#especially considering their almost father-daughter relationship later on

[kissmefriendly]

It’s really kinda sad painful and interesting that the Captain’s death is one of the few where we don’t see him become a ghost. We almost expect it but the final shot of that scene is just him laying lifeless on the floor (and I suppose there there’s some mirroring between his and Kitty’s death, especially through the cinematography). How horrific must that have been when he did become a ghost? To be able to see Havers and trying to reach out to him, trying to get through to him only for Havers to never know he was still there, alone. Having to listen to all the nasty comments made by the other officers. To watch Havers leave the house for a second time, unable to get his attention or say goodbye.

[jnkgrnde]

— safety net

— summary: in which, you and clarisse are new to being in a relationship, so you help guide eachother and get to know eachother.

— pairings: clarisse la rue x black!fem!reader (cabin of choice)

— author’s note: can y’all tell this was rushed cs i really needed to get it out my drafts 🌚

— LINKS TO HELP PALESTINE

clarisse la rue loved you. she knew she did. she just didn’t know how to express it well.

being a daughter of ares and the way she had to mold herself for his approval, she’d learn that love was weakness. she’d learned that love only got in the way of what was really important, and that she didn’t need it in her life.

she didn’t know what she was feeling when she first saw you enter camp. she couldn’t describe the bitterness and anger whenever she saw you with one of the boys from apollo cabin or one of the girls from aphrodite cabin.

she’d heard her siblings talk about these things, how they felt whenever they were around someone their heart deemed special. she didn’t want to consult them, knowing how they’d probably get, so she went to talk to her new best friend silena.

“it sounds like you have a crush on her, clarisse.” clarisse choked. silena just confirmed everything she was feeling was tied to a crush? it felt stupid. all of it felt stupid; it made it sound like they were in third grade again and that was all people teased each other about.

it unfortunately did make sense to clarisse, though. the longing looks she’d give you, the anger that bubbled when she saw you with someone else, the speeding up of her heart whenever she saw you. she didn’t want to acknowledge what she felt, that she out of all people had fell weakness to love, but there was nothing she could do.

silena told her to start hanging around you more just to see what would happen. clarisse protested at first, saying her siblings and the rest of the camp including you would think she was weird, but a couple of nights after the conversation, she started considering it.

it eventually started with her choosing you to be her sparring partner. you were confused and a little flustered, not knowing the reason why she chose you out of all people. “‘cause i wanted to try something different,” was all she told you with a shrug.

it wasn’t hard for you to notice how she went a little softer on you, either. her grip on her spear was loosened a little, her steps weren’t as calculated, almost as if she was distracted. the weird thing was, even after she sparred with you, she still went hard on everybody else.

another thing to strike off the list — silena beauregard watched you a whole lot more now, especially whenever you were with clarisse. all of this had you confused becuase of how random it was.

then came the little touches; her hand would graze your waist or the small of your back, her fingers gently tracing over yours whenever she fixed your stance. she would linger for a little too long whenever it was time for her to leave.

you started staying up late wondering what was happening and why clarisse was doing this. you assumed she wasn’t a person who really… felt love towards people. people knew clarisse as a prideful, arrogant and powerful daughter of ares who always wanted her father’s approval. when you thought of love, clarisse was not the first person to come in mind.

yet, she acted as a girlfriend and protector towards you; defending you when you weren’t there to defend yourself, offered to walk you to your cabin. it wasn’t until a couple months and a lot of yearning later that you confronted her about it.

it was when she was walking you back to your cabin when you finally asked her what was going on. you stopped a few feet so your siblings couldn’t hear. “clarisse, what’s going on with you?” you asked her. she turned to look at you, feigning confusion. “what do you mean?”

“i mean you don’t usually do this. you don’t hang around people and act like you do with me. you don’t touch them like you do to me, and this is all just so sudden. i just wanna know why?” you looked her deep in her eyes. she licked her lips before breathing deeply.

“i like you. i do all this because i like you, y/n, and i’m scared.” she confessed. you felt like you knew why, but you still asked, “scared of what?” she swallowed thickly. “what if i lose you— what if you lose me? you know we can die at any moment to anything, i wouldn’t want to burden you with that.”

your hand came up to her cheek, your thumb gently rubbing against it. “clarisse, if i die solely because i’m a demigod, i’d rather die knowing i loved you for as long as i could.”

clarisse looked at you, just soaking you in. you were still here. you weren’t gone yet. she didn’t have all the time in the world, per say, but she took whatever time she could get.

it was after that night you’d start sneaking into eachothers cabins, hanging out even more around the camp, including after hours. clarisse expressed how worried she was because she never liked someone this much before, at least not that she was aware of.

“clar, it’s okay. i’m new to this to. we can figure it out.” you told her while you laid on her in her cabin bunk. she took a deep inhale, “okay.”

you two expressed what you liked and didn’t like, what your love languages were, what flowers you liked. every day, somehow, clarisse would have a new gift for you. she had one of the hephaestus kids make a necklace for you with both your initials engraved in it. you’d bring her a painted bead for her camp necklace after arts and crafts, and she’d wear it with pride.

everything was new to her, and it was new to you too, but you had each other as guides, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

[padfootdaredmetoo]

Hey there can you please do a Tommy Shelby daughter x Isaiah . Y/n is the daughter of him and Greta and he’s super protective of her she’s is like his rock especially when he got back from the war. maybe a few times they almost get caught and when they do he find them in a compromising position but ya know y/n is Tommys daughter so she acts all nonchalant about it while Tommy is fuming and she tries to talk him down. Hope it makes sense ❤️

Hey love,

This ended up with a lot of Reader & Lizzie development and I feel that I may have made this too fluffy. Hope you enjoy it and I apologize for how long this took me.

Warnings: Parenting, mentions of death, teen anxiety, family themes

“Thomas it’s obvious! Please don't be stupid about this. Talk to her.” Polly’s voice wore down what little patience he had left. Yes, it was obvious his daughter was seeing someone in his team, and that someone happened to be Isaiah. 

Something that seemed to be lost on everyone was how this type of thing should be handled. Isaiah, like everyone, had a job to do. As his boss it was Tommy’s job to keep him in line. Going out to do God knows what to his daughter was a huge betrayal. He liked Isaiah, but it was up to them to make the right decision to come forward about it and ask for his blessing. 

In which he would consider things carefully with his daughter. If he got involved before that, he would have to punish Isaiah for sneaking around. Which, would probably hurt his daughter and cause a great big fiasco.

Another massive headache to distract everyone from what was important. 

“Do you ever listen?” Polly shouted slamming the door to his office behind her. He sat there for a long while staring at the wall thinking about his daughter. She was so much like her mother it caused him chest pain from time to time. She hadn't known her mother, or that side of the family, meaning she herself would never understand or see the similarities. 

She had just had her 17th birthday. Tommy could see how his role in her life had rapidly changed the older she got. She was incharge, headstrong, and temperamental. He would be forever grateful that Greta’s qualities were there to balance what she had received from him. 

He sighed pouring a glass of whiskey. As much as he wanted to punish Isaiah, he knew this was more her idea than his. 

______________________________________________________________________

You laid in bed haunted by your first relationship. So much pressure was on you. Your heart wanted him, but if you made a foolish choice your father’s disappointment would be enough to wipe you off the planet. You thought back to the morning when you had been kissing in the cellar. Arthur almost caught the two of you. Guilt twisted up in your stomach, and you wondered if it was worth all this pain. Thinking about ending it was somehow even more painful. 

You thought about your dad, what he was like once he came home to you after the war. He was so bitterly cold with everyone, except you. Then you remembered Grace with as much fondness as a block of moldy cheese. A complete waste of a person, well, you got your baby brother from it so you supposed she was alright in the end.

Then there was Lizzie. You wanted to talk to her so badly, but she would tell your dad. Or worse, look down on you. She was too tall, and slim, and pretty to understand the situation you were in. 

Laying there in bed as the night grew later you left it up to fate. If she was awake when you went down stairs you would tell her. If she was asleep then you would keep it a secret. 

You pulled a thick sweater over your pajama top before padding down the stairs. You knocked on your father’s study and opened the door. Lizzie was laying on the couch reading a book. 

She looked like everything you wish you were. Lizzie wouldn't ask for permission, she lived her life however she wanted. Her eyes looked up from over the top of her book and she looked surprised to see you there. 

“Hello.” She sat up and motioned to the other side of the couch. Normally you avoided her, partially out of respect, but also because her aura of perfection annoyed you. 

“Erm - Is this a bad time?” You said in a shy voice. 

“No, not at all.” She said calmly. You sat down on the couch, she wore a silk house coat that hung on her slender frame elegantly. You looked down at the men’s Pajama bottoms and wool sweater you were wearing and gave a defeated sigh. This was very stupid. 

“What’s going on? Everything okay?” Her voice held a tone of genuine concern. You remembered that you had left it up to fate. You took a deep breath then began. 

“Well, I really like Isaiah, he’s kind and funny, and I feel really calm when I’m with him, sometimes he will read to me and I'll just fall asleep, which is embarrassing and everyone says you should feel nervous and like there are flies in your stomach, which is very gross, but I don't know what i’m doing and my mum is dead.” 

The words came out of your mouth like a hurricane. You took a couple deep breaths then more came to the surface. 

“He wants to tell my dad, because he doesn't want to die, which is reasonable, but I don't know how sure I am about this and it’s my life I want to enjoy it, go at my own pace, I don't want to make a bad choice and have dad be disappointed, but also fuck him, I can’t just not live my life. I know you’ve never had to deal with this type of stuff being a woman of “higher education” BUT like I said my mum is dead and Esme is still in the woods, Pol will tell my dad.” 

Her eyes were wide as she looked down at you.

“What’s a woman of higher education?” She asked with a lifted brow. You let out a sigh, frustrated that she was focused on the wrong thing. 

“You know, you went off to school, got a good job, worked for my dad then fell in love with him. Not a lot of conflict. You guys got married and had Ruby.” 

Lizzie let out a laugh that made you want to slap her and cry at the same time. People were so frustrating. 

“Darling, oh, is that what you think of me?” There was a fondness in her voice and a softness in her wet eyes that confused you. “That’s - I’ll tell you my story another time, I promise you it was not glamorous in the slightest.” 

She lit a cigarette and you wanted to know what she meant.  

“This is about you.” She nodded, breathing out a cloud of smoke. “So he makes you feel safe. He knows what your family does for a living. Sounds like a good move.” She responded easily. 

“What about dad?” 

“Just tell him.” 

Your stomach dropped and you still felt like she didn't understand the situation. If your dad and the family knew it would be this huge thing that would swallow you up. It wouldnt be yours anymore. 

“Look your father isn't going to make you marry the guy.” She laughed at the idea. “Even if he was that way I wouldn't let him. You need to do your own thing. I would, however, feel better if you had us behind you. I know what it's like to be out there alone.” Her eyes fell onto the fire and her posture went slightly rigid. 

“Thanks, Lizzie.” You whispered after a long moment. She gave a small smile then walked with you up to your room. You got into bed wondering what her life was like before drifting off. 

___________________________________________________________

The morning came and you found yourself in a losing battle with guilt as Isaiah pulled you into a broom cupboard. 

“Have you had some time to think about things?” 

“Oh um -” You thought about what Lizzie said and took a breath. 

“Look, I’m not trying to pressure you. I just really hate lying to your da.” He gave you a long look and warmth spread across your cheeks. “Whatever you want - Is fine with me.” He said finally. 

“I think it’s best we talk to him.” You said letting out a happy giggle as he picked you up. He kissed you hard and your heart rate sped up. You kissed him back and before you knew it you were pressed up against the back wall with your legs around his waist. 

It was wrong. But for some reason that made it harder to stop. He made noises that were going to keep you up for days.

______________________________________________________________

Tommy’s POV 

Lizzie had spoken to you, about what, she wouldn't say, but it confirmed to him that things were getting out of hand. A small part of him was pleased that you were starting to see Lizzie as a part of the family, the other part of him didn't like the idea of you keeping secrets with anyone but him. 

In the corner of his eye he caught the door to the broom cupboard swing shut and he fought with himself for a moment. Might as well put her out of her misery and just get it over with. No one was here to witness it meaning that no one would know this is how it went down. He wouldn't punish Isaiah, just have a chat with him after about what punishment will look like if he messed up again. It would be enough to set him straight. 

He opened the door with the intention of sorting this out. Seeing his daughter in a position like that was something he was not prepared for. He set you down immediately, removing his hands. 

He was too angry to speak. He had half a mind to kill the stupid kid. He watched your face turn from shock to rage. This was not going to be a easy morning. 

“Isaiah, get out.” You snapped, he looked at you for a moment but left when he realised it was in his best interest to listen. 

“We were going to tell you today at lunch. We are dating. Nothing bad happened here, so I don't need to be scolded.” You crossed your arms.

“Go home and wait for me there.” Was all he could manage to say. Having a screaming match when they opened in ten minutes was not wise. His tone of voice made your skin pale slightly meaning you would listen. You stomped out of the shop. He waited for Polly to show up and explained before heading home. 

He made a stop along the way and tried his best to orginize his thoughts. 

________________________________________________________

You walked around the kitchen island in circles.

Lizzie sat there drinking her coffee. 

“I really fucked everything up. He’s so mad Lizzie.” 

“He’s your father, it's his job to be angry.” She said easily. “He loves you, a lot. He’s got this whole complex about your mum too.” She took a drag of her cigarette. You stopped and turned to look at her from across the kitchen. 

“What does that mean?” 

“It means, he will never forgive himself for your mum, in his head the whole thing was his fault. Him not being there when you were born - the whole thing. Last thing he ever wrote to your mum was about how he would keep the two of you safe. He takes it very seriously. He wants to protect you, but this is new ground for him and he’s not sure how to do it. He can be a real idiot about things, but that’s why he’s got me to help him sort it out. He’s not going to hurt you or Isaiah.” 

“What she said.” You dad’s voice made you jump. He came over and placed a kiss on the top of Lizzie’s head. That stupid part of you that wanted to prove him wrong kicked up.

“I’m not going to let you control everything.” You said, something about arguing felt good. You like Isaiah, you wanted to fight for him. 

“I don’t want you to live that way.” He said after a long moment. “But you're my kid, in my house, there are rules.” You thought about arguing but waited to see what he would say. 

“First off, curfew is 8pm.” 

“11.” Lizzie said interrupting him. 

“10pm. No boys in your room - ever. Kissing is fine - nothing without clothes. Ever.” 

“Once you're married.” Lizzie said with a smile in her voice. 

“Never get married.” He said getting annoyed at being interrupted. 

“Ouch.” She said in a mock hurt voice. 

“There’s - Parenting. It’s hard. If you can wait till your ready - it’s -” 

“Dad ew-” You held your hands out as if it could stop the conversation. 

“No, no one had this talk with Ada and - “ He seemed lost for words. 

“Her husband died.” You said confused.

“Exactly. Teen pregnancy is a real killer okay? So just dont make a baby - ever.” 

“Once you're married.” Lizzie said with a smile. 

“Which is never.” He said firmly. 

“Now the real thing you need to hear from us. If you come and tell us something awful has happened to you, we will believe you and unleash a world of hurt on that boy.” She said with a serious tone pointing at you. “If you get pregnant, you’ll get a wedding and a place to live. But I think we both know you want time to get there, eh?” You nodded at her. “Exactly, so don't do anything we would have done, and take your time. Find the right boy when your ready."  

You finally broke her stare to look to your dad standing next to her. He was gripping the chair tight enough to turn his knuckles white. His gaze was focused out the window on the wet grass in the backyard. 

“I want you to be happy- In your life.” The words were not difficult, but the meaning behind them was enormous. You thought about everything your dad, and family did for you. You felt your face get hot at the words you knew you should say. 

“I am informed, and I will not make a baby, because, I do not -  at this time-  want to be married or to live in a house on my own, with an infant. Ruby is annoying enough as it is.” You added the last bit in to lighten the mood. 

“Don’t talk about your sister like that.” Tommy said in a worn voice. 

“I know - I love her for it.” You said and went over to hug your dad. He put his arm around you tightly and kissed the top of your head. 

“Lizzie.” You let go of him and watched the look of confusion on her face as you reached down to her. She hugged you back awkwardly due to her seated position. When you pulled away your dad handed you a small box of pastries from your favorite shop, but it didn't distract you from Lizzie brushing the tears from her cheeks. 

“Well, those look good,” She said in a high voice and you pushed the box to her. 

___________

You and Isaiah, did not make a baby or get married. However, when you look back on that time in your life you remember your parents looking at you in a different way for the first time. Like an adult, in charge of her life. You remember getting close with Lizzie fussing over outfits and various arguments, and feeling secretly touched by how much she and Tommy cared about the situation. 

[koroart]

Hi, if it’s okay to ask, what are your thoughts on what’s going on between Lambert and Patricia? Especially considering what’s said in Dimitri and Hapi’s supports

Hm hm hm , this one is definitely a doozy — 🤔

Tbh… I definitely feel their relationship was in some way? Genuine? Not like, true love kinda genuine — it’s more so along the lines of ‘two lost people finding solace in one another’ because I do think at some point, they both cared for one another, especially in the beginning of their relationship. Especially on account with Patricia. But even Rodrigue pointed out in Hopes , that even he wasn’t sure if it was love between them — but it was something. It was enough for them to marry at the very least.

And concerning the things with Hapi and what information Hopes actually gave us— I feel like those small feelings of affection towards one another became gradually one-sided on Lambert’s side. Because Cornelia so often interfered between their relationship and kept Patricia separated from Lambert ( so she could probably be easier to manipulate) and I think Patricia definitely hid things from Lambert too — and wasn’t entirely honest with him, with and without Cornelia’s influence. He probably knew she had been the former consort of Ionius but I don’t think he knew she had a daughter ( after all, Edelgrad didn’t know her mother had fled to the Kingdom either and even when she was there — she was never made aware, otherwise her uncle may have mentioned it and she probably would have too, cuz what child wouldn’t want to see their mother? ) Cornelia probably twisted it in some way later down the line— making seem that Lambert knew and that he was purposefully keeping Anselma away from her daughter, and gradually Anselma began to believe her. ( which also seems to be the conclusion a lot of people in the fandom seem to make too — Intsys did a bad job in keeping the lore together and a lot of misunderstandings happened )

Which is probably why Patricia/Anselma seemed to have no issue in helping arrange Lambert and Dimitri’s assassination later down the line. Do I think she lived long enough to regret it? who can say really — but part of me feels she did regret it at some point but it was too late and she died with those regrets.

I want to take Dimitri’s recounts of their relationship with a grain of salt — in some way it was almost rose tinted because he’s never had a mother in his life, and Anselma being the only female presence in his life and my guess is he wanted to remember his time with her with some fondness despite the reality, and I felt his opinion on it, especially pre-time skip — shouldn’t really be given a lot of credence. Because chances are, he wasn’t privy to a lot of what was going on in the bg, and I’m sure his father wouldn’t want him to worry about such grown up things. What parent doesn’t keep pressing matters away from their children? ( let’s not forget Dimitri only found out Edelgard being his step-sister AFTER she left and AFTER Duscur I believe, so he wouldn’t have been able to get answers from anyone regardless )

Hm hm much to think about methinks

[heartofwritiing]

You are my sunshine

paring: q!wilbur x fem!reader

summary: a glimpse of a night of you taking care of tallulah and she asks you to sing her a song.

authors note: Dont mind me, just a self indulgent motherhood fic. alsooo reader and q!wilbur are married and are raising tallulah together but since wilbur is on tour reader is alone so hes not in this just mentioned! also also i got teary when bbh was singing this to dapper the other night :/

enjoyy!

warnings: domestic fluff, mother-daughter relationship, short, unedited! please ignore any mistakes! lol

It was a good day spent with your daughter Tallulah. You had mostly spent time at the house working on the garden, and even went on a little picnic for lunch! Despite the fact that both of you were attacked and almost knocked out by mobs. you both managed to escape with not much harm done to either of you.

You were thankful for the training Phil had put you through awhile ago to defend yourself against mobs. You just wished you were more stronger.

Now you are in your shared safe little house by the river Wilbur had spent days building for you and your growing family. It was the perfect space, with a small kitchen and an upstairs bedroom for your daughter.

Tallulah came into your lives unexpectedly. After missing the adoption day, you and wilbur had been out exploring a few weeks later and came across the abandoned adoption center building. You had been the one to noticed the trap door in the celling and found little Tallulah huddled in the corner of the attic. She was covered in dirt and shaking like a leaf in the dark. For weeks she had been alone to fend for herself while everyone had found their children and were taken care of. You felt so heartbroken and partly guilty. you wanted to find whoever left her in that cold dark place to make them pay.

You were already so protective of the little girl and you practically begged Wilbur to take her back home. He was hesitant at first, he never really wanted kids, he never felt ready even after you were married and had talked about it. Plus he knew he was leaving again soon and didn’t want to leave you two alone. However, as soon as she played her little flute, and you gave him the best puppy eyes you could muster he rolled his eyes playfully and caved.

Little did Wilbur know that after only a few hours with the girl, watching how you interacted with her made his mind do a complete one-eighty. How you effortlessly switched into a motherly roll made him see that this was right and he became attached to her just as much as you were and there was no looking back.

-

The sun set over the trees, crickets chirped as you settled down for the night. You sat with Tallulah in your lap as you brushed through her curly brown hair that resembled her fathers way too much. It was unruly to take care of most of the time, much like Wilbur’s when it got too long. It almost seemed too much of a coincidence that Tallulah resembled him, down to the hair and red beanie, her musical abilities, ect. You didn’t think much of it considering this island worked in mysterious ways and you were happy regardless.

You had done all the basic bedtime routine objectives and had gotten her into her pjs shortly after coming home and now was the time to unwind, especially after the day you had.

Before Wilbur left to tour the world with his band you both slept on the sofa, you curled up into his chest like a cat. This didn’t bother him in the slightest it was perfect for you two. Since he left, you had been alone on that yellow sofa staring up into the celling until you drifted off.

Some nights Tallulah woke you with her sobs from her nightmares. Rushing to be at her side to aid her, you would try your best to calm her down with soothing words. Her cries would die down to small hiccups and she would look up at you with puffy eyes and a runny nose. A silent plea not to leave and you would stay with her, telling her story’s, and singing her lullabies until her eyelid’s fell into sweet slumber.

As time went on you ended up falling asleep next to her and wake with her cuddling up to you and eventually this became a routine.

You cherished these moments, watching her drift off to sleep in your arms. You knew that she was beginning to trust you, and it filled you with a warmth and joy that you had never felt before. She seemed to be getting more comfortable with you and trust you more, you’d be dammed if you broke that trust now and swore to protect her with your life. She was too precious.

Once you were finished gently brushing out the last knot in her hair you placed the brush down.

"Alright, all done! Are you ready to go to sleep now?" you asked.

She nodded but moved away from you to reach over the nightstand to grab her pencil and little notebook she used to communicate.

Ever since you found her she hadn’t really talked much. You figured it was a response due to trama from whoever left her alone in that attic. It only broke your heart more to see a child of her age feel so uncomfortable with expressing herself.

You were always patient with her, allowing her to take her time and find the words she was looking for. She opened the notebook and began to write, slowly, but with a purpose. You sat there watching her waiting.

She flipped the tiny note pad over in her hands when she was finished and you read the letters. She looked up at you with hopeful eyes as you read the words and felt a wave of emotion come over you.

Will you sing to me, Mamá?

At the single word, tears threatened to spill from your eyes. This was the first time she had called you that directly. It tugged at your heartstrings to think she considered you her mother. Collecting yourself before you got too emotional you nodded and said;

"Of course, sweetheart,"

The little girl's eyes sparkled with joy as she watched you get up to grab Wilbur's old acoustic guitar that sat in the corner of the room. It had been collecting dust since he left and you weren't as good as him but you would try for your daughter. You carefully carried the guitar to the center of the room and began to strum some chords to check that it was in tune.

You thought for a moment of what to play, until you remembered, one of the first songs Wilbur had taught you would be perfect.

You moved to sit back on the bed and Tallulah shifted closer to you.

"You'll have to excuse me. I'm not as good as your papa," you chuckle. You took a deep breath and began playing the melody.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

you make me happy when skies are gray

you'll never know dear how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away.

It caused a lump to form in your throat thinking about the first time Wilbur first sang this to you. It was at a point in your life when you were having frequent nightmares, (much like tallulah.) you would wake in colds sweats screaming and crying until you couldn’t breath.

It was your only second time staying over at Wilbur’s, you had woken him up with your crying. He had gently shaken you until you were blinking your eyes up at him. He held you that night and sang you this softly under his breath until you had fallen asleep in his arms.

It ironically becomes your song. A comfort in your relationship whenever you sing it to the other in moments of conflict. You hoped it would provide the same comfort to the little girl you’d grown to love and cherish.

The other night, dear as I lay sleeping I dreamed I held you In my arms

When I awoke, dear I was mistaken

So I hung my head and I cried

When you finished the last chord she clapped her tiny hands softly, her smile widened even more and her eyes stared at you in awe. you felt your heart swell as she crawled over to you to envelope you in a hug. You squeeze her tightly against you but just enough that she can pull away if needed.

Tallulah pulled out her notepad again, and wrote;

Thank you, Mamá. That was beautiful!

“You’re welcome,“ you placed the guitar at the foot of the bed, carefully ensuring it was set up right so it wouldn’t fall. “im glad you liked it!” Your gaze shifted back to Talulah who began writing something else but tucked it close to her chest.

She flipped the notepad in her hands to show you what she had written and your heart sank.

I miss papa.

Your chest sank and the weight of Wilbur being gone settled back in again. It felt different without him here. Like a piece was missing in your lives.

“I miss him too,” you replied, whipping tears from your cheeks and swallowing the lump in your throat. "But he will be back before you know it.”

Tallulah nodded and placed her notepad and pen back on the nightstand. You helped her get settled by tucking her in and putting out the lantern, you climb into bed beside her and kiss her on the head as sleep is already taking her into its soft embrace. You whisper "sweet dreams, mi nina,” and you swear a faint smile appears across her lips. You remain there until you drift off to sleep yourself.

Tomorrow you would write to Wilbur and tell him about your week. You couldn’t wait to see him in a few more weeks and make more memories like these together as a family. For now you’ll settle for nights like these until he returns.

The story about you playing your song for your daughter definitely won't make him tear up.

[beegomess]

Just ride || Kendall Roy

Summary: After a long time away, you return to New York for work, leaving Kendall's life slightly more hectic and some people not so happy.

Warnings: some swear words. - 4.1 k

Since his youth, his life inevitably crossed with Kendall's. Bound by a friendship between powerful families, you grew up together as a kind of improbable duo, united both by the influence of your parents and by a natural affinity. Daughter of Frank, one of Logan's advisors, you lived in the Roy circle from an early age, and time has consolidated this closeness. In college, you and Kendall were inseparable, and over the years, Stewy joined the circle, forming a trio of heirs willing to live intensely, as if each night could be the last.

Your college adventures were commented as stories of excesses and privileges, and the weight of surnames attracted spotlight and media speculation. There were not a few times when chaotic parties and summers on family yachts became headlines, generating theories about the "boss's children" and, especially, about the supposed relationship between you and Kendall - a rumor that never completely dissipated. You kept a bond so close that the line between friendship and romance seemed invisible. He remembered when, at any party, Stewy came up with cocaine and suggested that you try it. It was Kendall's first time and yours too, and the night got even more blurred when you ended up together in bed.

That should have been a unique episode, but the fact is that it was repeated a few times over the years. It was a connection that both understood, an intimacy that went beyond any label. You spent holidays with the Roys, something usually reserved only for wives and brides, and Logan approved you unconditionally, considering you an ideal choice for Kendall - after all, you had all the attributes of a true ally.

The familiarity with the Roy family brought you closer to Kendall's brothers. Roman, when he was still a pre-teen, had a kind of crush on you, something you thought was funny, but that Kendall seemed to disapprove whenever her brother insinuated something. Shiv, on the other hand, liked your company as an older sister, saying that, with you, she didn't have to worry about deciphering intentions.

For your families and the media, you and Kendall dated for a while, but the truth was more complicated. You liked each other, sex was great, but a formal commitment always seemed like a step further. Maybe it was fear of ruining the friendship, or maybe both were too young for something so serious. After college, your paths separated: Kendall was sent to Shanghai, while you went to London, where you settled in the same profession as your father.

The friendship, however, resisted the distance. You were present in every new chapter of his life: the beginning of the relationship with Rava, the increase in cocaine use, the arrival of the children and even Rava's requests for help to accompany him in the most complicated moments. Somehow, Kendall always found a way to bring her back into her life.

But now it was different. While Kendall returned from Shanghai just a year later, you remained in London, perfecting your work and preparing to one day replace your father in New York, if necessary. That moment finally seemed close. Your return, however, would be more than a seasonal visit; this time, you would be moving to live in your own apartment and work directly in the city.

For Kendall, his return to New York carries something more. An unspoken, almost secret expectation that, this time, you can fill the spaces you have always left open. And even if he doesn't say, you recognize that look - the kind of expression that only reveals itself to someone who has always been there.

Your return to New York didn't just mean a professional opportunity - it also brought the promise, or perhaps the uncertainty, of what could finally be defined between you and Kendall.

____________________________

It wasn't just Kendall who seemed eager for his arrival - others around him also seemed to notice the return. Emma, his new assistant, a young woman recently graduated and with a promising talent, showed interest, albeit in a subtle, almost imperceptible way. She observed every detail of the imminent return, sometimes questioning the importance of the event, but without admitting the impact it had on her.

Emma remembered the night she made the slip with Kendall, a situation she tried to forget, but that was often repeated in her mind. In a moment of exhaustion and overload, after weeks of working side by side, the professional barrier between them had broken. It was not planned; they flirted, exchanged glances frequently, and that night, alone, one thing led to another. The tension turned into something that, the next morning, resulted in embarrassment.

Kendall had made it clear that it wouldn't happen again. Guilt and regret weighed on him, and she knew that his decision had less to do with what happened and more with the fact that, to Kendall, she seemed too young to understand him in other ways. But Emma, even trying, couldn't forget that.

Almost a year ago at Waystar, Emma had gotten used to the looks and provocations in the workplace, especially those of Roman, who loved to mock Kendall in every possible way. She still remembered a specific afternoon when he, with that malicious air, showed Kendall a picture of her on her cell phone and said: "Damn, she looks even hotter now." Kendall gave her brother a cold look, ignoring the comment, but Emma couldn't avoid the chill she felt. A slight feeling of discomfort mixed with the growing fear that she was, in fact, in love with her own boss worried her.

The preparations for his arrival only increased this insecurity. When Jess asked Emma to get reservations at the best restaurants for Kendall to take you, she convinced herself that you were just another business woman. But, little by little, this hypothesis was undone. Emma found herself searching her name on Google, and, in a few clicks, she understood that the story was much deeper. His face appeared in several old photos, stamping covers of gossip magazines and columns about the life of the rich and powerful. Still, Emma thought it could be just speculation - until she found an iconic image: you, on Kendall's lap, laughing while he held her, on a speedboat in the middle of the Mediterranean.

It wasn't an ordinary pose for simple friends.

The list of ex-boyfriends that appeared in the stories also surprised her. You had few relationships, but all the men were children of magnates. It was almost as if her ex-boyfriends could represent the GDP of a developing country. Every detail seemed more unbelievable than the previous one.

Emma's insecurity only intensified the next day, when she saw her getting off the helicopter in Waystar's own building. Kendall and Frank were waiting for her ahead, while she and Jess positioned themselves a few steps behind. The slight smile on his face illuminated the scene, and soon, when removing his sunglasses, it was evident that his young appearance showed no signs of the time he had passed. For Emma, it was as if you had stopped in time.

Frank hugged her with pride and affection, a longing that only a loving father could transmit. Emma noticed how Kendall watched it with admiration, but also with a slight sting of envy. As soon as you let go of his arms, you turned to Kendall, and a familiar smile opened on your face, full of nostalgia.

- Finally! New York is not the same without you. - Kendall commented, with a genuine smile as she hugged you.

Emma paid attention, observing the gentle way you exchanged smiles, unable to avoid the tightness in the heart. The connection between you was undeniable.

Soon, cars were called for the dinner trip that Frank had prepared especially for his reception. Although it was a surprise, you seemed really enchanted, typical of a father like Frank, proud of the woman you had become, eager to see how you would do among the bigwigs of New York.

Frank's penthouse was great, with a stunning view of the illuminated city. There were many important people there, and Emma began to question why she had never heard of you before, since it seemed so essential. Even Logan was present, something rare, considering the latest events in the family.

Dinner began with Frank making a brief and emotional toast.

- It's wonderful to have my little girl back. Now, as a woman I'm immensely proud to see. - he said, his gaze full of love and approval.

As the night progressed, you reunited with Roman, Shiv, Tom and Kendall. Emma watched the interactions from afar, realizing how undeniable the chemistry between you was. You laughed together, but Emma noticed that Tom, as always, seemed a little out of place, as if trying to fit in, but couldn't completely.

At one point, the brothers began to disperse, leaving only you and Kendall alone for a few seconds, until Logan approached, accompanied by Marcia.

- We're already leaving, but I want to say I'm glad you're back. - Logan said, and you greeted him with a gentle look.

- Thank you very much, it's really good to be back. - you replied, and Marcia offered you a soft smile just before they moved away.

Emma watched you move away, following you with her eyes. Sometimes, you noticed Emma's looks, but she always looked away when you stared.

Outside, the view of the city was stunning, but Emma couldn't hear what you were saying. However, through the huge glass, she saw how you interacted intimately, sharing a cigarette and looking very comfortable close to each other, a constant smile on your faces.

- So, how was it to stay in London for so long? - Kendall asked, breaking the silence while the gentle wind swayed your hair.

- I ended up getting used to the bad food and the tea with milk. - You gave a chuckle, a malicious glow in your eyes. - How have you been? Are the children okay?

Kendall sighed, looking more serious when speaking. - Well, things have been complicated. Rava and I... we're not exactly on the same page. And as for Sophie and Iverson, it's a constant fight. I feel like I'm always trying to be a good father, but sometimes, it seems like I can't please anyone.

You listened carefully, feeling the weight in your words.

- One day they will realize that you are a good father... in your own chaotic way of being. - Kendall laughed, but there was something grateful in the smile.

- Yeah, I hope so...

A brief silence followed, before you broke it with a provocative tone.

- Speaking of complications, I have to ask... are you dating your assistant?

Kendall was in shock, widening her eyes.

- What?! Where did you get that from?

- Oh, Ken, she didn't take her eyes off you all night. I'm not judging, but you know how it is... That would be a scandal. - you said, provocative, with a malicious smile.

He was completely unresponsive for a second, and you laughed.

- Oh, well... yes, I mean... - he started to get in the way, and you laughed incredulously.

- For God's sake, Ken, I was joking, but fuck... You gave yourself up now. - a smile still danced on your face.

Kendall, slightly embarrassed, but still laughing, decided to explain himself. - Let's say there was one night... a silly mistake. I was exhausted and it was totally stupid.

- Well, maybe things didn't end that night for her. - you observed, still with a slight smile, having fun with the situation.

- I'll make sure of that at some point. - he concluded, a smile playing on his lips while changing the subject, both getting lost in the conversation that involved them, oblivious to the world around them.

You remained side by side, silent for a few moments, watching the brightness of the city lights. The light conversation seemed to have disarmed something between you, leaving only the quiet presence and mutual understanding.

Kendall swallowed the cigarette, her gaze lost on the horizon line, and released the smoke slowly, as if pondering something she couldn't or maybe didn't want to say out loud. Then, he laughed softly, shaking his head.

- You've always known... taking the weight off things. As if, I don't know, the world wasn't as complicated as I make it seem.

- Well, it's just that things don't have to be... so intense. - you replied, with a half smile. - But, to be fair, I also missed the chaos.

He let out a low laugh, a little incredulous.

- I think it was always that between us, right? You show up and, suddenly, everything becomes... easier. Even if I try to fuck everything.

- Yeah, you have a gift for these things. - You smiled.

That was a truth that both understood effortlessly, a complicity that had resisted time and distance, surviving the ups and downs of the years in which they were separated.

While you exchanged, you watched the lights of the city ahead, the night wind brought a feeling of nostalgia, as if old memories were present in the air. Kendall, hesitant, looked away to the horizon before speaking, as if he was on the verge of a confession that even he knew how to express.

- We really got along well before, didn't we? - He commented, his gaze lost, almost distant. - I mean... Maybe things would have been different... if I hadn't agreed to go to China.

You gave an amused smile, although you understood the sting of melancholy behind his speech.

- And what would you do, Ken? Say "no" to Logan Roy? - The provocation came with a touch of humor, enough to break the weight of the moment a little. He laughed, a laugh that seemed sincere, but with a bitter background. - I love my father, but I would also have packed for China without looking back if he had. That's what we knew how to do: say "yes".

Kendall let out a light laugh, almost a relief. That was the kind of understanding that only you shared, an ironic and resigned familiarity.

- But, seriously, we'd better go back before he thinks I disappeared from the reception event itself. - You indicated the direction of the party with a look.

He nodded, taking one last drag on the cigarette before throwing it away, and followed you back to the hall. The atmosphere between you still had a touch of lightness, but there was a discreet tension - a tacit understanding that, although the past could not be changed, there, at that moment, you were exactly where you should be.

____________________________

The office was already in an uproar for your arrival, and you hadn't even stepped there yet. In a way, it was like relearning the city: the details of a New York that kept secrets and expectations.

The reception at his father's house had ended in an almost inevitable way: Kendall in his bed, waking up next to him. You were as messy as the sheets around, and when you noticed the time, it was a silent rush to get ready in time for your first day. Your relationship was, in fact, peculiar. It was not news that something happened between you when you approached, but now, it seemed different, as if something unsaid, but strongly felt, hovered.

For Emma, this night did not go unnoticed. She saw signs of this throughout the reception, every exchange of glances, every detail that denounced the intimacy you shared. And now, as he climbed the elevator of his building, he felt a mixture of curiosity and restlessness. Jess had asked her to take a suit that Kendall had requested, something she would normally do without hesitation, but which today brought a new weight. Holding the carefully folded suit, Emma watched the floors go up while trying to organize her own thoughts. It was becoming pathetic, she thought, this painful fascination that made her follow trivial orders with such zeal.

When the elevator doors finally opened, Emma was greeted by an impressive sight. The apartment exuded sophistication and an almost oppressive luxury, with each piece of decoration handpicked. The walls displayed works of abstract art, and the soft lighting left the environment immersed in an atmosphere that was both elegant and intimidating. The silence there was absolute; no one seemed to have noticed his arrival.

Hesitantly, Emma called a shy "hello", but got no answer. He then decided to advance through the corridor, passing through spacious rooms: a huge TV room, a library, until he slowed down even more when he saw the ajar door of a room, from which sounds of water and movements came out. She discreetly peeked through the slit and saw, reflected in a large mirror, the messy bed.

The perception of what had happened there became clearer, and she felt something hard form in her chest. Soon, your gaze found you, wrapped in a black robe, adjusting an earring while talking on the phone in hands-free.

On the other side of the line, Frank's voice was slightly impatient:

- Why the hell doesn't he answer? I've been calling for almost an hour.

You answered naturally, but with that diplomatic touch that Emma only saw in well-rehearsed conversations.

- He must already be on his way, dad. You know how Kendall is... - you said, almost like someone trying to soften an evident problem.

Frank let out a sigh and, with an implicit smile in his voice, replied:

- Honey, let's skip this part where you try to convince me that he's not there, right? Just ask him to call me back.

You laughed, ending the conversation with a simple "Okay." She hung up and, when she turned around, was surprised by Kendall, who appeared from the bathroom door with a towel attached to her waist and her hair still wet. He approached you, a light smile and a quick kiss, his hands firm on his waist, and Emma looked away, the discomfort growing when she realized the naturalness with which you exchanged these intimacies.

- What did Frank want? - Kendall asked.

- Talk to you. - he replied, with a smile that seemed to keep a world of intentions.

As she moved away to get some clothes from the closet and Kendall returned to the bathroom, Emma decided to break the silence with a hesitant touch on the door. You looked up, noticing your presence. You smiled in an understanding way, without losing control of the situation.

- Oh, hello. Sorry to enter like this, it's just that no one answered... - she said, her voice trembling.

- No problem. I'm just alone for now; the servants start in the afternoon - you replied with a casual nod.

Kendall, from inside the bathroom, asks carelessly:

- Have my clothes arrived?

You said yes and took the suit, handing it to him while Emma, still in the embarrassment of the moment, said goodbye.

- Well, I think I'm going...

- No. - you interrupted her with a slight smile. - You can wait in the living room. The traffic must already be horrible at this time and calling another car would take forever.

Emma agreed and withdrew, but the brief exchange she had witnessed remained alive in her mind. She returned to the living room, sinking into the sofa and reflecting on what it meant, the discomfort and the feeling of exclusion that took over her. I was being forced to confront something I preferred not to see: the reality that, for you and Kendall, this was an intimate routine and totally alien to any spectator.

After a few minutes, you and Kendall emerged from the hallway, dressed for work. He looked impeccable, while you were still fixing the blazer, ending a comment that Emma couldn't hear.

- Do you catch something on the way? - you asked him with a casual lightness, as if it were something they had been doing for years. - I promised to have breakfast with my mother today.

Emma got up, observing how tidy and tuned you were in every detail.

- Oh, of course. - Kendall replied, then turned to Emma, signaling her to follow him. - See you at the office?

- Of course, I wouldn't miss my first day. - you answered with a calm smile, letting them go to the elevator.

In the elevator, the silence weighed. Kendall kept her expression relaxed, but Emma, restless, tried to ignore the tension she felt. In a casual tone, he broke the silence:

- Why couldn't Jess come?

Emma answered almost dryly:

- She asked me to help because the weather was tight.

He doesn't answer, turning his gaze to the panel, apparently oblivious to what was going on inside it. The route to the office was equally uncomfortable, a reminder of his own condition in that scenario. She felt displaced, torn between the professional obligation and the uncomfortable pain that the truth brought.

When they arrived, you quickly settled in, greeting your colleagues formally and safely, while Emma watched from a distance. It was as if you had left everything that happened behind, impeccable in your posture, and this only served to intensify the discomfort she felt. At the end of the meeting, Emma felt the weight of reality: that relationship was a mystery that would inevitably leave her out. For you and Kendall, it was clear that this was part of something bigger that she would never be able to understand, a secret shared between the two of you and inaccessible to any viewer.

Emma watched from afar, feeling a strange mixture of curiosity and discomfort when she saw you two interacting through the glass wall. Kendall called you to his room right after the meeting, and when you came in, he smiled in that convinced way that only he could.

- So, what did you think of your first day? - He asked, as if he were being magnanimous.

You laughed and replied with a sharp look.

- Don't treat me like an intern, Ken. I used to do much more complicated things in London, you know?

He raised his hands, surrendering.

- Okay, okay, fair.

- But then, what do you want? - You went straight to the point, bluntly.

Kendall hesitated, a little disconcerted, but soon amended:

- I wanted to know what you will be free today.

You arched an eyebrow, an ironic smile appearing.

- You know, you really should stop asking your subordinates to go out. - he replied, with a pang of humor.

He laughed, but insisted, his voice a little more serious:

- Oh, what is it? I'm serious.

- I already have another appointment. - His voice is casual, almost indifferent.

Kendall raises her eyebrows, clearly taken by surprise. - Another appointment?

You smile, having fun with his reaction. - What's up? I also have my contacts.

He lets out a short laugh, incredulously. - Oh, is it? So tell me... who are you going out with?

- And why so much curiosity? - you reply, the provocative tone. His eyes capture his expression, which tries to disguise his attention.

He shrugs his shoulders, pretending disinterest, but the look betrays a hint of anxiety. - It's not curiosity, just... I don't know.

You stare at him for an more moment, letting the suspense hover, until you get up with a victorious smile. - Relax, Ken. It's just Shiv.

The change in his expression is almost imperceptible, but you notice the relief that softens your features for a moment.

- Girls' night? - He forces a smile, as if he didn't care. But his gaze remains attentive.

- Exactly. - you answer, amused, starting to leave, but he interrupts you with a casual suggestion.

- Well... - he says, his fingers drumming on the table - you could stop by at home after the "girls' night".

You turn around, holding back your laughter. - Oh, of course! I'll ask Shiv to give me a ride straight there.

Kendall laughs, but the answer disconcerts him a little. He gives a half smile, trying to maintain the pose, but the eyes still follow you to the door, a restlessness not so well hidden behind that carefree charm.

Without looking back, you leave with a half smile, leaving Kendall standing there, alone, watching the empty space where you were seconds ago. The casual answer, almost disinterested, echoes in the room, leaving a slight shadow between you. As much as he tried to hide, there was a restlessness in his eyes, an uncomfortable silence that he knew how to interpret - but would choose to ignore it.

Outside, you feel the weight of Kendall's gaze, even without seeing it. He has always been like this: wrapped in doubts that he would never assume, caught between the desire to have you around and the fear of getting lost in this proximity.

And you, although you didn't say anything, you also knew what that game meant. Every word between you was like a moving piece on the board, a dance calculated between distance and desire, mystery and revelation.

Emma watched everything from afar, with a discomfort that she herself could not explain. There was something powerful and, at the same time, dangerous in the silence between you and Kendall, something she could never fully understand. For her, it was like peeking through a blurry glass, a secret that seemed simple, but that hid too many layers to be unraveled.

A/N: Okay, I know this is different from what I usually post, but I let my mind wander through this story and ended up liking it. I hope you like it!! 🫶🏼

[subiysu-chan]

What do the Innocent executioners dream of? As in at night

I think almost all of them are prone to traumatic flashbacks when they try to sleep. Like during the day, their minds would be occupied.

I think Jean-Baptiste barely sleeps at all because of the nightmares he has of killing people. I think when he was younger, he would have nightmares of being murdered or framed by his rivals. The rivalry mentality in executioner and torturer groups would make it very difficult for him to cope with disability, since his new found vulnerability would mean having once again a target on his back...Also, Charles being inexperienced and clumsy, or illegally applying retentum, or that he considered to send him to a school in Toulouse were the prejudice against executioners and their families was much stronger, he would sometimes have nightmares of Charles' mutilated, battered corpse sent to him. He would later, as they gradually enter apprenticeship, have nightmares of his sons sent to him in a box. Also, the time he went to jail for a short while for botching a hanging, he still has dreams about his ex cell-mate, and how later he had to kill/brand him. Also, would sometimes have dreams of Madeleine still peacefully sleeping in his bed, or him having sex with her. On these nights, he'll hug Jeanne extra tight, who'll welcome the affection, not knowing he thinks of another woman. Because of the quasi-sibling like relationship they shared, his relationship with Madeleine is one that could never be replaced, and he'll never love another partner like he did with her. Given how he's presented all over the manga, I don't think he can sincerely love a woman he doesn't consider related to him. The relationship with his mother is quasi-incestuous, and Anne-Marthe is very misogynistic, and he seems to share her values. Also, being a dynastic executioner, I don't think he'll consider courting, marriying and then having children with a woman he considers a sister, aunt or niece to be morally wrong.

For Charles-Henri, he would have it similar, but the Revolution would drive those dreams to straight up hallucinations of the faces of his victims, of blood and gore. As a youngster, he would sometimes have dreams of his father hugging him, or strangling him. Up to age 23, he would sometimes have nightmares about his physical punishments. Sometimes, he'll see Jean de Chartois. Also, him sleeping around in his mid-twenties, and even after getting married, he would sometimes have sexual dreams regarding his wife or mistress(es). Also, I think the "soft compassionate side" of his personality never left, and mixted with his new playboy lifestyle, given how horribly prostitutes and "loose women" were treated, he would sometimes imagine he'll have to sheer or whip his mistresses, or have news that the magistrates had some sick "games" with them. Also, his wife finding out his infedelity is also one. However, he won't have any incestuous fantasies, and would be grossed out by the prospect. He spent too much time with individuals outside his cast and with the church to consider that...

I don't think Soubise/Subyss would sleep well either, his concious tormenting him a bit as he sleeps. Also, he is someone who always needs to be high on something, be it torture or alcohol. Subyss would often have dreams of being tortured himself, perhaps flashbacks prostituting himself to magistrates or doing tasks for them in the "convulsionaire" secret reunions (what they did there was pretty disgusting). Since torturer isn't enough to make a living on it's own, he'll be a corrector either for the Hôpital Général, colledges or for wealthy nobles with bratty sons or daughters (honestly, who ever happens to offer the most money for the job). I think he might sometimes get emotionally attached to those kids, especially as he shows signs of histrionic personality disorder making one believe that relationships are closer than they actually are. He'll also have sexual dreams about Nicolas, sometimes Damien.

Marie-Josephe: I think on top of flashbacks being tortured as a child, would sometimes have dreams of being held and hugged warmly. Marie-Josephe does have an underlying desire for affection and recognition. She seems genuinely hurt when Charles-Henri refused to support her during that La Barre execution, and we see a flashback asking Charles if he found her disgusting. In that part with the Chevalier Alain Bernard, she wonders if he'll change and leave her like Charles did. Also, we see her mocking and angry after her father asked to step aside so that he can finish Lally/Griffith in one stroke and treat his body with the "respect he deserves". Like, knowing her dad had some lingering friendship and respect for the man who raped her, but little to none to her, nor her mom...That must hurt. Again, Marie seems like someone who secretly wants love and approuval, but doesn't allow herself to indulge in that. However, at night, when she's about to sleep, I can very well imagine she'll have dreams of being hugged warmly by Charles, or by Alain...Maybe by her mother. Although, I don't imagine those dreams being pleasant to her, and she'll probably wake up afterwards with her face twisted into a grimace of pain. Thanks to having chosen the path of female executioner, I think Marie, for all her rebelliousness, does have desires and fantasies of acceptance, just that they bring her a lot of emotional pain.

[daisynik7]

Title: Trying

Pairing: Mike Zacharias x f!reader

Rating: Explicit

cw: breeding kink, daddy kink, slight spit play, overall Mike being a lovely, doting husband. Modern setting au. Mikasa/Jean, Erwin/Levi, Ymir/Christa as minor side pairings because I adore them

Summary: You and your husband get ready for the next big step in your relationship.

Notes: I wrote this on a whim because I’m obsessed with this man. Consider this a small love letter to him and all the Mike fans (especially the ones who are reading my Eren series “Rush”, sorry y’all 🫣) 

ao3 link

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Today, you and your husband Mike are attending your best friend’s baby shower. Mikasa is due in about a month, looking like a glowing goddess carrying her round belly and wearing a permanent grin on her face. Jean, her spouse and father-to-be, is equally as excited, maybe even more. He constantly posts updates on social media about how his “gorgeous queen and little bun in the oven” are doing. 

Arriving to the party, your own husband, Mike, displays his odd quirk by sniffing your best friend as soon as you greet the soon to be parents. “It’s a girl. I can smell it.”

You roll your eyes at him, embarrassed as usual, but always amused. “Honey, that’s creepy.”

Mikasa and Jean laugh. “We’re just hoping for a healthy baby. The gender doesn’t matter.”

“Then, in that case, they smell perfectly healthy,” he says, smiling. “Congratulations.”

In your friend group, Mikasa is not the first to have children. Christa and Ymir already have twins, currently glued to the TV in the living room watching Sesame Street. Erwin and Levi recently adopted a little baby boy, who is being cradled by Eren and cooed at by Armin in the kitchen. And Hange has her adorable daughter, conceived via sperm donor, helping Sasha and Connie bake cookies in the kitchen.

You can’t help but be afflicted with a small case of baby fever. It’s inevitable, seeing all these adorable children running around the house. You’ve been married to Mike for two years now, still enjoying marital life with just the two of you. But you’d be lying to yourself if you said you haven’t been thinking about it recently. 

It’s not that Mike isn’t ready. It’s you. He’s waiting for you to be ready. He’s mentioned it a few times, asking if you’re still on birth control, patiently anticipating the day you finally answer no. Nowadays, he doesn’t ask, allowing you to the be the one to bring it up first. If anything, Mike wants to start trying. You finally realize you want to start too. 

Later, when the party is over and you’re back home, you hide your birth control pills in one of your cluttered drawers. The one where all knickknacks that are destined to be forgotten are collected. You delete the alarm on your phone, reminding you to “TAKE BC!!” every night at 9:00 PM. You’re not sure if you’re ready to tell Mike just yet, wanting to use at least one good night’s rest to plan it all out.  

However, he doesn’t give you a choice. Mike, being an astute, attentive, and sometimes annoyingly observant husband, makes a comment as soon as it reaches 9:01 PM. You’re both sitting on the couch, watching an episode of one of your favorite shows while eating ice cream.

“Your alarm didn’t ring. Don’t forget to take your birth control.”

You don’t respond right away, pretending not to hear him. Of course, he doesn’t give in. Just as persistent as ever.

“Sweetie? Did you hear me? Your birth control?”

Biting your lip, attempting to hide an obvious smile, you lick your spoonful of ice cream before revealing, “I’m going to stop taking it, starting tonight.” 

He blinks, surprised and almost doubtful about what you just said. “What?”

“I think I’m ready, honey.” You set down your mug on the coffee table to wrap your arms around his neck. “Let’s try. I want to start making babies with you.”

He leans in closer to you, voice soft and tender as he asks, “You’re 100% positive that you’re ready, right? You’re not feeling pressured or anything? Because we can wait. We’ll wait until you’re ready.”

Your smile widens as you nod your head. “I’m 1000% certain I’m ready.”

The grin on his face is so goofy and adorable, it gives you the same swell in your chest you used to get when you first fell in love with him. That you still get whenever you’re with him. You kiss each other slowly, passionately. Wanting to relish the emotions surrounding this profound moment in your relationship. 

You feel him smile against your lips, absolutely giddy over the news. One hand slides around your waist, the other caresses your belly. “I can’t wait to see you pregnant with our kids.”

It sounds like an innocent, pure statement. But knowing your husband and being familiar with the sultry tone he currently exudes, you know what he wants to do with you in this moment. 

Wrapping your legs around him, you tease him with a smirk. “I just stopped the pill today, so it’ll take a few months or even longer before I’m able to get pregnant.”

“We’ll see,” he challenges. “Besides, it doesn’t hurt to try right away, right?”

“I guess not,” you respond, fingers pulling at the hem of his shirt. He gets the hint and strips instantly, leaning over you to kiss you more, tongue slipping inside your mouth sloppily. His body is heavy on top of you, surrounding you with warmth and protection that he so often provides. With his lips grazing your ear, he whispers, “You want my babies inside you? Is that what you want?”

You swallow hard, feeling your arousal leak onto your panties, horny and desperate for him. “Yes, Mike. Give it to me. Make me pregnant.”

It’s impossible for you to get pregnant tonight, or even probably for the next few months. You’re fully aware of that. But this still doesn’t deter you from having nasty, unprotected sex with your husband and, hopefully, soon-to-be baby daddy. And talking dirty like this is a huge turn on for you both, so you’ll be damned if you don’t take full advantage of it. 

Soon, all your clothes are tossed to the floor, abandoned ice cream melting away on the coffee table. Mike has your legs hoisted up towards your shoulders in a mating press, pounding away at your wet pussy. Drool leaks down the sides of your mouth as you let your moans echo into the empty space of your living room. 

“Mike!” you whimper, dizzy from ecstasy as he hits your sweet spot over and over again.

“No. Not Mike. Use my other name, honey,” he grunts out, grip tight on your thighs as he thrusts his cock in and out of you. 

“Daddy,” you whine, feeling your climax approaching. 

“That’s it. Take my fucking cock, take my fucking cock.”

“Fuck,” you breathe out, coming all over him. He doesn’t stop. Instead, he picks up his pace, riled up from your orgasm, needy for his own. 

“You want to become a mommy, don’t you? Have my sperm swimming around in this precious little cunt?” He gazes down at your arousal, letting his spit trickle over your clit. “Touch yourself while I fuck you. I want it nice and juicy while I fill you up.”

“Oh my god, Mike. Fuck me. Fuck me, daddy,” you moan, taking it like an obedient slut, fingers reaching down to flick your already puffy clit. 

“I’m going to breed you. Get you fucking pregnant with my babies. You’d like that, wouldn’t you, honey?” he growls, eyes wild with lust as he rails you deeper and deeper. 

“Yes, daddy. I’d love that. I love you.”

He lets out an exasperated laugh. “I love you so much, princess. Can’t wait to see this belly big and round. I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time. Been fantasizing about it.” 

You can’t speak, words not enough to express the affection you have for your husband. It’s been two years of marital bliss and every day still feels like paradise together. 

“I’m going to come, honey. Going to fill you up, okay?”

You wrap yourself around him tighter, waiting for his cock to spurt his warm load into your pussy. The sensation of being stuffed with him always pushes you over the edge. You come once more, his softening cock still nestled inside you. 

His smirks as he lowers your legs, pulling his dick out slowly. Any cum that drips out of you is promptly fingered back in, Mike determined to get you pregnant tonight. Again, it’s impossible, but you appreciate his effort and tenacity.

A few months later, after countless nights of trying, you surprise him with a positive pregnancy test. The overjoyed smile on his face as he squeezes your now pregnant body in his loving embrace is something you’ll have stored in your memory forever.  

----------

End Notes: I love him, I love him, I love him.

[itfitsitshipsart]

Resident Evil Insert

Left to right: Pregame through first game, Code:Veronica, RE5

-

Name: Evelyn (Birkin) Wesker

DoB: July, 1973

Age: 25 (RE, Code:Veronica), 36 (RE5)

Blood Type: A

Height: 5’5”

Weight: 120lbs

Occupations: Art Teacher (1993 - 1998), H.C.F. Tech Assistant (1998), Albert Wesker's Personal Assistant/Housewife (1998 - 2009)

Relationships: William Birkin (elder brother), Albert Wesker (husband), S.T.A.R.S. members (friends), Excella Gionne (enemy), Michael Wesker (son), Gabrielle Wesker (daughter), Jake Muller (AU - stepson)

History

Born in the summer of 1973, Evelyn Birkin was quickly seen as a bright child, excelling in technology and botany, though not considered a prodigy like her elder brother, William. Because of their age difference, William paid little attention to his sister, barely acknowledging her presence. She did not receive special schooling, showing more interest in the arts, and proceeded through school only slightly faster than the average child. Evelyn pursued a career as a teacher, earning her degree in 1994, at the age of 21. She acquired a job at Racoon City's Private Academy in later that year, teaching art to Elementary students.

In 1994, Evelyn met Albert Wesker by coincidence, the two of them starting a romantic relationship with each other. William quickly switched from uncaring to protective upon learning who his sister was dating, his vocal distaste only pushing Evelyn and Albert closer together. In May, 1998, the two married, and Evelyn took Wesker as her last name. In the year before marrying, Albert disclosed a limited amount of information about Umbrella, making her give his full support and trust.

Evelyn was devastated to believe she lost her new husband after the events taking place at the Arklay laboratory, shutting down and not talking with anyone, despite Chris Redfield taking time to try and help her. A week after the news, in the middle of the night, Evelyn was awoken by the sound of an intruder, surprised to find Albert alive. With little explanation, Evelyn packed a few things and followed him, vanishing from the public and leaving everything and everyone else behind.

Evelyn Insisted on being of help to Albert, joining him as a Tech Assistant on his mission to Rockfort Island. She managed the technical side of things, including tracking and deploying both scanners and drones.

Evelyn proceeded to follow Albert closely wherever his work brought him, loosely being considered his personal assistant. She found herself pregnant multiple times through the years, never successfully having a living child. Both of them came to the conclusion it was very likely they'd never succeed in having children due to the genetic mutations Albert had undergone. This took a heavy toll on Evelyn, both mentally and physically.

Evelyn clung possessively to Albert during his work at Tricell, growing antagonistic towards anyone who showed romantic or sexual interest towards him, especially Tricell Exec. Excella Gionne. Both of them were quietly hostile to each other in public, in private Evelyn complaining to Albert about the “bitch” and wanting her gone. She happily helped get rid of her with Albert, assisting with his Uroboros project as well. She remotely controlled the bomber used to release the virus, watching from the monitors as she lost contact with the bomber crashing Into the volcano.

Afterwards, she fled from the BSAA tracking her, and a few months later, was captured by Chris Redfield, peacefully giving up after almost successfully shooting him. She was once again with child and was carefully monitored by the BSAA. Ironically, after the many years of longing, she gave birth to a pair of healthy twins, which she gave the angel names of Michael and Gabrielle. They stayed under the heavy supervision of the BSAA, due to the nature of the children being Albert Wesker's biological children.

AU Fun

I have a favorite AU which the main difference is Albert raises Jake as a single father until Evelyn shows up, absolutely adoring the child and loving him as her own.

[wonder-worker]

"A tyrant after the manner of her father."

As one of the children of Offa of Mercia and his celebrated queen Cynethryth, Eadburh inherited an elevated view of queenship. By the time of Eadburh’s marriage, the office of queen was developing into something more akin to the position recognised in the 973 Regularis Concordia, which recognised queens with their own anointing ceremony and made them, like the king, protectors of monastic houses. The queenship Eadburh had modelled to her in the person of her mother was influential, involved in the everyday running of the court, and possessed considerable independent power.

Eadburh’s marriage to Beorhtric does not usually crop up in discussions of conventional peaceweaving marriages because she is most usually considered in terms of political biases reacting poorly against women: her story is recorded in a history written by the victors, in which she is both nemesis and victim. Nevertheless, when considered closely, her marriage does appear to fit the characteristics of a peaceweaving marriage. Her union with Beorhtric seems to have been intended to draw the two peoples more closely together, especially considering the adverse history between the two kingdoms.

The peaceweaving aspect of the marriage becomes more apparent when the considering the relationship between Offa and his son-in-law. Beorhtric’s succession to the West Saxon throne seems to have ushered in a spirit of cooperation between the two traditionally rival kingdoms. In 789, Offa banished Ecgberht, later king of Wessex, and the grandfather of King Alfred. Although he clearly also benefited from the removal of a rival for the throne, Beorhtric enforced this exile as well. There are no formal documents outlining what the relationship between Beorhtric and Offa constituted, although S.E. Kelly detects ‘some hint of subservience … betrayed in the three surviving charters of Beorhtric, where the royal styles are curiously humble and tentative’. Asser’s text similarly confirms the close political relationship between Offa and Beorhtric – which, according to traditions handed down by Ecgberht’s line, is attributed to Eadburh. Asser writes how Offa made the match: ‘Beorhtric, king of the West Saxons, received in marriage [Offa’s] daughter, called Eadburh. As soon as she had won the king’s friendship, and power throughout almost the entire kingdom, she began to behave like a tyrant after the manner of her father’ [...].

The account given by Alfred to Asser is designed to discredit Eadburh and explain why the office of queen had been abandoned in Wessex, and does so by undermining the wife of a dynastic rival. There is considerable bias in seeking to discredit both Beorhtric and Eadburh, but the account fails to conceal that Eadburh probably was, at least at first, a rather effective queen. Before her marriage, she had witnessed charters as the daughter of the king and queen of Mercia. To be able to muster power of the sort attributed to her suggests that she had good relationships: she won the friendship of the king, her most important relationship. For Eadburh to have power throughout the kingdom, she must have maintained a good relationship with her father and brother to protect her, but possibly also forged new relationships by a mixture of patronage and promoting their interests at court. These are skills she may have learned from her mother Cynethryth. [However, Cynethryth] had the distinct advantage of having a Mercian background herself, and as a result did not have to negotiate the difficult position of mediating between her natal family and identity and her status as queen of a different kingdom in quite the same way.

The West Saxon traditions handed on by Ecgberht’s descendants clearly blame Offa and his tyrannical ways for influencing his daughter’s practice of queenship [and indicates that she might have acted as ‘an active representative of Mercian interests at the West Saxon court', as Barbara York points out]. On closer consideration, Eadburh is far more likely to have emulated her mother’s practice. Unusually, Asser and Alfred ascribe Eadburh’s monstrous behaviour as deriving from her father’s model of kingship. Other texts tend to emphasise feminine monstrous and overly assertive behaviour, especially where Offa’s queen Cynethryth is concerned.

Misogynistic leanings influenced the way that both Cynethryth and her daughter Eadburh are portrayed. Traditions at St Albans blamed Cynethryth for the murder of Æthelberht, drawing on a biblical tradition associated with John the Baptist. It is hardly surprising, therefore, when Eadburh herself was blamed for the deaths of unnamed nobles as well as Beorhtric and a well-loved West Saxon noble, probably Worr, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle entry for 800 [...].

The accounts of Eadburh following the death of Beorhtric come solely from the West Saxon dynasty hostile to her husband and father, but other independent sources may corroborate certain details. The account of her behaviour at Charlemagne’s court in Asser’s text may contain some kernels of truth, but seems to be a wild attempt to further discredit Eadburh and her Mercian heritage. After her husband’s death, Eadburh fled with a quantity of treasure, which may have either been her own treasure, or the royal treasury. The West Saxon tradition states that Eadburh later sought refuge in Francia, where she came to Charlemagne’s court and was offered a choice of husbands – either Charlemagne, or one of his sons. In the story, Eadburh selfishly chose the younger option, and as punishment for her selfish choice, was given neither, but instead received a nunnery (V. Alfredi, c. 15). There is a kernel of truth at the core of this tradition: Offa and Charlemagne had been in negotiations for one of the Mercian princesses to wed to one of the Frankish king’s sons. The talks broke down, reportedly, because Offa insisted on a reciprocal Frankish princess bride for his son Ecgfrith. The attribution of Beorhtric’s death to Eadburh is difficult to either confirm or deny: Ealhflæd’s involvement in Peada’s death demonstrates that a queen could be involved in her husband’s death, and poison was a favoured accusation to use against unpopular queens from antiquity into the modern age*. The account contains yet one more kernel of truth: Eadburh’s geographic peregrinations. Asser’s account in Chapter 15 of his Life of Alfred records that Eadburh spent some time as an abbess in a Frankish abbey before being ejected for having an affair with one of her countrymen, and ended her life begging in Pavia. Janet Nelson’s analysis of this information points out that there are some reasons to believe Asser’s version: Frankish abbesses tended to be royal appointments, and an entry in the Reicheneau Liber Vitae has an ‘Eadburg’ who was abbess of a convent in Lombardy. Pavia was on the traditional pilgrimage route to Rome, which was popular with early English pilgrims. Eadburh’s continental peregrinations also fit with the developments in Mercia following her marriage. In 796, Offa died, leaving the throne to his son and heir Ecgfrith. Unfortunately, Ecgfrith passed away within months, ending the dynasty. With the passage of the throne to a relatively distant relative in Coenwulf, there was little to offer Eadburh on her return. Like Osthryth, the collapse of her family caused by the deaths of her nearest male relatives weakened her options to a delicate situation, thereby obliging her to seek assistance abroad.

Eadburh is vilified in the West Saxon sources as a wicked queen whose appetite for fame and power were her undoing. Because Offa helped drive Ecgberht from Wessex and into exile, the royal line descended from Ecgberht largely effaced the office of queen, recently expanded and abused by Offa’s daughter, from the way they ruled. Asser comments how the West Saxon kings following Ecgberht did not follow the custom of nominating the king’s wife as a queen as a response to Eadburh’s wickedness.He remarks on ‘the (wrongful) custom of that people … [f]or the West Saxons did not allow the queen to sit beside the king, nor indeed did they allow her to be called “queen”, but rather “king’s wife”.

Stefany Wragg, Early English Queens, 650-850: Speculum Reginae

*The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, when writing about Beorhtric's death in 802, makes no mention of any alleged treachery and/or poison on Eadburh's part. This is in sharp contrast to the way chronicles did almost unanimously emphasize the role of another queen - Ealhflæd - in the murder of her husband. It's possible, though unlikely, that Beorhtric may have simply died naturally. Alternatively, considering the death of his Mercian protector Offa just a few years before his death, considering that he was succeeded immediately by Ecgberht, an enemy he had exiled from the kingdom, and considering how there was apparently a battle between a Mercian and Wiltshire ealdorman on the same day Ecgberht ascended the throne (resulting in Mercian defeat), it's quite possible that the cause for Beorhtric's downfall was dynastic, and more akin to a traditional defeat or deposition, than any conveniently miscalculated treachery by his wife. In this context, Eadburh's sudden flight abroad with a quantity of treasure after his death resembles that of other queens who witnessed the downfall of their dynasties and had to flee to protect themselves - though Eadburh is one of the rare few whose birth family had also been extinguished, presumably leaving her with no home or support at all.

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 2, Match 3: Madoc vs. Daenerys Targaryen

Submitted kids:

Madoc: Jude Duarte, Taryn Duarte, Oak Greenbriar

Daenerys Targaryen: Drogon, Rhaegal, Viserion, Grey Worm, Missandei, the entire population of Slavers Bay

Propaganda under the cut!

Madoc:

1. “This ain't found family, this is forced family, 99% of all characters in their universe would have been better off without Madoc being anyone's parent at all--but with all that out of the way, impressively terrible though he is, he's no less of a dad for it. Peak evil family man here. He has three foster/adopted children--the lines are blurry here--starting with Jude and Taryn, miserable twin sisters extraordinaire, whom he, ahh, rescued from a difficult situation when they were young. Which is to say he murdered their parents in a fit of rage, evaluated the resulting scene, and decided that since they were his wife's kids and their actual parents were dead now, the responsibility of caring for them really fell to him. Later on, he got another kid by marrying, for complex political reasons on his part, a woman who brought an adoptive baby son, Oak (rescued from the corpse of his assassinated mother), with her. Madoc repeatedly uses his children as pawns, almost murders Jude a couple times, and kills one of Oak's birth parents too, but (and this is more condemnation than excuse) that's just in his nature, and he really does love his children, even though that generally makes them more screwed up. He's a very special adoptive dad and his parenting failures are spectacular.”

2. "His wife ran away with the blacksmith and took their daughter with her so he showed up at their house and murdered them, as you do. But then he felt really bad about leaving his ex-wife’s new kids alone so he adopted them and they had as fucked up a relationship as you would expect considering he murdered their parents. Also Oak, his second wife’s best friend’s son who she passed off as her son because his father was a prince. He’s there too and yes Madoc raised as part of his play for the throne yes he loves him (it’s complicated)

I find it very funny that his adopted kids (Jude and Oak especially) have these tumultuous complicated relationships with him like You hurt me I love you You’ll always be a part of me. Meanwhile his biological daughter Vivienne just absolutely hates his fucking guts."

Daenerys Targaryen:

"Is there any better example of a serial adopter than someone who has adopted an entire city? Daenerys not only is the ""mother of dragons"" with her three dragons being her magic children, but she's also adopted soldiers, polyglot preteens, and old man renowned for his honor, and three cities worth of freed slaves. She takes her responsibility as their mother (or ""mhysa"" as used in the books) extremely seriously, giving up her goals of reaching Westeros to help ensure that her freed children are able to function in Meereen (notably the books handle this situation much better than the show but the show's cultural impact is too big to ignore)"

[josefavomjaaga]

Hi, I'm curious about what you mentioned on Alexander having a not-so-platonic crush on Hortense. Could you elaborate? (no need to answer right now if you can't!)

Well, mostly that’s me being malicious as usual 😁. But yes, people in Paris at the time did of course wonder what made the tsar – called by some the most handsome man of the era, according to Hortense’s biographer Marie-Hélène Baylac - go to Malmaison of all places during his time in Paris 1814. And they surely did not assume it had anything to do with 50-year-old Josephine, but with her daughter Hortense. Who may not have been as beautiful, but had the reputation of being very distinguished and rather … friendly, especially with men.

Hortense and the tsar met for the first time on 16 April 1814, according to a footnote by Jean Hanoteau in volume 2 of Hortense’s memoirs. Hortense makes a big point about how she at first behaved in a very dignified, almost cold manner to this enemy of France and how it took both Josephine’s persuasion and the efforts of several diplomats, Caulaincourt and Nesselrode among them, for her to befriend him. This is to some degree confirmed by the memoirs of her reader Louise Cochelet. However, that degree may not be very high, considering that Louise Cochelet’s memoirs were published and edited (rewritten?) by Hortense herself. Memoirs of contemporaries indicate that it was rather Louise Cochelet who ran after the new Russian masters of Paris and tried to win them over to the Beauharnais cause. Even if Hortense claims it in her memoirs, it seems doubtful that Louise (Hortense’s closest confidante, keeper of all her secrets down to the existence of a certain Duc de Morny) would have acted on her own accord.

In the end, it does not matter. A close friendship developped, that much is sure. As Hortense states in her memoirs:

What's most appealing about him is that his need for affection seems to be part of his character. He inspires confidence because he knows how to show it. [...] I liked his character. I felt friendship for him and it is painful to expect any service from those whom we would like to love for themselves. So I left my initial reserve and allowed myself a greater degree of abandonment [...].

Both had an interest in the spiritual, both were rather romantic and enthusiastic. According to Hortense’s memoirs, Alexander even pondered inviting both Hortense and her mother to Saint Petersburg. The tsar went out of his way for Hortense (as he later would for Eugène, when the latter reached Paris). It was probably he who bullied Louis XVIII into making Hortense a "Duchess of Saint-Leu", and into allowing her to keep her sons with her in France, when technically, she was of course a Bonaparte and should have been affected by the law that exiled all members of the family, just like her husband. Hortense’s sons were, after the little ex-King of Rome, the next pretenders to the imperial throne. So Louis XVIII had to agree to have his own rivals grow up right before his eyes, that’s surely asking a lot from a monarch.

When Josephine died, Hortense was so overcome with grief – she writes – that she did not see anyone. Except for one visitor: Tsar Alexander.

Finally, when Alexander left for London, his depart started a very personal and, from Hortense’s side, sometimes gushy correspondence between them. They also must have met during Hortense’s stay in Baden. Interestingly, both Hortense and Alexander at that time have troubles with their longterm lovers: Handsome Flahaut, the father of the Duc de Morny, does propose to Hortense after Napoleon’s fall, suggesting Hortense should officially divorce. Hortense however refuses, and her relationship to Flahaut takes a severe blow (he will soon find a bride elsewhere). Alexander, as to him, during the same year ditches his mistress Maria Antonovna Naryshkin. And he confides about this to – Hortense.

Baylac cites one of Hortense’s letters as follows:

[…] when I think of the sovereign who has shown an interest in me, who has looked after my affairs with kindness, I am grateful, I wish for his happiness, and that is all; but when I think of the man who showed me friendship and confidence, when I remember that he tried to love me, my troubles advise me to hope in providence; finally, he knew how to speak to my heart, for how many times since, feeling emotion or fear about the future, I have resigned myself by saying: My God, I trust in you! Ah, the one whose feelings are so similar to mine, he is a friend, a support that heaven has sent me.

It’s maybe not completely astonishing that the tone of this correspondence has made, as Baylac puts it, "certain biographers doubt the platonic nature of their relations".

This relationship, whatever its nature, continued until the Hundred Days. At this point, Eugène was in Vienna, taking part in the Vienna Congress. The secret police (allegedly?) intercepted (falsified? - it’s so hard to find the truth about what happened within all these intrigues!) several letters, at least one from Hortense, badly hidden in a brush she had sent to her brother. I have read that Hortense in one letter openly mocked the tsar. The intercepted letters were shown to Alexander, who then passed them on to Eugène – ostentatiously opened – before breaking off all relations with both Beauharnais siblings.

Interestingly, his friendship with Eugène was soon healed. With Hortense? Not so much. To my knowledge, never. Alexander obviously felt truly hurt by her, in a similar way as he felt hurt by Caulaincourt’s behaviour. Admittedly, I have not looked into Hortense’s years in Bavaria much, but it seems when the tsar and tsarina visited Bavaria, and the tsar insisted on Eugène being of the party (much to the chagrin of queen Karoline 😊), Hortense was very much not invited. (Though, truth be told, it seems she was only rarely invited to Munich ever.)

So, that’s the base for my maliciousness 😁. Make of it what you want. As i do not have much faith in Hortense’s professed virtue in general, I am probably not the best judge of character in her case.

Thank you for the Ask! 💝💝💝

[spot-of-tea]

Okay so I've realised that I probably need to do a masterpost for all my au stuff I'm posting. I will definitely get on that later... when I remember (if I remember). But nevertheless we persist. Now my fic revolves around one particular family in general with one of the kids being the main protagonist. I'll reveal more when I finally feel comfortable enough to start posting the actual fic but the acronym I use for the fic is tswwid. If you can guess what it stands for, you'll get bragging rights. The only reason I'm not revealing the full name for the fic yet is because it makes the commitment way too real right now and I'm just having some fun. Also because the main characters name is in the title and I want to keep that somewhat of a secret for now.

But anyway... another family!

The Redfox Family

Gajeel and Levy had a somewhat tumultuous relationship, from enemies to friends to lovers. While they had initially planned to take things slowly after the war, the surprise arrival of their firstborn derailed those plans. Not long after the daughters birth the two finally settled and married. Their marriage and growing family ended up being the catalyst for many other guildmembers finally settling down and building their own families.

Lillian Redfox

Bookish like her mother but with the same penchant for heavy metals like her father. Lillian became something of a mechanic/inventor. With her continued technological advances, Lillian ended up taking over the Fairytail secret basement after it was no longer needed and turned it into a sort of lab/workshop where she spends most of her days covered head to toe in grease and oil and up to her waist in whatever machine she's working on. Lillian (or Lily for short) was named after her uncle Panther Lily. The exceed was especially honoured by this choice. Levy was however particularly heartbroken to discover that her daughter had no magical potential, until Gajeel reminded her that it wasn't the end of the world for the girl, and that many members of the guild don't have magical potential either. The lack of magic hasn't stopped the young woman and she is considered as one of the guild powerhouses despite the challenges she faces.

Shutora Redfox

One half of the terror twins. While Gajeel would deny fainting when he discovered that his wife was carrying twins, he definitely fainted. Shutora takes after her father way too much, she's loud, brash and confrontational. She butts heads with almost all of her peers and has become extremely competitive with Nashi Dragneel (who she considers her rival). She can be handled on her own but when combined with her brother she becomes an unstoppable force. The two, while they fight and argue like regular siblings, are practically inseparable. Shutora is a user of rock magic, which she taught herself to use so that she could better study the rocks she so loves to collect.

Yajeh Redfox

The other half of the terror twins. Yajeh is on the whole quieter than his twin, which many find odd considering his magic (Sound magic). However, he can be just as loud as her when provoked. While he inherited his fathers love of music, he thankfully didn't inherit his skill level and has become quite the talented musician. Gajeel often enjoys creating music with his only son and the two enjoy playing for the guild in their downtime. Yajeh looks up to his sister Lillian a great deal, deciding to become a mechanic and inventor like her. Unlike his sister, however, Yajeh finds the melding of biology and mechanics to be fascinating and would be regarded as the guild's resident mad scientist, if his lab partner and friend Iggy Dragneel didn't already take that top spot.

[fideidefenswhore]

Mary I was really delusional about Elizabeth's paternity. She would tell anybody who would listen that Elizabeth looked like Mark Smeaton, when Elizabeth looked almost like a carbon copy of her father,

I wouldn't say she was delusional, but rather that insisting to herself and others that Elizabeth wasn't really her sister was Mary's way of compartmentalizing.

According to Lancelot de Carles, despite the adultery allegations (might this have been after she was informed that the alleged dates in question began in October 1533? If so, she was far less credulous than Chapuys, who seemed to have used this information to conclude Elizabeth was going to be declared 'the daughter of Norris', the first man accused in the consecutive list of dates, and had to quickly retract this claim), Mary in 1536 actually expressed no doubt whatsoever that Elizabeth was truly her sister:

"'And, since her daughter is the king's, I promise That, to the best of my ability, she should never want for anything.'" The story of the death of Anne Boleyn : a poem by Lancelot de Carle, JoAnn DellaNeva (Translator, Editor, Writer of added commentary)

This was a common refrain for Mary in the 1530s, she told the Duke of Norfolk in 1533, also, something similar:

True, if the King, her father, acknowledged [Elizabeth] as his daughter, just as he called the duke of Richmont his son, she could treat the latter as brother, and her as sister, but in nowise as princess 

And later, in her letter to Cromwell in 1536:

concerning the Princess (so, I think, I must call her yet, for I would be loth to offend), I offered at her entry to that name and honor to call her sister, but it was refused unless I would also add the other title unto it; which I denied not then more obstinately than I am now sorry for it, for that I did therein offend my most gracious father and his just laws; and now that you think it meet, I shall never call her by other name than sister."

And then we arrive to the 1550s, which is when Mary was reported to have claimed that Elizabeth was, in fact, not her sister at all (not just by Jane Dormer much later, but by Philip II's confessor at the time). Generally the argument presented for this was that she simply didn't want Elizabeth to be heir due to her religion, but I find that reductive. This was definitely an element, but once it's set into relief and context, I believe she came to claim that Elizabeth wasn't her sister because, if she wasn't her sister, she didn't owe her honour and respect, and thus had no moral imperative or obligation to treat her well.

I really liked Becoming Elizabeth's portrayal of Mary's sibling relationships, but my reaction was not quite the fandom reaction (if you can even call Tumblr that...tbh, it's so small and insular that I almost feel a show doesn't really have a fandom until it's hugely active on Twitter or TikTok, largely because I feel had BE been when the episodes were coming out, it would have been renewed). I don't really get misty-eyed over Mary's relationships with her siblings. She had affection for Edward and Elizabeth, but underneath that affection was always her belief that she was innately superior to them. Granted, I don't believe Mary was like, this merciless bully towards her younger siblings...especially because that belief went both ways (it's clear from his letters and diary entries that Edward VI also believed himself innately superior to Mary, and the subtext of the Micheli report was that not only did Elizabeth not consider herself inferior to Mary, she considered herself superior to her). Tl; dr I'm not sentimental over these relationships, but I find them, in all their dynamics and facets, quite fascinating.

[chocomooose]

White Magpie was born in the Moon tribe in the family of an old seasoned cat Sweet and a young cat Flameheart.  White Magpie is the child of a light novel, unnecessary neither to the mother nor to the father.  Since childhood, the cat was weak and seemingly lost.  The mother had almost no contact with her, leaving the kitten caves early, and the father only occasionally exchanged a few words with his daughter.  White Magpie is unsociable, even asocial.  She was initiated as an apprentice later than her peers due to her illness, and the weakness of her body prevented her from fulfilling the duties of an ordinary breadwinner.

Findcat, a Canadian lynx kitten, was accidentally found by the cats of the Moon tribe during a storm.  Among the leaders of the tribe there was a long conversation about saving the life of the baby, who had not yet opened her eyes.  She could become an indispensable weapon in the clutches of mountain cats who were eager to take away more favorable lands from forest cats.  At the same time, it would be difficult to feed a huge lynx.  It could also cause a religious war: the cats of the forests consider lynxes to be sacred animals.  After long hours of council, it was decided to leave the baby, especially watching her, and later initiate her into a breadwinner, not a warrior.  Findcat is still afraid of her fellow tribesmen, and dialogues in the language of cats are difficult for her due to the different structure of the muzzle and larynx.  At the same time, the lynx is stupid and absolutely friendly to everyone - especially to kittens.

White Magpie and Findcat are in an uncertain relationship, having become close due to the fact that as students they learned the basics of hunting from the same mentor together.

[waldorfhistoria]

Man, this wonderful Jenny meta I reblogged has me thinking SO many thoughts, especially about the Dan-Jenny dynamic and this line in particular:

“one scene that stands out to me is when jenny steals the dress in season one and dan goes into talk to her and it’s so clear he’s had to take on somewhat of a parental role with her since their mom has been gone? and i’m sure that’s frustrating for both jenny and for dan. but despite taking on this role of care, he doesn’t treat her condescendingly or with any ire, he tries to be understanding and careful and thoughtful where rufus couldn’t be.” - @buffyspeak

And one of the things that’s so fascinating to me about the relationship dynamic between Dan and Jenny is that they essentially have about four different styles of sibling relationships, all nestled into their one.

At times, especially towards the beginning of the show, Dan and Jenny have a fairly “typical” big brother/little sister dynamic - Jenny is teasing and affectionately annoying towards Dan, Dan is teasing and affectionately exasperated towards Jenny, but they ultimately look out for and try to protect/take care of one another the way that siblings do. But there’s a shift, I think, when Alison leaves - Rufus is suddenly acting as a single father, and Dan is put in the position where he not only needs to look out for Jenny as her big brother, but as a pseudo-mother of sorts - he’s the one who ends up playing mediator between Rufus and Jenny’s growing conflicts, who tries to give her the advice and guidance that she’s not getting from either of her actual parents, and is even the one who Rufus, at times, turns to to talk out the parenting decisions he makes in relation to Jenny. Which brings up another facet of their dynamic that only grows as the show goes on and Jenny starts to struggle more and more - the golden child and the “problem” child.

One thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of the Rufus discourse really hinges on whether a fan is paying more attention to Dan as a character or to Jenny, because the Rufus in Dan’s story is often a very different figure than the Rufus in Jenny’s. Dan’s Rufus is a compassionate, loving, fair-minded dad, who affords Dan a level of respect and independence while also upholding strong moral values he expects his son to live up to. Jenny’s Rufus, on the other hand, is a far more controlling and at times almost immature figure, sometimes fighting with Jenny like a peer rather than a parent - a father who fails to offer his daughter the same respect and understanding he affords his son. And while none of this is Dan’s fault, how can Jenny not be a little resentful of it, of him - that Dan is treated like a person while Jenny is often made to feel like more of a project.

And yet, in spite of that, I would argue there’s another dimension of their relationship that probably plays a key role in keeping them close as the series wears on - Dan and Jenny as childhood friends. This is something that I feel doesn’t come up in the show enough but is still interesting in light of the way their dynamic evolves - based on what we know of their upbringing, it doesn’t seem like Dan and Jenny had a lot of other friends coming into the Upper East Side. I mean, we’re told that pretty explicitly with Dan, given that Vanessa seems to be the only other person he’s really close to outside of his family, prior to dating Serena. But it seems like Jenny didn’t really have any other close friends herself - at least no one close enough to stay in touch with after she moves from public school to private. It seems like - especially in the space of time that Vanessa was living in Vermont - Dan and Jenny were likely each other’s two closest friends, and I think considering how enmeshed their later social circles become, that adds an interesting nuance as well. Dan isn’t just Jenny’s big brother, he’s also her sister and sometimes her mother and kind of her rival and always her longtime friend.