#i inherited bisexuality from my father

[ihappentobedead]

unfortunately I was born under a rainy sky and in water so God said 'boy you brought the fluid with you' and now I am genderfluid.

Why are you lgbtq+? wrong answers only GO

[anneslovegood]

not even a huge bridgerton fan (I watched four episodes of season one and gave up but know a lot because it’s impossible to escape it), but people getting mad that michael was genderbent is so ANNOYING. especially with the garbage excuses of why people are mad about it, which this whole post will be about.

firstly, to say that francesca won’t struggle with infertility is ridiculous. francesca is married, as of right now, to john a man. there’s still a possibility that the writers will make changes so that her and john struggle with it instead. also being in a relationship with someone of the same gender doesn’t mean a person won’t struggle with infertility. infertility is not limited to heterosexual couples; I’ve heard stories of both heterosexual and queer couples struggling to have children

second is the question of how michaela could inherit john’s titles, as michaela is a woman. now I know bridgerton is not historically accurate, but this answer does include some history. for those who don’t know this, in british history, queen charlotte’s granddaughter, victoria, became queen (would take a long time to explain how victoria got the throne, so if you want to know you can read that on your own). queen victoria did NOT become queen because her husband succeeded to the throne as king; victoria earned the title because her father’s older brothers died without having a legitimate heir. so there is a possibility of michaela earning a high title. also going back to something I said already but bridgerton is not historically accurate, which I am sure is obvious by the amount of people of colour in the show with such high titles and being members of the ton.

ANYWAY this is a long winded of saying that people are hating on the show’s decision to genderbend michael, and that I think it’s awesome how francesca and michaela’s love story includes both queer and black representation (and I think both actresses are absolutely stunning).

edit: adding another ridiculous I point I saw someone use was “it feels like they’re diminishing her feelings for john”. you ever hear of bisexuality? also if michael stayed the same you wouldn’t be saying that, how is it suddenly different with francesca being attached to a woman? plus this wouldn’t take away an important part of francesca’s arc in the books (from my understanding of what I’ve heard people say) is that she felt incredibly guilty for having feelings for michael. I personally think it’ll make francesca’s story arc way more interesting due to genderbending her second love interest

[slytherinlives]

Sebastian Sallow Headcanon’s

Sebastian Oliver Sallow (something about his initials being SOS tingles my brain. [also consider, Anne Olivia])

Birthday will change depending on the plot of the story I’m writing but I heavily consider him a September/October baby

Bisexual (pretty self explanatory)

Bookworm. This boy loves to read anything and everything. He doesn’t care what it is and always takes up the opportunity to learn something new.

He is very smart and intelligent when it comes to academics and general knowledge, but is completely oblivious to social cues.

Patronus is a fox. They’re mischievous and sly animals that are known to be tricksters. This also applies to animagus form.

Has ADHD. He struggles to sit still and has specific ticks like bouncing his knee, twirling his quill or wand, pacing back and forth or drumming his fingers. Anything to exude excess energy and keep his hands or legs occupied while he thinks.

Has BPD. He experiences his emotions in excess and will lash out by saying hurtful things or doing hurtful actions without realizing in the moment he’s even doing/saying it and after the fallout he becomes very apologetic and remorseful. (I have an entire thesis on this hc that I can go way more in depth as to why I think this based on canon material shown/given that I will gladly share, but for the sake of this list I won’t.)

Has Asthma. He’s a wheezy boy running through the highlands and swimming in lakes.

Soft tum, round bum. He has defined arm and shoulder muscles from all the dueling and farm work around Feldcroft, but this boy has a little pudgy belly. Also all that running around the highlands and climbing the multiple sets of stairs around the castle exploring, boy has a cake for sure.

HIP DIVOTS HIP DIVOTS HIP DIVOTS

Certified Yapper. He will talk about anything and everything he finds remotely fascinating or annoying. Also certified complainer. He will make sure to let everyone know about how a minor inconvenience made him feel.

Would play quidditch but only because he enjoys a good competition and a way to blow off steam. Would also help him expend all the pent up energy he held in during classes all day. Would be a beater or chaser.

Loyal and protective over those close to him. He would do everything he can to ensure the safety and happiness of his friends and he would always have their back no matter what.

Curse breaker, healer or professor careers are the ones he would excel the most in. Curse breaker because he can put all the knowledge he learned about the dark arts and various curses to use. Healer because he can again, put all that knowledge of curses and maladies to use and help vindicate his inner desire to find a cure, that even if he wasn’t able to do it for Anne, he could at least do it for someone else. Professor because he loves to learn new things but enjoys teaching them even more. He would thrive in teaching students how to cast new spells and dueling techniques. I also imagine it would help him feel a little closer to his parents that he secretly misses more than he’d ever admit out loud.

Messy eater. Not for the lack of manners, but because he gets so excited over food and topics of conversation that he forgets his mouth is full or he's holding something when talking with his hands.

Inherited his freckles and curly hair from his mother. He gets his compassion and bookish tendencies from her too, while his ambition and temper are traits from his father.

Troublemaker. He likes to goof around and pull pranks or break the rules, but only for a bit of fun. He would never do anything to intentionally harm someone else.

Petrified of spiders. I mean can you blame him? Those things are twice his size.

After the deep dive into the dark arts he developed a heavy sense of self loathing and deprecation. Often thinking he’s undeserving of kindness or love. He tries his best to be better and move on but always has that doubt looming over him.

His love language is physical touch. He gets super clingy and whiney when his partner tries to leave and will pout about it until he can hold them again. On the flipside, if he’s stressed, angry or upset, then a small act of holding his hand or giving a hug will instantly lift his mood. (He would prefer to cuddle though so he can pull them close and hold them tightly)

Has a fear of abandonment. After facing so much loss and grief as a child, he constantly fears everyone he gets close to will leave him.

Was a hat stall between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. His mother was a Ravenclaw and he would have loved to feel closer to her by sharing a house, but Anne was sorted into Slytherin before him and he didn’t want her to be alone. He was still satisfied with the decision because his father was a Slytherin and he still got to feel close to one of his parents.

Hates the smell of whiskey and bourbon because it reminds him of Solomon. (His uncle was an angry drunk)

Would have children but the stress and panic of impending fatherhood would stress him out and worry him due to thinking he wouldn’t be a good parent. Circling back to his deep rooted feelings of unworthiness and guilt over past actions and never having a decent father figure to learn from other than fading memories from early childhood. Would probably feel like he’s failing when he can’t fix his child’s problems or calm them down during a tantrum.

Has an intense fear of death that if someone close to him was facing it then he would turn the world upside down to find a way to prevent it. This stems from his fear of abandonment.

Self isolates when he’s upset (counter point, takes his anger out on a training dummy by unleashing his frustration through spell casting)

Loves to rile up others for the sake of finding amusement in their frustration. His favorite classmates to pick on are Leander Prewett and Garreth Weasley. He’s not a bully, just enjoys the banter. “Boys will be boys” behavior.

Speaking of bullies, he hates them. He would go out of his way to step into a situation where he sees another classmate/friend being picked on in a hostile manner.

Would also step in to protect someone from unwanted advances.

Loves to research and spend his free time in the library, but will procrastinate his homework until a few hours before it’s due.

Would thrive off the feeling from showing off his partner to the world, making everyone know they’re together. But would prefer to keep their personal lives more private. Everyone knows they’re together but no one knows what they get up to.

Would go out of his way to plan elaborate dates or trips filled with multiple locations and food.

Is weary of thestrals because they remind him of all the loss he’s faced but finds a strange sort of comfort in them as well

Loves nifflers because they’re just as mischievous as himself

Does the sniff test on a shirt before wearing it

Has various piles of his belongings strewn about that would look messy or disorganized to someone else but he knows precisely where everything is

Is not a morning person. He’s pushing the “five more minutes” luck until inevitably running late.

Is very punctual to things he wants to attend but drags his time to things he’s dreading so he spends as little time as possible there.

Carries a pocket watch that belonged to his father

Has a ring that belonged to his mother that he would only give to the person he’s absolutely sure about marrying.

18+ HC: because he has to spend most of his life in control of every situation, he would relish in the idea of letting someone else take the reins in the bedroom. Although he would struggle with the thought of letting himself be cared for and would grapple with trying to control that too. (Dom/Sub switch depending on his mood)

[sword-wielding-sapphic]

1: Magic is a Metaphor < 2: Morgana is a Lesbian < 3: Merlin is Gay < 4: Arthur is Bi

Do you remember when you were bullied in middle school? Because if you're reading this, I think it's fair to assume that you were. And your parents would say to you, 'that boy is just being mean to you because he likes you'. That's what this is.

Arthur is just so repressed. He has really bad daddy issues, and he doesn't know how to express his emotions, and he's really uncomfortable with physical intimacy, especially with other men, especially with Merlin. And this isn't me trying to psychoanalyse away his heterosexuality. It is a very evident part of his character.

And another big part of his character is that he has inherited all of these bigoted ideas about magic from his father that he has to work to overcome. Because, of course, Arthur himself is born of magic, but his dad is so ashamed of it that he hides the true circumstances of his birth from Arthur. Honestly, I don't know exactly how that would fit into this whole metaphor. I do have a half-formed theory that it could be interpreted as an allegory for intersex identity, I know that a lot of people headcanon Arthur as trans, so idk there could be something there. But regardless, it is only through his relationship with Merlin that he is able to overcome this magicphobia, because he realises: how could it be wrong when everything about Merlin is so right. And I just feel like there's a metaphor in there somewhere.

Of course, I have to mention this iconic quote from the audio commentary of the final episode: when the executive producer refers to Arthur taking off his royal seal to give back to Guinevere as passing over "the last vestige of his heterosexu- oh sorry, I mean his marriage." So, they knew exactly what they were doing.

I also thought I would just draw your attention to the fact that at one point Arthur says, "I only care about my men, they're more than friends, more than brothers." Now, I think we can all agree that out of context, that is a very gay thing to say, and yet somehow the context is even gayer, because Arthur is pretending to be talking about the Knights of the Round Table, but he's actually talking about Merlin, how Merlin is the only person he cares about, more than a friend. And then Merlin responds, "I understand. I wish I didn't, but I do." It's barely subtext at that point. This of course, brings me to my final argument:

Arthur risked his life to save Merlin at least eight times. It could be more than that, I genuinely lost count. And you have to keep in mind that Arthur is the King of Camelot and he doesn't have any heirs. It is quite important that he stays alive. And yet anytime that Merlin is in the slightest bit of danger, he will just drop everything to protect him.

And it's really only in those moments where he's faced with the thought of losing Merlin that he shows him genuine emotion. Such as in this scene (which was cut out of 4x02 purely because it was too gay) where Arthur is planning to sacrifice himself to protect Merlin, again, and he gives Merlin his mother's sigil, the only thing he has left of his dead mum and he wants Merlin to have it as something to remember him by. Also, apparently in medieval times giving someone your family crest was basically a marriage proposal, so that's pretty gay.

You know what else is pretty gay? Telepathically communicating with Merlin and then immediately leaving Gwen in the middle of an active war. This is literally the last time that Arthur and Gwen ever see each other. Poor Gwen.

In conclusion, Merlin is the story of gay sorcerers and bisexual knights getting into love triangles. Everyone in this show is queer and you cannot tell me otherwise.

[iamderp07]

Meet Eddie Dear's Family! These are my new Welcome Home Original Characters (WH OCs) that I created based on Eddie Dear, one of my favorite WH characters! It took me a while to finish them, but I'm happy to have them out of my head!

Some Dear Siblings HeadCanon/Fanon Facts down below 🤣👇

1. Their parents are Elizabeth and Eddison Dear. Beth is from Texas, and Edd is from Louisiana.

2. Emmett is the oldest among the three Dear siblings, and Eddie is the youngest. Ellie is the middle child and the one and only daughter of Beth and Edd (All of them are equally loved, don't worry 😆🤣👍).

3. Emmett is 8 years older than Eddie, while Ellie is 4 years older than Eddie.

4. Eddison and Emmett work at the family-owned hardware shop, with Emmett often handling deliveries using his truck. Beth works at the family post office, where she used to work alongside Eddie. Meanwhile, Ellie owns a diner that was passed down from her grandparents.

5. The Dear siblings all have mitten like hands! Though Ellie has more feminine ones. Perfect for hugging their friends, neighbors, partners, and of course each other!

6. Eddie frequently stays connected with his family through phone calls and mail. ☎️📬

And I like to think that they've added a personal touch to their letters by using custom designed letters, each serving as a unique signature from every family member.

7. Emmett inherited his name from their great-grandfather on their mother's side, while Ellie and Eddie's names were derived from their parents' names - a shortened and endearing version:

Elizabeth - Ellie

Eddison - Eddie

8. Ellie and Eddie talk a lot about their day via phone call-A LOT. During late-night conversations, they end up talking for hours. Eddie often shares a lot with her about Frank, and she loves listening to her brother gush about him.

9. Emmett and Eddie also talk via phone, where Emmett tends to let Eddie take the lead in the conversation. There are times when Emmett ends up dozing off but still holds onto the phone.

10. During calls and when together, Emmett assists Eddie in managing his forgetfulness, much like their father. Emmett provides advice and solutions, especially when he notices Eddie in need of help or feeling troubled. Ellie also contributes in a similar supportive manner.

11. Eddie and Ellie are often mistaken for twins based on their looks and close sibling bond. Ellie actually gets flattered whenever someone mentions this because it makes her feel younger.

12. Among the three siblings, Ellie and Eddie have shared a close bond since childhood (probably because of the short age gap and since Emmett works a lot with their Pa). Despite Emmett being the more reserved and stoic one, all three of them have a good sibling relationship.

13. Emmett is usually fine with receiving hugs but occasionally gives one.

14. Emmett's instrument of choice is the guitar, while Ellie likes to play the harmonica. Eddison bought Ellie her own harmonica for her 12th birthday, and she has always carried it around with her since then.

15. Ellie and Emmett had their Mailman/Mailwoman phase.

16. Ellie is lesbian while Emmett just assumes he is cisgender. He wrong, he is actually bisexual ufhsjgkxxjgz

17. Ellie is like the second mom of the family.

18. At some points during the year, Eddie heads back to his hometown to visit his family.

19. Ellie has a terrible fear of heights.

20. One of the reasons why Eddie has a fear of bugs is probably because of Ellie.

21. Emmett would bring Eddie alongside him during his deliveries when Eddie is around and available.

22. When Ellie and Emmett first arrived in the Welcome Home Neighborhood, Wally somehow mistook them as Eddie's parents. This made Eddie laugh.

23. Emmett is actually good friends with Howdy and Barnaby. Howdy and Emmett would talk about business, while he and Barnaby tell each other jokes.

24. Ellie actually has good balance and poise. But gets all clumsy when she's flustered.

25. Ellie has a crush on one of Julie Joyful's siblings. Specifically, she has a crush on Franny Joyful.

[chargoeson]

Hello! Writeblr re-Introduction

hiiiii pals! I made my writeblr introduction last year and it was such a good intro to the community! but as time goes on and organizations fall i want to re-introduce myself and my writing without any associations.

my name is Charlotte, but you can call me Char as well. She/Her, I'm 25, queer, and live in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

I write literary fiction with a special affection for surrealism and dream-like vibes. I do have a couple soft fantasy and short story projects that I've made posts for, but I'll stick to my litfic on this pinned post as they are my passion projects!

themes I often explore in these books are: isolation, anxiety, complex relationships between mothers and daughters, bisexuality, winter, dissociation, and overall rural misery!

I have a bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature and paid special attention to Gothic and Romantic movements.

on top of writing, I also love quilting/sewing, collage making, playing Stardew Valley and Baldur's Gate 3, and doing DIY home renovations.

Reading is my passion, even more so than writing! My favorite authors are Murakami, Mieko Kawakami, the Bronte sisters, Iain Reid, Han Kang, and Ottessa Moshfegh.

my three main WIPS can stand alone but are technically a trilogy. read about them after the cut!

The Ballad of a Blue Whale-- This novella was written in November, 2023. It follows Maren Hara, a recent college graduate who has to move back in with her father, a rigid and unfeeling doctor. To cope with the emotional distance of her father and the slow dissolution of her relationships she begins walking through the night. Both to be away from home and removed from her current life. It’s during these walks she finds a jazz bar in an adjoining city. The patrons, and especially the owner of this bar, captivate her. At the core of the narrative is her inability to open herself to others, and how attempts to do so are physically and mentally cataclysmic, although necessary. As she finds herself, she loses both her old life and this interim space. 

I Want to Build a Home with You-- This novel is in the first draft/development stage. I began in December, 2023. Its events follow Leonie Richards as she walks her grandmother, famed novelist Hellen Barnaby, through the final weeks of her life then inherits her home. Leonie, once an infamous performance artist, decides to settle into a life of portrait painting for a small but wealthy pool of clients left to her by her grandmother. Her old peers. After Hellen’s death, Leonie’s final connections to the outside world are her strange clients, the art store clerk, and her uncle Ox who is embittered by his lack of inheritance. The longer she stays in the home, the stranger things seem to be. She wakes up ragged, dirt under her fingernails with memories of a rock formation in the forest she has never seen. Forest spirits or generational curse, there is a limerence threatening her life. 

No Glory-- Special Agent Seth Barnaby has been tasked with investigating the mysterious, possibly cult-associated murders of young women across the state, but this one could be the key. To decode the newest set of clues he teams up with Director of Anthropology Dr. Miel Noh and they get into the field. The small town misleads them at every turn, from an odd boy named Calf to the corpse of a girl who was staying in his family’s motel. With Seth’s checkered past he recognizes the patterns, but time is of the essence and if they don’t find answers another woman could die. With no way out, they return to the only lead Seth knows: an institutionalized man who confessed to the first murder that brought Seth to the FBI years ago.

and that's a wrap! thank you for reading, would love to reconnect with writers from last year as well as new friends. feel free to slide into my asks, follow, or join the tag list.

tags: @annlillyjose @coffeeandcalligraphy @subtlefires @belovedviolence @onomatopiya @thelaughingstag

[caramel-covered-apples]

hp next gen hcs - the potter siblings

okay my brainrot is actually killing me so here’re some headcanons featuring the potter siblings

james sirius potter

while his namesakes are perhaps the biggest troublemakers hogwarts has come across, james is actually a model student who does well in all of his classes and makes sure to follow the rules

becomes a gryffindor prefect

freddie and roxanne are also in his year and they’re some of his best friends, along with teddy in hufflepuff

quidditch chaser

plays quidditch all the time at home with ginny and sometimes harry

while he is popular at hogwarts both for his personality and his family, he has a lot of muggle-born/muggle friends outside of school who he just hangs out with

oldest sibling activities; constantly watching albus and lily when their parents aren’t home and does the dishes/laundry when his parents are stressed

james makes fun of albus a lot, but he knows which jokes will make albus laugh or which ones will hit a soft spot and he’s very careful about that

when someone makes a joke about albus that’s more of an insult than a joke/something that albus doesn’t like, james makes it clear that nobody gets to do that, not even james

does well in all of his subjects, however, the hands-on topics (charms, d.a.d.a, etc.) are his best, including potions

gets along with literally everybody

social chameleon, matches everyone’s humor and vibes

sees teddy as a cool older brother figure, and hangs out with him a lot - teddy once got him beer without james’s parents knowing, and since then teddy has been solidified as james’s best friend

adhd

bisexual asf; harry and ginny were surprised that he’d date anyone but men (lmao)

masks a lot of his emotions with humor, and he struggles with his emotional intelligence even though he knows he has a whole family, the whole of hogwarts, and like 10 other muggle friends that are there for him

always keeps up on the gossip that the prophet spews out about their family and constantly brings it up at dinner; he finds it hilarious

this man loves rock and pop music

always with lily luna, learnt how to braid her hair and make it look nice and help her with her self-image because the wizarding world isn’t any nicer to girls than ours

tries to understand albus as best he can

inherited parseltongue from harry

albus severus potter

also a pretty good student, does get in trouble occasionally (“mr. potter, please exit the broom closet and do it somewhere else-”) but overall isn’t horrible

talks in slang and abbreviates everything, especially in texts, while scorpius talks very formally which makes their dynamic so funny

wears a hoodie under his robes

he’s best at the classes harry was horrible at (history of magic, divination, potions, astronomy) and albus secretly enjoys this, because it separates him from his father

in his second year, he couldn’t stand people making fun of his name so his family are the only ones able to call him albus

when he’s at school, studying is his coping mechanism, and he tends to hyperfixate on it

has autism

has the most wild, out-of-pocket, crazy ideas

hates quidditch and brooms in general; they scare him because how can you be safe on a stick that’s no thicker than your forearm?

appreciates the small things

tries to suppress his tics (mostly vocal) because people made fun of him for it

inspired from a tumblr post which I can’t find now, but albus is very skilled at mind magics (legilimency, occlumency) and that’s why he likes scorpius so much, because his thoughts are genuine and kind

really big on architecture

coffee mechanics fiend. not even coffee, coffee mechanics. he grinds his own coffee and will use a particle accelerator to get a slightly better cup.

loves muggle bookstores because of their take on fantasy; wizarding fantasy books aren’t very common because the wizarding world is already fantastical, there’s really nothing to imagine

nintendo kid

would really enjoy games like slime rancher, stardew valley, etc.

because middle name severus is literal dogshit, he ends up claiming hagrid’s name, because wtf harry literally loved hagrid and now he’s gone? his new name ends up being albus rubeus potter. the marauders in the afterlife rejoice.

he likes being called arthur instead of albus, but really nobody knows about this other than scorpius.

gay.

has a hard time with metaphors and such (“he wears his heart on his sleeve”, “jealousy is a green-eyed beast”, “x gets under my skin”) and he takes them too literally, which is another reason why he likes scorpius, because he’s direct and doesn’t bother with things like these

nobody can tell if he’s being serious or sarcastic

loves the nyt games, especially wordle, connections, and the crossword.

lily luna potter

the one the teachers should look out for; biggest troublemaker out of the three siblings, completely caught the teachers off-guard when she arrived; she is chaos incarnate

people call her lou or lils, she is rarely called lily or luna.

has her dad’s stubbornness, her mom’s attitude and chaotic energy, and her uncle’s mischievousness

quidditch is perhaps her favorite sport and will always beg to accompany ginny during her championships and the such; seeker

besties with ginny; idk why all the hcs say she’s besties wit harry

inherits parseltongue from harry (i don’t care if that came from voldy’s soul or not, this might be so funny) and shit talks people in parseltongue; nobody knows what she’s saying except james, who also inherited the trait

hates the mornings; her record for sleeping in is 3:07 PM

loves indie music

definitely has a rock/crystal collection

also an astrology/astronomy kinda girl, somewhat in honor of her middle name, luna (which is “moon” in spanish)

does yoga to calm herself down after a particularly hard day

very good at hands-on classes, including potions, d.a.d.a, transfiguration, and care of magical creatures

james and lily is an ultimate duo and everyone fears them

doesn't really mind that she's harry potter's daughter - none of that pressure to "live up to the expectations" gets to her all that much, because both of her namesakes aren't that spoken about

does anything to prove that she isn't a baby that the prophet gets to dress up; she once dyed her hair bright blue and ginny was all for it

super close with roxanne because younger sisters club!!!

she blows through all the boys and victoire highly disapproves of this

once she's older, she's most definitely a reckless party girl who drinks way too much and spends a lot of her mornings hungover

loud chewers annoy the shit out of her

sneaks snacks onto class and takes photos in the bathroom

would be the type of person to love jerky

[emilykaldwen]

The Maiden and the Drowning Boy | Aegon x OC | Chapter Seventeen

Rating: Explicit

Ships: Aegon II Targaryen x Abrogail Strong (Lyonel Strong's Daughter), Jacaerys Velaryon x Helaena Targaryen

Summary: As the kingdom teeters on the edge of chaos, Alicent Hightower swaps the pieces on the board: Aegon will marry Abrogail Strong, Larys’ younger sister and heir to Harrenhal. Caught in the web of intrigue and political machinations, the pair must figure out where their loyalties lie, and what they mean to one another.

Tropes: Childhood Sweethearts/Friends to Lovers, Generational Trauma and Cycles of Abuse, It's All About the Character Development, Unreliable Narrators, Multi-POV, Canon Divergent, Bisexual Aegon II Targaryen, Book/Show Mash Up, Fix-It Of Sorts, Stopping the Cycle of Abuse before it gets us all killed, Team Neutral, fairy tale vibes meets victorian medievalism meets grrm

No tag list. please follow @emkald-fic and turn on post notifications for updates or subscribe on AO3

Tumblr Masterpost

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen

AO3 LINK

Author's Note: We've got Rhaenyra POV! We've got Aemond POV! We've got a surprise in the end! Thank you for all the support and patience. You're all getting this chapter early since I'm out of town for the weekend! Enjoy!

PLEASE PLEASE subscribe to the series page or my author page so you get updates when we start the next story! You're not going to want to miss it. (And follow @emkald-fic on tumblr if you read here!)

All my love to @vampire-exgirlfriend for her love and support and holding my hand through this chapter that just kept kicking my fucking ass. If you need more Aemond content, you must read, They Say I killed You (Haunt Me Then)! Now complete! (epilogue going up soon!)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - Parrying the Daggers Thrown At Us

Rhaenyra receives a letter. Aemond cannot find peace until he gets a taste of it.

Grandfather is still ill, much like we saw him last but he prefers his wheel chaired more oft than not…

Things have been tense, understandably so, but Queen Alicent has been cordial and has made sure we are comfortable and have what we need… 

Aegon and Aemond keep their distance, perhaps so they can glare all the better…

I do not know how to make amends for what happened… 

…and they say Aemond is taken by his pains at times, darkening his room as his head aches from his wound… 

I should make amends, it is right… 

What do you think I should do?...

Heleana has been the warmest… 

…we danced together at the feast and she was quite happy to do so. It is nice spending time with her…

Aegon is happy around Lady Abrogail and she laughs freely with him. He is not like how he used to be as much with her… 

I think Lord Lyonel and Ser Harwin would be pleased to see how well she is treated…

Many houses were represented at Aegon’s nameday… 

Most seemed to wonder if Aegon would have been named heir and displace you but none came to pass… 

…they will inherit Harrenhal. I can see the wisdom in it as Luke will have Driftmark one day, but I think of Joffrey and Aegitsos and my uncles who do not have lands and holds to occupy them…

I love you much, Muñus, I hope you are well and that I will see you soon…

Rhaenyra ran her fingers over her son’s careful script, her mouth twitching in fondness amidst her worry of her zēapos. His letter was long, too much for a raven’s wings and she started from the beginning once she had read it through once. Twice. Her ribs ached as if Jace had been carved out of her to go on this journey and she shook her head, trying to let the feeling flit away on the breeze. Her eldest had a temper, much as she did in her youth, much as his father had, in the ways that drew her in. Time stole away much, and her own bouts of temper had cooled with each broken toy, each yelling fight, each ‘he pulled my hair!’ and ‘He pushed me and won’t share!’

The sounds of swords clanged in the yard and her gaze flitted from her son’s letter - pages crinkled in her grasp - to the courtyard below where Daemon was testing the new recruits to the Dragonstone guard. His silver hair was twisted back from his face in braids as he preferred, something about war and mindset and always be prepared.

He called something towards Joff and Aegitsos as the knight before him panted, having been bested against her husband.

Baela had not written, that much she knew, though Jace had said that she had found a friend in Helaena after a tense standoff. Rhaenyra had found the mention of it surprising, for her little sister, in the times she’d been around her, had been a quiet thing, eyes large in her face, gaze flitting to everyone and no one.

Helaena has been the warmest…

Helaena was not yet married. The match with Aegon had never come to pass.

The invitation lay on the table before her next to the plate of lemon cake she liked for her morning meal on days such as this.

The wedding of Prince Aegon of House Targaryen and Lady Abrogail Strong of Harrenhal…

In five moons, the spectacle would be held in the Riverlands. In five moons, the realm would look upon her brother once more, peacocked and pulled out, as Daemon sneered, by Otto Hightower to show him off as a contender, to put pressure on her father to change his mind. Her father had nearly twenty years to change his mind and still, he had not. Not even in her absence, cowardly as it sometimes felt to retreat and lick her wounds, had her father’s support of the claim and her family seemed to waver. Try as the Hightowers might to scream and spread slanders that would call for bloodshed, her father still would not be swayed. It was the sense of satisfaction that she had felt when he came to her defense in that shadowed hall those years ago, the heated of curl in it that no matter what, there could be no question as to his choice.

He had chosen her.

Even as the feeling waned over time to give over to those moments where she doubted, all the times he had failed to reign his wife in with her abuses and vitriol, the words her son had sent her bolstered her.

I think Lord Lyonel and Ser Harwin would be pleased…

Harwin’s little sister, big blue eyes and red curls bound in braids, peeking curiously over the edge of Lucerys’ cradle next to Jace because ‘She asked if she could see the baby and give him this,’ Harwin had said, as the little girl presented her attempts at embroidering a little dragon on a pillow. Little Abrogail, half Harwin’s, half Alicent’s. She had tried to bring the girl to Dragonstone with them. Would she not be happier away from the court politics with her brother and the quiet? Lord Lyonel had given her a surprised, then hard look, and Rhaenyra had felt chastened in a way her own father had never been able to evoke within her.

“I will keep my daughter with me, and should I send her away, it will be back to her home, at Harrenhal, with her brother.”

Grief washed through her like the crashing of the waves on the rocky shore below and she felt her own jagged edges inside of her. Lyonel Strong had been the best of them, putting the realm first, always by her side at every council meeting she attended, encouraging her, even as his face grew graver with each brunette curled boy she bore.

Violet eyes swept across the parchment again. A servant in the camp had tried to attack the girl, Jace said. Crept into her tent, assuming she would have been alone. Inquiries were being made, but as far as anyone could see, the man had just been a baseborn servant - blending in like no other. Rhaenyra pursed her lips and looked down at the training yard once more, fingers drumming along the stone ledge of the terrace.

She wondered how wrapped around Lady Abrogail’s finger her half-brother might be… and how opportune this moment was.

Alicent’s eldest was marrying and taking a seat in the Riverlands. It was not the bold choice that Rhaenyra had thought would happen. Surely one of the many Lannister girls, or one of the Baratheons - a great house who would be invested in their own daughter becoming queen would have made more sense.

Harrenhal, for the wealth and lands that it had, did not command armies the way the Stormlands did. It did not have endless coffers the way Casterly Rock boasted of. It was a moody fortress on the edge of the God’s Eye, surrounded by lush farmland and woods that were dark and deep and felt that you were somewhere fanciful, somewhere that didn’t hold dragons nor thrones, nothing except for a warm hand wrapped around her own.

The clashing and screaming of steel in the yard below pulled Rhaenyra from her thoughts, and away from the path of her sorrows and regrets. Turning her back to the sight below, she reached for her own parchment and quill, pushing aside the letter from Lord Celtigar.

Lady Abrogail… Good tidings on news of your approaching nuptials…

Aemond pursed his lips, his gaze rising from the book before him, a study on the Conqueror’s approach to the first Dornish war,to squint across the barrel room near the top of the tower that held the library in the Holdfast. He drummed his fingers upon the scarred wooden table, a fingertip running along the crescent burn from the time Abby had accidentally knocked over a candle while they were reading about Harren the Black.

He exhaled slowly, the way the Braavosi manuals advised and looked back at his book.

It had been weeks since his brother’s festivities, and the chill of the end of the growing season had crept in. It was not cold by northern standards, but the air cooled, the rains rolled in for the next several months, and angry storms fell over them  from the Narrow Sea, their winds piercing and frightening, as if they were dragons themselves in the winds that the Storm God rode, threatening to tear apart the Red Keep brick by brick.

Helaena’s nameday had passed with quiet fanfare, the lingering lords of the realm who had not left parading their sons in front of his maiden sister. As if any of them were worthy of a dragonrider, someone as clever and kind as Helaena.

It had been complicated over the past weeks since the talk in the garden, and Aemond still wasn’t entirely sure how he felt. What had been most surprising had been the strange sense of release when his sister let him go, leaving him to sit in the rain before Visenya’s statue, her words ringing in his ears. 

‘I would burn Dorne for you… but I do not want to leave behind a world of ash and bone.’

How desperate Helaena had looked, angry and frightened and full of hope as she begged not to have a husband, but a brother back. ‘How else am I supposed to protect her?' he had wondered. How else could he offer his sister protection and security if it wasn’t to marry her, to tie her to him so that she would never have to fear, never have to doubt her acceptance and those who loved her?

Aegon had not wanted to marry her. She was weird, he’d sneered. How miserable Helaena would be, how miserable they both would have been. Aemond had done the right thing. He’d stepped up, he had gotten Mother and The Tower to break the betrothal. Even if they had not promised him and Helaena to one another, that was alright, it would simply be a matter of time.

He had Vhagar. There could be no further doubt that he was truly a Valyrian. There could be no more doubt as to his place in the world. All that was left was his sister.

Guilt gnawed deep in his stomach, shame twisting around his throat when the thought filtered through. Helaena was not a bauble he needed to collect to prove something. Collecting her was not protecting her. Collecting her was not about her, but for him, and it was this knowledge that he had thought about constantly.

His sister deserved more than being a broodmare, to be a pawn in the games. The forced distance the last few weeks had given him, after Helaena pushed him from the proverbial nest, had left him unsettled and snappish.

The loud thud of a book hitting the stone floor reverberated through the room. A heavy tome, judging from the heft of the sound, followed by a soft giggling, a deeper snickering sound chasing after it before they muffled and fell quiet.

He knew, with the utmost certainty, why it had fallen quiet.

Ever since the betrothal, the grip on his best friend had been slipping. Oh, him and Abrogail were an unlikely pair, but few appreciated books and history as his cousin did. While digging in the dirt and helping Helaena catalog her collection had been fulfilling, there was something joyous in being able to have someone who understood the quiet and sanctity of the library, and who loved books and reading and learning as he did. Lyonel Strong had always indulged his questions when was young - far more enthralling than Mellos and Orwyle were, and he had fostered that curiosity in his daughter.

‘All she’s going to care about is making babies with Aegon!’ Helaena had cried, frustrated and angry when they’d been alone after the fight in the brothel. 

There was a soft cry, and Aemond scowled at his book before his chair scraped across the stone floor and he strode purposefully towards the source of the sound. The histories of the Riverlands were there - not just observational books, but the census, the trade information, things used by the small council’s not-quite-so-small army of clerks and counters and lawmakers. The section of the library that Abby had frequented since the announcement and that he had helped her with.

“Not here,” came the whispered whine, laced with laughter. Aemond rolled his eye as he turned the corner of the aisle. It was shadowed somewhat this far down, The strategically polished silver angled to bounce the light around so as not to pose a fire risk among the precious books, although the day was gray and cloudy and the light reflected was that of a lamp. Abby was pressed against the bookshelves, the blue and silver brocade of her skirts rucked up with her stockings on display, her legs at present, wrapped around his stupid brother’s waist. One arm was stretched out to grab onto the bookshelf behind her, and the fallen book that had been in its place was still on the ground. Aegon’s face was buried into her chest, or maybe her throat? 

He was half-blind, after all, sometimes details could be mercifully missed. Or ignored.

“This,” Aemond said, his voice even and dripping with every ounce of annoyance and betrayal he felt, “is the library, not a brothel.”

Aemond’s fists clenched at the disrespect both of them displayed to a place they knew  was important to him. At the announcement of his presence, Abby squeaked, Aegon’s arms tightening around her as she scrambled to lower herself without sending them both toppling. He held his arms folded behind his back, his hand scraping along his elbow as the pair of them got themselves in order and he shook his head when Aegon looked at him, dragging the back of his hand across his mouth. Abby had turned to straighten her gown.

“Are you really going to act like this?” Aegon said, for it was barely a question. “We weren’t in front of you and your book. You were the one seeking us out.”

“Because you both weren’t as quiet as you thought you were,” Aemond snapped. “It was distracting.”

A lazy smirk crossed across his brother’s flushed face and he wanted to punch him square in his stupid nose. Let him kiss his future wife with his face bashed in. “Well, my lady is distracting-.” There was a soft sound as Abby smacked Aegon’s shoulder, cutting him off with an exaggerated ow, the flinch was nowhere near the violent response that inhabited his brother when it was their mother doing the hitting. She peered around Aegon’s shoulder, her mouth just as swollen, her cheeks just as flushed and her features apologetic.

“We’re sorry, Aemond. Things just got out of hand. I shouldn’t have-”

“Don’t you apologize,” Aegon interrupted her this time, a fierce look on his face. 

“No, actually,” Aemond cut in, taking a step forward, using the few inches he now had on his brother to straighten his shoulders. “She’s right. Thank you, Abby, for apologizing. Are you upset that she has to apologize for you, since your self-awareness is worse than a billy goat ramming his head into things?”

Aegon’s mouth gaped in offense, his flush deepening. There was a bruise along his neck that was going to be difficult to hide. The glib nature of his eldest brother was a trial at the best of times, but this? “You know this isn’t your place to run about as you please. Shall I just unlock my doors, let you roll around in my sheets and over my personal things while you’re at it?”

“It’s the fucking library, Aemond. It doesn’t belong to you-”

Abby let out a startled cry as Aemond’s fist shot out, but as much as he would love to punch his brother, he shoved him instead, feeling the crackling of frustration, the rumble of Vhagar in his chest.  “Because it’s all yours, is that it? You mewling fucking kitten. This isn’t just my library, it’s hers too, but you don’t fucking care about anything that means something to anyone else if it gets in the way of what your limp cock wants.”

“Aemond, truly, we’re sorry - Aegon, no!” Abby’s voice was lost in Aegon’s growl as his brother came back with another shove, sending him back a few steps. Aemond laughed, a hint of a sound like the thin scrape of wind whistling through a crack. Yes, yes let the idiot push him around. Let him continue to pull his friend away from him, from him and Helaena both. His gaze darted briefly to the redhead, blue eyes wide as she pressed herself back against the shelves, before meeting his brother’s lighter gaze.

“You are a glib fucking fool, Aegon,” Aemond said lowly, his mouth curling as he readied for a fight, needing to expend the burn of flame inside of him. “I don’t care what the pair of you do, I’ll say nothing should Mother hear of it, but-” he stepped forward and shoved Aegon hard into the bookstack. The ancient wood creaked and groaned, but the stacks were bolted to the floor to prevent them from topping. A few books fell from the force of Aegon’s frame smacking into it. “Stay the hell out of my library.”

He did not look over his shoulder, even as Abby called his name, apology rife in her tone. He strode through the halls, calling for his horse to be saddled while he went to angrily pull on his riding leathers. The left side of his temple ached as it was wont to do when his face was full of tension. Helaena would make him tea, protect him in the quiet, but that was not meant to be today. The last he saw, his sister was in the gardens with Jacaerys. 

How he ached to wring the stupid bastard’s neck.

How bright he seemed to make Helaena laugh.

How betrayed Aemond felt by it all.

Why hadn’t Helaena said anything? Why hadn’t she told him that she didn’t want to be married? Why had she just let him wander around like a puppy and now left the fool?

‘But hadn’t she told you?’ a little voice drifted through Aemond’s mind and he paused in the lacing of his leathers. Had she not told him by pursuing that fool Warren Fossoway, and the time that he had spied her kissing him - for he had seen Helaena push the squire behind the carved dragon pillar by the gardens. 

‘But she would let me kiss her, she would kiss me, and she’d touch me and I her and-’ The flurry of thoughts ached as he pulled on his boots.

It would not hurt as much if it was anyone but Jacaerys.

The ride to the beach beneath the shadow of the Red Keep was a blur. The rock outcropping of Aegon’s High Hill was a craggy, sheer thing, but the beach below was one that Vhagar enjoyed sunning herself, a guard dog laying at the foot of the bed in a way. Her head lifted as Aemond approached, lowing in greeting and shaking sand from her scales. The tension in Aemond’s chest began to ease at the sight of her, and he approached, patting a gloved hand along her scarred neck, scratching along a vicious scar she must have received in Dorne. There were no words exchanged, not the way Aegon chattered with Sunfyre. Aemond’s bond with Vhagar was one of feeling, of such deep understanding that no words needed to spill from him. In no time, he scaled her great bulk and yelled out the command to fly, which his dragon responded with her own, what he assumed was excited, call in return.

Vhagar landed on the cliffs on the western side of Massey’s Hook, the bay below dotted with smaller fishing boats this far out from King’s Landing and away from the bustle of the capital. Rage and grief, anger and fear were a tempest in his gut and he rankled at the call of Moondancer as his cousin circled above them.

If Baela wanted this fight, then he would meet her, unflinching. Let her see what dragons were made of. They did not all reside on Dragonstone.

“Laodijes peldios!” Baela howled at him, her voice a sharp shout on the breeze, her face twisted and ugly with fury, fists at her side as she readied herself to hit him should he get within reach.

Aemond glared at her, the distance between them shrunk now to an arm length. Vhagar was a great shadow behind him and he could feel the sulfuric heat of her breath as she exhaled buffeting at his back. Moondancer was a little ways away, shrieking fearfully and Aemond could not tell if the dragon reflected her rider’s mood, or her fear of Vhagar.

“You’re a fucking fool. Daemon Targaryen is your father, your mother a Velaryon, and you still don’t realize that a dragon cannot be stolen.”

“You had no fucking right!” Baela snarled. “Vhagar was for Rhaena to claim-”

“If Vhagar had not wanted me, she would have eaten me and you damn well know it.” Aemond cut her off, watching her jaw click shut with a curl of satisfaction. “Vhagar chose me, not your sister. What? You want to kill me to give her another chance at claiming her? Is that what you’re here? To finish the job that you all started?”

“Why would my mother’s dragon choose you?” Balea cried, and this time, there was a choked quality to her rage. Aemond’s eye widened slightly and he leaned back from her, a curl of uncertainty that he despised. His words had been harsh, full of the anger that he had felt simmering these past years. Aemond shrugged it off. He had earned his harshness in this. He’d been the one attacked, the band of them setting upon him simply because he chose to claim his right as a Valyrian prince.

‘Why would my mother’s dragon choose you?’

Aemond ran his tongue over his teeth and leaned back on his foot, watching Baela gasp for air amidst her choking sobs, and turn from him to look out to the bay, towards Driftmark and High Tide.

He remembered his mother’s cries, her rage, her such careful and elegant control snapping as her voice cracked in the silence of the Hall of Nine.

“He’s your son, Viserys.”

“Why did Moondancer choose you?” Aemond asked. “Why did Moondancer choose you, and my egg never hatched?” Baela did not look at him but he could see the way her shoulders tensed. “Why didn’t you go find the guards? Why did you come, thinking a thief had stolen a dragon and Jacaerys brought his blade? Why did they give me a pig, pretending they had found me a dragon as they both had their own? Why did they do nothing but terrorize me with that fact for our childhoods?” 

Aegon had done it too, gone in on the fun, drunk on being the eldest. It had lessened considerably in the wake of Rhaenyra leaving the capital, even if his brother sought other ways to tease him - he’d never again mentioned his lack of dragon.

Aegon had come to him in his sick bed, his curls shorn, red eyed and puffy faced, tears on his cheeks, had knelt at his bedside and vowed to him. 

“We protect our own and I did not protect you. I do not care if you’ve claimed Vhagar, for I was not there for you when you needed me. It will never happen again. I will protect you. I will be by your side.”

Aemond had sometimes wondered how much of the words were his brother’s own, but he had known, with certainty, that the feelings were genuine. His brother was an idiot, and they butted heads, but his brother loved him in his own way, and for as angry as Aegon could make him, he loved him too. In his own way. 

He might admit that on his deathbed, unlike Aegon, who would only need to be in the depths of his cups and into the sad and tearful mourning edge.

“What do you know, Baela?” Aemond said, his voice even, coldness creeping along the edges. “Of fighting and scraping for everything that is owed to you?” He forcefully bit his tongue, copper exploding in his mouth as he broke skin, to keep from pressing further at the loss of her birth right to Driftmark for Rhaenyra’s folly.

“A prince has to scrape for all that is owed to him.” It was rhetorical, biting, and Aemond snorted, taking a step forward, his own gaze looking out at the water.

“You may have been an idiot child, but don’t play me for a fool.” It was impossible not to see how little Viserys thought of his second family, and he had seen it plainly on Jacaerys’ face, the surprise in witnessing it. “I’m sure your father relishes every word you send to him. His little spy.”

Baela’s lip curled in a snarl and she stalked closer. Aemond stayed where he was, watching her with a narrowed eye as Vhagar let out a low growl behind him. She did not move, did not lift her head, but her nostrils flared and Aemond felt the heat of her breath swirl around him. Baela’s eyes widened, and she paused, the indigo of them shining with tears. 

He turned his head slightly to look at Vhagar. “Ȳgha iksi,” he reassured her, feeling Vhagar’s displeasure seeping through him, her warning and the remembered rage from those years ago when she could not protect him or take away his pain. He reached for her snout, pressing his hand to the scar above her left nostril, rubbing against it. He turned his back to his cousin and brought his other hand up, feeling the anger hot as coals, hot as dragonfire in his chest. Vhagar was full of tension. He could feel it. Would she feel that way if it wasn’t him? If she was not so worried for him, would she recognize the girl behind him as the child that Laena Velaryon surely brought to her, as Aemond would have brought his own child? Had his grandfather, Baelon, brought his sons to this dragon before them?

The silence filled the air around them, the wind thick with tension. Aemond pressed his forehead to Vhagar, took strength from her, squeezed his eye shut and ignored the pain that lanced through his head and pulsed behind his scar.

The sob behind him was soft, and Moondancer’s cry was mournful.

“He’s your son, Viserys.”

“I did not mean to tarnish your mother’s memory,” Aemond finally spoke, his voice carrying as he looked, blind side towards Baela. “It was not done to hurt you, or to take something from you. It was… It was my only chance. And it’s something I don’t think you’ll ever be able to understand. I am… I am sorry about the loss of your mother. I did not have the opportunity to give you my condolences then, but I can give them to you now.”

The sound Baela made was strangled. Aemond turned to look at her. Baela was stiff beneath her red and black riding leathers, the metal rings in her hair tinkling as the wind tugged at her braids. He recalled the mourning child she had been sitting by her twin and Jace, the vicious yell she’d let out when she punched him in the nose that night, the howls and scream of pain. He felt Vhagar twitch and groan beneath his touch, another warning and he hushed her again, stroking her snout. He watched her gaze go towards Moondancer, who was crying fitfully, grounded still, her aquamarine wings more green against the lush grass of the clifftop.

“Do you want to pet her?”

Baela stared at him, the hostile lines to her face instantly slacking in surprise. “Skoro syt?” Her voice was small and wary, even as her eyes were wide with grief.

“My condolences,” Aemond repeated, and he found the words genuine. It was not Baela, nor her sister, or even his bastard nephews that rankled him. Oh, he wanted his revenge, He wanted what was due, but more of the blame lay with his eldest sister and their father. Of that, Aemond was secure in. He would gladly feed them both to Vhagar, to take an eye as payment for his mother.

His cousin shifted on her booted feet before whatever compelled her brought her forward. Aemond shifted, beckoning her to take her place by his side as he murmured words to Vhagar. Baela had taken her glove off, her slim, tanned hand reaching tentatively up before resting along the scar on Vhagar’s nostril.

They stood there for how long, Aemond was not sure, quietly beside one another as Baela grieved for the mother at the bottom of the Narrow Sea, and his own grief at what was taken from him.

“Do not mourn me, mother…”

‘But mourn the boy dead on Driftmark.’

It was not lightness or peace that settled over Aemond when he and his cousin parted later. He was not certain how much time had passed, only that after she had sobbed, they sat there in a strange, companionable silence eating hunks of bread and cheese and apple that Baela cut with a wicked blade. She did not give him thanks, she did not say anything, but Aemond took the offering of shared food as her own gesture of whatever truce was settled between them. The exchanged curt nods before parting, Baela northeast and away from the city to what Aemond assumed was High Tide and her grandmother and twin, while he circled back towards the city.

Aemond was not certain of the feeling he held except that it felt like he had scratched something out on a list, or deposited a burden that he was trying to carry with all his other, more cumbersome burdens. It was a closed door. That was enough for Aemond, and there was a part of him that wanted to march to his sisters and tell them that he had made nice, to have Abby’s warm smile proud with him, and Helaena’s little clap and promptly being the receiver of her latest mountain spider that Uncle Rodrik had brought her.

Instead, after entering the inner courtyard of the Red Keep and handing off his horse to one of the stablehands, he made his way to the gardens and to his own preferred solitude when the library - so recently desecrated - was not an option. No, Aemond needed air, he needed the statue of Visenya to look down upon him. There, where Helaena had snipped the strings and released him from the vow he had made, the goal that held him that was more about him than it truly was about her. 

Where his sister had set him free, and he loved her all the more for it.

The problem, he found, upon striding down the paved path and through the dripping ivy, was that his garden was not, in fact, as empty as he hoped. Wylla Karstark was kneeled in front of a bush of hyacinths, carefully cutting the purple blooms and placing them in a basket beside her. She was clad in a dove gray dress, the black fabric of her kirtle beneath poking out through slashes along her shoulders and puffed at her elbows. Her fox features were pinched in concentration and Aemond watched her for a moment, silent as she had clearly not heard his approach.

Wylla Karstark was an unknown. She was pretty enough, with a long nose and sharp jaw, gray eyes that flashed when she was annoyed, which was the majority of the time. She had a rather frustrating talent of being able to look down at him even as she had to arch her neck, for she was as petite as Abby was. Their joint misfortune, just like Aegon’s. She was also well read, their conversation at the feast turning from a mutual annoyance to discussing the book of poetry that he had seen her reading, which itself had turned into a rather long and in depth conversation on the Valyrian poet, Praxilla, whose work had survived by the grace of her living the life of leisure in Lys when the Doom happened. Wylla and his elder brother unknowingly shared a fondness for drinking songs penned by the scribe, although Aemond was smart enough to know he shouldn’t bring that up.

Not until he needed to.

“It is polite to speak when coming upon someone, Your Grace,” Wylla’s northern burr was arch as she focused on her task. “I would curtsy, but you can see I’m already on my knees.”

Aemond’s cheeks flushed at the turn of her words, and he was not certain if she understood how they could be taken. He decided that she didn’t, for she did not turn to look at him, seemingly unbothered. All for the best, he supposed, for Aemond did not think he could meet her gaze should she be facing him.

“Why are you cutting my flowers?”

“Your flowers, Your Grace?” Wylla laughed, a sharp, lilting sort of sound and he wondered if that’s what she sounded like when she sang. Did she sing? He had not asked her. “These flowers belong to Queen Visenya, for it is her garden, is it not?”

“It is my garden,” he pushed back, frowning at the back of her head, the mass of thick, twisted black braids kept in place with a woven, pearl hair net with wicked looking, pearl tipped hair pins to keep the heaviness of it in place. He flexed his hands, wiping them on his riding leathers as he approached. There were other flowers in her basket, like wisteria and some of the roses from the main garden. He sat, bending his one leg to rest an arm on while the other reached in.

Up close, he could see the red flush to her pale cheeks. He did not recall them looking so red when he saw her the day before, outside of the bit of sun all the girls had gotten during the sun.

Her smack was quick, the sound of flesh stinging flesh loud and he immediately pulled back with a hiss and a glare. “How dare-”

“Those aren’t for you,” Wylla said forcefully, the gray eyes of her bright in her face as she finally looked at him. “They’re for Lady Abrogail.”

Aemond had killed a man for the fox-faced woman before him without hesitation, and the knowledge of it settled in him still, generally buried over the past few weeks because he had no idea what to do about it. They’d been attacked in the night, and Wylla Karstark had shoved a knife between the man’s ribs without hesitation. So tall, Wylla Karstark seemed, so loud, filling up the spaces she was in without holding herself back, that he had so often forgotten how small she was.

Until she was there, in front of him, those gray eyes like the storm ridden ocean.

Aemond held her gaze, reaching back into the basket to pluck one of the deep purple, nearly blue anemones that she had gathered, twirling it idly between his long fingers before reaching up to tuck it behind her ear. Wylla was still beside him, her red painted mouth parted slightly, so he could see the flash of her white teeth behind it. Her cheeks deepend in their red to match the paint on her lips and Aemon hummed. 

Abby had been understandably shaken. Knowing her as long as he did, even with the smiles affixed to her face, he knew the signs as intimately as he understood Helaena’s or Aegon’s, or his own mother’s. Wylla Karstark was a mystery. She had been quiet, from what he had seen, but the wedding preparations had taken up much time with the girls, as well as her brother finally leaving the capital earlier that week.

He clenched his jaw, a muscle ticking, before he met her gaze. “Are you alright?”

Her inhale was loud. It trembled and she pressed her red lips together, her throat bobbing with a swallow and looked back at the flowers but did not move to cut anymore. Aemond did not push her, but only waited.

“Yes? No? Strangely yes,” she finally whispered. “I think that’s what bothers me more.”

“That bastard came in with intent to harm,” Aemond said. “If you didn’t kill him, someone else would have. You were incredibly brave.” None knew  where he’d come from. The assailant had been clad in the same red garb as the rest of the servants. A baseborn man. Waters or Storm, Aemond couldn’t remember, much like he had no memory of the man’s face before he stared down at it, red and wheezing before he killed him.

“At least it wasn’t Aegon,” Wylla whispered, her eyes wide, drawing his attention back to her. “What would have that turned into - him sneaking in for them to slobber all over each other. Me thinking he was an attacker and-”

The snort of laughter that escaped Aemond at the idea of it all could not be held back. He bent his head, gasping for air as his shoulders shook and it was only a moment before Wylla’s own peel of laughter joined his. It had been some weeks since he’d laughed, in the wake of what happened at the hunt drying up what little humor he’d indulged in. There was an infectious quality to Wylla Karstark’s amusement that he found comforting. Aemond looked at her, her face flushed from her laughter, and he leaned in, kissing her.

The laughter abruptly stopped, her mouth soft against his, still from her clear surprise. She tasted like oranges. Abby must have indulged in the sweet and sour orange cakes they had at the feast. Wylla did not respond, but she didn’t move away either and Aemond took that as acceptance, and he lifted his hand to cup her cheek, thumb swiping softly against the apple of it. Kisses with Helaena had been different - always expected, always ready, with her initiating many of them. The one time he’d kissed Abby, when they were little and Jace had dared him to, did not count. The both of them had made faces, vowing to never do it again. 

Kissing Wylla, though? He never wanted to stop, especially not when she reached up, the clippers making a soft thump along the grass to wrap around the end of the braid slung over his shoulder. She tugged it gently and Aemond broke away, blinking and gasping. “What?” he asked. “Should I have not done that?”

“Oh, you should have,” she reassured him, breathless and red faced. She licked her lips and looked at her fingers still wound around his braid, toying with the leather tie. “I was just reminded of something someone told me once.”

He cocked his head, mouth pursed. “What was it?”

The smile that cut across Wylla’s face was amused, the scar along the top of her lip giving a mischievous bend to her small, red mouth. “It was about how dragons purr when you pull their hair.”

Whatever thought started to coalesce about her late night conversation with his sisters was pushed right out when her lips found his.

I would love to hear your thoughts! Even if it's just a keyboard smash! Reblog to spread a story around so others may find it! I would love to hear your theories! What did you love? What are you looking forward to? Happy to have you here as always <3

[Next Chapter]

[nil-nothing-nada]

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This post is now considered outdated due to recent developments in my Stardew Valley AU. Please refer to this more recent post for information!

Mr. Qi Headcanons

(A lot of these are based around the idea that he's secretly super powerful and is restraining himself most of the time because that's one of my favorite traits in a character, hehehe. Also, I am a sucker for freaky, supernatural biological traits if you can't tell by my ocs...)

"Immortal"

Agender (Any Pronouns)

Bisexual

Full name is Adam Qi. (First name is by his mother, last name is inherited from his father)

Uses any pronouns, but if often referred to as a male since that's what he's used to. He's all around pretty relaxed about his gender.

Doesn't like his first name because it reminds him of his past humanity, so he never tells it to anyone. He prefers that people refer to him as Mr. Qi or just Qi.

Frighteningly good at masking and pushing down his emotions so that all he displays is cool confidence. Even in the worst situations he seems incredibly diplomatic and slow to anger, though if you somehow happen to see past this facade, you can tell that he is extremely volatile and barely able to restrain himself. Only a few specific things will ever cause the mask to slip, but when it does, he'll explode with uncharacteristically violent anger. Cheating at any of his games especially pisses him off, and he has "disposed" of the worst offenders.

Tries to keep a smile on his face all the time to better hide his intentions. (No, this isn't a reference to Alastor from Hazbin Hotel, sadly.)

Was human at one point, but is completely unwilling to talk about it. He becomes aggressive if he's pushed too much on this topic.

Around the time he turned 19, Mr. Qi was unwillingly possessed by a sort of "will of the universe" that has been jumping from person to person for eons. At first he was terrified, but since then he has grown to enjoy the power he received from it, despite the loss of his humanity.

Mr. Qi himself is only 32 years old, but he has memories and knowledge from countless centuries of lifetimes so he's often referred to as immortal.

The universe's will is always searching for its next heir, and Mr. Qi believes the farmer could be a perfect fit if they are given the right encouragement.

His clothes are made of an enchanted fabric that slightly shimmers like the night sky. It's also quite light and comfortable, as he is picky about the textures of the clothes he wears.

Very sensitive to touch, and hates when people touch him without permission.

Geiger counters and other sensors for hazardous materials go off around him, detecting him as the element polonium or the chemical hydrogen cyanide. Despite this, he is not actually harmful to be around in any way.

If he's angry he creates a static-y aura that can cause unprotected machinery around him to glitch and short circuit. He can also use this power on command, but he has to focus on it. (For visual reference, think about how Mono from Little Nightmares II tunes into the TV transmissions.)

Is fully immune to radiation. Additionally, all toxins have minimal effect on him and cannot kill him, although they might make him sick for a bit.

Regenerates from any damage immediately. He still feels pain like a normal person, but he usually just pushes past it.

He can't really control his strength, but he's usually only about as strong as a decently-exercised human. However, he becomes much stronger when he's truly angry, to the point where he'll clench his fists hard enough to break his bones. This power usually only lasts for very short bursts, though.

Is inhumanly agile and very quiet when moving. He frequently sneaks up on people unintentionally and startles them.

Has pointed, shark-like teeth and small, sharp claws. His claws are always partially out, but he can extend them further if he needs to.

Has a split tongue that is a bit longer than a normal human's.

His skin glitters and looks slightly iridescent in certain lights.

His eyes are impossibly dark, yet seem to sparkle like they contain small universes. Looking in them without preparation causes immense cosmic dread in the viewer, so he wears his reflective sunglasses to cover them.

His blood is dark like space and has a slimy texture.

Growls when he's angry and purrs when he's content. However, he hates purring around other people because it ruins his mysterious, threatening persona. (If I headcanon that someone growls threateningly I gotta make it so they purr too. Sorry, I don't make the rules...)

[reijukisser]

Part 1 of One piece hcs that no one asked for!!

(this one is purely Sanji centred bcs she's my princess, literally)

★ Sanji is bigender.

He thought he was exclusively a woman at first on kamabakka, since wearing a dress made him feel the most confident he ever had, and he loved the idea of long hair a lot. He was finally slowly letting go of his internalized homophobia, and also finally accepting himself as bisexual, but he soon realized that he still felt comfortable in his masculinity, and he was basically having an entire gender crisis before iva-chan explained to him that he could be literally anyone he wanted to, that he could be a man, a woman, both, neither — whatever he felt most like himself in. After some research he found out that he's probably bigender, and goes by he/she :3

★ Sanji has heterochromia.

His right eye is brown, the color he inherited from his father, but was too afraid to hide his entire life, because it displayed his identity to everyone, how he was nothing but germa's failure, not enough flesh and bones to be human and not the lack of empathy and metal skin he needed to be a heartless soldier. Not enough, never enough, (this ties into how he has imposter syndrome, probably. feels like a thief, to have stolen his mother's life, her hair and her eyes from her, to have stolen zeff's fighting style, his goddamn leg, only to be inadequate, useless, weak.) after some well needed therapy on kamabakka, (it didn't really change anything, but Sanji liked to pretend it did) and literally running away from his problems, his desire to pretend he was nothing but a cog in the machine, a sacrificial lamb good for nothing but to give away his life so high, that he literally learned to fucking fly, Sanji embraced his identity, if only the slightest bit. So now, he shows off his crystalline blue eyes, waves of the ocean and reflections of the sky, of sora encapsulated in them, and that makes all the difference, even if sometimes, (all the time) when he looks in the mirror and all he sees is his mother, he feels like the shittiest person on earth, who does not deserve the life given to him, does not deserve life at all. This is also why he decided to grow out his hair, at first he was very against the idea, to replicate his mother's appearance so closely, put on a facade of a heart nearly as pure, as kind as hers, (he is, but he'll never understand) but I hc that Nami once said he'd look pretty with long hair, and he never let go of that. In a way, slowly, very, very slowly, it's helping him accept that he isn't a monster like he thinks. But he still is covering up part of himself. I think Sanji achieveing true inner peace would be him showing off both his eyes, the good and the bad. (It'll never happen though because he is literally the incarnation of angst sjsjjs)

[renthony]

🏳️‍🌈

any good queer book recomendations?

(Drop a 🏳️‍🌈 in my inbox and I’ll respond with a queer media recommendation!)

The Second Mango by Shira Glassman is the first book of the Mangoverse series, a queer Jewish fantasy series about young disabled lesbian Queen Shulamit and her family. It's very good, very sweet, and just about the most heartwarming cozy fantasy series out there.

The first book follows Shulamit after she's had her heart broken by her lady love and is trying to find other women who love women. Accompanied by a dragon-riding warrior woman named Rivka (my personal favorite character <3), Shulamit helps save a temple of women turned to stone by an evil wizard, rescue a beautiful woman from captivity, and get a wholesome sapphic happily-ever-after.

Here's the official plot summary:

Queen Shulamit never expected to inherit the throne of the tropical land of Perach so young. At twenty, grief-stricken and fatherless, she's also coping with being the only lesbian she knows after her sweetheart ran off for an unknown reason. Not to mention, she's the victim of severe digestive problems that everybody thinks she's faking. When she meets Rivka, an athletic and assertive warrior from the north who wears a mask and pretends to be a man, she finds the source of strength she needs so desperately. Unfortunately for her, Rivka is straight, but that's okay -- Shulamit needs a surrogate big sister just as much as she needs a girlfriend. Especially if the warrior's willing to take her around the kingdom on the back of her dragon in search of other women who might be open to same-sex romance. The real world outside the palace is full of adventure, however, and the search for a royal girlfriend quickly turns into a rescue mission when they discover a temple full of women turned to stone by an evil sorcerer.

The other books in the series follow Shulamit as she deals with things like "I have a severe gluten intolerance, but nobody respects my dietary needs!" and "I'm a cis lesbian in a relationship with a cis bisexual woman, but we gotta produce an heir to the throne!" and "oh no, our kingdom's crops are being affected by a mysterious blight and we have to help the farmers!" and "how do we help a gay prince from a neighboring kingdom fight against his father for the labor rights of the common people?"

The series is very Jewish, very queer, very feminist, and they're incredibly comforting. They make me believe in a better world, full of wonderful people who care about each other and fight to improve the world. It's a perfect series to read if you need something to feel hopeful about. The second book was even dedicated to a local labor rights organization in the author's city, which I think is pretty awesome.

The series gets mis-categorized as young adult fairly often, because it doesn't have explicit depictions sex or violence. It is not YA, though--Queen Shulamit is 20 years old in the first book, and by the fourth book, she and her wife have multiple children. YA is great, don't get me wrong, but this series is very much for adults!

Do yourself a favor and check it out if you're looking for diverse fantasy with a happy ending, where marginalized people get to love each other fully and triumph over difficult circumstances.

[arecaceae175]

Hi I'm sorry if this is random but do you have any LU Sky headcanons that you like and would like to share? No pressure if you don't want to ! (/genuine)

YES HI HELLO I ALWAYS WANT TO DO THIS!!!! :DDD

I have two other asks in my ask box about LU Sky headcanons that I am saving for when I come up with more headcanons (from @taddy-cat and @majorproblems77 hehe).

In no particular order here are some of my favorite Linked Universe Sky headcanons:

He is bisexual and polyamorous and in a relationship with Groose and Zelda!! They're all dating each other. Groose is also bi, demisexual, and poly, and Zelda is onmisexual and poly. I love them your honor. Groozelink my absolute beloved.

When I feel like letting Sky be trans, I enjoy having him be bigender (man and woman) and use he/she pronouns interchangeably.

I like calling his Loftwing Crimson. They're best friends. They like to go exploring together!!!

Sky's mother died when he was too young to remember her. Sky's father was a knight and Sky inherited his love for flight tricks! Before Sky and Crimson were old enough to fly on their own, Sky would ride with his dad and they would do awesome tricks. After Sky's parents died, he was kind of collectively raised by Skyloft, which is why no one is surprised to see him just show up and use their beds in the game. He lived with Zelda's family before he was old enough to live in the Knight Academy, and he also spent a lot of time at Pip's family's house.

I Imagine the Sky islands are much larger and much more expansive than we see in the game. Skyloft is the biggest Island and the capitol, kind of, and there are a lot more islands with people living on them.

Chronic illness Sky my beloved. I enjoy seeing him with any disabilities, but I am partial to POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). It would explain his low stamina and chronic fatigue and sitting to regenerate hearts :). And there's a whole lot of other symptoms involved too. The heartbreaking part about this though is as the condition progresses he would gradually lose the ability to fly with Crimson. The forces and the erratic movement would make him pass out and that is super very dangerous to do on a bird. I'm going to write a fic about this one day

Autism. Yeah. Sky has a Loftwing plush that's his comfort item and he brings it everywhere. He gets VERY easily overwhelmed on the Surface because there just so much stuff. The first time he went down to the Surface he pretty much immediately had a meltdown and Fi had to guide him to a safe place for it. When he's either overstimulated or understimulated and needs noise he tugs on his ears. Sometimes he accidentally scratches them and makes them bleed. He's used to the constant noise of wind in the sky, so on the surface when he doesn't have that and hears all the small sounds of nature he gets very stressed and shuts down a lot. His happy stims are flapping his hands or flapping his arms like a Loftwing!

He loves art and crafts!!! Woodcarving is the easiest to do on adventures, but he also likes painting and coloring. If he lived in modern times he would have so many coloring books.

Sky is squeamish :( Sometimes when he got injured during his adventure he would just. Pass out. Or if he stayed awake and had to deal with the injury there was a lot of crying and vomiting involved. Poor guy.

He thinks in statistics now, even after Fi is gone. It's comforting to him. <3 He misses her so much

He's the best swordsman of the chain. Sometimes he goes fucking feral and the rest of them are like o.o and it's awesome. He killed a god, he deserves to go bonkers mode as a treat. But after he does that he WILL need 2-4 business days to recover

HE LIKES BUGS!!! He and Wild and Twilight go and collect bugs together sometimes and its adorable.

Sky is claustrophobic! It causes a lot of problems. I've got a claustraphobia Sky fic rattling around in my brain rn :)

Sky is the heaviest member of the chain. He is not the tallest (Time) or the most muscular (Twilight). He is relatively tall and strong, but he's also fat and I love that for him. Skyloftians naturally have more bodyfat to stay warm, but even by their standards Sky is big. (Fat is not a bad word <3). Draw him fat and I will love you forever <3

Hmmmmmm that's all I can think of right now!!! I have an easier time answering asks about specific questions than I do general ones, so if anyone has any specific headcanon questions I will answer those much more quickly than the abstract ones (which i still love and appreciate) that have been sitting in my ask box for months lol (it's an autism thing).

BUT YEAH I love Sky. Thank you so much for this ask. You caught me in the right mood to ramble about him hehehehe <3. SKY

[yoinkschief]

What’s your general HCs for the fellas ? (Identity, race, sexuality etc)

Whooaagh, that's gonna be a long list, I have a ton of like small headcanons for them that mean like absolutely nothing, but I'll try to keep it to a simple list

Just quickly though:

I HC them all to be generally around 27/28 and in their late 30's/early 40's during WTFuture/in the future,, there was no real way to put that in a good list with them lol

And they're all best friends - just cause they're a group of people doesn't mean they only get to have one bestie yk, they're all super close

Also Ellsworld is canon alongside Eddsworld, they co-exist with each other

Tom - Mixed Race (Black/Irish from his mom, White/American-Hawaiian from his father - Trans Masc-Nonbinary (AMAB) He/They/(sometimes)It (It/Its depends on who it is) - Bisexual (massive masculine lean) (worst taste in men EVER) - Styles his hair to look like his fathers (otherwise his hair is usually textured around the 3's,,, like 3A/3B) - Very pear shaped like his father, and hairy too lol, the alcohol certainly doesn't help with that - Wears reading glasses (later this turns into him genuinely needing a prescription,, another thing he gets from his father - he looks very similar to his mother in terms of facial features and skin tone, but has a lot of his father's aspects) - Fear of eye contact (has gotten a lot better about it now that he's an adult, but still struggles with it with people he does not like/does not know) - Autistic - 5'5" (the shortest of the ensemble) - Works at a diner while part-timing music independently - "Monster" form is man made and extremely painful to turn into (there is no way he could control it,,, in some iterations of my headcanons like in different stories there are ways that he can have like a pact with it,,, like in my Mattsworld AU (WHICH I NEED TO POST ABOUT AUGH) he's "controlled" it a bit by making a deal with it,,, of what I haven't quite figured out yet oof) - Has quite a few tattoos on him,,, (Polynesian shark teeth on his left upper arm, cyan colored harpoon tattoos on his left side, a pinup mermaid girl on his right side, and the Nordic rune for "Wolf" on his right outer thigh) - Also he inherited his anger issues from his father as well, forgot to add that earlier with the list of things he's inherited from his old man lol - Momma's boy (/affectionately, not like he can't do anything without his mom, moreso like he really loves her a lot and obviously they're very close since they both lost Tom's father that day so for a while they were all the other had to remember him by) - Tamara is his cousin from his mother's side of the family - His first friend was Edd - His mother died when he was in highschool - father when he was in elementary, it really hit him hard (it was just before his senior year and had he not done so well the years prior he would've failed HS because of it) - Diesss ???? It's like the whole "OMG they killed Kenny" bit more than anything - like if I had to describe it, he has the Loony Toons death curse, where he dies on screen but in the next panel he's fine cause no one can actually die on a kid's show, yk ? - Tons of piercings,, mostly on his face but also in other places on his body too, though it's more like two other places other than his face area - Loves Ska music obviously, but also punk and rock, thinks artists like Destroy Boys, GRLWood,

Edd - British,,, and probably has some Italian in him somewhere, y'know like family rumors/talk of like "well I'm 1/4 Italian" or "your some odd greats grandma was Italian" that kinda thing,,, not quite sure, not curious enough to care to get some DNA test kit - Homophobic (/j) Gay, man kisser, masculine hug enjoyer, he holds hands with other boysss - On the AroAce spectrum, not really a hard no on either, just more of something he doesn't think about on a day to day basis nor really care about unless the thought is put in his head - Moles scattered across his body (not many, just one or two here and there - and none that are particularly bad or harmful) - Wears reading glasses (more specifically blue light glasses cause he's looking at a screen all day every day) - The only one of the gang that doesn't have any genuine mental disorder,,, he's got his problems sure but he's neurotypical through and through - His problems being main character and plot armor - More seriously though he has a raging hero/savior complex that gets him into a lot of trouble at times - 6' even, second tallest of the group - Very apple shaped,,, when I draw him I think very round thoughts if that makes sense - Had a major emo phase in highschool,,, he kinda snapped out of it during Senior year, or rather the summer leading up to it, but man it was wretched LOL - A child of divorce (they still made it work for him - it wasn't like they fought or it was a domestic abuse thing, they just fell out of love with each other and couldn't stand being in the same house anymore, but they love Edd so they made it work for him the best they could) - Works as an animator - professionally and freelancing ! Hard fucking order but he LOVES they process of creating art, seeing the end result is so gratifying to him and being able to see all the love and attention he put into it - Has a Youtube channel where sometimes he reviews animated movies/shows/shorts - he doesn't update it a lot, it's like a "if I feel like it" cause he only does Youtube as a hobby and as a place to hold his animation portfolio - His first friend was Matt, they've been friends since like diapers - REALLY really good friends with Tord - doesn't really know why but they are like bound by the hip - He's only got ear gauges - he doesn't try and stretch them a ton like Tom does, he's fine with just normal sized gauges that don't stretch his lobes all that much - Has a VERY BROAD music taste, anything from Lemon Demon to Oingo Boingo, to PinkPantheress, to Joey Valence & Brae, to Weird Al,,, anything under the rainbow of music genres he's probably heard one song from each - PowerEdd is canon still !! Not the superhero, but the powers he and Eduardo now suffer with lol,, but they're not really potent, his body chemistry is just kinda fucky now cause of it,,, bro glows in blacklight and sometimes just in general

Matt - British/French,,, basically he's incredibly white - Pansexual (he used to also be GenderFluid in my headcanons,,, but in the past year or so I've decided against it - he's more of just a guy who likes makeup and to wear dresses more than anything else) - Ginger with freckles, they cover his body in splotches mostly, but he's got a few individual ones here and there on his body as well (they've clustered around his face, hands, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees and like two separate patches on his back) - His hairstyle has changed so much with me over the years and it's my own damn fault lol, I don't draw him enough but that most comes with the "I don't wanna draw him wrong" thing but if I don't ever draw him how will I draw him right ?? It's a cycle is what it is - The only one with prescription glasses since middle school - he just wears contacts instead, he HATES how he looks in glasses - his parents had him get LASIK surgery to correct his vision,,, since then - His personal account where no one (except like the gang) knows it's him is very unhinged, he says some devious shit on there (it's a public Twitter account) - Also Autistic, but in a DRASTICALLY different way than Tom is, they're like opposite sides of the spectrum (Tom doesn't mask often, Matt masks like all day every day, Tom can't make eye contact, Matt makes intense eye contact, that kinda thing yk,,, even despite the fact they both have texture issues they have very different issues with textures - also Tom was very early diagnosed and Matt only got diagnosed after Tom kept pestering him to do so) - He's some kind of narcissist, just haven't been able to really pin point it down yet,, I need to do some more research on it - this could change in the future because of that so this is like a maybe canon - His father left him when he was very young like maybe 5-8 range, and his mother married his step father WAY too soon after, him and Matilda is his step sister (He HATED her at first, she tried to be very kind to him cause they're the same age and everything, and this is the first time she's had a sibling, but every time Matt looked at her all he could see was his father leaving him,,, it took until after college for them to actually grow closer as siblings and friends) -6'1" just an inch above Edd - Edd was his first friend - they've been through thick and thin together, they comforted each other when both their parents divorced, so obviously they've got a bit of a trauma bond through that, and are really the only ones who understand that kind of issue - at least in their eyes - Twink. Through and through. Despite being partially French he's got very back luck with growing hair on his body, and when he does it's thin and very lightly colored - Works as a model and "social media influencer",,, basically he's a walking propaganda poster - Has earrings, mostly wears a lot of gold - Doesn't like listening to music often,,, this hurts me to write as someone who can't NOT listen to music, but he just doesn't have a music taste,, I've mentioned before how he listens to some female rappers and other song artists like Mitski and Girl in Red, but that's only because he's listened to them on like the radio or had someone else recommend them to him, he doesn't actively listen/search for music - Still a vampire,,, er, really just half vampire ?? I'd like to think they lads did a séance of some sort on him and for the most part it worked but like Edd his chemistry is still a little fucked cause of it, y'know ? Like he's still got pointed ears and teeth, can't really do much about that, and a BIG craving for red meat and the like, but he can survive without a constant need for blood, and his skin was already sensitive to the sun anyway so there's nothing really new there

Tord - Just a Norwegian fool - Trans Masculine (AFAB) He/Him - Bisexual (with a MASSIVE fem lean,,, he IS the bad taste in men) - His hair ? Yeah that's natural - he's got some WICKED cowlicks,,, when he was younger his mom would try to brush them back to make him look more normal, but even when his hair was longer it didn't really do much for him - ADHD haver, VERY late diagnosis and still doesn't really believe it, but that's a whole lot to do with misinformation of negative dumb jargon shoved down his throat - Narcissistic Personality TRAITS, not the disorder, but TRAITS of the disorder (as in he doesn't actively have the mind set and intentions of people with NPD, but he does have the mannerisms and habits of one,, but that's because of how he was raised by two Narcissists - it's a damn miracle he doesn't have the disorder, but either way he's gotta go to therapy about it,,, and he will,,,,,, eventually,,,,,,,,, after you drag him there by his hair but I mean he'll be there) - Tattoos on him as well (Left shoulder to a half sleeve of a snake, tramp stamp of Ouroboros, and between his shoulder blades beneath the back of his neck is Jason Voorhees' mask) - Can not regulate or understand his emotions,,, the only way he really knows how to deal with intense emotions of any kind is through very physical and aggressive means,, it's why him and Tom get into so many spats, but mostly cause Tom doesn't put up with his bullshit as someone who is very good at reading and understanding his own and others' emotions - Bro's got a very broad chest,, he's like incredibly male passing, even before having gone on Testosterone - Redditor. Sorry I don't make the rules except I do and he's a Redditor. - Also has an Instagram account and it's all thirst traps,,, and I'm torn between how much interaction he'd get on them,,, like I wanna say he gets none because he's a damn loser weebcell dorklord, but I've also seen how EW fandom craves him and that makes me think that this would be no different, ykwim ?,, sigh,, realistically speaking he would get a lot of interaction with his posts and I hate that for him I hope something bad happens to him - Technically Tom was his first friend (??) in the sense that Tom was the first person he met in highschool and was the one he talked to the most during then,, at least when Tom's life was stable, it gets kinda iffy after Tom's mom died and that's where the first part of their rift really started - But him and Edd and SUPER close, despite Tom being his first friend, Edd and him just click REALLY well - Has a similar death thing like Tom, except his is more of like the anime death curse - if he dies off screen, no the fuck he did not, he is coming back as the villain - LOVES Twenty One Pilots, favorite band of all time, usually he's not a die hard for a lot of things, but TOP is one of them, he also likes poprock/poppunk, things like that, think like Imagine Dragons and Mindless Self Indulgence (YES THEY'RE TERRIBLE I KNOW, LOOK AT WHO'S LISTENING TO THEM AND GET BACK TO ME ABOUT IT) but he also listens to hyperpop like S3RL and Machine Girl, but that's just cause of all the base it usually has - that's like background music for him to work to

That's pretty much all I can think of off the top of my head of just general thoughts for them,,, I'm sure I could think of more specific ones but then we'd be here all day

[jellesreid]

Reunion of the Heart

In which Elle Greenaway is in Virginia with her teenage daughter and she sees Jennifer Jareau at the mall where they are both back to school shopping with their children. (fluff!)

masterlist

word count: 8.7k

part 1 of 2

tags: reunion, mom!jennifer jareau, mom! elle greenaway, dad! spencer reid, stepmom! maeve donovan, parenting, first dates, love, falling in love again, meeting team, past and present scenes, fluff, couple, in love, girlfriends, shopping, back to school, coffee shop date, late night date, dating, lesbian elle greenaway, bisexual jennifer jareau, fbi, behavioural analysis unit

no warnings

notes: I made this months ago but I only just around to proof reading it sorry guys! I hope you enjoy it.

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Back to school was a stressful time for JJ, having to shop for clothes, stationery, shoes and bags for an eight-year-old and a five-year-old who had more energy than most children was stressful. Henry and Micheal loved playing hide and seek in shops and running away from her when they became bored.

Back-to-school shopping was stressful for Elle because since becoming a lawyer it was hard to find any time off for long enough to take a thirteen-year-old shopping and she’s sure her daughter would prefer to be studying or hanging out with her best friend rather than going shopping with her.

For the first time in a few months, Elle had a full day off work and even though she knew her daughter didn’t care much about fashion she wanted her to have some new clothes and Alya would definitely want more books. Alya was a perfect mix of Elle and her father but Elle wished sometimes that she would be a little more sociable in school like she was but that was something she inherited more of from her father.

Elle picked a pair of low-rise flared jeans out of the hotel closet along with a baby pink almost white coloured blouse, it wasn’t her blouse, it was JJ’s she had accidentally packed it when she was leaving in such a hurry but she had kept it for 14 years because it was one of the only things that reminded her of her ex-lover along with Alya’s middle name being Jennifer.

Elle had moved to New York for a few years after leaving the BAU but once she had finished her bar exams and Ayla was going to start school they moved to Philadelphia that way Alya would be closer to her dad and being in the FBI he wouldn’t have massive amounts of free time to visit plus Elle knew when he had free time he liked to spend it with his mother.

Alya had spent the night at his and Elle had booked one of the nice hotels 20 minutes out, the hotels closer weren’t as nice and she was worried she’d run into any of her old team when getting her morning tea, there was no bad blood between her and the majority of them and there was a few of them she’d picked up contact with over the last few years but there was still a lot they didn’t know about her.

Elle pulled into the driveway, getting out of the black BMW and heading to the door. After knocking twice Alya appeared at the door, a big smile on her face when she saw her mom. The brunette girl wrapped her arms around her mom, “Hi mama.”

“Hi baby girl,” Elle hugged her back, leaning her head down to kiss the top of her daughter’s head, “Where's your dad honey?”

“He’s in the kitchen with Maeve. I’m not ready yet I need to curl my hair,” Alya said as she stepped up the first few steps of the staircase.

“Okay, finish getting ready,” Elle said making her way into the kitchen, “Hey Spence, Maeve,” she smiled at them.

Spencer and Penelope were the only people she kept in contact with from the day she left and in both cases it was because they had spoken to her first, they weren’t the only ones JJ too would text her once a month for a couple of years but it would hurt too much to reply to her. As for Penelope, their deal was if Elle gave her updates on her life she wouldn’t track where she was although Elle is sure she probably had at some point.

Spencer was different though, she trusted him not to tell the others about her life and he held that promise no one in the BAU knew they were still friends after all these years or even that they shared a daughter.

After leaving the BAU, Elle knew she wanted a child at some point in her life but after she babysat for a friend she knew she wanted it to be sooner rather than later. She told Spencer about it one day in a conversation, the conversation lasted a few months but at the end it it, Spencer asked her if he could be her sperm donor and of course, she agreed she’d rather have a friend than a stranger.

Spencer had always wanted to be a dad but part of the reason he’d offered was to stay close to Elle, he liked her some may even say he loved her and maybe if they had a child together it would make them closer but just before he’d met Maeve he realised he needed to stop thinking he and Elle would be together, Elle wasn’t attracted to any men and he couldn’t keep believing he would be an exception. He never would have done anything different though, he loved Alya more than anything even when she was mad at him for not pronouncing her name with the same accent her mom did.

“Hey Elle,” Maeve answered first bouncing over to hug her they had become close, and Elle couldn’t think of a better step mom for her daughter.

“Elle, you’re here early,” Spencer said.

“I’m taking Alya shopping at the mall here, do you want to come? She starts school again soon,” Elle spoke as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

“I know it’s marked on the calendar in case I forgot but you know it’s impossible for me to forget anything but we do want to come you can help with clothes and we can help with books.”

“I think you forget that I’m just as smart as both of you,” Elle laughed.

“I just told you it’s impossible for me to forget,” Spencer grinned.

“So Elle are you here alone?” Maeve folded her arms and leaned against the counter waiting for a response.

“Yes, I’m here alone,” Elle said with a straight face she knew what Maeve was getting at.

“What about Kate?” Maeve raised an eyebrow a gentle smirk playing on her lips.

“We went on 2 dates, I didn’t arrange a 3rd. I’m too busy for that,” Elle said after taking a sip of water.

“Elle,” Spencer sighed, “When was the last time you dated someone for more than two months?”

Elle thought for a minute, “Probably JJ…”

“That was like fourteen years ago,” Maeve’s eyes widened.

“Enough, I don’t need a relationship. I have my fun when Alya is here and then I go back to my job and being a mom,” The brunette rolled her eyes hoping her daughter would come down soon.

Within the next five minutes, Alya was downstairs, her hair curled, light make-up on and an oversized sweater and jeans with some Ugg boots Elle had bought her recently.

“You look gorgeous honey,” Elle ran her fingers through the bottom of her curls.

“Mama, you’re going to ruin it,” Alya whined.

Elle held her hands up causing Alya to giggle, “Are we ready? I want to go before it gets busy.”

“I actually wanted to ask you something,” Alya said with the brightest smile on her face she knew her mom couldn’t say no to.

“Could I stay with Dad and Maeve for like two more nights because when school starts I won’t be able to come as often,” The teenager batted her eyelashes and little and pouted to make sure her mom knew she was going to be sad that she couldn’t see her dad.

Elle sighed, “Honey, I have work.”

“You’re in between cases please just explain the situation and ask if you can have a couple more days off.. you’re a partner Mom you should be able to decide when you want to go,” Alya frowned.

“I’ll try, no promises though,” Elle ran her hand down her back.

——————

Their first stop at the mall was Urban Outfitters since they had a lot of the baggy clothes Alya liked to wear.

“While you try them on honey I’m just going to pop next door and pick up some trousers, show Maeve if you need a second opinion or send me a picture,” Elle told her daughter as she lined up for the fitting rooms.

“Okay mama but don’t be too long I’m not buying anything until you’re back. I love you,” Alya hugged her just before Elle returned the ‘I love you’ and headed out of the shop.

The brunette had been in the shop for at least ten minutes searching for her favourite pair of work trousers she didn’t want to be too much longer but she couldn’t find them anywhere. Just when she was about to look through a rack of trousers when a small boy who couldn’t be any older than five or six ran out from between the clothes and fell over.

Elle’s mother instinct kicked in and helped the little boy up dusting down his knees, luckily the boy didn’t cry he was tough, “Where’s your mommy?”

The small boy pointed to a blonde on the other side of the shop with another boy, perhaps a few years older than this one close by her. Elle had a strange feeling run through her body but she ignored it and walked the boy over to his mom.

“Excuse me?” Elle said.

“Elle?” JJ turned around instantly she thought she recognised a familiar presence before she spoke but hearing her voice had solidified her suspicions it was Elle.

“Jay?” Elle almost gasped. She wasn’t surprised they always wore similar things and this was the closest mall to her she just didn’t expect it.

JJ looked down at Elle holding Micheal’s hand, she didn’t know what to ask first but she went with the most obvious question, “What happened?” her eyes flitting between her ex-lover and her son.

“I had tumble. I fine,” Micheal said letting go of Elle’s hand and quickly hugging JJ before running towards his brother.

“I can’t believe you’re here, how- How have you been?” JJ thought was the appropriate question to ask first.

“A lot better than the last time you saw me,” Elle laughed trying to lighten the mood.

“I saw you on TV once a couple of years back, a lawyer… I never pictured you doing anything else that wasn’t working with the FBI but I actually think that’s fitting for you. I’m proud of you,” JJ smiled.

“And I’m proud of you Jay becoming a profiler.”

“You knew?”

Elle nodded in response.

“You’ve barely changed Elle, You’re so beautiful,” JJ looked her up and down stopping to take in the blouse, “Well at least I know where that went, You kept it all these years?”

“It was an accident taking it but of course I kept it, I needed something to remind me of you, I really missed you,” Elle was staring into JJ’s ocean blue eyes they always hypnotised her.

It took her a minute to snap out of it, “So they are your sons?”

“Yes, Henry he’s eight and Micheal he’s five,” JJ smiled towards her boys, “They’re my entire world.”

“They are beautiful JJ, they look like you in every way.”

“Thank you.”

JJ was interrupted by a voice Elle knew was her daughter’s voice, “Mama, you’ve been fifteen minutes. Dad is no help with clothes and Maeve is just as indecisive as I am.”

“Sorry honey, I’ll be there in a minute,” Elle said as Alya stopped beside her, Alya recognised the woman from pictures both her mom and dad had shown her. The teenager knew JJ was the only woman her mom had truly loved.

“Wow, A husband and kids?-“

Alya cut her off, “She’s just got one kid, me, Maeve is my step-mom. Mama would neverrrr be married to a man,” Alya laughed.

“Thanks for that baby.. but yeah she’s right sorry Alya interrupted you,” Elle raised her eyebrows at her daughter as a sign.

“I’m sorry.. that was rude of me. I’m Alya but it’s spelt A-L-Y-A not I-S-L-A, and you’re Jennifer right,” The girl smiled.

“Yeah, you can call me JJ though. How did you know my name?”

“Of course, I know the infamous blonde woman whose name is my middle name.”

Elle blushed covering her face the last thing she wanted JJ to know was that she’d named Alya after her.

Spencer and Maeve walked into the shop hand in hand, JJ recognised them first, “Today really is a reunion for you Elle.”

Ayla looked confused and turned around, “Dad you were meant to be waiting with my clothes.”

“Dad?” JJ was more shocked in that moment than she had been since seeing Elle, “Spencer is her father? I mean now I’m looking closer I can see it but how did no one know about that? And you and Spencer?” The younger woman really didn’t know where or who to look at but her eyes settled on Elle.

“If it helps no one knows he’s her father, no one knows I have her except Penelope it’s not just you who doesn’t know. Spencer was my sperm donor nothing more,” Elle clarified.

JJ checked her watch, they’d been talking for well over twenty minutes, “How long are you here for?”

“A couple of days hopefully, I need to speak with my partner at the firm.”

“I want to see you before you leave please, just us?” JJ asked.

Elle nodded, “I’ll make it happen,” She took her notepad from her bag and jotted down her number, “Text me and then I’ll let you know.”

“You’ll reply this time?”

“I’ll reply this time,” Elle smiled, linking her arm with Alya’s as they walked out of the shop and back to Urban Outfitters.

“Are you okay Mom?”

“Of course I’m okay that was nothing just two old friends reconnecting,” Elle kept a straight face, she was lying to herself and her daughter but she couldn’t think about that right now.

“I don’t know there was definitely some tension there,” Alya smirked at her mom.

“Be quiet,” Elle rolled her eyes playfully, “Show me these clothes.”

——————

JJ couldn’t concentrate, she knew she’d forgotten many things she needed to get the boys for school but her brain was now occupied with so many thoughts surrounding Elle she couldn’t think about anything she had been this morning.

Elle was here at the mall. Elle was doing good, better than good. Elle had a teenage daughter… with Spencer, which was a big thought on her mind. How didn’t she know a man she worked so closely with every day had a daughter with her ex-girlfriend? Another big thought was: Elle is beautiful, she’s always been beautiful but she’d grown her hair out long again since the last time she saw her, she still dressed similarly but with a more sophisticated edge and her skin was glowing, more mature but she still didn’t look a day over 30.

Once she was back in the car and had strapped the boys in, she typed the number into her phone and sent a quick hi text through to Elle.

——————

Elle couldn’t help but smile when the notification appeared on her front screen while she waited for Alya to try on a pair of jeans. Spencer stood beside her looking over her shoulder, he didn’t say anything but the smile he gave Maeve was telling enough of what he was thinking seeing Elle’s face.

“I’m going to call my office, I won’t be more than 5 minutes,” Elle said walking out of the shop as the phone rang.

“Elle?” Her firm partner, Savanna, asked as she picked up the phone.

“Hi Sav, would you have everything covered if I stayed out here for a couple more days?”

Savanna spun around in her chair looking out of the office window as she twirled a pen in her right hand, “Have you met someone?”

“Can you answer me please?”

“Come on tell me I’m bored without you here.”

“Fine, not exactly. Alya wants to stay to spend time with Spencer but I did run into an ex and she asked to see me later,” Elle bit her lip to hide her smile.

Savanna gasped, “What one? Please tell me it’s Jennifer.”

“Yes it’s JJ,” Elle laughed a little, “I’m rather excited.”

——————

Elle sent JJ a quick message letting her know she could see her tonight and the blonde replied saying she’d find a babysitter, a message which Maeve saw and offered to watch them for as long as they both wanted even if that was all night which made Elle roll her eyes.

JJ had suggested meeting at her house tonight or waiting until the morning and going out for food and drink at a cafe. Elle of course suggested doing both and JJ agreed.

“Mommy, what are you going to wear?” Alya asked hanging over the bannister to speak to her mom downstairs at her dad’s house.

“Come downstairs if you want to speak to me please,” Elle replied sitting on the sofa.

Alya ran down the stairs, “So what are you wearing?”

“Um, this?” Elle pointed at what she was already wearing.

“Mom, come on,” Alya groaned.

“What? It’s a nice outfit and this is JJ’s shirt,” Elle shrugged.

“But she’s seen you in this already today,” Alya paused, “wait… that’s JJ’s shirt? Why do you have it?”

“Because she was my girlfriend once honey,” Elle slightly confused.

“I thought it was a couple of dates kind of thing?”

“No that would have made leaving so much easier if it was,” Elle sighed.

“How serious was it?”

“We were together a few months, we were living together most days we were off work and obviously staying together when we were away for work, I thought I was going to marry her,” Elle laughed a sad laugh but a smile was still on her face, “We did everything together.”

~2005~

Elle walked in the door earlier than she usually would after work, she wasn’t exactly happy that Hotch had sent her home but she couldn’t focus on her work anyway, “Baby, I’m home,” Elle called through the house.

JJ knew today had been hard for Elle, it was the anniversary of her dad’s death. She had the day off and she’d tried to convince Elle to take it off too but the brunette claimed she needed to work to distract herself. JJ had already asked Hotch to send her home early, she wanted to plan something that would comfort her.

“Hi babe,” JJ ran to the door jumping into her arms and hugging her, “How was work?”

“It was okay, I didn’t get much done,” Elle moved JJ’s hair away from her face cupping her cheeks and kissing her.

“Close your eyes,” JJ smiled after the kiss.

“Why?” Elle squinted trying to read JJ’s expressions to find out what she had done.

“Elle just do it,” JJ giggled.

Elle complied shutting her eyes before she felt JJ take her hand and lead her through to the living.

“Okay, open,” JJ said letting go of her hand.

Elle opened her eyes. The living room curtains were shut but the space was lit by two lamps in the corners of the room and a string of fairy lights. There were many blankets and pillows placed on the sofa with multiple DVDs placed on the table along with snacks.

“You did all of this for me?” Elle looked down at JJ her eyes clouded with a few tears.

“I knew today would be hard for you,” JJ frowned, “So let’s unwind and watch some movies, I left pyjamas on your bed.”

~present day~

Elle watched Spencer and Maeve from the kitchen, the way they looked at each other with love and held hands just while talking was sweet, they had so much love for each other, that’s something she missed… something she had but given up the day she left.

Elle was meeting JJ here when she came to drop her boys off with Spencer and Maeve, she was checking her watch every few seconds something she did when she was nervous.

Alya had convinced her to make a quick trip back to the hotel together to pick an outfit and despite her teenage daughter not being super into fashion she sure had an opinion on the options Elle had picked until they agreed on a white tank top with a black bra underneath with a long black skirt, it was definitely a more sexy and less work looking outfit and she would be lying if she didn’t think she looked hot.

The doorbell rang snapping her out of her thoughts, JJ was less than 30 yards from her, “I’ll get it,” Elle said heading to the door.

The brunette took a deep breath before opening the door to her ex-lover holding the hands of her two sons, “Elle,” JJ smiled as the older woman stepped aside to let the three of them enter the house.

“Hey Jay,” Elle took her into a warm embrace once she had let go of her children’s hands.

“You look beautiful, you’ve not changed much in the last fourteen years,” JJ commented.

“Neither have you, You’re just as stunning as the day I met you, maybe more so,” Elle was looking into her bright blue eyes remembering the feeling of transfixion she used to feel when she first opened her eyes in the morning or moments before she closed them when they kissed.

“And you’ve still got your charm that once won me over Greenaway,” JJ laughed before realising Elle’s daughter was watching them from the stairs and her youngest son was pulling on her coat to gain her attention.

Once the boys were settled, Henry watching the TV and Micheal playing with a train set, JJ picked up her bag and wrapped her coat around her, “Are you ready?” Her fingers brushed against Elle’s on the way to the door.

Elle nodded following JJ out of the door.

Alya replayed the whole interaction in her head, she had an eidetic memory so she remembered every word and facial expression between the two women.

The teenager sat beside her dad and step mom on the sofa, “Do I make Mama happy?”

Spencer’s head turned quickly a rather shocked expression on his face, “Of course you do you’re the most important thing in the world to her Lya.”

“I saw how happy she was with JJ, she’s never been that happy with me,” Alya played with the sleeve of her sweater.

“That’s not the same thing and you know that,” Maeve said.

“Do you think Mom loves her?”

“I don’t think she ever stopped,” Spencer pulled his daughter into his arms giving her a side hug.

“Your mom hasn’t had anyone she’s ever introduced to you properly, introducing your partners to your children is a big deal. How many times has she mentioned JJ to you?” Maeve asked.

“A lot, there’s pictures of them up in the house too, Alya admitted.

Spencer and Maeve shared a look before looking back at Alya who continued to speak, “She seems nice though and she makes Nom smile which is the best thing. Do you think they’ll get back together?”

Spencer shrugged while Maeve answered, “Possibly, It might be difficult though because Philadelphia is over 3 hours away not to mention both Elle and JJ have demanding jobs.”

“I want Mama to find someone that loves her like you guys have, I mean as a kid obviously I hoped Mom and Dad would get together but now I understand things I’m glad Dad met you Maeve,” Alya gave her a bright smile, one that matched Elle’s smile completely.

“I’m glad I met Spencer too. I love you both,” Maeve placed a kiss on Spencer’s cheek.

——————

The drive to JJ’s was a little tense and awkward, neither of the women knew what to say to one another. There was so much to catch up on that had happened the last fourteen years and they both wanted to get to know each other again.

“So how’s being a profiler?” Elle started.

“Stressful, lots of nightmares, busy, wishing I didn’t have to leave my boys with babysitters for days at a time but it’s also great helping people, ridding the streets of the bad guys, You know how it is,” JJ glanced over at Elle when she spoke but kept her eyes on the road for the most part.

“What about their father?” Elle started, “If you want to tell me… you don’t have to of course.”

“I will tell you anything you want to know Elle. Their dad died three years ago, he was a cop,” JJ told her.

Elle frowned, “I’m so sorry Jay.”

JJ gave her a sad nod, “How is lawyer life treating you? Is it better than the BAU?”

“It’s treating me nicely, they both have their perks. I miss the thrill of solving cases firsthand hand but I was not in a good place and I certainly don’t miss that. There are times I miss the team though, especially you.”

“They miss you too Elle, we’ve got new people too. You and Emily would be great friends and I think you would get along well with Alex Blake,” JJ pulled into her driveway.

“Nice house Agent Jareau,” Elle smirked as she said her name in a sultry tone, “I can’t believe you work with Alex.”

“Thank you,” JJ laughed, the way Elle spoke still had an effect on her, she’d be lying if she said it didn’t, “You know her?”

“Of course, I’ve followed her work for a long time she’s quite a role model,” Elle’s teeth played with her bottom lip.

The blonde read Elle’s body language, “Oh so you find her attractive huh?” she laughed bumping her shoulder into Elle’s as they walked closer to the door.

“Perhaps,” Elle laughed with her.

“And here I thought younger women were your thing,” JJ rested her back against the front door facing the brunette.

“You aren’t that much younger than me,” Elle rolled her eyes playfully.

“Yeah yeah, take a seat,” She gestured to the sofa, “Wine?”

“Yes please not too much though,” Elle smiled.

“Red is still your favourite?”

Elle nodded walking around the living room, looking at pictures while JJ was in the kitchen. She spotted one of her and the woman at the beach.

~2005~

It was unusual they had a few days off in the middle of summer so when Derek suggested a short beach trip Elle, JJ, Penelope and Spencer agreed although Spencer hated the beach. JJ’s family owned a beach house not too far away, it was the perfect distance in case they were called back in on an emergency.

The blazing sun shone down on both of the couples plus Spencer. Elle read a book as she tanned but JJ wanted to go in the water with her.

“Baby please,” JJ pouted

“Tanning,” Elle replied opening one eye, after finishing her chapter she put the book down and closed her eyes.

“You haven’t topped up your sunscreen,” JJ stated.

“Don’t need to, I won’t burn,” She looked over JJ’s body her skin was turning a light pink, “I think it’s time you used some more.”

“Do it for me?” JJ asked in a flirty tone Elle couldn’t resist.

The older woman sat up grabbing the sunscreen while she glanced to her left at Spencer, “Are you serious?” The genius was wearing a brown pair of suit pants with a shirt and sweater vest.

He scrunched his nose and shrugged, “What?”

“Nevermind,” Elle squeezed the cream into her hands and began messaging it into JJ’s back.

“Thank you,” JJ said with a small moan at the end.

Elle leaned down to whisper in her ear making it look like she was just rubbing sunscreen into her shoulders, “If you’re not careful you’ll turn me on doing that.”

JJ giggled, “Come in the sea with me.”

“You’re lucky you’re pretty,” Elle got up from her crouching position, putting her hand out to pull JJ up from the sand.

“Are you scared of the water?”

“No, I just wanted to relax without getting wet,” Elle said as they walked hand in hand to the sea.

JJ pulled her into the warm water, “But that’s my speciality baby.”

Once they were far enough out that the water was resting around the middle of their chests JJ pulled Elle closer to her wrapping her arms around her neck and placing a kiss on her lips which prompted a short makeout session in the water.

~present~

“That was a good day,” JJ said looking at the picture Elle was holding of them.

“It was, we should go again sometime,” Elle placed the photo back taking her drink from JJ and sitting on the sofa.

“And make out again?” JJ teased.

“I wouldn’t object,” Elle smirked at her.

“Would you be up for going with the team? Derek misses you and I’d love for you to meet Emily and Alex.”

“Possibly, I’d have to think about it and try to get time off work.

My firm is opening an office in DC I know it’s still an hour away but I’ll be closer.”

“I’m surprised you’d move away from the city again.”

“It’s for Alya, I know she misses Spence and Maeve when we are at home and we will still be able to visit her friends in Philadelphia when I have to go back,” Elle sipped on her wine.

“She’s gorgeous by the way, she looks like you. You had her in 2008?”

“Yeah, she was born in May.”

“Was Spencer there?” JJ raised an eyebrow Spencer never took vacation days.

Elle nodded, “He came the day after I gave birth to her, he was meant to be visiting his mom.”

“Honestly I’m surprised I always knew you were good with kids but I didn’t think about you having any,” JJ shrugged.

“We never really spoke about it,” Elle put the glass down and began twisting the rings on her fingers.

“You’re nervous, you don’t need to be,” JJ placed her hand on top of Elle’s.

Elle could have sworn she still felt sparks when they touched but that’s a myth, “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologise, Do you trust me, Elle?”

“Yeah, as much as I can.”

JJ moved closer to her on the sofa, “I’ll never hurt you and I’ll never blame you for leaving.”

“I’ll never forgive myself for leaving you. You were everything I ever wanted JJ. I ruined it,” Elle looked down at the floor.

“Things happen for so many reasons and now we have beautiful children. I never gave up on you Elle I kept tabs on what you’ve been doing or at least tried to.”

“Stalker,” Elle giggled trying to lighten the mood, “I did too JJ, sort of. I’d ask Penelope about you occasionally but never too much, I never wanted to know if you had moved on.”

“Same goes for me, I’m glad you’re not married,” The blonde grinned.

“Jen, If you’re still up for getting coffee in the morning would you like it to be a date?” Elle moved a piece of JJ’s hair from her face.

“Yeah, I think I’d like that,” The blonde cheeks heated up with a pink hue.

“You think?”

“I know I’d like that,” JJ looked towards Elle’s lips.

Elle moved forward initiating their lips meeting in a gentle kiss. Her hand moved the side of the younger woman’s face her thumb tracing her jawline as their tongues collided and the kiss became more passionate.

They hadn’t seen, kissed or touched each other in fourteen years so this meant everything to both of them.

Elle pulled away from the kiss looking into JJ’s ocean eyes once again, they were sparking with happiness this time, “No more until we’ve at least been on that date. Have you got work tomorrow?”

JJ nodded, “I can push it back and go in at 11:30.”

“Sounds good.”

JJ rested her head on Elle’s should breathing in her scent, “Sleepover?”

“Not tonight, tomorrow night, if you’re not away on a case.”

“We shouldn’t be,” JJ ran her hand over Elle’s white tank top, “I like this outfit.”

“I do too,” Elle smiled, “Alya helped me pick out what to wear she said I couldn’t wear what I wore to the mall.”

“Personally I think you looked great in my shirt,” JJ smirked resting her elbow on the top of the sofa while she faced Elle.

“Good, you’re never getting it back,” Elle couldn’t help resting her hand on JJ’s thigh, now she felt her again it was like she craved her, she didn’t want to know what it would be like to be apart ever again.

——————

JJ drove Elle back off to Spencer and Maeve’s at almost 11 pm, the women had spent hours together just talking with movies playing in the back and sharing a few kisses.

As they walked up to the door Elle grabbed her wrist spinning her around to face her while pulling her closer at the same time.

“What?” JJ giggled close to her face.

Elle placed a soft kiss on her lips not even giving her time to return it before she pulled away, “I needed to do that before I went inside.”

“You’ll be seeing me at 7:30 am that’s not long from now,” JJ ran her fingers through Elle’s hair.

“I’ll miss you still,” She said before opening the door.

Henry and Micheal were passed out on a sofa bed the babysitters for the night had set up temporarily for them. Elle watched JJ’s smile when she saw the small boys curled up and sleeping.

“They’re adorable, just like you,” Elle was about to kiss JJ again before they were interrupted by Spencer walking into the living room from the kitchen.

“You’re late,” He laughed.

“We didn’t specify a time,” Elle shrugged.

“I assumed it would be earlier than this. Alya is in bed. You’re both welcome to stay if you don’t want to wake the boys up JJ.”

JJ looked over at Elle waiting for her to make a decision. The brunette nodded, “We will share the spare room.”

——————

The sun shone through the top of the curtain illuminating the room, mixed with the sound of JJ’s alarm was making Elle mad they were both things she despised in the morning however things were made slightly better when she felt the blonde's arms around her.

“Hi,” Elle mumbled turning in her arms, burying her face in JJ’s collarbone.

“Good morning,” JJ kissed her forehead.

“Give me a proper kiss, no one will come in,” Elle said tilting her head up to JJ.

JJ leaned her head down placing her lips on Elle’s. The kiss was only a couple of seconds but it was enough, Elle put her arm around JJ pulling her closer.

“This feels very relationship-y considering we haven’t been on our date,” JJ whispered.

“We had no other option,” Elle smiled.

“I could have taken the boys home or you could have gone back to your hotel,” JJ said placing a kiss on Elle’s shoulder.

“It was more convenient this way, let’s go back to sleep.”

“Let’s not, we have a date and I have work. I need to go home and get ready quickly, can you pick me up from mine?”

Elle nods, “Of course.”

——————

After JJ left Elle stayed in bed for a little while longer, she had a few outfits she kept at Spencer’s because she occasionally stayed when they visited so it wouldn’t take her long to get ready.

A small knock on the door echoed through the room, “Come in,” She said pulling the duvet up to cover her tank top.

Alya slowly opened the bedroom door, “Hi Mama.”

“Hi baby,” Elle smiled at her as she walked closer to the bed climbing into the space JJ once was.

“How was it?” Alya asked cuddling up next to her mom.

Elle smiled wide, “It was really good we talked a lot, shared memories from our relationship, drank some wine,” The brunette laughed.

“Is that all?” Alya wiggled her eyebrows.

“We may have shared a couple of kisses.”

“Interesting and what kind of memories?” Alya rested her head on her hand.

“Just moments from when we worked together,” Elle smiled.

“Just tell me one, I want a story time like when I was little,” Alya’s dimples identical to Elle’s showed as she smiled.

“Okay,” Elle hummed for a minute while she thought of one, “Okay, Jay and I were working on the case and I had gotten injured in the field.. nothing serious just a cut,” Elle traced her cheekbone where the cut once was, “She was at the sheriff's office. Derek told me to call her and let her know I was okay and I was getting a lift to the hospital to have a couple of stitches but I didn’t want to worry her so I left it. Fast forward to once my stitches were complete a different doctor came to put a dressing over the stitches and told me they had phoned my emergency contact,

I had been given painkillers and I was tired so I wasn’t thinking clearly and thought my emergency contact was your dad, can you guess who it was?” Elle laughed.

“JJ?” Alya giggled.

“Mhm, I had changed her to my emergency contact a month after we got together, we had to update our contacts every month at the BAU. She stormed into the hospital her face switching between anger and worry, she didn’t even wait until the doctor allowed her in the room she just flashed her FBI badge and waltzed right in.”

“What did she say to you?” Alya played with the ends of her mom’s hair.

“First she kissed me and watched the doctor finish up and when he left she asked if I was okay and what happened and then the concern faded and the anger appeared asking why no one told her and wanting to know if we had caught the guy and if we hadn’t she’d be doing it herself.”

“Is JJ the love of your life Mom?”

Elle blushed, “I think it’s safe to say she is.”

“What would happen if Dad and Maeve broke up? I don’t want them to ever but if they did would you consider being with Dad?”

“Your dad and Maeve are very unlikely to break up they are married honey,” Elle tried to read her daughter’s facial expressions.

“Hypothetically, I told Dad last night that I always hoped you would get back together when I was a kid.”

“Honey… we wouldn’t get back together, we were never together in the first place. I would have loved for you to have both of your parents together but that wouldn’t be fair to your dad, I would never be able to give him what he wants. Do you remember Jake? I tried dating him when you were about four or five,” Elle asked.

Alya nodded, “I remember him a bit he was always angry.”

Elle gave her a sad smile, “Yeah I want to like him so bad Ly for you to have a father figure in your life that lived closer to us than Spencer was at the time but I couldn’t do it, it would be the same with Spencer too I’m not attracted to them honey, I can’t change that.”

Alya held onto her mom’s hand, “Yeah, I know, it was just a hypothetical. I don’t want you to change Mama I promise. I’m sorry about Jake, did he ever hurt you?”

“No baby, he didn’t physically hurt me,” Elle kissed her forehead, “I need to get ready. Help me choose an outfit?”

Alya nodded and climbed out of the bed at the same time her Elle did.

—————

Elle ordered a cup of tea while JJ ordered an iced coffee with oat milk.

“You still order the same?" Elle smiled at the younger woman.

JJ nodded, “But yours has changed, you used to have black coffee am I right?”

“You’re right, I have it sometimes but I usually save it for court days though when I need an extra boost in the mornings. Tea is fine for today.”

“Well I’m glad all that caffeine is bad for you,” JJ swirled her straw in her drink.

Elle laughs, “Honey there’s caffeine in tea.”

“Obviously I know that… it’s just less.”

“How do you feel about yesterday?”

“Really good,” JJ smiled.

“And this is still something you want us to try?”

“Elle I’m not having second thoughts. I want you and I want this,” JJ reached across the table grasping Elle’s hand.

“Okay, I do too just so you know,” Elle gave her the warmest smile JJ had ever seen.

“Would you be able to drop me off at work after? If it’s too much for today that’s okay,” JJ asked.

Elle sighed, “I’m going to have you to do it at some point so I might as well get it over with today. How are you going to introduce me to your new members? The woman that had a breakdown and left me fourteen years ago?” Elle tried to joke but JJ could still see the pain behind her eyes when she mentioned it.

“I was hoping I could introduce you as my girlfriend?”

“I mean it’s a little soon but when have we ever stuck to timelines very well so why not?” Elle laughs.

“So that’s it? We are dating?”

“Well we are on a date, aren’t we? But yes I’m your girlfriend just to confirm for you.”

“Good,” JJ leaned across the table lightly brushing her lips against Elle’s

——————

Elle bit her lip as she drove JJ into the car park.

“How are you feeling?” JJ rubbed circles against the back of Elle’s hand with her thumb.

Elle shrugged, “Talk about deja vu, it’s like being back in 2005 driving in this car park with you next to me holding my hand however I’m definitely more anxious now than I was then.”

“You don’t have to do this..”

“I want to, for you” Elle reversed into the space before getting out of the car to open the door for JJ and intertwine their fingers.

They rode the elevator to the floor they needed in silence all that could be heard was the sound of Elle’s rings clinking together when she rubbed her hands together.

Just before the doors opened JJ gave Elle a loving kiss and whispered, “You’re going to be okay.”

They stepped out of the elevator and JJ’s hand found Elle’s once again to comfort her.

As soon as they walked through the class doors they were met with the bubbly blonde Penelope who gasped so loud it gained everyone else’s attention.

“Oh my god. Elle! Is it really you?” Penelope said almost knocking JJ over with the force she pulled Elle away from her to hug her.

Elle let out a nervous chuckle as she wrapped her arms around her, “Yeah it’s me Pen.”

Penelope pulled back from the hug placing her hands on Elle’s shoulders and looking her up and down, “I missed you so much. Have you been practising witchcraft because you look exactly the same? How have you not aged? What do you do now? Are you coming back? Wait why are you here with JJ?”

“Pen, give her some space you’re going to overwhelm her,” JJ said when she saw a slight panic rush over her girlfriend’s face, “Are you okay?” JJ’s hand rubbed Elle’s lower back.

“Yeah I’m okay could we maybe sit down?”

JJ and Penelope both nodded at Elle. The brunette saw Spencer heading toward them from the corner of her eye, she briefly turned away from Penelope and raised her eyebrows, “You didn’t tell me you were in today, is Alya okay? Is she with Maeve?”

“Called in last minute I’m not planning on staying long I want to spend time with her while you’re here but yes she and Maeve went to the museum,” Spencer replied his hand running over her hair just before she sat down in the closet chair.

Elle didn’t want to look away from Spencer she knew everyone would be giving her confused looks and maybe even some angry ones.

JJ stood behind the hair a smile on her face, “Em, Alex, Dave… this is Elle she’s my girlfriend she used to be a member of our team.”

Penelope squeaked, “You found each other and got back together! I love, love. I’m so happy,” She hugged JJ tightly.

“Hi,” Elle spoke quietly only looking at the three JJ had just introduced her to.

“You’re the lawyer, I’ve read articles and seen you on TV, you’re quite the powerful woman Elle. I’m Alex,” The woman offered her hand.

Elle's smile lit up hearing the compliment about her work, “Thank you so much, Alex. I’ve heard a lot about you Spence talks about you all the time.”

“So you’ve been in contact with Spencer this whole time and he didn’t let it spill and you didn’t talk to the rest of us once?” Elle heard the voice that belonged to one of her best friends when she was at the bureau, Derek Morgan and he didn’t sound overly thrilled.

“I went through a dark time after I left I needed to work on myself and life got busy and eventually I built up a fear of seeing you or speaking to you in case it dragged me back to that place. I’m sorry Derek I missed you,” Elle frowned.

Derek felt bad for her but he needed to hold this hard shell up at least a little longer, she would be fine after all she had JJ running her fingers through her hair, Spencer standing close by and Penelope staring at her like she hung the moon, “But you kept in contact with pretty boy.”

Elle was looking at Spencer before looking back at Derek, she opened her mouth to reply but was quickly cut off by Spencer, “We had to stay in contact.”

“Why? Why would she have to stay in contact with you and no one else she didn’t even stay in contact with JJ.”

“She doesn’t have to tell you that, it started off that I wouldn't stop talking to her but,” Spencer looked down at Elle, “She can tell you the rest in her own time.”

Emily spoke up sensing a bit of the tension between them all, “Elle, it’s so nice to meet you. I feel like I know you already your JJ’s favourite topic of conversation,” Emily laughs, “but I’m glad you’re here.”

“JJ has told me a lot about you too and your cat,” Elle laughed.

“Oh I have pictures let me show you,” Emily went to the desk that used to be hers and grabbed her phone getting up a picture of the cat to show.

“I wasn’t finished talking,” Derek said, “I want to know why we weren’t good enough for you to talk to but Spencer was.”

Elle sighed, “You know you were good enough, don’t try that. I told you I was in a bad place, Spencer and I kept talking because we have a daughter.”

“You have a daughter? Wait with him? You and pretty boy have a child together? Since when did you have a child?” Derek was taken aback he thought he must have heard her wrong his eyes moving between the two of them.

“Yes Spencer and I have a daughter, her name is Alya she’s thirteen.”

“Was I the only person that didn’t know?” Derek's eyes widened.

“No one knew, I didn’t tell anyone except Alex and Hotch had to know for documents,” Spencer said.

“Thirteen years ago is around the time you left though and you were with JJ?”

“I had Alya a year after I left, If you want to meet her I'm sure she’d like that but we aren’t going to discuss it anymore. Do you have any other questions?”

Hotch stepped out of his office once he saw all the gathering, when he descended the stairs he was taken by surprise to see the brunette woman he had fired over a decade ago, “Elle?”

“Aaron,” Elle gave him a small smile.

“It’s good to see you, We have a small case to consult and then you are free to go,” Hotch said to the team.

“I will see if I can convince Maeve to drop Alya off here or I’ll pick them up, I’ll see you soon,” Elle stood from the chair wrapping her arms around JJ’s waist and leaving a small kiss on her lips.

“Wait Elle,” Hotch said, “I know this isn’t technically allowed but we could use you. It’s a death row case but we believe the victim may not have committed the crimes.”

“I guess I could look into it..” Elle said taking her phone from her bag.

“I will ask Maeve to bring Alya over while we are working,” Spencer said.

“Okay, yeah.” The team including Elle headed into the room with the round table to look over the cases.

——————

Elle’s phone buzzed with a message from Alya saying they were pulling into the car park and that she was nervous.

“Jay, can you come with me to let Alya in,” Elle whispered.

“Hang on,” JJ said and after a couple of minutes she looked up at her, “Okay yeah let’s go.”

“Do you think she’s nervous?” JJ asked once they were in the elevator.

“Very, I really hope she’s not too bad though I don't want her to stress about it. I know everyone will love her.”

“If she’s anything like you she’ll be absolutely fine,” JJ smiles.

The blonde woman used her keycard to open the doors to let Alya and Maeve in. Alya immediately wrapped her arms around her Mom.

“What if they don’t like me because Dad didn’t tell them about me or because they are mad at you for leaving?” Alya played with the material of Elle’s jumper.

“Honey, it’s going to be fine they’ll love you. If they were mad they’d be mad at Spence and I, not you,” Elle placed a kiss on the top of her head.

The team were waiting in the bullpen watching out of the glass door waiting for them. When Alya saw them waiting she squeezed her mom’s hand but she relaxed once she saw her dad was the closest to the door.

JJ entered first the others following behind. Alya let go of Elle’s hand but still stayed close.

“She looks just like you and Spencer!” Penelope said waving at the teenager.

Alya smiled, “Hi, I’m Alya,” She stuttered a bit until she locked eyes with Alex, “Auntie Alex,” the girl left her mom’s side to hug Alex.

“Hi Lya,” Alex pulled Alya into a tight embrace, “I missed you, sweet girl.”

“They’ve met?” Elle mouthed to Spencer.

Spencer nodded, “I took her to a class at the University Alex lectures for, she knew almost every answer she’s so smart.”

“Gets it from her father,” Elle winked at him.

Derek’s face had softened after seeing the teenager, he no longer had any hurt or madness running behind his eyes. He came to stand next to Elle, “She’s gorgeous Elle, I’m sorry about earlier I wanted to be so mad at you for leaving but I just can’t.”

[nokomaki]

Violanthe Morningstar

Hello, guys ! Sorry for not posting for a long time, but I was very busy and very active on DA and Twitter. And now I'm on the Hellaversee fandom !

Well, meet my StaticBelle fankid Violanthe Morningstar.

She's Vox and Charlie's daughter, but Vox was absent for 17 years, so Vila is raised by her mom.

- Violanthe September A. Lilith Deliah “Vila” Morningstar was born September 9th 2007 from Vox and Charlie.

- After the second Extermination and after Adam's death, the Vees (reluctantly) agreed to stay at the Hazbin Hotel due to the V Tower being destroyed and due to Charlie’s loss.

- At first, Vox refused Charlie’s agreement when she proposed him about helping her in her projects. But as time passes, he finally accepts and both went from enemies to friends. Like, more than that…

- At some point, Charlie found out she was pregnant, but couldn’t tell Vox because the Vees were already gone after staying six months in the Hotel (the V Tower is repaired since a long time now). Lilith reconciled with Charlie just after that.

- Charlie and her friends were shocked when they found out about the pregnancy, even Lucifer, but some were happy about it. By the way, Charlie was as excited as Lucifer for the baby to be born.

- From birth, Violanthe became the apple of the eye of the Princess...and the CEO of VoxTek Enterprises himself, who found out about her and decided to do everything to know about his daughter and to help her out separately.

- Violanthe has 50% of Vox's powers and 50% of Charlie's powers, meaning she uses pyrokinesis AND her father's powers (like electrokinesis or technokinesis as well as hypnotism)

- She also believes in the concept of redemption, but also about keeping technology and media in Hell. That's why she created next to Charlie’s Hotel the hotel company VoxHotel (using her father's name and the name of the Hazbin Hotel where her mother works), where she is the founder, owner, manager and CEO.

- She’s bisexual (like her parents), but has a preference for the opposite gender (men or non-binary masculine people)

- Inherits her mother’s positivity, optimism, compassion and heart of gold, but also inherits her father's charisma and strong and level-headed character.

- Hates Valentino (Vox’ “fellow guy”), because he licked Charlie’s arm in the past and is abusive with Angel Dust.

- Likes: drawing, redemption, her boyfriend, the betterment of Hell, sharks, violence, musicals, Alastor's jokes/puns, singing, the latest technology and trends, videos, Internet, power (sometimes, especially against Exorcists), the VoxHotel's image in a good condition, her mother, Niffty's homicidal behavior and +18 (sometimes)

- Dislikes: the VoxxHotel's reputation being jeopardized, seeing her mother and her friends being sad or upset, not having control, being ignored/humiliated, losing her people and family during the Extermination, Venus' tantrums, having to call her down, Valor, people ridiculing the Happy Hotel or the VoxHotel, people doubting the idea of redemption, the idea of her father not loving her (while he DOES love her), negativity, Valentino's treatment of Angel Dust and his twin sister Molly (who is the mother of her boyfriend Morpheus and his sisters Venus and Valor), the fact that Val was in an on-off relationship with Vox in the past, being yelled at, her traumas concerning Mammon.

- Has a cat-shark called Fedor

- Alastor is her father figure

- Very close to her mother, friends and grandparents

- Her boyfriend Morpheus is Valentino and Molly's son, but he never met his dad until now (and didn't want to).

- The A in her name is the initial of her third name, Autumn.

(Note : I also ship Vox and Hatsune Miku, so here's my fankid of them if you wanna know.)

[townieandy]

🐎 HANKERING FOR HARPER | A HORSE RANCH-INSPIRED BACHELOR CHALLENGE

Meet Harper Cardona, SimsBC TV's first cowboy Bachelor. Even with his slightly rugged exterior, Harper has a kind soul and a heart of gold ready to be won. Will you be the one?

Age: thirty-two (32)

Pronouns: he/they

Sexuality: bisexual

Traits: rancher, self-assured, loves outdoors

The second-oldest of four, Harper has lived on his family's ranch for all of his life, learning the ins-and-outs of living off the land and appreciating the hardships that come with it. While his other siblings got older and moved away from the country life, Harper was the one to stay, holding down the fort with his father until his old man got too old to take care of the rolling acres.

Although Harper loves the ranch life, it can be quite lonely with no so-called "dating life" to speak of with your neighbors living miles apart from each other. This cowboy is looking for someone who appreciates the rougher, more hands-on part of life and who he could possibly ride off into the sunset with. Could you be that someone?

Likes: long walks on the ranch, horses, grilling, stargazing, playing guitar, blues, iced tea, freckles, horseback riding

Dislikes: sci-fi movies, flying, clowns, being late, laziness, snakes, closed spaces, cold weather, loud noises

Fun Facts:

Comes from a long line of ranchers and inherited his ranch from his father

Has an American Standardbred named "Lady"

Is deathly afraid of flying and airplanes

Is completely tone deaf but loves singing while playing his guitar

okay, okay, first off and foremost, big shout out to wrixie whose bachelorette challenges are a huge inspiration to me and also inspired the formatting of the images above.

also, i will be mostly following the base rules with some extra touches to suit my gameplay preferences, and Harper's attractiveness preferences will be randomized when i officially begin the challenge.

🐎 Contestant Entry Guidelines:

Must be young-adult or adult.

Only humans are allowed. (sorry my occult baddies)

Must have at least one negative trait.

i. Cannot have the romantic trait.

Can be any gender.

Skills do matter.

i. You have ten points to distribute to skills (ex: level 5 in cooking, level 2 in dancing, level 3 in video gaming).

ii. Don't worry about going into the game to add these skills, just list them in the description of your entry.

Should have likes and dislikes.

Maxis-match or CC-free.

Must be comfortable to changes of eye and skinblend defaults as well as outfits.

Tag me @townieandy or use #harpersBC to make sure I see your entry. Also please ask if you have any questions!

🐎 CONTESTANTS

1. Taken

2. Taken

3. Taken

4. Taken

5. Taken

6.

7.

DEADLINE: UNTIL I GET 7 SIMS