#anyway I wonder if Alice would feel guilty

[divyasoup]

broken mirror

[tessarionbestgirl]

Agree or disagree with this assessment: tumblr.com/notalicent/764136881425350656/imo-alicent-allowed-ottos-fear-mongering-to?source=share

I disagree.

I always feel like when people say Rhaenyra wouldn't kill Alicent kids, they actually mean she doesn't would want to kill them. What in fact is true. But that doesn't mean she would not do it if means whether her well-being is at stake or in her interests. The biggest proof of this is the end of the second season itself. Is not nonsense paranoia.

Now about 1x08, I know people love to bring this episode to prove Rh/enicest "subtext" what so ever. I know the people behind the scenes love to queerbait the fandom. To me is not what translates on the screen.

To understand the best this relationship and that line, I always like to bring up Otto quote + Aemond quote.

" You are no fool, but you choose not to see."

"The queen speaks with two tongues."

Because Alicent is a victim of grooming and a religious woman, so she does idealizes her childhood, the time when she was free and pure, and her relationship with Rhaenyra and Rhaenyra in it self.

Her mind knows Rhaenyra is a threat to her kids life, heck she saw this in their last confrontation before they met again in episode 8, she gave Corlys's brother on the show a platform to speak the true, ans the guy just lost his head for speaking the true.

Meanwhile her heart wants to believe Rhaenyra would be a good queen, he heart feels guilty over the scar she left on Rhaenyra arm ( insert the gift of her holding her arm they use to the supposed subtext).

Alicent's is so desperate to regain the childhood she lost, that she regressed in the finale to the idealized teenage version of her and calls Rhaenyra to run away with her and her daughter, a callback to the pilot, even though her young self already back them though this was bs.

Alicent can't accept the reality so she comes out as hypocrite that speaks with two tongues, and doesn't not want to accept what is front of her. Even the idea of her holding on to the image of her mother and faith is she ignoring the fact that she was always more like her father than her mother.

Deep down she knows, she just doesn't not want to accept. The true is to horrifying for her. No wonder she chooses to run away at end of s2.

That is why she holds herself on the green council on the supposed Viserys words and then when she finds the true she doesn't think it matters anyway. Because she uses that to justify herself in her own head. But she knows even back then it was a need for kids to live.

She doesn't want Rhaenyra to be kill but this is not the main reason she joins together to conspire and take the throne from Rhaenyra. Like why everything Alicent does in the eyes of this fandom is based on Rhaenyra? Human being don't work like that, not even Alicent's as character.

I know S2 that is a shame trip for Alicent, and they they threw away her nuance, but S1 still exist to prove this character was way more than just that.

[freya-captain]

This is also another old one I’ve sent to someone else before and sorry but I would love to hear your take on this kinda if premise haha

Ok plz hear me out…everything in hotd is the same except omega aegon was disqualified to be king because of his omega status so was sent off to the north to be married and mated to alpha Cregan stark as soon as he was of age they now have several children….maybe viserys and Ali be two ages him far away from flea bottom and the drama or something idk so now aemond is the alpha son next In like and who has equal claim to the throne now and has usurped the throne from rhaenrya…rhaenrya is hesitant about what to do with her options thanks to daemon ..then alpha jace suggest she sends her sons with the dragons broker peace and alliances during their impending war…rhaenrya is wondering if they should skip stark cause he is married to aegon and this may cause conflict but Jace says to send him anyway and says he may had some pull….when pushed on what this is he hesitantly admits that aegons first born son is actually his lol his mother is not impressed by this new info haha

hahaha I’m glad to read this! I couldn't help but picture that Aegon sat by the window of Winterfall watching the snow silently falling (like forgiveness from the sky) and holding his baby, which was the only gift that Jace gave him he got to keep, the only thing left that belonged to him in this foreign, cold land.

I was starting to write this clip when I thought what if let AI give it a go, so that's what ChatGPT gave us and I only did a slight changes. I felt craaaazy.

Jace/Aegon, Cregan/Aegon; Omegaverse

originally written by AI

Winterfell was a cold and snowy place, with the castle surrounded by snowdrifts that seemed to grow taller every day. The great stone walls of the castle were covered in a layer of frost, and icicles hung from the eaves of the roof. Inside, the castle was warm and inviting, with roaring fireplaces in every room that filled the air with the comforting scent of burning wood.

Aegon often found himself sitting in front of the fireplace in his chambers, staring into the flames and thinking about Jacaerys. He would imagine what it would be like to still be with him, to hold him in his arms and to feel his warm breath against his skin like he did in the past. But then he would remember Cregan, his alpha and husband, and he would feel guilty for even thinking about another man.

Since presented as an Omega, Aegon Targaryen II knew he would be arranged to marry some noble lord instead of inheriting lands and titles like his Alpha brother Aemond would. He had never dared to hope that the Alpha would be his Jace, but neither did he anticipate Alicent's decision was to send him north off to the savages. She clearly hoped the marriage could strengthen the alliance between the Iron Throne and the North. The wedding ceremony was grand enough only this was the last time Aegon saw his hometown, no trace of Jacaerys.

Aegon and Jacaerys were closest friends when they were young boys. Over time, their friendship had developed into something more, and Aegon found himself falling in love with Jacaerys. He tried to bury his feelings, to focus on his duty as a husband and as a member of House Targaryen. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget about Jacaerys. Not after he gave birth to their child, a brown-haired girl named Stark, who had no blood of direwolf within her but every feature of his young lover.

Sometimes, Aegon would take long walks through the snow-covered grounds of Winterfell, trying to clear his mind. He would breathe in the cold, crisp air and feel the snow crunching under his boots. But even in the peace and quiet of the winter landscape, he couldn't escape his feelings. That's when he started to write letters to Jace.

He never did well with words and spelling, but he wrote and wrote, all in High Valyrian. Not that he worried Cregan may find out about them, nothing in the letter he couldn't show to the public. It's just sweet for him to share a language that he could't speak with anyone else.

Jacaerys wrote back. At first, the letters were filled with stories of what was happening on Dragonstone and news of the realm. But over time, the letters became more personal. They would write to each other almost every day, and the letters became a lifeline for both of them.

As the years passed, Aegon's love for Jacaerys only grew stronger. He found himself looking forward to Jacaerys' letters more and more, eagerly devouring every word as if they were the only thing that kept him going.

But Aegon also felt guilty for his feelings. He knew that Cregan deserved a husband who loved him as much as he loved Jace, and he felt like he was failing Cregan as a husband. He tried to be kind to him, to show that he appreciated him, but he knew that it wasn't enough.

When Cregan Stark discovered their affairs when Jacaery visited the North, he was both furious and disappointed. He felt betrayed and hurt that Aegon had been unfaithful to him. Especially he and Jacaerys already became good friends and trustable allies. He couldn't understand why he would risk everything for someone else.

But despite his anger, Cregan still loved Aegon deeply after their years spent together. He knew that Aegon was struggling with his feelings for Jacaerys, and he understood that it wasn't easy for him to keep those feelings hidden. So instead of lashing out in anger, he tried to find a way to make things work.

When Aegon finally confessed the truth to him, that their first daughter's real father was Jace, Cregan was silent for a long moment, staring at him with a mixture of sadness and anger. But then he took a deep breath and spoke.

"What can I say?" he said, his voice quiet but firm. "I married no ordinary one. I married a dragon. I knew what I was getting into when I chose you, Aegon. I knew that there would be challenges and struggles, but I also knew that I loved you enough to face them. And I still do."

Aegon was surprised by Cregan's reaction, expecting him to be furious and unforgiving. But instead, he saw a deep love and acceptance in Cregan's eyes. They talked for hours, working through their feelings and trying to find a way to move forward.

In the end, they came to a compromise. Aegon would continue to be a devoted husband to Cregan and a loving father to their children, but he would also keep in touch with Jacaerys through letters. It wasn't the perfect solution, but it was enough for them to find some peace and happiness in their lives.

Years went by, and Aegon and Cregan had more children, all of whom were loved and cherished by both of their fathers. They created a life together, one that was built on love, trust, and compromise. And though there were still struggles and challenges, they faced them together, knowing that their love was strong enough to withstand anything.

Until the war broke and dragons danced.

[yukidragon]

From my lost post I ask about how Jill could have a child and what you describe the baby looking very similar to Jill even down to the mole on the same side of the face make me wonder how Jill well take in the idea of her baby looking alot like her past self "aside the idea the baby probably albino because of the father"that she tries to forget

What do you think ?

The way I headcanon Jill reacting to having a baby that looks like her, as mentioned in a previous post, would be similar to how Jack would react in the same scenario, which I showed in this post. A big difference would be that I think it might hit Jill harder, since she would be getting a much higher dose of pregnancy hormones when compared to Jack, who would be getting some spill over from Alice due to the connection. Post-Partum Depression isn't something to joke about.

Oh, speaking of which. The lovely Miqui_vimo over on twitter drew this heart-rending comic of Jill's trauma after seeing the baby turned out to be just like her... as well as the guilt that follows. It's so sad, but I think with enough love and support, they'll both be okay.

Honestly, I think if the baby was albino, it would probably make things easier on Jill (and Jack). Yes, there's a lot of features in the face that are similar to who she used to be, including the mole, but the baby also has distinct traits from Arthur(/Alice). Albinism is a pretty rare trait, so if anything having such an obvious trait that is associated with her sunshine would be something she could focus on.

This is why I've been inclined to go with the idea that their first child didn't inherit Arthur's(/Alice's) albinism, though they did inherit some pretty blue eyes. Jill(/Jack) is forced to face who she used to be. Though that might be a bit too mean, hahaha. Jill(/Jack) has already been through a lot. So, yeah, let's go with their first child inheriting that albinism and give Jill(/Jack) a break.

I can imagine by the time Jill and Arthur are ready to become parents, her past as Josephine would've come to a head... whether she wanted it to or not. She might've more or less accepted who she used to be and not feel as bad, but it's a dead identity she would rather not think about

Realistically, Jill and Arthur would have discussed what their baby might look like before the pregnancy. Arthur in particular would want to make sure that it wouldn't potentially trigger something when Jill keeps talking about wanting the baby to be exactly like him and dodge traits he would like the baby to inherit from her. Jill would be happy and soothe his fears while convincing herself that there's nothing to fear. The baby is going to be both of theirs.

Jill meant it, she really did! It's just the reality of seeing a baby who looks just like her when she was born, only pale and with white hair, is jarring when she's overwhelmed with hormones, PPD, and the entire process of a home birth. Why couldn't the baby have been born with more of Arthur's traits? It's a guilty thought she has, one she immediately feels awful for, and feels the need to make it up to their baby all the more.

You know, this headcanon has helped me come up with the name for Jill and Arthur's daughter (as well as Jack and Alice's son). Lucia feels like a very fitting name to me, and it's very pretty, don't you think? For her male counterpart, the baby's name would then be Lucius. Male or female, the baby's nickname would be Lucy.

Anyway, with the empathy connection between them and Arthur being an empathetic person, he would pick up on Jill... not doing very well, to put it mildly.

The whole birthing process would've been hard on both of them, particularly Jill, since it had to be done at home with Arthur delivering the baby himself. He would also have to take care of Jill through the birthing process. Even if his family and friends were there to assist, they can't do anything directly when it came to taking care of Jill and then help with the baby after the birth. All medical care for Jill, if the world still can't interact with her, would have to be entirely done by Arthur. It's fortunate that Jill is resilient due to her supernatural state of being, or this would be a very dangerous situation for her and the baby.

Jill only has Arthur to directly talk to about how she's feeling, unless she decides to write to someone about it, and she would be hesitant to do so. Even though Arthur would want her to rely on him, it would be hard. They talked about it after all! She insisted she would be fine!

Arthur though has gotten wise to Jill's tells when she's hiding how she's really feeling to not worry him. He doesn't push, at least not hard, so when he sees that strain in Jill's expression when she looks at Lucia for the first time and sees herself... Arthur pulls them both into an embrace.

...

"You did wonderful, starlight," Arthur said softly beside Jill's ear before kissing her tear-stained cheek. "Just look at her. She looks just like the most beautiful person in the world."

Though Jill was trying to bury the negative feelings twisting in her gut, those words made it a little easier for her to ignore them. She turned to meet Arthur's lips, kissing him desperately as she clutched their little miracle close. She forced out a weak chuckle, trying to seem less affected by the trauma of giving birth than she was. "She does. She looks just like you, sunshine."

Arthur blushed as his praise was turned around on him, and playfully rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant, Jill." He couldn't help but look down at the little bundle nestled between them. "She's so beautiful, just like her mother." He looked up at Jill, eyes watering as he started to get emotional. "I love you both so much, every inch of you, and every second of who you were and will ever be."

Those words made things a little easier for Jill to bear, and more tears welled up in her eyes despite herself. "Sunshine..." She choked up a bit before kissing Arthur sweetly. "Thank you," she finally managed in a weak whisper. "Arthur... sunshine... I love you so much."

Through watery eyes Jill looked down at little Lucia, a little blur of pale color that was almost unrecognizable. This way she could only focus on the heat and softness of this delicate miracle she held, on the soft breaths that let her know that she, both of them, were real. She focused too on Arthur holding her, surrounding her in his warmth as he reminded her that she was safe and loved... that she would never be cold and alone ever again.

"Welcome to the world, Lucia," Jill finally said, her smile coming more easily now even as her heart tightened. "I love you... our little miracle."

...

Of course, PPD won't be resolved just with one sweet moment like this. Jill would need more reassurance and more time to bond with Lucia, but I think that with time she won't see Josephine in Lucia anymore. She'll just see Lucia, her little bundle of sunlight, the miracle she and Arthur created with their love.

This will of course lead to Jill being a very protective mama bear if Lucia is ever even remotely threatened. Hopefully no one will be stupid enough to try anything with the baby and wind up pushing the yandere murder clown button.

Eventually, I think Jill will recover enough to be keen on the idea of giving Lucia a few siblings to play with. Arthur won't push for it even though he wants a big family, but once Jill brings the idea up, he'll definitely be on board, even if that horny clown is going to go a bit overboard with the baby making. Arthur is definitely going to need to keep hydrated!

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur

[ladymorghul]

Hi! I was rewatching ep. 7 and I was really wondering if Aemond is indeed riding Vhagar at the end, just the day after he got his eye slashed out, I'd love to know your thoughts on it if that was the case, to me it's hard to believe Alicent would even let him do it with such a fresh and serious wound like that, they had to have a conversation beforehand, how did she end up agreeing? would she ask Aegon and Helaena to keep an eye on him on the way? OR there's a possibility he might not even be riding Vhagar at the end after all? Because I remember asking myself how they got Vhagar to go all the way from Pentos to Driftmark without her rider, so maybe she would feel Aemond leaving and she just followed him to King's Landing? The first option seems more interesting to me though. And another unrelated thing, do you think Aegon may have comforted Aemond after the incident, or tried to at least?, I can see him feeling guilty for not being there when it happened but idk if he'd be able to externalize that into and apology or something, I wish we had got to see how their relationship evolved after this episode to how it is when they're adults. Anyway, sorry for the rambling! I hope you're well!

hi !!!! 

good questions!!! 

so firstly, i don’t think it would have been possible for aemond to ride vaghar so soon after his injury. in fact, aemond was probably being nursed until his injury was close to healing because the wound could get infected and the infection could kill him. corlys barely survives the fever. so there is no way aemond could have ridden vaghar at the end of episode 7. 

even if he was in any condition to ride her, which is a complex subject centering on how an eyewound like that could affect aemond (vaghar can ride without directions but aemond’s body would still be affected by the effort to be on vaghar), alicent would have not allowed him near vaghar until she wa sure he was at the very least close to healing. 

we probably don’t get to see it much but people died much easier during those times and alicent is quite the doting mother so i’m sure she was worried about him a lot. 

and i don’t think helaena or aegon were riding their dragons either. yeah, it would be fun, but even rhaenyra at their age makes the journey to driftmark on ship. 

would have been amazing to see aegon and helaena on their respective dragons though. and i bet that when aemond’s eye healed and he could ride vaghar again, alicent definitely asked aegon to look after him and he and helaena went to ride with him the first few times. would have been amazing to witness such a boding moment, of these three kids riding the skies on their dragons. 

secondly, i do think something happened there. i actually wished someone asked tgc or that tgc himself could have talked about this because to me it’s such a crucial moment in both aemond and aegon’s journeys. maybe one day someone will ask him to elaborate on this. 

but yeah, something happened after driftmark. something clicked in all of their heads and the dynamic changed. i’m not saying aegon suddenly realized all wrongdoings and showed his brother a lot of love because that’s not aegon’s style at all, but he understood, just like his mother said, that this is not a game. this is serious. aemond, his brother, lost an eye and his father did nothing about it. even more than that, his half sister asked for his little brother to be interrogated. 

and suddenly, all the bullying and the pranks and the mocking he did with the strongs @ aemond wasn’t anymore just aegon getting sweed validation by singling out aemond, it had actual horrible consequences. 

i think he definitely felt guilty because even in the driftmark scene aegon looked quite freaked out about what happened, but i don’t think aegon fully processed what happened while it was happening. i think the picture slowly came to him from that moment until he started watching aemond struggle with his new disability, by having his wound nursed and having to relearn some skills that aegon already knew he had. 

i don’t know if aegon ever said sorry for how he made fun of aemond, i don’t think they’re the type to have an easy time expressing their positive emotions to one another, both aemond and aegon, but they do it in other ways and one of the ways is aegon immediately standing for aemond at the feast. 

rhys has talked about this before in the context of his and alicent’s relationship and i think it fits to a degree here too: iit’s partially the trauma, partially the time they live in, but while they don’t know how to say “i love you / i care for you / etc” to each other, they find ways to show it to each other, EVEN negative ways of showing it to each other. 

it’s all about them not being able to be emotionally vulnerable with each other for different reasons. aegon has a whole bag of issues and for aemond... he’s been showed too many times that weakness = bad and due to the mocking and all, i don’t think he can easily be very open with aegon.

that being said i do think they both have love for each other

[divescustos]

sometimes i think about how edward is seventeen forever. just seventeen.

his mind will never fully mature, he'll always be the gangly teenager he was when carlisle changed him. he's learned a lot in his century of life, but some things can never change because of his nature. he never gets to grow up, a perpetual peter pan. he can watch his peers and even his siblings to a degree move on from the stage of life he's forever frozen in. even his own daughter will one day mature past him, and there's nothing he can do about it.

he was seventeen when his father died and suddenly he was seen as the man of the house. he tries to step up for his mother, but gets sick anyway, and so does she. he feels guilty for her running herself ragged trying to take care of him. he almost dies drowning from the fluid in his lungs, and then suffers from four days of agony before being told his entire life is now over, everyone he ever knew he can never see again, and many of them died regardless. he is part of an entire generation that watched the great war and then the spanish 'flu kill indiscriminately, and then watches it happen again, over and over.

he is impulsive and cruel and manipulative at times, but then he's also sweet and deeply caring and fiercely protective. he is terrified by loss, the trauma of it being his first everlasting memory. he pushes away those he fears hurting. his gift is a blessing and a curse. he feels responsibility for protecting the family, resents the rest of them (bar alice) for expecting him to do so. the rest of them have a partner and he feels the need to prove his worth to stay amongst them, especially after the disaster of his rebellious years.

he's suffered a loss of independence as our ideas of when we decide someone is now an adult have changed. he plays younger still for the sake of their cover story, giving up joys like his driving for years at a time in order to make things smoother for everyone else. he can read the minds of everyone around him but their lack of ability to do the same makes him feel lonely. he wonders how it would be if he weren't alone in his own head. he shares traumas that aren't his own to talk about, purely through memories he hears.

edward is a horror story, not because of his vampirism, but because he is seventeen. and he will only ever be seventeen.

[alicentsgf]

i think removing daemon or dismissing his love (albeit toxic) for rhaenyra from the narrative like you and other fan of alicent/rhaenyra do is a great disservice to rhaenyra herself and i wonder if you even care about her at all or just alicent? i would never remove alicent from her story or dismiss her love because i know it’s fundamental for rhaenyra’s development. you have such nuanced takes so it’s really weird to see how you refuse to give some to daemon like even if you don’t like him idk

i cant think what i've specifically said (or not said) that warrants this ask but either way i would never claim to be unbiased at all and tbh i dont feel guilty about that u kno? i guess i just feel i dont have to have a reason for everything. i used to forget sometimes that i ran a fan blog not a newspaper and im not gonna do that again its dumb. its all just opinions at the end of the day. if i seem like im dismissing daemon from rhaenyra's story when i talk maybe its because i just dont think about their relationship really at all? not in any depth anyway... because it doesnt rly interest me personally and therefore i just dont think to include it when im sharing my thoughts. and like yeah it is totally possible i dont care about being fair to daemon sometimes. especially when it comes to the women in his life. sorry. i just dont really believe he loves any of them in any kind of noteworthy way. thats just my perspective.

and btw... no. just to clarify. i dont like or think about rhaenyra as much as alicent. its kind of obvious in how my blog is very alicent centric and i can be a bit critical of rhaenyra sometimes. i dont think that to enjoy a pairing you have to be invested in both halves as individuals equally? or at least i dont anyway. to me their relationship kind of stands apart from them as its own entity in my brain tbh. i enjoyed their early dynamic, i find every facet of what they have now very intriguing, and i like rhaenyra well enough, but ultimately i spend a lot more of my time considering alicent thats not a fact im trying to hide.

im just interacting with this show in my own genuine way and sharing my thoughts on it im not some kind of authority or anything just because i have a debilitating tendency to speak as though i have some lmao

[dulcewrites]

Hi what do you think what it means that aegon and aemond relationship will spiral out of control? I think it has to do with 2 things: b&c where aegon will blame aemond for it and all this build up rivalry between them. I mean aegon isn't stupid he knows aemond wants to be king and is more suited but for better or for worse it's aegon who is king. I think most people focus on aemond there, saying that he is jealous of what aegon has simply because he is older but no one focuses on how aegon feels. He knows aemond is better material for king but after he sees smallfolk accepting him as king it will change whole dynamics. Aegon will try to assert dominance simply because he is so loved and aemond after killing Luke is kinslayer=cursed in eyes of people all over Westeros and aegon will surely rubb it on aemond face in a way like 'yeah, you could have been so good material to the king except the fact that you are cursed and you are responsible for my son's death'. And 2 season will be mentally difficult for aemond because he will surely feel guilty after b&c (well he is the one to blame anyway) and before he was confident, tis I and so on, but now his level of confidence will just go low and low. Like he will surely not be in alicent's good graces since Olivia said that watching aemond turning into absolute killer is terrifying for her and she refused larys offer to harm luke so no wonder why daeron will be her favourite son since he will never let her down and will spend most of his time at kl protecting her. I mean, I saw people from team green angry because how is this possible that aemond will abandon his family after b&c and be crybaby for such old wench like alys? Why don't he stay at kl with his one true love helaena? *eyes roll* Well I can easily see aemond parting from his family to fight daemon as a way to repent for throwing them to the war and causing his mother and sister to be rhaenyra prisoners. And what do you think?

Honestly, if that is the route they go, I don’t think it will start off that way. I think Aegon, rightly or wrongly, will be accepting towards Aemond. It is partly jest at his sister and a powe move but also probably show a united stand, but he throws Aemond a party. I don’t think there is all ill will (from Aegon to Aemond) on that part. I would not be surprised if their relationship does shift after b&b. In the books, while Helaena slips into depression, Aegon becomes more angry and vengeful. Idk how much of that is still pointed towards Aemond (especially if Aemond does end up telling anyone it was an accident) bc he still chooses to make Aemond protector of realm.

I think there will be strife, and I am interested in Aegon using his position as king as something to hold over people. But at the end of the day, i don’t see all of these relationships falling out imo

[checkxmaster]

Rain's anger was more than understandable. It made Chad feel guilty, if he was being honest, that he got away with just being roughed up by a licker. "I can try to look into that if you want. Maybe there are records of whatever experiments they might've done on you that would contain the names of the scientists on that particular research project. I haven't seen any yet, but... I'm not gonna lie, I didn't look that hard. I... thought you probably hadn't made it out..." He'd probably get punched for that, but hey, he'd rather catch shit from Rain for counting her out than for her to actually be... out.

He took a breath and his eyes fell a little, unsure if he should share this with Rain. It would upset her, for sure. "I did find experimental records on Matt and Alice, though. If they did the same kinds of things to you, then it's no wonder you feel the way you do. Near as I can tell, Alice might still out there somewhere, but she's covering her tracks well. I can't nail her down at all. And Matt..." God, he wished he had any kind of good news to share about anything anymore, but life just wasn't that way. "Matt's gone," he said with some amount of reverence and a shake of his head. "They turned him into some kinda creature. The Nemesis, they called it. Looks like they were trying to make expendable super soldiers by optimizing certain effects of T-virus-mediated mutation in the human body. That's about all I understood of the actual science. Anyway, he's been marked as deceased since the sanitation of Raccoon City."

There was one piece of solid information he could offer her. "But in both cases, the lead scientist was someone named Dr. Alexander Isaacs. He's the CEO and a co-founder of the Umbrella Corporation, in addition to being head of their science division. He seems to be the driving force behind a lot of the T-virus research. I'd say there's a good chance he had something to do with what was done to you. In the meantime, I can look a little harder for your records and I can see if anything in your body is giving off any kind of a signal. If I can detect it, I can disable it," he said firmly and with no small amount of confidence.

"Okay," he said simply with a small nod, leaving it at that. If she needed something for pain, she knew he had some solutions. Other than that, he knew better than to press her on that sort of issue. When she asked if there were any areas she should avoid when being her natural, roughhousing self, he was actually rather touched. Again, though, he knew better than to let that show, so he half-shrugged. "It's just my left shoulder," he said, waving his hand over it. "Front and back. The whole thing's a mangled mess. Pretty much hurts all the time unless I take something for it." He shrugged again, this time more playfully. "The rest of me is open season. I mean, certain parts of the male anatomy I'd also appreciate a little consideration for," he said with a chuckle, "but otherwise, lay it on me."

He couldn't help but laugh as she grabbed his collar and wound up for a punch. "Yep, that'd do it," he agreed, grinning. It felt so good to be able to joke around with her like this. God, he'd really missed her. He missed their whole team, to be honest, but someone with a personality as strong as Rain's... well, that loss had been felt a bit more than most. Keeping his grin as she commented on the crime he was committing by letting the gun she was eyeing sit idle, he was more than happy to see it go to someone who would get a lot of good use out of it. "No problem," he said.

"It's too late. You said something needed to be fixed, I'm already excited," he said. "Would you like a speedometer that lights up? 'Cause I could probably install one." Now he was just being a smart ass. Another chuckle followed as she called him a hoarder. "Better get moving, Ocampo," he tossed back, setting a timer on his watch for three minutes and showing it to her. "This places gets locked up in three minutes, on the dot," he joked, since she'd given herself her own time limit. It was amazing what having a friend could do for Chad. He felt like he hadn't laughed or smiled in years and then all of a sudden his face hurt from it.

"The hell is your problem, dude? Did you seriously forget about me? Or what, you think I'm a clone? Be for real."

It was getting dark, so Chad pulled his armored vehicle over to the side of the road and set about preparing to settling in for the night. Over the years, he'd accumulated a lot of tech to help him survive, from computers and GPS, to motion sensors, timers, and alarms. Generators and power storage units were essential, as were solar panels and other methods of harnessing power as electrical grids began to fail seemingly everywhere.

Some of the tech he built himself, having raided hardware stores for parts, and others he'd acquired from abandoned police stations and homes. It passed the time, to sit and occupy himself with building computers, or to set up surveillance systems, or to create spreadsheets to catalogue all of his supplies, and he liked to keep his skills sharp. Why? He didn't really know anymore. Maybe it just kept him sane. He had about a million flashlights, flares, weapons, and a multitude of ammunition types, complete with all the batteries, solar chargers, hardware enhancements, additional parts, and optional adjustments he could store.

Metal boxes, backpacks, and duffel bags were stacked in an almost hedge-maze-like fashion inside the armored vehicle he'd taken over after it had been abandoned by the military. His bed was little more than a shelf nestled into all this organized chaos, but he found it strangely comforting to be boxed in while he slept... especially since he was alone most of the time.

Occasionally he joined up with some survivors, but he found it difficult to remain with them. Their goals were vastly different, with civilians wanting to find somewhere safe to hunker down and barricade, and Chad wanting to keep on the move to see what he could do to screw Umbrella over or help other people.

He'd gotten his motion sensor perimeter up around his mobile home, as it were, and had just taken his nightly dose of painkillers so he'd have half a chance of sleeping. The deep scars from where the licker had grabbed him as well as the pain of a few broken bones that hadn't quite healed properly from being thrown off the train on the way out of the Hive had him pretty much in near-constant pain. He'd learned to live with it, and as long as he was busy and moving, he could ignore it. At night, though, he needed some extra help from good ol' pharmaceuticals. Just over-the-counter, though, nothing too heavy. He couldn't risk not being able to wake up if something significant went down. And absolutely nothing with an Umbrella logo on the bottle.

That was when one of his alarms went off, indicating that something was moving in the near vicinity of the vehicle. "Really?" he groaned, his head falling to the right as he lay in his bed to look at the screen across the way. Sure enough, it was blinking. Sighing, he sat up and typed away, looking at the camera feed indicating movement. To his severe disappointment, it wasn't one of the undead. It looked like a soldier of some kind. "Just perfect," he said cynically. Grabbing a couple guns, he went out to investigate. What he found was... startling, to say the least.

It... it was Rain. His heart began to pound. No, Rain's dead. Don't get fooled again by those stupid clones. Man, they were creepy... Clones of his now-deceased friends and comrades that often times acted nothing like the originals. The Rain ones... were always particularly nasty. He lifted his rifle, leveling it at her. "That's far enough," he said coldly, assuming this was a clone. How can it not be?

But then she spoke, and almost simultaneously he began to notice that she looked a bit older. The clones always looked young, pristine. Swallowing hard, Chad found it difficult to breathe with how vigorously his heart was now pounding, rattling his ribcage. Faltering a little in his resolve, the tip of his rifle slowly dipped a bit and he stared incredulously at her.

"N-no, I-... Of course I didn't forget about you, but..." But you're dead. You've gotta be. Forgetting Rain - or anyone else he'd lost in the Hive due to his incompetence, poor planning, and cracking under the pressure - was never an option. He saw their faces almost nightly in the twisted horrors of his guilt-fueled nightmares.

Chad blinked, not knowing what to do. The rifle lowered just a bit more at the mention of clones. "Yeah, actually, that's exactly what I'm thinking. Wait, you're-... Are you telling me you're not a clone?" Oh, how he wanted to believe that, but he'd been fooled before, almost fatally. "Come on, don't fuck with me..." he said, more with a crestfallen type of exhaustion than with any sort of real intimidation attempt. "If you're not a clone... then prove it."

If this really was Rain, the real Rain, then he was about to feel like a huge jerk momentarily. But if it wasn't... he couldn't afford to let his guard down...

[therealvinelle]

What would be Bella’s/cullens’ reaction if Victoria turned Angela, Ben, Jessica, Mike, Tyler, Lauren, Eric for her new born army? Would the cullens hesitate? Would Bella feel sad?

Well, I don't think Victoria would choose Bella's friends.

She went out of her way to keep the newborn army hidden. She selected Riley as the face of the operation, made him the only leader the newborns ever knew and the decision-maker who'd circumvent Alice. She chose Seattle, the nearest city that would be large enough that people wouldn't notice right away that people going missing or bodies turning up. All the while, she was regularly running around Forks, keeping the Cullens and the wolves on their toes.

Not that she was being Miss Cautious about this whole thing, that newborn army was out of control and she doesn't come across as having been in a good place mentally at all during this whole thing, but she did take steps to disguise her objective.

But, let's say Victoria goes for it anyway.

The Cullens wouldn't hesitate. The humans in Forks are no more to them than the humans in Seattle were. Edward would be the exception, he developed a mild fondness for Angela and Ben and a petty dislike for Mike, but he wasn't present for the battle so I imagine he simply mourns for their humanity that was lost, and moves on with his life.

I think, too him, the most arresting part would be that this would be one more nail in the coffin of Bella's human life. Her human world that he wanted her to remain in is no longer a human world, Victoria has taken that from her. That, I think, as well as the pain this causes Bella, would piss him off and in turn have him blaming himself.

Bella, I think, has a real moment of 'Nam gaze as she realizes that her boyfriend is immortal, her boyfriend's family is immortal, her best friend is immortal, and now her classmates are immortal too. Everyone gets to be immortal and have superpowers except for Bella Swan. What the actual hell.

Moment after she feels guilty for thinking that, and she then feels... bad, but not bad beyond "Well this sucks."

She still tries to insist the Cullens shouldn't kill her old friends, surely if they talk to them and explain they'll calm down. Okay, so maybe Lauren is a lost cause, but surely they'd get through to Angela, or to Mike? Ben?

I don't think she would understand that the Cullens don't have the resources to save her classmates.

The Cullens end up promising they'll try to talk to them (that is, Carlisle will stand on a big rock and yell "We can work this out, guys!" while Jasper stands ready to pull him down), knowing that this will most likely fail. Bella realizes as much, and comes up with a plan to save everyone. The plan is to put blood in a fire hose and spray the newborns with it so they're too distracted to fight, and the Cullens can dismember then piece them together one by one.

Jasper tries to point out this will at best mean the Cullens now have a newborn army of their own, Bella is adamant. The Denali can take a few!

Bella is less adamant when it is pointed out to her that the Cullens won't be able to turn her for several years, they'll be busy with their fuckton of newborns.

How about just Angela live, then? Angela is nice. She'll be a vegetarian, Bella is sure.

The Cullens try not to wonder about why Bella changed her mind just now about saving the lives all of her friends.

The fire hose plan ends up being carried out anyway, they have nothing to lose and Emmett already stole the blood.

Jane arrives to a clearing that looks like the set of "Carrie", newborns divided into neat sections of limbs, torso, and head with Bella avoiding eye contact with those heads, and the Cullens looking distinctly sheepish. Jane promptly has all of them burned, and the Cullens can't even say anything because... yes.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What would happen if jasper came back during the new moon era to finish the job? How would the wolves presence affect his actions? Is there a possible happy ending in these confines?

Caveat

He had no idea there was a job to be finished. Yes, Jasper had said before "We should kill the mate" (for the Sith always come in pairs) but they missed their window for it and Victoria is presumably long gone by that point.

It's been several months with no sign of her, Alice has had no visions of her, and ultimately in choosing to leave Bella they're exiting her life and Victoria would likely come after the Cullens. After all, Bella is only indirectly related to this and what would killing her prove?

(That Victoria went after Bella, rather than the Cullens who actually murdered James, was not something anyone predicted.)

That Edward says he'll go off and do it, taking it on as his duty, settles it.

Jasper has no reason to get involved.

Nobody expected to come back and hear, "Well, actually, Victoria's been tormenting the area, eating hikers all over the place, and has made an army of the undead in Seattle."

It's like if, in Hamlet, instead of contenting himself with a few duels, Hamlet decides to raise a zombie army to lay siege to Denmark.

"SMASH, ZOMBIE ARMY, SMASH"

And you're Laertese, standing there, wondering what happened to the prince that was supposed to marry your sister.

Jasper had no reason to think that Victoria would stick around Forks, waiting until the Cullens miraculously leave to do anything, and then start causing mayhem.

(Adding in the awkwardness of Jasper being the one to nearly eat Bella. The last thing he needs to do is go back to Forks, on his own, and accidentally eat someone without the coven protection.

Yes, that sounds like a grand idea for Jasper.)

Not to mention, Jasper's investigating Alice's past with her and he can't exactly bail on that gracefully. Not without... a plethora of drama.

But Alright, Let's Give this a Whirl

Alice continues to have her visions of Bella's depression that she tries not to pay attention to and has visions of Edward's depression she tries not to pay attention to.

Now, Alice seeing Edward losing Victoria is probably a bit iffy, as she didn't in canon and it's not really a clear defined moment that she could have a visual image and go, "ZOINKS, HE LOST HER!" Alice would just see Edward... not catching her...

Now, Alice wouldn't send Jasper back as if there's one way to go behind Edward's back and do the last thing he'd want, it's sending Jasper back alone. Edward would have her head and their friendship/sibling relationship might genuinely be ruined forever.

Alice would never do it.

But let's say for plot convenience that Alice does.

"Jasper, go back to Forks and--look through her window or something and make sure she's not dead."

Jasper really doesn't want to do this.

Alice, however, is insistent and it is her best friend that she had to leave behind thanks to Jasper. Jasper feels guilty enough that he goes back, hating himself all the while.

Well, what he sees are weird smelly giant bear dogs, Bella being dangerously depressed, and Laurent and Victoria's scents all over the place.

Oh shit.

What Does He Do?

Sadly for your plot, I don't think it can go onward, as what Jasper would do is call the Cullens back.

This is not a one-man job, they're somewhat responsible for the area, and they should take care of this before it gets out of hand.

Edward's out of contact anyway, so the Cullens (sans Edward who is in Rio) are summoned back where the wolves, I'm sure, have a conniption but don't talk to them and the treaty is back on in full force with the Cullens pretending they're not back so things don't get... awkward.

Likely, with Victoria's gift, they're unable to kill her and things slowly escelate until there's an army.

Though, at that point, the Volturi show up as they have not had New Moon happen and have no reason not to show up on time.

The Cullens can then finally leave Forks again.

Bella never realizes they were there and is probably, eventually, sent to Florida.

[storiesforallfandoms]

bloodlust ~ jasper hale;twilight

word count: 1754

request?: yes!

“I’m not sure if you do Twilight, but if so can you please write a Jasper Hale x reader where it’s just him coming to terms with his feelings and trying not to push the reader away just cause they’re human. Thank you no matter what love :))”

description: when she thinks he’s avoiding her because he hates her, he has to tell her his biggest secret

pairing: jasper hale x female!reader

warnings: swearing, mentions of death

masterlist (one, two)

I didn’t understand Bella’s extreme obsession with Edward Cullen after they started dating until Jasper Hale started showing me the same attention.

I had known Jasper since the Cullens moved to Forks. Or rather I knew of Jasper. Much like his adopted siblings, Jasper kept to himself or to the Cullens. It wasn’t until our English teacher paired us together for a project that I finally got to know him.

Despite the whole school knowing that Jasper and Alice were together, I started to notice that the way he looked at me, or the way he treated me, mirrored Edward and Bella’s own romance. And before I knew it, my feelings also mirrored Bella’s.

I felt on top of the world to have the attention of such a beautiful man. I felt unworthy, but at the same time I felt a sense of pride. And overall, I felt strong, romantic feelings for Jasper; feelings I was sure he had for me as well.

Until he started ignoring me suddenly. He wouldn’t talk to me, he changed seats in English class to be further away from me. He wouldn’t even look at me when we were in the same room.

“He hates me,” I said to Jessica as Jasper drifted past me in the lunchroom without acknowledgement once again. “I don’t now why, but that’s the only reason I can think of that he’d be ignoring me.”

“Or Alice has him back on her chain,” Jessica suggested with a shrug.

“He and Alice broke up a while ago, Jess,” Angela pointed out. “Didn’t you know that?”

I laughed as Jessica shook her head. “The great gossip of Forks didn’t know something? Mark the calendar, Angela, this is a historic day.”

Jessica threw her nearly rock hard dinner roll at me.

That evening while I was home alone, a knock came at my front door. Confused, I went to answer. I was shocked to see Jasper stood there, his hands shoved into his pockets.

“Jas?” I said. “What are you doing here?”

“I owe you an explanation,” he told me. “Care for a drive?”

I followed him to the flashy sports car he drove, one of very few in all of Forks - the others belonging to his siblings. He held the door open for me as I got in. He was in the driver’s seat and had the car started before I even had my seatbelt on.

Jasper’s driving was way too fast, and he was weaving in and out of the cars too carelessly. I was starting to regret my decision to get in his car. One hand was gripping the passenger door so tightly my knuckles were white. Jasper noticed and chuckled.

“Relax, I drive like this all the time,” he assured me.

“Somehow that doesn’t make me feel any better,” I muttered. Jasper chuckled again, which made me slightly annoyed.

After some time, Jasper pulled up to a hiking trail a short ways out of town. I watched him unbuckle his seatbelt and get out of the car. He paused, waiting for me to follow. I was starting to feel panicked and wondered why I had decided to go with him. Why had he brought me out here alone? Why hadn’t I told anyone where I was going before I left home?

We walked in silence for a while. I started falling behind, stumbling over the twigs and rocks. At one point I almost fell, but Jasper was quick to steady me.

“I forgot you can’t walk as quickly as I can,” he said. “We’re almost there.”

“Almost where?” I asked, but he had already started walking again.

We came to a clearing where the sun was just peaking through the trees. Jasper paused, looking back at me for a moment. “This is going to look silly for a moment, but know there is something serious underneath it.”

Before I could ask, Jasper stepped into one of the sunny patches. I gasped as his skin lit up like a diamond under light. He looked anywhere but at me, as if afraid to see what my reaction to this was.

I approached him slowly, extending a hand towards him. I poked some exposed skin, wondering if I was about to find out I was dreaming or that Jasper had never been real to begin with. His skin was cold and hard as stone, and I realized in that moment that I had never touched Jasper’s bare skin before.

“What is this?” I asked. “What are you showing me?”

“I heard you talking to Jessica and Angela at lunch today,” he explained, “about whether or not I hated you and if that was why I was avoiding you. But the truth is I was avoiding you for the opposite reason. I don’t hate you, (Y/N). I never could, but I’m dangerous. To you, anyways.”

I stepped back, feeling very uneasy. “What do you mean, Jas?”

“I’m not...human,” he explained. “And I haven’t been for decades. There are many names for what I am, but the most commonly used is vampire.”

I felt like the air had been knocked out of me. I was convinced this was some sort of practical joke on me, but I didn’t think any of the Cullens were capable of doing that.

“Are...are all of you...” I started, trying to find my words.

“We are,” he confirmed. “Carlisle found all of us and changed most of us. There’s a very long history about our family. I won’t go into it now, I know it’s a lot to take in.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked him.

Jasper stepped out of the light, his skin almost immediately returning to normal. Every logical part of me was telling me not to let Jasper get closer to me, but at the same time I trusted him. I didn’t think he was going to hurt me, I trusted him not to hurt me.

He reached out for me, but hesitated. Against my better judgement, I stepped forward to let him touch me. His hands were cold against the skin on my exposed arms. His golden eyes looked down into mine and I felt myself subconsciously leaning into his body.

“Because I feel something for you that I’ve never felt for anyone besides Alice before,” he told me. “And I know you feel the same way for me. I tried to distance myself for your safety. I’m still new to living with humans as I was the last to join the Cullen’s lifestyle of just feeding from animals, but I realized that was only hurting you more. I needed to tell you so that you could make your own decision about how you felt for me.”

He was right, it was a lot to take in. I had so many questions, but at the mention of Alice I realized there was one outstanding question I needed answered before we went any further.

“What about you and Alice?” I asked. “You two have been together...I guess basically forever. What made you two decide to break up?”

“Alice, Edward and I all have special powers that we developed after we were changed. Edward can read minds, I can feel and manipulate emotions - which is how I know for sure that you feel the same way for me - and Alice can see the future. She saw many visions that included you - most of which included the two of us in a romantic setting. I told her it would never happen because I loved her so much, but she was so sure I’d love you too. She told me to wait until we were paired up for that project and I’d actually get to know you, then I could make that decision.”

I winced. Knowing that Alice saw visions of her boyfriend falling in love with another woman - a human at that - before Jasper even knew I existed made me feel guilty.

“Was she angry?” I asked, my voice a whisper.

Jasper laughed, a beautiful sound that echoed through the otherwise empty woods. “Not at all. If anything, she was excited. She claims that you two are going to be best friends the way she is with Bella, and she’s very excited to have another female in the family. That is...if you’re still willing to be with me with...what you know now.”

I had to admit, the thought of the person I was in love with being a vampire was terrifying. Not because of the needing to drink blood to live - like I said, I trusted Jasper. If his or any of the Cullens’ desire for blood was a risk, they wouldn’t be living amongst humans. But the thought of growing old while Jasper remained the same age forever, of him eventually not wanting to be with me because of that age difference was terrifying. And the alternative...I didn’t want to consider that right now.

I moved closer to Jasper. He moved his hands to my waist, pulling me so that my body was touching his. Our lips were inches away, and I finally leaned in to close the gap between us.

His lips, much like the rest of his body, were cold, but I felt a sensation when kissing him that I had never felt before. I placed a hand against his face, gently stroking his hard skin as our lips moved perfectly together. His grip around my waist tightened a little, but not enough to hurt me. It felt more like he was making sure I wouldn’t disappear on him.

I pulled away first, resting my forehead against his. “I hope that gives you your answer.”

He smiled and I felt a happy sensation wash over me. I remembered he said he could manipulate the emotions of others and I wondered if his happiness was so strong that it was effecting me as well, or if he wanted me to know how happy he felt.

“We should get you home,” he said. “Your parents will probably be worried sick if they come home and you’re missing.”

“You’re right,” I said. I reluctantly pulled him his grasp, but took his hand in mine as we walked back to the car. “But can you not drive like a maniac on the way home? I’d rather not die of a heart attack in your car.”

Jasper chuckled. “No promises. One thing you have to learn about vampires, we love to go fast.”

[shesmyplusone]

p2

Helaena: To continue discussing the greens- I think this season was both too fast and too slow. They should have pushed blood and cheese to episode 2. given Luke's death room to breathe, and Helaena more time to slow feel then tension. Afterwards she should have thrown that in Aemond’s face instead of Aegon. They didn't give her much to do but be sad all season until episode 8- where they took away her joy of flying dreamfyre??? I don't know how the narrative did this. heleana claimed she wasn't a cradle egg, so obviously Helaena has some amount of attachment to her. I'm so sad we never saw her ride her. I was rooting more than a little for her to actually go with Aemond just to get that. I do really wonder what she knows via her visions (as mentioned above)...she hadn't seemed able to really understand what she was seeing at all until she was talking to Aemond at the end of the season about his death. I don't really know if I want that level of awareness from her. It’s more tragic without it. 

The other thing I can’t stop thinking about is Maelor. I think i read a spoiler somewhere that she would still have Maelor later (similar to they way they tossed Daeron mentions here and there) and I was on edge all season that either they'd have Aemond rape her or have her trade sex (for the third baby she knows she's having) for Aemond leaving her in King's Landing. Now that Aegon's dick officially can't work (lmao) I guess there's no time for that. I did manage to convince myself that it would have been an interesting hypocritical twist for one of helaena's children to be bastards....and it would have given a bit more weight to helaena's death, which is supposed to happen just after the battle at god's eye when Aemond dies, especially if she was still pregnant/pregnant with his son....Also i do love a non-canon asoiaf incest ship. lol ANYWAY- back to things that actually happened- i do love that helaena knew aemond wouldn't kill her (he wouldn't even touch her after the previous scene when he tried to grab her). he's all talk, and she's a dreamer <3

Aemond/Aegon: I don't want to go too indepth in aegon because I simply don't really care for him. But I have mixed feelings on the decision to make it explicit that Aemond tried to kill his brother. It's like taking away Rhaenys' black hair- no trust in the viewer. I think if they'd let folks infer that it was Aemond's fault that Aegon was crispy, it would have been stronger. It would have made Aemond less one note cartoon villain. but honestly. I don't blame him. Aegon was a shitty older brother, and worse king. I will not feel guilty because Larys does. "oh we two are cripples together" stfu. Aemond has one eye and you and Aegon are both sexual criminals. ANYWAY. I’'m sad they won't see each other again, truly. Doomed Brothers. The only family member Aegon will see again is Alicent. who just sold his life to his sister. Lol

Rhaenicent: Okay I have to get it out. Easily my favorite part of the show, despite the teleporting. It gives the entire narrative such DEPTH, to have them care for each other, love each other. Not only for what has happened so far, but also for what is coming. We’ll get a season 3 with both of them together all season for the first time in King’s Landing. Rhaenyra will probably end up relying on Alicent as things get worse and worse in the city. Then Aegon will come back and realize not only did his father prefer Rhaenyra, but so did his mother. And jeez, that’s going to be so much fun. I hope they let them actually hook up- I think Alicent is finally overcoming her internalized homophobia after her camping trip. Her selling her sons (because make no mistake, it won’t just be Aegon. There’s no way it won’t be Aemond and Daeron, too), her sons, who she didn���t want and found hard to love, is painful. Her sons- her greatest disappointment, Aegon. The reflection of her anger, but inverted in the hands of a man, in Aemond. Daeron, the son she doesn’t even know, and is untouched by her cursed hands. All to save herself, her daughter, her granddaughter. It’s a choice that makes sense within a narrative told primarily through maesters and men. Who would never understand this choice. And on the other side, Rhaenyra is feeling trapped by her birthright, and tightening the noose around the necks of her sons- especially Jace and Joffrey- by giving the dragonseeds dragons. And we are so close to Jace’s death, and with her other three lost to the winds at this point, who’s to say who will be around to inherit after her? All those sons, and while she’s in KL, it won’t seem like enough. But here’s Alicent, offering her a way out. And she can’t take it. She can’t. Or all of this (Luke. Visenya. Rhaenys.) will have been for nothing. I am excited for this! Despite it all, doomed yuri is great. 

Things left out: Two more things- first, leaving out Nettles and Sara Snow has made me quite sad. Two of the characters I was most excited for (as an non-Targie, obviously). I really wish Jace had been able to stay in the North for a full episode. I didn’t necessarily need him and Sara to actually get married, but I really wanted some depth for him. Something that only started to show up at the end of the season. It would have been a good touch, and a fun use of Stark/Targ Foreshadowing. And Nettles. I am happy Rhaena might be getting a dragon early. I’ve read some talk about how Nettles could just be out of sight, which I am slightly rooting for, if only because I always enjoyed the idea of Daemon proving yet again that he is not the man Rhaenyra needs him to be. But if it’s Rhaena on Sheepstealer, it might be nice to finally see Daemon give his daughters some attention. And there’s something if Rhaena goes with her father to confront Aemond, and try to avenge Luke. I am all for making Aemond’s death as much about Luke as possible (and Daemon’s about Jaehaerys’s, as well). But we’ll have to wait and see! Hopefully Rhaena’s choice isn't going to get Joff and the babies in more trouble….

Dany: Just one more thing, on Dany, because she’s everywhere. I cannot understand the insistence that Daemon’s vision makes her the princess who was promised. Even within the show’s (incorrect) endgame, this is not true. It’s Arya who stopped the Others, or maybe Bran. All Dany did was give them a dragon and let them get through the wall quicker. Daemon doesn’t understand what he’s seeing. He doesn’t know that even if they get to Dany, all of the dragons must die so they can come again. The Targs will lose the throne. They will never get it back. All of it is for nothing, as the rest of Westeros will continue on, without them :)

dragon show thoughts under the cut

Targaryen Exceptionalism: Absolutely in love with the show's deconstruction of Targaryen exceptionalism. Without the dragons what are we? just people. just completely mortal people. Jace having to realize this in real time while his mother invites the dragonseeds to claim dragons to have enough dragons to defeat the greens? Granting the power of dragons to unknown, untrustworthy bastards? while he, a suspected bastard and heir to the throne, has little more to his name than Ulf? Delicious. These people are just people. and the more the smallfolk realize it, the easier it will be for them to storm the dragon pit.

Foreshadowing: The show did well in some places and completely dropped the ball in others. The triarchy should have been an early season decision by Otto/Aegon (it feels like not an Aemond decision, you know?), and Tyland should have been sent off earlier. One of the things that killed GOT was the magical transporting from one place to another (Varys the most egregious with Dorne), so I did not enjoy seeing him suddenly break the blockade (more on this later). I have mixed feelings on both Aemond and Daemon knowing where they are going to die. I get the narrative they are going for- they are all trapped in this story that is already decided- but I still can't see how Daemon gets back here. I'll give the writers a chance to convince me. I'll talk more about Dany below, but I am curious about Alys' real objectives here. I think what she told Daemon- about her desires to protect women and children- was true. But why would she push him back to Rhaenyra? What is the benefit in that for her? What will she do with Aemond? I am most excited for her, mostly because I find it incredibly unlikely that her endgame is a Targaryen dynasty forever. And the vision she gave Daemon managed to leave out some pretty large story beats with a certain family... I wonder how much more she knows than Helaena, who despite everything, is still a Targ.

Small Folk: Every scene with Ulf and Hugh was fascinating to me. See how the smallfolk suffer, while F&B emphasizes how much worse it will be once Rhaenyra takes the throne. Is it a classic "both targs are equally bad" story we're going for here, or "it matters little to the smallfolk who is sitting on that chair if they can't eat" ? Either is interesting. Hugh is also more sympathetic than I expected. I can see how Ulf will easily turn on the blacks, but unless Hugh is reminded of how Rhaenyra sacrificed dozens of his fellow dragonseeds for two riders, I will yet again need to be convinced.

Mysaria: I don't buy Mysaria, who was with daemon with two eyes open, suddenly finding god and worshiping the ground Rhaenyra walks on. encouraging her to use the dragons and fight her war....honey, that's the White Wyrm! She's manipulating you! I wonder what will change now that daemon's back in the mix with the broader team black. I do think it was strange they never even mentioned the kiss again. I understand it from a narrative pov- it's really just to set up a potential Rhaenicent affair in s3/s4, but it felt like another victim of the shorter season.

Aemond: okay if you've followed my blog at all you know this idiot has bewitched me since s1. I have mixed feelings about his s2. iIwish (generally) all of team green had spent a bit more time together, esp after Jaehaerys died. let Aemond feel that guilt on screen, just as he felt bad for Luke. I do think there was something very interesting that he felt he could only be vulnerable in the brothel (no doubt due a bit to aegon dragging him to one at 13). Not with his mother or his sister- who he’d have to admit to that he lost control of Vhagar. I’ll get more to Aemond/Aegon below, but the way any of his non-anger emotions were cut off after this scene was interesting. They kept shooting scenes where he wasn't reacting emotionally (the iron throne scene, with Aegon's broken body) or scenes where his emotions were hidden because they were shooting him from his blind side (very evident in the council scene with Alicent). His little tear in the last scene with Heleana was fascinating. I've never seen a guy so trapped. Trapped by his own choices, trapped by the choices his parents made for him. Second son disease is real in Westeros. He needs a mommy (Alys) that will pet his hair and tell him there's only one thing he can do now (die). he's still the number #1 Targ killer, so as a Targ hater I must stan. But man. Everyone pushing him away (reasonably) hurts! you're on your own kid, you always have been…

p2 in one sec.

[yukidragon]

I don't know how this site works and if this question has been asked before, but I can't stop thinking about it. After a night together with Jack, which was very significant for both of them, MC goes to open the door for Shaun and spends a lot of time with him, as if forgetting about the naked lover in the bedroom. She doesn't go to him to put him in a situation, but sits with Shaun and talks about crap. I don't know how to interpret it, but it seems sooo weird to me, What can that mean?

For this, I would like to draw attention to MC’s thoughts in the demo at a few scenes. First, here is their thoughts after Ian’s phone call when Jack goes to comfort them.

I’ve felt so bad for so long…I almost feel guilty, how he seems to make it all just disappear… How I think I… Maybe I might just… … ... No. No, something isn’t right about this. I feel for him...But something about this is too good. I won’t use him as a bandage, to cover up the feelings I don’t want to feel.

Then a little later...

After all this time… Is this. Love? Does Jack really make me feel whole, all on his own? Or…Is this just a hallucination too. Is this even real? Do I want to love…A hallucination?

MC regards being with Jack as being in a dreamy haze, as they themselves remark on in the “yes” route.

I can’t help but feel odd when I’m grounded in reality. The things I can see and hear and touch for myself. At the moment. Jack is all that I can see. He’s the most real thing there is. But after that, when anything else has my attention, I can see the utter ludicrousness of the situation. Is it intoxicating? Is that what this is? What is this dreamy haze that I find myself consumed by when it comes to him? …And I still don’t quite know what he is. No. No, I really shouldn’t be giving him this kind of power over me.

Jack’s presence in MC’s life is supernatural, and seems to feel like something out of a dream. When reality snaps us out of that dream and demands our attention, we usually tend to forget about the daydream for the most part and focus on the here and now. This could be the case whenever anything else distracts MC from Jack that he feels less real to them in the same way.

However, it could be something much more mundane than that. MC remarked that they were not quite awake and coherent when talking with Shaun. They forgot he was coming and panicked at that fact. These two things, plus their reunion, could serve as enough of a distraction to make them forget that their lover is waiting for them in the other room. Sometimes people are just awkward that way, and we’ve seen MC get distracted at times when engaging with people, as Jack, Shaun, and Ian comment on in their own ways.

Shaun Jeez. Nice to know you’re still a total space case, huh?

Ian Alice?…Are you alright? I snap out of my blissful trance. Alice Oh. Uh. Yeah! Yeah, no, I’m alright! Ian You’re totally spacing on me…Is everything okay?

Jack Alice? Are you okay? Ack. I jump as I return from the realm of warm fuzzies and back to reality.

I hope you don’t mind that I saved these quotes with my version of the MC’s name in them.

Anyway, it seems to be a plot point in the game that MC is the type of person to “space out” on people. This mild disconnect from reality could be part of why they struggle to believe Jack is even real and wonder if they’re just hallucinating his existence entirely.

If MC has this sort of habit of wandering off inside their head, only to snap back to reality when someone is asking for their attention, they could be used to just pushing everything to the side to focus on what’s immediately in front of them until they’re reminded of other things they should be focused on. This could just be something normal for them, or it could’ve been affected more strongly by their fatigue, Jack’s supernatural nature, or any combination thereof.

This tendency to disconnect from reality might also be another reason why MC is running away from nostalgia so desperately. They need to focus on what’s ahead, not what’s behind, though they can’t seem to help wandering off and getting lost inside their head, as we’ve seen in their narration in the demo.

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur  

[missnight0wl]

The Cursed Trio: Negative Emotions

You know that I love the Cursed Trio. And so, here came the idea to assign them to negative emotions. At first, I wanted to call them “weaknesses”, though it’s not entirely accurate since these emotions are kind of motivating as well. Another thing I want to point out is that all three of them deal with all three emotions to some degree, and they’re pretty important for their stories. Still, I was trying to pick the ones which are the most prominent.

Also, I want to thank everyone who answered my question about colours and emotions a while ago! I’m sorry I didn’t use every suggestion, but I wanted to keep it pretty cohesive. Still, I appreciate you a lot!

Now, without further ado, let’s discuss it a bit more in detail.

Patricia

Patricia was fairly easy to decide. I almost always saw her as someone dealing with a lot of anger, and I want to explore it more in “Secrets and Riddles”. To be clear, I don’t think she has anger issues, not really. In fact, I imagine her as someone who became insanely good at controlling this emotion, or maybe rather its expression. The thing is that she also conceals a lot of other feelings with anger because it’s almost her default reaction. As a result, it stops her from exploring her actual emotions. She’s just full of rage, and she believes she has to tame it by directing her focus anywhere else.

Also, I was wondering once in what situation Patricia could’ve been caught crying, and honestly, I think she’s the type of person who’s much more likely to cry because of extreme anger, not sadness.

Jacob

Jacob was even easier to decide. His character is all about guilt, really. It has a lot to do with how he was raised and how it resulted in him having a very strong sense of responsibility. When Helena was born, Jacob wanted to be the best big brother he could be. And so, he’d often take care of her and whatnot, just being a good responsible boy. Their parents were obviously happy to see that because hey, who wouldn’t want to have a son like that, right? Unfortunately, the more they were allowing him to take responsibility, the more Jacob was internalising the need to be the responsible one. This is actually something both Alice and Chris see as their mistake made with Jacob and very much regret – especially Alice.

Anyway, Jacob always felt responsible for the Cursed Vaults and therefore guilty about students getting hurt – even after Patricia told him that R would force him to all of that either way. He feels guilty about Duncan’s death, Olivia’s disappearance, and many other things. He always feels that he could’ve done more to avoid negative outcomes.

Helena

Helena actually gave me the most problems, but once I decided it should be fear, it suddenly felt like an obvious choice. Deep under the surface, Helena is scared most of the time.

When Jacob went missing, Helena heard their parents arguing many times. Once, Chris said that it wouldn’t have happened if they left the wizarding world as he suggested at the beginning of the war. Of course, he had no idea that Helena was eavesdropping. But shortly after that, she got her letter from Hogwarts – and she was scared that she disappointed her dad. She was also scared to reject her magic. She feared that she’d never find out what happened to Jacob or that she’d be too late to save him. She was petrified, thinking that all of the curses and other bad things are really somehow her fault.

Of course, there’s also a lot of guilt in Helena whenever one of her friends gets hurt. She’s quite prone to anger as well, especially in later years. Jacob is probably the best out of the Cursed Trio at managing his anger, but this emotion is definitely familiar to him. He knows fear very well, too, especially from the time when he was imprisoned by R. And while Patricia hides a lot behind anger, she deals with guilt for most of her adult life, mostly because of her parents’ death. Moreover, she’s scared more often than anyone could tell – which is often connected to Jacob.

All of that being said, these weaknesses can be positive, too, just like I mentioned already. If Patricia’s anger becomes too extreme, it can be destructive – but it’s also a reminder that she cares, even if she doesn’t want to admit it. Jacob’s guilt can lead to depression and self-hate – but when he listens to his reason, it’s also what makes him try harder to repay for his mistakes. Helena’s fear might be paralysing – but it’s also what taught her to be more cautious. Each emotion might destroy them, but at the same time, each helps them survive.

References:

Patricia | Jacob | Helena

[cheegu3]

~ Yandere Jaemin - The jester ~

[hi babies, this is one part of my nct fairytale series this one based on Alice in wonderland with jaemin <3, it had influence from both the original book and the book by marissa meyer centred in the universe + a lil of my own stuff]

I love alice in wonderland and jaemin so I’m so sorry how long this is lmao also yes I did write all of this on the same day ;-;

wc: 3.6k

summary : you live in wonderland, and everything is normal until a stranger shows up - a jester who says he’s looking for you, he seems innocent and sweet but is he really?

TW / trigger warning: yandere themes, mentions of - violence, murder, swearing, blood/gore, 18+ (suggestive), etc

The yearly mock festival was coming to an end. Humans and creatures alike were slowly making their way to the stairs and to the comfort of their homes. A stranger was also making their way over but not to his home, to the crowd. He slipped through it unnoticed and stopped, bowing in front of the queen.

She looked at him in curiosity but also in fascination. He was very much used to this, having people stare at his beauty and the way he presented himself - elegant and cocky. 

‘‘ My majesty. I come to seek refuge in your town ‘‘ the stranger said.

The queen raised her eyebrow at him and waved at the deck of cards close by, almost stumbling over their own feet in fear of displeasing the queen. 

‘‘ Show this gorgeous stranger that empty house ‘‘ the queen demanded to the cards in a shrill voice.

‘‘ Yes ma’am. Come this way! ‘‘ they answered in union.

The stranger followed them in silence but kept his distance. They went far and near, up and down the crossroads and curvy paths until they reached a small cottage. It was far from the other houses and the village but he liked it immediately.

‘‘ Here we are sir! ‘‘ the cards exclaimed in union again and turned like robots ready to go back the way they came and serve the queen, it was all they knew after all.

‘‘ Excuse me ‘‘ the stranger had had one thing and one thing only on his mind throughout the whole trip there.

The reason he was here in the first place

You

‘‘ Do you happen to know where...y/n is? ‘‘

The deck of cards looked baffled, one of them even chuckled.

‘‘ y/n? Why would you want to see her sir, she’s so very eh- ‘‘ one said

‘‘ -mad ‘‘ another filled in.

‘‘ Who are you anyway? ‘‘ said another

‘‘ Jaemin, I’m a jester from far far away ‘‘ he said with clenched teeth, growing impatient at the lack of answer he was getting.

‘‘ Why would you like to see her? ‘‘ said one

‘‘ She’s not special ‘‘ said yet another

‘‘ I have to ‘‘ he said firmly and was now clenching his fist.

‘‘ She’s not far from here sir. She lives in the cottage opposite this forest ‘‘ said one card with cloves on his front.

‘‘ Thank you ‘‘ Jaemin exclaimed in relief and watched as the deck of cards turned and walked down the path.

On the outside it looked like an old cottage like any other, with broken windows and an overgrown garden. The jester wasn’t surprised, they must’ve given him the most ugly and worn out house since he was still a stranger but with a few snaps of his fingers, the inside would look a lot better than the outside.

As he had finished snapping his fingers three times he saw the familiar white cloud in the window but before he walked in he had to check around the area. He thought he heard the rustling of leaves and twigs being broken.

Looking to his right, he saw in the distance how a girl was walking towards him. Instinctively his heart started to beat faster because what if it was you? The girl was wearing a dress which was blue and she had a white apron tightly wrapped around her which was full of flour. In her right hand she was holding a basket filled with something and her hair shone bright in the sunlight that was peeking through the thick trees above.

// YOUR POV //

You were just about to walk past your favourite abandoned cabin when you noticed, it was no longer abandoned. A handsome young man, about the same age as yourself was standing outside it. You being all alone though, this far out from other people made you scared so you kept your head down right when you passed by him.

‘‘ Hey! ‘‘ you sighed in disappointment, all too often creepy men or creatures would try to stop you and flirt which made you very uncomfortable.

You tried to put on a fake smile before you turned to face him.

‘‘ Hi! ‘‘

‘‘ You’re y/n ‘‘ he stated.

You probably looked very confused to the stranger. How did he know your name? In this wide land, you were a nobody and this random man you just stumbled upon seems to know who you are - by the look of his curious brown eyes studying you - maybe he even knew everything about you.

‘‘ Yes..sir. Can I help you? ‘‘ you asked hesitantly and wanted to punch yourself for sounding so small and helpless.

The boy took some time to answer, suddenly looking a bit nervous the way he fumbled with his hands.

‘‘ Oh, I just. I’m your new neighbour, Jaemin. The cards said I might meet a young woman here who lived close by ‘‘ 

Shit, you were really too paranoid sometimes, this was just a harmless boy who had moved in right next to you.  

‘‘ Oh! Yes of course ‘‘ you smiled at him with more genuine warmth now           

 ‘‘ Welcome to the neighbourhood then I suppose ‘‘

They boy nodded and chuckled. He was very attractive, and you were pretty sure he knew it. Tall, dark and handsome with puppy like brown eyes and fluffy hair. He had a defined nose and rosy lips that matched his smooth and beautiful skin. But the most attractive thing about him, to you, was the way he carried himself. 

That smile could just about make any girl fall for him, maybe even worship him. As he stood there looking at you become entranced with his beauty you began to wonder if he was using magic on you so you put your guard up again slightly.

‘‘ Thank you. I hope to see you around, where do you work? ‘‘ he asked and you almost bit your lip at the look he was giving you, it was very intense and his smile yet again so charming.

‘‘ Oh! ‘‘ you exclaimed suddenly, you had forgotten to answer and had just stared at him getting completely lost. You saw him smirking at this.

‘‘ I-I work at the bakery in town, hence- ‘‘ you gestured to your flour dusted apron and dress with a sad smile.

He laughed heartily but assured you,

‘‘ You look fine, trust me ‘‘

You smiled shyly in response. It felt like he was kind of flirting, he was giving you that look again that both turned you on and made you creeped out, it said

I know everything about you 

Nevertheless if that was the case, you felt very much intrigued with this new stranger and you didn’t want him to be a stranger for long.

‘‘ I suppose I’ll see you around then ‘‘ you said suddenly when the tension had built up even more and you started remembering all the responsibilities you had at your work.

It felt like you had been here for about an hour and you had muffins to bake and customers to please.

‘‘ I suppose you will ‘‘ he answered with an amused glint in his eyes.

You decided to turn even though your body and heart really wanted to stay. Your intuition and head however won over the battle inside you and told you to get the fuck away from him.

You kept your back turned as you made you way past the mysterious boy. You had a feeling that he was still watching you as you went, eyes never leaving you and it freaked you out a little, making you shudder.

The rest of the day went on as if it was like any other day. Tons of baking and getting your hands dirty, chatty customers and delicious desserts. By the end of the long workday your muscles were aching. You cleaned up and did your usual routine of locking up the store when everyone had left.

Usually you wouldn’t think twice about walking home in the dark, your bakery closed at midnight so it was way past sunset. It was practically pitch black outside and no one was on the streets, they were all at home probably sound asleep. For some reason the queen had decided that all houses be soundproof in the village. So the fear was increasing when you thought about the stranger, the dark and walking home alone because if something happened no one would help you - they wouldn’t hear you scream or hear you cry out for help.

You turned the key that locked the bakery with shaky hands but tried to compose yourself. You had a very odd and naive thought in your head,

If I don’t get attacked tonight I can trust Jaemin

It truly didn’t make any sense but just about every cell in your body wanted to trust him, and wanted him to like you, like the way you were so attracted to him.

‘‘ y/n? ‘‘ a voice behind you said interrupting your thoughts.

You shrieked and jumped in surprise, throwing your arms up in some pathetic attempt at defence in case you’d need it.

‘‘ It’s just me, your neighbour ‘‘ 

You lowered your arms and smiled at him apologetically.

‘‘ Sorry ‘‘

‘‘ Don’t be I get it. It’s dark, no one’s around and I just startled you like that, I should be the one to apologise ‘‘ 

‘‘ No no, it’s just that I don’t like walking home in the dark ‘‘ you assured him, now feeling really guilty.

‘‘ I can walk you home ‘‘ he offered with a friendly smile.

You were silent for a bit, thinking to yourself before making up your mind.

‘‘ Yeah, I’d like that. Thank you ‘‘ you returned back the smile even though you still felt a bit uncomfortable.

Jaemin joined your side and waited for you to step away from the shop and decide the pace.

You walked in silence beside each other. You felt a bit nervous, not really being sure if you were supposed to start a conversation or not but then it dawned upon you, why the fuck was he alone there in the village anyway?

You glanced at him quickly to see if it would give you a clue to this mystery but he looked as he always did, nothing was different. So you decided to drop it and thankfully you didn’t have much more time to overthink about it because your house had now appeared in sight. 

He still had a chance to take you if he wanted to, it was dark, quiet and no neighbours were close except for well...conveniently enough, him. But he didn’t. He kept his distance all the way up to the house and stepped back when you got up on the porch.

‘‘ Thank you ‘‘

‘‘ My pleasure miss ‘‘ he said with the same amused glint in his eyes.

You turned around and walked in, closing the door and locking it. Well inside you leaned on the door allowing yourself to calm down a bit. 

He didn’t do anything

You shrugged and went upstairs, getting ready for bed and falling asleep not long after your head touched the pillow.

-

The next day he was the first thing you thought about in the morning before you jumped to your feet and rushed to put on your clothes and get to work.

You broke into a sprint constantly mumbling fuck to yourself and basically bursting in the bakery. The few customers inside and the cashier you had hired looked at you in shock. 

You stopped for a bit to catch your breath before explaining, still out of breath to the cashier.

‘‘ The-Ball-I-Have-To-Bake ‘‘ you managed to press out between every breath.

The cashier gasped and immediately left the desk.

‘‘ I’ll bring you the ingredients ‘‘

You swallowed and nodded to the customers when you walked past them disappearing into the back room where you did your magic. 

You put down your stuff and put on your apron already in action when the cashier came in, put the ingredients on the table and hurried out again.

You ended up making several pastries and cakes to the queen’s liking and by the end - about six hours of straight baking, you were so exhausted you decided not to go to the ball.

The cashier peeked her head in about an hour before it was to start.

‘‘ I’ll send these up? ‘‘ she walked up to the finished products and you just nodded at her, drying off the sweat that had formed on your forehead. 

After that you spent the rest of the hour leading up to the ball cleaning up all the mess you had created.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

You sighed, it was already closed but you have had to deal with customers knocking anyway wanting treats when you weren’t open. You put down your cleaning supplies and hurried to the door. Through the glass door you saw the outline of your neighbour.

‘‘ Jaemin? ‘‘

He shook his head and tutted at your state when you opened the door.

‘‘ Do I really look that bad? ‘‘ you said and glanced down quickly.

‘‘ For a ball, yes. Otherwise, no you look exceptional ‘‘ he said

You snorted at his flirty comment.

‘‘ I’m not going, too busy ‘‘ 

‘‘ What? No way. I won’t let that happen ‘‘ 

You turned to face him again, having walked up behind the desk to count today’s money. He leaned over the desk and tried to give you his puppy eyes.

‘‘ I can’t go like this Jaemin, sorry ‘‘ you said and shrugged your shoulders.

He scrunched his nose and stopped trying to use his puppy eyes on you now.

‘‘ I have magic ‘‘ he tilted his head when he saw this caught your attention.

‘‘ Really? You’re a jester? ‘‘ you rolled your eyes.

‘‘ What, is it not cool enough for miss or something? ‘‘ he jumped over the counter effortlessly and was now standing very close to you, closer than he’d ever been before.

They way he was towering over you basically looking down on you made you chuckle unexpectedly. 

‘‘ Yeah sure it’s cool enough I guess ‘‘ you answered playfully attempting to push him out the way so you could walk past.

He put his arm out, not letting you.

‘‘ Do you use it a lot on the ladies? ‘‘ you added and held the eye-contact

He snickered and made a very cute expression which made your heart melt.

‘‘ Of course. Every time ‘‘ he said sarcastically ‘‘ Now, will you let me ‘‘ he waved to your messy state.

‘‘ I guess why not ‘‘ you said and closed your eyes.

When it was silent for a few seconds you opened them again and you saw white clouds surrounding you all around, when it had cleared and disappeared completely you could finally see his work.

You were wearing a champagne coloured silk dress that was quite tight at the top with spaghetti straps and flowed out at the bottom, highlighting your curves. Looking at you hands, they as well were polished and clean and you hair was in a sleek ponytail, feeling as if it had been washed.

‘‘ I’m impressed ‘‘ you said at last when you noticed his worried expression, anxiously waiting for your opinion.

He exhaled deeply.

‘‘ Thank god ‘‘

You giggled at his cuteness.

‘‘ Shall we go? ‘‘

‘‘ Certainly ‘‘ he answered and extended his arm for you to take.

The walk this time was also pretty quiet, the castle wasn’t too far away you could already see it from here but you just couldn’t help yourself,

‘‘ Hey Jaemin? ‘‘

‘‘ Yeah ‘‘

‘‘ What were you doing so late at night in the village yesterday? ‘‘ 

Although you didn’t look at him, you could feel him get a bit uncomfortable.

‘‘ Browsing I guess ‘‘ it was your turn to feel uncomfortable now, all the stores closed a lot earlier than your bakery and everyone in town knew that but he hastily added, ‘‘ The villagers told me your bakery closed very late so I thought I’d go by and buy something. Unfortunately it was closed though ‘‘ he laughed and looked down shyly when you looked at him in surprise.

‘‘ Why’s that, horrible sweet-tooth? ‘‘ you said

‘‘ No, just wanted to support my neighbour. That’s all ‘‘

You nodded and felt a bit guilty for being suspicious of him. If your guards hadn’t been down before they sure were now, basically in hell. You felt incredibly comfortable and at ease with Jaemin and you did for a moment think you were starting to fall in love with him. 

This feeling would arise again when you had finally reached the castle and were greeted by the white rabbit.

‘‘ Invitations and names please ‘‘ he said in a stressed voice, his eyes all the time looking back and forth, darting between guests.

The jester gave the rabbit one of his charming smiles and you watched as he interacted with other people, even that was attractive, god what was wrong with you?

He fixed everything for the two of you, showing both of your invitations and names and you leant back letting someone else do the work for the first time in your life. It was nice, this weird feeling of being taken cared of.

He took your hand when the rabbit let you through and he lead you towards the dessert table. You raised your eyebrow at him when he started basically inhaling entire pastries of yours.

‘‘ I have to see how talented you are ‘‘ he defended himself when he saw your judging look. 

You rolled your eyes and waited for him to finish, eyeing the other guests as you did. When he finally was done - after eating half the table you noticed - he dragged you out on the dance floor. 

It was a slow song. You gave him a shy look, not sure if you wanted him to see how much you liked loved him or for onlookers to see that either for that matter. But he insisted, pulling you close to him and starting to rock slowly to the beat of the music. He gave you a big childish grin and you laughed, starting to move as well and letting you be drowned in this feeling. 

It felt like it truly was just you and him in this world, and he would protect you and love you forever. He could do you no harm, he was amazing. 

You probably radiated these feelings through the lovingly eyes you were giving him and he looked at you the same way. Everyone else faded away and it felt like you were in a fairytale, just how magical it all felt...until it didn’t,

The music was abruptly stopped and murmuring filled the hall. You didn’t have the energy to worry about it so you leaned your head again Jaemin’s chest feeling sleepy. In the distance through your dazed eyes you saw the white rabbit approach you, until he wasn’t very blurry anymore, he was clear and right in front of you clearing his throat. 

‘‘ Miss you need to come with me right now ‘‘ the rabbit said in a shaky voice.

‘’ Hm? ‘‘ you said sleepily not yet leaving Jaemin’s arms.

‘‘ What’s going on? ‘‘ Jaemin said in a worriedly.

‘‘ It’s uh, something very terrible has happened to her parents sir ‘‘ the rabbit looked down on the ground under the intense stare of the jester.

‘‘ Let’s go, y/n ‘‘ he whispered to you gently and took your hand.

You had no idea what was going on but followed like a lost puppy. The rabbit lead you to a carriage which you were put in and sent off. It stopped outside your parents house, a mansion closer to Jaemin’s house than it was your own - on the outskirts of town. 

‘‘ Wait here. I’ll see what’s wrong ‘‘ he said and stepped out.

Your head felt heavy, like you’d fall into eternal sleep any minute now - that’s how tired you felt, like you hadn’t slept for decades.

‘‘ y/n dear? ‘‘ the carriage door opened again and two hands extended to take your weight. You walked up to it, staggering and let yourself be lifted down.

Everything was a bit blurry but you could make out the familiar outline of your parents on the ground. They were in front of their front door and they didn’t seem to be moving. Blood was flowing out from their necks and their limbs were twisted in weird, unnatural angles.

Oh

This must’ve been the terrible thing the rabbit had been talking about...

You tried to walk towards your parents but your foot hit something. You looked down and jumped back in surprise. It was another body, no - you looked around, it was several bodies of the guards.

‘‘ What happened to them? ‘‘ you asked Jaemin in a horrified voice.

‘‘ I don’t know ‘‘ he said and bit his lip, lowering his raised right hand and entwining his left one with yours.

‘‘ Look at me y/n ‘‘

You turned to look at him, starting to feel a bit overwhelmed and scared of everything going on. You felt crazy, like you had no idea what was real and what wasn’t.

‘‘ You and I, we’re gonna live together. Far far away from here and we will be happy forever because you love me right? Say it! ‘‘ he roared the last words but you weren’t scared. You just looked at him with loving eyes.

‘‘ I love you ‘‘ you said like a robot, 

completely entranced 

you were his 

forever