough for both of us, and I'll have a better conscience than leaving you down here alone." Peggy asked, looking up and immediately noticing the tiredness spreading across Y/N´s features.

            "No, I'm staying here and I don't think I'll be able to make it upstairs. Don't worry about me and as you said, no one followed me and I know no one will look for me. At the end of the day, who am I? They don't need me, if I disappear my father will continue to work for them, he never liked me, I'm not his blood after all, I'm just a replacement and my mother, I don't even know when we talked together in peace. And even if I were lying there in the alley, it would be more likely that a dog would find me and lie by my side than one of them fearing for my safety." Y/N spoke.

Satisfied with her work, Peggy placed the ointment and the plasters on the table and rose from her place on the cold wooden floor. Her hair was curled in rolls and a long bathrobe in shades of dark green covered her long frilly nightdress. Peggy took a few steps, picked up the blanket folded on the dark armchair, and lowered it onto Y/N, covering her legs and upper body and placed a soft pillow at her side. Y/N breathed words of thanks and smiled weakly.

            "It will be best if I drive you home tomorrow. It will be better. When do you want me to take you home? Probably not until the afternoon. I'll cook us something delicious for dinner and I'll make you a new dress. I have a very lovely fabric, the colour will suit you well.", “I don't have a home. Thank you, Peggy, I don't know how to thank you, I'm very grateful for what you do for me. Go to sleep, I'll rest too." Y/N whispered brokenly.

Stillness descended and Peggy wanted to embrace Y/N, hold her tenderly as she witnessed the pain blazing in her broken eyes and it was at that moment Peggy realised the woman, a few steps away from her, was only a shadow of her dear friend.