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snowblack-charcoalwhite · 4 months ago

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When answering asks I mentioned several times that while I agree that Aegon's character arc is the best one this season (among the Greens and overall), I still don't like it. No one really asked but I decided to put it out there anyway - because he is my second favourite character of the book/show combo.

When I think about Aegon in season 2, this bit from the trailer comes to mind:

If we are to take Aegon more or less as a separate character (which is not so easy as no character can/should exist in a vacuum), his storyline has been quite decent (the effort to be a good ruler despite the lack of actual preparation, the obvious love and care towards Jaehaerys and heart-wrenching reaction to his murder, the failed attempt to prove himself at Rook's Rest - and now the signs pointing to him becoming a new man after what happened, more cunning and harsh). Besides, Tom has been given quite a few really good moments where he could show, truly and without being restrained, just how talented he is (it was the least HotD owed him after the treatment he got because of the shitty writing for the previous season). And even with that, I am still far from being convinced that the writers won't fumble it all in season 3 (just look what they did to Aemond this season after him getting IMO the most compelling and consistent beginning of the character arc in season 1).

But if we look at Aegon in connection with other characters? I am not merely disappointed, I am fucking furious, actually.

He's the character who suffered the most this season (feels like suffering takes up 90% of his screentime) - and this is understandable given what he's been going through. But how does the show present us this suffering? More precisely, who is presented as being responsible for it?

The first big blow dealt to Aegon was the murder of Jaehaerys. And which characters are actually shown to be the cause of Aegon's anguish?

Not Rhaenyra - she was as clueless as poor murdered boy himself. Not Mysaria - her opressed self "just provided the names" to Daemon. Daemon is the closest to it, but even here we were treated to this "ambiguity" bullshit about him supposedly not giving clear instructions to Blood and Cheese - and apparently he deeply regrets his actions. Boo-hoo, poor baby (I am not even a Daemon hater, actually, but the "he is just a tormented soul" thing he has going on this season has gone too far). The audience can't even properly hate the murderers themselves because of the shallow and cartoonish way the whole event was handled on screen.

But we get to see how Otto turns the horrible murder of an innocent child into a propo show - and Alicent sides with him (both are shown to disregard Aegon's feelings on the matter). Criston is presented as the one who neglected his duties and in doing so facilitated the heir's murder (and later he tries to shift the blame to Arryk which eventually gets the latter killed while fighting his own twin brother). Aemond doesn't gaf about his nephew's death (or the way it affected anyone in his family, specifically Aegon) for which he is partially to blame. And later Aegon gets a parting gift from Otto in the form of "you are a useless piece of junk - and a naive one for even daring to believe otherwise" - and Alicent's inability to console him when he needs it most.

Things only get worse from here. The Blacks are doing their thing on Dragostone (in Daemon's case - at Harrenhal) while Aegon keeps being abused, neglected and terrorized by those closest to him. His council members (including his mother and brother) do not respect him, Alicent flat out tells him he is useless in the most hurtful way possible (comparing him to Viserys who, as Aegon learned, didn't deem him worthy either after all). Oh, and by the way Viserys' neglect towards his children - Aegon in particular, in this case - is now completely taken out of the equation. Instead Viserys is presented as almost a godlike figure, someone to be worshipped and as infallible as the Pope.

And then, as the cherry on top of the cake, Aegon and his beloved dragon get horribly injured, almost killed by Aemond who Aegon trusted despite everything (Rhaenys' part in Aegon being hurt is minimal). And even after that Aemond proceeds to torment his bedridden brother, physically and mentally (I am aware there are supposed layers to it but I really doubt a lot of viewers gave that scene a second thought), so the former could remain in power; Alicent experiences remorse in all the wrong moments (and then proceeds to tell Gwayne how she is disappointed in both of the sons she actually knows and seems to redirect her hopes towards the one she doesn't). The only person who actually seems to care about Aegon is, surprise, Larys Strong, a reigning Kinslayer Supreme who actually murdered his father and elder brother while playing the game of thrones (and there is a BIG question whether Larys would give a single fuck about Aegon and his condition if he had been granted promotion by Aemond). While it's nice that the indisposed king has at least someone on his side, it's really fucked up that out of everyone else around him it had to be precisely Larys, whose loyalty is very much conditional.

To sum it all up, the writers gave Aegon an extreme amount of suffering (in accordance with his story in F&B and even more), clearly aiming to make the audience pity him as much as possible - and in a dirty and lazy writing move weaponized this pity against other TG characters (it's not clear for now whether it worked to the degree they expected for GA - but for the fandom it certainly did). Meanwhile TB is whitewashed once again. Now it's understandable where all this "they all hate each other" promo jokes (that turned out not to be jokes after all) made by TB actors came from.

In conclusion, I despise the way Aegon's suffering is being used in the narrative, and it takes a really big chunk out of the positive feelings I have about Aegon's arc in general. The F&B Greens, while being flawed individuals and not the most well-functioning family, were loyal to and cared for each other. HotD destroyed the majority of inter-Green relationships, and I am really, REALLY not here for it.

#house of the dragon #hotd #hotd season 2 #anti hotd #aegon ii targaryen #team green

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atopvisenyashill · 3 months ago

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alright things i liked

baela pointing out that jace is not the first bastard to inherit a seat that isn’t his by blood. that was a fun convo and i loved the back and forth and i love that she comes at it like “why are you moping do you think you’re the only bastard in the fucking world” and jace is like barely able to argue his point that LIVING that reality is so much more draining than she realizes, he’s too busy daydreaming about strangling ulf to death over the kitchen table.

everything helaena did. sensing daemon is having a dragon dream and using it to get him back to rhaenyra’s side, the way she really was listening to alicent’s idea about running away to essos together, letting her mother speak her piece in her defense, then going out onto the balcony knowing aemond is going to corner her and giving him the dressing down of his LIFE while he cries, all very good.

abigail thorne. omg. am i mad she’s not sabitha frey? yes. was she still hilarious? also yes.

ESSOSI OUTFITS THAT LOOK GOOD. WE GOT BLUE HAIR FOLKS!!!!

ulf and hugh and addam. trying to find their place, trying to bond with their dragons and each other, unsure of their footing. addam looked ready to turn to goo in his chair. hugh wincing at every “lowborn” quirk ulf has. ulf going ham on acting like ulf bc he’s nervous & telling jokes to cover it. loved it.

alys alys alys. crying at daemon’s bedside at what’s to come, at what she’s going to face next. do you think she saw simon’s death and wept for her silly uncle. does she grieve her cousins before they have even died. does she weep at daemons bedside knowing she’s leading him to his end.

larys and aegon. the whole scene was so good, the way larys is really trying to convince aegon to leave & fight another day and he has like a VERY solid plan but aegon is so completely shaken up bc he just had no idea aemond hated him that much, this is just what love is to him, is this constant push pull of humiliation and abuse that hes still as blind as he was when he was a child to the way his actions affect aemond.

alfred brune just nervously disappearing into the crowd after Daemon gets everyone singing “god save the queen” is so fucking funny. man is like “oh i misread that one HARDCORE i am about to get ate by a fucjing DRAGON while those two watch and fuck nasty” his ass is GRASS lmao

things that were booty, ass even

every single scene helaena had should have come earlier in the season. there’s no reason alicent & helaena couldn’t have had this convo in the last episode instead of alicent fucking off to the godswood for a swim.

i think it’s fine In Theory that alicent goes to rhaenyra and basically surrenders. she’s been shut out of power, she’s lost control of aemond, she’s terrified for helaena’s safety, and otto who was her rock & partner in all things has been gone for a long while. she’s floundering, her shitty boyfriends have abandoned her, she thinks her only shot is to work out a surrender with rhaenyra. COMMA BUT. caving to rhaenyra saying “i’m gonna have to execute aegon” was dumb & ooc. i’m tired of all these little trips between KL and dragonstone. i think that confrontation lacked a lot of punch, alicent was FAR too calm. idek what they’re doing w alicent’s reactions half the time tbh, this feels once again like being unable to let an actress just look ugly for a minute. even during a scene where she should ostensibly be nervous and freaking out, she looks immaculate & prettily distressed. i’m very much over it esp with how often we’ve seen rhaenyra look banged up or windswept or tired or whatever this season.

officially fridging marilda just takes so much intrigue out of the hull boys & alyn specifically. marilda is the only baseborn or lowborn character we get in the book that isn’t shit talked and this is likely due to alyn making SURE his mother is respected. to cut all of that for….what? more manpain? unacceptable.

pls tell me why tyland gets more haha jokey scenes than baela and rhaena get for any scenes at all. baela fights and SURVIVES the last dragon battle in westeros. rhaena is the last dragon rider until dany. they are powerful political forces just as their grandparents and parents. but they just do NOTHING it is so FRUSTRATING.

in theory i’m fine with aegon thinking sunfyre is dead and then finding out he’s alive bc sunfyre has come to rescue him from something. but if sunfyre doesn’t show up WAY EARLIER than the swan dive, if they CUT SOMEHOW THE SWAN DIVE and we don’t get to see aegon snot-crying and screaming as he holds baela’s burnt open face against a headstone and screams that he’s going to kill her for killing sunfyre while she’s glaring and daring him to fucking do it then, you all will never know peace from me. i will literally never stop bitching i will become the most annoying poster on this website i will find condal and hess and i will-

all build up and for WHAT. did they forget that even tho s6 ended with a bunch of shots of people’s armies moving there was an entire fucking battle that happened and then cersei committed religious terrorism??!!!

OH SO WE KEEP YAPPIN ABOUT DAERON ALL FUCKING SEASON JUST THIS RANDOM ASS FOURTH CHILD THAT WE DIDNT HEAR ABOUT ONCE LAST SEASON, AND ALL WE SAW WAS THAT TWO SECOND SCENE OF TESSARION FROM THE TEASER??

AND WE DONT EVEN SEE DREAMFYRE??

#gif warning #hotd spoilers #hotd critical

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mr-culper · 7 days ago

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A bit about milk. My first reaction was negative to the moment with a cup of hot milk, because to my mind it was somehow distorted, as if Aemond looks for a mother figure in this madam, and in some measure that is true. This scene really gives off a mother-son relationship. Only everything in a rather perverse form. Milk here can be a symbol of motherhood... but that’s not all of it. I read one interesting comment on Tumblr, with which I completely agree, there was written something on the lines of: why didn’t you all like the scene with the cup of hot milk, it shows vulnerable side of Aemond, in my opinion, it’s great. And I was just like: my dear, that is absolutely true!

That is, maybe milk is not a nod in the direction of motherhood. There is an element of something from childhood, something from a child. That is not to say Aemond is a child, but that is to say he is as vulnerable and fragile as a small child is. On the other hand, there were never enough peace, domestic happiness and love for him. Sometimes Alicent can be hard to deal with. His brother is a jerk. Helaena married to Aegon, not to him. Maybe Aemond’s need of domestic, family love, not necessarily maternal, would have meet by Helaena, if they had married, but they had not. Aemond had been very much alone as a child. He spent a lot of time totally alone. Unless one counts Ser Criston. Cole is literally the only person in the whole world whom Aemond trusts. That is really funny and very sweet. (Or maybe I just ship them too much for my mental health.)

The second point I thought about the milk scene is related to abstraction from family. Aemond may have bad associations with wine. Maybe I don’t know, but it’s possible, as it seemed to me, he despises not only Aegon himself, but also some attributes associated with him. Maybe Aemond doesn’t want to drink wine, or hot spiced wine, because it reminds him of his brother, who drinks above measure. As the common folk in my country says about such a person like Aegon: he throws alcohol down his collar with or without reasons. As an option. So, getting drunk in under present circumstances is meaningless anyway. As Joe Abercrombie wrote: “Wine can keep a happy man happy, on occasion. A sad one it always makes worse”. Obviously, Aemond understands this.

They can’t drink water because they live in kind of the Middle Ages, it has to be boiled or diluted with rum. What else is left? Well, tea or milk. Perhaps, in Aemond’s mind tea can be associated with Alicent, with her two-facedness, or with their broken relationship. Or tea is simply not usually made in Westeros. That leaves milk. It is much easier to get than tea, based on medieval realities.

Or maybe Aemond chose milk because milk is something that gives comfort, peace, a feeling of safety. Maybe it’s not so much a lack of domestic love, or a child’s vulnerability, as Aemond looks for some security in the situation they all found themselves in. He abstracts his mind from what is happening. And this cup of hot milk is a symbol of security and serenity. Or a symbol of the search for all that.

That’s my take about the milk scene, and it’s quite close to the truth. Although I still like the idea Aemond is so dangerous that even the death of the child disturbed him not at all, but you know, that’s not even Daemon’s case, that would be Larys Strong or Petyr Baelish’s case, because they care about no one, but themselves and their own selfish interests. They could have a child’s corpse on their consciences and sleep well at night. But Aemond is not at all that sort of men.

He is so in pieces with all this he disassociates himself from it as much as possible. Maximally. He wants some comfort, beauty, peace.

Aemond chose the wisest course – he went to the local therapist. That’s what he did.

Although there are several interpretations here, they blend with each other and are not mutually exclusive. He could lie his head on Sylvi’s lap to think carefully and gain strength for a retaliatory strike. He could make plans. He could plot revenge. He could withdraw from the whole world to feel like dandelion seeds on a good wind. He could regret his mistakes and grieve for the murdered child.

I like the take he also grieves, just like every others in his family. It’s all so much bigger than his feelings: the war, the unpleasant family, the odd disconnect between them, the impossibility of realizing his ambitions in a non-confrontational, peaceful, good way, old grudges, new grudges, loneliness. All this can eat away at Aemond’s nerves so much that he cut himself off from his emotions so as not to fly off the handle.

That's an excerpt from the new episode of the Tea & Rum podcast about Aemond's first brothel scene.

To find more episodes go to Boosty.

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wibble-wobbegong · 2 years ago

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having hopper give the line “im not cursed. i am the curse,” in a season where the word curse is given narrative value and importance for the first time in the entire show is certainly a Choice.

hopper feels like a curse because he’s constantly losing or hurting the people around him. there are two really interesting ways to take this line because there are two parallels at play here; henry and mike.

henry’s is very obvious. he’s the most heavily associated with the word curse because of vecna’s curse being used to describe his process of hunting and eventually killing his victims. it feels very indicative of the fact that henry feels like a curse despite not actually being one in the same way he feels like he’s become the predator he was always born to be despite never having been fated to become anything. curses and fate aren’t things he can physically become, though he attempts to become them. he wants to influence the world around him through intense control, and as such he becomes this sort of theoretical — a looming potential without a physical body. no longer a man, but something greater.

i find that hopper’s inspiration for believing he’s the curse to be especially relevant because henry’s ability to ‘become’ the curse increases as he hurts others. both literally and on a more meta level. the literal version is obvious; he kills and hurts and absorbs to strengthen himself. that isnt the only pain he gains strength from though. he also gains strength from memories that make him sad and angry.

not only were we denied any perspective as to what this memory may be, but the parallel implies henry most likely wasn’t at fault for the harm he witnessed. hopper believes he’s a curse for what has happened to sarah, el, and joyce. he’s tried to save all of them and failed or succeeded, but he’s never been the direct cause of a lot of their pain. obviously, in present day, henry is the direct cause of pain for the people he hurts, but those aren’t the people he’d be ‘cursing’ in this parallel. that would be his family.

in hopper’s situation, he’s lost someone (sarah) because he was unable to save her, been led to believe he lost someone (el), and accidentally put someone in danger (joyce). this is directly reflected in the creel family at the night if the massacre. thanks to @/aemiron’s analyses, we learned that virginia most likely didn’t actually die that night, though henry thought he’d killed her. as such, virginia survives and it also seems like she may have been the one to kill alice. henry never harbored any malice towards alice (lol) and it seems like the reason he tried to kill virginia in the first place was a defensive reaction (from @/laozuspo analyses). victor didn’t die, but by angering virginia henry put him in danger.

henry thought he lost virginia, he did lose alice, and he put victor in danger.

this pattern isn’t limited to henry, though. we also see this pattern arise with mike in s4, which is where this all finally ties together!!

mike is already a pre-established parallel to hopper on levels like no other. they’re very similar in a lot of ways, including feeling guilt for hurting the people around them and needing to feel needed. in s5, mike’s most likely going to complete the pattern he’s set out for himself of destroying his relationships unintentionally by fucking up with dustin regarding eddie’s death. he will have pushed everyone far, far away due to his internal struggles. he didn’t want to push them away necessarily, but it was a product of his self destruction.

furthermore, we already see him holding this value that he’s a burden to other people. it’s most directly stated when he says that he’s just some nerd while el is a superhero and that his lack of ability to love her and be there for here is his downfall. he also calls these feelings stupid and apologized for opening up to will that way. in the book lucas on the line, both lucas and dustin are annoyed by his moody behavior. nancy is constantly annoyed with him and he almost makes them late. perhaps the only person he doesnt feel like a burden to is max

on top of all that, he fulfills this rule of three regarding loss. in s1, he thinks he’s lost will but he hasn’t. he puts el in danger by putting her on a superhero pedestal. in s4, the person he couldn’t save is (ironically) max. his failed monologue is directly tied to the fall of hawkins and max’s death.

“i’m not cursed. i am the curse.” is an oddly uniting line between three unexpected characters, and with the ties being built between hopper and mike, i wonder if they’ll end up working together against one of henry’s forces (im betting the shadow monster).

TLDR; henry 🤝 hopper 🤝 mike

emo mfs

#henry creel #jim hopper #mike wheeler #im spinning it around in my head #mike analysis #henry analysis

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horizon-verizon · 2 years ago

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Do you think Rhaenyra should have ruled after she had fled from the capital? I mean, it is one thing to root for her when she didn't make that mistakes but after she showed herself a tyrant, I doubt any allies could have kept her on the throne. Everyone would have preferred Aegon III anyway. She dug her own grave, in short. No matter how we look at the reasons.

Probably a reaction to this POST.

Read this post, as well.

*EDIT*: This post by la-pheacienne really directs you to understand how Rhaenyra's story is also like a Greek ancient tragedy in that she turns worse from a past of being a morally-typical-neutral person. How, like I already pointed out from Othello, she becomes a tyrant and makes the decisions at the end, becoming a protagonist who ends first by others' acts and then her own.

If there were a better option, no, not really after Nettles, even with her grief (I explain why HERE and HERE). But if I absolutely had to pick on the pain of death since our only other option was Aegon II and the greens, most definitely.

You: "Everyone would have preferred Aegon III anyway."

This is not a democracy or a republic, anon, where the common folk or the nobles get to freely decide who gets to be their ruler or leader without going to war or using violence. This is a feudal monarchy. The Great councils that occur in this state only occur because the monarch allowed them to. There is a pattern of succession and specific transfers of power specific to the society here.

Rhaenyra was heir, and the war was fought on her behalf (not Aegon III or his siblings), so if she had won, she gets to rule in her own right as Viserys wanted.

You: "I mean, it is one thing to root for her when she didn't make that mistakes but after she showed herself a tyrant, I doubt any allies could have kept her on the throne."

Even after her death, her followers fought for her. Why? They took oaths to AND Aegon the Elder, of his own volition, was set against them anyway. The green allies were also outnumbered, with a weak and vengeful, stupid king. Finally, Jeyne Arryn was willing to house her, even if Rhaenyra left instead for Dragonstone for a new dragon (Before you go, "see! she even betrayed Syrax or something against her decision to go the DS, scroll down this post/quote for Sunfyre and Aegon's want of a "fiercer" dragon). So, yes, her allies would have been enough.

You: "She dug her own grave, in short. No matter how we look at the reasons."

Again, before Rhaenyra was born there were circumstances set against her. Jaehaerys made sure women had less power and were less considered for the throne through his refusal to name Daenerys, how he handled Rhaena, his treatment of his daughters (esp Saera), and the existence of the GC of 101 A.C. itself. Viserys never politically trained her. Since she was 10, her stepmother and her followers tried to diminish her standing in court and used misogynist principles against her for Alicent's own gain. Her first two sons were killed; first in cold blood murder by her own brother and the second fighting against those bought in by her usurpers. And 2 the very people who that son took in betrayed her. She watched as her dragon and last son died as the Dragonpit was attacked. The Dance account in F&B is an account where she's called fat negatively, slut shamed, and talked about as if she was evil or sexually undesirable due to a lack of female chastity even BEFORE she landed on KL.

Rhaenyra definitely made things worse for herself and made "dumb" (but actually pretty ordinary) decisions in her need to hold what power she had gained, but it also was not entirely because she was unstrategic that she lost. It's a combo, with one superseding and causing the other.

GRRM definitely made her too disadvantaged/unstrategic by not at least giving her more from Viserys or some more self-making moments with clear descriptions, but the point is clear: it is not simply or completely her fault overall that she lost--an indication of misogyny not only against her but the decline of Targ women in general, of which she (what happened to her) is the breaking point of the dynasty's height of power. She was really doomed from the moment she lost focus, yet placed in a situation because others have sought and fought to disempower her from the moment it was clear she was to remain heir even after Aegon's birth.

(8/21/23):

THIS is a great post by mononijikayu about medieval queens, female rulers, the history of how women in leadership positions were made and seen as threats to the very structure of social “order”, and contextualizing Rhaenyra thru Empress Matilda. I didn’t even know about Matilda’s husband being comparable to Rhaneyra’s Daemon! PLZ READ!!!!

Excerpt:

just as much, along with these fictitious portrayals, more lies are depicted. these women are considered vixens that cause havoc to men by shifting them into desires and danger. through the written word, we see how women are cast in roles of villains in men’s lives. it is because by their conclusive thoughts, women are the only creatures that are able to turn ‘good honorable men’ into despicable creatures who do shameful, deplorable acts for the sake of women’s pleasures. [...] itis within this narrative that ancient chroniclers declare that women were in fact the doom of men. if they were not able to control the dangers posed by the wiles of women, then the foundations of the mighty society they had built would be up in flames. [...] as i mentioned, these factors of community are written down and preserved. and with that, the example of the ancients were the foundations by which medieval society built itself. the same concepts continued to cause the same issue within society and that was the exclusion of women from participating in the bigger picture of community and state, much so with governing states in their own right—without judgment or disapproval.

#asoiaf asks to me #rhaenyra targaryen #fire and blood characters #westeros succession #rhaenyra's characterization #a song of ice and fire #fire and blood comment #rhaenyra and feminism #asoiaf #fire and blood

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stillness138 · 5 months ago

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finally got the time to yap about hotd

so people are upset and disappointed with how chood and bleese were done. i will admit to having only read an extensive summary of the book, but i didn't mind it. i'll get back to it but first some general thoughts tm

but reading different reactions and comparing them to mine kinda made me think about how this show adapts the source material in general. i really, really like the show, despite it having specific points i definitely disliked or was also disappointed with (especially in episode 9). because i think it is overall a great adaptation. and not necessarily of the text of Fire&Blood - a text that is harder to adapt to begin with because, as people seem to keep forgetting, it is told exclusively by in-world characters with their individual biases - but rather of the themes, topics and messages this story (and really asoiaf as a whole) is trying to convey.

and people seem to have lost sight of those a little bit too. this thing is about an oppresive, unsustainable patriarchal system that harms just about everyone in and around it. the most drastic change - Alicent being Rhaenyra's childhood best friend - is an excellent piece of adaptation because it allows them to say so much about the topic at hand, more than George did. [a side point, but this fandom, just like the witcher one, should also take a step back from treating grrm as someone who can never err and whose word is holy. the man has a morbid interest in writing child torture porn to illustrate a point he already made 3 books ago. he aint special, and he sure isn't the best thing since sliced bread.] [but actually, on this topic, the choices of where to have nudity, sex, sexual abuse, violence and gore are also made with thought in this show and my god is that so refreshing to see, ESPECIALLY in this universe.]

i would've done the first episode of season 2 differently, would've only set b&ch up at the end and built tension through the whole of the next episode, but i obviously haven't seen the rest of the season. no one has save for unenthused journalists but throwing hands in the air about the lack of this or that is kinda silly. it's literally just the first episode. i'm ready to do the stanczyk and eat my words if i'm wrong, but stuff like pact of ice&fire, how alicole came to be, even more reactions to Luke's death, why the castle was completely devoid of guards,.. may yet be subjects in conversations later on.

the ep manages to have a unifying theme, that being parents' relationships to their (deceased) children, and it gets that across well enough. yes there should have been more of Aegon and Helaena's time with their kids but also, this would've never reached the level of setup the red wedding had. they're not really comparable.

another opinion i've seen and disagree with is that b&ch is portrayed as an oopsie. what do you think Daemon answered to "and if we don't find Aemond?" and why do you think "does she look like a son to you" is said? they knew what they were doing. if anything, their surprise is to how easy it was to get to Helaena. and that is set up too. if Aegon took her seriously, like, ever (this is something he exhibits all the way back in the Driftmark episode), maybe there would be at least some guards. she foresaw the danger and he could've attempted doing something about it or at the very least ease his sister/wife's worries, but he was too busy using Jaehaerys to humiliate Tyland Lannister. [truly the dad to end all dads in this series.] i want to see Aegon wracked with guilt over it, because he definitely directly underestimated the situation.

he is also left with either his wild card brother or his daughter to name the new heir. where have we seen that before. and the not so secret third option is to put Helaena through another pregnancy to hopefully get a son out of it. that's what Maelor would be forced to live with. knowing that he only exists because of a terrible tragedy and the system's requirements for a suitable heir.

i do agree that the show leans towards Rhaenyra's team quite a bit, but i don't think they're being too sanitized. again i'm ready to be the fool, but Daemon has 9 more episodes to openly admit to ordering Jaehaerys's murder.

if the bag was fumbled on anything, it was delivery, but not adaptation itself. this isn't the show of women screaming in horror as men threaten to assault their six year old children. it is a show about a system that manifests as an abuse cycle and ends in tragedy one way or another, and that can be conveyed in a number of ways.

#hotd spoilers #shut up elis #im off to search certain tags on ao3 see ya in a few more days

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imagining-in-the-margins · 3 years ago

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Patience (Raymond Wadsworth)

Summary: Raymond reconnects with his dead girlfriend. Request: A fic based on ‘Dancing with your Ghost.’ Raymond's girlfriend died and for her birthday he throws her a party and she shows up and they dance and eat cake and are happy. Couple: Raymond Wadsworth/Fem!Reader Category: Angst (Hurt/Comfort) Content Warning: Major character death, death and dying, dead s/o, birthdays, brief/vague suicidal ideation Word Count: 3.2k

MASTERLIST

I’ve always hated birthdays. If you grew up having the father I did, you would understand why. Each year was just another reminder of the regretful event of my birth and another step in my rush towards the finish line. For a long time, that’s all it was.

But then I met her.

The first time she asked me for my birthday, I was convinced she was just trying to figure out my astrology chart. Granted, that’s exactly what she was doing, but then she just got so excited to hear that our birthdays were so close together. She said it was terrible for our compatibility, but that she was willing to overlook it.

It began a tradition that I swore I’d never enjoy. Every year, the two of us would get together to celebrate. It wasn’t always a celebration of us as individuals, or even life in general. Sometimes it was just celebrating our favorite ice cream flavor or the shitty television show we were currently fixated on. My favorite year was the one where we spent the whole time celebrating the lack of birthday celebrations (full Alice in Wonderland style).

When I was with her, there wasn’t a single birthday that passed where I was alone. She was always there, cake and candle in hand and ready to listen to whatever bogus anti-wish I’d concocted.

Two days before her birthday that year, I had realized that I didn’t hate the reminder anymore. In fact, I couldn’t wait to see her. To hear what she chose to celebrate and to watch as she opened her gift that was, for the first time, completely unironic.

I realized that day, as I held the small gift in one hand and my phone in the other, that I wasn’t meant to enjoy birthdays.

‘There’s been an accident.’

Why couldn’t fate have waited at least another 72 hours?

‘I’m so sorry, Raymond.’

She deserved to have another birthday.

‘It wasn’t anyone’s fault.’

I made her favorite cake.

‘Raymond? Are you there?’

I bought her funny balloons months ago with curse words and sad faces.

‘I’m so sorry.’

It wasn’t fair, I thought as I turned to the calendar where she’d wished me a happy unbirthday.

We were supposed to have a party.

‘She didn’t make it.’

—————367 days later—————

I hadn’t been able to sleep in what felt like a year. What had been a year. A year and two days since I lost her.

Time passed differently without her, but birthday season felt the same. It always came too soon and lasted too long. I’d been dreading her birthday with a twisted sort of oxymoronic excitement. I’d spent so long planning a celebration for a dead woman that I’d never stopped to consider she might not come.

It was a difficult, isolating problem to have. Not many would understand why the empty space where she should be sitting felt so disappointing.

I had done everything I was supposed to for her to arrive.

So why was I surprised when she did? Why had I needed to blink once, twice, three times before I believed my own eyes?

There she was, proudly seated beside me like she had been there all along. She wore a smile that told me she’d been waiting for me to notice. I could only hope that my reaction — which could only be described as a total and complete state of shock — hadn’t been disappointing.

“(Y/n)...” I muttered mostly to myself, “You came.”

With a quirk of her head and a graceful snort, she laughed, “Was I supposed to miss my own birthday party?”

I lunged forward to grab her, but then I stopped. Frozen in the air just before our bodies made contact, I noticed that nothing felt cold or warm or strange at all.

“C-Can I— Can I touch you?” I asked, nonetheless, breathless, and terrified and happy all at once.

A teasing smile stretched over her cheeks that had the same color as always. Small hands reached out around me, urging me forward, begging me to take the initiative to close the gap.

“Of course, Raymond,” she said like it was a stupid question. And honestly, it was, because we both knew that regardless of the answer she gave, I was always going to try.

Because she was right there. There was nothing hazy, no glowing lights or corrupted pixels — it was just her.

My arms closed around her gently at first, waiting for her to disappear and leave me grabbing at empty air. But then she was laughing, the air pushed from her lungs as she struggled under my vice-like grip, and I couldn’t contain it anymore.

I burst into tears before I could even comprehend what was happening. Her hands laced through my hair and her comforting giggles continued to echo in the room that had felt so lonely for over a year.

“Hey!” she yelled playfully while trying to comb through the bird’s nest on my head, “The song goes it’s my birthday I can cry if I want to. Not you!”

“I’m sorry. I can’t help it,” I blubbered between sniffles.

“It’s okay… but you are being sort of a downer.”

She’d had a point, so I let it be. I answered only with an awkward, still stunned laugh, and she was all too happy to accept that as enough.

“Is the cake for me?” she asked.

Some part of me wanted to be offended, but it wouldn’t have been her if she hadn’t immediately abandoned me for a frosted pastry.

“Yeah. I made it myself.”

“I remember your baking,” she hummed just before taking a bite. Then, through a full mouth she mumbled happily, “I remember it well.”

While she lost herself in worldly pleasures, I was struggling to comprehend the otherworldly. I gazed upon her pure expressions of joy, the way her lips curved between each bite and her eyes fluttered shut to fully savor the taste of love baked into her favorite flavor.

I watched her, unabashedly basking in the beauty of another moment with her, even if it ended up being a fever dream or delusion. When she gestured for me to come closer, I followed without hesitation. I came so close to her that she actually had to back up to be able to bring a bite to my lips instead of hers.

I accepted the cake, and like her, I hadn’t let a full mouth dissuade me from singing her praise.

“I miss you,” I said, not realizing how heavy the words were.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” she chastised with a soft click of her tongue.

The sound alerted me to what I’d yet to do, and before either of us could breathe another breath (assuming she in fact was), I brought our lips together. To my surprise, they were the same as the day I’d lost her. Warm, plump, and softer than what should be humanly possible.

Although, again, I supposed she was no longer human, anyway.

But it was hard to deny the perfection of every detail. As my hand smoothed over her hair and down her neck, I said the only thought repeating on loop in my mind, without considering how silly it would sound.

“You feel so real,” I said.

“I am real,” she laughed. Then, with a painful amount of sarcasm she lectured, “Ghosts are real, Raymond. I didn’t think I had to explain that to you.”

It was a good joke. A great joke, even. But I selfishly needed her to take the moment more seriously. To understand that I’d been waiting over a year to see her, and now that she’d joined me, she was acting like nothing had happened.

But it had. So much had happened.

“You know what I mean,” I whispered.

She let it go. It wasn’t entirely like her to let me win, but I think we were both willing to accept abnormal for the time being.

One thing had stayed the same, though. The music that gently flowed through the room was a healthy dose of nostalgia. A series of songs that I hadn’t managed to get through on my own in over a year.

“You’re playing my playlist,” she said with a distant, far-off stare. Like she was trying to remember the words that had escaped her.

“I heard it makes spirits more likely to come if they feel comfortable.”

(Y/n) started to giggle. Just a little at first, but then even a mouthful of cake hadn’t been enough to stop her.

“What’s so funny?” I mumbled in my usual insecure manner.

I knew it made her feel bad. It was sort of the point, but only because I knew she would make up for it swiftly and with full force. And she did.

“If you want what I’m used to, you should have played your 40s music and Halloween movie soundtracks,” she explained through the purest smile I’d ever seen.

I knew from that smile alone that, unlike how she’d struggled with her own, she would remember every word to every track on my list.

“I still can play that,” I pointed out matter-of-factly.

“Do it,” she urged through more lighthearted laughter, “I dare you.”

I’d been so excited to do it. I’d always loved our dares, always loved to beat her in whatever silly little way I could. I wanted to make her happy, to blast the music we shared together so that we could feel that foolhardy happiness again.

But when it came time to turn my back to her, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

“Wait,” I said with shaky breath. “C-Can you… Please, come with me.”

“It’s like five feet away, Raymond. I knew you were needy, but...” she tried to play it off, but I remained steadfast in my footing. There was no playfulness to my tone; only pain I hadn’t really wanted her to hear.

“I don’t want to let go of your hand,” I whispered, “… Please.”

I watched as the realization dawned on her. The grief, anger, and sadness flashed over her features in the blink of watery eyes. Then it was gone again, replaced with love, and only love.

“Fine. I have to get up to dance anyway.”

And dance we did. We danced in every conceivable way, and some that were probably too ridiculous to even be considered as such. We did the tango, the Macarena, and the waltz. Our lips found each other over and over until I was certain she would be sick of it. She never was. We held each other shamelessly, loved each other in excess.

But when the music lost its novelty, we still hadn’t tired of each other. In that silence, I found the strength to request the answers to things I hadn’t wanted to ask.

“Can I ask you some questions?”

“Depends. Are they questions about death and dying?”

Smart as a whip.

“No, they’re questions about you,” I lied. When it was obvious that she hadn’t bought it, however, I admitted the truth. “Okay, fine. A little bit of both.”

“I’ll allow it,” she hummed before nuzzling her face further into my neck.

I considered not asking. I thought about how selfish I was being, to waste our little time together with my selfish nonsense. But the questions had been eating at me for a year, and I knew if I didn’t ask her, if I couldn’t hear her explain them to me, I would forever assume the worst.

“Why don’t you come visit me more often?”

“Ah,” was all she said at first. With a pained, tight grip on the back of my shirt, she gave her answer softly and defeated. As if she had been ashamed of the truth. “I can’t. At least, not like this. I planned very far ahead to be able to see you again.”

“Are you... happy? Being here, on Earth?”

That one took her longer to reply. When she did, though, the apathy in her voice told me more than the words she’d chosen.

“I don’t know that I feel anything about it. It doesn’t really feel like I’m here like that.”

The insecurities crept back over the happiness, bleeding through and tainting the memories that might need to last me a lifetime.

“D-Does it feel like you’re here now?” I croaked, “Do you feel like you’re with me now?”

Whether it was because she hadn’t trusted me to believe her voice, or because she couldn’t find the words to explain, she kissed me.

I accepted it as the answer because I was pretty sure I understood it, anyway. But when we pulled away, I chased after her lips. Her hands cradled my face, holding our foreheads together so we could talk without feeling too far away.

“I have one more question.”

“I know,” she whispered in a voice so pitiful, she was practically begging me not to ask.

But I had to.

“Can you stay?”

“No, Raymond,” she said through tears that started to pour down still lively cheeks, “You know I can’t. You know I would, baby. I would do it so fast, but I can’t. Please know that I would.”

Through my own heavy sobs, I choked out the only solution that felt attainable. The only thing I could think to do to make anything okay.

“Then…” the words caught on my throat, and she tried to kiss me to stop what she saw coming. But I didn’t let her.

I had to.

“Then can I come with you?”

With a knowing, devastating smile she answered, “Over my dead body.”

Together, we laughed the grief into a manageable existence. We let our tears dry because we wanted to be able to see each other as perfectly as we could for whatever time we had left.

As if she’d been able to read my mind, the way she always had even before she became supernatural, she wiped the tears from my chin as she assured me, “There is no rush, Raymond. Live your life. I’ll be there when it’s time.”

“How long will that be?” I asked, hoping that she’d have some insider information.

But even if she did, she just gave a little shrug, instead.

“I hope it’s a long time, so you’ll have a bunch of stories to tell me when you get there.”

“I’m terrible at telling stories,” I reminded her ever-so-kindly.

“You’re good at ghost stories,” she argued ever-so-smartly, “Like this one.”

I hugged her closer, unable to look her in the eyes when she proved me wrong yet again. I breathed in the scent of her exactly as I’d remembered it. I let my hands roam her back, her hair, her everything. I was shaking from the enthusiasm in my touch, but she never once complained.

Although, that didn’t stop her from commenting on the obvious.

“You’re a bit handsy for a guy touching a dead girl.”

“You know, I don’t remember you being this funny,” I squeaked in a poor attempt at self-defense.

With a feigned offense, she gasped before crying, “How dareyou misremember my greatest legacy!”

That time our laugh was nothing close to bitter. It was sweet as crystallized clover honey and milk. It did not hurt at all, and for the briefest of moments, she hadn’t been dead at all. She was alive in my arms, filling the reserves of my heart to maximum capacity once more.

I would need them to last me longer this time.

“When do you have to go?” I asked when I finally worked up the nerve.

With a lopsided smile, she answered, “Soon.”

“Will you wait until I fall asleep first?”

“Of course, my love,” she said.

There were no other words necessary. The night was quickly approaching its end, and although I knew it wasn’t a Cinderella story, I still didn’t want it to happen where she disappeared before my eyes came to rest.

So, the two of us curled up in the bed we used to share. Her body still fit so perfectly beside mine, and I wondered how it could be that my eyes fell heavy so quickly. After over a year of running on no sleep, my body was finally ready to rest.

So was hers.

“I’ll meet you in your dreams, too,” she promised me as she inspected my sleepy gaze with an unusual amount of scrutiny. Like she wasn’t quite sure she was telling the truth but would try her damnedest to make sure it happened. “Someday, I will.”

When I couldn’t stop the tears anymore, she was sure to brush them away all the same. Her eyes stayed open, and I decided that it was only fair that she would get to see me until it was time for her to go. Even if I was selfish for the extra few hours, minutes, or seconds, I would give her the chance to witness the peacefulness she provided.

“I love you so much,” I whispered for the last time.

“I love you, too, Raymond,” she returned in the same way, “I always will.”

I believed her. I would never have to wonder again.

“Go to sleep, darling,” she instructed with one more chaste kiss against my forehead.

And, in that way where I always tried my hardest to make her happy, I obeyed. I fell asleep to the sound of her voice saying that she loved me. I felt tight, greedy arms hold me until I was in the one place that always felt safe. The dreams of her and I, as we should have been.

I danced with her there, too. We held each other like a promise. We shared the simple joys of cake, Halloween soundtracks, and awkward laughter. I swore to myself that I would repeat it all over and over again so that I would never forget.

But when I opened my eyes again to see her, the day was new, and my bed was empty.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Things were going to be okay. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But that ever-elusive, always enticing ‘someday,’ we would be together again. She had basically promised me as much, and I had to believe her. She was always the smarter of the two of us. The funnier, too. I would be sure to remember that from that point on.

Breathe in, I thought to myself. But as turned to the empty chair where she’d sat, all of the air came out in a hasty, nervous laugh as I noticed half of the cake missing.

Beside the half-eaten pastry was a note, simple but sweet — just like we’d always been.

“Raymond,

I can’t wait until I see you again. Bring the best stories you can find.

I love you,

(Y/n).”

And although I cried as I read her name as written for the last time, I also had to smile at the frantically scribbled afterthought smushed into the little room left under her signature.

“P.S.” she’d written, “Bring more cake, too.”

(Tell me what you thought of this fic here!)

#raymond wadsworth #raymond wadsworth self insert #raymond wadsworth x reader #raymond wadsworth fanfiction #raymond wadsworth fanfic #suburban gothic self insert #suburban gothic fanfic #suburban gothic #matthew gray gubler fanfic #mgg fanfic #mgg fanfiction

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papipopsicle · 3 years ago

Text

AFTERTASTE PART SEVEN

Pairing: Archie Andrews X Reader

Summary: In which two best friends since childhood test whether sex and friendship can co-exist without causing conflict. Including OC's Flick and Cherry, a bisexual and lesbian in a sapphic relationship who are best friends of Y/N.

Song: Dream Boy by Waterparks

Warnings: swearing

Words: 2.1K

MASTERLIST

feedback is always appreciated

Y/F and Y/M Robins were far from perfect parents. Y/F had the mental age of a toddler at times, and being an estate agent who always has to go the extra mile- he often wasn't home when his wife needed him the most. Y/M, on the other end of things, had been a stay at home mum until Y/N turned 16 last summer, and now she helped with all the administrative work for Mayor McCoy. She was a maternal creature which, coupled with her brilliant sarcasm, made for some explosive conversations. The two met on the first day of university and got married a week after the last.

When Y/M first found out she was pregnant with little Y/S Robins, the two realised they wanted a quiet bubble of a town to raise their children and grow up with them. But it wasn't until their second daughter was about to turn seven until they found their forever home in the quaint town of Riverdale. Ten years passing before their eyes, and the picturesque place didn't seen all that anymore.

Jason Blossom's death had nothing to do with the short gunshot sounding over the waves of Sweetwater River, the noise which woke Y/N from her sweet unmemorable dreams every few nights. The summer days rolled into early August without anyone caring, Y/N spending most of them at Cheryl's side listening intently to her past adventures with her brother. Betty threw herself into an internship at a publication house; Flick and Cherry had volunteered at a summer camp, and Archie was helping his dad out more and more with constructions job.

Although it hadn't been the start to the relationship Y/N had hoped for- the nervous giggles and hand holding, short and sweet kisses on late night walks followed by poetry worthy cuddling. There was a magnificent silver lining as Archie's muscles gained definition, and he suited the sweaty builder look far too well.

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y/n Humph!

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Cheryl busy being my own icon

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"Earth to my gorgeous queen? Y/N/N?" Cheryl quizzed her friend, who currently resided at the poolside of Thornehill Manor. Her mind was off on a glorious tangent about her rendezvous in the kitchen at two in the morning. Fixing herself a glass of water, when Archie slips his hand into her pyjama shorts, his other around her mouth muffling her needy moans.

The red headed beauty shoved her y/h/c friend playfully, warm skin sweaty under her pale touch. Y/N blinked innocently and sent her an apologetic smile, "What?"

"I asked if you've thought about dating anyone else since Clayton?" The fiery ginger girl enquired with her usual upbeat tone.

Cheryl knew she had a unique quality about her which made it almost impossible for Y/N to lie to her face. The y/h/c girl scrunched up her nose, hiding the smile the idea of Archie Andrews brought to her face. 'Yes. We started off as fuck buddies but never actually fucked. Then I drunkenly asked him to be my boyfriend, now a month later I think we may genuinely work out.'

"Maybe." Y/N bit her bottom lip, listening to her friend's squeal as she squeezed her sun tanned arm.

"I knew it! You have this euphoric glow you only get when someone else makes you climax." The redhead affirmed confidently, watching the Robins girl's eyes bug out before hitting her arm, "Y/N/N, you know your secret's safe with me."

"Fine." She sighed and took a sip of her fruity cocktail, "It started off as just fooling around, honestly I just needed to let off some steam after everything. I knew he was into the kinds of things I was, I mean he used to tease me about it non stop. And it was good, so good I stopped being a pussy and asked him to be my boyfriend."

"Holy freaking hell!" The Blossom girl grinned with excitement, "Dare I ask, who is it?"

Y/N deadpanned at her friend, "Guess."

"Please don't tell me it's that muscular oaf Reggie, he's pretty but there's not exactly much going on upstairs." Cheryl tapped her temples and rolled her eyes at the thought.

"Nope."

The ginger thought for a moment, consulting her liquid courage and splashing her feet around the waters edge, "It's Archie."

All it took was a side-eyed glance at the y/h/c girl's blooming rosy cheeks to know she definitely wasn't wrong. Y/N severely lacked the ability to lie, even if her tone held conviction, her features were far too expressive and told the truth all on their own. It's not like they were hiding it from anyone, but the past four weeks had gone far too quickly without any moments to spare for the world around them. They slept together each night, the majority of that time not actually spent sleeping, but they hadn't been given the chance yet to explore more romantic avenues.

"It's fucking Archie Andrews- you're fucking Archie Andrews and don't you dare deny it." Cheryl gawked in her gorgeous white and nude bikini, watching as her friend lay back against the hot marble slabs which encased the large pool with the largest grin adorning her plump lips.

"We haven't had sex yet, so technically you aren't completely correct." Y/N winked but carried on before the girl exploded with a hundred questions and could never be turned off, "Trust me, I want to, and I'm sure he does too. But you know, it's his first time, I want it to be perfect for him."

"Y/N/N, you really love him, don't you?" Cheryl gagged to begin with, but she found it sweet in truth. She wanted someone to hold, who would hold her right back just as tight for no other reason than needing to.

Y/N sat back up and paddled her feet, "You have no idea, Cher."

Arch 🧡

That new post should be illegal

Tiger 💛

Ooo

I like this reaction

Maybe I should post more

Like this one

Cheryl pushed me in the pool

And I may have had a drink

Or three

Arch 🧡

Well that's sexy

I swear nobody looks good like that how on earth

You're a goddess

But also

How's she holding up?

Tiger 💛

🥺😇

Broken

But she's strong yk

You coming over for dinner?

Arch 🧡

Yeah Y/D invited my dad too

Need me to pick you up from Cheryl's?

Tiger 💛

Awe cute we love a bromance, and it's all good my mommas coming now anyways :))

Hours had elapsed far too fast and soon the summer heat simmered into cool waves of wind brushing over sun kissed skin. Cheryl's arms were clasped around the blonde's shoulders in a tight embrace.

"Thank you so much, Y/N/N, I don't know what I'd do without you!" The Blossom girl professed with sparkling eyes and a brilliant smile.

Y/N beamed up at her, fingers carding through her damp y/h/c hair as she looked over her shoulder to see her mum pulling into the driveway, "You don't need to thank me, Cher, friends look after each other. Message me if you need me, okay?"

Cheryl promised she would and the two teen girls hugged goodbye, with Y/N soon heading home- listening to her mother gossip about Hal and Alice's screaming match last night, Y/N loved her inability to keep her mouth shut sometimes.

"Mom," The y/h/c stopped her mid sentence and received a side eyed glance in response, "I need to tell you something and you're totally not allowed to freak out while you're driving."

Y/M's eyes widened and her grip tightened around the steering wheel, her daughters very rarely confided in her. While she knew her youngest was safe in her promiscuity, neither of Y/M Robins' girls ever shared their secrets so for the most part she took finding out into her own hands.

"Honey," The forty four year old's calm tone was hardly comforting to the teenager, "if this is about you and Archie fooling around, your father and I figured that out a long time ago, like so long ago. Who do you think does your laundry? When your underwear starting looking like dental floss, we caught on pretty quickly."

Y/N felt like a deer in headlights, "Mum, what the hell?" Her cheeks heated to an inhuman temperature.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, as long as you're being safe and he's-"

"For the second time today, and I can't believe I'm saying this to you, but I am not having sex with Archie Andrews!" Y/N's high pitched voice sounded through the car. It truly was a blessing and a curse to have such open minded parents in situations like this. She thought about telling her mother the truth, but Y/M was a blabber mouth as well as a gossip, so Y/N chose to withhold certain pieces of information.

The Robins matriarch dropped the subject but didn't forget about her daughter's tone, and continued to ramble on about how odd she found Penelope Blossom and the whole Blossom family in general. "Like why on Earth is Rose in a wooden wheelchair? They know it's the twenty first century, right?"

As expected, the Robins household was once again filled with warm laughter and copious amounts of food. The topic of Jason was skimmed over, and Y/S found herself away from the dinner table. The eldest Robins sibling was currently pleading with Alice as she began shoving all of Polly's belongings in the boot of Hal's car. She couldn't comprehend life without her best friend, not after losing Jason. They were meant to be going travelling together for a year- working the worst jobs and staying up all night to watch the sun rise in different countries. But instead, Y/S's eyes were blinded by tears as she screamed down the street at the speeding car, with Polly Cooper taken out of her life indefinitely.

Y/N was oblivious to the dark inner workings of the Cooper clan, Betty's knowledge about her and Archie unbeknownst to the loved up teens. She'd spent every second not occupied by her internship trying to justify the romantic act as a fleeting moment of loneliness fuelled by alcohol. She wrote in her diary ideas on how she could win Archie back over, not knowing it was in fact, too late. Betty found herself hopelessly in love with the boy next door, unfortunately for her, the girl across the road was the only one his mind found.

Archie and Y/N washed up while their parents resided to the living room with three glasses and a bottle of white wine. The short girl turned the tap off after placing the last utensil on the draining board, flicking her sudsy hands at the boy's face. "What the-"

She didn't give him a chance to finish that thought, jumping up and wrapping her legs around his torso- planting a kiss onto his lips, then cheeks, then forehead. The two fell entranced by each other, planting pecks across nape of her neck and top of his head.

"Son," Fred's voice called out from the next room and the two immediately pulled apart, hearts beating in their ears, "we're going in a minute."

"Alright." He replied, placing his girlfriend on the floor once more.

"I wish you'd stay." Y/N pouted childishly, she meant the words entirely but hated feeling overbearing. Her life had been turned upside down this summer, it started off with her unable to fall asleep with another person next to her- now Archie's chest was her most comfortable pillow and is arms were the warmest blanket.

"Tomorrow night instead, Princess? I promised my dad I'd spend more time with him before senior year." The boy reasoned, holding her close and unknowingly feeling the exact same way, he adored holding her by her waist and pulling her close under the duvet.

"Monopoly night at yours?" She grinned and he nodded back in reply, the two sharing a final kiss in the kitchen before walking into the hallway.

Y/N felt at ease as she wished the two a goodnight and headed up to bed. She took off her tea dress and replaced it with Archie's bulldog t-shirt, managing to reach the same length on her thighs as her dress did.

Arch 🧡

I can still smell your perfume on my sheets

Tiger 💛

Marking my territory obviously x

Arch 🧡

I love it

Hope you sleep well baby x

Tiger 💛

Call me that tomorrow and we won't be sleeping so you better rest up tonight x

Arch 🧡

Whatever you say, baby x

Tiger 💛

Goodnight x

Arch 🧡

Night princess x

part eight?

wanna be tagged? just send in an ask x

#fanfic #fanfiction #riverdale #archie andrews #archie x reader #archie andrews x reader #archie #Riverdale imagine #riverdale fluff #riverdale smut #riverdale imagines #archie imagine #fluff #smut

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raindancer2004 · 4 years ago

Text

A mate for Christmas? - Jane

Word Count: 1,901 Jane x Swan reader Oneshot Warnings: Fluff, Angst

Jane –

Demetri, Felix and the twins joined Aro and Marcus at the Cullen’s house for Christmas; Caius refusing to go as he knew the ‘Dog’ would be there. “Caius sends his apologies Carlisle, but he couldn’t join us for Christmas. He decided to stay back and keep things in order at the castle” “I understand Aro. We’re glad that you, Marcus and the guard would come” Carlisle replied.

Carlisle led them upstairs to where the rest of the family were waiting; including Y/N Swan, Bella’s sister.

Jane noticed her the moment he entered the room; Y/C hair, Y/C eyes and your scent hit her like no other had before ‘Blueberry and Vanilla’ She felt a pull towards her and a knowing smile from Marcus confirmed it; Y/N Swan was her mate.

The Cullens exchanged gifts and Y/N handed her a small gift neatly wrapped in blue wrapping paper with silver Stags “For you.” She took the gift and gave her a small smile; opening it revealed a quad of eyeshadows in various shades of blue and a second quad of eyeshadows in various shades of grey. “I know it’s not much, but I thought you may like them, especially as Alice mentioned you prefer darker colours to pastels” “Thank you Y/N” Jane thanked her and felt a warm feeling run through her although she was annoyed that fate had given her a human as a mate. She didn’t like humans.

Y/N tried talking to Jane, asking her about her life in Volterra, her gift, if she had a favourite time in history seeing as she had lived so long. Jane didn’t wish to talk to Y/N and she certainly didn’t want to get to know her. Y/N sensed Jane wasn’t in the mood for talking judging by the minimal / lack of responses she received and left the room.

Marcus was very disappointed in Jane and her behaviour and told her so once Y/N and Ness were out of earshot; he didn’t care who else heard him “You my dear are being rude and disrespectful to Y/N and I am extremely disappointed in you. She didn’t choose to be your mate any more than you chose to be hers. Fate made this decision long ago after you were turned. She was born to be with you and only you. She is the one to complete you and vice versa” Marcus paused to see if Jane would interject; she did nothing but look like a child being scolded so he continued “If you choose to walk away from her; from your bond, that is your decision and I will respect it but…know this you will have lost my respect. You are throwing something away; something that is precious and should be treasured because of your inability to let go of the past; a past Y/N had no part in. You are throwing away a bond that was taken from me many many centuries ago; a bond I would do anything to get back, to be given a second chance at a happy ending. I cannot and will not forgive you for this” Marcus left the room not caring that he left a room full of vampires staring open-mouthed at the dressing down the usually soft-spoken King had given Jane.

Jane didn’t change her mind. She decided she could live without Y/N in her life. She could live with being a disappointment to Marcus as long as she had Alec by her side and was still favoured by Aro. What more did she need?

Later that night Jane found Y/N in Edward’s old room; it had become a guest room now, something that amused Edward greatly. Jane knocked on the door and waited for Y/N to answer “Come in” Y/N’s soft voice called out and Jane entered the room “We need to talk” She said to Y/N getting straight to the point “Ok” Y/N replied as she sat on the bed and Jane did the same. “This isn’t going to work Y/N…the mate bond between us. It isn’t what I want. You are not what I want” “O-ok. So what happens now?” Y/N asked low, dread filling her as she knows she cannot remain human and know about their world. “Firstly, I want you to know that I won’t kill you, none of my family will. I trust you to keep our secret seeing as your sister is one of us” “Th-thank you Jane. I will take the secret to my grave. I promise” “Secondly, I am going to formally reject you and then we can move on with our lives as though this…little inconvenience never happened” Jane added turning to look at Y/N.

“I bet Y/N feels great being called an inconvenience” Felix said low “Imagine how she’ll feel in a few minutes once she’s been formally rejected” Demetri replied. Everyone could hear the conversation between Jane and Y/N due to their hearing and they all felt sorry for the human girl, including Alec.

“Look at me Y/N” Jane says coldly and Y/N lifts her head and meets Jane’s red eyes “I Jane Volturi do reject you Y/N Swan as my mate, from now until forever” Y/N felt something break inside her but didn’t tear her gaze away from Jane “You must now reject me in return for the bond to be severed completely” Y/N nodded and sat up a little straighter, taking a deep breath “I Y/N Swan do reject you Jane Volturi as my mate, from now until forever” Jane nodded and smiled at Y/N; happy she was no longer tied to the human girl.

Jasper felt everything during that conversation and his heart went out to Y/N “Hey you, do you want some company?” He asked softly entering the room “No, I would like to go home. Can you take please Jas?” “Of course I can, come on. Alice will bring your stuff by tomorrow” Jasper led her out of the house and over to his car. “I’m sorry you had to go through that” He said softly after a few moments “Don’t worry about it. I’m sorry you have to deal with my feelings, that can’t be very nice for you” Y/N replied softly “Don’t worry about me, I’ve felt much worse over the years.” Y/N nodded and they sat in silence for the remainder of the journey.

When the Volturi left on Boxing Day Jane left the gift behind that Y/N had given her and didn’t bother going to say goodbye. Demetri took it upon himself to reach out and find Y/N’s tenor; committing it to memory, just in case Jane changed her mind and wanted to him to track her mate down in the future.

Jane surprised everyone as it had been two months since she rejected her mate and she showed no signs of being heartbroken or depressed at being away from Y/N. Jane continued with her life at the castle and didn’t give Y/N a second thought, the same couldn’t be said for Alec however. He felt sorry for the human girl that his sister so cruelly rejected and wondered if she was doing as well as his sister.

Y/N wasn’t doing as well as Jane but did her best to hide it; it felt like something was missing, like she was incomplete. Although she had rejected Jane at her request Y/N didn’t mean it; she wanted to be with Jane and figured that may be the reason she feels this way and cannot move on like Jane had said. Y/N had stopped spending time with Bella and the Cullens as it was just too much of a reminder of what she will never have so she made the decision to move to Florida to live with her mom and Phil. “I need a fresh start Bells. I need to get away from here and we can stay in touch” Y/N hugged her sister and boarded her plane ready to start her life away from Forks, away from the vampire world.

“Demetri can you track Y/N for me?” Alec asked one night on the way back from a mission the two of them had gone on “I can but can I ask why you want me to?” Demetri replied “I’m just curious I guess…I want to know if she is taking the rejection as well as Jane” “Alec you know that I can only tell you where she is, I can’t tell you how she is” “I know that, but I can find out how she is if I know where she is” Alec said looking at the tracker “You plan on checking up on your sister’s rejected mate? Why?” “I don’t know Demetri, maybe because I’m struggling to understand how Marcus can be the way he is thousands of years after losing his wife and Jane seems totally unaffected after rejecting and being rejected by her mate” “I think you’ve already answered your own question Alec. However, I will tell you Y/N is in Jacksonville, Florida” Demetri replied “Thank you Demetri. Please do not tell Jane” “I don’t have a death wish so I won’t tell Jane you’ve gone to Florida if you don’t tell her I helped you track down Y/N” Demetri offered “Deal” Alec said as he shook Demetri’s hand.

Y/N had been in Jacksonville for a month and felt better than she had in a long time, moving here was definitely the right thing to do. Y/N had met a boy and they flirted with one another but it didn’t feel right to her; she kept thinking about Jane. ‘Why do I keep thinking about her, she didn’t want me. I wasn’t good enough for her, at least Matt likes me; talks to me’ she thought to herself and decided to let Jane go completely “I Y/N Swan do reject you Jane Volturi as my mate, from now until forever” She said aloud and she instantly felt like a weight had been lifted off her.

At that very moment in Volterra Jane felt something break inside of her and all of a sudden she felt lost; incomplete, like something was missing from her life and couldn’t understand why. She let out a gasp at the feeling. Marcus sat there on his throne giving her with a knowing look. Alec, Demetri and Felix were in the throne room on duty with her and upon hearing her gasp they turned to look at her “Sister what is the matter?” “It would appear Y/N has rejected Jane and now she is feeling the pain and the hurt she caused Y/N many months ago” Marcus answered with a smile “But master Y/N rejected Jane at Christmas” Alec said looking confused “Indeed she did, but only because Jane asked her to. Y/N didn’t mean it then, she didn’t want to reject Jane so Y/N’s side of the bond remained in place. Therefore, allowing Jane to carry on with her life without a care in the world” Alec nodded in understanding “However, it would seem that Y/N is finally ready to give up on Jane and their bond and has rejected her of her own free will. Thus, causing this reaction in Jane. Welcome to a forever of heartbreak and depression child. It really couldn’t have happened to a nicer person” Marcus said smiling at her, enjoying seeing her experience the consequences of her actions.

#demetri volturi #alec volturi #felix volturi #jane volturi #aro volturi #marcus volturi #caius volturi #carlisle cullen #esme cullen #volturi #twilight #the cullens #jane x reader #oneshot

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fatiguing-thoughts · 4 years ago

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The Kinds of Love - Embry Call x Reader

Request: “Hey! Could I get an Embry x reader where she is Paul’s younger sister and also a wolf and maybe Paul is very protective and maybe she gets injured in the eclipse battle and everyone freaks and Paul realised how much embry cares for her?....a bit of angst and fluff”

A/N: just to let you know, i have probably written the eclipse fight scene about fifty times so i’ll just be recreating an entirely different fight scene for the sake of my sanity. i love you thanks for understanding

Things were finally beginning to get easier since I had finally phased. I was finally allowed to know everything going on with my brother, Paul, and our friends.

Though, it grew more complicated when Embry and I imprinted on one another. Paul was absolutely livid. His overprotectiveness was overbearing, I had grown tired of him being annoyed at Embry and I, especially for something out of our control.

And let’s face the facts here, it’s not like this came out of nowhere. We both had liked each other for years, just couldn’t do anything about it in fear of Embry’s legs-- Paul would’ve kicked his ass.

“You’re breaking bro code, you can’t date my sister!” He’d yell every single time Embry would ask if he would be able to ask me out.

I loved Paul with all my heart, but his lack of faith in Embry and constant monitoring me was too much to bear. But then he phased, keeping me in the dark. Though, he still wouldn’t let Embry do anything. Embry didn’t come around much anymore, as he was Paul’s friend first.

But then Embry phased, and things got a bit weird.

It wasn’t until I phased that I understood it all-- but then it was the first time Embry and I had seen each other and-- you guessed it: boom. imprinted on one another.

Now, Paul couldn’t say shit about anything. Though, he was always too cautious and feared that Embry still wouldn’t treat me right. The constant brooding and displeasure about the situation seeped through every one of Paul’s pores.

I loved him with my entire heart, but it grew difficult to not fling him across the room sometimes. Growing up, it was Paul and I against the world due to our family situation. We had each other’s backs, and he trusted nobody with my safety, nor my feelings.

But tonight, something completely unexpected happened.

Sitting at Sam and Emily’s was going perfectly fine, until we picked up on that signature scent of death. There were vampires nearby, it couldn’t be just one-- the sickly sweet scent was far too potent.

Paul was still getting used to me being around, far too afraid of me actually going out with them to catch a leech or two, despite the fact that I was far more than qualified to handle myself. I was perfectly able to take care of myself.

“Stay here.” Paul orders me as we all stand up.

“No!” I argue.

“Maybe you should.” Embry looks at me with pleading eyes.

“Sam. Please?” I ask, looking at him.

“She’s one of us, she’s coming.” Sam says authoritatively, looking between the two men.

And with that, I sent a smirk Paul’s way as I walked out the door with the rest of the pack.

We phase, immediately on our way to the source of the leeches.

We soon found them, a group of at least fifteen.

”Why are there so many?” Quil’s voice breaks through the mindlink.

“Who cares? Just get rid of them.” Paul scoffs.

And so we did. I found myself stuck with one on my back as I was tearing another apart.

Suddenly a second one found it’s way on my back.

“What the hell are you guys doing? Get one of them off of me!” I yell into the mindlink.

I begin thrashing around, waiting for someone to come over and help me. I see Embry and Paul both taking off to me first.

But before I could fling either of the leeches off of me, I notice the Cullens arriving. I look over and see a panicked Alice and Carlisle staring at me.

But that’s when I felt it. Something in my side had snapped. My ribs broke, I fell to the floor screeching in pain.

Embry and Paul made it over, finishing off the leeches that were on top of me before they could do any more damage.

Emmett and Jasper helped the rest of the pack finish off the intruders.

I sat there, whining in agonizing pain. The rest of the pack phased back, putting their clothes on and freaking out over me.

“She needs to phase back so I can see what’s wrong.” Carlisle instructs.

Leah ran over to grab some clothes ditched in the woods, shooing everyone away so she could help me get decent.

I phased back, but when she was helping me put on the minimal clothing, I couldn’t help but scream out in pain. I watched everyone flinch from the sounds leaving my throat.

Finally, I felt myself being lifted and being carried back to Sam’s, Carlisle following closely behind.

As Carlisle examined me and told us what the procedure to fix me would be, I was absolutely terrified.

“You can squeeze my hand.” Alice offers.

“Why not one of us?” Paul huffs, interrupting.

“You won’t want to be in the room.” Carlisle informs him.

“I need to be.” Embry pleads, eyes tearing up.

“It’s really better if you wait outside.”

“We can support her from outside, Carlisle’s orders. It’ll be too much for the both of you in there.” Sam speaks, ushering Paul and Embry out of the room.

I begin to hear their loud footfall, them profusely pacing outside. I hear Embry’s sniffles and heart beating right out of his chest.

“Ready?” Carlisle asks, sympathetic eyes meeting mine.

“Yeah, do your worst.” I smirk, preparing myself for my entire right side to have my bones rebroken.

Alice’s ice cold hand grabs onto mine, a soft smile on her face.

I was not prepared for the pain that was coming my way. I screamed louder than I ever had, squeezing Alice’s hand tight enough to crack her marble skin.

“Sorry.” I whispered, writhing in pain.

“Don’t be.” She reassured me.

Another blood-curdling scream left my lips, this was unbearable.

I knew my brother and boyfriend were outside losing their shit, so I originally intended to try to keep my reactions at a minimum, but it was not feasible.

When Carlisle finished, he set me up with a morphine drip.

Paul and Embry came in, watching me in my dazed state.

Paul simply looked at me, fear raging in his eyes, a blank expression on his face.

Embry was at my side, holding my hand in his. Whispering sweet nothings in my ear, wiping the sweat off my forehead.

“I’m so glad you’re okay. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you, baby.” He presses a kiss to my forehead, warm tears falling onto my face.

The next few days were a bit of a blur, everyone coming in and out of the room to see if I needed anything.

“Hey kid.” Paul says softly walking in.

“Hey, what’s up?” I ask, voice groggy.

“Listen, I’m really sorry. For giving you guys such a hard time. I see it now.”

“Did you hit your head or something?” I giggle.

“No, listen. I’ll only apologize this one time.” He chuckles, sitting next to me on the bed. “I never realized how much he cared. Maybe he does care enough to be with you. Maybe I was wrong.” Paul sighs.

“I know you were wrong.” I giggle, lightly shoving his shoulder with my good arm, though still slightly wincing in pain.

“Stay still, you’re still not healed according to Dr. Leech.” Paul smirks.

“Paul, he helped me. Knock it off.” I scold.

“Yeah, yeah. I guess I owe him that after he helped my baby sister out.” He rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, you do.” _______________________________ Word Count: 1258

#paul lahote #embry call #embry call x reader #paul lahote x reader #embry call imagine #jared cameron #leah clearwater #seth clearwater #jacob black #quil ateara #sam uley #twilight

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snowblack-charcoalwhite · 4 months ago

Note

I happened to read this post on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/1e9qtwm/house_of_the_dragon_is_currently_displaying_the/ and it seems that now even the general audience is starting to realize the problem of HOTD season 2. Ignoring the main post, the comments also point out issues that I strongly agree with: "I disagree that it's slow, I think it's empty. They could've covered the same story beats but have more interesting scenes and dialogue, instead of the same "Rhaenyra frustrated and council is pushing for war" scene over and over, and similar for the greens. And it's true that the book is very sparse, but there's a bunch of things that they could've fit that they didn't: Aemond returning to King's Landing after killing Luke, Corlys grieving Rhaenys, Corlys adivising agaisnt Rhaenys. I feel like we keep getting the same 4 or 5 character combinations over and over. I don't mind Daemon being off doing his own thing. It's a nice way of having everyone else evolve without him.Plus, all scenes feel empty of a backdrop. S1 had a lot of parties and a tourney and a hunt, and the keep felt more alive." "Because season two doesn't do what season one did which is make the supporting cast characters almost as important.Take the guy that's basically the equivalent of little finger remember all his creepy shenanigans last season in the whole foot fetish thing? do you actually felt like he was a character and was important and not just a plot device for the cast to bounce off of. This season he just sorted there and insulted.Or you take the folk and the bastard children You have a whole interesting story about how the main brother saved his dad his desires his life. Instead, we are given the exact same shipyard every scene with the two of them talking.The show refuses to elaborate on the supporting cast and elongates the primary cast's stories." "I think the biggest problem is that they've sold Rhaenyra as the main character of the story. She's on all the promotional stuff, every poster etc.The issue is that Rhaenyra doesn't actually do a whole lot for large swaths of the story . But because she's been made the character, HBO feels like they need to give her a ton of screen time.

Hello!

I agree with basically everything pointed out there. This season of HotD has been criminally wasting precious running time (even more precious than before because the number of episodes was reduced) on completely unnecessary scenes of characters contemplatively staring at something (for the sake of what? it added absolutely nothing either to the plot or to the character) and repeated portrayals of women (Rhaenyra and Rhaenys specifically) being disrespected by men (misogyny is bad, we get it, move on already). And they keep showing us the aftermath of major events but hide the immediate reaction of the characters to them (TG's - to Aemond killing Luke, Alicent's - to Aegon nearly dying, Corlys' - to Rhaenys' death etc.)

Overall, the way characters are presented in the show is very superficial. It feels like for each of them the writers are doing less than 50% of actual development needed not only for the story but for the audience to actually connect with them. And it also seems that the writers themselves realize that there is no way they're getting any notable emotional reaction from the viewers like this - and so they try to compensate for the lack of depth with shock value scenes and endless GoT references. Cheap moves - and not very effective ones.

#asks #hotd #anti hotd #hotd season 2

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black-streak · 4 years ago

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Little Pistol - The Investigation

Chapter 14

First Previous Next

I'm really trying to continue this, I promise. I know the updates are rare and spaced, but I promise this isn't being abandoned. Please let me know of any changed usernames so I can update the taglist, assuming you still want to be tagged. Song by Sugarcult.

Highly recommend listening to the song, it's so fitting for the inner turmoil here.

Permanent list

@naoryllis @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @my-name-is-michell @maribat-is-lifeblood @dast218 @novicevoice @shizukiryuu @princess-of-fangirls @bigpicklebananatree @pirats-pizzacanninibles @abrx2002 @breemeister @darkthunder1589 @thestressmademedoit @severelyenchantedwonderland @isabellemasen @multi-fandom-freak0221 @fantasyloversblog @bzz75 @cloudiedraws @orbitsvt @gingerdaile @sotheresthatthought @kadmeread @novaloptr @unabashedlyswimmingtimemachine @crazylittlemunchkin @18-fandoms-unite-08 @tiny-goddess-of-chaos @ladybug-182 @toodaloo-kangaroo @the-alice-of-hearts @vixen-uchiha @changelinggarden @unrepentantgeek

LP Taglist

@zalladane @moonlightstar64 @amayakans @elmokingkong @queen-in-a-flower-crown @karategirl119 @dreamykitty25 @danielslilangel @melicmusicmagic @xahriia @sassakitty @yin-390 @zotinha456 @indecisive-mess-named-me @heldtogetherbysafetypins @theatreandcomicfreak @alexandriamw @messymessyml

~---~

Jason's hesitance in the doorway was noticeable as Tim led the silent lady into the living room of their safehouse in the Coventry. This particular location chosen for its proximity not only to their base of operations, but the rooftop he'd originally pinned their guest to. Their guest truly was silent too, not only from lack of speaking, but the movement of her clothing, her steps, her shifting weight all completely muted into nothingness. Had he not felt her solid wrist within his grip, Tim could easily pass her off as a ghost. Even still, the life form trailing him felt haunting. A sense of foreboding laying like a thick blanket over the room.

Coming to a stop in front of an armchair, he pressed down on her shoulder, watching as she complied, body lowering into the chair while maintaining perfect eye contact. The whisper of what wanted to be a smile stayed on her lips as she settled, as though they were old friends meeting over afternoon tea. It put him on edge.

She shouldn't feel so comfortable with both of them closed in on her, anonymity on the verge of collapse as they scrutinized her every move.

Tim waved Jason off as the other reached for a set of ropes.

"Don't bother, she can escape them."

He seemed to mull the words over before narrowing them down to their based meaning, "You're saying she chose to be captured."

"Yes."

Their guest's eyes flashed in mild amusement before settling back into the blank void of almost smiling. It was creepy, like a porcelain doll come to life for a flicker of a second only to make you second guess if it ever happened at all the next.

"Why isn't she talking? She seemed to have plenty to say before," Jason squinted at her, keeping a reasonable distance, one hand hovering over his left holster.

Tim shook his head, "She responded to one question, then ignored the rest."

"Huh. So like a puzzle then."

"What." Tim deadpanned.

"No no, hear me out," Jason waved his hands about, seemingly catching the lady's attention as she followed the motion, "she answered one question, right?"

"Yes?" He folded his arms, waiting to see where Jay was going with this.

"So it's not that she won't respond to anything. Only to things she decides are worth answering. Whether that means things she sees as important or just too noteworthy to pass up, I'm not sure, but she seemed pretty quick to jump on Bat-wannabe and demon spawn's case, so I'm hedging towards the latter here."

A startled giggle makes both men snap their head towards the cause.

"Demon Spawn," she mumbles, earning a grin from Jason and an eye roll from Tim. Jason was just grateful he'd forgone the helmet tonight so she could see the positive reaction.

"Definitely the latter then," Tim sighed, reaching to rub his eyes, only to drop his hand back down at the reminder of the mask pressed to his fingers.

"Easy peasy then," Jason sat on a crate normally used as a makeshift table in the barren apartment, unbothered by the way it made his knees knock into the lady's.

"Sure. Easy."

"Yeah, all we gotta do is intrigue her enough to want to talk to us. And that can't be too difficult, otherwise she wouldn'ta bothered talking to begin with, isn't that right, sweetheart?" He leaned towards her with a friendly smile. One that wasn't returned.

"Yeah, seems to be working wonders," Tim mocked.

"Just give me a sec, I haven't even tried," he waved Tim off, focusing on the figure before him, "so, you seem pretty calm considering the circumstances. That got more to do with your confidence in your abilities to escape or more an interest in being captured?"

Silence.

"Were you hoping we'd use the ropes? I could bring them back if you're into that kind of thing."

More silence.

"What's got you tongue tied anyhow? See something you like?"

Dead silence only this one came with a delicately raised eyebrow and a glance in Tim's direction, as if to say, 'He always this cocksure?'

Jason lept on the action even still.

"Oh, he got your interest back there? I guess that makes sense since you talked to him first. That reminds me, how'd you react so fast when that lowlife got that lucky swipe in, anyhow? Unless you were already there?"

Her eyes slowly drifted back over to him at the lack of speech from the other, not reacting even to the callout.

"Feel free to dazzle us at any time," Tim called over.

Her lips twitched up.

"Oh, I see. Only willing to interact with little red then?"

A head tilt.

"What about demon spawn? Anything to say about him? Or what about big brother pretender?"

Her eyes snapped up to his, narrowed and... calculating?

"Think I struck a chord?" He turned towards Tim who only shrugged only to be wrenched back to focus as a tiny hand gripped his arm tightly, the previously complacent figure now tilted forward and staring him down with a hard look, flickering over his face as though the mask wasn't even there. Before he could even twist her arm away, she murmured out, "You're the second Robin, aren't you?"

Oh. Maybe calling Dick their big brother even jokingly was a mistake. Oh well, too late now, and what did it really matter if she knew? Not as though it connected back to his civilian form.

"Yeah. You figured that out pretty quickly."

"Faked your death? To get away?" She asked, voice gruff and heavily accented.

"Died and brought back. Weird magic shit. Almost lost a bit of me on the way back."

"Should you be telling her that?" Tim bit out.

"What's it matter if I do? What's she going to do with that? She's not even from this country. Besides, you want her to trust us enough to talk, might as well instill a little trust in return, ya know? Not like we're interrogating her, otherwise you woulda taken over by now," Jason eased Tim again, his own words sparking his own thoughts back into motion, "Which reminds me, you travel here the normal way? Cause it'll be pretty easy to look up young women who've traveled here from France."

"Weird magic shit," was the deadened response.

"Touché."

"Why's your voice so hoarse?" Tim asked, finally moving forward to rejoin the conversation fully, only to watch her rub her throat.

"Not much of a talker?" Tim continued, meeting her eyes, "how long since you held a full conversation with someone then? Days? Weeks? Months?" Her eyes flickered, "Months then? Why? Why not talk? Why talk to us now?"

Her entire figure seemed to droop, caving into itself and finally she responded to him directly, "I'm alone."

While Jason seemed confused, it's like she struck something deep within Tim. Something that understood. That wanted to reach out and contradict her just so they could both be wrong.

And right as he reached out to do just that, the seat beneath her opened up in a pool of black ink that dragged her under only to close back up, leaving his hand outstretched towards an empty chair.

"Fuck, now I'm even more confused," Jason groused, standing up and kicking away the crate as he went.

"Yeah…"

#ml x dc #maribat #timinette #timari #Dark!Timinette

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ghostinthebau · 5 years ago

Text

Super Fanfic Rec List -- Iron Dad Edition (because I just wanna share the love)

I’ve had such a blast reading fanfic of the IronDad and SpiderSon variety over the last 6 months or so, and I thought I’d just make a rec list of some of my favorite stories. Most of them are angsty, with whump and hurt/comfort because that’s what I live for.

This is in no particular order or in any way complete because there’s just way too many amazing fics/authors in the Iron Dad fandom, but it will still be hella long, so....here goes!

First off, @yellowdistress:

What We Are series - Bio-dad Tony series that goes all the way through Infinity War. Endgame AU.

Someday I’ll Make it Out of Here series - Adoption AU! It’s so good.

The Missing 92 Days - A take on HYDRA Peter that destroyed me emotionally.

Reviving Peter Parker - This about killed me. Peter actually died during his fight with Toomes and SHIELD brings him back a la the TAHITI project like they did with Phil Coulson.

A Sailor Went to Sea - Gut-wrenching Endgame fix it.

Double, Double

@losingmymindtonight:

Webcams and Webshooters series

I Never Lived ‘Til I Lived In Your Light series - !!! TISSUE WARNING !!! Peter dies, but there’s another one shot with a happier ending if you need it.

And You’ll Blow Us All Away - Adoption fic! A lovely one at that.

5 Times Peter’s Mental Illness Made Him Stumble And The 1 Time He Refused To Falter - I really love a well-depicted take on mental illness, and losingmymindtonight delivered 100%.

If You Can’t Catch A Breath (You Can Take The Oxygen Straight Out Of My Own Chest)

Cyanide? In My Shawarma?

@justme--emily:

The Guardian - Adoption AU with a lovely Loki and Peter friendship!

Radioactive - Peter endures the after effects of the spider bite, and scares bio-dad Tony to death. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

The Good Fight - Peter gets hurt at the airport in Germany instead of Rhodey.

@iron--spider:

ever in your favor - Hunger Games AU and an epic work of art!

Lazarus, come forth - The Endgame fix it before Endgame. Peter will break your heart.

dear mr. fantasy

this isn’t a game - Highly underrated fic based off the PS4 Spider-Man game. I’ve never even played the game, and I loved this story.

what if there is no tomorrow? - This story actually made me kinda like Justin Hammer, if you can believe it.

blindness

@tempestaurora:

hydra’s not a home series - HYDRA Peter, and also bio-dad Tony and bio-mom Pepper!

i’ll find you in the drift - Pacific Rim AU, and I have never seen PR, but I adored this so much.

it’s okay, we’re okay [whumpvember 2018] series

@jolinarjackson:

Lights To Guide You Home series - Another adoption AU. They are my weakness, and this is one of the best out there.

... and when you can’t crawl ...

Damaged At Best (Like You’ve Already Figured Out)

@blondsak:

No Life But This

come morning light (you and I’ll be safe and sound)

Burying Grounds - Eeeek! Tony has to choose between saving Peter or Pepper and it hurts.

hold on, hold on

Something the Soul Needs

@madasthesea:

turn back the clock (and I’ll try again in the morning)

when my body won’t hold me anymore (where will I go)

They have so many other lovely looking fics--including an adoption au series (which I, of course, love), but I just haven’t gotten around to reading them yet. I’m pretty sure anything they write is golden. :)

@signofuncertainty:

It’s Always the Little Things

I’m sure their other fic, The Third Option, is fantastic and I really, really wanna read it but I’m trying so hard to wait until it’s complete! It’s really difficult to wait, though, tbh....I may give in soon.

@upcamethesun:

Twelve Days Of Peter Parker - So cute and fluffy, and then it kills you at the end.

5 Times Peter Made Tony Laugh Out Loud

5 Times Tony Didn’t Need To Worry About Peter

5 Times Peter Pretended To Be Tougher Than He Was

@frostysunflowers:

Between how it is and how it should be - This story made me love a Peter and Bucky friendship.

@kitcat992:

Identity Theft - This was one of the very first Iron Dad fics I read, and it was a doozy. Full of whump, medical accuracy, and hurt/comfort! The author is posting a sequel now, too: Identity Crisis. :D

For Pete’s Sake!

@camelot-queen:

Goner - A perfectly heartbreaking kidnapping fic, but heed the warnings!

Who Saves The Hero

Never Meet Your Heroes

i’m the satellite (and you’re the sky) - Tony is Peter’s bio-dad but Peter doesn’t know it. I haven’t actually finished this yet, but it’s good. So, so good.

@peter-stank:

built from scraps - YOU GUYS, this is one of the best fics I’ve read on AO3. It’s a ‘Tony gets dusted instead of Peter’ AU, and it’s got such an amazing dynamic between Peter, Pepper, and Morgan. It’ll also make you tear up a few times, at least.

@geekymoviemom:

Sins of the Fathers - So, I’ve only read the first 5 chapters of this epic length (303k words@) adoption AU so far, but I’m LOVING it so I wanted to add it here. They also have an even longer bio-dad Tony with added Stony bonus series, Pieces of Echoes, that they’re posting the 3rd installment to right now. I’ll definitely be checking it out!

@too-many-bees:

let’s kick it

like a bridge over troubled water

@jbsforever:

it’ll be over (and I’ll still be asking when)

@tnyystark:

where the memories reside

@whumphoarder:

Quieting the Void series - Peter kinda has an eating disorder due to the spider bite, so take care if you read!

Poison Apple - Loved how medically accurate this was, and Ned’s reaction to Peter’s condition was heartbreaking.

@seek-rest:

It Hurts to Become

Someday We’ll Know - This is a Walk to Remember AU, so there’s MCD. I’ve gotten about halfway through, but I can only read it when I’m in the right mindset. But it’s lovely and so well done.

This author has so many fics that I’m sure are amazing, and they’re on my ‘to read’ list when I’m in the mood for beautiful Spideychelle stories.

@caraminha:

The Primary Reason Tony Stark Would Throw Down With an Anti-Vaxxer in the Street - Hella scary depiction of Peter with tetanus, and it’s SO GOOD.

@tonystarkstan:

it all comes back to this

skeletons series

to build a home series - I love recovery fics, and this was a beautiful story of Peter dealing with the aftermath of being snapped and coming back.

lay your weary head to rest

@foolscapper:

Exploding Head Syndrome - Everyone comes back when the snap is reversed, but Peter is sort of catatonic--stuck between the living world and the soul stone where he’s with Gamora. It’s such a lovely fic.

@alice-in-ink:

It’s a Little Bit We Do

Danger Pizza

@legalassie:

oh, darling - Peter’s kidnapped and Tony frantically searches for him--one of my favorite things. Peter uses his smarts to help him get out of the situation, too, which is also one of my favorite things.

don’t think about tomorrow.

@blackwatchandromeda:

Broken Thoughts (I Remember Everything)

Leave Me to Dream

A Nightmare to Remember

@emma--anacortes:

Accepting the Tides - Here I am with another adoption AU. Can you see a pattern yet? I love them, and this one has danger and whump and comfort as well.

@ardenskyedarcy221b:

they are standing in the garden - This hurt. Several times the author had me tearing up and there’s a few lines that will stay with me forever. It was just immensely lovely to read.

@iamallyetnotatall:

At the Start of the Universe - This was so much better than I was expecting! Peter is an Angel, and he knows Tony from the very beginning of the universe. It’s different, but absolutely gorgeous.

@starktowr:

somewhere outside my life - I don’t wanna say too much, but just read this. It’ll break you and you’ll love it.

@jessicagoddamnjones:

too bad (but it’s the life you lead)

@silver-bubbles:

The Fire’s Out (But Still It Burns)

@day-dreamer176:

Like A Strike of Lightning - I kinda took this as a demonic possession a la Supernatural, but I don’t think it actually was. Either way, it was fantastic.

fifty-four

five, tops

The World Stopped

@ambivalentmarvel:

Into His Fold series - Where Thanos brings Peter back from the ashes to make him into his new son (a la Nebula and Gamora).

@notaparty-trick:

Doom and Gloom - A ‘Peter doesn’t get dusted’ AU, filled with whump and Iron Dad and an awesome Carol Danvers. Angst!!!

Dust and Blood - Peter is hurt much worse when Toomes drops the building on him. More angst!!!! This author does angst very well.

@ema--vee:

You don’t have to hold your head up high - Peter can’t thermoregulate! I love that trope.

@forensicleaf:

All the Things We’ve Lost (And All the Things We’ve Gained) - This one gutted me, and then made it better. But there’s pain to be had before the comfort!

They just posted the first chapter of a new WIP that looks AMAZING, too: Can’t Part the Sea, Can’t Reach the Shore.

@plnkblue:

foolish, fragile spine - Peter’s severely injured in his fight with Adrian Toomes and Tony finds him.

@helloitisiafellowgay:

god did not craft us as altars, but as dying gods - Okay, guys. This one is heavy. It deals with Skip coming back into Peter’s life, and it’s not pretty but it’s handled superbly. It’s a tough read, but one I definitely recommend if you can handle it. Take care of yourselves first and foremost, though. <3

~ ~ ~ I’m not sure if the following authors have a tumblr, so I just linked their AO3 pages ~ ~ ~

eccentric_artist_221b:

Only for a Little While - This is a Titanic AU, and it’s AMAZING. There’s several scenes that just took my breath away and brought me to tears (not an easy feat). They’re also working on a WWI sequel!!!!

tiaylasglass:

the one who made it out - Short, simple in a gorgeous way, and poignant.

And finally, I thought I’d humbly add my own little contribution to the fandom. So far, I’ve only written the one fic, but I hope to write more in the future!

@ghostinthebau:

For Want of a Dad (in need of a son) - There’s a bit of blood, and a very distraught Tony at one point, so warning for angst and injury!

Again, this list is probably severely lacking, and if someone has a rec that’s not on here please please please reblog this and let me know! I’m always in the mood for more fics.

And I hope anyone reading this finds something they enjoy!

I’m sure you will.

ilu 3,000

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msfilmdiary · 4 years ago

Text

The Twilight Saga: Twilight (2008)

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone, Peter Facinelli, Anna Kendrick, Elizabeth Reaser, Billie Burke, Christian Serratos, Rachelle Lefevre

Screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke

I do not own any of the pictures posted.

SPOILERS AHEAD

First of all, you have no idea how excited I am to finally be reviewing this. (I have popcorn!)

Twilight may perhaps be one of the most recognizable films of the early 2000s vampire craze. Now, whenever someone mentions the word Vampire I immediately think of Twilight. (Also The Vampire Diaries, but that’s a story for another day.)

Twilight follows seventeen-year-old outcast Isabella “Bella” Swan, after her relocation to Forks, Washington, from Phoenix, Arizona to live with her father, Charlie. Charlie is the towns’ police chief, while her mother, Renee, is married to a minor league baseball player named Phil.

After the move, Bella becomes reunited with childhood friend Jacob Black, a Native American teenager living with his father, Billy on the Quileute Indian Reservation near Forks. Bella soon makes friends at her high school but is drawn to the aloof and quiet Cullen siblings consisting of Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, and the famous Edward Cullen. She is seated next to Edward in biology, to which he acts almost repulsed by her. After the Cullens are absent from school for a week, Edward returns to class and socializes with Bella. A couple of days later, an out of control driver nearly crashes Bella in the school parking lot, but Edward instantly covers a distance by thirty or so feet in order to prevent the van from striking her. After arriving at the hospital, Edward refuses to explain his actions to Bella, ultimately warning her against being friends with him. Jacob then informs Bella of the long-standing rivalry between the Cullens and the Quileutes and that the Cullen family is not allowed on the reservation.

Bella then begins to research Edward’s condition, ultimately concluding that he is a vampire. He confirms this but pleads with Bella that he and his family only consume animal blood. They soon fall in love, and Edward introduces Bella to his family, where she meets Carlisle, the family father, and a doctor at Forks Hospital, Esme, the family mother, and their formally adopted children Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett. The family’s reaction to Bella is generally positive except for Rosalie’s, who fears that her family’s secret can now be exposed.

Bella and Edward’s relationship is soon jeopardized when James, Victoria, and Laurent, three nomadic vampires arrive in Forks territory. They are responsible for a series of attacks leading up to and in the Forks territory. James, who’s described as a tracker vampire with incredible hunting instincts, is consumed by Bella’s scent and becomes obsessed with hunting her. Edward and the other Cullens protect Bella, but James ultimately tracks her to Phoenix, Arizona, where she’s hiding with Jasper and Alice. James lures Bella into her old ballet studio as a trap, attacking Bella and infecting her with vampire venom. Edward arrives and fights James, subduing him until the other Cullens arrive. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett kill James, decapitating and burning him.

In the aftermath, Bella suffered a broken leg and is hospitalized. Edward accepts Bella’s invitation to their high school prom, where he refuses her request to turn her into a vampire. They are unaware that Victoria, James’ lover, is secretly watching them, in schemes to avenge his death.

Let’s talk about Twilight as a cultural phenomenon. It pleased devoted fans to the novel series, while also defining an early generation of the vampire-romance genre. I was five when the first Twilight movie was released, so it was never a huge part of my life growing up. However, I do remember the cultural aspect of the films. I remember going to the mall in the mid-2000s and seeing posters and pictures for it everywhere. Twilight, like it or not, was everywhere from 2008 to 2012 and has experienced a surge in popularity since Stephanie Myer’s release of Midnight Sun, which is Twilight told from Edward’s perspective.

If you couldn’t already tell, I’m a huge fan of Hardwicke’s directing style. I think if she continues to direct the following Twilight films, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn 1 & 2. I would have enjoyed the later movies as much if not more if I enjoyed the first one. However, that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy the series as a whole. I think it truly defined the early-mid 2000s, and the nostalgia of the movie I think is more remembered than the actual story.

My friends and I still have Twilight marathons to this day. Do I think it’s deep? No. It’s about a girl falling in love with a 108-year-old vampire, of course, it’s not deep. Plus, the film, novels, and the story are directed at teenage girls, who of course back then, couldn’t possibly understand the complexity of a well-written and well-developed script. Do films have to be deep in order to enjoy them? No, absolutely not. I think that most of the people who heavily critique Twilight think that it needs to be deep in order to be enjoyable. Twilight, in no shape or form, I think claims to be deep. I think it’s a cultural phenomenon, and because of that, people think it has to be the next generation-defying film that has to be good. I also think that it’s more popular to hate Twilight because it's directed toward teenage girls, and, as we’ve learned, teenage girls can’t have anything without being made fun of.

I also want to talk about Bella’s plainness. When I see critiques on Twilight or Bella’s character in general, said critiques typically argue that Bella’s lack of personality in the films (and book) is a major turn-off. I agree that she’s plain, but I don’t agree that she’s a major turn off when it comes to my love for Twilight and the saga as a whole. Truthfully, she was designed to be a plain and somewhat modest teenage girl. Everyone around her, especially her friends, are full of life, while she is frankly dull. She is one of those characters that is written to coincide with another, that being Edward Cullen.

In my perspective, they are two sides of the same coin. For example, Bella believes that she has nothing to live for, while Edward is pushing and pushing her to live and have the life he never got to live. Bella is extremely realistic for a teenage girl, honestly. Her “normal” attributes make Edward seem more desirable and God-like. I think it's time we stop picking on the “boringness” of characters written for and about teenage girls, mostly because I think it's just another thing that young girls can be put in a box for. If they’re not interesting or captivating enough for a certain audience, they’re plain and dull and lifeless. If they’re too interesting or captivating, there’s always something wrong with them (hence the manic pixie dream girl trope). Bella, I believe is written against that trope, and that is why she’s boring.

I enjoy Twilight. I do. And I’m not ashamed of it. I don’t think every movie has to be life-changing to be defined as a cultural phenomenon, or even enjoyable. I think when people say that Twilight is “bad” we have to ask ourselves what a “bad” movie is. “Bad” and “good” is completely subjective to who is watching it. As a teenage girl in my life right now, I enjoy watching Twilight. Truth be told, I like the story, and I like the nostalgia attached to it.

I wonder if my feelings would be different if I was a teenage girl in 2008 when the Twilight film was first released. I wonder if I would hate it because I was told to hate it, or if I would like it because it’s something that I enjoy. Nonetheless, the first Twilight film will always have a special place in my nostalgic little teenage girl heart, everything from Bella’s bleak green and purple bedroom to the clearness of the Cullen's barely used kitchen.

Overall rating: 9/10 (For the nostalgia, of course.)

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