#he can't abdicate but i get what you mean

[young-royals-confessions]

realistically speaking… what will happen to wille once he abdicates? can he still live in the palace with his family? is he broke now ? lol like what is next for him

👑

[fantaatix]

"i have no home now"

i remember a while back when this episode was still being highly anticipated people were debating whether or not stolas would be stripped of his title and powers, maybe even hired by blitz, and why that might be a bad thing

i'll just rip this straight from the post i found in my likes:

"Saying that Stolas needs to abdicate so their relationship can be healthy implies that a commoner really CAN'T be with royalty"

the thing is that i don't think that's necessarily what the show is trying to imply. i'll give them some credit, they posted this in august, i forget when exactly apology tour came out but i think there was a general acceptance that they'd be back together by the end of the season

i don't think that's the case either and here's why;

i think one of the overarching themes of this season is how blitz simultaneously ruins and saves people--whether or not these are his intentions varies from person to person

for example, those he believes he's ruined are his sister, fizz, his mom, and verosika

verosika is an outlier because of the fact that a) the three prior were close enough to be considered family, b) the three prior can all be pinned down to the same event, and c) i feel like he definitely meant to at least piss her off, as a means to push her away

you don't "steal their car, run three rings to wrath and max my credit on shitty horse-riding lessons" because you think it'll brighten someone's day

those he's ruined mostly want nothing to do with him, or keep themselves at a distance; barbie wants nothing to do with him, verosika hates his guts (used to, rather), and while they definitely care about each still, his friendship with fizz is not what it used to be

but now, with IMP, he seems to be on a trend of making a life for himself and giving others a new chance

these images are always paired together as like, "before and after" and i'm sure it's been mentioned dozens of times, but again--there is an outlier, and i think in this case it's moxxie

with millie and loona blitz identifies their struggles himself

with loona, he sees how rough she acts on the outside but sees the soft interior and recognises himself--he wants to give her a real chance at a life, free of judgement

with millie, it's essentially the same deal, except millie straight up tells him about her struggle to make a living and he offers her a job

but with moxxie, there is no "identification", at least not to the specifics. he's in jail, moxxie's in jail, things suck regardless. if anything, maybe blitz figured that being incarcerated was "the struggle", which is probably fair; i don't think you're gonna get "my dad is a sociopath, my mom left/died and my boyfriend left me for dead" first try

moxxie was not special to him in this moment; blitz didn't recognise some divine struggle or empathic connection, they've known each other for 30 seconds and know literally nothing about each other. blitz is looking to break out and see his daughter, that is his goal here. the question was not, "what is this guy's struggle?" the question was "can this guy work a gun?" and the answer may or may not have been yes

and you can tell, like...just by the way blitz looks at him after. it is so possible that he just planned to ditch him after they both got out but ended up not doing so for whatever reason. like, "oh wow, that definitely meant more to him than it meant to me"

that seems to be the case with all of the people he's helped in one way or another; he can't even see that he helps. it's confirmation bias, all he sees is the bad. he needs people to reel him back into reality, people like millie or fizz or maybe possibly stolas later on cough cough

but now back to the point i'm trying to make (and what brought this post to life);

first off, the face blitz makes once he is confronted with the idea that people would actually miss him if he was gone:

and secondly, these two lines:

blitz: you need a ride home

stolas: i...have no home now. everything i have is gone.

this is stolas at his most vulnerable. he has no powers, no home, his daughter is in custody of his Bitch Wife, and he has no lover.

you could argue a few of those things in western energy but in this moment he has absolutely nothing to fall back on, he is alone.

and then blitz invites him to stay with him because that's what he does, he helps people at their most vulnerable moments. he gives them a home.

that is the point here--this isn't about their relationship right now, this about blitz having an irresistible urge to protect people he cares about and acting on it, because like it or not that's his job for the time being. he's not a bodyguard but he'll be playing that role until he dies or stolas gets his powers back.

he can finally actually protect stolas now, maybe even feel fulfillment in doing so, not having to fall back on things like "i didn't think you could get hurt" and seemingly forgetting to mention the fact that "oh yeah someone's plotting to kill you you should maybe look into that"

this is where they learn trust in each other. trust and devotion.

[oneofthosebells]

Thinking about ordinary.

Particularly in the context of 'Wille will never be able to lead an ordinary/normal life' (true) 'and therefore the ending doesn't work because abdicating doesn't actually solve his problems' (oof...I see where you're coming from but I've got to strongly disagree).

[Yes, I know it's not technically abdication, it's just a convenient shorthand!]

Wille will never be able to lead an ordinary life if by ordinary you mean a life like Simon would have led if they'd never met. He'll always be the son of a monarch, he'll always have been famous since birth, he'll always be ridiculously wealthy and privileged. But would he eventually be able to lead an 'ordinary' life by the standards of any privileged trust fund baby whose parent is a major public figure? Yeah, I think so.

There's a world of difference between being famous/wealthy/privileged but able to choose how to live your life - including the ability to choose a very private life if you want one - and being the literal head of state with absolutely no choice in the matter.

And yeah, I'm thinking about this because of all the footage of Harry and Meghan and their slightly odd pseudo-royal tour on the news. Which isn't a dig at H&M, I have no strong feelings about them one way or the other, but I've seen them used as a stick to beat the YR ending with ('it'll never work, look at Harry and Meghan'!). But Wille and Simon aren't Harry and Meghan.

And I don't just mean because they're fictional and H&M aren't, though actually you know what, that's important - it means that if I want to headcanon they can lead a fairly normal life once Wille's out of the line of succession then I can, nothing's stopping me. But also I cannot see Wilmon ever choosing to stay in the limelight by doing a tell-all Oprah interview, or a book or a podcast or a documentary, and I definitely can't see them doing a semi-royal tour where cameras follow them everywhere and where they sit in chairs(/thrones) and look awkward while people perform traditional dances for them. (Again, no shade! The circumstances and the people are very different, that's my point.)

I could see Wille going into academia or writing books about poetry, or maybe he owns a horse sanctuary and gets Sara to run it, or he co-owns a restaurant with Felice. Or all of the above, why not. He probably can't ever go and get a 'normal' job, but he won't need one - he'd have plenty of money to live on if he's living a fairly humble, non-extravagant lifestyle, and again, he's fictional, I can believe he'd happily do that with Simon if I want to.

Maybe they'd live abroad for a while to escape the attention - because with the best will in the world, the Scandinavian monarchies aren't worldwide famous in the way Diana and her children are, and Wille's video/speech/abdication would be a five minute wonder and probably quickly forgotten outside Sweden.

This is getting longer than I meant it to so I'll leave it there without going into Simon and how he fits into it all, because that's another three thousand words lol. Maybe I'll do a part 2. 😂

[celticcrossanon]

BRF Reading - 25th of August, 2024

This is speculation only

Cards drawn on the 25th of August, 2024

Question: How ill is the King? Will he recover from his cancer?

Interpretation: The cards are all negative. It is not looking like The King will recover from his illness.

Card One: The Knight of Swords in Reverse

As a health card, the Knight of Swords brings disappointing news. Things are not going to plan. Test results are disappointing, there is little to no progress towards good health. There may be a fair amount of mental frustration over the state of the body.

Generally, The Knight of Swords means quick, decisive action. It is someone who is assertive and direct, who can be impatient, who jumps into action and rushes towards his goals. In the reverse, that fast action is stilled. There is energy but no direction. The person make react to things impulsively, or with disorganised ideas or no logic.

This card is telling me that The King is making little to no progress forwards in his journey back to good health. He has bad news from his test results and no matter what he tries he can not seem to make things better. This is very frustrating for him as he wants to get better and he can't, he is stuck in his current state of health. This frustration with a lack of progress may be manifesting as actions that have not been thought through 100%.

This is a card of Gemini, so the King may be suffering from the same thing as his father, who is a Gemini, or something inherited from his father, or there may be some sort of duality in his illness - two points of the body under attack, results that go from good to bad to good again - something like that.

Card Two: The Lovers in Reverse

This is the major arcana card for Gemini, and like the minor arcana card for Gemini above, it is in reverse. There is something to do with Gemini that concerns The King's illness. In medical astrology, Gemini rules the lungs, airway, arms, hands, shoulders, and nervous system. Any of those could be involved. My attention is on the lungs and breathing - that is what is standing out for me - but it could be anything ruled by Gemini. As I said above, Gemini is a dual sign, so there could be some sort of duality around this illness. Gemini is also communication, so we may even get a communication about The King's health soon.

As a health card, The Lovers upright represents excellent physical health. In the reverse, it indicates the reverse - poor health. It can also mean that you are not looking after yourself, that you need to step away from your current lifestyle and give yourself the time and rest you need to heal. You need to work within your limits and not continually push yourself to do more.

Generally, the Lovers is a card about making a choice. It is usually a romantic choice, but it can be a choice between any two or more desirable options. It is a card of being in harmony with yourself and your partner. In the reverse, you are deliberately not making a choice or you are making bad choices. Your decisions are not in harmony with your inner values. It can also indicate inner or outer conflicts in your life. Things are not in balance.

The first thing that hit me about this card was the double Gemini aspect. Two cards, both representing Gemini, both in reverse. If The King was a sun sign Gemini then this would be it - it would be a message that he is not recovering from his illness. However, The King is a sun sign Scorpio, so this message is not about him as a person. It could be about him as the King, who celebrates his birthday in June (Gemini season). In this case the message is that he needs to abdicate. The Kingship is contributing to his ill health and he needs to let it go before it kills him.

The other energy from this card is about choices. The King is making the wrong choices. He is pushing himself to hard, not resting enough, not balancing the demands of his office against his body's need to rest and repair itself. He needs to stop, look at what his body needs, and give that to himself. Otherwise he will end up literally killing himself - which, if he knows he has cancer and the cancer is terminal, may be his choice - to go out in harness rather than to step down.

Card Three: The Five of Pentacles

As a general card, this is exile, hardship, loss, adversity.

As a health card, it is poor health, illness, feeling cold, pain, suffering, lifestyle creating or contributing to the illness, feeling powerless, feeling helpless, neglecting yourself, needing medical care and attention etc.

The energy of this card for me is the same as The Lovers reversed - not taking care of yourself. It confirms that The King is ill, he is not currently getting better, and he is not making the changes he needs to get better. He is pushing himself too hard. He is going through a period of hardship and loss, and instead of being gentle on himself he is pushing himself to do things to the detriment of his health.

This also indicates that The King may feel powerless in the face of the current state of his health, as nothing he is doing is making it better.

The main energy from this card is that The King is currently in a bad state of health and he is not relaxing his expectations of himself so he can heal and get as well as possible. He may even have given up on getting well and just be trying to get as much done as he can before he can't work any longer.

Underlying Energy One: The Eight of Cups

This is one of my death cards. Not "I am going to die tomorrow' but 'I am on the path down towards death', like Psyche in the card is walking down into the underworld (the place of death).

Generally, it is a card of abandonment, walking away, and letting go. As a health card, it indicates exhaustion, fatigue, listlessness, and being emotionally drained, being fed up, and being unhappy with things.

This card tells me that The King is on the downwards path to death. He is tired, physically and emotionally, and he needs to let things go so he can rest. I'm also getting the energy that he has abandoned hope of getting better, i.e. back to full health, and he wants to make the most of the time he has now.

Underlying Energy Two: The High Priestess

This is another of my death cards, as it shows Persephone in her role as Queen of the Underworld, stopping the dead from returning to the sunlit world shown at the back of the card.

Generally, the High Priestess is a card about listening to our intuition, spirituality, to meditate and look within to find the answers we seek.

As a health card, the High Priestess says to listen to our body, trust our intuition in matters of health, and to make sure we are taking care of our physical self and not neglecting ourselves,

The energy from this card is the same as of the Eight of Cups - someone who is on the downwards path to death. It also echoes the messages from the cards above it about listening to your body and taking care of yourself, giving yourself the time to rest that you need.

Conclusion:

The King is on the path downwards towards death. He is not going to recover from his cancer - not fully. He may linger for a year or so yet, but he is not going to return to his previous state of good health.

The King is not looking after himself. He is making bad choices and neglecting himself, i.e. pushing himself too hard to do things. His progress to good health appears to have slowed, if not stopped, and there is nothing he can do to speed it up or making it start up again. He is tired, emotionally and physically, and he is not letting himself rest. He is also very frustrated about the state of his health.

What the King should do is let go. He should step away from ruling and spend his time resting, with his loved ones around him. However, I don't think this is going to happen. I think it is more likely that he will continue to push himself to do his job and that he will die like that. If he does decide to let go and take time off to rest then I will be both relieved and happy for him.

The King can't stop this downwards decline into death. What he can do is stop working, look after himself, rest, and enjoy his time with his family and friends. That may give him a positive boost in his health. Otherwise, the end will come sooner rather than later. It is possible that The King knows he is dying and he has chosen to 'die in harness', in which case all I can do is respect his wishes.

The element of Gemini is very strong in this reading. That could be referring to the King's father in some way, or to the lungs, arms, hands, shoulders and nervous system of the King, or to the King's official birthday and so to his role as King, or to duality in his illness in some way. I'm not 100% sure which of these meanings apply. I just know that Gemini is important.

[cassandraclare]

What can you do now that you're writing adult novels that you couldn't with YA?

And, the synopsis says "Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom?" Does it mean Lin and Conor?

Will we see the other mentioned princes and princesses?

It does mean Lin and Conor. Kel has romantic problems too but at the moment they're unlikely to bring down a kingdom. :) I didn't write the jacket copy but my assumption is — Conor has feelings for Lin, but there's nothing he can do to act on them. He can't marry someone who isn't royal and he really can't marry an Ashkar. He'd probably have to abdicate. And then what? He's the last Aurelian. Not to mention Lin can't marry him or even just have an affair with him either; she'd be exiled. We'll definitely get more into that in the next book.

There's more you can do with frank talk about sex and drugs in adult, no doubt. Though there isn't a sex scene per se in Sword Catcher, I couldn't put my YA characters into a lot of the situations the characters find themselves in in SC. And as for the sex scenes coming in the future, I wouldn't do that in YA either. I also think adult just leaves you more space for worldbuilding and history and complex politics. None of that is a negative about YA. YA offers opportunities to do things you wouldn't do in adult. It just depends what you're trying to do in a given book or series.

[demigodsanswer]

AU (either within an AU or canon) where Frederick is dating Kathy and then realizes marrying a woman who doesn't like his seven year old is maybe a bad idea.

Some modern royals backstory perhaps? also changed her name to Cynthia because I like that more lol

cw for death, loss of a parent, and cancer

~

People had started to believe that the current Swedish royal line was cursed. Frederick wasn't superstitious himself, but he was starting to believe them.

It started with his brother's family.

In one tragic day, in one swift and violent turn in the tides, his wife and daughters sank into the ocean. Rudolph quickly sank into his grief.

For the first time in twenty years, Fred found himself heir apparent. And when his brother's griefs weighed too heavy on him, and he found abdication was more beneficial for himself and his country, Fred became the one thing he never expected to be -- King.

"Do you know what this means?" His wife asked their daughter. She was only two, but already whip-smart, clever, and a trouble maker to boot.

"I'm going to be the queen," Annabeth guessed.

"That's right," Frederick told her, "but not for a long time, I promise."

His wife was next, though. The number of treatments available to her didn't matter. The cancer simply spread too quickly and too aggressively. She left them within the year of the diagnosis. Annabeth was four -- old enough to perceive a big change and the sharp pangs of grief, but not old enough to truly understand how final death was. It took almost a year before she stopped asking when her mother was coming back.

A widower himself now, Fred spent most of his time attached to his daughter, prioritizing her happiness, education, and safety above anything else.

Annabeth seemed capable of charming anyone with her sweet little face and wide eyes. Anyone, of course, except a step-mother.

Fred tried to find a new wife. As the spare himself, he understood the need for a monarchy to have options.

"I don't want to just marry someone so she can be some brood mare," Fred said to his sister. "And anyway, none of these women seem particularly keen on Annabeth."

"I saw Annabeth put lemon in the last one's tea to curdle the milk," his sister said casually.

"What are you saying?" Fred asked.

"It's not the women who don't like her. She doesn't like them."

The last time Fred dated, Annabeth was seven. He actually really cared for Cynthia. He met her in Boston on a family vacation with Annabeth. And Annabeth seemed to actually like her for once.

But there were problems. Annabeth was a good, sweet girl, but she clung to her father after her mother died, and Fred allowed it. He didn't want to be away from Annabeth any more than she did. When Annabeth sensed that Cynthia was taking away from her time with her dad, she acted out. Fits, tantrums, and cries pleading for her mother became routine, and Cynthia's patience ran thin.

"If this is going to work, Fred, then you need to discipline her. She can't get away with things like this," Cynthia protested.

"It's just been me and her since her mother died, she needs time," Fred argued back.

"I'm not saying don't comfort her, but you need to control her."

"I can either control this country or control Annabeth, I cannot possibly do both," Fred said.

Cynthia stood up. "If that's really your feeling, then I don't think we can continue seeing each other."

Maybe she was bluffing. Maybe it was a chance for him to prove he could be a disciplinary father. But really, did he love this woman enough to put her through the pressure of a very public royal life? Did he want her to be Annabeth's stepmother? Did he even want another wife?

"Well, if that's how you feel. I'll have Hugo arrange to take you to the airport," he said simply, before checking his watch. "Annabeth will be done with school for the day soon. You're welcome to stay and say goodbye if you'd like."

Cynthia hadn't stayed. Annabeth walked around all night with a triumphant smile on her face. Fred might have been the spare who was never meant to be king, but his little girl was born to be queen.

Annabeth fell asleep in his arms that night. She might have been getting bigger, but she still liked when he read to her. They sat in the old rocking chair in her room, and she clung onto a brown Beanie Baby owl she called "Hoot," while he read from the Norwegian translation of Return of the King. He'd read it to her in Swedish as a baby, and then in English as a toddler. His girl was bilingual now, and it was time to get her started on the other Scandinavian languages, before she learned the romance languages too.

"Sir," his valet said, popping his head in, "Cynthia's plane has departed."

"Thank you Anders," Fred said. "I think she'll be the last woman for a while."

Anders paused. "Sir, the line --"

"Will pass to Annabeth," Fred said.

"Of course, that's the expectation. But if something happens to her --"

Fred held up his hand. "If, god forbid, Annabeth dies before I do, I plan to go mad, become a tyrant, and then set myself on fire," he held up the book for emphasis, "Denathor-style."

"And the line of succession?"

"Will go to my sister and her son Magnus, I suppose," Fred said with less intensity.

"Right, well, let us hope for the long and happy life of our princess," Anders said.

"Yes, let's do that," Fred said, dismissing Anders. He'd put Annabeth in bed in a few minutes, but for now he'd just keep holding onto her. She wouldn't be little forever, after all.

~

Annabeth: I have never done anything wrong in my entire life

Fred: I know this, and I love you

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

So idk if you answered this before and I'm sorry if you have. But the rumors have abounded for years and I struggle to believe them yet they seem 100% plausible. Do you think Prince Philip had mistresses and cheated on Queen Elizabeth?

Part of me believes his whole line of "I'm the most guarded man in the world, I couldn't possibly have an affair." Buuut he did seem to be a flirt and men of that era didn't always keep their vows and it was much more acceptable in the aristocracy to mess around. So many of the books about royals act like it was fact but had little evidence in my opinion to back it up. Other than he was probably alone with beautiful women at some time.

But with the amount of independent traveling he did back in the day...

Whats your take on that whole situation\rumor?

I think it's plausible. It is something that Philip's kind did back in those days and they did it often enough discreetly that no one knew (or everyone followed the gentleman's agreement not to discuss it publicly) so I can't write that off.

But at the same point in time, Philip was a very watched man and he there's a lot he couldn't do, or get away with, because of that. It was just too risky and with the abdication crisis still so fresh, it was all the more important for him to appear committed and dedicated. And the easiest way to appear committed and dedicated was to actually be committed and dedicated.

So for me, I come down on the side of "he didn't cheat". But I totally get why or how people might think otherwise. And really it boils down to your personal preference or your personal belief - consider all the different stories you've heard, do your own research, and then come to your own conclusion. As long as you have a reasonable justification, there's really no right or wrong answer, and that's the fun in royal-watching or rumor-tracking; it's like getting a puzzle but not the picture or any instructions on how to put together. You decide what it looks like/how to put it together based on the context clues you gather during your research. You and I could be given the exact same puzzle pieces but we end up with two very different puzzles in the end - I've put together a sunflower while you've put together a snowglobe, for example.

Personally, I wouldn't say that Philip was a flirt. I think he was charming and he had a natural charm with everyone that many took to mean he was intentionally and actively flirting with all the women. (One of my little pet peeves is that people nowadays think everything is flirting when it's really not - it's just charming and gregarious behavior.) Now it's certainly possible there were some instances when Philip may really well have been flirting with other women, but I don't think every single interaction was flirting. It was just old school charm, a skill that's gotten lost in more recent times.

[droumack]

for DVD bonus: I love love LOVEDD say over again (I'm a sucker for royalty AU's) and I'm so curious about peek into nate + jo's life as rulers!! is there any calamity? what happens when jo bears an heir? do they get any work done ever????

as for a pairing I'm curious if you'd write for: thoughts on marchand/bergeron? theyre so opposites-attract and I feel some sort of way about bergeron being marchands keeper/the strong quiet half to marchand's chaotic destructive half....plus the comments they've made about each other it's just obvious they really respect and love one another.

additionally, have u thought about writing anything w mitch marner? to me he is another extremely whump-able princess who I love dearly and is truly just a silly little guy

so I'll start with the bottom half of the ask...

marchand/bergeron -- i literally just cannot imagine them having sex. i can't! i've tried. i've wanted to read their ship. my name is literally "bruinss," i love the bruins. but i can't DO IT. it's disappointing.

mitch marner -- i love a good 1634 fic where the world is kicking the shit out of him. i also am occasionally endeared by his general silly goofiness. ALL of this to say, I only have room in my head for one twink with a heart of cold, and that number one spot is NEVER being abdicated.

as for ✄ DVD BONUS: pick a fic and I’ll describe or write a deleted scene! :

Nate grabs Jo by the chin, gentle as ever. “Since I have first touched you, I have not touched another,” Nate says. “I have not wanted to. I find myself preoccupied every moment of the day thinking of the moment in which I might get to touch you next.” He tilts his head forward, resting his forehead against Jo’s. “You have consumed me. There’s not a thought I have that doesn’t begin with you, not a dream that does not end with you safe in my bed. My devotion is entirely involuntary and beyond what I ever thought myself capable of.” 

“Involuntary devotion is not the height of romance,” Jo says softly. 

Nate’s eyes search his face. “Isn’t it?” he asks. “Beyond reason, beyond choice, my soul has bound itself to yours. I had no say in the matter, only the knowledge that one moment I was my own man, and the very next I belonged to someone else.” 

“Would you undo it if you could?” Jo asks quietly. 

“Never,” Nate says, without hesitation. “Undoing this would be my undoing. I no longer exist separately from you; I am the man that loves you first, and everything else after. No title I hold means more to me than that of your lover, your husband.” 

“You love me because it’s easy,” Jo says. “I was given to you. I was kind to you.” He looks away. “If they were in my position, you’d love any pretty thing with a mellow disposition.” 

“I would kill those pretty and mellow things if they tried to take your place,” Nate snaps.

[duchessofostergotlands]

Leonor is putting an impressive number of engagements before getting in the navy. In a way I wish more European royals would feel the pressure the Spanish do, because it’s embarrassing to see a teenager work more than actual monarchs and constistently giving more relevant speeches than middle aged people. It’s actually good for these privileged people to know their position is not set in stone.

I was going to go into depth about why you shouldn't compare families etc but let's just fact check this first. The only family that has an official, public record of engagements is the Brits (one of the many many reasons you don't compare wildly different situations) so the best you can do with other royal families is use their website. As far as I can tell from Casa Real Leonor has done 9 engagements this year. You state that she's doing "more than actual monarchs" and I'd love to know which monarchs have done less than 9 engagements since January because I can't think of any. Harald did more than that in June alone and he's 87 and just had a pacemaker implanted lol.

I also find the statement that she is "constistently giving more relevant speeches than middle aged people" to be odd. Relevant means appropriate. We're not the intended audience for the vast majority of speeches so unless unless it's egregious - like talking exclusively about Botswana during a visit to Hungary - how can we judge what's more or less relevant? We can say if we liked the speeches or not, sure. You could say if it's relevant to you and your life (for example I don't enjoy military related speeches because I'm not a fan of the military so it isn't relevant to me personally). But I'm not a German politician or a business person from Japan, how would I know what's relevant to them if they're the kind of intended audience, which they generally are for older royals compared to the young royals whose speeches tend to be aimed at the general public through events like National Days or birthdays? What exact passages in Leonor's speeches make them more relevant than those given by older people?

None of this is in any way a criticism of Leonor. I'm not Spanish but as an outsider she seems like a kind, intelligent, confident, mature young woman and a credit to her parents. Again, as an outsider, I'd say she's doing an excellent job. But it's totally unfair to use her to put down people in vastly different circumstances using inaccurate information and criticisms neither you nor I are actually qualified to make. The next generation are coming into their own and we have the chance to make sure they become leaders who are recognised for their own strengths and criticised for their own failings.

Of course royals need to know that their position is determined by us, the people. But if I've learned anything from our WW2 and abdication episodes of the podcast it's that the most successful royals are those who are motivated by a recognition that their job is an honour and they have a responsibility to the public, not those who are scared of losing their ponies.

[crazyk-imagine]

Hey! I just read your Jamie Tartt fic where the reader is pregnant and I freaking loved it! It kind of got me thinking about Jamie bringing his little girl, cause he’s totally gonna be a girl dad, to the pitch for practice. She’s like 4 or 5, really young and wearing a Tartt jersey and has the entire team wrapped around her finger, especially Roy.. bonus if her favorite player is someone else on the team, any of them, and Roy and Jamie get jealous… if you could write it great! If not no worries! Thanks for the consideration! 🥰🥰

Abdicated Family Issues

Pairing: Jamie Tartt x Pregnant!Reader

Characters: Jamie Tartt, Pregnant!reader, Tartt Toddler, Baby Tartt, Roy Kent, Dani Rojas, Jan Maas (briefly mentioned)

Warnings: Fluff, Jamie being a dramatic bitch, Jealous Roy and Jamie, Toddler Tartt bouncing off the walls because of her fun day at dad's work, Roy didn't ask for this, he didn't plan on being involved, Jamie being a sad little baby thinking his baby girl doesn't like him (anymore), Jamie and Roy need comforting, reader becomes their therapist for a second, Dani being a sweetheart (ofc)

Word Count: 1,432

A/N: Ahhh, love, love, love it!! I thought who better to make Jamie just a little jelly than Dani aka the other ace on the team. Roy being involved and jelly is a plus.

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You smile when you get a text from your boyfriend.

Baby 💕

"Leaving now. Will be home soon" 2:19pm Sent Read

Darling 💓

"See you two soon 💕" 2:27pm Sent Read

-

As soon as you get comfortable your boyfriend lays beside you. “How am I supposed to feel?” Jamie whines to you, crawling onto your lap.

“Can you back-up to the beginning of your story? I have no idea what’s happened, and you pretended like I came onto the field with you," you tell him, rubbing your slowly growing belly.

He smiles and adjusts himself so he lays by your side, head resting on your shoulder so he can also rub your belly.

"Tell me why you look like my sad Jaim."

"She-"

"Dani is so cool!"

You glance away from your excited and jumpy daughter to your even more depressed boyfriend.

"Why don't you tell your mum what you told me?" Ron's voice echoes throughout the hallway as he closes the front door.

"Dani did this really cool move and- and-"

You try and shush, "babes. Babes." You sigh when you don't get her attention. "Honey, take a breath and breathe. I want to hear about your exciting day, but you can only do it if you talk a little slower."

She stares at you.

Roy grabs a seat on one of the chairs you keep out for company (because the team comes over more often than you'd like, right now being pregnant; they take a lot of you). "Why don't you tell her more about the fun you had today?"

"Jan's really tall and gave me piggyback rides while dad was practicing, even though he should have been too."

"You made it fun, Baby Tartt."

You furrow your brows, unsure of who said that.

Roy shrugs and mouths, "phone."

Jamie slumps further into your side.

You open your arms, wanting to pull your baby girl in for a hug and make a poor attempt at trying to get the phone before your chatty girl drops it.

Meaning you two would need to buy another phone (your goal is to make it last six more months).

The screen shifts to the ceiling before Dani's face pops up. "Hi. How are you? Do you need some of my family's special pregnancy soup?"

You smile and shake your head. "No, thank you, Danny. I appreciate the offer though."

"Of course, of course."

"So, how was today's practice? I hope it was alright."

"Oh, it was great. Baby Tartt shows promise to follow in her father's footsteps."

"Oh, does she?"

He nods, "yes, yes. I showed her a few moves and-"

"More like took her attention from me," Jamie grumbles.

Roy scoffs.

You shake your head, wanting to listen to what Dani's saying without commentary from the peanut gallery.

It only lasts two minutes longer until you can't take it anymore.

"Dani- dani- I'm sorry, I'm feeling a little nauseous and I don't want to keep you any longer. I know you have other things to do. I'm sure we'll talk more soon."

"Alright, I’ll leave you to rest. I know how much a woman in your condition needs her rest, especially with Jamie’s baby.”

Your boyfriend beside you grumbles, “what does that mean?”

“You are a good football player, meaning you have strong kicks.”

He doesn’t respond but you do know that Dani’s comment uplifted his mood just a little bit.

“I hope you have a good rest of your evening and get plenty of rest,” the excited player waves to you.

Your daughter leans in, waving. “Bye, Dani! I’ll come by so we can practice more.”

“That is good to hear. I can’t wait until your next visit.”

You end the call and look up. “Sweetie?”

Jamie and your daughter look at you; you pat your boyfriend’s shoulder.

“Not you, J.” You glance back at your adorable baby girl. “Can you go get me my special blanket? I’m feeling a little cold.”

She nods, “okay.”

“I can help-”

You shake your head, “nope. Neither of you are leaving this room until you confess.”

“Confess? Confess what?” Jamie asks.

“You know what. You two have never looked more upset and depressed at the same time. I want to know why so I can help you.”

Roy clenches his jaw.

“You don’t have to say much, Roy. But you, my dear Jaim, have to give me something so I can figure out whether or not a hug will suffice for right now.”

He groans and removes himself from you, throwing himself onto the other side of the couch. “She likes him more.”

Your head snaps over at the gruff man. “What?”

He sighs, “your future athlete, liked Dani more than she liked her dad on the field today.”

“And you,” Jamie points at him. “Don’t throw me under the bus and expect me to just sit here and let you-”

You grab Jamie’s hand, intertwining your fingers, “stop it. There’s no need to fight.”

The older man crosses his arms. “But it’s not fair.”

“What’s not fair? I need you to explain to me because I have no idea what it is or how to help you.”

“She wanted to practice more with Dani than she did me. I mean, how does that make sense? How is that fair? I’m her fuckin’ dad, you know.”

A small smile tugs at the corner of your lips. “Jaim, you shouldn’t feel that way.” You brush away the hair that falls in front of his eyes.

“How else am I supposed to feel? Made me feel like- I don’t know.”

“You do know but I won’t push you because I know it’s the fact that Roy’s here. But please don’t worry about that-”

“Well, how else am I supposed to feel?”

You sigh. “Jamie, she’s wearing your number and has your name on the back of her jersey. She may want to hang out with him a few times but you’re her dad. You’re her number one player.”

Roy clearing his throat makes you roll your eyes, “and you as well, you big baby.”

The gruff man smirks in return, not wanting you to know how that makes him feel (special).

You return your attention to your boyfriend. “You are the reason she loves the sport, without you, who knows what she’d be obsessed with other than her toys, you know. I mean, you helped her find her future.”

He finally looks at you for the first time since he got home. “I did?”

You nod, smiling at him. “Of course, you fucking did because you are Jamie Tartt. Best girl dad ever, Jamie Tartt.”

He cups your cheek before leaning in to kiss you.

You pull back with a gasp as a wide smile dances across your lips.

“What is it?”

“Someone’s also trying to show you that they’re your number one fan with their strong kicks.” You grab his hand and hold it over the spot.

The exciting moment between you two is broken when a certain ex-player’s hand hovers over your belly.

“Come here, you quiet old man.”

“Oi.”

You raise a brow at him.

“I’m not that old.”

“I found it.”

You all turn to find your daughter trapped underneath the blanket.

“Roy, go help her before she trips, please.”

Your boyfriend takes this opportunity to whisper sweet promises to the baby.

Once your daughter is free and can see properly, she watches the two of you. “What are you two doing?”

“Your sibling is kicking,” he tells her.

Her eyes widen and she rushes towards you, wanting to feel the kicks as well.

Jamie grabs her hand so the two of them can feel the baby kicking together.

You glance over at Roy, who’s set the blanket off the side; he waves at you before leaving.

“Are you two having fun?”

They nod, not wanting to break their concentration.

You groan, throwing your head back.

“What? What is it?” Jamie asks, worried something’s wrong.

“You two keep pushing the baby onto my bladder and guess what?”

“I’ll help you up.” He gets you up with no problems. He leans closer to your ear, whispering, “all you need to do is ask, darling.”

You narrow your eyes to him. “Really? You really want to get cheeky with me, Tartt.”

He only smiles and walks with you to the bathroom.

“Go spend time with your daughter before she’s old enough to go out on dates.”

“Don’t do that to me.” And he’s back in the living room.

You chuckle, finding it too easy to rile him up.

[groenendaelfic]

do you think wille will/should abdícate in the future or do you think he’ll become king one day?

The way this is worded I am 99.9 percent sure this is one of my friends trolling me, but I'll bite anyway even if it is, so strap in, because I have many messy, convoluted THOUGHTS. (in case it isn't sorry for presuming Anon and thanks for your question and being curious about my opinion)

The reason why I think this is a friendly troll ask is because you can't make this an or question and I have been very vocal about that in the past. I mean you can, Young Royals fandom is doing it all the time everywhere, but you shouldn't and yes I'll keep being nitpicky about that.

Why? Because In the context of monarchies and royalty the word abdication only applies to crowned monarchs and yes it does make a difference.

Let me use a (simplified) irl example: Harry didn't abdicate, William can't abdicate (yet), only Charles can and only now that he's king. Charles could have given up his rights to the throne in favor of William when he was still Prince of Wales, but that wouldn't have been an abdication, not if he had done it before becoming King himself.

The same is true for Wilhelm. Wilhelm can only abdicate after ascending the throne. If he's not king, it's not an abdication.

Yes I'll keep harking on about this until the end of my days, because while it might not seem like a big deal what word you use here, it actually makes a big difference legally and politically and on all levels if it's a crowned monarch and head of state formally abdicating or if it's an heir giving up their place in the line of succession.

So what we're actually all discussing here (most of the time) is should Wilhelm give up his place in the line of succession and right to the throne, and my immediate reaction to that (after no, never, but also he's sixteen, it's way to soon for any of that) is, how and in what way?

We're all rooting for Wilhelm and want him to be happy, of course we are. Wilhelm is my absolute favorite, but I hate this trend in the fandom that's romanticizing what everyone likes to call "'Wille's abdication" or abolishing the monarchy in general, because just because "it's right", doesn't mean it's in any way easily or quickly done in a "haha and now Sweden no longer has a monarchy" kind of way. That's not how it works.

Don't get me wrong, I'll never romanticize the monarchy or any other systems enforcing hierarchies and inequality, not in irl nor in any of my fics. Tax billionaires until they aren't anymore, eat the rich and yes, of course get rid of all monarchies, but you can't just go "lol no longer a prince", especially when like Wilhelm, you're still a teenager and can't make a properly informed decision about what you're doing.

Now before you all come at me with pitchforks, of course teenagers can tell right from wrong and make informed decisions, but Wilhelm grew up not only with immense privilege, but also extremely sheltered and in a bubble. Yes he started out his first semester of 'high school' in a public school, but I promise you the majority of his classmates' parents weren't plumbers or tax accountants.

Wilhelm has no idea of real life, not even rich people real life. He doesn't go to the store or buy his own clothes, and neither do his parents, nor do they randomly go to restaurants or whatever. Wille has never been able to go out in public without being photographed and noticed and everyone making a fuss, and he has no idea how most things work because there's always staff doing everything for him quietly and in the background.

If, and I say if, Wilhelm is sure he wants to step back from his role, then he should still wait until his early to mid twenties before doing so, because doing so is complicated and not something he can change his mind about later. Also he needs to learn about normal life first.

But I digress. Lets say Wilhelm does want to give up the throne. He's brought it up himself as a possibility when he was still desperately trying to get Simon back in any way he could. That still makes him a prince and a duke.

He'd still be a member of the royal family/house (I hate how that seems to be used synonymously in English). Not being king wouldn't mean he wouldn't be expected to become a working member of the royal family once he's an adult, except now there'll be a different monarch, one he'll have to obey within the family hierarchy, and chances are it'll be August.

Okay, so we take this a step further. Wilhelm gives up his rights to the throne and doesn't become a working royal, but that would mean betraying his family (his words) and stepping away from them. Not just his parents but everything he's grown up with and everything he knows. And he'd still be a prince and a duke.

Wilhelm will never be Joe Average Wille (is Harry now? Was Diana? and neither of them were next in line), no matter how much he might want to, especially not after S02E06 and I know I've said it before but I'll say it again: he'll keep being hounded, he'll keep being seen as royalty, and the only thing that'll change is who pays for his security.

(which btw the security thing is no joke, I know Wilhelm has no Diana levels of celebrity yet, but he's now the first openly queer modern royal and heir to the Swedish throne, there will be significant international media interest and it will stay, especially now with smart phones being able to capture his every move, and I'm old enough to remember the shit show that happened when Diana no longer had official protection officers and police protection and it was not fun, hounded is an understatement and professional 24/7 security is expensive and private security will never be as good as those who also have government/Security Service resources)

Also I firmly believe that what Wilhelm hates is not being royalty or the future king, but being forced into a role, handed a script and expected to perform without any of his own input.

When that changes, and it will, his attitude towards it will also change.

People argue that he'll be happier once he gives up his place in the line of succession, but I disagree.

I think he might have been happier had he been born a normal kid, but also maybe not because then he'd be a very different person, so there's no telling, but he'd always live with the guilt of betraying his family and heritage, and people, both well meaning and not, will never let him forget that.

Yes he struggles now, and I don't want to make light of his struggles, but every teenager struggles with their identity and place in life and things will be different once he's grown up and more secure in himself.

My 'ideal' fantasy solution were this irl would be for Wilhelm to become the last King and to work with the government to ensure a smooth transition once he retires, because abolishing the Swedish monarchy is complicated, but do I think that'll actually happen? No. Because that's not the kind of person Wilhelm is.

Also Wilhelm has been born to immense wealth, privilege and soft power, all three of which he will to a degree keep all his life no matter what happens.

Of course he needs to put his own mental health and wellbeing first, and I'm aware that he never asked for any of this, but he still has it, and with that comes a duty, and I think it'd be absolutely selfish of him to just take that wealth, privilege and soft power and to let the "common people" deal with the mess he left behind, because let's not kid ourselves, if he announces he'll give up his throne tomorrow and sticks with it until he's eighteen and beyond, do you really think people in power won't do anything they can to keep the system in place?

Kristina loves her son and wants what's best for him, even if she's not the best parent, but she'll not dismantle the system for him.

She knew what August had done, and she still would've rather had him as heir instead of even so much as considering anything else.

The Royal Court most certainly won't, and even if the elected government wouldn't be opposed to getting rid of the monarchy (if, there's a chance but not a guarantee, depending who is in power when that happens), that's not the end of it.

You can't abolish the monarchy and keep the nobility (edit: as it's been pointed out you can in theory, but my point is that the nobility won't be happy about it because it's a threat to them as well, and not just socially, and why would a Sweden in the 21st century do one but not the other, elites don't like changes in the status quo, even if at first glance it doesn't directly affect them, and this does), and there will be plenty of people, both obscenely rich and averagely well off people, who will do their utmost to keep their position of privilege.

It will not only become a matter of equality, Sweden is one of the most egalitarian countries in the world. It'll be about history and heritage and tradition.

It'll be a giant mess and if it wants any chance of succeeding, it'll need someone in power to actively work towards it, someone whose position the monarchists and traditionalists and conservatives respect, and that has to be a King Wilhelm, not a Crown Prince Wilhelm or a Prince Wilhelm or a Joe Average Wille who took his wealth and privilege and soft power and ran away because he chose to be selfish and leave a system in place no one was better able to do something about than him.

Now of course I'm once again talking about an adult Wilhelm, canon Wilhelm is still a teenager and shouldn't have to deal with or worry about any of that, and he gets to want to be selfish, because he's sixteen, but he won't always be sixteen, and when he isn't any longer his outlook will have changed as well.

Now we come to another point though, and that is that Wilhelm is not a revolutionary. He has his own head and a temper and doesn't want to blindly do as he's told, but he's not the kind of person who goes and topples a system.

I don't even think Simon is. He wouldn't mind the monarchy being abolished, sure, but I don't think he has the energy to become a political activist and to fight the system all his life, especially in a life without Wilhelm.

With Wilhelm it's different, there I'm sure he'll use the power he has for good. He'd be aware that he can change things and do his best to choose his engagements carefully should he become a member of the royal family.

That said, in time I don't think Wilhelm will mind being King, not if he also gets to be with Simon at the same time, and I don't think he should give up his place in the line of succession.

Finally, and most importantly, because we're talking about a TV show and a fic fandom here and not irl, I love playing with the idea of the Royal Court, the Swedish upper class, and all the conservatives and monarchists having to (figuratively) bow and scrape to an openly queer, headstrong monarch and the gay, biracial love of his life who also happens to be the son of a poor, immigrant single mother, because that is a very, very cathartic thought, and so yeah, King Wilhelm and Prince/Duke/King Consort Simon all the way, always.

That's what drew me to this show in the first place, a queer Crown Prince, and not a random queer teenager going about his normal life. There're plenty of other (great) shows for that.

[piratefalls]

oh my god this got obscenely long. you're welcome?

list one. list two. list three. list four.

Any Beat of Your Heart (Gets Me Through the Night) by stellarmeadow

Alex throws out the first pitch at the Opening Day baseball game, but things go horribly wrong.

kiss me once 'cause you know by ninzied

Of all the things they’ve been to one another—sometimes-rivals, reluctant allies, tediously cordial seatmates at international events—Henry never thought that he and Alex would end up being something like friends. (In which Alex sort of moves in and they don't talk about what it means.)

Mr. BodyPillow by inexplicablymine

“It is hard enough trying to get a date out here when all I really want is to curl up with someone’s head on my chest and play with their hair” “I could do that for you sweetheart” _______ Two boys cuddling on a couch right on top of each other because they are in fact very gay™. Inviting over a complete stranger for cuddles because you are touch starved might be the worst idea Henry has ever had, or the best.

Little Moments by politics_and_prose

Five significant moments in Alex's political career and one in his personal life.

The Case Of The Fucking Curse by everwitch

Henry gets inflicted by a deadly royal curse. The only way to break it is to have sex with a person who possesses the correct physical compatibility, so the crown puts out a desperate plea for people meeting the right criteria to enter a screening process. You’ll never guess who turns out to be the final candidate at the end. Or: the most wholesome Fuck Or Die you’ve read in your life.

You Got Me, and Baby I Got You by princebutt

Alexander Claremont-Diaz, charismatic center for the NHL's Dallas Stars, is completely and utterly smitten with the posh British librarian he met by complete accident. Tonight is the night, and he's got a plan to completely woo Henry and get his man.

cowboy like me by stutteringpeach

Alex was looking for money tonight. And with Henry Mountchristen-Windsor, the gorgeous young heir to the Windsor Group, he sure as hell found it. If Alex is looking to charm someone out of their millions, it might as well be someone he’s going to enjoy stealing from.

but if you could see us from a distance, you'd know i've always been so close to you by anincompletelist (soldouthaz)

Objectively, standing half-soaked from rainwater with a stitch in his side and an uncomfortable, raging hard-on outside his worst enemy’s door is not Henry’s finest moment. It’s not even on the list. -- or, henry is afflicted with a curse-gone-wrong that stipulates that only his sworn enemy, alex claremont-diaz, can touch him.

(did my love aid and abet you?) by alasse

That night in Kensington Palace, Henry told Alex to leave. Eleven years later, Alex watches on the news as Henry comes out, and abdicates. A story of what came before, and what comes after.

It’s been eleven fucking years, and Henry is finally free.  It’s been eleven fucking years, and Henry is finally out.  It’s been eleven fucking years, and Alex Claremont-Diaz still hasn’t learned how to be normal about Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor.

it's a scene (and we're out here in plain sight) by annesbonny

"I don’t want us to be in the press for anything other than how good I am at polo, and how charming you look in that shirt.” Henry just wants the Fifth Annual Okonjo Foundation Polo Match to run smoothly, but that's harder than it seems.

lover, tell me if you can by loyaulte_me_lie

Henry has a wobble on their first anniversary. They practise healthy communication and everything ends happily.

Debasing the Prince (And Other Inappropriate Decisions) by orphan_account

Henry in a suit and tie turns Alex into a combination of the heart-eyed and drooling emojis. He can't help it that the goddamned prince of England looks glorious all dressed up. So he meets him in his bedroom and does super inappropriate things with the tie and the prince. This is basically Tale of the Debauchery of a Prince™.

Soon You'll Get Better (Because You Have To) by wafflesandkruge

Two nights after the shooting, Henry receives an email with a pre-recorded video from Alex. He gets one every night, and although it breaks his heart to see Alex happy and alive, he's terrified of when they'll stop coming.

(when you look like that) i never ever wanted to be so bad by hipsterchrist

“How many times have I told you now?” Henry asks, voice still quiet. “In the bedroom, we’re equals.” Alex knows a door left ajar intentionally when he sees it.“ But we’re not in the bedroom, are we?” he mutters. Henry smirks and turns away. Alex nearly falls over trying to follow the loss of Henry’s hand on his face. “It certainly would seem that way,” Henry says, loud and clear, leaning against the wall again. “And so I will have to insist on some degree of deference. Do you think you can manage that?” Or, Alex has a fantasy involving a tack room and Henry's polo uniform, and Henry is all too happy to fulfill it.

if i ever saw you try to be a saint by inmoonlightigetseasick

He turns back, waiting for further instruction from Luna when Henry actually gets up and approaches him to talk. “I must apologize about the hour,” he says, faking sincerity so well Alex recants his doubts about Henry’s acting chops, “this was my fault, I have a shoot for a music video later today and after that I’m on a flight back to jolly old England as it were, loads of publicity for the latest album.” “You sound like a busy guy,” Alex says, with a small, tight smile, “sure you’ll have time for our little movie?” “I will make the time,” he says, his eyes are a bottomless blue, they shine, deceptively truthful, he turns to Luna, “I cannot tell you how great an honour it is to be considered for this role. What you’ve done here,” he gestures to his script, “I think it’s amazing.” Alex hates that Henry is right. -- AU in which Alex is an up-and-coming actor slated to star in in-demand director Rafael Luna's highly anticipated queer coming-of-age film. For Alex, keen to share his own bisexuality with the world, it's the perfect project to be his true starmaking vehicle -- but for one thing-- his nemesis Henry Fox, a wildly popular rock star, might end up playing his love interest.

searching low in the night by saltfics

“Just say it's okay. I just need to hear you say that.” Henry steps outside for just a second, but when Alex goes to find him, he finds only empty streets and an excrutiating feeling of dread in his place.

whenever you're ready by perfect-porcelain (tedddylupin)

“Pez. Please, will you stop tagging me in TikTok thirst traps?” Henry asked as he stepped into his friend’s car. Pez lowered his Gucci sunglasses on his nose, looking at Henry without anything obscuring his vision and just laughed before pushing them back up with his middle finger. “Don’t fucking lie to me, I know you love them.” Or: the one where Henry falls in lust with a TikToker making pottery and leaves drunken thirst comments

hold me close (when the cameras are off) by viciouslyqueer

Henry Fox is a very well-known model. It’s hard to name a magazine he hasn’t been on the cover of, or a photographer that isn’t ready to drop everything just to book a shoot with him. Now he’s barely smiling, slightly parted lips, yet somehow still looking kind as the photographer behind the camera takes picture after picture. His pristine blond hair is delicately styled so it doesn’t fall out of place, and the cherry blossom flowers next to him and beige background give him an angelic look that makes people in the studio stop what they’re doing just to watch. He looks beautiful. Alex hates it. — When models Alex and Henry have to pose together for a shoot, Alex realizes he might not hate Henry after all.

it was you he gave me by coffeecatsme

The tattoo artist traces Alex’s thigh with a gloved finger as she grabs the needle, brows furrowed as if she’s trying to make sense of the lettering. “This is beautiful,” she says, awe in her voice. Alex feels a sort of pride surge through him. “Who’s the poet?” Alex smiles. “If I tell you, can you keep a secret?” Or, Alex finds a pen in their sex toy drawer and Henry finds a use for it.

yours for the afternoon by railmedaddy

“Another day then, tomorrow? Or Saturday, I can do Saturday, I’ll give you my number,” Hunter says, starting to reach for Henry’s phone. Henry knocks it off the table and prays it doesn’t crack. Christ. Is he going to have to leave the coffee shop to get rid of Hunter? He bends down to pick his phone up and when he rights himself, Hunter is waiting expectantly with his hand out for Henry’s phone. He drops it into his bag under the table. “Very kind of you Hunter, but I’m really quite booked up and—" “Sorry I’m late, sweetheart,” comes a drawl Henry vaguely recognises. OR Henry is quietly minding his own business in his favourite coffee shop, when he’s rudely interrupted by an insufferable man attempting to flirt with him. He’s rescued by none other than Alex – a fellow cafe regular who he’s long admired from a distance – posing as his date.

Háblame dulce by QueenKatelynTheAristocrat

"Alex gently drew Henry back to the waking world on a lazy Tuesday morning in their brownstone with a kiss, a cup of Earl Gray, and the words, “Hoy, hablamos español.” Also known as: Henry is learning Spanish for Alex, and Alex is happy to help him.

5 Times Alex Went Viral (+1 Time Henry Did) by clottedcreamfudge

Alex downloads TikTok on a Saturday and by Monday he's completely obsessed. Henry is clearly a little bewildered by this, but he doesn't seem to mind when Alex starts singing sea shanties and trying - with limited success - to harmonise with himself in the shower. *** aka FicTok (aka ‘Five times Alex tested TikTok trends on Henry and one time Henry got his own back’) (aka 'Five times Alex made life hard for Henry and one time Henry just made Alex hard' - you can blame ifyoustay for that one)

Slide, Crawl into the Shades of Light by Mags (sparklepocalypse)

Eventually, they part long enough to buckle their seatbelts, and then the car eases forward in the direction of Kensington Palace. Alex reaches across the seat and cups Henry’s cheek. “You’ve been biting your lips again,” he notes, rubbing a thumb over the rough skin. “When we get back to the apartment we should run a bath, and maybe after, I can make you some tea.” Henry smiles – and it nearly reaches his eyes – and covers Alex’s hand with his own. “That sounds wonderful,” he murmurs. “It’s been a long week.” (Post-movie; Alex and Henry doing that transcontinental couple life thing, and Henry's had a shit week. Alex gives him several orgasms about it.)

A Tiny Shred of Hope by cmere

Henry reacts in the immediate aftermath of his first kiss with Alex.

Most Cordially Invited by aldiara

In which a formal invitation is extended, a royal mirror is defiled, and Alex cusses a lot.

The Bet by bleedingballroomfloor

Looking back at it, it's all Nora's fault. Or, the time Henry and Alex bet on who can last the longest without sex.

Play Me a Song by allmylovesatonce

Every night, like clockwork, Alex's upstairs neighbor plays the piano for two hours, giving Alex the motivation to sit and do his own work so that he can listen. One night, he leaves a letter for his neighbor to thank him for the music. When his neighbor comes to his door to thank him for the note, he finds it's the same cute guy he's been running into in the lobby.

Speak for Yourself by LolaLand (Lola_di_Penates)

Alex could have walked out of the Williamsburg apartment at any time. Instead, he decides to sign up to twelve months of Henry. OR Alex makes a rash decision and Henry inexplicably runs with it. (The "accidental housemates" AU that literally no-one asked for).

london bridge has fallen down by indomitablelove

Alex can feel the eyes of the room on him as Shaan approaches his side. Then, Shaan quietly murmurs in his ear. They’re words he’s thought about before, distantly wondering about what might happen when they were finally uttered. How their lives might change. There’s nothing that can prepare him for the reality of it though, nothing that can prepare him for how his breath hitches when Shaan speaks. ‘London Bridge is down, Sir.’  --- Queen Mary is dead. Henry doesn't know how to feel.

i wouldn't stop for red lights by matherine

There are flowers on Henry’s desk when he comes into work. They’re pretty, really – chosen by someone who knows him, because there are hydrangeas and white roses and daffodils, and certainly not enough baby’s breath for the bouquet to have been cheap. Not that Henry would make assumptions, nor that he’s the sort of person that would look up the cost of a gift, but he knows who put it here. Even before he looks at the little card attached to a rose’s stem, he knows, because he gets flowers every April 15th.

Water over Blood by happinessofthepursuit

5 times a member of the British Royal Family was in love with Alex + 1 time they loved Henry

The Prince of Sex: A Collaborative Nightmare by aceinadeck, fairycat, ifigo, MaikkaPakka, ohgaywarden, Princess_Nales

"Alex is waiting for his lover Phillip, when he arrives in the bedroom Alex's jaw drops. Philip is wearing a pair of tight leather pants the outline of his massive horse cock is clearly visible and Alex can't wait to have it pump thick squirts of warm cum inside him and his butt." *** It started as a joke, something that Pez found in the depths of Real Person Fiction on Wattpad that none of them really wanted to explore too much. But he brought it up as a drinking game, something that would get all of them absolutely wasted since this was the first time they were able to get together in almost four months.

An Open Heart by absoluteaudacity

"But, and I hope you’ll forgive me for taking so long to get to the point, they listened and hugged me and told me they loved me no matter what. I gather they feel very guilty that I felt I had to keep my sexuality a secret. Mum had to stop Dad from going straight down to Buckingham and yelling at Gran; I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so angry. They’ve agreed that we’ll keep it to the family for the moment but they’ve made it clear I have their support if I ever want to come out publicly. We’re a long way from that, I think, but at least I know the way is partially clear for us. At least I don’t have to pretend anymore."

It's Getting Hot in Here (So Hot!) by Celaestis

Henry’s firm and unwavering belief in Alex’s hetrosexuality does wonders for their relationship. He can coexist with Alex in the same lobby for entire half-minutes at a time while checking for post, he can make solid eye contact during glances in the hallway. Alex is still the most beautiful man he’s ever beheld, and maybe Henry’s hook-ups are tending towards the Latino types more than they ever did in the UK, but still. Alex is straight. Henry is fine about it. Really.

i'd fall to pieces on the floor if you weren't around by karish

Suddenly, Alex feels like he’s gonna throw up and he feels cold all over. Because this sounds like a goodbye. It sounds like a suicide note. Fuck. God. Please no. AKA: Alex wakes up to find a note from Henry and jumps to the worst possible conclusions.

Wedding Talk by maritinkerbell

“You know, H, I’m not sure anything is going to give me greater pleasure than forcing all your homophobic cousins to smile and make nice while I put a fucking ring on it.” OR An upcoming family wedding leads Henry and Alex to discuss marriage for the first time.

Little Secrets Grow Up To Be Big Lies by DracoWillHearAboutThis

Henry meets Alex in a café as he's hiding from the Crown, the media and the public in general. But Alex is charming and alluring and draws him in right away. Alex also has no idea that he's a Prince.

Give Me Comfort, Give Me Help by dwell_the_brave

“I’ll be back by Thursday,” Philip promises, giving Martha a hand up the jet’s steps. She gives them a brief wave from the top of the stairs before disappearing. “Make sure you don’t ski off a cliff!” Bea calls after him as he follows his wife into the jet. He waves a hand dismissively at her and then withdraws into the darkness of the cabin. That’s the last thing any of them say to him. - Philip dies, and Henry becomes heir.

i could be a better boyfriend by bananzie

It wasn't that Alex didn't like telling people about Henry—quite the opposite, actually—it was just that no one ever believed him when he did. An AU in which Henry is one of England’s most famous rugby players, Alex met him during an exchange year, and they’re so in love it’s sickening, but no one believes him.

Just like that. by myheartalive

“I’m so glad my subpar sexual encounter has fed the brain worms. Something’s got to keep the little guys going.” Henry’s more relaxed now that he’s teasing Alex, and looks a lot more like his normal self. It feels a little easier to talk to him, to actually say what he’s thinking. “It’s just… I realised if that was me, I also wouldn’t know how to do it. How to find your…” “Prostate?” “Yeah. That.” — When Henry comes home from a date frustrated by the guy’s lack of expertise, Alex starts having thoughts. And then, because he’s Alex, he sticks his big foot in his even bigger mouth.

Kinda think that I might be his type by kiwiana

“Bea.” He clambers onto his knees, grabbing her hands in his own. “Bea, take me to Thanksgiving with you.” Bea blinks. Blinks again. “What?” “Bea, I could terrorise your gran until she’s begging you to stay single forever.” Or, Alex agrees to be his friend's fake boyfriend for a weekend. He is not prepared for his friend's brother.

until next wednesday! if you want me to tag you in future lists, let me know!

[fe-fictions]

Okay I stg I've sent this last year and that tumblr is eating my prompts but can I have Jakob fretting over his newly pregnant wife? 💜 Like he's worried to death but she's assuring him she's fine and not to worry as she goes through the normal pregnancy symptoms.

(I'm alive!! I'm on vacation this week so I swore to myself I'd get some good writing in...especially since I can't tire myself out drawing with my tablet being at home LOL - enjoy some pure Jakob fluff!!)

Jakob was always a worrier. When it came to his wife, it was perhaps impossibly more true. After all, he was your loyal butler first, then your retainer, and then…somehow, inexplicably, he became your husband.

But now he’d really done it. You were pregnant with his child. Jakob had been rotating between feelings of joy and panic throughout the last three months.

Now that you were entering your second trimester, it only seemed to increase.

“Are you absolutely certain that this is supposed to happen??” He asked from the end of the bed, fluffing the pillow that your feet hovered just over, patiently. “Because I am beginning to suspect that this swelling is far from the normal amount!”

You just shook your head and smiled, seeing the worried crease between his eyebrows deepen by the second.

“Yes, my love, I am positive. I am a trained cleric, after all. As soon as we got married I made sure to review all the medical journals regarding pregnancy that the Outrealm has to offer…since I had a feeling you’d be a little on edge.”

“I am not ‘on edge’, I am simply concerned for the health of my wife and child. I do not think it is out of the range of normal behavior, given the circumstances.”

“It wouldn’t be, if you worried a normal amount.” You corrected him, which earned a rather pouty frown from your beloved.

“Please, milady, I am worried exactly the amount that I should be. Perhaps you are the one who is not worried enough.” He gingerly lowered your feet to the bed, holding your ankles as though they were made of glass. 

“Because I know that getting some swelling during my pregnancy is perfectly normal. My body is changing to accommodate the little butler I’m growing.”

“Little what?” He glanced at you again, a tinge of color on his cheeks. “You’re surely not referring to our baby as a ‘little butler’, are you?”

“I mean, I’m sure he’ll take after his father.” You shrugged, sharp little canines protruding from your smile. “Do you think he won’t be good enough to earn the honorable title of butler, as you did?”

“First of all, where is this ‘he’ nonsense coming from? It’s far too early to know the sex of the child.”

“I just have a feeling.”

“Right. Of course. A feeling.” He clicked his tongue, “And secondly, our child could not be a butler at any point in his life as he will be the son of a princess and a newly appointed duke; it would be untoward of him to take the position of a commoner.”

“You’ve only been a duke since we’re married, though. I don’t mind the thought of him growing up more humbly.”

“I think you’re simply exhausted and you’re rambling.” He sighed, “Unless you’re seriously considering just abdicating the throne and living a humble life in the countryside. I think you’d be far too restless for such a thing.”

“Oh, I don’t know…maybe once all this excitement is over, we ought to retire from the bustle of the noble world. I can’t imagine it’d be any more intriguing than living peacefully in the countryside. If the drama and ‘excitement’ comes from politics and gossip, I’d rather not bother.”

“I understand what you mean. It has never been of particular interest to me, either.” Jakob said as he prepared a fresh brew of peppermint tea. “But it is far too early to think about such things. Besides, I’m sure your siblings will need your guidance once this whole Valla business is taken care of.”

“Maybe so…” You hummed as you rested your hand on your growing bump, leaning back into your pillows. 

Jakob finished the tea for you in no time at all, passing a cup and saucer over to you.

“But I would not wish to simply dismiss your desires. If you want to retire after this is all over and live peacefully, I would be delighted to follow. Just as I have since you first saved me.”

“Oh, Jakob. You’re always ready with the right things to say, aren’t you?” You giggled, taking his hand and guiding him to sit beside you on the bed. “I suppose you’re right, though. Let’s worry about one thing at a time; which at this point, I believe is debating exactly how healthy you think I am.”

“Which is not as healthy as you could be; we can always improve your physical state while you’re carrying the baby! And we’ll start with this tea; it’ll ease the swelling quicker, and prevent nausea should you feel uneasy while you’re resting.”

“Thank you, my dearest worrywart.” You giggled behind the cup, hiding your ever-mischievous grin when he glared at you.

“If you do not cease this teasing, I will not stay and dote on you a moment longer.”

“Oh, come now.” You reached for his hand again, squeezing it gently. “Itis only because I find your endless worrying adorable; I cannot help but tease those I love. Surely you know this by now!”

“It does not mean I must be here to suffer it.” He huffed, but lowered his head just the same, touching his forehead to yours. “Unless you are prepared to face the consequences, of course.”

“Perhaps I am,” You challenged, bumping your nose against his. “Bring it on.”

“Very well,” He kissed you then, surprisingly deep and loving in spite of the annoance glimmering in his eyes. 

He brought his hands up to hold your face, nearly spilling the tea you barely clung to in your lap.

“Jakob, wait the tea-”

“The consequences, my love.” He reminded you breathlessly, moving to hift over you in bed.

“Darling, I dont think you’ll want to ‘punish me’ in tea covered bedding, let alone atempt to wash the stains out of it later.”

“...Hm. No, you make a good point. Give me that, please.” He took the cup from you, all but tossing it onto the bedside table before he captured you in his embrace once more.

He was so grateful that he could hold you in his loving embrace despite your being pregnant. The fact that said intimacy was actively encouraged during it was even more delightful for the butler.

While he worried about potentially straining you or harming you in some way, you would always work quickly to dispel his fears.

Which would usually be followed by an urgent makeout session much like this one.

And of course, neither one of you were complaining.

[meyerlansky]

Something I think is interesting about the punch on the wing scene in MOTA is that Bucky says “I order you to hit me,” and then immediately after (I’m 90% sure it’s his next line after Curt speaks) says “ranks off.” Like… you can’t order someone to punch you (effectively pulling rank) and then say no more ranks. I mean you can, because he did, but yeah

Y E A H! IT DRIVES ME CRAZY ACTUALLY!!!

like you can take bucky's "that's an order" as a wink-wink nudge-nudge crack at the fact that uhhh neither of them really give a shit about rank on the ground: if curt did he wouldn't step up to gale about the RAF captains, and if any of the four majors in the scene did they'd have stopped a lieutenant from taking a hit his commanding officer stepped up for. i don't even really think curt cares about bucky ordering him to hit him, not in the sense of "i am a good little soldier, i can't disobey an order 🫡" anyway. when curt brings the ranks up, he's really REALLY obviously using it as a soft no, both to give bucky an opportunity to laugh it off and save face AND to try and get out of being made to do something he does NOT want to do even though his friend asked him for it. and even after that, he has to be pushed EVEN MORE into actually swinging. he gives bucky two very obvious soft no's, and only throws the punch after bucky physically pushes him into it. that's what we in the know call "coerced consent," baybee!

and then, boy i wish i wasn't at work so i could post caps, but AFTER THAT they have this little exchange that just feels fucking awful to watch: curt is watching bucky reel from the hit looking very concerned, and when bucky stands up he kind of backs away and puts his hands up like he thinks bucky's gonna swing back. bucky kind of sidles up to him and pats him on the shoulder—very "big dog who wants to play-fight with someone smaller" body language, as a note 😳—and it looks like everything's fine, but then as he walks over to the edge of the wing he shoots curt this look that's... a little resentful? maybe? like he wasn't expecting curt to hit him THAT hard? and curt turns away AFTER that look, so i think he caught it, and he looks SO FUCKING MISERABLE for the rest of the scene, even after bucky grins at him and i want to rip my own throat out about it actually

tangent ahead, my meta-writer roots are showing, i cannot help myself: bucky's relationship to his rank and authority is fascinating to me, actually. he really only wants it when it's convenient and it gets him what he wants. he doesn't want air exec because he feels left out of the fighting and guilty for being safe when everyone else is up, which is not THE most selfish on the surface, but it is still him prioritizing his feelings over doing the job he was given and thereby keeping the ENTIRE GROUP safe. he's buddy-buddy with the other pilots until he wants curt to hit him or crank to stop saying shit he doesn't want to hear [which imo is worse, even though i agree with bucky wrt Fuck 'Em; at least he was alone with curt on the wing, but making crank say "yes sir" in front of his ENTIRE CREW? ouch. ouch!]. he plays favorites in the air, with curt AND gale, and puts MULTIPLE FORTS FULL OF MEN in danger to get them out of tight spots. he basically abdicates all leadership responsibility in the stalag and puts it all on gale, up to and including only really discussing escape for the two of them, not their crews.

and like, i get it! i 100% understand why he's as selfish as he is, and in particular i wouldn't expect his internal logic to be consistent while he's White Girl Wasted as a—very bad, but really his Only Available—coping method for very deep trauma and grief. but he's SO self-centered, basically all the time, and it is such an interesting trait in contrast to the rest of his character, which is: he's fundamentally a good guy. i buy what he says to paulina, that he signed up because he wanted to help right nazi germany's wrongs. he's the one who says "maybe we should think about them" when the tuskeegee airmen roll in, and you can take that a couple of ways, but i personally don't think gale would've talked to alex without that push from bucky. he gets bitter about lil and dye for a hot minute [again, while drinking] but then gets over it REAL quick to reassure her dye'll be fine. he writes the letters to the families of the guys they lose over bremen even though it's not his responsibility As Of Five Minutes Ago. he SNAPS after the mustang fires on the march column, because simoleit put his men in danger with the night marches. he was absolutely NEVER going to shoot the german kids in westphalia, vs gale who is SO OBVIOUSLY talking himself OUT of murdering a child. he does actually care about people! even people he doesn't know! and i don't actually think he'd shrug off his abuses of rank and skirting authority, if it was pointed out to him and it impacted people he didn't want to hurt. which is why i wrote 2.6k of navel-gazy fic about it, even though he only finds out curt's hurt because of him at the end of the fic but shhh

[eleneressea]

In your time travel maedhros au, how are things going between Feanor and Fingolfin since Maitimo got sent to Lorien and it’s becoming increasingly obvious that he and Findekano have feelings for one another. How’s Finwe dealing with all this?

Finwë is doing extremely bad about all this! But mostly for Míriel-related reasons.

Maitimo goes back to just about when Morgoth gets released, and the Ungoliant Incident happens not that long after Fëanor makes the Silmarils, so the Fëanor-Fingolfin relationship is actually not that bad because Morgoth hasn't had a chance to really get the lies going yet. They don't get along, they're still rivals and the family situation is still complicated, but they aren't enemies. This means that there's a chance that they can patch things up. Fëanor is dealing with his "Am I a bad parent?" crisis and knows that Maitimo would like him and Fingolfin to get along, so he's putting in an effort to not snap at Fingolfin. too much. Fingolfin, meanwhile, is very aware that Maitimo saved Findekáno, so he's working on being nicer to Fëanor, and the result is…several very awkward conversations. but they're polite very awkward conversations.

Once Maitimo wakes up and starts manipulating uh I mean influencing his family from his sickbed,* the awkward conversations increase in length and frequency. At one point Fëanor even ventures a comment about Indis that isn't a veiled insult! The bar may be low but they're clearing it!

It is, unfortunately, not obvious that Findekáno and Maitimo have feelings for each other. Emotions are high! Maitimo saved Findekáno's life! Findekáno staying by Maitimo's sickbed and clutching his hand…is not necessarily romantic when he nearly died for you, y'know? So Maitimo knows that Findekáno has feelings for him (because future) but Findekáno thinks that nobody knows how he feels, and to be fair very few people do,** same for Maitimo. They're pining.

*guy arranged large land deals with Thingol in the single year between the Eagle rescue and his abdication; as soon as he's coherent he's going to be judiciously telling his cousins and siblings things to get them to do what he wants. Sometimes that's fomenting rebellion among the Teleri, sometimes that's more pillows and extra treats.

**to wit: Maitimo, Anairë, Ambarussa, Galadriel. Anairë knows her eldest, Ambarussa and Galadriel were (separately) sneaking around eavesdropping and heard Findekáno telling an unconscious Maitimo about his feelings. Galadriel is about four and doesn't understand romantic love yet; Ambarussa think it's very funny. They've nicknamed him "Findekáno Astaldo" sarcastically for his great bravery in confessing his feelings to someone who is unconscious and can't hear him.

[controversialhottakes]

Apparently these are unpopular opinions but I don't want Wilmon to be endgame and I don't want Wilhelm to abdicate. (I think the show might be heading down the Wilmon endgame + abdication route but I can't imagine them doing it in a way which would feel satisfying to me personally.)

All I could think about throughout the whole season was how unsuitable for each other these two are. They're so different, and I don't just mean their backgrounds, I mean every single thing about them. Their personalities (this one is huuuuge), their values, apparently even their interests since after 3 seasons I can't really name a single thing they both genuinely enjoy (maybe rowing? or was Simon there for a reason? can't remember), unless we count sex which... fair but a rather shaky framework if a long-term relationship is what you're after.

What do they even talk about? Other than Simon hating the system which Wilhelm is at the very centre of. Or the fact that they don't understand each other because Wilhelm is too privileged and Simon is too big a socialist. And while I hate the phrasing I do agree with the sentiment wholeheartedly because it's actually absolutely 100% true. What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is a conflict of interest. Plain and simple.

One thing that was very clear from the very beginning is that Simon doesn't understand what a relationship with a crown prince entails and that he's really not the kind of person who'd want or should be in such a relationship. He cares too much about other people's opinions, which isn't necessarily bad in and of itself, but people are going to have a lot of opinions if you're dating someone in the public eye, especially the future king, and they're going to be nasty af. Because they can. It's just the reality, nothing you can do about it.

I know a lot of people say that he didn't get media training and so on and so forth. And it is very true and valid. However, a lot of this boils down to his personality. You don't need media training to know that reading comments is a bad idea, let alone replying to them. To me, it's just common sense, and I know he's only 16, but even though it's been a while, I do still remember being 16 and my mindset (on this subject) has not changed since then. Especially if you know you're going to take it to heart, you shouldn't even be looking at the bs people post online.

Simon doesn't fit into Wilhelm's world not because he's poor. He doesn't fit into Wilhelm's world because his personality and values simply don't work in this context. How do you even begin to solve a problem like this? You just can't.

Simon has a very strong personality and even stronger beliefs. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it, it's admirable, but this creates so many problems that are virtually unsolvable. If you watch the series (not just the third season, it's been shown consistently), Simon needs Wilhelm to agree with him. And he wants Wilhelm to do it openly and preferably to feel about it as strongly as he does. Which simply isn't going to happen. In order for this to work, Simon would have to change his entire personality and that would be just awful.

Re: Wilhelm abdicating. You don't make a decision like that at the age of 17. Because this is literally life-changing and there's no going back. His brother just died. His mother is having a nervous breakdown. His father is absolutely helpless. You work through all of that first.

Correct me if I'm wrong but it's only been a couple of months since the accident. Oh and now Wilhelm finds out that his brother was human and not some perfect Disney prince. And he gets front row seats to his always-unnaturally-composed mother's descent into literal madness. Just imagine how terrifying it must feel. This boy is going through a lot, this is not the time to be making huge decisions.

I genuinely believe that Wilhelm would make a great king. Keep in mind that for 16 years, it never occured to him that he might have to do this. This was dropped on him like a bag of cement, together with the news that his older brother, whom he worshipped, was dead. All things considered, he's doing great. Come to think of it, Erik's death is the root of 99% of Wilhelm's current problems. Like he said, he never got to grieve and now on top of that he thinks that his brother was an arsehole and would have hated him for dating another boy. But I think Wilhelm finding out about what happened at the initiation is actually going to help him heal.

Wilhelm abidicating just feels too much like giving in, like he was running away from his problems which is a bit OOC. And it would feel like he was doing it for Simon which is such a bad idea on so many levels. I can't put into words how stupid it would be and, as impulsive as he can get at times, Wilhelm doesn't strike me as the kind of person to just completely fail to think of consequences of his actions when it comes to something this big. I can't for the life of me explain why, but he does come across as rather level-headed and sensible, specially for a 16/17-year-old going through what he's been going through. Certain... incidents... aside (the rifle... yeah, the hell were you thinking? you need to chill out and let it go). Season 2 was peak recklessness, he seems a bit more mellow and settled now. Although breaking up with Simon might turn out to be the final straw, yikes...