#anon is currently off while i make my way through my backlog

[lemonhemlock]

If Viserys wanted Rhaenyra on the Iron Throne so bad and change the unwritten rule that woman cannot sit on this throne he should have made an actual order. In show called magnificent century, Kosem sultan changes cruel rule in Ottoman Empire that says the one who ascends the throne has to kill all his brothers. How she did that? Seconds after her husband, Sultan Ahmed died she wrote on piece of paper that this rule no longer exist and the throne will go to the oldest son (before even the youngest son could have a throne if he managed to kill all of his older brothers) so brothers murdering each other for throne rule ended. And after writing this on piece of paper she put sultan seal there so it was basically an edyct, a new rule to apply to, ordered by sultan (even though he was dead at that moment but no one except Kosem knew). And by this she made sure her sons won't brutally execute each other. Viserys could have done it basically in episode 1 or even after Aegon was born. Saying Rhaenyra is heir means nothing after sons were born. He should have solidified her right to rule by writing something like this and showing it to every lord so they would all know it was king's order that Rhaenyra will be Queen not King's whim based on the fact he didn't want Daemon to be his heir.

Between the point in time where I received this ask and today, I think I managed to answer something similar here and here (including @duxbelisarius' addition about Dorne, which I had forgotten to mention).

I have heard of Magnificent Century, but I haven't had the chance to watch it, so I can't really comment on what Kosem did. Unfortunately, I am not versed in Ottoman sultanate inheritance either, beyond the basic premise of brothers killing each other for the throne. :)) So I don't really feel confident in performing a comparative analysis between Kosem's fake edict and 12th Century England (Anarchy time - the civil war the Dance is based off).

My main concern with this is that I don't think the solution would have been as simple as "writing a piece of paper", otherwise Viserys would have done it and, most importantly, the real-life king Henry I would have done it for his real-life daughter Matilda, whom he very much wanted to succeed him. The fact that the Anarchy still happened leads me to believe that common law (especially regarding such an important topic as inheritance to the throne) couldn't really be changed that easily.

There are so many different types of feudal societies that some historians dispute the use of the term, but for Westeros specifically we seem to be operating on the basic understanding of a politically weak(-ish) King* with a collection of very powerful vassals. I say this because the King only seems to have the Crownlands + Dragonstone as his own personal lands, from which to derive his own resources & taxes, which are of questionable profitability (as highlighted in the linked posts). Everything else seems to be based on what his vassals agree to give him. eg. they should be in charge of tax collection in their own lands; if the King raises taxes to (what they consider to be an) unfair level, who is to say they won't just skim off their tributes and lie about it? The King imposing his own tax collectors who worked directly for the Crown was one of the steps towards dismantling feudalism and creating a more centralised state, if I am not mistaken. Similarly, if the King tries to impose a certain law that proves to be unpopular, who is to say that his vassals will just agree to it?

*Ofc, Targaryen Kings have something no one really does - dragons - which gives them an important power advantage. But they still have to haggle and please their vassals to a certain extent because going on dragonback and burning down the subjects who disagree with you every time is not only Not A Good Look, it's also not feasible. You can't go to war every time you have a disagreement.

Also, important to note that at the time of Rhaenyra being made heir, Viserys' Balerion had been long dead. Rhaenyra was teenage girl, he wasn't going to send her off in any kind of military expeditions. Daemon was the only actual dragon threat, yet he was hardly willing to be fighting any battles that invalidated his claim to the throne.

Anyway, not to digress too much, this is only to imagine a scenario in which Viserys issued such an edict after Aegon's birth, confirming Rhaenyra as heir and trying to pass it off as law -> disgruntled vassals -> need for military reprisals to subjugate them into accepting this new law. I think Viserys realised this really was a pain in the arse and decided to not complicate his life too much and leave things vague in the hopes that "everyone will get along in the end" (he really is non-confrontational if he can avoid it).

But, obviously, enough people in Westeros disagreed that the original oaths were still valid after Aegon's birth* - a complication Viserys had no idea how to solve, so he just avoided it as much as possible. It's also historical fact that two different sets of oath-taking were not enough to ensure Matilda's crown after her father died, so I would really question the practical impact these vows had as a legal instrument. It's very easy as a noble lord to nod your head whenever the King verbally insists his eldest daughter will succeed him, while planning to throw your support to her brother anyway after he dies.

*In addition, a contract cannot be enforced if the terms that lead to the signing of that contract no longer exist; there are legal concepts such as force majeure that account for this. When those oaths were taken, Rhaenyra was an only child, and their options as heir were Rhaenyra or Daemon. When Viserys died, Rhaenyra had three legitimate younger brothers.

[whataboutfractions]

heyo! its me, one of the anons from way back when you started this blog! i know youre on hiatus and all so you dont have to respond to this but i just wanna say its nice to see that youre still around even after the years have passed us by yet again. to make this ask a bit more substantial, i wanna say that man, everyone who watched this anime came out with mental illnesses huh. bc i just finished binge reading a whole bmj x cruelty squad fanfic which is a concept so deranged (positive).

hey, i know the one who wrote that fic! she did an excellent job with it, i have to say - the setting of cruelty squad made an superb sort of monkey's-paw petri dish for mighty's worst tendencies

but honestly, thank you! it's kind of surreal to be on hiatus this long after having spent literally about two years and change of a few months primarily thinking about bmj as the brainspace-filler (think like a paperweight keeping the other thoughts in place - where a crisis could be i put the filler instead to keep from unnecessary spirals), but i guess it doesn't hurt to swap things out once in a while and keep it fresh. while i may currently be preoccupied, i have no plans to abandon this blog, and i hope to come off hiatus sometime in the future, even if periodically, to say my thoughts or just offer random gifs

this whole weird little thing is practically my baby at this point. it's gotten me through a lot, and i hope to have contributed in some marginally significant manner to the presence of jetters on the english-speaking internet (even if it is just easily-accessible sources and a backlog of ramblings)

[chockfullofsecrets]

Critical Role: The Importance of Timing, Ch 1

<<chapter navigation TBA>>

(Read on AO3)

Rating: Gen

Summary: Jester sobers quickly, though, pouting insistently down at them.“Four is pret-ty bad, you guys.”

Kingsley nods seriously. Thus validated, she starts bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet. “I think we need to punish them, Fjord!”

Caleb and Essek make the mistake of overworking themselves right before the Mighty Nein are scheduled for a reunion. Lessons are learned.

Wordcount: 3.6k (yeah, this one’s going to take a while)

A/N: making some more progress on my backlog of prompts (this one happens to be both from the most recent vote and this lovely anon prompt)! cross your fingers that this is going to be my first finished chapter fic lol

---

Caleb hardly remembers it, later.

It was evening - not particularly late, but after three near-sleepless nights time stretched into its own kind of viscous liquidity. Like a soup.

He laughed to himself at the absurdity of it, too tired for more than the barest expense of breath. Essek would know better than he, of course - he turned to him, intending to share the thought, and found a sheaf of notes thrust mere inches from his face.

“Here,” Essek said brusquely. Exhaustion did not lend itself to the usual smoothness of his speech. “I think I have it, finally - if we engrave it this way, the spell will replenish itself without interrupting conversation, yes?”

“Oh.” He took the papers, looking them over blearily - his eyes widened, a brief rush of vigor returning. “Oh, this is - oh, this is good! Let me just fabricate the surface smooth again and we can try-”

There was a crash from a location beyond the lab and therefore currently unimportant. Neither of them looked up.

The interruption, then, arrived unexpectedly.

“Hel-loooo!”came a lilting Nicodranian accent from the hall. “We got here early and you didn’t answer your door so we used our super cool magic powers to come in, and we should to-tally make a hammock themed room in the mansion tonight because I think Fjord is kind of land sick - Caleb, look at me, why do you look so terrible?”

Caleb knew the consequences of ignoring that voice. He looked up.

After hours of gazing at runes, his eyes refused to fully adjust and take in the three figures in the doorway. He squinted and managed to make out a bit of blue. “Jester?”

“They look tired right out, the poor things,” a purple blob pronounced from Jester’s right. “We haven’t missed out on an adventure, have we?”

“No,” Jester said, “Essek would never go out with his hair looking like that. Right, Essek? Aren’t you, like, super embarrassed that your hair’s all floppy right now?”

Sitting shoulder to shoulder with the floppy-haired drow in question, Caleb could just barely hear him hiss in protest at the interruption. “Leave, then, if it disturbs you so.”

Caleb blinked, starting to fumble together a sentence to dull the reprimand, and suddenly the remaining green blob resolved into Fjord as he put a hand on Caleb’s forehead and crouched to look into his eyes. “All right, it’s bedtime for you two. Jes, can you get Essek?”

“Wait-” Caleb grabbed weakly for the table, for his notes at least, but he was already being swept up in Fjord’s arms and carried bodily from the room. Essek sounded much more awake - and irate, frankly - behind him, trying to explain something, but it had been far too long since he had been anywhere near horizontal - with his head pillowed against Fjord’s bicep, he was asleep before they reached the stairs.

---

Waking is a slow process.

He is not alone - there’s a weight to being tangled up in someone else, the warm scent of closeness, and even without his eidetic memory he does not think he can ever forget the stony, moon-soaked smell of having his face buried in the crook of Essek’s shoulder.

He yawns lazily. Essek must be very tired, if Caleb is awake and he is not, and he is the better cook of the two of them anyway - although of course neither of them have any comparison to Caduceus, or Yasha now that it’s been several months since her last poisoning incident. He presses a gentle kiss to Essek’s jaw and rolls out of bed to get started with breakfast.

Or tries to, at least. His top half makes it out of bed easily enough, but the rest of him does not seem inclined to follow.

Something clanks at the foot of the bed as he narrowly hauls himself up from a quick trip to the floor. He props himself up on an elbow, halfway through another yawn, and finds himself staring down a pair of manacles hooked around his ankles.

He kicks cautiously. The chain threaded through his bed posts clanks again.

Panic begins to stir low in his gut. “Essek!”

There’s a sleepy murmur next to him. He twists to find Essek blinking awake - there’s not much else he can do, with his arms shackled above his head and his legs chained below in similar fashion. The cuffs are padded at least, stuffed with what looks to be worn handkerchiefs, and they’re both fully dressed in sleep clothes - their captors don’t want to hurt them, then, not yet.

Caleb scans the room frantically. The book he has been reading is still propped open on the bedside table, the door knob Essek had pried from an Aeorian ruin after Caleb had commented on its sparkle still proudly adorns the bathroom door, Kingsley is still leaning against the window-

He grins smugly as Caleb’s gaze snaps back to him. “Oh, good, you’re both awake. Comfy watch, but it’s ever so much more boring without the-” He pulls his hands from his pockets and rocks them back and forth. “Oh, and also the fish folk trying to kill us, those are great.”

“Kingsley?” Caleb demands. Next to him, Essek makes a shocked sound as he presumably recognizes that he cannot move any of his limbs. “What is this?”

“Oh, I can’t rightly say.” Kingsley saunters over and swings himself neatly up onto the mattress, worming between him and Essek to sit cross-legged at the center of the bed. “Wasn’t my idea, at any rate-”

“Jester and Fjord were here too,” Essek interrupts. “Is this - this is a prank, is it not?”

“Hush, you,” Kingsley smirks. “All I’ve got is that I’m to ensure you don’t make your way free with any spellcasting before Fjord and Jester get back. And to that end…”

He breaks the pause with a dramatic flourish of his arms, spreading them wide before laying a palm down lightly on each of their bellies. “I’m told this should do just fine, if the two of you care to demonstrate?”

Caleb connects the dots just a moment too late to throw himself back off the edge of the bed. “Kingsley - wait - ah!”

There was a time when it would take minutes for his mind to link the intruding sensation of touch to anything but wariness. Now, the instant Kingsley’s fingers start scribbling he’s flat on his back, pushing weakly at the offending limb and doing his best not to collapse into hysterical snickering at how much it - it -

“Tickle, tickle, magic man,” Kingsley teases, pupilless eyes aflame with mischief. “No, no, don’t bother fighting it. I’ve heard tales about those ribs of yours, you know. Especially how much you love letting Jester play with them, hm?”

“N-nein, that’s not-” Caleb tries to protest, but he’s already giggling just at the thought - Fjord and Jester are here, and he’s stuck, and Kingsley won’t stop tickling him-

Kingsley’s grin grows another satisfied inch as he turns back to Essek. “And you, stubborn - oh, are you trying to cast something? Is that what that face means?”

Essek is struggling, jaw working and face scrunched as his entire body trembles in time with the claw vibrating its way into his belly. Caleb can practically see the Misty Step brewing on his tongue, just a few short words between him and freedom if only he can get them out without laughing.

Until Jester tracks him down, that is. He hasn’t - they’ve been apart, and then in Aeor, and then working on their big project for the past few weeks, and Caleb hasn’t exactly gotten around to admitting that he might like Essek to - admitting anything, really. Or telling Essek that now that Jester knows he’s ticklish and doesn’t entirely mind it, any attempt to escape will only end in more retribution.

An oversight, in retrospect.

Kingsley purrs, apparently entirely delighted with his victim’s predicament. “Oh, come on now, you can do it! It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good magic show.” Essek shakes his head frantically, lips pressed together even as his cheeks puff with repressed giggles, and Kingsley grins all the wider. “No? Let’s see how long you last when I really start pressing your buttons, then.”

On his side and snickering helplessly, Caleb cannot help but feel a little jealous as he watches Kingsley tug up Essek’s shirt and wait for his eyes to widen in terrible anticipation. “One last chance, then? Cause I think this is really going to tickle.”

Caleb wants him to succeed, really, he does - but watching Essek try as hard as he can to curl in on himself as a single fingertip starts to rub at his navel, squirming and squeezing his eyes shut and finally barking out the first two syllables of his incantation before the third succumbs to high, squeaking laughter holds its own considerable charm. “Ahahaaaa - nooo, hehe! - wh -” He laughs a little more, shoulders shaking, and barely manages to gasp out the words. “Fjord - Jester - where -”

“Couldn’t take it? Oh, you are a ticklish thing,” Kingsley tells him, laughing when Essek’s attempt at protesting collapses into a breathless snort. “You’re wondering where they are? Really, I couldn’t say. Maybe they’ll be gone for hours, and I’ll just have to keep tickling and tickling-”

He’s focused in on Essek now, taking his other hand off Caleb to wiggle it menacingly over a defenseless armpit - Essek takes one look at the new threat and screams. “Caleb!”

Kingsley’s replaced his hand with his tail squeezing around Caleb’s thigh, and it tickles so badly and unexpectedly that Caleb would like to curl up in a ball and do some screaming of his own, but with Essek pleading for his help there’s no other choice.

He pulls himself back onto his elbows and flops into Kingsley’s lap as best he can with his legs chained, reaching blindly for ticklish spots that used to belong to Mollymauk - gasping through a new wave of laughter as the spade of Kingsley’s tail starts to poke at the soft back of his knee, he crowds his fingernails against the small of Kingsley’s back and yelps in preemptive terror as Kingsley starts to laugh and reaches for him instead. “Fjord! Jester!” he shouts. “Help!”

“Gah - oh, fuck, thahat’s - haaaa-” Kingsley flails for a moment, legs kicking out as he tries to shimmy away, but in the next moment his fingers are tickling mercilessly under Caleb’s arms and Caleb can hardly breathe, let alone keep tickling him. He flails to escape, trying to wrap his arms around himself and use them to drag himself away at the same time, but really that just means that Kingsley’s hands are stuck in his armpits now and he’s going to die-

“Right, right, I’ve learned my lesson, no ganging up on our little star,” Kingsley grumbles. Caleb gasps in breathless relief as Kingsley works his hands free - he’s facedown on the mattress, but he hears Essek shout for Fjord and Jester too before dissolving into another fit of giggles. Presumably Kingsley’s putting his tail to good use somewhere.

A hand grabs his shoulder, and he’s rolled over onto his back with his legs untwisting beneath him. He blinks up into Kingsley’s gaze, eyebrows raised in apparent dudgeon. “You, on the other hand,” Kingsley growls, as if his lips weren’t curving up into a fanged smile already, “I am absolutely going to need both hands for what I’m about to do to your ribs.”

“Mist,” Caleb sputters reflexively, and then, louder, “Fjord! Jester! FJORD!”

Kingsley’s eyebrows rise even higher. “Oh, it’s sweet that you think they’re going to help you. Unless - oh, did you want more hands?”

Caleb hardly hears the approaching footsteps over his own anticipatory squeal as he watches Kingsley’s fingers start to wander back down towards his ribs. “Nein! - eheeheh, oh gods, nein-”

But then, suddenly, blessedly, the fingers ghost lightly over his ribs and settle for spidering across his tummy instead. He wheezes in relief - half of it comes out as giggles, his nerves still on high alert, but he fully intends to enjoy breathing while he can.

He flops tiredly back, eyes tracking to the doorway as Fjord and Jester stroll in. “Sorry for the wait,” Fjord says politely. “Jester and I were just finishing up lunch. Because it’s lunchtime.”

“No rush, Captain!” Kingsley practically chirps. “We’re having a wonderful time, aren’t we, boys?”

Fjord looks completely unsurprised to find the two of them in chains. Jester is practically bouncing beside him. Caleb imagines this does not bode well for them.

Essek pipes up from behind him, metal clanking as he tries to move to see around Kingsley. “Did - heh - did we oversleep? I think the shackles are a bit uncalled for-”

“Oh,” Fjord says, low and dangerous. He’s not smiling, not yet, but Caleb can see it in his eyes and that is even worse. “Don’t mind those. It would be a shame to let the two of you leave your bedroom so soon when you haven’t seen it in days and days, wouldn’t it?”

With Kingsley still tickling at his waist, Caleb can’t even begin to coax his stomach muscles to let him sit up as Fjord and Jester cross to the bed and loom over the both of them. Jester claps her hands together, looking dangerously pleased with herself. “Do you like them?” she enthuses. “We got them from a pirate raid, because someone put our other set on a fish person that jumped right back into the ocean.”

“They were getting rusted anyway - I don’t think we collected a single one of those at sea, they’re not even waterproofed.” Fjord grumbles amiably. “These, though-”

He hooks one finger delicately through the chain connecting Caleb’s ankles to the bedpost and tugs, dragging one helpless foot just close enough to scoop up in a waiting hand. “Now these are made for some real seafaring shit. Could hold a body for as long as you want, as long as they aren’t inclined to use any magic tricks.”

Caleb tries to yank his foot back. Fjord just chuckles and leans over to stare him down, his yellow eyes warm and amused. “Isn’t that right, Caleb.”

“No magic tricks,” he gasps out through another fit of giggles as Fjord rubs a warning thumb over his sole. It’s hardly a concession - between that and Kingsley, he hardly has the breath to try anything.

“Good,” Fjord says encouragingly. He puts Caleb’s foot gently down and turns to Essek. “Now you.”

Caleb turns to look at him - from what little of Essek’s body language he can read, he looks wholly confused. “You’re not going to let us go?”

Fjord crosses his arms. “Oh, I’m sure we can come to some kind of agreement. Just consider this a friendly reminder that Jester, Kingsley and I are quite capable of following any… magical exits.”

Essek visibly rallies at the mention of magic, quirking an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware you had learned how to Teleport.”

“Essek,” Caleb hisses. Fjord shushes him and stalks a single step forward, just close enough to start tickling lightly at the bottom of one purple foot.

Essek’s superior expression lasts all of a moment before his entire body starts flailing to escape the single point of contact. “Ah! No, nohoho, wahahait, I didn’t - ahaha, stop that!”

“You’re right, I can’t Teleport,” Fjord says conversationally. “Good catch, I’d kind of forgotten about that one. Jes, we’ve got some antimagic stuff on the ship, right?”

Jester interrupts herself from making increasingly dramatic faces at Essek to answer. “I think so? You know, just in case if we meet someone icky like you know who.”

“Perfect. Maybe you and Kingsley can keep Essek busy, and I’ll head back to the ship and root around for it?” He looks calmly down at Essek, kicking as frantically as he can with the few inches of leeway the shackles afford him and still completely unable to avoid Fjord’s fingers. “It’ll take a while, mind you.”

Jester perks up, dancing over and reaching for Essek’s other foot. “Yes! Kingsley, did you try his ears yet? They get all flappy and it’s really really-”

“No!” Essek rushes out, squeaking in harried protest when they still don’t stop tickling up his arches. “I - wait,” he pleads. “No! I won’t cast, I won’t!”

Fjord grins. “That wasn’t so hard, was it? Alright, Kingsley, can we give them a moment?”

Kingsley removes his hands from both of them rather reluctantly. Fjord claps his shoulder in silent thanks. “Now, would either of you like to explain why we found the two of you half-dead from sleep deprivation?”

“Yeah, you guys, we were so worried!” Jester adds. “You can’t do that when we’re not around to take care of you! You guys haven’t been doing this all year, have you?”

“We’ve only met up in the last few months,” Caleb adds, wincing a little as their eyes turn to him. He sits up slowly, wincing apologetically in the direction of Essek’s wrist shackles. “But no, we have not, we are just working on this project - it is a real ficker, there are so many moving pieces - and we are nearly done, we meant to sleep last night.”

“How many days?” Fjord asks. “One? Two?”

When neither of them answer, sharing a silent look, he hovers a hand threateningly over each of their trapped feet. “Believe me, you really don’t want us to pick a number.”

“Four,” Essek says warily. “But Caleb slept for at least an hour each night, and I don’t need to-”

“Oh, four’s a lot,” Kingsley cuts in. “Did you not learn how to sleep in shifts, not being on the ocean, or do you just enjoy each other’s company that much?”

Essek turns bright red. Caleb’s pretty sure he turns even redder. Even Fjord looks a little embarrassed as Jester and Kingsley collapse into laughter.

Jester sobers quickly, though, pouting insistently down at them.“Four is pret-ty bad, you guys.”

Kingsley nods seriously. Thus validated, she starts bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet. “I think we need to punish them, Fjord!”

Caleb can easily guess what this punishment will entail. “Wait a moment,” he says hastily, “we have not even told you about this project-”

“It will be worth it,” Essek adds. “If you would just let us-”

Fjord nods thoughtfully, ignoring their protests. “What do you say, a minute for each hour they should have been sleeping?”

“No-” Caleb starts.

“So that’s sixteen for Essek, and - Caleb’s been napping on and off, sounds like, so we’ll round it down to a neat half hour for him.”

Caleb gapes fearfully. A half hour of tickling, after months and months - he can admit to himself that he missed it a little, but- “That’s too much,” he blurts. “Bitte, you’ll kill me-”

“Really, this is unnecessary,” Essek adds, surprisingly dignified for the way he’s trying helplessly to press his feet against the bed. “Just - we are well rested now, we only need a few hours more to finish the project, there is no need!”

Jester pouts. “Oh, Essek, don’t you want to hang out with us?”

Essek flounders at that, and Caleb can’t help the soft smile that slips out of him. “I would like nothing more,” he assures her, “but being chained up and - and tortured - was not quite on my mind-”

“Well then, you shouldn’t have been so dumb, Essek,” she says cheerily. “Caleb, do you want me or Fjord to tickle you?”

His mouth goes dry. Jester will be - Fjord teases, but he is gentle at least, and Jester is - Jester-

He looks over at Essek, wide-eyed and eyes flicking between all of them in some strange combination of bewilderment and anticipation, and braces himself. “Jester.”

Kingsley laughs, delighted. “Oh, he must really love you,” he tells Essek. “He’s gone and given you the better option by far.”

Essek looks at Caleb, gaze softening. “Really?”

Caleb grimaces back at him, a little embarrassed by himself. “He’s exaggerating. And besides, I am not the one laid flat out here.”

Essek frowns. “Yes, about that.”

“Caleb doesn’t like having his wrists pinned down,” Jester says easily, scrambling up onto the bed and into Caleb’s lap. “Though you should know that already if you two are boning-”

“Jester,” Caleb pleads. Kingsley starts to laugh again.

She beams at him, darting in to press a kiss to the tip of his nose. “Hi, Caleb!”

It’s impossible not to smile back. “Hallo, blueberry.”

He looks around her to see Fjord walk over and settle on Essek’s side of the bed, patting his shoulder companionably. “It’s good to see you two, really.”

Essek just sighs.

Kingsley prods at his belly, earning a hasty yelp. “He’s in a mood, it seems. You want some help with him?”

His stomach grumbles, just then, and Fjord laughs. “Why don’t you get some lunch instead,” he suggests. “We’d have brought something up, but the screaming sounded rather urgent.”

“Aye-aye, Captain,” Kingsley cocks a loose salute and swings back off the bed with one more tickle under each of their arms, snorting in amusement as Caleb and Essek both squirm and protest. “The others should be arriving soon, I’ll keep a weather eye on the door.”

“Yes, do that,” Fjord says, waiting for him to round the corner and start down the stairs. “That guy is really into sea lingo.”

“Kingsley is great,” Jester enthuses. “Don’t you guys think he looks so much prettier now that he’s all tan?”

She’s not wrong. “Ja, sure.” Caleb says. “By the way, what exactly did the two of you tell him about-” He flushes. “About my ribs?”

“Oh, you know, just some stuff!” Jester says cheerfully. “Most of it is definitely not true by now, probably, since it’s been a super long time since we’ve seen you.”

She puts both of her hands on Caleb’s shoulders and presses, sending him flat on his back and leaning over with a mischievous smile. “Good thing we have a whole half hour to catch up, huh?”

Caleb gulps.

[actualbird]

Hi Zak! I really love your writing style and interpretation of the ToT characters. You show so much depth and understanding and reading your work is always a treat. My question is, how do you find the motivation to write so often and develop all your ideas? All I have is a backlog of Dramatic scenes in my ideas doc and I can't figure out how to add enough plot to even make them into oneshots.

hello, anon ヾ(＾∇＾)

thank you so much for your kind words!!! im glad my fics are enjoyable :D

as for your question......hm, i think i have a lot of things that motivate me to write a bunch at the speed i do, so heres all of the motivators i can think of

a big emotional one is that....i feel palpable physical anxiety when i havent Created A Thing in a While, HAHA. and my brain's definition of "a while" is anywhere from a week to one day KJBKJS. i feel happiest and most like myself when creating and having created. this emotional motivator is v important to me bc it helps me relieve negative emotions and experience positive ones.

my brain never shuts off!! ever!!! it's throwing new ideas at me 24/7 and leaving the ideas in my brain where nobody will ever get to see it......thats Agony For Me. i write so much because i wanna be like EVERYBODY, LOOK, LOOK AT THIS CONCEPT!! DONT LEAVE ME ALONE TO THINK ABOUT THIS, THINK ABOUT IT WITH ME!!!

people tell me that my writing makes them happy or makes them laugh or gives them some kind of benefit. this is hugely rewarding for me and pushes me to make more because i want to continue to make things that people can benefit from

i write my stuff because......nobody else will. like, the stuff i enjoy is somewhat niche. i wanna see smut but it's a comedy at the same time. or i wanna see the nxx team being stupid but also being a loving found family. i wanna see nxx polycule dealing with a voyeuristic pet bird. the stuff i want....NOBODY ELSE IS GONNA WRITE IT, theyre all way too specific, so i have to be the one to write it!!!

I Just Love Writing. ive been writing fiction for more than a decade now (exactly a decade, if ur going by my ao3 fics) and it's something i'll continue doing for the rest of my life. sorry to sound cheesy, but it's deadass my passion. it's what i chose to study and major in college, it's what i do at my current job, and it's what i do in my free time. i love writing, so i do as much of it as i can.

so theres a bunch of motivators that keep me trucking on like crazy!!!!

but theres a second question here, right? i think? or am i misreading? you also ask kinda how to develop ideas/plot, yeah? because huge mood at "backlog of Dramatic scenes" tbh thats how most of my fics start in my brain HAHA.

so heres how i personally develop ideas

the dramatic scene/s (or just whatever "seed" of a fic, be it a badass line or a stupid joke in dialog) in the head? i write that down immediately. no matter what is going on, i grab my phone and scribble that thing down on a notepad. i have woken up at 2am just to blindly wordbarf an idea into my diary discord, lemme get u an example actually, heres the message:

and this single message resulted in the fic "The NXX Investigation Team In Their Natural Habitat, Unhinged: A Documentary by DAVIS"

so like no matter how un-fleshed out the idea is, get it down!!! make the backlog in ur head a backlog somewhere outside of ur head so that it doesnt disappear bc a lot of the time, those ideas need to like.....simmer. i often need to put an idea down and let it rest for a while for me to understand the concept more and then start building around it. case in point: that message was sent on November 16. the first chapter of nxx docu fic was posted November 19......okay that wasnt a great example, it only simmered for 3 days BUT MY POINT STANDS

onto the plot!!!

i personally add plot by going through at LEAST TWO STAGES OF OUTLININING. this is gonna make me sound insane, but bear with me.

OUTLINE ONE: WORDBARF

this is the barebones shit. like tbh, all i put in this outline is as simple as premise, conflict, resolution. THATS IT. example of outline one of "how Puppy Pierce© conquered the world":

barest bones in the world but theyre still bones aka, theyre whats needed for a story. there is a premise, conflict, and resolution. fiction comes in all kinds of forms, but these three are the easiest and most noticeable building blocks. keeping these blocks in mind always helps me get from concept to story.

i move on now to

OUTLINE TWO: embellish the wordbarf

this is where i go insane because based on outline one, i expand as much as frigging possible. the outline one for puppierce is as short as u see above and my outline two based on it is 864 words long. this is where i get detailed and lay down scenes, sometimes i lay down the exact dialog as well. heres an excerpt of outline two from the same fic above:

BONUS: a list of things to Keep In Mind.

this is something i only do with fics that delve deep into emotions and themes but it's very very helpful for me because it allows me to have like...a guide to look towards whenever i feel blocked or stumped, it realigns my trajectory to where i want it to go. i do this in the beginning before outline one and two. heres an example from the fic "it's only ever a seed planted from outside in":

and once all that is done, tadaa!! everything is built!! and then i do the Actual Writing bit JBJKFGS

i hope this is helpful somehow? a lot of my writer friends have told me that both my motivators and my writing process is fucking insane but sdjkbkgjsd insane is what works for me. i hope you find what works for you :')

again, thank you for lovely ask!! if ever u have questions on like, writing process or story development, dont hesitate to hmu!!! my degree in creative writing has to be useful for something HAHA.

hope u have a nice day!!

[greater-than-the-sword]

It really upsets me when I see that people are wanting everything to reopen or are ignoring it and going to gatherings anyway because I have grandparents that I have to take care of and they need me (and everyone who’s around me) to be healthy so I can take care of them. My grandpas have cancer and they are not in a good state right now and would not survive if they got corona. I’m wondering why you want everything opened? I’m sure you have a good reason, but it really upsets me when people~1/2~

~2/2~ It really upsets me when people say that their summer is being ruined or whatever like people are DYING, I know people are losing their jobs and that’s horrible but everyone’s lives are at stake and that’s more important right now. I’m just wondering if you can explain why you are wanting everything reopened? (I’m genuinely curious and wanted you to know why I think things shouldn’t be opened right now, and I hope this didn’t come off as rude, definitely don’t intend it that way.)

Dear anon, I’m sorry to hear about your grandparents. I too have immunocompromised and elderly friends and family.

The truth is that we must reopen because we have no choice.

Although we should continue to use caution for a while, (especially people in your situation) we must reopen. It’s not impossible to avoid getting Covid- contrary to the hype that we are seeing in the media right now. Although there is always that chance, you stand a decent chance of avoiding Covid, even in the event of reopening, provided that you wash your hands, avoid crowds, and don’t personally meet with people who are sick. In fact, studies have shown the vast majority of people who contracted Covid were in an enclosed room with a sick person for 15 minutes or more.

With that said here are my reasons.

People need the goods and services that are currently being deemed “non-essential”. The world needs them. The world needs everyone to have a job and cannot handle a prolonged pause.

The UN already estimates 20,000 children may die worldwide from the poverty caused by this economic crisis.

Poverty kills people. And not just the sick and elderly, though it does kill them. But babies and children as well.

Think of all the surgeries and procedures that are being postponed. The hospitals are mostly not overwhelmed now, but when we reopen they may be, due to the simple backlog of people who have been suffering and are currently unaware of their illnesses because they couldn’t be screened for cancer or other illnesses. How many will die from not catching these in time? More, the longer we persist.

A second wave of layoffs caused by the decreased demand for goods will be tougher to recover from than the initial wave caused by the shutdowns. All sectors of the economy depend on each other and extending the shutdown through the summer could cause economic collapse on a colossal scale.

Minor inconveniences on a personal level are catastrophes on a national level. This is not just some forced vacation, though unfortunately the people running our government and news media are too financially well off to understand that.

As bad as Covid is, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. While we must work to provide targeted help to at-risk people, we have no choice but to reopen America.

Targeted aid is something we have the resources for but shutdown is something we do not have the resources for.

Poverty causes increase in infant mortality, suicide, and violent crime. The death toll from the shut downs could be greater in the long run, though harder to trace.

Besides that, thousands of men have died to make and keep America a free country. They thought it was worth it to risk their lives to keep us free. I too would rather die than see America turn into an oppressive police state.

So many politicians are jumping on this situation to milk the fear and extend the shutdowns as long as possible, in order to make their goals happen. Fear has put America into into a pliable state and they will not let that go to waste just because the cause is ostensibly good.

There is no such thing as a trade of freedom for safety, since any government powerful enough to take your freedom is powerful enough to take your life.

There is a man, a dear friend of my father’s, whose 10 year old son is a chemo patient. And yet this man is the most pro-reopening person I know. Why?

Because he understands this is bigger than him, or his family. He is a smart man and knows that you can’t live without risk.

My 80 year old grandfather supports reopening because he is also wise and doesn’t wish for everything built in his lifetime to be destroyed.

Have you asked your grandparents what their opinion on the shutdowns is? It may not be what you think.

This is bigger than any one person and MUCH bigger than the few at risk from Covid. This affects every single individual in the United States and many millions more throughout the world. Everyone you know. Everyone you’ve ever met. And hundreds of millions you haven’t met and will never meet. It is hard to comprehend three hundred million when you are sitting in your bedroom staring at the wall.

I am an essential worker and when I brush elbows with people in masks I am reminded of every laid-off restaurant worker in an apartment in Seattle who with each passing week owes their landlord more money (though she can’t be evicted- yet). Struggling mothers with new babies. Children who live in tiny apartments whose only outlet was going to school and maybe the park which is closed now.

People who were already suicidally depressed and may end their own life. Even mentally stable people become depressed when isolated. Even the elderly, who may die from Covid but may also give up the will to live due to isolation, and die without being able to see their children.

Everyone is suffering. What is happening is cruel and unethical.

Besides that, i am not even trying to convince you that the shutdown was unnecessary. That is a separate issue; the fact is that we are now at the tail end of the curve and there is nothing further to be accomplished in terms of the initial goals. We were to protect hospitals from being overwhelmed. We have done so. Every further bit of suppression is artificial. We may still have a little ways to go towards herd immunity, which would be the true end of the curve. (Though sporadic cases and pockets of outbreak will continue.) All we are doing now is dragging things out at great cost to ourselves, for no long term benefit. Covid is here to stay and none of us can avoid exposure permanently. Now that the hospitals are no longer in danger of being overwhelmed we must reopen.

[haiyuta]

truth or dare | Bang Chan & Felix

Summary: finding out your best friends are cam boy. Admitting it to them they ask you to join for a game of sexual truth or dare 

word count: 5.7k || Genre: poly! camboy chan, camboy Felix, blowjob, fingering, teasing, smut, love, kissing, 

a/n: Inspired by this anon ask here. This was a joy to write so I really hope you enjoy. IM SO WHIPPED FOR CHAN AND FELIX. (I should have edited it more but I’m soooo burnt out sorry)

Going to university was hard the studying, struggling for money, and the lack of sleep.  At least you had a bright side to this money pit hell. Bang Chan and Lee Felix your two friends. 

Pressing your face against your palm you let out a sigh looking at the long list of math equations you just couldn't get. "Y/n I know it's hard, but I believe in you," you heard Chan say sitting next to you. 

Currently, you and Chan were sitting outside in a shaded area for studying. Well, you were studying while Chan was making paper planes next to you. Glancing at him in jealousy you wish you could slack at a time like this. With a sigh, you whined out "I just can't get this."

"You can do this," Chan insisted moving your study material over to look at it "only oh," he paused "50 more problems to review," he trailed off gazing at the material. 

"You guys are looking down," a deep voice said sitting opposite of you. Rolling your eyes to see Felix across from you.

"Just math studying she's not getting," Chan said going back to his general paper airplane. 

Felix gave a small hum in understanding as he watched the two of you carefully. "Chan, we are hanging out tonight right," Felix asked pursing up his lips. 

"Oh yeah boys’ night," Chan grinned lifting his hand for Felix to high five him. 

"Can I come over," you asked eager hearing that. Boys night was normally 2 times a week on a Friday. The night where Chan and Felix would hang out without you more like it. Even after knowing them for a year they always refuted you going to this 'boys’ night'. 

"Well," Felix trailed off gazing at you. You smirked always asking Felix since he never could deny you. You could see his brown eyes flicker to you and the blond wanting to say something. 

"Sorry Y/n it's a guy thing," Chan quickly made up for Felix awkward disposition. 

"You always say that," you huffed looking at Chan. "I'm one of your closest friends I mean I'm not like you and Felix, but I think I matter," you gave a fake pout. 

Chan gave a gentle smile "aw look she's pouting how adorable," he hummed. You felt your stomach twist with the word 'adorable'. "You do matter but no dice sorry," he shrugged grabbing his bookbag. 

"See ya Y/n," Chan said wrapping his arm around your neck for a side hug. "Guys night starts soon," he gave a wink. "Maybe one day you can join," he added.

"Yeah someday," Felix trailed off looking between you two. Felix gave you a small wave with a sheep smile "sorry Y/n guys night," he grinned giving you a small fist bump as they walked away together. 

Without words, they were gone. Damn those boys you thought to yourself. 

It's been hours since you've seen both of them and it was relatively frustrating. You would like to go to Chan's place for a night in. Being a college student, you were stuck in the dorm while Chan was privileged enough to have his own apartment a little way from the campus to go to. 

Placing your bowl of old Chinese next to your side laptop you stretched your neck. Your roommate was always at her boyfriend’s, so it was just you at this point. 

Opening your laptop, you just wanted to relax a little before you go to sleep. Looking at your phone your last text from Felix was a random meme he sent you. Smiling you quickly sent a reply to him. 

The internet was dull, social media was boring and the loneliness of the night was getting to you. You were frustrated about school and your friends. Why couldn't you just come over? you thought trying figure out why didn't they want you to come. 

Was it you? Did they want time away from you? Were they doing something illegal? you thought to yourself.

Without thinking you decided to play some games to get your mind off of them. They would be upfront with you if it was something about you. 

Typing in an online game you sighed ready to melt away on a video game for the night. Playing the game, it got your mind off of Chan and Felix for a while. The mindlessness making you relaxed. 

Pushing your headset away you saw the video game gave you a cam site pop up on the game. "what the," you hummed looking at the site. 

It was bright and flashy site and it was called "Cams4you" quirking an eyebrow you looked at the site it was tasteful you must say. The layout kind of like YouTube but with streaming content. It wasn't all sexual some was asmr, talking, mukbangs. 

The site was interesting your finger on your mouse looking at some of the safer cams. The asmr range was nice. Next to the live stream was a large red how many people were watching and then had a money jar where you could donate to the creator. 

A large "want to see all the content sign up now," it read. Rolling your eyes, you wanted to click off but for some reason, you didn't. With a throwaway email account, you signed up for an account thankfully no credit card number required. 

To your surprise, there was more content on the page. It was organized nicely with genres like cosplay, female, male all that gaze. A small smile slipped on your mouth as you clicked onto the male. 

Browsing through the male streams you stopped to see an empty room in one. Wait that room looked familiar you thought to yourself. Clicking the link your finger slipped off the mousepad to see Felix in the background of the Cam. 

Your Felix on a cam site. Staring at the screen clicked it watching in awe as he plopped himself down on the computer chair. He looked different the camcorder giving him a clear yet grainy vibe. His colored hair swept nicely across his forehead. 

Your mind raced at reality. Lee Felix your friend was on a cam site. Then your mind processed he was at Chan's house. So that means Chan is in on this too. 

Turning up the volume you heard Felix start to talk it looked like he was reading comments at this point. "Am I good," his deep voice was so different it was husky and smooth. He gave the camera a grin "I'm fine I'll probably go to sleep soon," he said nodding cutely.

Looking over at the door he gave a low whine "where is Chan at," he said. Looking down at this phone.

"I'm sorry guys no sexual stuff for me tonight I'm kind of out of it," he said looking at the camera. Your eyes went to the comments as they gave him hearts of 'it’s okay we still love you' kind of comments.

Chan came in a second later his shirt already off and it made you go completely still at seeing your friend’s bare chest. His broad shoulders gave him a large look as he sat down in the chair next to Felix. 

"Did our baby girls miss me," Chan said leaning forward to look at the chan. You even noticed he had blue eye contacts in making him look positively handsome. 

"Mmh a little but they still love me more," Felix flirted with the views giving them a small wink. 

From there they just talked really until Felix excused himself to go to sleep in the living room. "Don't leave Felix you can sleep in my bed," Chan playfully yelled at his friend. 

"No thanks I need sleep and not hearing you jerking off," Felix yelled back as he left. 

It was weird seeing your friends so flirty to each other and the camera. They were naturals you thought. With another right click, you went to their channel checking it out. It was called Aussie Boys with a selfie of Felix and Chan as the icon. Most of the videos were available they did have pay to watch ones but mostly those were special event ones that were locked. Your eyes widen looking at the number of average views they get. It was a baseline 1,000 plus. 

On your headset, you could hear Chan whimper for a second. The sound made your spine tingle. Looking at the video again you bit your lip watching Chan as he slowly peeled off his baggy pants. 

Without question, you closed the laptop. This was too much you just learned they own a cam channel and watching Chan get off. Somewhere in your morals you just couldn't watch Chan get off. 

An inner debate went off inside your mind and your stomach twist, you couldn't keep away from watching. 

Opening your laptop, you refreshed the screen to see Chan lightly teasing his head. It was bright red and looked so aching. Your fingers tingled wanting to touch it. 

"Ah fuck," his thick accent cussed out. Donations came flooding in as he jerked himself off. Leaning in the chair he looked eternal his blond hair so light his hand jerking himself off. You bite your lip wanting him. 

You were fucked you thought to yourself. 

After finding out Felix and Chan did a cam show you tried not to act differently toward them, but you saw them all. You've seen them bare, jerking off, kissing, laughing, moaning and it couldn't leave your mind. 

You watched all the backlog of them on stream. They were funny and handsome had lots of donations and incredibly popular. Some streams were a teasing stream, some were mukbangs some just playing video games. People watched it because it was Bang Chan the handsome blond older Australian and his friend Felix the shy cute younger Australian. 

You also noted about them they kept bringing up a third person in their stream. It struck you as weird. Slightly jealously filled you realizing they claimed she was a streamer and they knew her and wanted her to join them for a game. 

In reality, you can't be jealous because they don't know you are aware of their activities. It was coming to a point you felt like you needed to tell them. 

Sitting at a quiet coffee shop you sighed looking at the coffee you didn't know how to say it to them. They called you here because they wanted to have a talk.

"Hey y/n," you heard Chan say slipping into the chair on your side. He still looked amazing his blond hair swept nicely his smile bright as could be. 

Felix gave you a small hey as he sat across from you. His disposition was still awkward you could tell. You gave them a warm smile back "hey guys," replied. 

"I love this place," Felix hummed enjoying the privacy of the cafe. 

You chatted lightly with them enjoying the moment with them. Forgetting about the whole cam thing until Chan had to bring it up.

"So, Y/n we brought you here today," Chan paused his brown eyes flickered from you to his hands. His thick hands twiddling their thumb. 

"Chan, I don't think," Felix started. The dynamic was there Chan was the "leader" of this whole thing while Felix was more tentative. 

"Your cam boys aren't you," you finally told them. Felix's eyes widen at your words his face slightly burned red at your words. “That’s what you wanted to tell me,” you said.

Chan smirked "And how did you find out about that," he raised an eyebrow at you. "Was our Y/n pleasuring herself to our stream," he teased.

You felt your face go red "you wish I had the cam program pop up and I clicked on it, you guys leave me every other Friday night I was bored," you declared. "I found your page and watched your streams," you said. 

The tension slowly grew at your comment. You see there everything watched them do everything together. Felix choked on his drink lightly "so you saw," he blushed shyly looking at Chan. 

"I did," you affirmed you saw it all of Felix his chest, his body his moans.

Chan leaned back on the chair "okay well that makes this easier now right Felix," Chan smirked looking at you and him. 

"Sure," he hummed his deep voice doing things to you. 

"Y/n please join us for a stream," Chan asked. Your eyes widen at the words you felt a little outer body at his words. 

"Me," you asked looking between them. "So, in your new streams you were asking about me joining," you said shocked. 

"So, you've been watching," Chan teased at your words.

In your mind, they were basically asking you to have sex on stream with them. "Do you want this Chan," you asked him. He gave a nod his eyes glazed with excitement. "And you Felix," you asked the other male. 

Biting his lip, he gave a small "yeah," back at you. 

This was odd in a good way you thought looking down at the clothing you were wearing. Chan told you to wear whatever you want. But he recommended something airy and cute for the stream. So, you decided to wear a black skirt for easy to remove and a tucked in shirt. 

You marveled at the set up they had. The lights were bright giving them a good look to it, the camera was at least a 100 plus dollar one with a two-monitor set up. The camera was dead center in the room as it was angled to show you guys in the large gaming chairs and the bed nicely. 

Chan was setting up the stream next to you while Felix was sitting next to you in his chair. You were sandwiched between the two of your friends.  Felix small hand played with your hand trying to comfort you. 

The camera went with a red light signaling it was on. The monitor that mirrors what people were seeing showed it was showing you and Felix and Chan at the computer. "Hey guys," he hummed looking at the chat. People started to join at a rapid amount which made you assume they had alerts of the stream.  

"Hello everyone," Felix deep voice hummed waving at the camera. 

"Who’s the new person," Chan read the comment slowly a small smile lifted on his lips "she is our friend we were talking about," he hummed "and she's a little shy about being on camera so give her lots of encouragement," Chan spoke. 

The chat did just that with lots of "hellos" and calling you "pretty". "Hey," you said waving at the chat a little stiff in front of the camera. Your heart was thudding against your ribcage eagerly with anticipation. You would be lying if you never thought about Felix or Chan in a sexual manner. They both were incredibly handsome, friendly and anyone you would love to be with them. 

You all talked it out before even daring this. Chan explained and reassured you he wouldn't force you to do anything you didn't want to. Making sure you were comfortable with this new three-way relationship to move into a more sexual manner. 

Felix grabbed your hand a little firmer. Gazing up at the younger male his eyes held so much eagerness in this. Before you knew it, you felt Felix capture your lips. It was a surprise, but you mellowed into the kiss.

"Felix is a little eager one," Chan hummed shifting in his seat. "I know our guest is pretty but wait for the game," Chan teased. 

Breaking the kiss, you looked at Felix in shock at the kiss. It was soft and eager and everything you imagined it could be. 

"Okay so today we are going to play Sexy Truth or Dare," he hummed at the camera. The comments spammed as he told them today's stream. 

"Here are the cards," Chan said bringing up the cards they were black with a sexy kiss mark on them. "Are you guys ready," Chan smirked. 

"Of course," you said feeling your stomach fill with excitement to finally get this started. 

"And these cards are mostly truth a slight dare nothing too major yet we're saving that for later," Chan gave the camera a wink. It was shocking how good he was to the camera. His winks and looks made people pour money at him for just being him. 

Your eyes widen in the list you saw a recent tip was 100 dollars from a random user they commented: "I can't wait for this". A shiver went down your spine realizing that people were actually watching you guys. 

Felix glanced at you his cheeks a little red his freckles showing under the lights. While his hair held a shine to it. Your mind whirled being in-between those your good-looking friends. One who already kissed you. 

Chan raised the card to Felix letting the other male take one. 

Felix's eyes flickered looking between the two of you. Clearing his throat, he spoke the question "Would you rather spank someone or be spanked?" He read out. Looking at you guys and at the camera, he gave the views a smile. "Personally, I would rather be spanked," Felix said embarrassment laced his voice. 

Chan gave a small giggle "Let me guess you couldn't go through with it," he poked fun at Felix.  

"Felix wouldn't hurt a fly Chan," you hummed back grabbing Felix soft hand into yours. "He's our soft boy," you praised him. 

Felix let out a little chuckle "I can show you how hard I can be," he raised an eyebrow at you. The subtle flirting making your body feel all fluttery inside. 

Chan spoke up "Y/n take your card," lifting you the deck. Chan had this aura that made you feel so comfortable. 

Taking the card, you realized it was a dare card. The dare was already pretty lewd you thought. "Blindfold yourself and try and guess who’s kissing you," you quirked an eyebrow. How situational is that? 

"Did you," you started wanting to call him out for setting you with such a direct card so early. 

"And look what we have here," Chan said looking at the camera picking up the blindfold for you. "Let's see if our good friend can tell us apart," Chan teased. 

"Can I," he asked holding the black silk blindfold. Breathing in you gave a small nod in consent as he went over to tie it around your eyes. 

"And just so she won't know me, and Chan will be on the same side so she can't tell," Felix added. You heard them both get up walking around to one side. You guessed on purpose to mix you up. 

You felt a hand reach for your chin the person guiding your lips to theirs. Your mind raced as you met the person's lips. The excitement of not knowing you who were kissing made your mind whirl. Placing your lips to the person you imagined Chan or Felix kissing you making your body buzz with want. The first press of the lips was gentle testing the water kiss. Slowly as that came it was a harder kiss on your lips.

You felt a small peak of their tongue egging you to open your mouth. With ease, you did let them slip into your mouth. The kiss was hot and warm making you want more. But before you could really get into the kiss they pulled away. 

Who was it? You felt like it was Chan. Felix wouldn't be so bold so early you thought. He did kiss you a second ago so maybe he was so bold. 

Before you knew it, you felt a hand lifted to your chin so your lips met there's. You were stirring for more contact wanting more affection. The kiss was soft and tentative with a force you never felt before like the underline emotion was just pure want and need. Either Bang Chan or Felix didn't try for much tongue all they did was lightly lick your bottom lip in want. You felt yourself sticking your mouth out ready to open kiss him. He pulled away before you could really get into it. 

The person sighed and got up as they placed themselves back into their chairs. "Y/n you can take off the blindfold," you heard Chan say. You felt on the other side must have been Felix helped you. 

The light made you blink a little hard. "So, y/n who kissed you," Chan grinned. 

A firm line formed on your lips as you decided. "I think the first one is," you paused he was more assertive so it must be Chan. "it was you Chan," you declared. 

Chan gave a shocked expression for a second "wow that's talent," he praised.

Shifting a laugh, you nodded "Felix is a little more tentative overall," you added looking at the other handsome male. 

Chan gave a flirty smile "kissing Y/n was nice right Felix," Chan asked the other boy. "I mean you did get to kiss her before me and all," he hummed. 

Felix gave a small nod in understanding "her lips felt amazing," Felix said his eyes slightly looking up to remember the kiss. Being praised stirring up a good feeling in your body. 

"Chan pick your card," you said reaching for the deck. Felix was busy thanking all the donors on the screen reading out the comments. One stuck in your mind "that Y/n looked perfect between the boys". The praise was almost endless, but did you look amazing between these two amazingly handsome males. Did you fit into this dynamic? 

"Got a dare card," he smoothly said looking at the words. Reading it slowly he spoke "Whisper in the persons next to your ear something you've always wanted to see me do in bed," he said with a smooth accent. 

"Sorry views this is for our Y/n ears only," Chan gave the camera a wink as he leaned down to your ear. His warm breath hitting your ear. "Y/n I want to see you whimper my name begging for my cock wanting it so bad yet not getting it," his smooth Aussie accent told you. 

Immediately you shifted in your seat with want. "Bang Chan," you lightly gasped out covering your mouth. 

Giving you a wink, he went back to the views. "Before the next round, I'll read out some comments," 

"Felix you look adorable today," Chan read the comment out. "He looks adorable all the time, to be honest, we're just lucky we get to see it."

Reading the comments, you got an understanding of the cam feel. It felt like a YouTube vide kind of. The comments were nice, donations were flooding in. You totally forgot at least 500 people were watching you kiss your best friends. 

"Felix take a card," you hummed reaching for the deck and passing it to him. Giving you a firm smile he took a card. 

Giving everyone an embarrassing smile "I watched hentai and I have no shame," he declared putting the card down. Your eyes widen at the confession admiring how confident he was in his answer. 

Trading the cards to you, you picked one up and read it aloud. "Touch yourself for 60 seconds," you read out. 

You stiffen your back at the comment. "Um is it okay if I sit on the bed," you asked. 

"Anything that makes you comfortable," Felix said. Putting the card down you sat at the edge of the bed. The comments went wild with the realization sexual stuff will happen. 

You looked at both of them in awkwardness as you lifted the skirt revealing your lace panties to them and the screen. Looking at yourself through the monitor you looked lewd. At that moment the whole room shifted with sexual tension. 

You calmed yourself as you slowly brought your hand go down to pleasure yourself. You teased your slit drawing the wetness near. The exoticness of your two friends watching made you more aroused. 

Touching yourself you were delicate and needy the tension slowly grew as you played with your clothed slit. Peeking out to see Chan with a pleased grin and Felix with a needy wanting look. 

"Forget about these fucking cards," you heard Chan say in an aggressive manner as he put them down to go to the bed. 

"Felix can you help out beautiful girl here," Chan hummed sitting on the bed pulling your back against his chest smoothly. 

Felix did as he was instructed. Even in this situation, Chan was more of the dominant right now and you both fended to him. "Felix please," you begged spreading your legs open for him to touch you. 

"We don't want her to come so early so just tease her," Chan hummed out the order. Leaning his mouth toward your neck he laid a few kisses on your neck as his hands went to your waist. His large hands met your waist as he roamed your body. 

"Just relax," Chan whispered in your ear as his hands went further up to meet right below your bra. "I'm right here baby girl," his deep voice so naturally seductive making you buzz with want. 

Felix slowly fingered you his gentle touch made you whimper for more. Looking down at the male he looked so focused on your slit. His fingers lightly petting you slowly only slightly entering to feel your velvety wetness. "She's so damp," Felix deep voice hummed. Spreading your fold to show the camera you off. 

Chan hard manhood stood firm against your back as his hands groped your breast. He felt the fabric over them as he ran his smooth palm over them. Lifting the shirt up enough to show the stream. "I picked out her set for her," he mentioned proudly, of the black lace he bought you. 

The stimulation with being in between two hot and bothered males made your body heat up. Chans fingers found your bra snapping it off in a cool manner. Letting your breast be free for him to play with. 

"As much as I like it on you, I like it off a lot better," Chan uttered. His palm enveloped your breast as he played with them. "So warm in my palm," his dirty talk making you wet. 

"She's so warm Chan," Felix spoke up finally as he teased you. Licking his lips, you knew he wanted to dive in and enjoy himself. 

Chan one hand played with your nipple. Taking the small bud and playing with it "Oh I would love to see them filled with milk one day," he leaned down to whisper. The insinuation of breeding you made your spine chill with want. 

"Ah," you let a mew at the feeling of him pinching and rubbing your nipple paired with Felix now inserting his finger into you this was too much. The familiar feeling of excitement pooled in your lower belly wanting to come soon. 

"Mmh look at the chat praising you," Chan accent came out thicker at the moment. His fingers teased your nipples his one hand traveling down to your slit as he slowly found your clit as he played with it. 

"Don't come, baby," he hummed in your ear. His hardness lightly rocking against your back. Both of their hands playing with you. 

"You're close aren't you," Chan groaned in your ear. With a shaky head, you nodded feeling the coming orgasm fill your stomach. 

"Felix stop touching," He demanded you turned your head to see Chan had a large smirk on his face. "Mmh clean his fingers for him won't you," Chan teased out. 

The loss of contact made your body slightly settle. You gazed at Felix a gentle grin on his face "open," he ordered lightly. 

Without words, you opened your mouth accepting his fingers tasting yourself. The visual of seeing Felix stand before you as you swirled your tongue on his fingers made you want them more. Cleaning his fingers, you probably looked so desperate at this point. 

"Look what you've done to poor Felix," Chan pointed out the outline of a line of his dick showing in Felix's sweatpants. "Got him all riled up," he pointed out once again. 

"Get on your fours baby girl," Chan told you a light pinch on your butt making you shift. Following his orders, you did what he asked. You wondered if Chan was naturally like this or was this a show for the cameras. Something inside you guessed this isn't an act. 

"Now give Felix some pleasure he deserves it," Chan hummed watching from behind you as you grabbed Felix sweatpants pulling them down slightly revealing his briefs. He was already hard against them making an outline. 

You ran your fingertips over his clothed dick lightly teasing the member. "Fuck Y/n," he gave deep moan at the lightest touch. 

Feeling behind you Chan grabbed your hips tapping your ass lightly. "Her ass is amazing," Chan praised. He grabbed at it in a harsh manner feeling it. 

"I want to feel it," Felix groaned as you kept your light touches up. 

"One day you can have it," Chan teased out at Felix. "Today it’s all mine," he added.

Chan fingers lightly played with slit pulling the underwear down slightly. "So many donations I think people like the show," he hummed at the camera. The monitor gave you a perfect view of Chan behind you. 

Pulling off Felix’s briefs to reveal his dick. "Suck it please," Felix whined out practically begging you. Grabbing it you lightly jerked him off. The feeling of Chan behind you made you moan as he slowly entered you. 

You panted with want but wanted to please Felix as well. Wrapping your mouth on his dick you felt Chan lightly thrust in you making sure you could take him. 

"Suck him off good Y/n," Chan egged you on. You moaned feeling Chan starting to slowly thrust into you. Your stomach stirring at the feeling of being fucked. Felix in front of you letting deep moans lace the air. You adored the sound of the younger male deep voice. 

Chans hands were wrapped around your waist as he steadied you as he gave a gentle pace inside you. "Seeing you suck off Felix is so hot," he admitted a breathy groan laced his sentence. 

Your gag reflex was lightly getting in the way, so you lightly backed off. Felix's hands met your head as he thrust into your open mouth his hips rocking in your mouth. The more he did that the more you gagged on him. 

"Oh, fucking hell you clench around me every time you gag," Chan cursed "It feels amazing," he rocked into you harder. 

The scene was lewd as it could be. You are blowing off your friend while your other friend took you from behind. 

The warmth in your body was flaring up you felt your stomach tighten your skin so warm from the teasing. Wanting to help Felix before you came you focuses on the person in front of you. 

You hollowed around him sucking him lightly. Your tongue peeking out giving kitten licks to his mushroomed head. 

"She's so good," Felix gave a deep moan as he rocked his hips in your mouth. Pressing his fingers in your hair he lightly pushed you deeper as he balls tightened as he came in your mouth, you gagged lightly feeling the ropes of come touch the back of your throat. 

"Fuck the clenching," Chan moaned from behind you. Felix unlaced his fingers from your hair his hand grabbing your chin letting the cum lightly drip out of your mouth. 

"What a good girl we have here," Felix said a slight smirk on his face as his thumb touched the cum coming out. Catching it on his thumb he moved it to your mouth making you open your mouth to accept the fallen cum. "All of it my girl," his dark eyes held so much love and lust as you stared up at him accepting his finger cleaning it. The shift from cute too so sexual made you whine with want. 

Chan wasn't done with you as his thrust became sloppier signaling, he was about to come. Your arms tired from holding yourself up you laid your head on the bed letting Chan fuck you into the bed. 

You eyed Felix as he went back to the stream a lazy smile across his face. It made your heart flutter knowing you did that for him. You pleasured him into that handsome smile of his. 

"You feel so good baby girl," Chan moaned as his hips were starting to stutter into you he was so close and so deep inside you. 

Finally, after all the teasing, you could finally let go. You let the pleasure envelope you as he drove into you. The feeling of the tension washing over you signaled you came; a flow of moans left your mouth as you let go. The pleasure washed over you in an amazing way. 

Chan soon chased his orgasm his Australian accent came out thick as he praised you. 

Felix said some words you couldn't care less about to the stream thanking all the watchers and donors you think. Saying he loved the feedback and this experience as he shut off the stream and the bright studio lights in the room. Chan grabbed you pushing you on the bed. 

You looked up at the male wide-eyed to see a lazy smile on his lips. "You're a natural," he praised you deciding to lay next to you. 

"Yah why do you get to cuddle Y/n," Felix playfully pouted at the scene before him. 

"Um because she likes me the best," Chan rolled his eyes covering you with his arm. 

"I want your cuddles Felix," you whined reaching out for the other male. He accepted your arms and laid in them. Sighing with content you felt Felix shift on the bed.

"We really did that," Felix hummed laying in the packed bed. 

"We sure did now go to sleep before I kick you out the bed," Chan laughed out lightly. You didn't know what morning had for you. At least you had your two best friends next to you. 

[kassandra-lorelei]

Hey! I don't know if you still do these but would you be able to write an n/cc fic where instead of proposing in The Producers, Niles tells CC the play was for her ? Thank you and I love your writing!!

I absolutely still do these, Anon - I have no idea how long you have been waiting now and I’m so sorry it’s taken this long! I have quite a backlog to get through, with full-time work and general adult life (as well as some executive dysfunction), but this one is all ready to go. I really hope you enjoy it, and I will get on the next one on the list as soon as possible (it may happen quicker, considering we’re on lockdown for at least another two weeks, but we shall see how these things go) ❤️

@missbabcocks1 @holomoriarty

“You finally pulled off something bigger than your shorts!”

The zinger, alongside the accompanying gleeful laughter – asexpected as this package would normally have been – utterly blindsided Niles,given that Miss Babcock had only just told him how impressed she was. Impressed.She’d actually used the word “impressed”, to talk about this entire play thathe’d produced! The play that now this entire room full of people werecelebrating, at an afterparty he’d never before imagined could exist.

It had been like music, hearing the words from her lips, rubyred and curved into a smile that looked far softer and friendlier than normal…

He should have known she was setting him up. Why wouldn’tshe be? Since when did they ever do anything that wouldn’t somehow lead to the (atleast) momentary downfall of the other? It was all they ever did.

And his only hope of salvation at that moment was to thinkup a snappy retort that he could fire back at the back of her golden head,where she’d crushingly turned away.

But even though words and phrases and colourful insults of allshades and hues danced through his head, urging him to continue the wargames, everysingle one of them died the moment he attempted to let them fall onto histongue.

It was useless. The entire idea of having her as his enemy hadno meaning to it.

What was the actual point, in letting it go on? In allowingthe cycle that ran a far-too-thin line between hurt and fun to just…run theirlives? Would it go on forever, him never admitting how he felt and neverhearing what she really felt, either, whatever that was? As terrifying as itwas to think that they might be nothing otherwise, this all currently felt likea twisted Purgatory; one where the stranded soul could experience both Heavenand Hell in equal, random measure.

There was only one thing he could do. Only one, if he wantedto take a shot at reaching paradise.

Even if he fell on the way, at least he would have tried.

And, after a moment in which he had gathered his courage andhad dumped a few phrases from his mind that would either scare her (“Marry me”;who wanted to immediately be asked that?) or come across as peculiar (“I pulledthem off for you”; what was that even supposed to mean?!), he finally knew whathe had to say.

“And it was all done for you.”

He wondered, for a moment, if she hadn’t heard him. If hewas about to have another moment like he’d had in the kitchen, where he hadbeen able to swiftly back out the second he’d realised it had been a bad idea.

But she turned, eyes wider than before and lips slightlyparted, as though she were holding herself back from simply letting her jawdrop.

“What did you just say?”

Her tone told him she wasn’t asking because she hadn’theard. She was asking precisely because she had heard. She’d heard, and shecouldn’t believe any of it.

Niles, meanwhile, was rooted to the spot and hastily tellingevery panicked thought in his mind that he wasn’t about to turn and run away.

There was no point in backing out now. No chance to, either.

He pulled another breath into his lungs, making it deep. Hehad a feeling that it could be one of his last, anyway, so he might as wellmake it a good one.

“I…I said that this show was…made for you,” he explained,finding it a gargantuan effort simply to not swallow his own tongue in theprocess. “I produced it for you. As a…as a token…of my affection…”

He trailed off as Miss Babcock took a step in his direction.But it wasn’t a ‘happy’ step, or even a surprised one (though she’d have everyright to be surprised, if she was feeling it underneath the apparent anger); itwas more the sort of march forward one might expect of an army captain whohad just heard a war prisoner speaking out of turn. The sort of step that commanded,while ordering an explanation the person most likely would no longer know howto give.

And it made Niles suddenly very aware of the fact that he’djust told this to her in a room full of other people, both friends andstrangers, all of whom had already been to see a show that evening. As thebutler wasn’t keen on the idea of them seeing another one, he directed his gazeall around them, indicating the fact that they weren’t alone and any sort ofscene made would have witnesses.

“Should we perhaps…go somewhere else to talk? I know thatthis must be-“

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. Miss Babcock hadalready gotten close enough to reach out and grab his wrist, dragging him outof the room.

“You’re damn right we’re going somewhere else to talk!”

……………………………………………………………………………………….

The journey she took him on through the building seemed to goon forever, neither one of them speaking a word until Miss Babcock finallysettled on a small room which appeared to be used to store props and a few racksof costumes. Again, it wasn’t exactly the stunning Hollywood setting hiswildest fantasies conjured up in the dead of night, but this was reality.

He’d be a fool to really think they’d go to some privateterrace overlooking the city, where all the feelings would come out as themusic rose to a great crescendo, whereupon they’d immediately fall into eachothers’ arms.

He was, in truth, lucky that she hadn’t simply laughed athim before walking away, back at the party.

On the other hand, the look on her face as she closed thedoor behind them, standing between him and the only available exit, made himthink that there were still far more fortunate people out there than he was.

“Alright, Butler Boy, you’d better start going against yourbetter drinks-pouring instincts and spill!”

On any other day, and in any other place at any other time, Nilesmight have considered turning that demand into a zinger. But as thingscurrently stood, he couldn’t even work up the nerve to think of one, let alonesay it out loud.

All he had was what he had worked up all this courage totell her.

With no idea of where to begin, if he was honest. There wasso much that he wanted – had – to get out, that it all wanted to come rushingout at once! But that wouldn’t work; it would just get all jumbled up andconfuse Miss Babcock at best, or make her angrier than she already was, atworst.

Maybe it was best if she decided what he started with? Thatway he could focus on one thing at once…

“Where would you like me to start?”

The question came out much meeker and softer than he’dwanted it to be, and that want quickly transferred to the idea of kickinghimself. He didn’t exactly sound like James Bond, this way. More like the guywho never made it through basic spy training because he cried whenever the timecame for interrogation practice.

If he could just be calm and rational about it all, it mightnot be so difficult.

Not that the producer made it easy, simply by being there infront of him. This was different from his many awkward-but-at-least-practicedattempts at telling her, done in front of the mirror at the mansion. He didn’thave anybody glaring at him, for a start.

Further emphasising the point, Miss Babcock also folded herarms, “I don’t know, maybe on that word you used – you know the one; affection.”

Niles silently held his breath before even trying torespond.

“What about it?”

“Where the hell did it come from, perhaps?! Just to startoff with,” she shouted in return, sounding equal parts bewildered and enraged. “Andthen maybe why you thought you could just say it like that?!”

“I didn’t think I could just say it like that!” he foundhimself arguing in return, sadness and fear giving way to his chest starting tocave in. “I…I had to get it out before I lost my nerve.”

““Lost your nerve”?” Miss Babcock echoed, scoffing at thesame time. She then folded her arms. “That makes it sound like this wasn’t somesort of practical joke on your part!”

Niles’ jaw dropped of its own accord, words tumbling outbefore he could stop to think rationally, “Why on Earth would you believe thatit was a practical joke…?!”

“Isn’t everything else you do to me a prank, or a practicaljoke of some kind?!” the producer snapped. “Why would this be any different?”

The butler let his mouth close again. His mind was warringover whether he could scarcely believe what he’d heard, or if he was justshocked and upset because he knew that she was right. He supposed it was amixture of both, along with the realisation that that really was what was goingon – if they both thought it, separately, without any input from the other, howcould it not be true?

There had barely been an interaction between them whichhadn’t started with some sort of practical joke, from one side or the other. Andhe had started it all. In his foolish – and perhaps insane – attempts to benoticed by someone who would otherwise never have much of a reason to even lookat him for more than a few seconds, he had started their rivalry.

Miss Babcock had simply retaliated; given back as good asshe’d gotten.

She must’ve mistaken his horrified silence for an admissionof guilt in the present moment because she continued. Only this time, shesounded…almost resigned. As if she believed the whole evening had been leadingup to this very second, and she was upset that she hadn’t seen or understoodthat fact before now.

Niles didn’t know why that would be the case. It was justhow she appeared.

The producer leaned on the nearest prop crate, arms stillfolded and now looking at him with more than a mild degree of expectation, aswell as annoyance.

“So come on and own up; what was the punchline in this latestand greatest trick of yours? Or did I spoil the whole thing, by not letting usbe in a room full of people who could hear it?”

The butler silently swallowed before he answered. This wastruly it; there was no going back from this moment on.

“There is no punchline.”

Miss Babcock scoffed again, rolling her eyes.

“Oh come on, Niles, of course there’s a punchline!” shecried out in disbelief. “That’s like saying that there’s no-”

“There is no punchline, Miss Babcock!” Niles was moreforceful in his insistence, this time. It was as though something in him hadsnapped, at last – as though it had gotten weary or sick of backing down, ornever even speaking up in the first place. “It wasn’t a joke. I produced thatplay for you, as a token of my affection.”

“What the hell do you mean, “affection”?!” she shouted back.

That was more than enough to open the floodgates.

Scratch that, actually; opening the floodgates might implythat they could be closed again and something could still be held back. Thiswas more like someone had taken a giant wrecking ball to the wall of the dam.

“How can I put that word any more simply than you alreadyhave it?! Affection! Caring! Fondness! I am in love with you, you stupidwitch!”

For an instant – a point suspended in time which might’vebeen minutes, or just mere seconds – Miss Babcock looked amazed. Her eyes wentwide with shock, but no horror, and she appeared struck by the notion that hehad opened up beyond all measure. She actually looked quite a bit like she hadin each of Niles’ fantasies, just before the point where she would quietly ask“Really?”, before he’d say yes and they’d embrace in whatever fanciful or over-the-toplocation he’d picked for his mind’s outing that particular evening.

But, as he’d noted when they’d gone in, this was real life,taking place in an unimportant prop closet that didn’t even have so much as awindow to let in light, let alone provide Oscar-worthy cinematography and mise-en-scène.

And the instant ended as quickly as it had begun, when theproducer seemed to shake herself out of it and spring right back into anger.

“Oh, baloney! Since when have you ever displayed one iota ofinterest in me that could’ve come across as being in love?!”

Whatever had snapped in the butler before, could only havesnapped partially. He knew this because he felt the rest of it go and his ownanger – built up over years of frustration, pain and sorrow – flared to life.

“Whenever would you have let me?! Would an ordinary servantwho barely uttered a word and whom you would only see when they brought you teaor took your coat ever have stood a chance?” he took a step forward, letting gocompletely as the feelings took over. He jabbed the air in between them,pointing at her accusingly. “Be completely honest with both me and yourself,just this once, and tell me; would you have even seen me as a person if Ihadn’t gone further?”

There would almost have been another silence, had he notsworn he could hear the resounding slap to Miss Babcock’s face that his wordshad just produced. Even if she was trying to hold it together, he could tellthat the hit had landed – he saw a light dim in her eyes, that he had never,ever seen get even slightly dull before. Even in their worst moments, thosesapphires had never been anything less than bright, whether they were sparklingwith delight or burning with fire.

The guilt started in his throat and burrowed downwards,hollowing him out into the pit of his stomach. It was more than enough to makehim duck his head away in shame.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” he bit the insideof his lip, every awful feeling word churning up his insides. “Just as Ishouldn’t have said or done a lot of things. I felt as though I had no choice;I could either stay an active part of your day-to-day life, albeit one that stuckin your craw, or I could just…blend into the furniture, like all the otherservants your family has ever known.”

He found himself leaning on his own crate and stared a holeinto the floor, the weight of everything coming crashing down on him, from thenotion of his own worthlessness in life to the knowledge that he’d been a foolto even try and attempt this.

“I suppose this play was just yet another desperate butfailed attempt at being more.”

“Desperate and failed”, indeed. The two words summed him upperfectly. He was nothing more than a stupid butler, who’d done too much damagein a place where he just simply wasn’t wanted. And even if he had had a chance,how good would those chances have been against someone else’s? That slimpossibility that she might look in his direction was nothing, compared to whatwould happen if some rich, handsome, charming fellow passed her way.

He couldn’t even begin to hold a candle to what she couldget. Or what she deserved. The chance was nothing, and so was he.

There wasn’t anything else to it, then. He had to leave – he’dapologise for even bringing this entire business up, promise to never let it affecthis work or hers (there would be no more pranks, to start with) and then hewould go. As he had no way of obtaining a new job, he would simply stay out ofher way at the mansion, as best he could. The entire afterparty was over forhim, too, so he had no qualms about leaving it. He wasn���t in much of acelebratory mood.

He was about to start with the first part by getting up fromhis temporary perch, when Miss Babcock’s voice cut through the still, slightlystale air.

“You’re right.”

He knew he was; that was why he felt so terrible. But hecouldn’t help being curious about which bit in particular she wanted to bringup and discuss.

“…About which part?”

He never expected the answer he got.

“All of it. All the stuff to do with me, anyway,” she mumbled,before shifting in chosen seat to apparently get more comfortable. “Ever sinceI was a little girl, my family always taught me how to act around servants.“They’re there to give you what you need, you don’t have to thank them!”, “It’stheir job to look after us, we don’t mix with them for pleasure!”, “Stoptalking to them so much, they’re not your friends!”…but I couldn’t help talkingto you. As much as you’ve always been a pain in my ass, I’ve never been able tohelp stopping whatever the hell I’m doing and talking to you. Paying attentionto you. My mother would probably say it was you “stepping out of line” that haddone it, but you know what?”

Niles had been slowly looking up even as she’d spoken, but itwas obvious that she had his full attention by the time she got to thatquestion. The pit in his stomach seemed to have – at least temporarily – filleditself. He didn’t dare call it hope, even if that was what it was.

He had to wait, and find out what Miss Babcock said nextfirst.

Her words came out like she felt liberated.

“I…I don’t really think I care. All those times that we’vehad – the fun ones, especially, like your friend’s wedding, or the BroadwayGuild Awards…they didn’t feel bad or wrong. My mother would’ve called themthat, but they weren’t. I liked doing those things with you, and I don’t feelembarrassed about them, even though God knows just saying it out loud iskilling me, right now…!”

It was her turn to look away, towards the floor. Even in thelower light of the storage room, Niles thought he could see a tinge of pink inher cheeks.

The not-hope feeling in his stomach faltered betweenstrengthening and shattering. Was she really blushing? She couldn’t be, couldshe? C.C. Babcock, Ice Queen of New York City and the Bitch of Broadway, wouldnever dream of blushing! Especially not over all the times she’d spent withhim!

But…if that wasn’t the case, then what else could she bedoing?

Did he have to test the waters and find out? Some might saythey were shark infested…

But how could he leave it all where it was, either? He’dcome so far, with so much courage plucked up that if it had been feathers froma bird, it would’ve been bald and ready to be stuffed for Thanksgiving by now.

He’d done all of this – nearly bankrupted their boss, gottenone of his closest friends into trouble with her husband and somehow pulled offa spectacular Broadway show – simply to tell her how he felt. Could he reallylive with himself if he let it all go to waste, because of a moment’shesitation at the last second?

Niles honestly didn’t think that he could.

So, he did what he might have imagined unthinkable, at onepoint in their relationship. He got up from where he was sat and walked overto sit down on the crate next to her. She looked at him the entire way over,and she didn’t stop even when he was sat down, barely half a foot of space betweenthem.

“I enjoyed those days, too, very much,” he said. “I’vealways wanted more of them…”

“Yeah. Me too,” she replied quietly, biting theinside of her lip as though deciding whether or not to say anything else. Then,she made up her mind. “To be honest, those times have been some of the bestI’ve ever had. Better than anything I could ever even dream of with…”

Her eyes dropped back to the floor again, clearly even moreembarrassed than only a few seconds ago, when she’d told him that she’d likedspending time with him.

It didn’t take a genius to work out which name would’vefilled the trailed-off silence.

Mr. Sheffield. She was talking about Mr. Sheffield…!

And…and she was saying that all the times they’d spenttogether – the nights out, the dancing, drinking, having fun – all meant moreto her than…than anything she’d ever imagined in her head!

He, the real-life butler Niles, had somehow managed to beatout the idealised version of Maxwell Sheffield. The one person he never thoughthe’d ever be able to compete with, in looks, or charm, or money, and yet he hadcome out on top. And not even some fantasy version, where he could hope to holda candle to their employer – just…regular old him!

It all sounded like a complete and utter dream come true;the kind that was normally heartbreaking in reality because you knew it neverwould, and yet here he was, living it out!

He even thought that he could feel the not-hope changing itsname.

“You…you really do mean that?” he asked, in awe as much ashe was in disbelief.

Miss Babcock looked at him briefly from the corner of her eye,then nodded, “Guess I finally figured I’ve been getting my priorities allscrewed up. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s ever happened.”

The butler frowned, his previous worries now turning to thefact that she was beating herself up over what she’d felt was right before.Hearing what her life had been like, when she was young and was being strongly influencedby her mother, somehow it all made sense that she would look for a rich man. Anyrich man, as long as he could prove his wealth and his connections. Mr. Sheffield had simply been the perfect candidate for a long checklist that theproducer had been given to carry around her whole life, whether she cared aboutwhat was on the list or not.

She’d probably convinced herself that she did care, simplyto make it easier. Not that it had turned out easier, but that was anothermatter entirely.

He let his hand slide along the prop crate, so it was closerto hers, “There’s no reason for you to be harsh with yourself over this.”

Miss Babcock sighed, shaking her head.

“You don’t have to make me feel better about it, Niles. I’mthe one who got it all wrong,” she said, shame permeating her tone. “Worst partis, I wouldn’t have even thought about it, if it weren’t for…all that stuffthat happened, back at Hanukkah…”

Niles winced minutely even at the mere thought of thatnight. The hours had stretched out for him in a way he’d never imaginedpossible, and the terror of it possibly turning into the worst night of hislife had hung over him like a curse. It was a curse that hadn’t been brokenuntil their nearly-lost loved ones had all piled in through the door, cold,hungry and exhausted, but mercifully alive.

Between the two of them, there had been a sort of unspokentruce that night. But even in a time when they probably could have spokenfreely, they had almost deliberately held back. They probably thought they wereprotecting themselves – protecting the game they had going on.

Now wasn’t the time for holding back, though. And the gamewasn’t worth protecting in that sense anymore, anyway.

“What did you think, that night?” he asked quietly.

“I was…scared. Well, more like terrified, actually,” sheadmitted, sounding like the words had been aching to come out of her mouth eversince she’d had the feeling. “I thought I was going to freeze to death in theback of that car. I gave it my best shot to act like everything was just fine –that everything was normal and okay. But the moment Maxwell and the Little One gottalking about what would happen if the car wasn’t found, it made me think.Hard. And don’t you dare say that’s a dangerous occupation for me.”

Niles shook his head, “I wasn’t going to.”

Miss Babcock looked uncomfortable for a moment, shufflingand shifting on the spot.

“Sorry; force of habit, I guess,” she said, beforecontinuing her explanation. “It…it made me think, and it made me realise that Iwasn’t thinking about…anybody in the car.”

Again, that was another blatant reference to their employer,quickly followed by her turning her eyes up and truly meeting his gaze for thefirst time in this conversation.

“But I was thinking about what I could be losing.”

It was obvious what she meant, even without her actuallysaying it. The words needed to tell him were probably too monumental, toosignificant and weighted with meaning in her mind to get out right then andthere. She needed time to process them, and he realised now that he understoodthat. He’d had far too long to mull over his own thoughts and feelings, but herswere only just starting to dawn in her conscious mind.

He wasn’t going to overwhelm her any more than she alreadyhad been by saying more than he needed to. He’d use her language – theirlanguage, perhaps? – and take it slowly.

“That was how I felt, that night. It accidentally slippedout, while we were on the phone to the police, looking for you all,” he toldher. “I covered my tracks, of course, but there was no coming back from it forme.”

He thought he heard the producer make a noise in the back ofher throat, but she gave no other reply. Instead, silence overtook the littleroom again.

Before it could drag on too long, the butler spoke up again,the last of his thoughts coming together in a way that made coherent sense, foronce.

“Maybe this play – for me, in some ways – wasn’t just about stayingnoticed. It took it further than that. Perhaps…perhaps I was worried about whatI could lose, too,” he said. “We’ve been going at this a long time, withoutreally talking or trying anything else. I knew that eventually, it would haveto end. You would find someone, like Chandler or…or Colin. Only they’d be evenbetter, this time, and all my chances, however slight, would’ve been used up. Andwe’ve already lost enough before now…”

His confession made him wonder if he’d tipped the scales toofar in the opposite direction, and he shut himself up as he waited for herreply.

Not for the first time that night, what he heard in returnwasn’t what he’d expected.

“We haven’t lost anything tonight.”

That made him look directly at her, “We haven’t…?”

“I don’t think so,” she turned herself – her entire bodythis time – so that she was facing him more directly, her leg leaning on theedge of the crate. “I, uh…I actually think it might be nice, to try somethingnew. To stop getting hung up on stuff that isn’t right, and going around incircles because of it. If we try to move forward, maybe we’ll reach a point wherewe both end up winning.”

Niles didn’t know if time had slowed so much that it feltlike his heart had stopped, or whether it had just exploded in a sort of silentfirework that burst in the feeling equivalents of bright reds and pinks, turningto vibrant greens and yellows, before sparkling away in glitters of gold.

His not moving (which came from shock and awe, nothing else)clearly sent off the wrong signal to Miss Babcock, because she cleared herthroat, looking awkward and embarrassed.

“If you still want to, obviously.”

That was when his hand finally dared to hold hers, whichsent her gaze straight back to his.

The butler’s voice was barely above a whisper, “I neverstopped wanting to.”

He didn’t know if he had leaned in first, or whether she wasalready there when his lips met hers. He didn’t particularly care, either. Allthat mattered was the feeling of her in his arms, which made their way aroundher lower back, as hers pulled him in for the kiss to deepen. He felt her arms wraparound his neck, and she moaned into his mouth as she let his tongue start toexplore, hers leaving him groaning as she started her own discoveries.

But it was only a start. They had to pull away for air far soonerthan either would have liked, but they stayed with their arms around oneanother, and it wasn’t long before Niles felt ready to go back in for anotherkiss.

Miss Babcock stopped him, however, teasingly placing afinger on his lips.

“We’re gonna have to get back in there sooner or later,Scrub Brush,” she said, her voice low and her eyes dark. “After-afterpartieshave to wait.”

Niles tried not to deflate too much; he knew she was right,after all. They had a whole room full of people who would have noticed thatthey hadn’t come back in by now. And even if most of them weren’t concerned forone reason or another, he could very easily imagine Fran coming back there tolook for them (read: to find out if her plan had worked just as she’d wanted).And the things he had in mind were the last thing he ever wanted her to see.

But he couldn’t help taking a particularly interested note atthe idea of the producer saying their “after-afterparty” simply had to wait. Forhow long? Did she want to test the waters more before they made the leap? He’dwait for as long as she wanted, obviously, but he also wanted to ensure thatthey were completely on the same page.

They’d been reading the same information in such different waysfor too long, now.

He kissed her fingertip, before pulling away to speak.

“For anything in particular?” he asked, taking her hand andkissing the palm.

“To see how the rest of the night goes,” she answered,getting up and pulling him to his feet playfully as she did. “If it turns out asgood as the play was, you might want to stick around.”

Niles’ eyebrow quirked, and he gave her a lopsided grin.

“And if it’s duller than dishwater?”

Miss Babcock started to grin in return, and she looped herarm in his to lead him out before she gave any sort of reply.

“Then we already know there’s an empty storage closet backhere, don’t we?”

[lemonhemlock]

Honestly I think the only reason dany gets any sympathy is because she’s basically the equivalent of high school freshman and they’re Like That

But none of her stans give that sort of leniency to literally elementary school aged Arya and Sansa so 🤷🏻

Dany is such a good character if you accept her being villain-coded and having a downfall arc, though! Like, the conversation changes almost immediately when she's not being shoved down one's throat as a flawless hero. A lot of people, including myself, are put off by Dany Debate because it often degenerates into this offensive acceptance and promotion of her crimes and faults as being genuinely "morally good" and "righteous". ☠️

I don't know who needs to hear this in the year of our lord 2023, but it's okay to stan the villain! Just don't be fucking weird about it, christ.

[lemonhemlock]

What's something really random from f&b or hotd that you ship?

i'm a dreamfyre rhaena / aegon the uncrowned shooter!!! listen i know she was a lesbian but he was the one husband she loved and never badmouthed!!! she doted on him and took him flying on dreamfyre!!! their marriage started an entire rebellion but not once was she shown to regret it!!!

she threatened a bunch of Poor Fellows to leave them alone!!! protective big sister!!! he was her king!!! they hid from maegor together!!! she gave him children!!!

reader she loved him 😭😭😭

[lemonhemlock]

Do u think otto and alicent believe in targ exceptionalism? I know this benefits her kids and all but does she actually believe this?

I dont really like all the valyrian supremacy that hotd keeps pushing. It doesn't feel like they are critical to the targs/valyrian supremacy enough for the horror empire that valyria was. When laena said we are the blood of old valyria, etc... I got really annoyed coz with all the race swapping they did with the velaryons who are actually super white, a woc saying such things which are clearly white supremacist really was jarring and off putting. I wished they didn't put that line for her.

I mean they did make aegon the only one who seems to have an aversion to incest the worst.

Similarly do u think jace becomes disillusioned with all the fire and blood and targs are awesome stuff?

I have had this question sitting in my inbox for ages and I finally get 'round to answering it.

Perhaps controversially, I am going to say yes. And I suspect that anyone would believe in Targ exceptionalism if they were transported in-universe. They can form a super special bond with fire-breathing monsters that only listen to them & only them somehow via magical telepathy? And they can fly? Let's be real here. That would be super impressive for anyone.

Impressive & badass & cool doesn't equal good, though. A few select people having access to unlimited destructive power without any checks and balances is decidedly not a good thing for the population of Westeros or of any other place. The Targaryens can be exceptional and the world can also be better off without them - these two sentences are not mutually-exclusive. I would go so far as to say that this exceptionalism is proof that what they are doing is unnatural and violating the laws of morality in the most basic sense.

George is definitely keeping us in the dark about Valyria for now. We don't know how exactly the Valyrians came to master dragons or how dragons were created in the first place, but the crumbs we did receive do not paint a pretty picture: blood magic, human-beast experiments, slavery to fund and fuel everything via literal human sacrifice. It's very likely that the Valyrians had to resort to horrible ritualistic sacrifices to maintain their dragon relationship and after that relied on incest to keep their new pets bonded to their families.

So, yeah, sure, riding a dragon would be an incredible experience & anyone who could do that would be held in high esteem, but at what cost? The whole point is that this is not an avenue open to everyone. You have to pay a hefty price for such a superpower. How much of your humanity would you have to surrender in order to transcend like that? That's the question, isn't? It's deviant, abnormal, wrong. And like anything that bleeds into the sphere of the supernatural, it has no place in this world.

Interesting point about Laena. I'm really in two minds about the Velaryons being race-swapped. On the one hand, they are extremely (and I mean extremely) white in the books; the artwork for them looks like something out of an Aryan propaganda textbook. And they are problematic in their own way, but now criticism of them is limited as a result of them being the most prominent POCs in the show. The Velaryons may be the "blood of Old Valyria", but they were never dragonlords, and that placed them at the bottom of the hierarchical pyramid for nobles. So, while they were definitely better off than the common people, peasants and slaves, it does feel like they're kind of begging for scraps when appealing to legitimacy like that.

I don't think Jace becomes disillusioned; there's nothing in the text to support that. He is a staunch supporter of his mother's cause until the end. He suggests they should attack King's Landing on dragonback and lets the dragonseeds claim dragons to help them out militarily. Those are not the actions of someone rejecting their Targaryen legacy.

[lemonhemlock]

if the Tyrells had not remained neutral during the war, do you think they would have supported the Greens (considering how the Hightowers were also pretty powerful in the Reach)? And how do you think this might've influenced the war?

All of the Reach houses should have supported the Hightowers during the Dance, if logic had any play within the story. It would not have been completely unbelievable to have a few contrarians within their midst, but, generally-speaking, why would the Reach houses (including the Tyrells) not want a king with direct ties to the Reach? When have Daemon & Rhaenyra ever lifted a finger for the Tyrells? What would the Tyrells have possibly gained from aligning themselves with the blacks? What has Otto been doing all the time he was exiled in Oldtown, if not doing his utmost to secure all the Reach houses?

Of course it would have influenced the war in the greens' favour, which is why George even decided on this preposterous separation. One of the reasons Lyonel Hightower can't raise another army for cousin Aegon is because the Tyrells suddenly decide to pull rank and threaten to kill Garmund, who is their page in Highgarden.

Now, I ask you, why even leave Garmund in Highgarden if you're unsure of Tyrell support? To give them a free hostage? This is nothing more than authorial bias.

[lemonhemlock]

Silly little headcanon here but I love Helaena's facial expressions when they're facing down Meleys. I look at her while she's holding Criston's arm and for some reason I imagine a scenario where Criston's trying to get her to leave the stage so at the very least she doesn't die but she's like "WAIT NO I WANT TO STAY" maybe because she already knows they survive this and she wants to stand with her family. And then Criston has no choice but to awkwardly stand in front of her in a futile attempt to shield her from any flames while Helaena looks back at the dragon in defiance.

Anonymous asked: I’m so glad HOTD expanded on Helaena’s character, however briefly. I’m really hoping we will see more of her as a dreamer- of course, her descent post Blood and Cheese is completely understandable, but I would love to see her still play a role in the story somehow.

Anonymous asked: so not ready for Helaena to be sidelined again in s2…B&C will probably take place in episode 1 for a punching opening or episode 2, a point from which they will just lock her up in some room and forget about her character. I don’t get the writers, they actually give her more traits than in the book (her being a dreamer and autistic coded), like look she isn’t some one dimensional character! but then never do anything with her. Her dreams/visions are ignored by everyone, we don’t know how her family deals with her quirks, we don’t know what kind of relationship she has with ANY of her family members. Ffs, she is married with 2 kids and we still don’t know whether she likes her kids, hates Aegon, has a secret affair w Aemond, loves Otto, etc. In my delusional fantasies, I envision that they will actually utilize her character in s2 to at least humanize Aegon, if she cannot have her own character arc. If the writers want to redeem Aegon a tiny bit, their best chance would be improving his relationship w Helaena and their kids. Although I highly doubt they would do such thing. *sighs* Let her ride dreamfyre at least once or something. Or let her show kindess to the badly burnt Aegon. ANYTHING.

More Helaena asks! I think there is an interesting observation to make about show!Helaena. On the one hand, she really is woefully under-developed on screen, in that she has NO dialogue with her brothers at all, the only lines she shares are with Alicent, we have Aegon & Aemond talking about her between themselves, but not WITH her. :)) On the other hand, she does gain extra traits from the book ? somehow? She gets to have an unusual hobby, receives neurodivergent-coding and is positioned as a Cassandra figure. Now whether this is actually good or bad, I can’t say, because book!Helaena at least seemed to be a cheerful and content person, well-liked by people and popular with the smallfolk. So that implies a degree of charisma, warmth, sociability and confidence (when interacting with members of the public). Whereas the new character traits she received make her more predisposed to melancholy, so to speak. Even her interest in bugs sets her apart and not necessarily in a socially-acceptable way - most people find creepy-crawlies repulsive, so they would not be able to easily connect and bond with her, because it’s not an interest many people would find palatable in the first place. Who here doesn’t start screaming when they stumble upon a spider or a cockroach?

Helaena is already a character who will suffer a lot in upcoming events, so the idea that, at least until B&C, she had quite a happy life and was OK with her lot kind of makes it a little better? As opposed to living her entire life isolated & misunderstood, with a bad marriage to boot. Like the anon above mentioned, we don’t even know if she likes her own kids lol. Not to imply that she doesn’t, but the writers chose to sit her on the sofa and visually separate her from her children, who are playing with the handmaiden, instead of her, so there wasn’t any opportunity for warmth there either or for some cute moment. Contrast that with how Rhaenyra gets to lovingly hold her children and dote on them.

Whereas in the texts, even Viserys seemed to be fond of Helaena and would regale her & her children with fun stories, like, they spent quality time together and were fond of each other. Nor was Aegon abusive towards her? I mean no one in the books had one bad word to say about Helaena, not even Rhaenyra in particular, so this idea that Aegon would somehow be the only person in his family to hate her is a little exotic, lol.

I would love to see Helaena ride Dreamfyre actually. I find it fascinating that she managed to claim this (huge!) whimsical dragon. I did write something a while back with some ideas on how to expand her character, if anyone is interested (here and here in the latter part of the post).

[lemonhemlock]

To be fair Aegon actually get the worst first appearances of any character of GOT/HOTD , like the main antagonists of got (Ramsay/cersei/Daenerys/tywin/joffery) were shown in much better way in their first appearance.

Joffery was shown as a charming prince that made sansa fall in love with him

Tywin was shown as a father and a commander with a scene with his son jaime .

Cersei was shown as the queen of westros and as a bitter wife due to Robert neglecting her children and cheating on her publicly.

Daenerys as a victim of her brother and her circumstances.

Heck even ramsay was shown as a kind man who just wants to help theon xd

This why i feel Show aegon is not a character but a mere plot device/tool to Whitewash everyone in team green at his expense , same has been done to Rhaenys and Daemon. To me i like book aegon better🤷🏻 because despite being a historical figure so that means not everything has been said about him is true and despite being an unhinged asshole (in a story where everyone is unhinged asshole in it) he feels like a character to me compared to his show version. I mean book Aegon got a lot going on for him other than you know rape and child arena . Also he got really cool lines there , show Aegon could never .

Anonymous asked: I know there is a lot of outrage about how Aegon get portrayed in the show and not only in the greens corners but also I've seen a lot of criticism coming from book readers as well . However to me personally I don't really care if Aegon was portrayed as a grey character although it would be better if he was since his book version is a grey character not a full-villain . But I won't hate him if he was portrayed as a villain/antagonist , and I'm sure he would become one of the greatest antagonists in TV shows (given by the crumbs we have from the book) and this will work only and only if they bothered to develop him in a consistent manner . Problem is they're not even interested in writing him either way , so he can't be an interesting grey character or even a compelling villain for some reasons I honestly can't know.... is it because if they developed him as an interesting grey/antagonist character he would become more interesting than rhaenyra? So they're afraid?Or there is something else I don't know?

I’ve had these show!Aegon asks in my inbox for a while now, so I grouped a few of them into this reply. 

Interesting observation about HotD!Aegon getting the worst introduction out of any villain-coded character. I both agree and disagree. We first see Aegon as a baby and he seems very loved, even by Viserys, albeit that comes at the expense of Rhaenyra. And since we’ve spent more time with Rhaenyra as a character (and she is also very sympathetic at this stage, truthfully), the viewer is inclined to take her side and see baby!Aegon as kind of an interloper. Then you also have the white hart symbolic investiture moment and the scene where Viserys is doubting his decision to name Rhaenyra as heir, so, naturally, people are encouraged to view this as unfair. I mean, of course it is to us, because we relate it to our modern experiences and we all hate it when we have siblings who are favoured by our parents. So I kind of think that’s the lens through which people are first introduced to Aegon and even though there’s obviously a degree of unfairness AS WELL in being jealous of a literal baby, it’s undeniable that the show is highlighting protagonist-biased morality. 

Being introduced as a baby who gets a lot of attention and whose sister is jealous of him is not the worst and they could have done lots with that. But Aegon’s portrayal only gets progressively worse after that. The next time we see him, he’s bullying Aemond and beating his meat in the Tommen window. Not unforgivable actions, since he’s still a teenager, but he’s not exactly framed in a positive light either. And, of course, we all know how Tom’s Aegon is introduced. So he is shown to the audience at three different ages basically and at no time is he awarded one fully positive interaction. I mean. Really? 

Even when he is most loved and happy as a baby, he is contextualized by the other characters around him as a future threat to Rhaenyra’s claim - the character the audience has been primed so far to be invested in. I’ve heard this argument that it’s not unbelievable that someone as privileged as Aegon could grow up to be the worst, insofar as to imply that we’re complaining too much that his dark portrayal is unwarranted, but this kind of imbalance is just plain narrative manipulation. 

Textually, Rhaenyra is in no way presented as a “good” alternative to Aegon’s rule and this was never primarily a story about who would make the better sovereign. However, it becomes such a story adapted on screen, because the show narrative is, time and time again, very indulgent with Rhaenyra - it both gives her heartwarming scenes with other characters and it glosses over her mistakes and unsavory traits. I’ve said this before, but people are not stupid idiots - there’s a reason the majority of viewers finish HotD on Rhaenyra’s side; it’s because the framing itself encourages them to do so at every turn.

A casual viewer is not an ASOIAF nerd, they are not familiar with medieval legislation or historical examples. They are tired from working all day and just want to unwind: therein comes Rhaenyra, who isn’t shown to have done anything egregious so far; of course they are going to prefer her to her gremlin little brother. If the show took the time to portray Rhaenyra as she should have been (realistically) perceived in-universe by the nobles and the smallfolk and was willing to put some meat on Aegon’s bones as a proper contender, the divide would have been way more even. I don't think it's unreasonable to point that out.

Anonymous asked: I could imagine them adapting the "Aegon throws a feast for Aemond killing Luke" story beat in a slightly less over-the-top way by having the Greens having supper together. Maybe it's to welcome Daeron back to the Red Keep (it's going to definitely happen just Trust Me) but it's after they find out Aemond killed Luke so it's pretty uncomfortable and Alicent and Otto (and maybe Helaena) are still not happy. Aegon picks up on the weird atmosphere and in an effort to cheer up his lil bro he does a toast to Aemond and his valiant effort of getting the Baratheons to their side, and also killing one of the enemy! Yeah it was their nephew, and now Aemond is forever branded as the kinslayer, but you know, one dragon down is one dragon down. Everyone else at the table (including Aemond) is like 😬😬😬

I love this idea of combining the welcoming feast for Daeron with the kinslaying feast for Aemond, that could make for some great comedy. I don’t have anything against a supper, per se, but I think this is probably the last time we get to have a feast, at least until Rhaenyra gives Joffrey a lavish birthday party that contributes to getting her kicked out of King’s Landing. ☠ Aegon also needs a banquet for his coronation, so it would be a good opportunity to combine all three.

Anonymous asked: Until now i still can't believe that the showrunners who -supposedly- read the book , decided to make Aegon the VILLAIN when Aemond and Daemon are out there.....

I mean………….. Again, I LOVE what they did with Aemond and I wouldn’t change it. Even as his psycho book self, it honestly makes a lot of sense that he was deeply traumatised by the eye incident and that circumstances later evolved in such a way that at one point he just snapped. And it goes to show that they can take a character who is anime-villain-level from the books and make him nuanced. 

But, I have to say, that if they were looking for a quick insane antagonist fix for shits and giggles, Aemond is the most natural choice that pops up from the page. With Daemon it’s more complicated, because he’ll always have GRRM in his corner fighting for him as a “grey” character. 

I wonder if they chose to humanize Aemond more because they wanted to cut Daeron and so gave Aemond some of Daeron’s traits instead. I heard this theory before and it does sound plausible. It’s definitely suspicious that they do not have one single throwaway line about “our brother in Oldtown”, yet they confirmed Daeron’s existence in the opening credits with Alicent’s bloodline from the very first episode her sigil was shown, and Miguel Sapochnik shortly departed the show after it aired. IDK, but to me that sounds like they must have had disagreements over Daeron behind the scenes.

[lemonhemlock]

What do you think about some of Asoiaf antagonists like Euron , Littlefinger , Varys , bloodraven Tywin , Roose?

some controversial opinions!

i like a lot of these antagonists actually! euron is one of my faves, absolutely unhinged and genuinely scary? one of the few undeniably evil characters george included in the books, like, i don't think euron has one redeeming quality to his name. but he's sort of mesmerizing? his actions make me sick but also leave me wanting more?? also he can be really funny and full of shit, which makes characters more enjoyable for me. love euron!!! hope lord leyton whoops his arse!!!! (fervently praying to the seven) euron is The One villain i couldn't possibly woobify even if i tried, so props to him he truly is *the one by shakira starts playing*

littlefinger & varys i can't really stand. i appreciate them for comic relief (always down for a good joke) but their meddling in westerosi affairs i find very exhausting & pugnacious. like, i realise everyone is out here for themselves, so, in that sense, them being self-serving shouldn't bother me the way it does, but i can't with these two. littlefinger is a naked opportunist and, while i can admire that trait in other characters, his sleaziness and lack of charisma put me off, so into the trash bin he goes.

varys i have an even bigger problem with. generally-speaking sanctimoniousness and moral righteousness are triggers for me and i can't really stand characters that are Like That. i legit fight with people who exhibit those traits in real life, like, i am an aries so i do not back down lol you'll die with me around your neck. there has to be something else in that character to balance out these things that annoy me, i guess, but varys didn't manage to make the cut, bc that is the entirety of his personality, i'm afraid. this may ruffle some feathers but i think that his scheme with young griff, real or not, is essentially morally bankrupt, in that he's out there role-playing the head of a research institute sending out his agents into the world to carry out this political experiment that may or may not work, but will have a huge body count regardless. it's very callously cynical to me, but he expects to be congratulated on how ideologically pure and morally unsullied he is - i think that's what drives me up the wall.

i know that people really want young griff to be real but varys' grand master plan is to destabilize a country, intentionally plunge it into a civil war that'll get a lot of people killed, in order to facilitate what would be another war of conquest undertaken under aegon vi's banners. instead of trying to actively improve the lives of the common people, since he's on the small council. he's still focusing on power plays and on plots with this brainwashed belief that he's doing it for the good of the people. but is he? he doesn't even know young griff. what if he turns out to be some bad apple; how is varys to know? idk i just cannot get behind it. and i don't think the author will eventually condone this message or plot as righteous either bc i don't see how aegon's reign will last. i think varys is the type of person dead-set in their belief that their actions are for The Greater Good in a the-ends-justify-the-means kind of way, but, ultimately what he truly cares more about is being Right TM - i.e. having his hypothesis proven to be true. clinical, cold researcher/mad scientist vibes.

for roose bolton i couldn't possibly mount a defense even if i were so inclined, but i do enjoy him as a character. i think he's very funny? lmao this sounds very obnoxious after i just tore varys a new arsehole but roose is unquestionably a villain, so there's no need to pretend like he's contributing to the good of society or anything. whereas with varys there is that element to him, perhaps why i find him annoying and roose i do not. roose has some great one-liners - he was funny in the show and he's funny on the page. absolutely awful but enjoyable for what he is.

for tywin i will not be writing any significant meta until i wrap up my last phd chapter and do a proper re-read bc i do not have energy to get into that disk horse right now. i know people hate him but yes he is one of my faves. with tywin i find that he generates three types of commentaries - either people hate his guts and see everything he does in a villainous lens or he attracts the sort of dudebro fan who idolizes the ground he walks on in a v silly way. the third way is the few people who might want to attempt to see him as more three-dimensional, but, because they don't want to get attacked, they preface their commentaries with disclaimers and apologies and messages that they absolutely do not condone his actions, so much so that the observations kind of get lost along the way. i'm neither. i want enlightened centrist meta on tywin lannister. i'm a chill tywin enjoyer, an aficionado of Machiavelli deconstructions. i'd lighten up the mood a little with my quirky takes. but anyway i don't really have time for that kind of fight and tywin himself would tell me to stop procrastinating and get my work done so i'll have to listen to Daddy i guess!!!

EDIT: oohhh i forgot about bloodraven. i'm gonna be contrarian about this one bc i really don't like it when george shoves his fave characters down my throat. i can FEEL that he really wants me to like bloodraven and the blackwoods, just like he wants me to like daemon the rogue prince. and it's annoying sorry old man. i don't think bloodraven is supposed to be written as 100% evil (george wouldn't do that to one of his faves) so his human life is supposed to be guided by some moral principles - i believe that he believed he was servicing the realm with his anti-blackfyre stance and surveillance regime and i believe that even the author intends that to be true to some extent. however, i can't say the same thing about his time as a magical tree. that's just some creepy AF shit. his luring of bran, i see that as magical corruption. bran is mostly a victim in all of this, but he is kind of tainted for me as a character now, bc i don't see how anyone could be 'redeemed' after dabbling in dark magicks like that, willingly or unwillingly. it would feel like a betrayal to how magic has been approached in the books so far - like a force you have to pay a high price for if you want to access it & not necessarily a bringer of peace and harmony either. that being said!!! if we ever got a blackfyre timeline show & bloodraven was played by this dark, sylphidine, mysterious, brooding albino twink......................i am not immune!

[lemonhemlock]

Why Viserys refused to make Rhaenyra marry Aegon in the book? Other than blah blah they didn't get along blah blah that's just bullshit Aegon i never loved Visenya romantically and she was older than him yet he married her out of "duty" and it was Rhaenys who used to hold them together, after her death they can no longer stand each but that didn't stop Aegon from doing his duty and consume his marriage with Visenya (whether Maegor is blackmagic baby or not it's doesn't matter) So the excuse of not getting along doesn't make any sense to me at all. And if Viserys wanted to make Rhaenyra his heir why tf he would remarry ? Why Viserys refused to do so and said that he doesn't need any "heirs" because he has it's own in Rhaenyra? And when he married why he kept breeding Alicent? If doesn't want to keep his prick inside his pants and if he doesn't want to make Rhaenyra marry her brother, then why he didn't changed the succession law to be more similar to Dorne's? Honestly Viserys is just an illogical clone of Aenys i . Only explanation that Grrm wants the dance to happen between siblings or he doesn't want his fave character daemon to be perceived as the bad by the modern readers for standing against a woman fighting for her rights and instead choose Aegon ii and Alicent for this role. If he want to adapt the Anarchy, Rhaenys/corlys vs Viserys/Daemon was a perfect and reasonable conflict....

In the show, the age difference between Rhaenyra and Aegon is 15? 16? years, so a marriage between the two would be a difficult endeavor. Not only do to the generation gap making it extra hard for them to relate to each other, but also due to the fact that such a marriage would place Rhaenyra in her 30s by the time Aegon could reasonably be expected to sire children on her. While not impossible, it's definitely not ideal and weird.

In the books, there is a smaller 10-year age difference between them, the same age gap between Maegor & Ceryse Hightower. The reason given against the marriage in Fire and Blood is this:

Queen Alicent had her own candidate: her eldest son, Prince Aegon, Rhaenyra’s half-brother. But Aegon was a boy, the princess ten years his elder. Moreover, the two half-siblings had never gotten on well. “All the more reason to bind them together in marriage,” the queen argued. Viserys did not agree. “The boy is Alicent’s own blood,” he told Lord Strong. “She wants him on the throne.”

While this age difference is more manageable, the reason Viserys gives is not outrageous: they do not get along and are far apart in age already, so would not have a successful marriage by these accounts. However, blaming Alicent for wanting Aegon on the throne is absurd: of course she does & this is basically the only option that would satisfy both parties - Viserys for wanting Rhaenyra to succeed him and the Hightowers for wanting a king. They could have been co-rulers together, like William and Mary.

Whether they would have been happy together is another conversation entirely (probably not), but you have to balance that versus the possibility of outright war (and, thus, making many more people unhappy & causing suffering on a larger scale). Truth be told, this is not fair on either Rhaenyra or Aegon and the blame should be laid squarely at Viserys' feet for siring more children in the first place. Viserys just seems unwilling to hitch his carriage in any direction; he wants to please everybody (and himself), but just ends up creating more problems for everyone in the process.

So, in effect, I do agree with you, anon. 😅 Having the Dance happen between siblings is illogical and probably all to do with the fact that he didn't want the readers to perceive Daemon as extra-villainous for siding against the female claimant. Rhaenys vs Viserys would have been a much more balanced and believable civil war.

[lemonhemlock]

I just discovered your account and am so glad you also like Aegon. The reason why I like him it's not him behaving terribly, but "I try so hard but it's never enough for you and father". I mean, I am probably the only one who before the show aired watched Domina and was TGC fan and haven't heard about Ewan Mitchell. I am aware I am in minority there, but I prefer Aegon over Aemond just because of this 1 line. This line did such things to me, like I am also the firstborn child, all expectations lying on my shoulders all my life, whatever I do I am accused of not trying hard enough (in my parents' opinion) even though I have always had more successes in school, at university and now at work than my 2 younger siblings but you know, they can do something with 0 effort and they are great even though they do things without any sort of commitment, just to get job done and parents are like yes, they are so brilliant. And the whole thing with bullied and maimed Aemond, who then became great with sword and studied a lot while having Alicent's love and Criston support all the time and then you have Aegon who hasn't even 1 parent supporting him. Like both Rhaenyra and Aemond have 1 parent who has their back and Aegon has no one. To me Aegon (excluding rape and fighting pits) who drinks a lot is far more relatable than Aemond would ever be. Like, how many children felt they are not enough for their parents? I have met lots of people who are like Aegon: they have 1 parent who is neglectful, emotionally unavailable and often even physically absent and 2 parent who puts lots of pressure on child.

Another thing that I hate is saying Aemond is far better than Aegon because he doesn't visit brothels, doesn't have bastards and who isn't sulking loser. While Aegon has the strongest bond with dragon than Aemond, participated in battle against Meleys until he nearly burned to death and then managed to heal enough to hide somewhere and then kill Rhaenyra. What Aemond did? Okay, he helped Aegon with Meleys, but he joined at the end of fight where Meleys was tired and somehow weaker because of fighting Sunfyre so it wasn't hard for Vhagar to kill her and then he took army to trap and instead of returning to KL with Cole he chose to stay at Riverlands and burned them with such success that he didn't get rid of Blacks army and after he burned it basically whole army was in tact. Aemond is basically the reason they lost because he couldn't wait for Daeron to return from Old Town and left KL undefended and still people say he is so great, better material than Aegon at everything. Like Aegon and Sunfyre fought against much older and stronger dragon Meleys and the most experienced dragonrider out there Rhaenys, he was nearly burned to death so he will suffer much more than Aemond did after losing his eye because it was stated steel from Aegon's armour basically melted into his skin so it's hell more painful than just losing an eye (not to mention how much of pain it takes to have even small part of your body burned by fire and Aegon was basically burned from head to toe so burned skin from all his body parts caused him lots of suffering) and then he has a fight with Beala and Moondancer (if I remember correctly) and to save himself he has to jump out of seddle and as result he breaks both of his legs and then he returns to KL and is informed his sons and brothers and almost all allies apart from Tyland Lannister and of course Alicent and his only daughter died and then you tell me Aemond story is better/more amazing/more tragic just because he doesn't visit brothels and doesn't rape women? It's such a shame they didn't portray Aemond as one who wanted to kill Luke. What will they do with Riverlands? Make Aemond say no Vhagar no again because they like him so much? I just don't like when people point out at Aegon, say he is undeserving of love and no wonder Alicent is this way to him. No one says Alicent is not great parent. She does the same thing as Viserys - shows favouritism towards Aemond (and in future most likely to Daeron), cares about Helaena and treats Aegon as the worst thing that happened to her after she married Viserys. I will root for TGC and his portrayal of Aegon and I love how he is committed to his role even though no one beside him is.

Another old ask, so not sure if anon is still hanging around here, because I suspect my version of Aegon is a little edgier; that's if they had the chance to parse through my blog and discover that for themselves. 😅

That being said, I'm glad to see Aegon resonates with more people out there. He really could have a lot of potential to become a compelling and relatable character. The first child overwhelmed by his parents' huge expectations placed on his shoulders, who turns to substance abuse and hedonism later in life as a tool to drown out his intrusive thoughts and feelings of being inadequate and a disappointment? Kings of Westeros - they're just like you and me!

My penultimate post and the hotd critical [aegon] tag probably cover a lot of points raised in this message. However, I think anon is being a little too critical of Alicent and a little too indulgent with Aegon, coloured by their own personal experiences. Alicent and Aegon do not inhabit our world; young people today have a much wider palette of choices when it comes to their career and how they want to live their lives; social mobility is a lot better in late stage capitalism (with all its flaws) than it was within a system based on vassalage and manorialism. Alicent is harsh with Aegon not for shits and giggles or because she wants bragging rights for having a "successful" son; their lives literally depend on this and Aegon is decidedly not taking anything seriously. Alicent can't turn to Aemond or Daeron to fulfill this duty, because that's literally not how the law and succession works.

And the whole thing with bullied and maimed Aemond, who then became great with sword and studied a lot while having Alicent's love and Criston support all the time and then you have Aegon who hasn't even 1 parent supporting him. Like both Rhaenyra and Aemond have 1 parent who has their back and Aegon has no one.

Aegon would have Alicent and Criston supporting him if he put in a modicum of effort, but I don't think he even shows up to sword training because he is too hungover, not to mention studying anything.

Aemond burning the Riverlands is a wider problem with the Dance and is honestly authorial fault. Burning the Riverlands should have been an effective tactic, yet they don't seem to have any supply or transit issues and they manage to conscript a second army later on (out of what? dead peasants?). I think we can all agree that is faintly ridiculous and not something to be pinned on Aemond, a character George devised just so he could have a foil to this fave Daemon. Aemond needs to be in the Riverlands because that's where Daemon is and George really wants his Attack on Titan battle scene.

Moreover, neither the military battles or the division of allies can be explained by resorting to logic. I'm wary to see this as character fault as much as it is a worldbuilding problem.