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dragonbarbie · 8 months ago

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𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 | Part 1

aegon x best friend!reader ; modern!au

summary: this fic is snippets of aegon and reader's relationship as they grow up and discover new feelings. but to let himself be loved, aegon has to first do some growing up.

rating: 18+, minors dni.

tags: alcohol, substance abuse.

word count: 4.2k

series masterlist

next part

A/N: i'm so excited to share my first full fic! this series is very very lowkey inspired by one day and highkey inspired by peter by taylor swift. comment if you'd like to be on the taglist for this! hope you guys like it :)

divider credit @ cafekitsune!

Age 10

“I still don't see why we had to move here." a sullen, 10 year old Y/N replied, pouting as she stared out the window from the backseat. her father couldn't help an amused smile at the little girl as he drove towards her new school. "i told you darling, daddy’s got a very important new job here in king’s landing." "yes but why did I have to move here." the older man let out a patient sigh. this had been going on weeks leading to their move. "you haven't even given the city a chance yet, kiddo. why do you hate it already?" "because..." the little girl started with an exasperated whine. ".... i don't have any friends here!" "you have me." her father offered with an assuring grin. the unamused look he got in return was not grateful in the least. "you're dad. i want friends." the seriousness with which Y/N declared her dilemma earned her a laugh from the front seat.

her father pulled into the curb by the grand iron gates of Red Keep Academy, the best private school in the city. as Y/N hopped out the backseat, looking deflated, he lowered the car window, "hey c'mon now, you can't start your first day all sad. who knows, maybe you'll come back with a hoard of friends, even more than you had back home." Y/N only looked ahead at him, unconvinced. "bye, dad."

as she made her way towards the main archway to the school, she thought of all the things she was missing about home. not the new townhouse they had in the city, her real home, back in the reach. she thought of the swing behind her house, the smell from the bakery next door, the big oak tree she saw on the way to school every morning, the fountain in the park – when suddenly someone ran past her, fast enough to knock her down.

"ouch!" she cried out from the floor, rubbing her shoulder where she had been hit. "aegon!" a woman suddenly rushed to her side, glowering at the little boy who had pushed past her. "are you okay, honey? were you hurt?" the first thing Y/N noticed was how kind the woman looked with her big brown eyes, and so very pretty. "i'm okay." she reassured in a small voice, before turning to give this 'Aegon', the dirtiest look she could muster.

the boy had to be her age, pale blonde hair that looked like someone had tried to comb it but had not been given enough time to finish the job. he wore a matching school uniform to Y/N, navy blue blazer, white shirt and dark green pants. his shirt though was untucked and seemed to already have mud stains.

she thought he seemed mostly unbothered by his own actions, but stood there attempting to look sheepish nonetheless for his mother.

"apologise to this young lady." his mother demanded. "sorry..." he mumbled almost incomprehensibly. already upset and now physically hurt, Y/N wordlessly got up and hurried away, trying to stop hot tears from spilling out.

as she walked away she heard the boy's mother scold him, "that was not an apology, Aegon. go say sorry, properly this time." she heard a childish groan in response, "do I have to?". his mother must have given him one hell of a look, Y/N thought because she heard her say nothing else but small footsteps came jogging up to her.

as the blonde boy walked next to her, she waited for him to say something while she kept walking ahead, but he seemed to just wordlessly fall in stride with her. After a minute he suddenly asked, “do you even know where you’re going?”

now that he mentioned it, she didn’t.

she suddenly stopped and looked around herself, confused. He stopped with her and studied her for a second. “I don’t know you.” He observed. “are you new?”. She decided to stay silent, hoping he would go away if she ignored him but she was wrong. When she didn’t respond, he continued, “you’re going in the wrong direction, new girl. That way –” he pointed to where she had been headed “—is the middle school building. Primary school is this way.” He started walking down a hallway, and Y/N took hurried steps to follow him.

He gave her a sideway glance, “what grade are you in anyway? Third?” he smugly asked, proudly looking down at her as a mature fifth-grader. “fifth.” She snapped at him. “oh”, he responded, surprised. “who’s class?” “Miss Reyne.” “no kidding!” he gave her a toothy grin. “so am I.”

Y/N didn’t like this Aegon, she decided. As he kept chatting away about how boring Miss Reyne was, she gave him no replies and generally walked as if she were alone and had no association with the silver haired boy beside her. As they settled into class, she was determined to avoid him for the rest of her day. Aegon though, was determined for quiet the opposite.

He took a seat next to hers, kept making comments, providing her a running, private commentary about each teacher and student. He wasn’t affected by Y/N’s lack of a response, or if he was, he didn’t let it show. Y/N had to admit though, he was funny. she couldn’t help but crack a smile when he told her about the time Jason Lannister got gum stuck in his hair, and had to suppress a giggle when Aegon impersonated Mr. Bolton falling asleep mid-way through teaching a class. At these small instances of Y/N’s guard breaking, he flashed her a bright smile, pleased with himself.

Y/N though, didn’t utter a word to him. Until Art class that was.

They had been asked to paint an animal, and when Y/N looked up from the goldfish she had been painting, she saw Aegon’s work. “a dragon isn’t a real animal.” She disproved. The boy merely shrugged, “that’s not an animal either, it’s a fish.”

“a fish is an animal.” She frowned at her work. “it’s just an animal under water.”

“oh well, let’s add some of its natural habitat then.” He smirked, grabbing the bowl of water they’d been sharing to clean their brushes. “NO! stop!” in an attempt to block him from pouring water on her work, the brush in her hand smeared some of the yellow paint on his face.

He froze in his action immediately, bringing up his fingers to feel the paint streak running down from his brow to across his nose. This time Y/N couldn’t suppress her laughter at the sight, his blinking expression making it all the more funnier. “well, if that’s how you want to do this!” he declared as he scooped some of the red paint on his two fingers before smearing it on her cheek.

Within five minutes, their respective art works had been abandoned and both sets of uniform utterly ruined. The two had to be separated by their teacher, then ordered to walk down to the washrooms and clean themselves right up.

The second she left the girls washroom though, Y/N found the silver haired boy waiting for her by the door, some green paint still visibly stuck in his pale locks. “race you to class?” he mischievously suggested. “Hmm” Y/N pretended to think about the challenge for a second, before saying “okay” and dashing towards their class.

With a self-satisfied smile at having beaten Aegon, she took her seat. Sulking at his defeat, Aegon slinked back in his chair, “you cheated, didn’t wait for the ‘go’…”

“win’s a win.” Y/N declared, grabbing golden glitter for her fish.

He didn’t stay grumpy for long though, before she knew it he was back to his talkative self, this time with Y/N chiming in with her own comments. The hours flew by with Aegon by her side, and as the day came to an end Y/N realised she’d enjoyed herself after all.

As they walked towards the school gate to leave, Aegon suddenly changed the topic. “you like video games?” “yeah…?” she hesitantly replied. “great, you’re coming over tomorrow to play some.” He beamed. At the end of the sentence Y/N observed he hadn’t actually asked her a question. “okay.” She found herself agreeing.

“cool, see you tomorrow.” Aegon had started running in the direction of one of the cars, when he suddenly stopped and turned around. “never asked your name.” he sheepishly realised.

“Y/N!” she distractedly answered as she sped up, having found her mom’s car in the parking lot.

“Y/N…” Aegon muttered to himself as he walked away, liking the way the name rolled of his tongue.

Age 15

“You’re late.” Y/N didn’t even bother to look up when she heard the window to her bedroom open, but did glance at the subsequent sound of someone falling face first onto her carpet. “have you been drinking? Its 2pm.”

Down on the ground laid her best friend of five years, with his messy platinum hair and stick-thin lanky limbs, carrying in the distinct smell of smoke when he entered her room. Though they were the same age, aegon looked more boyish still even as he had started to race towards every vice of the adult world he could get his hands on.

Aegon merely rubbed his now injured nose, as he lifted his head off the ground. “No I haven’t been drinking… still drunk from last night. Big difference.” Y/N sighed and shook her head in vexation before returning to her homework. Aegon had recently taken up drinking and despite Y/N’s repeated rebukes, he seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much to stop. He continued to wave off her concern and she was starting to tire of voicing it.

“Let’s say I believed you… you wanna tell me what made you so late, then? I do have other things to do with my day than wait around to teach you biology, y’know.” Aegon grabbed a chair and dragged it to sit next to her at her desk. “I was actually busy being taught biology as it happens… albeit of a different kind.” His smug, self-satisfied grin as he pulled a cigarette from his front pocket and placed it between his teeth, told Y/N all she needed to know. “Elinda Massey was the most enthusiastic of teachers.” Y/N couldn’t help but grit her teeth at the mention of Aegon’s latest distraction.

With a swift motion she grabbed the cigarette and threw it in the bin, ignoring his protests. “you know you’re not allowed to smoke in here, my parents would kill me if they smelled it.” Aegon snorted at the statement, “yeah but, that’s never stopped me before.” The casualness with which Aegon dismissed her, pinched Y/N. It was certainly true that Y/N usually found it hard to say no to Aegon, no matter how the consequences might harm her; but she didn’t like how he took the same for granted, as if it was a given.

“What’s got you all prissy today?”

“you. You wanna pass biology this year or not?” Y/N replied, visibly irritated. “yeah like there’s a chance in hell they’ll actually fail me. Grandfather would have the place shut within the week.” “then why do you even need a tutor? Go off with Elinda or whoever.” Y/N huffed, her eyes remaining trained so hard on her textbook that she was half certain she was going to burn holes into it, her hand clutching around the pencil in her hand.

“Elinda? That’s what you’re so annoyed about?” aegon snickered. Y/N turned to now glare directly into his blue eyes, a blush creeping up her cheeks and her nostrils flaring. In that moment she wanted nothing more than to push aegon right out the window he came from so she could be alone instead of having to deal with this. “No, I just think you’re wasting your time here right now, when you could be doing…. Biology with Elinda instead.” Aegon brow furrowed at her reaction, but instead of another retort his hand reached out to gently grab her arm. “hey…” his features softened from their usual impish nature to highlight his concern “…what’s actually up with you?” in the face of such kindliness from him, she couldn’t muster any more scathing replies.

He’d seen right through her, like only he could. For weeks now she’d been stressed, but found the topic too awkward to discuss with Aegon. But she knew she’d have to open up to him sooner or later about her problem. Keeping secrets from Aegon was simply not something she did. Or even possibly could if she tried, she thought.

“promise you won’t laugh.” She first demanded in a nervous tone. Raising his three fingers, her best friend solemnly confirmed, “scouts honour.” She swallowed, her eyes looking beyond Aegon’s shoulder rather than at him as she slowly admitted. “I’ve not had my first kiss.”

Aegon merely blinked back at her, “what, is there supposed to be more to that or…?” “I’ve not had my first kiss.” She repeated as if those words were supposed to be self-explanatory. “yeah and I’ve never been to the Summer Isles, what’re you on about?” Y/N couldn’t help a groan as she momentarily hid her face behind her hands, thinking the more she would explain herself the more embarrassed she would get.

“It’s just, I’m 15, and I should have had it by now, I’ve never even been on a date.. and… and… and you’ve got Elinda and Maria before that, and Jeyne and, and…. I just can’t believe you’ve gone to third base before I’ve even had my first kiss!” her words came out rushed in the end, out of frustration and a need to just get the shameful confession over with.

She had expected Aegon to laugh it off, or worse, agree that her situation was absolutely the height of shame. Instead, he looked confused that such a thing was bothering her in the first place “what, that’s it? why didn’t you just say so before?”

nonchalantly, aegon put an arm behind Y/N’s chair. Eyes closed, he suddenly leaned in towards her, lips puckered, causing her eyes to go wide. “what the –” as a reflex response she pushed back at his shoulders, making him fall of the chair.

“the fuck was that for!” he shouted from the floor, his ego and back bruised. “why did you try to kiss me?” Y/N was shocked, horrified even, at the prospect. Aegon was her best friend, she couldn’t even imagine looking at him in that light. it was Aegon, he was simply too familiar for her.

Aegon raised his hands out as if the answer was obvious. “you said it yourself you wanted to have your first kiss!”. Y/N’s nose scrunched up, “not with you!”.

“well how was I supposed to get that! Fuck me, I’ll never understand you women”

“‘you women?’” at that, Y/N couldn’t help but laugh. This scene before her, this response by her best friend was too ridiculous. Yet, she noted as she offered a hand to help him back up which he grumblingly took, this was very much in character for Aegon. She knew he always wanted to help her, he might not have always understood how to go about it, but his heart was in the right place.

“I don’t need you to fix it, aegon.” She affably told him, a faint grateful smile on her face for her friend’s valiant effort nonetheless. “yeah, no-shit, because there’s nothing to fix. You’re not broken, Y/N.” Y/N didn’t know that she needed to hear those words until Aegon said it and it felt as if a burden was lifted off her shoulders.

“Don’t get me wrong. Doing all this, the kissing and the more-than-kissing, it’s fun. Honestly it’s so, so much fun, like I can’t even—” “you wanna get to your point?” “–so it’s great and all but, not doing it doesn’t mean you’re any less for it. You’re still Y/N, you’ll always still be Y/N to me.”

The anxiety she had been feeling, the fear of being left behind and the worry about other’s judgement, even her own – it all started to look so small and insignificant when Aegon told her she was still the same to him. This was her only constant in life, this bond between her and Aegon, the one person she couldn’t hide who she was from. In that moment, she felt glad to have him by her side.

“Besides if you were ever truly that desperate, you could always just try Jace. he’s had a thing for you like forever” Aegon revealed, rolling his eyes in apparent annoyance of the fact. Y/N though, couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Jace… has a thing for me?” The thought of it seemed to please her, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as a red blush started to creep onto her cheeks once more.

Aegon looked disgusted at her response, and grimaced, “yeah okay, no need to flatter yourself too much …. It’s Jace.” He stuck his tongue out at the distaste of the thought of his best friend with his nephew. Y/N didn’t pay him any attention, having taken to doodling hearts in the margins of her notebook while engrossed in thought. Aegon immediately regretted having said anything, snatching the notebook from under her hand, “alright are we going to do some biology or what?”

Age 17

Y/N had been fast asleep when the familiar sound of pebbles against her window awoke her. she looked at the time on the watch as it read 2:17 am, quickly rising from her bed. there was only one person who had to be out there, and she knew why too. her heart sank, knowing already that aegon must have had another fight with his father. she opened the window and as expected, aegon targaryen precariously balanced his steps on the tree branch just outside.

"aegon, what are you doing? It's late," she whispered-shouted, trying not to wake her parents but already held out a hand to help him in. "Needed to see you," he slurred, his breath reeking of alcohol. She wanted to chide him for endangering himself by climbing up so high when he’d drunk so much, but looking at his condition she decided to stay quiet. He climbed into her room, stumbling slightly as he landed. Y/N caught his arm, steadying him. "You've been drinking again," she said, more as a statement than a question.

aegon’s normally sparkling blue eyes were unfocused, his silver hair dishevelled. He'd grown taller of late, she missed the days when she could stand shoulder to shoulder with him. she now had to look up at him, as she put one of his arms around her shoulder to guide him towards the bed as his own steps fumbled.

“He doesn’t get it, Y/N. None of them do. To him, nothing i've done or will do matters for shit. i'm just not the son he wanted. he regrets me, i can see it in his eyes, I—” a sob escaped his throat, cutting him off mid-sentence.

She gently sat him down on the edge of her bed, his weight pressing down on the soft mattress. As she looked into his sad, bloodshot eyes, she harboured such hatred for Viserys as she thought impossible for anyone else to hold. she kneeled down in front of him, her heart breaking to see him so.

"I know, i know. But you can’t keep doing this, aegon. If you keep drinking like this, you could seriously hurt yourself one of these days." and she didn't think she could survive that.

she reached out to hold his hands in her own. "You don't have to do this alone. I'm here for you. Always." if aegon heard her, he gave no indication, instead staring at their intertwined hands.

"can I crash here tonight?" he suddenly asked, looking more innocent than she'd ever seen him as he lifted his eyes to look up at her. Gone was the bravado and arrogance that was usual of him, even expected. In that moment he looked more lost than ever, and was looking to her as if she was his only hope for shelter.

she knew her parents wouldn't be thrilled about this impromptu sleepover, but then again she'd never had the ability to deny him anything. "of course," she tenderly smiled.

he kicked off his shoes and moved back up the bed, still holding onto her hand, pulling her with him. he lied down on her pillow, refusing to let go of her hand as he closed his eyes to fall asleep. he looked so peaceful, Y/N couldn’t help but reach out her free hand to run it through his hair in admiration. She wasn’t blind, she knew how handsome he looked, causing the girls to flock to him like moths to a flame. But his looks were just an objective fact to her, she never found herself attracted to him in the same way as the girl at school. But somehow in the pale moonlight, he looked more beautiful than she’d ever seen him, and it caused her chest to swell overwhelmingly.

she looked down to notice he'd opened his eyes again. "Don't leave," he mumbled, his voice thick with exhaustion.

"I won't" she promised, pulling the blanket over them both. he nodded in satisfaction of her reply, nestling against the crook of her neck, his breathing evening out as he drifted into a fitful sleep.

Sleep evaded Y/N though, on the one hand she was wracked with worry over Aegon and his drinking habits, on the other.... she could feel his breath tickling her neck, as his one hand held her own while his other wrapped around her waist, his feet entangled with hers. his body pressed to her own under the covers, making the cramped space on her single bed too hot. Aegon had never been this physically close to her, this vulnerable. she thought how his safe space, the place he ran to when he wanted an escape was her, same as he was for her. it had always been this way, yet, in the darkness of the night she sensed something had shifted between them. she couldn't name it yet, though.

The next morning, when the first light of dawn seeped through the curtains, aegon stirred. He blinked, confusion clouding his eyes at his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the familiar face inches from his own "Y/N?" Y/N merely hummed in response, only now starting to stir awake. "what... how did i get here?" he asked looking around the room, startled. He lifted his head as he realised he was all but laid out on top of her, before moving away to lay on his back. He looked down to find his hand had cramped from holding onto hers all night, immediately releasing it. Y/N rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she responded, "what d'you mean?"

"i mean what am i doing in your bed at the crack of dawn." aegon looked earnestly confused, Y/N realised, which worried her. "You came here last night," she slowly replied, watching his face carefully. "You were drunk. Do you remember?"

aegon frowned, rubbing his temples. "No... I don't." he suddenly looked at Y/N, "Did I do something... did we...?" he motioned to the space between them, his brow raised. Y/N sat up from her bed in alarm, "oh, no, nothing. of course not." she reassured him. she tried not to look too wounded at his relieved expression "good, good." he nodded, staring up at the ceiling.

"you had a fight with your dad and wanted to crash here. do you not remember coming up here last night?" "I don't remember anything really. last thing I do remember is opening one of the bottles from the wine cellar and then" he shrugged. Y/N frowned at his response, "Aegon, have you started blacking out?” her stomach tied itself in knots, feeling anxiety over this new development. But she felt as if she was the only one who understood the gravity of the situation.

she searched for any fear in aegon’s eyes, but only found apathy and disinterest. he seemed unconcerned, merely rolling onto his side and closing his eyes, lazily stretching himself out to get comfortable to fall back asleep.

“do you understand what that means? it means this is getting dangerous. This is no longer all for a good time, Egg.” She attempted again, this time raising her voice to catch his attention. It seemed to fall on deaf ears.

"wake me up for lunch, yeah?" he yawned, drifting back to slumber within minutes.

A wave of anger washed over her, she wanted to knock him off her bed or hit him with a pillow in frustration over his own self-destructive ways. Did he not understand the ending he was currently headed towards? Did he not care how this going to affect him, affect her? She was tired of being the only safety harness keeping him held back when all he seemed to want to do was jump into the abyss.

“fucking… suit yourself.” She stormed off the bed to head out of her room, shutting the door behind her loudly.

#aegon targaryen imagine #aegon ii targaryen x reader #aegon targaryen x reader #aegon x reader #aegon ii x you #aegon ii x reader #hotd imagine #house of the dragon fanfiction #aegon x y/n #aegon x you #aegon ii x y/n #aegon targaryen x you #hotd x reader #hotd x y/n #hotd x you #fics i wrote #modern!aegon x reader #modern!aegon targaryen

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bonefall · 2 months ago

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Big question cause I’m so mad about how they were used: any ideas on changing Berryheart and Curlfeather from this book?

I have ONE controversial opinion and you must allow me this;

Curlfeather not apologizing to Frostdawn kinda rocks as an idea.

Obviously it reads as insulting because of how they gave Berryheart a Tom the Wifebeater ass Redemption Death in this book, and the general way that they've not approached her with the nuance she deserves is frustrating. I agree.

But hold my hand and walk with me. Imagine Curlfeather, mauled and bloody before the daughter she died saving. Frostpaw's gone through so much fixing the damage she caused, furious at the state her mother's in, the mess she made of RiverClan, all the suffering everyone's gone through... and Curlfeather says,

"I don't regret anything."

"Really? REALLY? I go through all of that, I come ALL this way, and you won't even give me a rotten little sorry?"

She doesn't give her mother a chance to respond, lashing her tail towards the grimmace that hangs off the side of her shredded cheek, "You're not sorry for how you lead to yourself looking like THAT?"

Frostpaw shoves her scarred throat foward, "You're not sorry for THIS?"

She claws dig into the sodden black earth of the Dark Forest, "You're not sorry you're HERE?"

Curlfeather is quiet, her remaining eye stoic like a stone. Frostpaw begs furiously, "NOTHING?"

"I will vow on our blood that I will not lie to you anymore," the demon's tone is soft and honest, "and I hope that means more than the insincere apology I could offer you otherwise."

Just when it feels like Frostpaw has so much anger that her body can't handle it, pain stuffs itself inside her in equal measure. Her stomach is sick with love, throat choked with affection. It takes her a minute to form the word,

"Why?"

"When my father, Reedwhisker, was taken by the Kin, I saw how they broke him. His uncle, Stonefur, did not buckle under Tigerstar. My grandmother Mistyfoot quietly rescued the Clan from his accomplice, Leopardstar, while Mistystar willingly worked alongside a vicious impostor."

Now that Frostpaw is the one who's waiting quietly, Curlfeather's voice flutters hopefully, "I was willing to do anything to restore my Clan to greatness," the specter pads foward, touching her nose to her daughter's trembling forehead, "except sacrifice you."

She didn't expect to feel the harsh sting of her daughter's paw smacking her across the nose. She reels back.

"You don't get it! It's not about YOU! It's about everyone you hurt! Dont try to pretend it was all worth it, you didn't make anything great, you just broke it!"

"I had to break it so it could be set back stronger. I gave you the chance for the power, and now you are making it better than it was."

"That was in spite of you! You told me to trust no cat and I had to unlearn that!"

"I saved you when I could have escaped with my life."

"From a situation you caused in the first place!"

"It was a warrior's death!"

There is a silence that settles over them. Curlfeather is snarling in offense. Frostpaw looks, again, at her mother's fatal wounds, the defensive stance. She's reminded of how the cats of other cultures don't always see scars as rewards for a fight survived-- just reminders of pain you've gone through.

"...it was a warrior's death," she agrees, gently, watching tattered hackles smoothen out, "...and now you're dead, while I'm still alive."

The emotion in Curlfeather's face is solemn, but otherwise incomprehensible to her daughter. The expression on Frostpaw's is equally unreadable to her mother. This is the only thing they will ever understand about each other-- that there is an irreconcilable difference between them, steeper than the divide between sky and earth.

The last words the demon speaks to her daughter are, "I love you."

It's only years later that Frostdawn can say, "I love you too."

#better bones au #BB!ASC #BB!Curlfeather #BB!Frostdawn #Asc spoilers #Star spoilers #Berry I know that Im planning to be a lot harsher with #Not irreconcilably evil but she isnt as reasonable as Curl because a lot of her emotions are based on spite and fear #But Curl is simply ambitious. She's ruthless even. She has a vision for the future of riverclan and sees many things as a means to an end.#She's capable of joy and whimsy of course but *intense* is how I see her. A sort of natural and commanding authority.#Somewhat like how her grandmother Misty seems like a relic of an older time. Curl feels like a noble warrior who stepped out of the past #A past that probably never existed.#But her commitment to it makes you think it did.

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firstprinceofhearts · 5 months ago

Text

Do I keep revisiting the same scenes? Yes.

Am I sorry? Not in the slightest.

Is it because I'm starting to run out of footage? Maybe a little bit.

Am I going to carry on regardless? Abso-fucking-lutely

Am I asking too many rhetorical questions? No comment.

Anyway, Henry's hand on Alex's back when they first start going at it in the red room...

Yes, he goes for his hair too, because of fucking course, but the way he grabs at his back too is just... *incomprehensible noises*.

In fact, I genuinely feel sorry for him that there's so many layers of fabric in his way when he looks like he wants nothing more than to leave scratch marks right down Alex's spine.

It must be intensely frustrating for them both that they're so often dressed in shirts and jackets!

#red white and royal blue #firstprince #rwrb movie #rwrb #henry x alex #rwrb HANDS

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class1akids · 8 months ago

Text

BNHA 423 - Thoughts (aka how to fumble your ending: a masterclass by Kohei Horikoshi)

I won't have time on Sunday, so I'll write up my chapter thoughts today. Probably the last time for this series (unless we get a Todo-family moment in the epilogue).

I've joined this fandom 6 years ago and written countless meta and analysis. I'm grieving today not that the story has come to an end, but the way it fumbled its landing.

Last chapter: Deku after a combo from everyone Rises to everyone shouting Ganbare and All Might Annointing him as HIS personal Jesus Greatest hero

This chapter:

Everyone's aggregate animosity (including 16 members of Class A - missing: Uraraka, Bakugou, Shoto and Aoyama) and the strength Deku added to OFA in 2 years kill AFO-in-Shigaraki's regen (even though he was engineered by Ujiko to be able to hold OFA).

Deku punches the body of that little crying boy he yapped about saving of the big bad and it starts to crumble. So AFO looks for a new host in Deku.

We get to the only good point in this chapter: as Aizawa is yelling for Midoriya, ShiraGiri worries about Tomura. The tragedy of how their lives went in separate ways. The only person on this battlefield who cares about Tomura is Kurogiri

WTF - I'm emotional. This must help bring Tomura back, right?

Let me see! what's happening on the vestige side?

Is Kurogiri dead? Why?

I NEED ANSWERS!!!

Or fuck that - let's get to Bakugou, because why not. Obviously, he's in desperate need of another highlight.

Let's even make sure he gets personally praised in case in the last 5 chapters he was not mentioned we forgot how he's the awesomest. Who cares about Kurogiri dying in the background? Who cares about Aizawa's or Mic's feelings? The most important question is how Bakugou got to the battlefield.

Oh, wait, here comes the twist. Remember that crappy little panel of Shoto in the last chapter? No? Don't worry. Neither does 99% of the fandom, except a few die-hard Shoto-fans.

Well, you see, that crappy panel was actually Shoto being hidden as he lifted up Deku at the end of that long combo to give him his last push. And the one above, is not a BKDK combo but an Origin Trio combo. It's just cropped the same way BKDK shippers always crop Shoto out of any Trio pictures.

Congratulations, Kohei Horikoshi-sensei! What an amazing twist. You managed to write Schroedinger's Origin Trio scene! It happened, but maybe it never did. Thanks for stringing me along all these years through the rollercoaster rides of Origins and Risings. I'll take that playground from you and give it to fanfic writers who actually care about maintaining it.

While Bakugou is yelling in the background, Deku is pulling a Mirio on AFO and calls him friendless. The worst thing that can happen to a Shonen boss.

There is some incomprehensible mumbo jumbo about OFA-magic - but don't worry peeps - it's all a set-up for Deku getting it back (in case you are one of the people who seems really to be worried about that)

And then AFO realizes - due to Deku transferring the last bit just so - that he was just a sad little human who loved his brother all along. Yoichi's lifelong efforts to make an impact on AFO didn't do anything. Only the Jesus-Punch-of-Magic did. Too bad.

Oh no, the whole fucking peanut gallery is back to nobody's surprise. (Actually All Might is missing, which may suggest Deku will only get the stockpile back). Even if Deku gets OFA back, please don't transfer these guys back. I'm so sick of them. They were a total waste of time and took Deku's precious real estate for introspection. Fuck that. I don't actually care. Deku has been damaged beyond repair.

GROUP FIST BUMP!!! Amazing Climax. Maybe a double spread, Sensei?

HK: Sorry, I used up my double spread quota on Bakugou!

I'm not one to criticize Horikoshi's artstyle, but boy, this panel is so underwhelming compared to the stuff he drew in this endgame. Is this your big AFO vs OFA clash????

What happens when Ghost Fist collides with Real blood? Of course, it will transfer all that sweet Ghost-DNA!!!

Aka - Horikoshi is saying - Don't worry, Deku won't be quirkless.

OK. Well. Let's move on.

Here is another line from Horikoshi's outline. Did you want to see a heart-warming scene between Nana and Tenko? Too bad for you. You get Bakugou, you voted for him.

(Btw, Shoto is not the only one who doesn't seem to be allowed to have a proper scene with his mom, I guess Tenko cannot even get an emotional afterlife scene. If you are an abuse-victim in story, Horikoshi says - fuck you! Take a swan dive and hope to be reborn as a bully in your next life).

Well, at least Tomura noticed that Kurogiri mysteriously died after Horikoshi couldn't think up an actual proper endgame for him.

OK, onto the MAIN ANTAGONIST's final monologue. It will be deep after being built for 400 chapters, right?

Shigaraki: Well, I didn't even manage to destroy your hand. I amount to just a crying boy.

Deku: Well, I still hate you for stabbing Kacchan and the others. (forget the others, I never cared about the others). I killed you because I was sick of your moping it's the International Board of Therapist's recommended therapy for victims of abuse and grooming.

Shigaraki: Well, what do I say to that. That's so fucking stupid.

Shigaraki: And to my gay little boyfriend, I leave my treasured Nintendo controller.

Deku: Yeah, whatever. I don't really have any thoughts. I've stopped introspection in Act 2. Your life sucked. You need to fuck off now and stop spreading the sadness, I have a victory punch to perform.

Deku: This is the story of how I became the greatest hero by punching the fuck out of this crying, abused little boy and then bathing myself in his nasty pixie dust. killing 2 main villains for the price of 1 in under 7 pages and changed the weather for the dudebros on Twitter can cry about the blue sky in the anime again. I also eradicated sadness with punching it hard enough.

Also - I probably still have a quirk. Tune in to find out in two weeks.

Sensei, with all due respect - this chapter was ass. Visually, thematically, from a storytelling point of view. Even the good ideas were executed badly or were crammed in with terrible ideas. What a fucking let-down.

Will Shigaraki go and be the hero of the villains?

I can see him reconstruct with Overhaul and magic, or I can see that we will get a reveal where Deku had the Lion Turtle solution all along and he has punched Shigaraki just at the angle to magically manifest 5-year old crying Tenko and save him and he was cold and aloof because he already "saved the boy".

I can see a BS solution incoming. But it will not fix this chapter for sure, nor the broader writing issues with Deku's character and with the Deku - Tomura dynamic.

#c1a reads bnha #probably for the last time #bnha 423 #bnha manga leaks #bnha manga spoilers #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki #todoroki shouto #shigaraki tomura #kurogiri #aizawa shouta #afo #rooftop trio #bnha meta

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dragon-kazansky · 10 months ago

Text

When the raven calls

Morpheus x Female Reader

You, his raven, die protecting Jessamy while rescuing the Dream Lord. When Morpheus returns to his realm, he mourns your loss, only to find a stranger waiting for him in his throne room. The stranger claims to be you, now in human form. He doesn't understand, but his raven will always watch over him.

{Masterlist}

{Previous Chapter} - {Next Chapter}

Notes: This chapter is very episode heavy in some places.

Chapter Ten - Trust fall

☆☆☆

You hear Lucienne and Morpheus talking as you pass the throne room. You poke your head in and find Dream sitting on the steps with his coat sprawled out behind him. In his hand was a book. Lucienne was talking to him as he went through it.

You enter quietly and make your way over to them. Morpheus lifts his head when you enter, and he looks pleased. Not only are you still in human form, but you've returned to his side again.

This pleases him greatly.

"Is something wrong?" You ask.

"Jed Walker is missing." Lucienne tells you.

"Jed Walker?"

Morpheus realises there is a lot he hasn't told you about. He brings you up to speed on Rose Walker and her mission to find her brother. How Jed Walker can't even be found in the Dreaming, as if something or someone was keeping him out.

"Jed Walker is still in the realm of the living, but I cannot find him." Morpheus says. "All humans are connected to the Dreaming. They spend a third of their life here. Breaking that connection would require knowledge. And power."

"Then it may interest you to know that the last nightmare Jed Walker had before he disappeared was of Gault," Lucienne states.

You look up at the window where she is still depicted. "Interesting."

"You think she severed him from the Dreaming?" Morpheus asks her.

"I do."

"Why?"

"Because he's not just any child, is he? He's Rose Walker's brother. She is the vortex."

You had begun to connect all the dots now.

"Excuse me."

You all turn to see a young woman enter from here you had just come from. You find yourself moving to stand beside Morpheus as she walks closer.

"I'm Rose Walker. What do you know about my brother?" She asks.

Morpheus stands up and faces her. "You are welcome here, Rose Walker."

"Who are you?"

"You have somehow dreamed your way into an audience with Lord Morpheus." Lucienne explains. "The King of Dreams. And you must go."

"Lucienne." Morpheus speaks her name.

"She shouldn't be here."

You look at Rose. She could only be 20 something tops. She looks confused but also interested in what's happening. She doesn't really look at you as she listens to Morpheus and Lucienne talk.

"No, but I should like her to stay."

"What is this place?" She asks.

"You're in the Dreaming, the place where people come when they sleep."

"So, I'm asleep right now? I'm dreaming?"

"Yes, and I should like to know how it is you found me." Morpheus says.

"I heard you talking about my brother. Is he here?"

"No." Morpheus steps down from the stairs and walls over to Rose. He comes to stand beside her.

"Do you know where he is?" She asks.

"No. But I think he might be with one of my missing Nightmares." He tells her as they look up at the window.

"She's a nightmare? What would she want with Jed?"

"I don't know. But I have a feeling it has something to do with you." Morpheus looks at her curiously.

"Me? Why? What did I do?"

"It is not what you did. It is what you are." He tells her.

"I'm sorry. I don't understand any of this."

"No. Dream vortexes are largely incomprehensible."

"What's a dream vortex?"

"You are."

You roll your eyes. That doesn't really explain anything to her. Morpheus was hopeless sometimes.

"Once every few thousand years, a mortal is born with a Dreaming ability so powerful, she can travel through the dreams of others." You explain, coming over to join the two.

Morpheus looks at you.

"Apperantly, all the way to my throne room." He says, returning his gaze back to Rose.

"I was just looking for my brother." She speaks softly.

"If you can find me in The Dreaming, you can find your brother." Morpheus tells her. "No matter where Gaukt has hidden him."

"How? How do I do that?"

"For now, keep looking for your brother in the waking world. Matthew will watch over you there."

"I could do it," you say.

"No." Morpheus looks at you instantly.

Rose looks between the pair of you and then at Matthew. She feels the tension building.

"At your service, Rose." Matthew bows his head at her.

"When he is with you, I am with you." Morpheus tells Rose. "Then tonight, when you sleep, you and I will go in search for Gault and your brother together. In your dreams."

"She's just a nightmare, right? She can't hurt him, can she?"

You look down at the ground. Morpheus can see you in the corner of his eye.

Rose Walker wakes. She disappears from the Dreaming.

Lucienne takes her leave for now, as does Matthew. Morpheus looks at you. You avoid his eyes as you slowly try to walk away.

"Wait."

You stop and wait.

"Look at me."

You lift your head and meet his eyes reluctantly. He stares at you silently for a few moments before he speaks. "Is something wrong?"

"No."

"No?'

You sigh. "Do you not trust me?" You ask.

"Of course I do. Why would I not?"

"You were so quick to send Matthew to help Rose."

"Yes?" He regards you curiously. He really doesn't see what the issue is.

"I'm right here. I can do things, too. I still have my raven form, remember?"

"I do."

"So, send me. Let me be your raven again," you plead.

He says your name softly. "It is not that I do not trust you. I just..."

"What?" You urge.

"I don't want you to leave my side."

You frown. "That's not a good enough reason."

Morpheus falls quiet again.

"I'm going for a walk... or better yet, I fly around the palace..." As you take a step, you turn into a raven and fly out of there.

Morpheus watches you go.

☆☆☆

Lucienne walks through the library and spots Morpheus going through the books. She approaches him quickly.

"My lord, may I help?"

"Is this everything we have on Rose Walker?" He asks her.

"And Jed Walker. But I shouldn't think there's anything in those you don't already know. Except perhaps-"

"Exceot perhaps why she was able to wander into my throne room." He finishes for her. "What do you think? Why did Gault target her brother and not her?"

"Did you read about Unity Kinkaid?" Lucidnne asks. "The day you were imprisoned, there were people all over the world who fell asleep and could not wake up. Unity Kinkaid is the sole survivor of what they called the Sleepy Sickness. The day you reutneed, she woke up. Rose Walker is her great-granddaughter."

"Which would seem to suggest that my absence caused the birth of a vortex." Morpheus says.

"Is that not a possibility?"

"Vortxes are naturally occurring phenomena. No one knows why they happen. Not even I know. But I do know they are not caused or created. They simply happen." He explains.

"Then this is all a coincidence? And not am imminent threat?"

"My instinct says no, but tonight when Rose Walker sleeps, I shall see it more clearly. May I?" He takes the book with him as he leaves.

You watch from the book shelf you had been sitting on. Lucienne looks up and stares at you. You say nothing and fly out.

☆☆☆

"You do know I can sense you as a raven? We are connected, after all."

You sigh and land on the table in front of him. He looks at you silently.

"I wanted to know more about Rose." You say.

"You could have just asked."

"I didn't think you would tell me," you sigh.

"Now who doesn't trust who?"

You ruffle your feathers and sigh. It's easier to talk to him as a raven. This way, he can't see you get flustered when he looks at you.

"I'm not trying to fall out with you. Maybe I'm jealous that Matthew gets to be the top raven these days. That used to be my job."

Morpheus is surprised to hear you say that.

"Matthew is new to the job. He needs all the experience he can get."

"Your excuses are becoming boring."

Morpheus feels bad. He is making up excuses. He simply doesn't want you to leave his side at the moment, now while you have him feeling the way he is.

"Come with me tonight."

You look up at him. "Huh?"

"Come with me to see Rose."

"You mean it?" You ask, excitedly.

"Yes."

Your head perks up as you look up at him. He can sense your happiness. He smiles softly.

"However, I have one condition."

"Okay..."

"You can only accompany me in your human form."

"Why?" You cock your head to the side.

"Because I want you to."

You know that's the best you're going to get out of him. You sigh. "Fine."

"I'll call for you when Rose enters the Dreaming again."

"Okay." You fly off.

Morpheus watches you go, wishing you would stay.

☆☆☆

When Rose falls asleep, Morpheus knows. He calls for you as soon as he feels her presence in the Dreaming. You fly to him quickly.

"My condition." He says.

You sigh and flap your wings, turning into your human form. You look up at him and sigh again. "Better?"

"Yes."

Morpheus takes your hand gently and then guides you through the Dreaming.

Currently, Rose is walking through the dreams of her friends.

You both find her through the dream of Chantel, her friend. You follow his gaze as he turns to look at Rose. He says nothing as he grasps your hand and pulls you through the door.

Rose ends up outside on a street where she sees Barbie in an expensive car and Ken, naked, trying to talk to her. Looks like he was having a bad dream.

You stand on the other side of the street with Morpheus, watching Rose. She turns and sees you both.

"Why is this happening? I thought we were looking for Jed." She says.

"We are." Morpheus replies.

"Then why am I in my friends' dreams?"

"Because yo uare drawing the dreams of others to you." He tells her. "Just be careful not to lose yourself in them. Take a moment. Find your path."

Rose's gaze shifts over his shoulder. You both turn to see a poster on a gate. It's one of her missing posters for Jed. Rose walks over to it and pushes it open, going through.

Now you're standing out in the open, watching Princess Barbara on her quest to save the land.

"So, what is a dream vortex? What is it for? What does it do?"

I confess, there are some questions to whichever I do not have an answer." Morpheus admits. "But I can tell you that a vortex has the power to dream entire worlds or destroy them."

Rose walks off in the same direction Barbie headed. Morpheus and you follow her.

A graveyard. A young girl skipping past the graves as she sings to herself.

"Is that...?"

"Zelda. When she was your brother's age."

Rose follows the young Zelda through the cemetery as she talks to herself.

"Is she lost?"

"She's at home here," Morpheus explains. "That is what most people seek when they dream."

"Home?"

"Do you know where that is for Jed?"

Zelda enters one of he crypts close by. Rose follows her. On the door is another poster. Rose takes it and goes through the door. Morpheus and you follow her.

You're standing on a street. Quiet. Homely looking. Other than the three of you, there doesn't seem to be anyone around.

"You know this place?"

"That was our house growing up. Look." She shows you the photo on the poster. You smile at her as you take the poster from her hand and take a closer look.

"You've done it." Morpheus smiles. "You've found your brother's dream. Now we find Gault."

You look around. It's so quiet here.

It doesn't stay quiet for long. You watch in interest and confusion as sand swirls around and a young boy, dressed like a superhero from a comic, appears. There's what appears to be a ruby on his costume too.

The sand. The ruby. You chuckles softly.

"Halt, King of Nightmares, or I'll send you both to Dreamland."

"Jed?" Rose asks.

"I am the Guardian of Sleepers. I am Lord of the Dream Domain. I am the Sandman."

You giggle softly.

Morpheus smiles. "You are the Sandman? Is that what she told you?"

Jed gets defensive.

"Where is she? Your master."

"Stay back."

"Jed, we're not here to hurt you." Rose tells him.

A woman comes up behind Jed and places her hand on his shoulder. You look at her curiously. The woman looks just like their mother.

Gault.

"It's me you want. Not him."

"Oh my God. Mom?"

"That is not your mother, Rose." Morpheus tells her, stopping her from getting close.

"Rose?" Jed removes his mask.

You watch the siblings hug.

"I've been looking for you everywhere." Rose tells him.

"Mom, it's Rose. She's all grown up."

"I'm sorry, Jed." Morpheus removes Gault's disguise.

"What did you do to her?" Jed yells.

Rose makes Jed look at her as she talks to him. Rose explains to him what is happening and then asks where he is.

"I'm right here."

"No, Jeddy, this is a dream. When you wake up, where will you be?" She asks.

"Uncle Barnaby said he's gonna break every bone in my body." Jed says, getting upset.

You frown. What are they doing to this poor boy in the waking world?

"Who's Barnaby?"

"Aunt Clarice won't be able to stop him."

"Where are they, Jed? Where are Aunt Clarice and Uncle Barnaby?"

"They're home. They're in Homeland." Jed says.

"Where is that? Where is Home Land?"

"Come, Gault. We must go." Morpheus says.

Gault crouches near Jed and looks at him sadly. "I'm sorry, Sandman."

"It's time to wake up, Jed." Morpheus states.

"Wait!" You try and stop him.

"Goodbye, Rose Walker."

Rose tries to get more answers from Jed, but Morpheus ends the dream.

You're now standing in the throne room. Morpheus is there. Lucienne, too. Gault stands there looking at Morpheus with disdain. You sit on the steps slowly.

"Do you have any idea what his life is like in the waking world?" Gault asks.

"Humans cannot live in dreams. As long as he stayed there, the child had no life nor the chance for one."

"The boy is being abused. He's suffering." Gault tells him.

"You abused that suffering to build a Dreaming you could rule."

"I had no wish to rule. I merely wished to be a Dream and not a Nightmare." Gault says to him. "To inspire rather than to frighten."

Your gaze softens as you look at her.

"The choice is not yours to make. We do not choose to be created. Nor do we choose how we are made."

You gaze down quietly. Dream has always been so particular about things, but do you not prove change is possible? You are different now from how he made you, and yet he leaves you be.

It doesn't seem fair.

"That is true." Gault agrees with him. "But we can change." Her gaze looks at you. It's like she read your mind.

"No." Morpheus says. "We are, each of us, born with responsibilities. Even I am not free to choose to be other than I am. Nor is anyone."

"Is that were true, why did all the other Dreams and Nightmares choose to leave this place when you had gone away?"

"Not all of us chose to leave and nearly all have returned." Lucienne chimed in.

"Do you think they came back out of love?" Gaulat asked her. "Or because they were afraid of what you wouldndo to them if they did not?" She addresses Morpheus. "Because I'm not afraid."

You hear Morpheus move behind you. The room grows tense.

"You should be."

You look up at him over your shoulder, but he does not move his gaze from Gault.

"A Nightmares purpose is to reveal a dreamer's fears that they may face them."

His shadow descends the stairs past you and toward Gault. You know what he's going to do.

You can't take it any more. You get up and you leave the room.

Morpheus sees you go. Lucienne watches you. Gault does not move her gaze from Dream.

It's only when you're halfway down the hall that you realise you're crying. You reach up and touch your cheek. Your fingers come away wet.

"Oh..."

Now you really do feel human.

You head to your room to be alone.

Lucienne comes by to check on you. She feels for you when she hears you crying softly. She hugs you gently, holding you to her. She's never known you to be so emotional before.

"How can he do that?" You ask.

"I don't know..."

"It's not fair. He's not fair."

Lucienne says nothing as she holds you. You cling to her for comfort. You've never felt more human than you do now.

☆☆☆

@missdreamofendless - @kpopgirlbtssvt - @sitkafay - @snowsatsu - @ladyofdreaming - @thoughtsfromlayla - @modest-irish-goddess - @mystic-mara -

#when the raven calls #morpheus x reader #the sandman #female reader #dragon writes

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vigilskeep · 3 months ago

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Saw your post about the fic trope wherein Varric handles all of Hawke's finances and tbh it feels like people maybe aren't fully processing the fact that DA Dwarves are Jewish-coded and are leaning heavily on stereotypes instead of dismantling them. Not to say the writers are always 100% on top of their own biases or anything but like... maybe if you're writing a culture like this you should look at why you think a guy in that culture is good at / interested in something he is textually NOT and if the answer is "because he's ___ so he must be" you should stop what you're doing and ask if you're pushing a harmful stereotype. Sorry if this is incomprehensible, I'm very sleepy.

don’t have much to add to this but nodding

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bogkeep · 3 months ago

Text

[now entering: the OPINION ZONE]

the way i feel about Booktok(tm), as a phenomenon, or maybe more as a weird miasma that is seeping through every bookstore i enter, is that we don't see eye to eye. i'm sure it's got a lot more variation and diversity than whatever weird takes bubble up to the surface for my tiktok-less self to stumble upon - mostly i just feel like my motivation for reading books is different than theirs. there is the occasional overlap in the Books I Enjoy / Big On Booktok venn diagram (which makes me feel very weird about those books but that's for me to sort out), but i cannot personally Trust a booktok recommendation, if that makes sense. either way, it's none of my business what other people like to read, and i think me and booktok can peacefully coexist in each our own spheres. (if all of this is completely incomprehensible to you i salute you and envy your peace of mind.)

anyway, a very fascinating discussion that keeps showing up recently is the phenomenon where popular booktok influencers admit to skipping paragraphs that are too long, or only reading the dialogue of a book, or performing shock at a printed book containing Too Many Words Per Page. what fascinates me is not so much that it is happening (though it DOES fascinate me), but how much people reacting to this struggle to explain exactly Why it's so aggravating.

like, i feel like the obvious takeaway is that these people are monetizing their alleged joy of reading, and then... don't? even like to read? that the consumerist aesthetic of Being A Reader is more profitable on a video platform than doing the due diligence of reviewing books properly? that the content machine marches on and if you're too slow you'll fall behind??

INSTEAD the discussion seems to center around the good old "oohh nooo people read BAD BOOKS instead of GOOD BOOKS and IT'S IMPORTANT TO CHALLENGE YOUR BRAINNN or else the MEDIA LITERACY....." and i'm sorry but i think this has been a moral panic for as long as we've had literature. media literacy has never had a golden age that i'm aware of. there's always been trashy romances that authors pump out on the monthly for easy consumption. capitalism is gonna value profit over quality for as long as it's in charge. people who read for fun are gonna read what they're gonna read, and they're gonna read it in the way they enjoy reading. i agree that reading Good Books is deeply fulfilling! but that is my personal and subjective experience that not everyone is going to share.

i think the reason i feel weird about the insistence that you Must, at least occasionally, Challenge Yourself while reading is that... i'm exhausted in my brain. too exhausted to challenge myself for fun. maybe it's a burnout thing. i really really get looking at a paragraph and finding it simply too much to absorb right now. my main method of getting through books these days is in audio format, even if i would personally prefer to read them visually (they'd stick to my brain better, i would see how names are spelled, sudden POV switches between paragraphs would be less confusing). but reading a book in text form is taking me weeks at best - unless it's a special kind of book that i can't help but devour immediately, sleep schedule be damned (which is another toll to pay). some books are just too complex and need too much focus for me to enjoy right now, so i keep having to goldilock my way to what feels Just Right. some books, i'm sure i'll get back to later. some i've made my peace with never picking up despite the fact that they feel Obligatory (my apologies to lord of the rings. i've Tried and i just can't do it). so like i GET IT. sometimes reading is too much.

what i Wish the discussion was more about, was instead finding ways to read that's enjoyable for you. there is literature and screen plays that are Only Dialogue. there's graphic novels. there's audiobooks and e-readers that let you change the font sizes. there's lots and lots and lots of fanfiction that's literally just banter and smut. there's no shame in reading what you enjoy! there's no shame in spending months on the same book! but i suppose it's not as ~Aesthetic~ as purchasing 10 editions of the same book series on amazon dot hell!!!!

#reading books in and of itself is not a moral virtue. it's just a thing u can do #thank you for journeying through the opinion zone with me. now leaving #also personally i can't even imagine skipping a paragraph in a fiction book and that's part of my exhaustion tbh #i remember telling a therapist how i struggle to move on to a next page unless i feel like i have sufficiently absorbed Every Single Word #and i keep getting stuck a lot because of it

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morebird · 1 year ago

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Hello there 💜 as someone who’s trying to figure out cel shade and wrap her head around the use of airbrush and hard light, and…your style??! my eyes?! It’s so PRETTY!! The way you shade just draws the viewer in instantly! And points for the art of Astorian ✨

could I possibly ask how you go about your shade/lighting process? If that’s a question with a lot of undertaking then please don’t feel obligated to answer! Just know that your art is beautiful!

Thank you! 💛 I honestly don't really think my art style is anything special like you said it's just cel shading, but still thank you it's nice to hear that my art looks good to other people.

Anyways there's has been a lot of people who asked about the "process" I am going to give you a very simplified version because otherwise I'll start rambling and it's going to be too long I mean look how much I've written already.

First of all I work with PS, but you can replicate this anywhere.

So first I have a base color layer, the line art and the base color are separated.

I select the entire base color layer with a quick selection tool, and in a new layer that will be above the base color but below the line art with a paint bucket tool I fill it with my desired color, the layer blending mode must be set to hard light. This is the shadow layer.

Now in another new layer above the shadow layer, I use the polygonal lasso tool to select everything that will be in the light layer, once I am done with that I will fill it with whatever color I want. Btw you can use a brush for this I just use the polygonal lasso because I just like it that way.

In another new layer with the layer blending mode set to Linear Dodge (Add), I select with the quick selection tool everything from the light layer, I hide the light layer and in the new linear dodge layer I create a gradient with the selection. I usually use a radial gradient since I think it gives a more natural look but you can use whatever fits your art. If you don't know how to use a gradient, you just drag it from the direction of the light source. And you should have something that looks like this:

This is a very simplified explanation I add a lot of more gradients and lots of layers so this is just the base.

I'm sorry if this is incomprehensible, I also struggle with written instructions so if something isn't clear just ask me again I'll try explain it in detail and add more screenshots 💜

#ask #hope this helps!#and sorry to all the people who asked me for a tutorial before 😭#i know i never delivered but i had something prepared i was just like do people still care?#clearly they do lol #tutorial

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aishangotome · 9 days ago

Text

Azel Radwan: Chapter 13 His Side Story

Chapter 13

Thank you @passthechloroform for providing the video for this chapter!

♡———♡

"Silvio, I'd like to present you with a professional diviner, Pu."

"Could you please keep an eye on the girl who delivered the letter to you, and make sure she doesn't get entangled with any suspicious old men?"

"It would be quite troublesome if she were to be taken advantage of by an elderly man."

"I'm not particularly worried, but just as a precaution. Please don't read too much into it."

Azel: You're late.

(I can't believe I had to wait this long.)

By the time the woman returned from town, the sky had been completely painted over with the colors of night.

(At least it seems the letter I gave to Silvio wasn't for nothing.)

Since the sun began to set, I had gone outside countless times for no real reason.

Why do I have to be made to feel so anxious...?

I thrust out my hand gruffly, as if to vent my incomprehensible feelings.

(Not that I was waiting for you or anything.)

(...I was just worried whether you had properly bought the things I asked for.)

The woman correctly understood my intentions and handed me a paper bag full of items.

I took it and turned on my heel.

Azel: I don't know where you were dawdling, but next time, come back before the sun sets.

(...It's dangerous for a woman to walk alone in the desert at night.)

(That much should be obvious with a little thought.)

Emma: I'm sorry, I'll hurry up and make it.

Azel: Huh?

Emma: ...Eh?

(Make what?)

(...We didn't talk about anything like that.)

Emma: I thought you were pressuring me to hurry up and make dinner...

(...)

Azel: ...Ah, yes, that's right.

Azel: To think you would let a God go hungry, you have some nerve, you debt-ridden slave.

(Right...That's how it would seem.)

(Normally, I would have had her make dinner.)

(But why...)

(...Why did I end up not waiting for her to make it?)

The woman's puzzled face is strangely irritating.

Azel: Don't just stand there with that stupid look on your face, hurry up and make it! Make it now, I'm starving!

Emma: If you're going to talk to me like that, I'll make you a simple meal.

Azel: ...............

(This is bad...)

(How can I get out of this?)

(...I messed up.)

In the end, even with the wisdom of a God, I couldn't find a valid excuse to stop the woman from entering the kitchen. Caught red-handed, I was cornered.

Emma: This is...

Azel: Oh my, when did this happen?

Azel: Someone must have broken into the temple. It's a suspicious object, not fit for consumption.

Azel: Let's just feed it to the camels.

Emma: No, don't!

As I try to grab the tajine, she stops me with all her might from behind.

(Please don't stop me.)

(...Don't stop me.)

The stew simmering inside the pot was something I had made out of habit before the woman returned.

It certainly wasn't made with any intention of lessening the burden on the woman who would likely be returning tired after being bothered by that old man.

Emma: It looks delicious.

(Don't be considerate... Just stop it already.)

I'm aware that the pot is quite avant-garde, unlike the dishes the woman usually makes.

Because I threw in whole vegetables and meat, its unsightliness was exceptional.

Although I'm confident in the taste, I can hardly call it "delicious."

Azel: Are you really going to eat a suspicious object made by who-knows-who?

Emma: I know who made it.

Emma: ...Because your clothes smell like spices, Prince Azel.

(...Damn it.)

Azel: Is it just your imagination?

Emma: That's a shame. I wanted to try your cooking, Prince Azel...

Azel: You don't mean that.

Emma: I'm being serious.

Emma: Food made by someone else always tastes better than what I make myself.

Emma: To a greater or lesser extent, home cooking always has care put into it.

Faced with the avant-garde dish, the woman's expression transforms with a beautiful smile that seems to spring from the depths of her heart.

My heartbeat echoes in response, heavy and throbbing, and a wrinkle forms between my brows.

Azel: Stop it, I'm getting goosebumps.

Emma: Besides...

Emma: If you foresaw my entire day, Prince Azel, you must have known I would come home tired, right?

Emma: That's why you cooked– Ouch!

Azel: Such unsightly conceit.

I relentlessly pinch the woman's cheeks.

The desert nights should be cold, but the room feels as hot as it does during the day.

Azel: Listen, you were taking so long to come back that I got impatient and made it myself.

Azel: Before you proudly show off your pathetic deductions, first show me the sincerity of offering me a late fee.

The woman's gaze shifts from the pot to the counter.

Seeing her start to grin at the two plates placed side by side makes me want to throw her out this instant.

Emma: ...I'm sorry.

Azel: I didn't tell you to apologize. I told you to give me money.

Emma: No, not that apology, but the one from before...

Emma: When you said "come back before the sun sets," thinking about it now, maybe you were genuinely worried about me--

Emma: Ouch ouch ouch!

Azel: Why would I worry about you?

Azel: It's just inconvenient for me not to have an errand runner.

(At this point, it's just harassment. Later, I'll sue her for emotional distress and claim compensation.)

I don't think I can meet the woman's eyes for a while.

Emma: I'll p-pretend that's how it is.

(Damn...)

(Don't laugh anymore... It's unbearable, I can't stand it.)

Chapter 14

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