#if i were in that position i would just have killed my uncle

[averillaratargaryen]

The Hightower’s Shadow.

Chapter XVII

“A toast, to Ser Vaeron” Aegon raises his cup, looking around to see only Gwayne and Lynesse raising their cups alongside him.

With a sigh, he rolled his eyes and slammed down his cup onto the table, “this family bores me.”

“Your Grace, I still find it very unnecessary to have Ser Vaeron work here, if he has already retired once” Otto responded.

“I trust my uncle’s words, and he has only spoken positively of Ser Vaeron and his skills. I can not throw away a man without seeing it for myself” Aegon responds, “it is all about giving chances, Grandsire.”

“If you give one a chance, a whole flock follow after, and you will have no insight into who is an enemy of you” Otto spat out.

“I am no enemy” Ser Vaeron’s eyes glance at Otto before turning to Aegon, “if that was the case, I’d have killed your son a while back, considering what your family had put my Uncle through.”

“A threat-!”

“Empty threat” Aegon raises his finger to quiet Otto, “as he said, if it were the case. In this case, it is not.”

His head was turned to Otto’s side, and then soon after had turned to face Ser Vaeron, “what was it, that they put your uncle through?”

Vaeron’s first instinct was to look up, towards Lynesse, who sat silently and only gave a whispered response, “it’s okay.”

Vaeron nodded, clearing his throat when he put his utensils down to speak, “your Grandsire denied my Uncle his own daughter. He kept Lynesse away, after my Uncle begged and pleaded to meet her, even it was just once.”

“I protected her” Otto responded, “she is a woman, and women are weak. She would have fell to your father’s arms and stayed with her but what could he provide her with?”

“He was her father, it was his dying wish that you denied him of!” Ser Vaeron had almost raised his voice, but had calmed himself, turning to Aegon, “I apologise, your Grace.”

“Not at all” Aegon shook his head.

“My Uncle was a noble man. He worked hard and earned enough money to buy his daughter a gift” Vaeron raises his head towards Otto.

“Don’t you speak another word young boy” Otto warned him.

Vaeron had bit back his tongue, when Otto had leaned over to warn him.

“Say it” he turned his head to Lynesse’s voice, as did the rest of the table, “what was it?.. the gift?”

“It was a necklace” Vaeron responded, “he had gifted it when you had turned the age of ten.”

Lynesse’s eyes widened, as she turned to Otto only to stand up after, “that same necklace i found.. the one that you had slapped me for, claiming i was stealing Alicent’s gift?”

“He does not know what he is speaking of” Otto chuckled as he shook his head, turning to Alicent, who held onto the exact same necklace.

Vaeron’s look only confirming it was what her father had gifted.

“How could you?” Lynesse spoke in a shaken tone, her anger resorting to teared eyes.

“Lynesse” Gwayne called out, bringing himself up to stand behind her.

He held her arm to hold her back from lashing out, but she gently moved him away, turning around to face him, “you were there. You saw what he did to me-? For something that was mine!”

She turned back around to Otto, her eyes gazing fiercely.

“You were a child, you did not need riches and necklaces” Otto responded coldly.

Lynesse stared at him, heartbroken and uneasy, before speaking in a quiet, shaken tone yet again, “go to hell.”

Lynesse had escaped out, everyone turning their heads to leave, and only three directioning themselves to follow after her.

“Lynesse, wait-!” Gwayne called out.

Cole and he were both ready to step forward and after her, but Vaeron had beat them to it, being closer to walk out the door and after her.

“I.. i was not expecting that” Aegon cleared his throat, looking towards Cole as a way out.

The room fell silent, the tension rising when Gwayne could only look at his father in silence and disappointment.

“Do not look at me like that” Otto spat out.

“How else should i? After everything you’ve done!” Gwayne shouted out.

Otto looked around to see the disappointment in everyone’s face, and surprisingly, his daughter’s too.

As the silence followed, a loud thud had followed, Gwayne rushing out as the others slowly parted, all finding their way to Lynesse.

-

“Lynesse-?”

“Get away from me, Vaeron” she spoke out, whilst having thrown around half her belongings across the bedroom chamber.

“I know that you are upset” Vaeron nods, “i understand your pain, i do.”

“I don’t wish to hurt you, Vaeron. Please” she pleaded, “stay away from me.”

“Lynesse?” Gwayne’s voice was heard, only reaching to stand beside Vaeron at the step of the door, before Lynesse had pushed down her bedside table in front of it.

“I don’t know what to do” Vaeron spoke out to Gwayne.

But it seemed Gwayne had seen her like this before.

“Lynesse, just take a deep breath” Gwayne looked to her with worried eyes, yet a calming presence.

“A deep breath?” Lynesse asked, “after everything I’ve tolerated, only to find out so much more-!”

“I know. I know” Gwayne responded, “but think of mother. She would not want you this distraught. Your father would never wish for you to feel this way.”

As the other’s caught up, Cole had stayed back, getting a look of it all, noticing the silence amongst everyone.

Neither Otto nor Alicent knowing of what to do, of Lynesse’s sudden outburst.

That was until Gwayne had rushed forward, falling to his knees beside her, having being pulled down by force when she too had fell to her knees.

He shushed her in a calming, low whisper, hugging her tightly as his hand rested at the back of her head, his thumb gently moving back and fourth.

Lynesse sobbed, as if muffled due to her face being held against his shoulder, and soon after, held him back.

He had sat at his knees beside her, for as long as he needed to, comforting her until she no longer wished it.

-

The next day had come about, and after how the evening had gone down, the family had seemed distant.

Whilst all that was occurring, Cole still had a job in place, and he and Ser Vaeron were found training.

“Again” Cole responded harshly, putting his sword back from drawing, after striving his opponent harshly.

“You seem to be sharp this afternoon, Ser Criston” Ser Vaeron responded.

“Then you should see to it, if you wish to be a true protector. To be sworn means to protect your people. You can not do that after constantly falling” Cole shrugged, the two walking around in circles slowly.

“You will wish to take that back” Ser Vaeron chuckled.

“Will i?” Cole asks.

“I only go easy on you as i see it to be two men in training. If you wish it more, i may take the defence off and let you get the wrath of my cruelty” Ser Vaeron responds.

“All this talk and yet, no action” Cole chuckled.

“If there is one thing i know of an opponent” Ser Vaeron spoke slowly, pausing after every word purposefully, “is.. you never… let them know.. when you strike!”

Drawing his sword, Ser Vaeron stepped forward, his sword poking to Cole’s adams apple.

The two men seemed tensed, and whilst Cole knew his reason on being so, Vaeron could not exactly make out Cole’s cold demeanour.

As the two take heavy breaths, staring down at one another, it seemed Vaeron’s eye had been caught, drawing his sword down when his eyes follow Lynesse, who was seen walking down.

Cole’s gaze followed just after, when realising and understanding the young man and his reasoning of getting distracted.

But the two men were defeated when it seemed Lynesse had first paid no attention to either of them.

That was until Vaeron called out to her, “Lynesse.“

Her eyes shot up, startled before realising the two men were stood with swords pointing at each other.

“Oh-! Ser Vaeron” she gave a polite bow, before turning to Cole, whose eyes were longing with affection, “Cole.”

Her voice was a lot more cold and stern, saying his name, having his heart slightly ache.

“Do you need me to accompany you?” Vaeron asks, approaching her.

“N-no” Lynesse’s constant gaze at Cole had stopped when Vaeron was standing not far from her now, facing him, “I am just heading to the sept. After last night.. I guess I am needed of some prayer.”

Cole watched back, at the two, his blood boiling when he found his hand brushing on her shoulder and with a forceful move, pushed Vaeron away from her, by his dagger.

“You can not be distracted by a woman, Vaeron, if you wish to complete your duties” Cole smirked, a feeling of relief to have them apart wavered over him.

“You could have killed me!” Vaeron protested back, his sword back at Cole’s throat, before the two clinked at one another.

Their annoyance had stemmed from one another, but knowing Lynesse was watching had them form a sense of ego.

“Tell me one good reason why I should spare you?” Cole chuckled, a condescending smile formed as he kept his head held high.

It was a swift notion that both took, himself overlapping Ser Vaeron’s sword, but he had forgotten that the man was a knight once himself.

With two light strokes against Cole, Ser Vaeron had overtaken him, responding back with just the same amount of ego, “I’m handy with a sword. Careful now, Ser Criston.”

His accent was charming, or so Lynesse thought, when she continued walking ahead, having the two men glance at her once again, following her as she walked away.

She had played it off quite well, that she did not care for their performance, but deep down she knew their reasons of wishing to impress her and it only made her smile to herself.

-

“You wished to see me you Grace?” Cole’s voice was as silent as a whisper, when he stood at the door frame of Aegon’s chamber, his head down as though he were defeated.

Aegon turns, with his grandfather that stood beside him, his eye then siding towards Otto, “Leave us.”

And so he did, as the Hand made his way out of Aegon’s chamber.

“What has you so.. defeated?” Aegon asks.

“It is nothing, your Grace. I am simply.. exhausted. That is all” Cole responds.

“Hmm” Aegon tilted his head, waiting for Cole to step in so that their conversation could continue privately.

As Cole did, Aegon walked to his chamber door, closing it behind him before turning around.

“You are training the young man. What is his name?” Aegon asked, “..was it Vaeron?”

“Yes, your Grace” Cole responded vaguely.

“Well don’t just stand there silently” Aegon chuckled, “tell me how he is. Is he truly skilled?”

“His swordsmanship is great, if I must” Cole responds, “I am just not sure of him.”

“Not sure of him how, exactly?” Aegon asks.

“He is just.. rather particular” Cole shrugged, “and his constant need of distraction every time Lynesse is in his presence.”

“Ah-!” Aegon nods, with a smirk, “I see now, what the problem is.”

“Your Grace?” Cole asked.

“You are threatened, as it seems you have some form of competition, now that another man has set his eyes on the prize” the King chuckled.

“I do not know what you speak of” Cole denied all accusations.

“It is strange, no?” Aegon asks, “you go from never being able to keep your eyes off each other, to complete cold distance. Or so, from my aunt’s side. Have you done something to upset her.”

“Not that I recall, your Grace” Cole shook his head.

“Not that you recall” Aegon whispered with a nod, “Cole, I hold you as a friend. With no longer having my brother beside me, I need that.. company.”

“I am flattered, your Grace” Cole let out a slanted smile.

“So tell me the truth” Aegon sighed as he sat at the foot of his bed, looking up at Cole, “what has happened between the two of you?”

Cole hesitated, looking down at his trembled hands, but a part of him knew it was best to speak the truth.

Because, whilst Aegon was a delightful King, he was impulsive and irrational, and Cole could only fear what would happen if Cole continued to lie to him.

“Your aunt and I.. we engaged with a kiss” Cole cleared his throat, “just a kiss-! Nothing more.”

He made that part very clear.

“Consensual?” Aegon asks.

“Of course, your Grace, I would not have done so, had she not wished it” Cole responded.

“And yet you are both.. upset?” Aegon asks, before patting the spot beside him, for Cole to sit down, “perhaps you should start from the beginning.

And so, Cole did.

…

“So let me get this straight” Aegon turned to Cole, himself confused even more than before, “my aunt asked that you kiss her, and you declined at first, out of respect for your name and hers. Only to then want it afterwards, just to avoid her entirely because my mother said so?”

Cole nodded as he gulped.

“Just on question- what is wrong with you?” He asks, “What man would kiss a woman and then avoid her just because someone asked of it?”

“Your mother, she-?”

“She is convincing, yes” Aegon nods, “but as we’ve discovered, my mother does not know my aunt well. To self sabotage yourself, I mean-? What were you thinking?”

“I do not know, your Grace” Cole shrugged.

“I have a dinner within four fortnights, and i was hoping that she sit beside me but I can not have her beside me if she is not.. well. So you must sort this before then” Aegon’s eyes were demanding as he spoke.

“Will you not have her Grace beside you?” Cole asks.

“Of course. Helena is my wife” Aegon nods, “but I lack certain social cues that my aunt is helpful with so, I will need her there too. What would people say, should they see her so.. disturbed?”

Cole had no choice but to nod in agreement, despite having no clue what he himself felt.

“Now, get to work, I need the atmosphere to be well, and steady” Aegon sighed as he sat up, before whispering to himself, “this family is in as much shambles already.”

-

Lynesse had set out for a prayer that afternoon, as last night was a lot to take on, and she knew that her heart needed some form of cleanse, to have herself steady and calm.

Walking out the sept, she spent her time in her steps, soaking up the spring sun, with birds chirping and a slight gust of wind.

Her eyes stayed glued to the blue clear skies, until hearing a low purr beside her. Looking down, she found herself in company of a cat, coloured ginger, with white whiskers and hazel eyes.

He purred against her gown, his head rubbing up and down her leg, before she sat at her knees beside him, in awe.

“Hello” she whispered with a smile, her hand reaching out to the cat who then made its way to her lap, and soon after she was now sat against the grass, petting a stray.

It was silent at first, enjoying the strokes of her fingers, before letting out a soft growl. He rolled over on his back, his belly now out front towards Lynesse as he waited for her to start petting him once again.

With a chuckle, Lynesse continued, one hand rubbing against his stomach and the other bringing comfort to his nose.

“I understand just how you feel” Lynesse whispered, “perhaps I am a stray, just as you are.”

“I was hoping I’d find you here” Vaeron spoke softly, hoping not to startle either Lynesse nor the cat that laid in her lap, now fast asleep.

She turned her head to face him, with a light smile, “you were looking for me?”

“Only to ask how you are” Vaeron sat beside her.

“I am well” Lynesse nods, “and you?”

“It is.. strange. How one can feel so out of place, living here” Vaeron responded, “I keep asking myself if it was a mistake to come all the way here, when I was much loved back home.”

“Our duties confide in us to be where we are not wanted. It is unfortunate, but it must be done” Lynesse’s gaze turns away from him for a moment, looking ahead at the sunny view.

“Rightfully so” Vaeron responded, “but for me, it is more than just that.”

“How so?” Lynesse asks.

“I get to see you, if I am here” Vaeron confessed quite straightforward, having Lynesse turn back to face him, before their eyes had both met.

“I should hope that is a compliment” Lynesse whispered.

“It is” Vaeron had whispered back, struck by each others presence.

Lynesse let out a light chuckle, her smile wide yet settle, her dimples deep like two pools of water.

Vaeron had smiled back, turning away to control his own thoughts, before letting it get the best of him.

“What is it?” Lynesse asks, noticing how he smiled when he turned away.

“Your smile is infectious. You should smile much often” Vaeron responded, “you see, now I can not contain mine.”

Lynesse let out a low laugh, pushing his shoulder lightly, but her smile was short cut to a frown, “I would only keep my smile if there was any reason to be happy.”

“What would make you happy?” He asks.

“To be surrounded by those that.. love me. That care for me” Lynesse responds, “I find myself in situations where people lie to me, for reasons I, myself, can not comprehend.”

“Well.. then they are stupid, for doing such a cruel thing” Vaeron assured his agreement, “but you must not let that get to you. You are a strong and independent woman, so I’ve seen in your attitude. You can achieve whatever it is you wish, but you must be confident in yourself.”

“How can I be, when I’m surrounded by people who I can no longer trust?” Lynesse asks.

“You have me” Vaeron’s tone was suggestive, waiting patiently for her to face him, “I know it is not long, that we have met. But you are partially the reason I travelled this far.”

“For me?” Lynesse couldn’t comprehend the thought, despite knowing his wish of proposal, on what Gwayne had told her.

“The way your father had spoke of you, I was always intrigued to meet you. To meet this woman that is kind, and soft hearted. He was right in those words” Vaeron responds, “and I promised my uncle that I would protect you.”

Lynesse found his words comforting, placing her hand above his, before she whispered, “thank you.”

“Do not thank me” he shook his head, “just.. trust me. That is all I ask.”

She had given it a thought, before finally surrendering, nodding in agreement, “I will take up that offer.”

The two chuckle amongst each other, their hands still grazing off on one another, with no care or idea of any watchful eyes.

“Ser Vaeron” the two then look up, Vaeron quick to stand up when his name was called upon, by Aegon.

“Your Grace” he responded with a polite bow.

Aegon’s presence, alongside Cole’s, had frightened the poor cat, as it yelped off her shoulder and ran away.

Before Lynesse could lean her hands down, and help herself up, she was met with a helping hand, looking up and only realising then, who accompanied her nephew.

“I am fine, I can help myself up” Lynesse responded.

“Aunt, let him help you” Aegon responded, “your dress will ruin if you graze it against the grass.”

Lynesse looked up at Cole, and with a cold stare and no choice, took his hand as he helped her up, brushing off any bits of grass that stuck to her dress.

“You both seemed to be in a.. rather comfortable conversation” Aegon’s eyes point back and forth, from his aunt to the new Knight.

“We were speaking of my father” Lynesse responded.

Aegon nods back, understanding the reason of their close relationship, “if you don’t mind, I would actually like to steal Ser Vaeron from you. I heard he is great with his swordsmanship.”

Lynesse nods, “you may. Besides, I was planning to get back to my chamber.”

“Ser Criston, escort my aunt back to her chamber” Aegon demanded.

“Yes, your Grace” Cole responded, him and Lynesse waiting when both Aegon and Ser Vaeron stepped away.

“I do not need your services” Lynesse spoke without looking towards him, walking ahead.

“Even if you do not want it, the King demanded that I do” Cole followed behind her.

“Then I will tell him that I let you go” Lynesse shrugged, “besides, I’m sure you have much else to get to, like my sister.”

“That is not-?”

“Please, do not let my presence stop you from accompanying the woman” Lynesse rolled her eyes, but was soon pulled back by a strong pair of hands.

“Will you truly be so harsh to me?” Cole asks, “I am not sure what I even did.”

“You did nothing, it was me. Not let it be, and leave me alone” Lynesse tried to pull back her wrist but his grip was far too tightened.

“What was it, that you and Ser Vaeron spoke about. With your hands touching and how close you were, I hardly doubt it to be a conversation about your father.”

“It is not your business” Lynesse responded.

“Will you truly marry a man you just met? You can’t just trust him-!”

“Oh and I should trust you? A man that avoids me at any given cost?” Lynesse scoffed, “you can’t tell me who I should and shouldn’t trust.”

Cole was taken back, his eyes softened by the fierce gaze in her eyes.

“You choose to leave me at every given turn. I have only known Ser Vaeron a while, yet I know him to be much more loyal than you. If he wishes to propose any time soon.. I will accept” Lynesse responds.

“And what of our kiss? Will he accept you if you have had another man is his chamber?” Cole asks.

“You will not” Lynesse whispered, leaning in close.

“And what if I do?” Cole whispered back, his head tilting towards her.

“Then you and my sister will both suffer from the truth of your desires” Lynesse responded.

Her eyes, steely and detached, locked onto his—unyielding, distant, unreadable.

Cole searched them desperately, as though scouring the remnants of something lost, hoping to catch a flicker of warmth, of memory, of anything.

But Lynesse’s eyes remained frozen, her gaze a fortress.

Then, without warning, she wrenched her arm free with a sharp, deliberate tug, the sound of parting skin-on-skin louder than it should have been.

Not hesitating, she pushed past him, her shoulder brushing his with a finality that spoke louder than words.

[sistertotheknowitall]

DCxDP Prompt

Because I couldn’t get Congratulations! It’s Triplets! By @rboooks out of my head.

—

Jason wouldn’t say he regret it. Sure it wasn’t what he planned nor was it what he would have wanted, but he didn’t regret it. They didn’t mean to become parents, it was a one night stand. He wondered if this was how Roy felt when Jade had Lian. Like the world had been flipped on its head. Like everything he thought he knew now seemed wrong.

Lian would like his daughter. From what Jason could tell he thought they’d be fast friends.

Christ. His daughter.

He watched as she ran through the front door, her mom following behind. She was talking a mile a minute, her hands flying around her face. Her mom threw her head back, laughing. God he wished he could hear it. Hear what all his daughter had to say. He wanted to be a real dad to her not just a father. Someone she could talk to and trust. However, as Jason continued to watch from the roof across the street, he knew that he could never get that close. This was as far as he could reach.

A crime lord, who was legally dead and had a kill count. He wasn’t cut out to be a dad. The two examples he had wouldn’t exactly be considered great role models.

Her mother had named her Ellie, short for Daniella after her late uncle Daniel or “Danny.” She was feisty and a little brash, his daughter. Jason would be lying if he said he didn’t feel some pride in knowing some of that was him. Although he could see the same stubbornness in Jazmine.

He thinks that’s what drew him to her. Standing in a bar on a side of town she definitely shouldn’t have been in, she had held her own against two men trying to drag her out. Jason went to step in when she had pulled a police grade taser out and had both men on their knees in pain before he moved two steps. He didn’t introduce himself that night (she was a little preoccupied with the police). However, he got the chance to a few months later and one thing led to another and they had slept together. He left with barely a goodbye and they never saw each other again. Jason was too preoccupied with his plans for Bruce and the clown to spend time thinking about one night.

As for her, he knew she was a student at Gotham U and figured she had also spent little time thinking about that night.

Imagine his surprise when he stumbled upon her again but with a child. His child.

He didn’t know how to really feel about it, about her, Ellie.

As much as he hates to admit it he spent the first week getting drunk and despairing at being a deadbeat. He eventually calmed down and reasoned that it wasn’t his fault nor Jazmine’s. He had given her a fake first name and they hadn’t exchanged last names. Even if she did want to tell him she was pregnant she had no way of finding him.

And he never thought he needed to be looking for them.

—-

Jazz could feel them being watched and did her best to act normal. She never gave away that she was aware of him. She didn’t want to frighten Ellie and she was still unsure of how to handle the situation. It has been weeks and he never once seemed interested in harming them. Yet.

He just watched. Not all the time- not every day, but at least once a week she could feel him staring from a roof, a window, the mouth of an ally. He followed them at night and watched for a bit after they returned home. In a way it felt like he was protecting them, but in what sense did this hulking figure have a right to guard them? It also begged the question; what was he protecting them from?

Jazz was near positive that she had never interacted with the mask figure nor any other that roamed Gotham. She did her best to avoid them, all of them.

It could be he was fixated on her as a single mother to a reckless little girl. If that was so, then she was going to have to be more cautious. She didn’t want to even give him a chance to think he could approach Ellie. Stalkers were never a good thing but she knew the GCPD would never take it seriously.

All he was doing was watching.

Jazz knew her daughter was smart beyond her five years of life, but she was still just a child. So while Jazz was certain that Ellie had no idea about their predicament, she knew Ellie could feel something was off. The young girl had started to look around more on their walks home, her head swiveling, looking for something she couldn’t explain. Jazz hated it. Her daughter should be skipping as she told Jazz about her day in pre-school, not gripping her mother’s pant leg, silent as she looked for the source of her unease.

For the life of her, Jazz did not know what the man could possibly want and while it pissed her off to no end it also frightened her. Of course it frightened her. She was a single mother in Gotham City with a stalker. Maybe she should summon Danny or send Ellie to her grandparents for a bit while she takes care of this.

[wintfleur]

001. ‘ 𝓽he night we 𝓶et ’

🪽 left in an unfamiliar place you find yourself trying to grasp at any positivity that you can find in this situation. your days are filled with distractions, trying to get used to the new place while your 𝓯ears plagued your sleep at night. unknowingly leading you to the person that would help with it 𝒶ll.

warnings. angst, nightmares (Joel and Ellie are ‘dead’ in them) sunshine has moments of sadness, fluff, family bonding yay, slight cursing, pls lmk if I missed anything ⦂ 8,264 𝗐𝖼.

paring sunshine! 𝓯 miller reader x jesse

˗ˏˋ series masterlist main masterlist ´ˎ˗

Alone. 

That was the first thing you noticed when you woke up—no, Ellie curled up by your side, stealing the blanket and snoring in your ear. She was so used to sleeping by your side during the past months that she wasn't ready to sleep on her own yet, no matter how excited she was to have her own room now. 

Your slippers that Maria was so kind to give you quietly shuffled against the wood floors, as you made your way down the stairs, already checking Ellie's room that was across yours, no sign of her. You held onto the banister as you walked down the steps, your eyes darting across the few landscape framed photos that decorated the walls, something your dad mentioned liking while Ellie called them ‘old people pictures’. 

“Dad? Ellie?” You called out into the quiet house, tying the belt of your robe tighter when you felt the cold chill through an open window. No response, only the sound of the floorboards creaking as you made your way through the bottom level of the house. No Ellie in the kitchen trying to cook breakfast and making a mess, no joel asleep on the couch. The first time you found him asleep on the couch, he blamed it on him accidentally falling asleep, but you knew it was because he didn't trust this place yet. 

You started to get anxious as you checked your dad’s room, noticing the lack of his backpack and the essentials that he left on top of his dresser. Did he join uncle Tommy on patrol? Did Ellie go with him? Why did he leave without saying anything? Are they okay? The questions kept coming. You rushed back into the kitchen, hoping to find a note explaining where they went, but found nothing. Your head quickly snaps towards the front door when you hear it open and close, heavy footsteps following after and moving towards the kitchen. Relief filled up your chest, thinking it was your dad, but it was replaced by slight disappointment when you saw it was just your uncle tommy. 

He looked slightly surprised to see that you were up; it was still early in the morning, and he knew you were up late enjoying a movie at the cultural hall with everyone. It was easy for him to see that out of the three of you (you, ellie and joel) that you were the one most excited about the community, your cheerful comments drowning out Ellie and Joel's sarcastic ones. Your cheerful and happy spirit was something he was so grateful for.  

“Hey sweetheart, i didn't know you were up” his voice was gruff but warm as he greeted you, moving to your side to squeeze your shoulder as he placed a soft kiss to your forehead, the feeling of his mustache against your skin makes you scrunch your nose; the sight causing him to chuckle softly. Sweetheart was a nickname he had called you ever since you were a baby, your sweet smile always finding a way to melt his hardened heart and give him hope in this hopeless world that they lived in. 

“Hi uncle Tommy, do you know where my dad and Ellie are?” You gave him a hopeful smile. The sight breaks his heart, knowing what he had come to tell you. He didn't agree with what his brother had done, but he could understand why he did it. He wanted to protect you from the killing, from the horrors that you’d see on the journey, from everything.  Both the miller men knew it, you weren't meant for the world they lived in. Tommy sighed and scratched at his chin as he looked down at his boots, trying to gain the courage before looking back at you, your head tilted slightly to the side as you waited for his answer, hair slightly messy from sleep. 

“They left to go to the fireflies.” 

You visibly faltered at his words, your smile slowly disappearing from your face, your voice was much softer than before and filled with confusion. “What?” 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, your dad didn't want to risk you getting hurt by going with them… not again.” Tommy trailed off into a whisper, his jaw clenching as memories of that night filled his mind. He watched as the confused look on your face turned into one of sadness. Your heart broke as you heard your uncle's words; you knew how much guilt your father held in his heart. You could see it in his eyes whenever he looked at you for too long.

“They just left me here, alone..” you whispered, voice thick with sadness and disbelief. Your shoulders sagged, and you turned your head to look away from your uncle and down at the floor, not wanting him to see you blink away your tears as his words really sank in. You wanted to try to understand why he did it, but you couldn't—you would have never left either of them. He took away your choice. It was like it was all starting to make sense, why ellie was so attached to your hip last night. The long and tight hug Joel gave you before you went upstairs to bed, the way he held your shoulders to keep you from moving, ignoring your teasing, and telling you that he just wanted a good look at you. Was this your fault for not seeing the signs sooner? 

Tommy’s face softens at his niece's words, his own heart breaking at the sight of tears in your eyes and the look of sadness and discouragement on your face. He reaches for you and pulls you into his chest and into a tight hug. You find yourself relaxing in his warm arms that feel so much like your dad's. Kissing the side of your head when he hears you sniffle, he says sternly, “You're not alone.” 

You have never been away from your father, not like this at least. He has always kept you close to his side, and when he did have to leave you, it was always with a goodbye. Ever since you were little and could understand, he had made it clear that all he cared about was your safety, no matter the cost. So you didn't understand why you were so hurt and surprised by the fact that he left you with your uncle—when you have witnessed firsthand the other lengths he will go to, to keep you safe. 

After a few moments, you slowly pull away from your uncle's arms, his hands softly giving your arms a reassuring squeeze before he lets go of you. You sniffle and watch as he reaches into his denim jacket, pulling out an envelope from his inside pocket and holding it out to you. ‘For my sunshine’ was written in your dad’s messy handwriting on top of it. You took it into your hands, your thumb brushing against the lettering. Tommy spoke softly, “Your dad wrote this; he wanted me to give it to you.” 

“He wrote me a letter?” you asked after a few beats of silence, slight shock in your tone. Your dad could barely voice his feelings, how the hell was he going to write them? It felt like a full circle moment, you would always write him little letters and sneak them into his jacket pocket or his bag before he had to leave, knowing that it would make him smile whenever he found the letter with your little doodles on them. You didn't know that he kept every single one, reading them over and over on his sleepless nights. 

“Hopefully you can read his messy handwriting,” he tried to joke with a small chuckle, hoping to uplift your spirits, and he would take it as a win when he sees the corner of your lips twitching up into a weak smile. Tommy cleared his throat and gave you a smile when you looked up from the letter. “Come on, why don't you get dressed and come join me and maria for breakfast hmm?” 

You honestly didn't feel like going out; all you wanted to do was crawl back into your bed and just dramatically stare outside the window for the rest of the day. Like one of those scenes you read in the book your dad got you a while ago. You remember staying up late and reading the book out loud to your dad, hoping it would distract him from the nightmares he tried to hide from you. You could see the look in your uncle's eyes, he was trying to give that distraction like you would your dad, so you nodded and gave him the best smile you could muster up, “Yeah, okay.” 

Tommy smiled and nodded, he was looking forward to spending more time with you—especially with Maria present. He moved to pull out one of the chairs at the kitchen table, ready to sit down. “Great, I’ll wait for you then.” 

“It's okay, I’ll uh walk over when I’m done.” You wanted some time alone, you needed to process what had happened as best as you could before you were going to start socializing with others. Tommy wanted to question it, not wanting you to be alone, but he decided against it, seeing in your eyes that you needed your space. So he pushed back in the chair and gave you a smile, telling you to take your time before leaving. 

You weren't prepared for the feeling of your heart sinking in your chest when the front door closed behind him, alone again. 

Breakfast surprisingly went very well, they had breakfast in their home, which you really liked—it was comforting and warm, something you made sure to complement them on, which got you a big smile from both. The food was delicious, your favorite was the bacon—now you understood why your dad complained about missing it so much. And you were really grateful that they both stayed away from talking too much about your dad and ellie. 

You never saw your uncle so smiley, so happy, and calm like he was with maria. He held her hand the whole time on top of the table, not afraid to hide it. You noticed how he gave her hand reassuring squeezes through breakfast as if he was reminding her that he was still there—it wasn't like she didn't know it with how many times her eyes ended up moving to him. The way he would gently trace his thumb across her hand while she talked, his head turned to her as he looked at her like she hung the stars, He listened to her. It was a love you only hoped and dreamed you could experience yourself. 

You haven't seen a lot of love in your life, not like theirs, at least. The closest to it were Bill and Frank, but still, they weren't as affectionate and sweet as your uncle and Maria were. And your dad’s and tess’s love was one you couldn't truly understand, you don't think you ever could ( neither could joel ) oh tess…. 

After breakfast, the three of you sat around the table and talked and laughed, telling old stories, but soon it became just you and maria—uncle tommy having to go handle a few things. He was hesitant at first to leave you, but after a big smile from you and some words of reassurance, he left—not without kissing your and Maria's forehead first. You weren't nervous about being alone with Maria; you decided in the first 20 minutes of actually knowing her that you liked her. 

The two of you were now taking a walk through the community. Maria had noticed that your mood had turned a little down after you were done telling a story about you and your dad, so she offered for the two of you to get some fresh air, wanting to show you around more. You had stuffed your hands into the pockets of your new jacket, listening to Maria as she explained more about how the community worked, your eyes taking in every detail. It was so much more peaceful than the Qz, you really hoped that you wouldn't have to leave. 

“Come on, there is somewhere I want to show you” Maria’s voice broke you out of your thoughts, softly placing her hand on your shoulder and motioning you towards what looked like another shop. The building was a pastel blue with big windows, it had flower pots at the entrance that were covered in snow. You followed after her, your eyes immediately looking up at the door when the sound of a bell chimes when she opens it, but your attention was quickly stolen by the sight of what was inside. 

The walls were a pretty pale yellow, decorated with tons of different styles of paintings and other types of hangable art. Paint splats were all over the light wood floors, along with a few colorful rugs. The shelves against the left wall were filled with different types of pottery and knick-knacks. Next to it was the checkout counter, which was made out of a pretty polished wood; the bottom of it was slightly chipped. It was covered with a bunch of different stickers and a few drawings. On top of it was an empty vase, a few knick-knacks, and a picture frame. 

The shelves against the right wall were filled with different paints and other art supplies. You took a few more steps into the shop, looking around in awe. Hanging from the ceiling were beautiful wind chimes. Towards the back of the shop were tables with organized craft supplies. It was warm. Maria smiles at the awestruck look on your face, chuckling to herself at how your mood immediately changed into something brighter. Maria broke the silence, “Your uncle told me about your love for art.” 

Tommy would find you drawing on anything, any spare paper you could find, the margins of your books, hell, as a kid, you had a habit of drawing on the walls. He could never forget the big toothy smile you gave him when he found and brought you your own sketchbook. That was many years ago, the sketchbook covered in drawings and doodles from page to page. He remembered how you would always stop and admire the murals or graffiti on the walls of the buildings outside the Qz., you always complained when your dad would pick you up and continue to walk, mumbling grumpily about how they couldn't stay for long. 

All you could do was give her an awkward smile; you weren't exactly sure what to say to that, feeling a little shy that she seemed to know so much about you already. Maria pulled off her gloves and stuffed them into her jacket pockets, giving you a small smile as she rubbed her hands together. “Why don't you go and pick out a few things?” 

Your eyes immediately lit up, and your hands slipped out of your jacket pockets. But your excitement was quick to fade, your voice soft, “I…but I don’t have anything to pay for it” 

Maria smiles and rests her arm on top of the checkout counter, leaning against it as she gives you a reassuring nod, waving you off, “Don’t worry, Tommy handled it already.” 

With those words of reassurance, you let yourself move towards one of the shelves, your eyes darting over everything as you tried to find something you wanted—which wasn't hard at all. If you could, you would have everything in the shop for yourself, but that wouldn't be fair for the others, and you're pretty sure the owner wouldn't like that. You carefully set back down the empty jar you assumed you put paint brushes in, glancing back at Maria. “So, um, where's the owner?” 

“Oh, Mrs Viviana spends her mornings in the church,” Maria hummed happily as she thought of the woman who owned the place. Maria grabbed the picture frame off the counter, her boots making a satisfying sound against the wood floors as she moved to stand by your side. She held out the picture frame so you could get a good look at it. The picture was a little sun faded, but you could clearly see two people who sat on the front steps of the shop; you assumed they were together by the way they held each other. You tilted your head slightly as you admired the picture. The woman, whom you had guessed to be Mrs Viviana, was looking at the camera with the biggest smile on her face, holding flowers in her hands. The man at her side had his arm wrapped around her, and unlike Mrs Viviana, he wasn't smiling at the camera. No, he was looking at her with the biggest smile on his lips. They looked so happy, so in love. 

“Her and her husband started the shop a few years back, they didn't want people's love for art to disappear, they said everyone needs a peaceful escape” Maria smiled sadly as she stared down at the picture, she looked at it as if she was missing something, a look you didn't seem to catch. 

“And they just keep this place unlocked?” you asked in disbelief. You couldn't imagine leaving such a beautiful place like this unlocked for the public to just walk in anytime they want. This place was so different from everything you knew, well, thought you knew at least. The little ‘shops’ that were in the Qz would get vandalized and stolen from all the time, leading to the self righteous asshole soldiers to go house to house, person to person, to search for the stolen items. They were never kind. 

“This place is very different from the Qz. We have rules here that people follow, and we have trust. We're not just a community, but also a family ....it's safe here." Maria's voice trailed off into a promising tone as she turned her head to look at you. You could see it in her eyes, her unsaid words, you're safe here. You knew she meant well, but you truly only felt safe at your dad's side, and well, he wasn't here. 

You cleared your throat and looked away from her and back down at the photo, with curiosity 

Brewing inside you. “Is her husband with her at church?” 

“No, Abraham sadly passed last year.” You felt your heart drop to your stomach at her words. Your eyes softened, and you watched as she moved to carefully place the picture frame back to its original place. You weren't sure what to say now, did you try to comfort her? Ellie always did say you were good at that. God, you really missed her. 

You didn't have to think about it much, your thoughts getting interrupted by the sound of Maria’s walkie-talkie going off. She quickly pulls it off her belt, bringing it up to her mouth as she answers. You turn to focus on the shelf, feeling a little awkward if you just stared at her. Maria sighs and rubs at her forehead after she replies to the walkie-talkie, looking back at you, “I'll be right back, I just have to handle this, okay?” 

“Don't worry, I promise not to run off.” You gave her a small smile and a reassuring nod, you didn't want to be the reason something got unresolved. She nodded, giving you one more unsure look before she stepped out, but you just smiled and playfully shooed her away with your hand. Once you heard the chime of the bell and the sound of the door closing, you walked towards the back of the shop. 

One of the tables had this sort of contraption on it, with a bunch of different color sewing threads and….honestly, you didn't know what the rest of it was, but it looked pretty! There was a closed door on the back wall, and you really wanted to know what was behind it. Your hand instinctively reached for the brown door handle, but you stopped yourself with a surprised gasp. Your other hand grabbed your wrist to stop yourself as you quickly looked around, not wanting to be caught snooping, despite already knowing you were alone in the shop. 

“How disrespectful,” you chastise yourself under your breath with a small pout, shaking your head softly as you move away from the door. You look up at the walls, admiring the paintings on the walls, all of them were in different styles, different stories, different colors, and yet they looked so perfect together. You couldn't help but get a little sad the longer you stared at it. The red was bright and everywhere it was untamed, and it reminded you of Ellie; the dark green was bold and surrounded the red and yellow, just like your dad. The yellow was bright, but it found a way to mix in well with both colors, so intertwined. 

You were quick to look and move away from the painting, but stopped in your tracks at the sight of the two cushioned chairs in the back corner, a small circular table between them with a few books on top. One was a bright suede pink with a lighter shade of pink throw pillow, the other was a dark suede green with a lighter shade of green throw pillow. The pink one looked more lived in, while the green one looked fairly new. Your face dropped when you realized why. 

You swallowed hard, your breath caught in your throat as you quickly looked away. It felt like you were overstepping in some way, stepping into a memory that isn't yours. You took one more glance at the chairs and painting before you turned around and returned to the front of the shop. Your heart was somehow heavier than it was before. 

After you picked out your few things, you decided to wait outside the shop, believing that the cold air would do you some good. You didn't have to wait for long, only a few minutes until maria was walking towards you, stopping at the bottom of the steps, “Find what you wanted?” 

You carefully walked down the few steps, not wanting to slip. You glance down at the 3 things you held carefully in your arms. One was a thick sketchbook, a pack of color pencils, and a watercolor palette with paint brushes. You smiled and nodded happily, “Yeah, I did, thank you.” 

Maria then showed you around a few more shops, introducing you to the owners and some of her close friends, the two of you have bumped into. Everyone was so nice and welcoming, and you couldn't help but smile at how they talked so happily about your uncle. It made you proud. Maria had to practically drag you away from the gossiping woman, a small smile on her face at how well you got along with them. 

Maria brought you back to the house that was given to you, Joel, and Ellie after another hour or so of running a few errands around the community. Your uncle and Maria were not comfortable with you staying alone at the house, and frankly, neither were you, so Maria helped you pack up the little things you had and left you to settle in their guest bedroom. You were okay with having some alone time, maria downstairs finishing up some paperwork before Uncle Tommy got home, so the three of you could spend the rest of the day together. 

You really liked the guest room, the bed was big, and the sheets were soft. There were pictures and posters of things you didn't recognize on the walls. You were sitting comfortably at the desk that was placed in front of the window. The white curtains were pulled back so you could get natural lighting as you sketched the view of what you saw outside the window. You didn't realize how fast the hours were going by, so caught up in your art. 

“There you are, sweetheart, you have a good day?” The sound of your uncle's voice pulled you out of your little world. You placed the gray colored pencil down on the wooden desk before turning your head to greet your uncle with a smile. You leaned back in the chair, thinking back on your day so far. “Yeah, Maria showed me around some more, everyone I have met so far has been really nice”. 

“That's good,” he hummed happily, leaning back against the desk as he looked down at what you were working on. He reached down to tilt the paper to the side to get a better look at it. “Looking good, we’ll have to hang this up once you're done.” 

You smiled big as you looked up at him, your voice hopeful as you asked, “On the fridge?”

“Yeah i think we can do that” he chuckled softly as he moved the paper back to how it was before he stood up straight, resting his hand on the back of your chair as he looked down at you with a understanding smile “We’re gonna leave in a few minutes to go to the town hall for dinner, we understand if your not up for it—we’ll bring you back a plate?” 

You thought about it for a few moments, it would be nice to stay and just continue to get lost in your art, but you wanted to meet more people, wanting to be more comfortable with the community. You closed your sketchbook and smiled up a your uncle, “No, I’d like to come with.” 

“Okay, well, come on then.” He motioned his head towards the door, squeezing your shoulder softly before making his way out of the room. You quickly clean up your colored pencils, putting them in the mason jar Maria gave you to use, before you stood up and moved to stand in front of the mirror that was on the dresser, nervously fixing your clothes and hair. “You got this,” you reassuringly whisper to yourself as you smile. You nodded confidently, mumbling the words again before quickly rushing after your uncle. 

“Do you think they are going to have bacon?” you asked hopefully, turning your head to the side to glance at Tommy and Maria, who were walking at your side. Tommy let out a hearty laugh at your words while Maria chuckled softly and shook her head, squeezing her husband's arm softly. The sun was setting as the three made their way to the town hall, Tommy walking between you and Maria, the snow crushing under their feet. 

“No, I'm sorry, sweetheart, that's more of a breakfast thing,” he got out between his chuckles, making you pout and stuff your hands back into your jacket pocket, hoping to warm them up. Your uncle had already gotten onto you about forgetting your mittens back at the house, and then Maria got onto him for doing the same thing, which caused you to giggle and playfully nudge your elbow into his side. 

“After you, ladies,” Tommy smiled as he held the door to the town hall for you and his wife. You smiled and thanked him before following after maria into the warm building. “Wow,” you muttered under your breath as your eyes scanned the large room, mostly all the tables were filled, laughter and talking filling the room. They had draped some Christmas lights around the room and a Christmas tree in the back corner. Your breath hitched in your throat at the sight of so many people in one place. 

“Come on, let's get in line.” Maria softly placed her hand on your arm, giving it a reassuring squeeze when she noticed the slight panic on your face. You swallowed harshly before letting out a shaky breath. You nodded and did your best to muster up a smile as you followed her, squeezing your hands in your pockets as you tried to push down your nerves. You were quick to realize how popular Tommy and Maria were with how many times the three of you had been stopped on the way to the food line, despite your nerves, you greeted everyone with a smile and a sweet ‘nice to meet you. 

You also quickly realized that things travel fast in the community, almost everyone already knew that you were Tommy’s niece. By the time you did make it in line, your cheeks were sore from smiling so much and from the few times they were pinched. Tommy chuckled under his breath at the small pout on your lips, your hand softly rubbing your cheeks, but he was quick to hide it with a cough at the glare you sent him. “You could have warned me about the cheek pinchers.” 

“It’s a rite of passage at this point, sweetheart.” Tommy patted your back before reaching out to grab a plate after you. Despite your slight annoyance, you couldn't help but giggle at his words, imagining Ellie's reaction if those poor ladies tried to do that to her. You followed the married couple to a table once you got your dinner. They sat on one side while you sat on the other. You looked around the room as you sat down, noticing all the smiles. The conversation was light as the three of you ate, it was really just your uncle talking about his day while you and maria occasionally chimed in. 

“Tommy, Maria!” a cheerful voice interrupts the conversation. You put down your glass and glance up just in time to see who was approaching. Your breath hitched at the handsome smile that greeted you. He looked to be around your age, and he was tall and lean, with dirty blonde hair and the greenest eyes you have ever seen. You watched as he stopped at the table before continuing to speak, “I’m sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to let you know that we finished up the inventory list at the farm for the rest of the winter. I'll make sure to bring it tomorrow.” 

“It's alright, thank you for letting us know.” Maria smiled gratefully at him, watching as Rowan's eyes moved to yours before quickly looking away. Tommy swallowed before gently nudging you with his leg under the table to get your attention. You looked up from your plate, nervously fidgeting with your fork. Your uncle motions with his head towards Rowan. “Sweetheart, this is Rowan, he helps a lot at the farm, a natural he is—a real green thumb he is.” 

“More like taught from birth,” Rowan chuckled, scratching at the back of his neck, flustered from the praise. Really, his ‘natural talent’ was all because of his dad, who was also a farmer (and part of the council), and he taught him everything he knew. Rowan turned his head to look at you, smiling as he continued, his tone much softer with you, “It's nice to meet you.” 

“It's nice to meet you, too,” you smiled shyly as you looked up at him, his smile getting bigger as you locked eyes. He has such a pretty smile, you thought, you blinked a few times and quickly looked away from his face, hoping that no one noticed you totally checking him out. Roman chuckled and took a step back from the table, not looking away from you. “I’ll let you continue eating, I'll see you around.” 

“Oh, he’ll see you around, huh?” Tommy grumbled under his breath once Rowan was out of earshot, not appreciating how he looked at his niece. Maria slapped her husbands with a roll of her eyes before giving you a proud nod. “Look at that, a new friend already.” 

You chuckled and shook your head, smiling playfully as you teased “what do you mean, me and that group of old ladies are like bff’s already” Tommy chuckles and sets down his glass on the table, completely ignoring his coaster as he nodded in agreement “Oh yeah you fit right in that's for sure” 

You smiled brightly at your uncle's words as if you were being told ‘good job’. You really wanted to fit in here, you never did at the Qz, and the two people whom you felt like you could truly be yourself with—were gone. You try not to get lost in your thoughts as you listen along to the new conversation that sprouted, and you would chime in occasionally. 

The rest of the dinner was filled with laughter and smiles. You said your last goodbye to one of Tommy and Maria's friends before you followed them towards the exit, before you stepped out the door, you quickly looked behind you, feeling eyes on you. You only had a few seconds of eye contact with those pretty brown eyes before he got lost in the crowd of moving people, and you stepped out into the chilly night. 

“You could have saved us,” Ellie whispered as she took a step closer to you, blood seeping through her shirt and down her neck. Her arms bitten up. You didn’t know where you were, only that you could barely breathe. Ellie’s face turns into a look of hate as she screams at you, “Why didn’t you save us?” 

“You’re my daughter, you were supposed to be there.” Joel's raspy voice is heard from behind you, causing you to quickly turn around to face him, covering your mouth in horror at the sight of your bruised and beaten father. You quickly turned your head back to Ellie when you heard the shuffling of her Converse against the wooden floors as she moved closer to you. “Why weren’t you there!” 

“This is all your fault!” Joel screamed as he lifted his arm to point at you. You flinched and took a shaky step back. You whimpered weakly, shaking your head no as you opened your mouth to explain that it wasn’t your fault—that you would have saved them, but no words came out. You let out a choked-out sob when you noticed the bites that pierced through your dad’s jacket on his arms. You shook your head in disbelief and horror, stepping away from them as they moved closer to you, yelling and shouting that this was all your fault. 

Your back suddenly hit the wall, causing you to slide down the wooden wall, shaking your head in fear as their bloody hands started to reach out for you. “Please! Please stop!” you screamed until your voice was hoarse and your throat raw. You brought your knees to your chest as you covered your head from their screams and the sounds of dozens infected outside the walls of the empty cabin you were in, slamming themselves into the walls. You sobbed, between your choked-out gasps, “Make it stop!” 

A strangled gasp left your dry lips as your body surges forward, your brain showing you mercy and letting you wake up, no longer stuck in the nightmare—but now you were stuck in the reality. The sheets fell from your shoulders and now rested on your lap as you fully sat up. You stared out into the darkness of your room for a few moments, the panic stirring deep inside you as tears pricked at your eyes. You squeezed your eyes closed and rested your hand over your pounding heart as you tried to catch your breath, trying to shake away the memories of the nightmare. 

The walls felt like they were closing in around you, the blankets felt uncomfortable against your clammy skin, and you needed to get out of here. You quickly moved the blankets off your legs and quietly rushed over to your clothes you had neatly folded on top of the dresser, right next to the unopened letter Joel left you. Your hands were trembling, and your breathing was shaky as you changed, your vision blurred with tears as the screams echoed through your head like some sick and twisted alarm. 

You quietly slipped out of the house, closing the door behind you with a quiet click!. You didn't have a plan; you just continued to walk, focusing on anything but the ongoing battle going on in your mind. It wasn't completely dark, not with the moonlight and Christmas lights and the light fog. It was cold, it was nipping at your face, but you didn't seem to feel it—you felt numb. 

You didn't know where you were going, your feet were moving faster than your brain was. Nightmares weren't new to you, you had had your fair share of them—Ellie said it was because your heart was too soft, that you couldn't just forget things and move on, so you let it stay with you. Your dad was alway there to help you when you woke up in a panic, either by talking about random things to distract you until you fell back asleep (ellie said it was really just him boring you to sleep) or he’d listen as you talked bout it, finding a way to help you with it—but he wasn't here to do that. 

You felt too guilty to wake up Tommy and Maria, they have been trying so hard all day to make sure you felt comfortable—you didn't want to bother them. The sound of the snow crunching under your feet and the whistling of the wind was soothing in a way; it gave you something to listen to. You had an idea where you were, the side wall of the community. You squinted your eyes and looked around, you could barely see anything. What could go wrong? You thought to yourself with a small shrug. 

You look around yourself one more time before you place your mitten-covered hand on the wood railing, before you start to carefully make your way up the wooden staircase. The chill of the wind got worse the higher you went, but you didn't care. You quickly stuffed your hands back into your jacket pocket as you finally made it to the top. You slowly walked over to the edge of the wall, biting your lip anxiously as you looked over the edge, gasping at the sight “Oh my fuck” 

“It’s pretty high up, huh?” You quickly whipped around at the unfamiliar voice, completely startled at the sudden presence of another person. You took a few steps away from the edge of the wall. You didn't want to be dramatic, but the first thought that popped up in your head was the stranger tossing you over. That's kinda sad, that was your first thought… The stranger made no move to move closer to you, seeing the frightened look on your face. 

“Oh—Hi! What are you doing here?” The stranger's eyes widened slightly, surprised at how you quickly went from a sweet tone to a wary tone. You looked him up and down. He was taller than you, his black hair had a few snowflakes in it, but other than that, it looked perfect. He was wearing all black—it looked good on him, wait, what? You noticed the binoculars in his hands, so you quickly looked back at his face, his cheeks were rosy from the cold, and his eyes—Wait, those eyes ... 

“I could ask you the same thing,” he was quick to retort. You watched as he raised his eyebrow, crossing his arms across his chest. You felt a little flustered under his unwavering gaze as he looked at you up and down. You were wearing jeans, they flared a little at the bottom, the hem resting on top of your boots, your jacket was a dark green, your hair was slightly messy with some snowflakes in it. He could tell that you were cold, slightly shivering, your pink mittens out to see as you rubbed your arms to warm them up. You were pretty. He decided to answer your question, noticing how tense you were, “I’m on wall duty—I’m Jesse by the way” 

You took a few steps towards him, sticking your hand out politely for him to shake, just like your dad taught you, as you introduced yourself to him. Jesse chuckles and takes your hand into his, shaking it softly before he lets go. He knew who you were already, but he didn't want to creep you out. “It's nice to finally meet the talk of the town.” 

“That’s me,” you smiled awkwardly, not exactly knowing what to say, you brought your hand up to shyly cover your cheeks, hoping to warm them up as you averted your gaze from him, looking out past the wall. You weren't really able to see much through the fog and light snowfall. Jesse leaned against the wall as he watched you closely, clearly seeing the troubled look on your face. “So you wanna talk about it?” 

“Why you're up so late, willingly freezing your ass off up here?” Jesse starts to explain further after you turn your head to him, a cute look of confusion on your face. But that look was quickly changed to a look of avoidance, he watches as you avert your gaze from him, your hands nervously fidgeting with your jacket sleeves. Jesse continues thoughtfully, “It might help to talk about it to a stranger.” 

You quickly thought of the positives and negatives of telling him, and like he said, he is a stranger; there wasn't room for him to judge you. Plus, it always helps whenever you talk to your dad and Ellie about it. You swallowed hard before quickly turning your body towards him, surprising him slightly at the sudden movement. You looked at him straight in the eyes as you confessed, “I had a nightmare…about my dad and ellie. They died—and it was all my fault.” 

His expression softened at your words, watching as your eyes started to water. The words spilled out of your mouth before you could stop them, more panicked than the last “I wasn't there to save them, and they blamed me for it—it’s all my fault” 

Jesse frowned, shaking his head softly at your guilty and panicked tone. He could practically see the gears turning in your head, most likely coming up with more reasons on why it was your fault. He has had his fair share of night terrors over the years, he knew the guilt you were feeling too damn well. His voice was husky but promising, “They will be back soon, and you're probably going to think all your worrying was silly because they are going to be just fine.” 

‘They are going to be just  fine.’ You really wanted to believe him, but you just couldn't, you have been out there, you know what could happen. Your bottom lip quivered as you tried to stop yourself from crying in front of him. You shook your head, whispering weakly, “You don't know that.” 

“Don't do that to yourself.” he took a step closer to you, watching as you swallowed harshly and turned to face the wall, wiping away the few tears that escaped. The small sting of the cold wind hitting your face was a welcome feeling. Jesse sighed as he turned to face the wall, looking out at the mountains. “Your mind is only playing a trick on you to scare you even more.” 

He watched out of the corner of his eye as you stood there silently, your shoulders tense. The wind was blowing your hair in front of your face, hiding your teary eyes from him. He stayed there silently with you, he didn't know what else to say to comfort you—and he definitely wasn't going to tell you to stop crying and go back home. So instead, he’d stay by your side; it wasn't like he had anywhere else to go. 

The two of you just stood there in silence for a few moments, just listening to the wind and watching the snow fall. You wondered if somewhere out there, your dad and Ellie were watching the snowfall. It was late, so it was probably just your dad watching—Ellie passed out. You always loved to watch the snow fall, you wondered if your dad thought of you when he saw it. 

You let out a heavy sigh, your breath visible in the cold air, you crossed your arms across your chest, your hands squeezing your upper arm—wanting a reassuring touch. You weren't stupid, you knew he could be right, your mind was either playing tricks on you—taking advantage of your fears, or it was your gut telling you something was wrong, or was going to happen. Why did they have to leave me? You thought to yourself with a sniffle. You were a good shot, you listened and paid attention, you knew you could talk a lot, or get really queasy at the sight of blood—or like anything gross, but was that really a big enough reason to leave you behind? 

You didn't like this feeling—doubting yourself. 

“They left me here.” You finally broke the silence, your voice was so soft Jesse almost didn't hear you. He removed the binoculars from his eyes and turned his head to look at you. Your eyebrows were pitched up as you tried to come up with the words; it wasn't easy, and that was a shocker because you loved talking. “With no goodbye, they just left.” 

“Was I a burden this whole time? Did they not trust me enough?” you sniffled, bringing your hand up to rub at your nose, the cold starting to get at it. Your thoughts felt like they were slowly picking at your sanity, at that wall that protected you from the dark side of your imagination. His fingers clenched around the black binoculars, he could practically see your mind jump from conclusion to conclusion. Jesse cleared his throat and held the binoculars for you. “Here, take these.” 

You narrow your eyes in confusion but take them into your hands nonetheless. Jesse wasn't sure how to comfort you, but he could try to give you a different outlook on it. He looked up at the sky, pointing up. “You see that?” 

You let out a heavy breath before bringing them up to your eyes, blinking a few times before looking up at where Jesse was pointing. “Wow,” you muttered under your breath as you looked up in awe at the beautiful and bright cluster of stars that you had never seen before. The stars and moon were something you had always loved to admire, you had begged your dad for a book about the stars—he never was able to find one. ( he looked very hard for it—he had hated to disappoint you ) 

“You see those stars? That’s Pleiades, also known as the seven sisters,” Jesse hummed as he rubbed his hands together, hoping to warm them up. You pulled the binoculars away from your eyes, turning your head to look at Jesse in wonder, hoping that he’d explain it more. “Seven sisters?” 

“They are the daughters of the mighty titan Atlas and the oceanid nymph Pleione. Atlas was forced to hold up the sky for eternity—so he couldn't be there to protect them from the hunter Orion, who wanted to harm them. So Zeus turned the sisters into stars to protect them,” he retold the tale as best as he could remember. You listened attentively to his every word. Jesse blushed shyly at the awestruck look you gave him. He cleared his throat and continued much more airily, “But that’s really only one version of the myth.” 

You turned your head back towards the stars, bringing the binoculars back up to your eyes, your own theories of the myth running through your head. What happened to Orion? Did the sisters want to be stars? You are leaning more to the idea that they wanted to; you wouldn't want to be so far from your dad for eternity. He watched your side profile, your nose was scrunched up cutely, your breath was visible in the cold air, and your hair was moving in tandem with the wind. 

“He wanted to protect his daughters….just like your dad.” 

You slowly lower the binoculars from your eyes, looking down at your boots with a small sigh, fidgeting with the strap of the binoculars. You opened your mouth to say something, but couldn't push yourself to break the silence—you couldn't even push yourself to think harder on his words. It was easier to blame than forgive, wise words from your dad. I bet he didn't know that would come back to kick him in the ass. 

You have had enough of wallowing in your emotions, you needed a distraction ( another one ). You cleared your throat and scrunched up your nose as you turned to look at him, offering him a weak smile. “You, umm, have any more star facts? I don’t think I’m ready to head back yet.” 

“Yeah, I think I have a few up my sleeve,” he chucked a half-smile ghosted across his lips, he knew what you were doing—avoidance. He held his hand out for the binoculars, which you placed in his glove-covered palm. You watched him with a smile as he looked for the next star to show you, turning to face you with a grin once he found the right one. The more he talked the more you found yourself forgetting about the reason why—in jesse’s words ‘why you’re up so late, willingly freezing your ass off’ 

𝓻oro's note. I’m sorry for how long this took to get out, it ended up way longer than I thought it was—and I wanted to post it on my Birthday!!🎈 ‘sunshine reader’ and yet i make the first chapter just filled with angst…i got carried away oops. I tried to focus a little on some world building for this chapter. And lets completely ignore the fact that i forgot to write tommy and Maria telling sunshine that Maria is pregnant 😭 Also, Tommy and Maria showing sunshine what real love is AUGH 💔 pls pls pls tell me what you guys think and what you would like to see happen next 🤲🏻

PLS SEND IN SOME ASKS FOR THE SERIES ‼️

literally listened to talk by beabadoobee while writing this ᐢᗜᐢ

ᆼᆽᆼ 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝖽𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄 & 𝗋𝖾𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗀𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗁𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗅𝗒 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗋𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽 ！

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©️WINTFLEUR ; you can't copy, translate, reproduce, repost my fic, use my plot or layout

[strawberrymochin]

(in which you enter the demon slayer realm)

Sanemi eyed you for a while, his hands gripping tight on his sword, as blood slowly trickled down to its tip, dripping on the mud, tainting it red.

Well, the lower rank 6 demon, he was supposed to slay, laid dead on the ground, a little far from you, growling on anger as his body disintegrated into ashes, blown by the slow breezes, dispersing into thin air.

Killed by you. Barehanded.

The moon glowed big and bright, over your heads. "Who are you?" Sanemi shinazugawa said in a horrifying tone, "Or shall I rephrase my question....what are you?".

Shit.

You mentally smack yourself for acting like that infront of him, well that's totally not your fault though, you didn't knew, sanemi was going to make his appearance, moreover it's a background plot, not mentioned once in the manga. You open your mouth but close it again, not sure what to answer.

"Definately not a human."

"I am." You can't help but defend yourself, feeling triggered at his question. Having a mere charecter question your existence is quite disrespectful.

"Is it? I haven't seen a 'human' girl ripping off a demon head barehanded." He comes a bit closer, placing the tip of his sword on your neck, pressing it lightly. "Quiet a sight huh!.......you know I hate lies and surprisingly your aura doesn't resemble humans. What shall I do with that pretty girl?"

Wait. Sanemi shinazugawa called you pretty.

"Pretty....? You think I'm pretty? Oh my god, sanemi shinazugawa called me pretty...." You keep on mumbling to yourself, not being able to contain the excitement. Even though you liked the ever sadistic giyu tomioka more, sanemi was still hot. I repeat fucking hot and feral.

You didn't exactly like ending up in the demon slayer realm but didn't particularly hate it. You have, somehow, the ability to enter manga realms. And, this was your second time, accidentally entering one. The first realm you ended up entering was jujutsu kaisen's, and that was pretty messed up, considering that demon slayer was a heck more peaceful. Atleast you believe so.

Meanwhile sanemi was dumbstruck, first of all, according to his point of view, a girl looking weird creature, who claims to be human but ripped down a lower moon without a nichirin sword, was just impossible. You have to be a demon. And you should fear a sword pressed firmly on your neck, however you were there being giggling flustered mess.

"Stop trying to trick me you demon! It's time for you to join your troops in hell.....and how do you even know my name?"

"Yeah yeah whatever, but you called me pretty and I just....ahhh I love you—"

"S-shut up!" And this time, it's sanemi who's getting flustered. "How the heck you know my name? Forget it, I will just finish off you right here."

"Yeah yeah, whatever, but let's first get those kids home. It's quite traumatic for them to be here."

"Kids?"

"What you didn't know?"

The kids peeked out from the broken house, with eyes clouded in fear, tears stained cheeks, shaking. Sanemi gave a look from the side of his eye as he tilts down his swords rushing to the kids, "i won't let you harm them," shielding them from your vision.

"wouldn't it be better if you take them home rather than wasting time?" You say lazily, "you know what I take back what I said— i don't love you."

"Who wants to be in love with you anyway, filthy blood thirsty demon!" Sanemi fumed, sprinting from his position, "wind breathing: first form- dust whirling cutter."

That's it. You would be dead by now.

Sanemi turned around with a shit eating smile; which dropped in a sec. Lol. You were standing there intact. Ofcourse nothing would make you bleed after all you were a real human, unlike them.

You went to the kids, sighing, bending to their level, "hey it's fine, I know the scene over here was quite terrifying and this uncle over here is terrifying too, but it's fine. I will take you two home. Hmm? Come out."

The kids slowly came out, hesitating a bit.

By the time you took the kids home, its dawn, sanemi followed you suspiciously, grabbing the hilt of his sword tight. 'How did she even survived that? I cut right through her neck... moreover she ain't hurting the kids?' he thought.

The sun is about to rise still you show no sign of panic. What exactly is she? He thought

A demon who could walk under the sun?

"Hey sanemi, I'm hungry, can you buy me something to eat, I promise I will pay you later."

Part 2 ?

[vevobly]

Yellowjackets Dating Coach Ben's Niece Headcanons!

A/N: Misty is still obsessed with Coach Ben but it's more of her yearning for a parental figure than wanting him romantically as her lover. Anyways, shout out to my other babe for her endless encouragement and support! @salfishdelish 😘

Jackie Taylor:

Jackie would feel a little self-conscious at first, aware of the potential judgement that could come from your uncle—Coach Ben. She'd constantly worry from time to time whether he'd approve or not of her relationship with you. Even if he didn't give her a thumbs up for it, she would still pursue you nonetheless.

Jackie would try so hard to make a good impression on Coach Ben, acting extra polite around him during practices and team events to soften the blow once he found out about you two dating later on. Although she seems pretty cool and confident about the whole situation in herself, Jackie is hella nervous on the inside—scared of maybe slipping up and so.

“So…do you think Coach Ben would kill me if he found out? Asking for a friend, of course.”

Shauna Shipman:

Shauna would feel a mix of excitement and apprehension about the entire situation. She wouldn’t care much about the possibility of Coach Ben disapproving her relationship with you, but she would be hyper-aware of how it might complicate things.

Shauna would try her best to keep the relationship low-key, not wanting to risk the idea of Coach Ben finding out way too soon about you two. She would occasionally ask him these hypothetical kinds of scenario questions with the idea of you dating someone just so she could find out what he thinks about it.

“I'm not scared of him, but maybe let's just.. keep this between us for now.”

Taissa Turner:

While Tai is mindful of Coach Ben's position, she wouldn't let that stop her from pursuing you. She wouldn't have that much trouble dating you, just the fact that your uncle happens to be her coach and he could really beat her over you two dating if he disapproved mainly.

Tai would be hella respectful around him, making sure not to give anything about your relationship with her away (and to earn some brownie points beforehand). She'd make sure that you really were comfortable with the whole situation before stepping things up.

“Coach Ben doesn't scare me, but I'll follow your lead on this.”

Van Palmer:

Van would think this situation with you was completely hilarious and wouldn't be intimidated by Coach Ben in the slightest at all. She'd also make plenty of jokes every once in a while about the whole thing with you in private, just full on grinning at you while wiggling her eyebrows and so.

Van wouldn't care much about what Coach Ben thought about your relationship with her, she'd be upfront about what she feels for you. And she would also try to find ways to bond with him, mostly to earn herself some good impression on him along for fun.

“Do you think he'll bench me if he finds out? What! It's a genuine question, and honestly, It'd be totally worth it.”

Natalie Scatorccio:

Nat would be a little wary of how Coach Ben could potentially react but she would not let it stop her from being with you. And to be honest, she kinda finds the situation slightly amusing herself. I mean, it's not every day that you get to bag an amazing babe who just so happens to be your own coach's niece.

Nat would avoid drawing attention to her relationship with you around Coach Ben as much as possible, keeping almost everything you guys do privately. If he ever found out, she'd immediately go up and stand her ground, make it loud and clear to him that her feelings for you are genuine.

“I don't care what he thinks. This, whatever we have, is what I'm here for. Not him.”

Lottie Matthews:

Lottie would go for you, whether you were Coach Ben's niece or not. She loves you. And this thing you guys have is something important to her. She's not just gonna let herself lose it over your uncle's potential disapprovement of her relationship with you and so on.

Although she might say she doesn't care about Coach Ben, she will make the effort to be respectful around him and kinda (maybe) subtly try to win him over without making it obvious. She'd also make sure you're actually comfortable with your relationship with her, before doing anything further than what you guys did.

“I... We'll handle this together, alright? Your uncle doesn't have to be an obstacle between us.”

Laura Lee:

Laura Lee would be the most concerned about Coach Ben's opinion about your relationship with her because, aside from the possibly weird dynamic you guys have—she wants his approval. She'd be cautious about how she went about her relationship with you, wanting it to align with herself and her values.

Laura Lee would most likely get you to have an open conversation with her about how you guys should handle the situation. She'd also pray for guidance and support while making sure this relationship you guys have is built on mutual things, respect and understanding.

“I.. think we should be honest with him when the time is right.”

Misty Quigley:

Misty would be ecstatic about the situation, mostly because it gave her an excuse to interact with Coach Ben even more. She'd see it as a great opportunity to get a good impression from him while she's also pursuing her feelings for you, It's like killing two birds with one stone!

Misty would go above and beyond to win your uncle over, possibly overstepping boundaries while at it too. She would be so overly eager to prove herself worthy of you that you couldn't be able to tell if it was cute or kinda scary of her to be this determined about it.

“Do you think Coach Ben likes me? What, I'm trying to make a good impression for us!”

[venusbyline]

Filthy, Obedient Bastard — Aemond Targaryen.

— summary: As soon as the meeting was over, Aemond rested his chin on the hand again and let himself be entertained by the sight of his wife kneeling on the floor, face flushed and tears staining the cheeks, just waiting for a command from Aemond. Your uncle, your husband, your Prince Regent.

— pairing: Aemond Targaryen x niece-wife!reader

— type: smut, dark

— word count: 1.2k

— tags/warnings: female!reader, dark Prince Regent!Aemond Targaryen, DEAD DOVE: DO NO EAT, Targcest (uncle/niece), dubcon, rough sex, dry humping, boot humping, oral sex (male receiving), deepthroating, degradation, underage sex (no specific mention of reader's age tho), face slapping, spanking, dacryphilia, sadism, dom!Aemond, sub!reader, marriage of convenience, toxic relationship, manipulation, free use, minor Green Council members/reader, cowgirl position, vaginal sex, public sex, creampie, past Aegon II Targaryen/reader, past Aemond Targaryen/Helaena Targaryen/reader, past Alicent Hightower/reader, kinda Lucemond too, mentioned rape/non-con, mentioned Aemond Targaryen/Lucerys Velaryon, mentioned uncle/nephew incest, consensual infidelity, reader is Lucerys' twin sister and she has dark hair, mild angst, open ending, canon divergence, porn with plot. no use of y/n, english is not my first language.

❥ Aemond masterlist • HOTD masterlist

— author's notes: This one-shot is based on an anon horny thought that I received here on Tumblr... AND OMFFFFFG IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD TO WRITE ABOUT 🥵🥵 I admit that I'm a free use whore for Aemond anyway

— crossposting: AO3

❥ about me • main masterlist

Aemond’s face remained stoic as he listened to the stupid war strategies the Green Council had to suggest. Nothing sounded pleasing to his ears, no idea seemed clever enough to ensure they were ahead of any attack Rhaenyra might be planning.

Putting his back of hand under his chin to try to focus a little more, Aemond frowned when the whimpering noises began to grow louder throughout the room. The Prince Regent snorted, turning his head to the side to watch his niece-wife riding some random Council lord's cock as if your poor life depended on it.

“Be quieter, you are distracting us.” Aemond growled at the little girl, who nodded with flushed cheeks, biting your lower lip and stifling the sounds that wanted to escape. Perhaps due to both pain and guilty pleasure.

Your palms leaned on your own thighs, bouncing on the man's lap and feeling your cunt all swollen and red from being used and abused by any of the lords or knights there who asked Aemond to.

Aemond watched the act with a sick mix of satisfaction and possessiveness. The lord's hand began to caress your clit in a way that was not as pleasurable as your uncle-husband knew how to do, but it was still better than nothing. It was still better than simply standing there listening to Aemond plan strategies to kill your mother and your entire family.

As the man pulled his cock out and released his disgusting seed against your back and ass, Aemond smirked at Alicent, who was sitting very close, trying to ignore the sight of Rhaenyra's daughter being passed around to yet another lord without even being able to prepare yourself first.

"Perhaps you should have your turn with her again someday, Mother." The Prince Regent sneered at the Dowager Queen, whose face soon transformed into a look of shock and shame.

"Thank you for the suggestion, Your Grace, but I prefer to decline your offer." Alicent replied to her son, going back to biting her cuticles.

As soon as the meeting was over, Aemond rested his chin on the hand again and let himself be entertained by the sight of his wife kneeling on the floor, face flushed and tears staining the cheeks, just waiting for a command from Aemond. Your uncle, your husband, your Prince Regent.

Gods, your mother would be so disappointed if she saw her daughter becoming such a submissive and pathetic girl, being treated like a toy by practically all the Greens. Aemond had forced you to suck on what little was left of Aegon's cock, watching with sadistic amusement while he saw his brother suffering from having his burned manhood being licked by you. He had forced you to have sex with Helaena together with him, a false excuse to try to help his sweet older sister deal with the grief of the loss of her son. Even Alicent, who detested the disgusting and sinful acts of her dear son, had already used you — because Aemond would rather his mother be distracted by you than continue to whine about Rhaenyra like a weak woman.

In any case, you had become a disgrace to your family of origin. An obedient lapdog for the Prince Regent.

"Come here..." Aemond gestured with his hand, before patting his thigh. You were about to stand up, grateful to be able to give your aching knees a rest, but Aemond stopped that with a growl. "Come here on your knees, you whore."

You nodded quickly, whimpering and kneeling again, getting on all fours to get closer to your uncle-husband, crawling like a baby until you were finally in front of his chair, wide eyes with fear.

Aemond remembered very well when you were born. King Viserys dragged him, Helaena and Aegon to Rhaenyra's chambers. The Princess had two babies in her arms... You and Lucerys. He had only been five at the time, and yet he could not help but grimace when he saw that neither of the newborns were silver-haired. Meanwhile, Helaena seemed happy to finally have a niece, and Aegon was focused on teasing his younger sister and telling her dirty things about how babies were made.

Aemond had never really wanted to marry you, a bastard girl with dark hair. It had been the only way Viserys could see to make up for his son’s loss of eye, and at first Aemond had been repelled by the idea of having you as his future wife. Where would be the beneficial part about marrying Rhaenyra's offspring?

It sure sounded like a terrible solution, until Aemond became Prince Regent and realized that Alicent had been right when she said it would not be long before you completely submitted to him. You were too young, almost as innocent as a child when you married him, months before Aegon usurped your mother's throne and Aemond killed your twin brother. And yet... You submitted to him without blinking twice.

"Look at the mess you have made." The Prince Regent clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, noticing the trail of cum that dripped from your two holes when you crawled towards him.

"My apologies, Your Grace..." You whined right after his palm hit your face once, only to be slapped again, three more times without giving you some time to breathe.

Four slaps. Four slaps burning your cheek, just like your cunt was aching after being abused during the entire Small Council meeting.

You wondered if this was how whores felt after fucking with so many random men... But at least they got paid for it. It was their work...

And sometimes it was less humiliating and cruel than being the Prince Regent's niece-wife.

It was less humiliating and cruel than having your pretty mouth full of his thick cock, at the same time that his boot rubbed your clit, holding the back of your neck in place with one of his arms, pushing your head deeper, while the other hand was squeezing the flesh of your breast.

Aemond's fingers twisted your nipple, imagining what it would be like to simply rip them off and making muffled moans of pain escape from your lips, being interrupted by your own gagging cries as Aemond began to thrust into your throat in a practically primal way.

"Filthy bastard... You love being treated like this, do not you? You love being humiliated by your uncle, being a whiny little whore around my cock..." He growled, grinding the toe of his leather boot further rough against your core. "Perhaps you really like this... Perhaps you like me to rape and degrade you. Your twin brother seemed to like it too before he tried to escape with his dragon, flying through the sky like a whiny slutty boy."

You did not dare ask what he meant by that, just like you never dared ask about who was the young boy locked in the dungeons, the whiny boy you had heard the guards mocking about.

Deep down, you had chosen to continue obeying your uncle-husband blindly. You had chosen to pretend you did not know your twin brother was still alive, suffering a similar fate to yours... Both of you constantly used and abused by the Prince Regent. A double revenge for that incident at Driftmark.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

okay okay rapid fire spider-verse thots fresh out of the theater, trying to minimize spoilers but jesus

da Vinci-looking Vulture... very cool

the art on Gwen's earth in general is SO cool

in general the animators were just SHAMELESSLY showing off with this one and it rules so hard

Rio Morales animated milf of all time

truly do not understand what all of you see in Miguel tbh that man suuuuuucks!! kill!!

Peter B is also on my shit list tbh. Gwen going along with this is understandable, she's literally a homeless teenager in a bad position to fight against adult spiders making decisions, but Peter... come on dude...

truly they HAD to leave Pav out of the middle of the movie because he would have sided with Miles (you think he would want Inspector Singh to die!! fuck no!!) and he's perfect so he would have just effortlessly swept the floor with every other spider-person

Gwen is flirtatiously trans coded and responds to Spider-Man at least once, congrats to her on the fun gender

Jessica's design is so cool but they made her such a cop... god I hope she's coming around in the next movie

cannot wait to see gifs of this movie slowing down every frame to point out every individual background spider-person

the fucking. the family of it all. Miles' parents afraid to let him grow up and Gwen's dad unable to accept the truth about his daughter and Miguel trying to raise a daughter who wasn't supposed to be his and Peter B's baby girl and Jessica Drew's visible baby bump and the spiders' collective miserable certainty that they are DEFINED by the trauma of losing someone they love.

something something Miles' parents and the spider society have the same problem - being afraid of change from what they thought was The Right Way To Do Things - but Miles' parents love and trust him to make the right choices beyond their understanding while Miguel and the other spiders are too hurt by their own traumas to imagine someone else thriving without it

also fuck all of them the boy's uncle died in front of him after trying to kill him HAS HE NOT SUFFERED ENOUGH

Hobie's soooo annoying (affectionate) but also right about, like, literally everything AND good with babies to boot

the whole ending is so ‼️‼️‼️‼️

the thing with Miles and Uncle Aaron at the end... you know the thing... DELICIOUS au right there tell me everything about that shit

the fucking end man

I've NEVER been in a theater where everyone collectively screamed @ the end of a movie fuck fuck fuck. there's cliffhangers and then there's THIS

[buckyalpine]

The wait way universe. The one where they get married.

Ohh god it is perfect.

Please say you will write more of this?

I am begging you.

Need more of the baby.

And all the group together having fun family nights.

Another baby maybe? ;)

Aunts and uncles fighting to hold the baby.

Bucky and the reader being told the baby moved the hammer and thor really presenting him with a mini hammer?

Also I love love love love love uncle Tony’s nickname for the baby. Mini terminator love it.

Happy squealing baby is so cute.

I just love it. So much.

I will beg for more. I will. I love it. I love your writing. I love how you write the characters.

Oh god I would kill to see protective avengers. Maybe someone takes the reader and the baby, oh and even more so the reader is pregnant. :0 dun dun dun…. Protective angry Bucky, Steve, Tony,Sam ,Nat, Wanda, Bruce etc

OKAY YES. I'm here for PROTECTIVE AVENGERS OVER ALL THE BABY BUCKIES AND HIS ANGEL. You can read this piece as a stand alone. I added the links for other parts if you want to read it but you don't have to. We're all here for what happens when you mess with Bucky's family.

Wait, what?

Wait, what? 2

I do (again) Wait, what? 3

Wait, what? More Babies?

Competitive God Fathers

-

You smiled to yourself, carefully adding the last piece of tape to Bucky's gift, tying a perfect bow around the wrapped box before hiding it in the closet. Bucky was due to come back soon and while you missed him like crazy, his absence made it easier for you to get his surprise together. Over the last few weeks, you'd felt more tired than usual along with feeling tender and crampy. One trip to the pharmacy, a pregnancy test and a positive result later, you'd bought a custom onesie with Baby Barnes Jr #4 printed on the front.

You hoped Bucky would enjoy the surprise you were growing in your belly, especially considering how often he kept insisting he wanted just one more, adding to your growing family with Steve Jr who had just turned 5 and your 3 year old twins Samantha and Nathaniel. You hid the present under the bed before going to the playroom to tuck your littles ones into bed, the three of them unusually quiet compared to their usual mischief.

"C'mon munchkins" You smiled at the sight before you with Stevie sprawled on a large bean bag, his brother and sister on tucked on either side, their big brother reading to them while they intently looked at the pictures. "Bed time for you babies"

"Will daddy be home soon?" Samantha asked with a pout, a complete daddy's girl just like you, tucking her face into your neck as you scooped her up along with Nathaniel while Steve followed promptly behind.

"Of course bub, he'll be here first thing in the morning" You assured her, kissing her forehead before tucking her into bed followed by the other little one. "Good night loves" You turned off the lights before going back to your room where you knew Stevie was waiting with his favorite book, ready for a bedtime story. It was a special bonding time you always made sure to have with him, not wanting you first baby boy to feel like he was no longer one of your favorites after the twins were born.

"What did you pick tonight baby" You got under the covers, fluffing the pillows and propping them up while Stevie snuggled up beside you, plopping a book about science onto your lap. You chuckled at the nerdy side he'd gotten from his dad, reading through scientific discoveries that were made in the last century and theories that were still being tested. He listened with wide eyes until they grew heavy, eventually falling asleep on your lap, not having the slightest clue you'd carried him to bed and tucked him in with a kiss to his cheek. "Sleep tight my sweet boy"

You slipped back under the covers, grabbing a book for yourself while occasionally running your hands over your belly, soaking in the quiet night before the team arrived after their latest mission.

It wasn't often that the compound was empty; few missions required all hands on deck but this was one of them. You'd received a message from FRIDAY informing you the jet would be landing in a few hours and that no medical assistance would be required because no one had sustained major injures. It was the sole reason you were able to relax so easily, happy waiting for your husbands arrival so you could tell him the good news.

You settled comfortably under the covers until a faint sound from the common room pulled you from your book again. FRIDAY would have alerted you if the jet was approaching and you would've definitely heard the sound of the engine approaching anyway.

But was still eerily quiet.

Then you heard something again.

You were sure it was nothing but you pressed the button under the bedside table that locked and secured the rooms of the little ones just to be safe. Tony had added additional security for their rooms in case of emergencies, with 4 different operating systems working at once. Absolutely nothing would happen to his godchildren under his roof.

It was probably nothing.

Still.

You grabbed the knife you kept hidden behind the headboard, tucking in under the waistband of you sleep shorts before making your way down, reprimanding yourself for being paranoid over what was probably just sounds of the plumbing and vents creaking in the middle of the night.

The halls were clear, easing some of your nerves as you continued to the common room where you heard the sound. The hairs on your neck stood up when you saw the glow of the kitchen light turned on, grabbing your knife, only to find one of the new agents sitting at the kitchen island, sipping on a coffee.

"Annabeth?" Your brows were knitted together, discreetly slipping the knife away, wondering how she'd gotten into the main floor of the compound when it was restricted to others after a certain time.

"Hey y/n" She gave you a sleepy smile while you watched her warily, "Couldn't sleep. Hope you don't mind, just wanted to grab a mug before heading back to trainee wing"

"Yeah, its fine" You spoke slowly, something still not sitting right with you though you didn't show it.

"How come you're still up, waiting for Sergeant Barnes?" There was something sinister in the sweetness of her voice, cocking her head while you hummed in response, stomach churning. "You're both so cute together you know. It's nice to see how his life has come together after all he's been through as the asset"

"Excuse me?" Your eyes grew wide, heart hammering against your chest, it was rare for anyone to refer to Bucky as the asset. Most referred to him as the winter soldier, even soldat, only those deep in Hdyra had called him-

"We want our asset back" She whispered, cracking a smirk and nodding to someone behind you. Before you could turn around, a large form grasped your body, slamming a hand over your mouth muffling your screams. You didn't have any time to react, feeling a pinch to your neck and slipping into darkness immediately after.

-

Bucky stretched with a sleepy yawn as the jet began its descent, already waiting at the doors and ready to hop out and see his wife and babies. He smiled at the thought of them all safely tucked into bed, sleeping soundly while you probably tried to stay up with a book. He always found you dozed off, book loosely falling from your hand, still propped up against the bed every time you waited for him. Didn't matter not how many times he told you to just go to bed. You always stayed up till you saw he was safe and sound.

Sam helped Bucky put away his equipment so he could get to you faster, everyone smiling watching the soldier dash off, running to his family.

"It's nice to see him like this" Nat nodded, trudging with the rest as they entered the compound, nothing amiss while they went to the conference room.

"He deserves it" Steve smiled, happy his best friend finally had what he'd always dreamt of. A wife. Kids. A safe home for them.

Bucky made his way over to see his little ones first, stopping in front of the heavily decorated door, covered with Captain America and Iron Man posters, courtesy of the two Godfathers competing for #1. Bucky smiled, turning the knob, only to find it locked shut, which was odd considering the only way to lock the door was if the security system had been activated.

He shook his head, frowning as he made his way to your shared bedroom instead, figuring it was a glitch or mistake. He got a sinking feeling in his stomach seeing the door open ajar, with the lamp turned on, your book set aside but you were nowhere to be seen.

"Baby?" Bucky called out, struggling to keep his panic at bay when the bathroom was empty, as was the closet. "Sweetheart?"

He called down the hall way a little louder before jogging to the kitchen but there had been no sign of you there when he'd entered. He started to move quicker, running back to disable to security system, breathing a sigh of relief to find all three little ones still sleeping soundly. He softly shut the door before immediately going to the conference room.

"Y/n, has anyone seen her?" He hoped to see you sitting with the others but he was filled with dread when the others shook their head in confusion. "She's-she's not in her room. I've checked everywhere, the security system was activated for the kids' room, she wouldn't leave the compound around this hour, somethings wrong"

No one asked questions, immediately jumping into action; Tony starts to comb through security from the time they left while Nat double checks every floor and room, just to be safe. Steve and Sam help Bucky look over your bedroom for any signs of a struggle. He ran his hand along the areas they'd hidden weapons, his stomach dropping when he felt the empty space behind the headboard.

"She took the knife" Bucky swallowed thickly while Sam and Steve shared concerned glances.

"Look, she's strong Buck, whatever it is, we'll find her" Steve insisted while Bucky continued to look, checking under the bed where he'd kept a pistol, nothing out of the ordinary except-

He frowned, seeing a little gift bag hidden underneath, newly packed with a gold bow placed on top. He picked it up, brows knitted together as he pulled away the tissue paper, feeling soft material tucked at the bottom of the bag. He took it out, heart splitting into two at the words written on the little onesie,

"Fuck!" A broken sob pulled Sam and Steve from their search, finding Bucky slumped by the edge of the bed.

"Buck?" they shared concerned glances seeing him holding something small in his hands, clutching it tightly to his chest.

"She's-she's pregnant" Bucky whispered, tears welling in his eyes holding the tiny jumpsuit in his hands, his heart couldn't take it-

"Barnes, we have something!" Tony's voice echoed through the coms, the three men running back to the conference room where Tony had pulled the footage from you in the kitchen. Bucky watched in silence, jaw clenched seeing the new agent use a stolen keycard to sneak into the compound with a Hydra agent, the two of them quietly waiting for you to come down.

He had to keep from smashing the TV, watching the man grab you from behind, injecting you with something before carelessly carrying you off like ragdoll, his heart aching, wishing he'd gotten home sooner. All voices around him drowned out to a faint buzz, the sounds of Tony and Steve giving out commands all muffled as if they were underwater.

"We have the coordinates locked, everyone down down to the jet, remember your positions.

It was like a switch was flipped.

"Cap and I clear the entry ways, Nat, Clint, follow behind, Sam, surveillance from the top. Barnes, you just have to get y/n"

The former young husband and father who sat with tears streaming down his cheeks was replaced with a man who knew no remorse. No guilt. No sense of right or wrong.

"Barnes"

Steve knew of this man well.

"Barnes?"

The one they called the Winter Soldier.

-

"Baby" Bucky whispered, scooping his sleepy eldest son in his arms before striding over to the twins bed, tucking them in together. "Daddy's gotta go another mission but we'll be back soon, alright?"

Steve could sense something was wrong, the strain in his fathers voice making him worry.

"Again?" He asked while Samantha and Nathaniel stirred slightly, trying to tuck themselves into their daddy's warmth. "Where's mama?" He asked with a tiny whisper having heard the commotion outside of the room, his hearing enhancing more and more each day. Bucky swallowed thickly while Steve stepped into the room to check on his best friend, his heart breaking over the three little ones clinging onto him.

"We're going to get her, promise bub" Buck kissed their heads, grabbing their favorite stuffies to cuddle with.

"Let me see my favorite little soldiers" Steve strode over, giving them a brave smile. "We'll be back before you know it"

"Will mama be okay?" Nathanial whispered, grabbing onto Steve's wrist before he could leave, tears streaming down his little chubby cheek.

"Of course" Steve reassured him, kissing his forehead and tucking him back into bed, "We'll never let anything happen to your mama"

That was a promise.

-

"Oh fuck" Clint snorted to himself watching the black mask that had been locked away for good slip over Bucky's face, his usual leather jacket replaced with a thick black tactical vest, straps running across his chest.

"They're fucked, aren't they" Sam whispered to Tony as he put his suit on, the glancing over to the stone cold brunette who sat in silence, finger resting on the trigger. Like he doesn't actually need us"

"We're really just going for moral support, also no one hurts our y/n" Tony whispered back. The teams full focus was getting you back along with keeping your babies safe; Pepper had come to look after the littles ones till you were found safe and sound. While the team was fully ready to take apart anyone that tried to hurt you. It was more that evident Bucky wouldn't have a problem taking hydra apart by himself but they wouldn't let him go alone.

Bucky didn't speak a word as soon as the jet hit the ground hitting his targets from 100's of feet away, each bullet landing right between their eyes.

"...Did you know he could do that?" Sam called from the coms, watching agents drop while he flew across the top of the base. Tony blasted the front of the doors while Steve cleared the hall way, throwing his shield, knocking down three men that guarded the wing.

"Looks like she's down in the cells" Sam called, looking at where the heat signals were coming from. Bucky made his way down the sterile hallway, red lights suddenly flashing above when a woman charged towards him.

"Welcome back soldat" Annabeth sauntered, blocking the doors to where you were being held with a satisfied smirk on her face. "We knew you'd come back. We missed you-

"Oh, I'm gonna have fun with this" Nat smirked, stepping in front of Bucky and grabbing Annabeth by her hair, dragging her off to a corner before throwing a punch to her jaw.

Bucky continued, slamming the lab doors open, his eyes landing onto your tied up form, strapped onto the very same chair he'd been tied to every time he'd been wiped. He didn't give anyone a second to think, killing those closest to him while the others tried to escape.

"You wanted me back, didn't you" Bucky's voice was a low growl as he stepped over the bodies he shot down before running to save you. "Well, I'm back"

The ones that ran off didn't get too far, making it out of the lab, only to be met with a very angry Steve and Tony.

"You don't hurt my fucking bestfriend" Steve gritted, slamming the agent to the floor before grabbing another and throwing him to Tony.

"You are not taking away my turn at being a God father" Sam grabbed another that tried to hide behind the rubble, swooped up to the ceiling, dangling to agent in the air for a while before letting him drop. Bucky was by your side in an instant, cutting off the straps that bound your arms together.

"Baby?" Bucky scooped you up in his arms, cradling your body to his chest, his hand gently brushing your cheek. "You okay sweetheart?"

"Bucky!" You cried out, clinging onto him, trembling while he kissed you before protectively covering your face from the bloody trail he left behind him. "You're here"

"M'taking you home baby, c'mon" Bucky whispered against your hair, carrying you tucked against him with your legs wrapped tightly around his waist, breathing in his scent. "I got you babygirl, it's okay"

"I was so scared" Bucky held onto you tightly on the ride back, he had never felt relief like this, his heart finally calming down. "M'so sorry sweet girl"

"S'not your fault baby" you whispered back, smiling when you felt a kiss to the back of your head.

"Glad you're okay sweetheart" Steve gave you a squeeze before leaving you and Bucky to have your privacy again, staying near the front with the rest of the team, watching over Annabeth, who had been captured for questioning. Once you'd reached the compound, you were greeted with proper hugs and kisses from the others, hearing the pitter patter of little feel seconds later.

"MAMAA" Your babies ran to you, climbing up your leg until they were all properly snuggled against you, refusing to let go until they were sure you were perfectly safe.

"Daddy and your aunts and uncles rescued me, see? I'm all okay" You reassured them while they looked at you intently, checking over you the same way you did whenever they had a fall. Once they were satisfied that you were okay, they let their daddy take you away to get cleaned up while it was Tony's turn to read them a bedtime story even if it was nearing morning.

-

"Right where you belong" Bucky smiled, wrapping his arm around your waist after you'd both showered, foregoing clothes as you climbed into bed, snuggled over the covers. He spooned you from behind, the feel of his warm bare skin comforting you.

"I love you so much angel" He pressed a soft kiss against your shoulder, eyes brightening when he remembered the little present he'd found earlier. His hand slipped down to softly brush over your tummy. "Both of you" He playfully whispered, smiling at your soft gasp as you wiggled to turn around and face him, growing bashfully shy when he pulled the tiny jumpsuit he'd kept on his pillow.

"Was there something you wanted to tell me mama?"

"Think you're ready for a 4th?" You giggled, burying your face into his chest while he grinned, peppering your face with kisses till you squealed.

"M'ready for a 5th and 6th if you'd let me angel" Bucky smirked, playfully nipping your jaw before shuffling down to rest his head on your tummy, kissing your soft skin while you carded your fingers through his hair. "but I can't wait to meet this little one first"

-

[lucky-katebishop]

I read more Robin 1993 comics! These are from issues 46-51. There's a lot less screenshots than I usually make because I really didn't love a lot of the storylines.

I didn't actually fully read Genesis because I don't read most of the tie-ins that it covered and I just kind of wanted to get on with my Tim Drake binge so I only read this one and I was really surprised by where Dixon took it! Although, I shouldn't be- Dixon always tends to make Tim feel unsure about his position as Robin whenever there's a crossover between comics. But this took a step further by Tim not being able to save a boy his age who got caught up in the criminal underworld. I think it's really interesting to have this storyline be immediately after partnering with Stephanie, who has less than stellar morals when it comes to who should be saved or not. If this were her POV, I bet she would have just left Young Eli to die. At least, this is coming from her very early years when she's less experienced.

Dixon's favorite panels are to have Tim question his role as Robin in front of the Jason memorial site.

I laughed SO hard lol- Dixon's favorite thing in the world is to have Tim go back to Paris whenever he's struggling and I just have to laugh. This poor city and poor boy are meant for each other.

He says to the most serious, high-strung person he's ever met.

This panel was just really cool!

I liked these issues! Am I getting a little tired of Tim constantly questioning his place? Yes. But he hasn't had it easy lately. No adult is listening to him and Ari about what really happened, his love life has been completely shattered by Ari's uncle keeping them apart, and as much as he tries, Tim can't save everyone. I really like the decision to have him go back to Paris to continue training- even if he can't do so with his original teacher. I LOVED that Lady Shiva came back (especially with what happened at the end- but come on, no way he actually killed her.) I really enjoyed Dava as well. I think if Cataclysm wasn't immediately after these issues, there could have been an interesting storyline containing the drug that she gave Tim and him wanting to be stronger and faster while taking it (a la Patriot from Young Avengers) and his morals. It felt really rushed, but I haven't read Cataclysm yet so maybe in his single issues the story will be continued? I hope so!

[metalomagnetic]

So do Sirius’s kids turn out to be less ignorant and have a better understanding of muggle culture? Especially because of Nymphadora’s influence (due to her Muggleborn father). Like would they show an interest in the public library go to concerts (like their dad did) and while I do understand that they’re being raised by the pureblood equivalent of Nazis basically (Bellatrix, Lucius and unfortunately to a lesser extent, Sirius), do the kinds end up not-so-bigoted or less likely to dehumanise muggles and Muggleborns as they grow up, go to Hogwarts and stop parroting their parents?

Do you think the way Sirius grew up to realise the ideology behind Grindelwald was wrong, Sirius’ children would also realise that their family members were the extremely powerful and rich aggressors who were out torturing and killing people for no reason? Would Sirius ever even allude to his children that- that their aunt Bellatrix, uncle Lucius, all the adults there grew up around tortured and killed people simply because they wanted to?- that there was never any greater purpose to it since they wrote already at the apex of their society.

We saw that Sirius tells Harry a sanitised and falsified version of this- to atleast make it seem like it was war and not simply terrorism and that the murder of Harry’s parents had meaning. But as Harry and his sibling get older, do they get told or just realise the truth? Especially because Nymphadora already understands/knows the truth atleast subconsciously- she just doesn’t wanna acknowledge it - will Sirius’ children be the same?

Will Sirius ever mull on the fact that his beloved Bellatrix is a terrorist - who killed people only for her enjoyment? Or will he excuse beloved Bella, the way he did when she murdered Marlene and her family?

This aspect of the story is truly so dark- the parts where Sirius is grappling with the fact that his family is out here killing and torturing people with no remorse in order to “avenge” Evan when them and their pointless terrorism is the reason his death occurred in the first place, as well as his own pureblood anger over Evan’s death. It’s great. You’re great. The way you weave all these conflicting thoughts into Sirius’ psyche is just amazing.

I also love how in the later chapters, Sirius slowly reconciles with the fact that he is not as good a person as he wishes he was and his moral code- of harming a hundredfold whoever harms him or his. I also like to think that Sirius is probably the kindest and most (open minded? liberal?) accepting Head of House and that he probably wouldn’t go murder a Muggleborn prime minister or hinder their career needlessly out of sheer hatred and prejudice lmao.

Also when I’m reading your fic I keep hoping the kids turn out better because of the kind of father Sirius is- As in his kid’s believe their dad helps whoever he can help and they grow up to emulate that or sm.

Anyway, if you’ve actually read my rant till the end, my apologies. I just can’t get IRITB out of mind T T

Like Sirius before them, his sons will realise who started the war, and that it wasn't fair, nor just. It's not a matter of ignorance here.

They're all trapped in a vicious circle where they know they're not great people, but they don't aim (nor were they raised) to be good people. They want to maintain what they are used to, they were told to 'protect' their family and their position, by whatever means necessary. So they will act when they feel threatened, even if the threat might not be real, only perceived.

Sirius knows he's not a good man, and he made peace with it. He still tries his best not to be the most horrible version of himself, he can still emphastise with others, and tries not to cause harm unnecessarily, but especially now that he has children, he would burn the entire world if he thinks his sons are in any danger, physical danger or just social danger.

Sirius does has inherent bias, and he's somewhat aware of his bigotry. He recognises it's not based in reality, but he can't help but feel that way. He isn't violent in his bigotry, he has no issues befriending muggles or muggleborns, or werewolves or vampires, he helps them if it doesn't inconvenience him, he wishes there was this utopia where they could all live in peace. But when push comes to shove, he'll chose 'his own' people, and he does believe wizard are superior to muggles (though he doesn't think purebloods are superior to muggleborns) and that, as a Black, his bloodline is better than anyone else's (including Lestrange or Malfoy. This isn't about pureblood supremacy, but Black supremacy. He takes extreme pride in his family, even if he knows they're crazy and often wrong in their attitudes).

Of course, Sirius is much less bigoted than his father has been, and OG Orion was less bigoted than his own father. Arcturus was more tolerant than his own father. They do 'evolve' with the times, just very, very slowly.

Sirius' sons were exposed to muggles by their father, but they were also exposed to muggle hate by their mother and virtually everyone else around them, and also Sirius' indifference when someone badmouths muggles.

Orion will never have issues eating muggle food or using muggle inventions, or listening to muggle music. He likes many muggle things, he thinks some are better than magical equivalents, but he'll always feel most comfortable where he was raised- in the magical world. He doesn't think muggles are animals, he is all too aware muggles are just as human and just as intelligent as wizards, however they don't have the same power as wizards, so they will never be equal. He, like Sirius, believes muggleborns are just as magical as purebloods, and they have the same right to practice magic. However, unlike Sirius, he thinks purebloods are 'stronger' than muggleborns by default. He believes the magical power is in the bloodline, and while muggleborns are obviously magical, their 'power' has been diluted by muggle interference. (Both Astrid and Arcturus are to blame for this).

Marvolo is less tolerant than Orion, but less vocal about it, too.

Both boys are raised to maintain the Black way, to represent the Black family, to 'hold the fort' and perpetuate their traditions, because they are the future of the family.

Yet neither is as hateful as Walburga or Astrid or Regulus, specifically because Sirius took them to muggle London often, they were raised with Harry and Dora, and they were also forced to play with Mary's daughters, whom they ended up liking.

Helix is the luckiest; being the third son, there's not such pressure on him, seeing as his chances of one day becoming Head of House are very slim. So no one bothers to indoctrinate him quite as thoroughly. He was born after Arcturus died, so he escaped his influence entirely. From all of them, Helix will be the most chill about blood purity, the most likely to make muggleborn friends on his own, the one to bring back home muggle items and get away with it because he's the baby of the fam and he can do no wrong. However, he is still raised to take pride in his bloodline, so he has that Black excellency mind set, too.

Overall, I would say at least the boys have no issues with half-bloods, because this was where Sirius made the most effort; he was determined to protect Harry, so none of his sons hold inherent prejudice against half-bloods, especially half-bloods raised by wizards. Dora, to them, is as Black as the rest, and they don't care at all her father is a muggleborn. She has Black blood and that's all that matters. Orion wouldn't hesitate to put her on the family tree.

If someone told them half-bloods are less magical, they'll call that person an idiot. If someone told them Harry, specifically, is less magical than a pureblood, they would beat the shit out of that person. However, they are aware Harry is not a Black. Orion wouldn't put Harry on the family tree.

Muggles are a threat to them, not on an individual level, but on a gender scale. Muggles wouldn't react well if they find out about wizards, as we all know. Set aside the religious aspect that would make muggles go crazy, but also the fear factor- let's be real, none of us would be too happy to know there are wizards around that can erase our memory, control us with the Imperius etc. We would not feel comfortable knowing there are eleven year olds out there that are handed a weapon of mass destruction. No muggle army would love the thought a 14 year old kid could potential annihilate an entire batalion of muggles with a wave of his wand.

All wizards, including muggleborns, believe muggles would react violently towards the magical world, if they ever discovered it.

So, to Orion, and Sirius, and Lucius, and Harry, and even Dumbledore, they do understand the inherent threat muggles pose.

They will always keep their distance, and Orion, like all Blacks before him since the inquisition, will think muggles as a whole are dangerous to their community, but on an individual level they can be fine. But, in his option, best not to mix with them, lessen the odds of discovery.

[gather-ye-fucking-rosebuds]

Dear Diary,

It’s been a week since Christmas break. Two since the police came. We all had our stories straight—me, Charlie, Neil, and Mrs. Perry—but it was still terrifying having to lie to government officials like that for so many days. But we managed to get through it, and as far as everyone is concerned, Mr. Perry just took off after Neil disobeyed him and joined the play. Nobody knows the truth. Nobody knows Neil killed him.

I know it’s risky writing it down. Evidence of the crime we’ve worked so hard to cover up. But I’m going to explode if I don’t talk about it, and Charlie hates talking about it even more than Neil, so here we are. I’ve taken so many precautions to keep this hidden for the past few weeks that I feel like I could pour my heart and soul out in here and nobody would ever have to see. I mean, I’m probably gonna burn this anyways, so what’s even the point of NOT using this as a full on diary instead of just a confession journal?

I am absolutely positive that nobody will ever find this journal unless I want them to. It’s hidden far into the cavity of the tree I read under—the one facing the lake that turned beautiful marigold orange this fall. It’s a decent distance from the lawn, so nobody will see when I put it away, and nobody will see me writing in it. I know that nobody will find this journal. And yet I’m still stalling. Ughhh.

I did a little research on Uncle Walt today, since we have a little project to read up on our favorite poet and write a short little paper on them. And so I was reading, and I found something…interesting, I guess. He never married. I asked Mr. Keating why he never married, and he said that Uncle Walt liked men instead of women, which I guess never really crossed my mind as being an option.

So anyways, the next day, we veered away from our usual topics and read poems from this Greek poet named Sappho. We talked about her for a little before we actually read anything, and Mr. Keating told us that she’s like Uncle Walt in that she likes women, and a few of the boys snickered. I don’t know why it made me uncomfortable, but their laughs made me feel like I was standing at the front of the class with a ridiculous wig on or something. But Mr. Keating reminded them that love is love, no matter who feels it for who, and that everyone needs to walk in their own steps, wherever it takes them. Then we read her poems. They were beautifully crafted, leaving even the boys who laughed speechless. And then class was over, and I had to act normal for the rest of the day.

But here’s the thing, Diary. I didn’t feel normal. I felt like I’d been living in the dark for so long that just a little spark lit up the world. Something clicked in my brain, making all the puzzle pieces fit exactly how they should. It was like a dam had barely been holding back an ocean of feelings and that one class sent the water crashing over me. Oh my god, Diary, I might go to hell for this, but I think I like Neil in that way.

Kindest Regards,

Todd

[nanaminokanojo]

ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE | part 3

-meet cute? a cheesy musical number? forget it! love makes itself known to you through a minor car accident, a broken arm, and a treacherously charming temporary chauffeur

CHARACTERS: sukuna x you/reader | jjk characters

GENRE: full-length smau + prose | bad boy x good girl | college au | a lot of firsts | aged-up characters | strangers to lovers | smut | fluff | angst | ooc depictions - soft sukuna ftw

TW/CW: strong/mature language | adult content so mdni on some parts | mentions of alcohol and/or smoking | mentions of injury, promiscuity and bullying | pet names because they're cute with 2D men | toxic behavior | will add more if something arises

MASTERLIST | CHAPTER INDEX

<<prev part 3 next>>

A/N: Contains prose and tweets between so yeah, open this to read, I guess.

Sukuna stiffened from where he was standing when you winked his way. You were so gorgeous even when your eyes were slightly red at the rims and all banged up that he would have needed herculean effort to wrench his gaze from you. Under normal circumstance, that is. At the moment, his eyes simply kept straying to the doctor whose arms were akimbo as he regarded you with tired, worried eyes.

“My sister will kill me if she finds out the truth.”

Ah, Sukuna thought, nothing scarier than a protective uncle.

“She won’t,” you assured, standing up slowly. “I got this."

The man nodded and approached you, patting your head before leaving, but not without glaring daggers at Sukuna who bowed and stayed bent at a ninety-degree angle until your uncle was out of view. He immediately straightened up to face you only to repeat the gesture before you again.

“I sincerely apologize for injuring you like this. Please allow me to shoulder the bills for your treatment.” He was still sweating profusely, his shirt sticking to his musculature like saran wrap. The ordeal wasn’t done yet. You might have pacified your uncle, but it did not necessarily mean that he was off the hook. “I’m so, so sorry.”

His nervousness at your lack of response heightened with every second that he remained in that position of contrition. It was nerve-wracking when he wasn’t used to submitting to anyone’s demands or wishes, much less begging anyone for forgiveness. He couldn’t see your face so he wasn’t exactly sure how you were reacting to everything. But much to his surprise, he saw your shoe-clad feet as you stood before him.

“You don’t have to bow down like that in front of me,” you spoke, your voice coming out with a husky ring to it. “Your apology would have sufficed.”

Sukuna stood up to look at you, stepping back when he saw you smiling brightly at him albeit your discomfort. For the first time, he noticed how your leg was already cleaned and bandaged while your broken elbow was wrapped in a cast, hanging on a sling over your shoulder. How you could stay so positive despite your pain was something he found awe-inspiring and he couldn’t help but feel the slight upward tug at corners of his mouth.

“Are you okay?” he blurted out, quick to take it back when he realized just how stupid his question was. “I’m sorry. That was…” He sighed. You seemed to have the ability to render him into a blithering cretin, and he had to admit even just to himself that it wasn’t only the guilt or the nerves resulting from almost killing you. You were just so pretty his brain-to-mouth filter has become nonexistent.

“I’m not, but thank you for asking,” you responded appreciatively, lifting your injured arm slightly for emphasis. “I’m Y/N, by the way. You’re Ryomen?”

“Ryomen Sukuna.”

“Sukuna. It’s nice to meet you.”

Your eyes then strayed to the other person in the room. “Hi, Uraume.”

“Hey, Y/N. I hope you’re not in so much pain.”

Sukuna looked on with curiosity at the exchange. He didn’t know that his best friend even knew you after they had to show him your online profile instead of just telling him about you like a normal person. He shot Uraume a dirty look, realizing he had been played.

“Sorry if my friend’s an idiot. It’s a birth defect.”

Sukuna was about to protest, but then he heard you giggle, suppressing it when you saw him looking at you in an attempt to be polite. Why you were doing that was weird. If anything, you ought to be raging mad. He sighed. Uraume was right. He did you considerable damage.

Again, he said, “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“It’s alright. You’re forgiven.”

“Really?” He arched a brow at you in question, not quite understanding where your good mood seemed to be coming from. If he was in your shoes, he would have thrown a fit and taken advantage of whoever caused him to hurt.

“Yes.”

Just like that? “Why?”

“It was an accident. You weren’t really meaning to run me over, were you?”

The thought horrified him. He may be a dick, but he wasn’t exactly lacking in morals. “God, no.”

“Then it’s settled.”

How you could be so nice about it was a big puzzle to him, but he would have that any other day than your family coming after him. He knew he was being dramatic earlier, but there was still the possibility. He thanked you and started to excuse himself to settle the bills, but you stopped him, holding onto his arm and shaking your head.

You flashed him an embarrassed smile, your cheeks adorned with a dusting of roses. “You don’t have to.”

“Their family co-owns the hospital,” Uraume supplied, shrugging as if in long-suffering.

“Oh.” Of course, he thought, finding it hard not to grimace at how narrowly he escaped the fate he was thinking about just earlier. Now, he seriously felt bad knowing you’re basically a princess – a very beautiful one with an equally beautiful heart – and yet a nobody like him did you wrong.

“I’ll tell you what,” you began, “I wouldn’t really want to impose upon you, but if you want to make it up to me, I’ll appreciate it if you drive me home today.”

“I’ll drive you home every day to school until you’re well enough. I’ll help you with whatever you need, just…please, let me,” he said without thinking.

Sukuna saw Uraume arching a brow at him, knowing exactly what was going on in their mind as they furtively shook their head. He was a womanizing bastard after all, but that wasn’t the intention he had with you at all. He would do anything and everything to stop feeling guilty over what he did to you, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to manage that without doing anything.

You eyed him thoughtfully, your head tilting to the side which he found endearing. But he immediately snapped out of it when you nodded your head and said, “That will be very convenient. I wouldn’t have to call my parents to send me a driver.”

Anything but your parents, he thought, mouth stretching into a tight smile as he nervously nodded. “Just call me whenever.”

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© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI’S “JUJUTSU KAISEN”. [20240517]

PHOTOS/IMAGES/GIF/FANART/ANY MEDIA CREDITS GO TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

[misguidedasgardian]

Storm's End (5)

HOTD MASTERLIST

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x Niece!Strong!Reader

Summary: your mother sends you to Storm’s End to rally Lord Borros Baratheon for your side, but your uncle arrived there before you

Warnings: Cursing, use of the word bastard, angst, heavy, canon level incest, thoughts about dying, fear of commiting s*icide, mentions of bedding, and more, dark fic, Aemond is unhinged, rape, non-con, minors engaging in sexual activities, face fucking, blood, violence, and other very dark things. Aemond is unhinged and Reader is broken

+18 MINORS DNI

Wordcount: 3.4 k

Notes: I think… Lucemond shippers are going to get a treat? jeje didn’t mean to, it just happened, never wrote anything like this 

I really wanted to end this in this chapter, but it grew monstrous, and yes, I will make two endings, they will be published together...

“You know? I had dreamed about this many times”, he said, his voice clear despite the stormy winds, “when I finally have you within reach, to slice up your face like you did me, all those years ago”

The winds blow his hair, his cape, and made him shiver, but he grabbed onto the pommel of the sword Daemon made him carry whenever he went out

“You are right”, he said, “Uncle, your trouble is with me, you anger, your hate, I owe you a debt”, he said shakily, the only thing on his mind was his sweet sister’s face. Aemond only smiled, a few feet away from him, “Let her go…”

Aemond chuckled darkly

“Well said bastard”

“Let my sister go, take me prisoner instead”, he said shakily, “its me you want”, he whined, he was shaking like a leaf, so much Aemond thought, amused, that he was going to soil his pants

But it was endearing

“I may have underestimate you nephew”, he said simply 

“I think you’d do the same thing…”

“Mmm”, now he was amused

“Take my eye, do what you have to do, slice my face, take both, take me whole to the Red Keep but… release my sister”, he said, with those big green eyes

“Why would I? she is certainly a more entertaining guest than you”, he muttered with sick smile

They had met in a small, lonely island on Blackwater bay, in a middle point between Dragonstone and King’s Landing 

“Like I said, it’s me who took your eye years ago, it’s because of me you are lacking an eye, it's because of me my mother asked you to be tortured, and is because of me your mother almost killed mine, I made everything worse, and is because of me you're hurting my sister…”

Aemond chuckled

“That’s not why I took her”, he whispered, Luke couldn’t hear him

“I am sorry Uncle, for what happened that night, and I know is easy to say it now, but I was sorry back then, and I am right now”

“That means little to me”, he said, fixing his composure, “what was your plan exactly?”, he asked, “you are in no position to make any demands, I could kill you, easily, what then?”

Lucerys stopped shaking, he straightened his posture, he let go of his sword

“I just wanted you to know uncle”

“That you are sorry?”, he mocked 

“Yes”

“I don’t give a shit about your apologies nephew, you are a bastard who tried to steal my brother’s birthright”

“I will not fight about this with you uncle”, he said, “release my sister and take me instead”

“Well, like I said, I’ve dreamt about this many times, and now that we are here, I don’t see why I should be bothered”, he said dismissively

If he killed Luke, you would just… die, even if you were still breathing, you would be dead in life

And that is not what he wanted

The winds blew even more stronger than before, whistling in the wind, a storm was coming

“Go home Lucerys”

“But… my sister”, he said, taking a step towards him

“I fuck your sister, every chance I get”, he said with a smirk, Luke began shaking again, “I have her locked up in your mother’s old chambers”, he moved uncomfortably

“Why her?”, he asked, “she had never done anything to you”

“She payed up your debt to me, you should be thankful”, he said simply, “you should spend every waking moment thanking her”

“I didn’t want her to”, he said, “I want to pay my debt, I want you to leave her alone!”, he demanded

“Too late for that, she is probably with my child in her belly”, Lucerys frowned

“It had only been a couple of weeks!”, he whined

“That is how it works”, he mocked

“Please!”, he was growing desperate, he was supposed to be relieved but he wasn’t.

He had made his peace, he had come here to die for his sister, only to bring her back to Dragonstone

He should have told Aemond to bring her along, to make sure she returns home 

“I have her”

“Take my eye!”, he said, grabbing a small dagger from his belt, he tried to take it himself, but his arm was shaking terribly, something primal, in the bottom of his being wouldn’t let him hurt himself

Aemond trotted towards him, and Lucerys didn't move 

Aemond grabbed his hand, that had the dagger, and with the other grabbed the back of his head, to prevent him from moving 

“I don’t want your eye”, he said. Lucerys felt chills when he saw his sapphire stone in its place, “because even with only one, I can see, I have your heart”, he said with a manic smile 

“Let her go”, he begged, “please”

“Being born second son is hard, you don’t know about this because you are in to inherit Driftmark”, he manipulated his nephews hand until the tip of the dagger was scratching his upper cheek, right under his eye, “I get nothing”, he growled, Lucerys whimpered, “But she… is the only thing I’ve ever wanted, that I’ve desired… so after all the shit that I have been through, I decided to take her”

“She doesn’t deserve it”, he said, “I do…”, he said, he looked into his uncle’s eye and calmed himself, he steadied his breaths and stopped shaking, preparation for the pain his uncle felt all those years ago, “do it, for her”, he said

It was true

Aemond had wished upon this day for many years

And now that it was here

He didn't know what to do

It didn't taste as good as he thought it would 

it was almost too easy

Lucerys was right there in his grasp 

“Like I said..”, he released him, pushing him away, Luke fell pitifully on the sand, “i don’t want your eye bastard, because I have your heart in the Red Keep”

Aemond didn't think the little bastard loved his sister as Targaryens do, as a man loves a woman, he knew he loved her like a real sister, and that made it better

Luke tried to stand up, but he placed his boot on his chest, keeping him pinned to the beach

“Go home and tell your mother I fuck your sister every night, I will keep her at court, pregnant with my bastards for everyone to see”, he said, “but she is well fed, and… healthy”, he relented, “not happy, but alive and well”

He looked at the dagger in his hand and dropped it by his feet

“Please, let her go”, he begged one more time, “she wants to go home…”

“I will see you on the battlefield, there I will not be so forgiving”, Aemond turned back and walked hastily towards Vaghar, who was watching it all with tired eyes

Lucerys watched as Aemond took to the skies without even giving him a scare, a second glance 

. . .

Aemond found you sitting on the bed hugging your legs to your chest, crying softly. 

In a rage, to hurt you, he had showed you the letter Lucerys had send, you had grabbed him, begged him, cried to him not to go, that his brother was sorry, that you were never going to beg him to be released again, that you were going to stay here willingly, that you were going to change your attitude, bend the knee to Aegon, you actually dropped to your knees and grabbed onto his legs 

He released himself from you and left the chambers with a sick smile on his face

You trashed your room, you cried and wailed until soldiers came inside and restrained you

A maester gave you milk of the poppy to calm you down, but nothing could ease your mind

Aemond was going to kill your brother

And there was nothing you could do about it

When he opened the door his eye landed precisely on you, and then he looked at the rest of the room, mainly destroyed, maids had taken the worst part of it, but still it was visibly depleted of your former belongings. 

You looked at him, frightened, crying, your face red.

“Did you murdered my baby brother?”, you asked, he shook his head

“No”, you took a long sigh of relief, “He went home”

“Why?”, you asked him, he didn’t even know how to answer that

“Why didn’t I kill my own flesh and blood?”, he asked, bitterly, “He begged me to take out his eye”, a single tear fell down your cheek

“Did you?”, you asked

“No”, he said simply, “he offered it to me in exchange of your release”

“And why didn't you?”, he took out his coat, and left it over the chair in front of the fire, he then lost his vest, and he continued to release himself from his clothes, to finally turn to you

You knew what he wanted, and you were exhausted, for being all day and good part of the night

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore, you know why”, he said, climbing onto the bed, completely naked, you believed it was the first time you saw him bare like this 

He took the sheets that shielded you, and he took out your nightdress, you let him

You’ve come to learn that if you fight it, it was worse

And you didn't want to hurt anymore

You laid back as you spread your legs for him, and closed your eyes, preparing yourself for the pain. But what you felt was warm hands caressing your thighs, one of them traveling up your body, caressing you softly

You didn't know why, but this frightened you more than his roughness

You felt like he was tricking you into thinking he was going to be nice, only to hurt you again

You whimpered in fear

“Shhh, relax”, he whispered, “is alright, relax”, he continued gently, caressing your skin, the skin he once grabbed roughly.

One of his fingers teased your entrance, he teased and teased until eventually you relaxed, his finger now coated with juices, only then he put another finger to work, easing you open.

Only when he felt squelching noises, he dimmed you ready, he caressed your thighs, coaxing them open for him 

He entered slowly, gently, foreign, you had never felt this tenderness, from him…. he held you against him, one hand on your side, the other traveled to your face

“Look at me”, he demanded, and you obeyed, looking up at him. His thumb caressed the apple of your cheek as he fucked you slowly

You couldn’t say you enjoyed it, because he was always so rough, you were still sore, but at least, it didn't hurt

You didn't know which one was worse 

He cummed inside you, like always, and then he didn't discard you, he laid there by your side, he grabbed you and accommodated you by his side. You fell asleep quickly, that night, for the first time since he had you, you didn't have any nightmares 

. . .

Lucerys had arrived back home to Dragonstone with his tears dried upon his cheeks, he had no more to cry

He was weak and small, but he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and not even that had been enough

He was intercepted by Daemon, that was furious 

“Where have you been?”, he barked, grabbing him by the arm, “we had been worried sick”

“I tried to get her back”, he said silently

“What?”, he growled

“I met with Aemond, to offer myself for her”

“You did what? Are you mad? this was reckless, what if he had killed you? Can you imagine what your mother would have suffered?”, he said, shaking him, like that way he could restore him to sanity

“He didn’t take the chance to blind me”, he said, “I told him I was giving myself away, in exchange for her, and he wouldn’t go for it”

“We have Otto”, he said with a pleased smile

“What?”, asked lucerys

“A ship from Corly’s fleet caught him, he was trying to cross the Narrow Sea to gain support from those triarchy cunts”, he said, “we have him”

“We can trade him”

“Damn right we can”, he said with a wide smile, “we have a gathering”. he said, “a summit, with the great houses, and those traitorous cunts, there, we will discuss your sister’s release for him”, it was an improvement that he was still alive, thought Luke 

. . .

“Let’s give them the little bastard and be done with it”, said Aegon

“No”, sentenced Aemond, “not her”

“Aemond, they have your grandfather”

“Let them keep him”

“Aemond!”, shrieked Alicent, “he is your grandfather”

“He is a cunt that whore you out to Viserys, manipulated you for years, made you believe Rhaenyra would kill us, only to place this whoremonger, drunk cunt on the throne”, he said, Alicent was so enraged she didn’t know what to say, “let them kill him”

Aegon laughed, approving of his brother’s words, Alicent just covered her mouth

“How could you say something like that? everything we have done has been to keep you all safe”

“We are in the most dangerous position”, he said simply, “he will throw us all into war, for his ambition, we could all die for it”, he said, “yes we could kill them also, but it is naive to think all of us will survive”, he said, “Rhaenyra has the numbers”

“We have dragons”

“They do too”, he said, “and an the most powerful armada of the seven Kingdoms”

“Aemond, you did it”, she said softly, “you… had her, dishonored her… showed to everyone what she is…it is done”

“I’ll decide when it's done”, he growled, Aegon slapped the table, wanting the attention

“I am the King!”, he said, “i’ll decide when it's done”

“She is with child”, Aemond said, Alicent paled

“Aemond”

“She is with my child in her belly”

“It's been less than a moon”, she said then, “you can’t be sure”

“I’m sure”

“I don’t care”, said Aegon, “she goes”, he said. Aemond raised from his seat enraged, “careful brother, or we might start thinking you care about her”, Aemond walked away from the room, enraged 

He found you reading, cuddling by the fire in the hearth of the room 

As you always did you trembled when you saw him, and he give you a satisfying smirk

“Your treacherous family has my grandfather”, he thought he was going to see relief in your eyes, but he only saw fear

“I’m sorry”

“You are going to be”, he said, taking off his vest and undoing his breeches, “get on your knees”

You stood up from your place, walked towards him and did as he said, kneeling in front of him, who had sat on the bed. 

Aemond released his hard cock

“Suck”, he was impatient, and angry, he didn't wait for you to make up your mind, he grabbed you by the back of the head, grabbing into your hair roughly, you whined, but he didn't care you opened your mouth and he stuck his cock in it, until you were choking and crying 

“Do you hate me yet?”, he teased, you shook your head, “auw, aren’t you sweet?”, he pushed until your nose touched the hairs on his groin, you whined, not being able to breathe. He grunted above you, you tried to look at him, and his eye were closed in pure pleasure. Droll fell from the corners of your lips, making your chin burn

It didn’t last long, still grabbing you by your hairs he pulled you up only to throw you to be the bed

“Lay back, spread your legs”, he commanded, and just like the night before, you obeyed him without fighting

He took his time to admire you, specially the brand he had drawn on your thigh, the A could be seen, clear as day, he caressed it with his thumb

“We have to take advantage, in a moon’s time we have a summit with the high lords, they are going to try and trade you for my grandfather”, he muttered 

He kneeled on the bed and he grabbed your hips, raising them and drawing you to him, and then he thrusted into you, making you whimper

“No need to prepare you this time”, he mocked, “I knew you were a wanton little whore”, a single tear fell from your eyes as he started pounding roughly into you

It was foreign, for him to cuddle you like he had been doing for the past nights

You didn’t even know how long it had been since he had you here, trapped in these chambers

“Do you hate me now?”, he insisted, you didn’t know why is was so important, the answer was the same

“I don’t hate you uncle”

“What do I need to do to you for you to hate me?”, he asked quietly

“Why would you want my hate?”, you asked, tired

Yes, why?

Perhaps to make himself feel better, perhaps if you all hated each other this would be much easier. Perhaps he was angry, because he had spend all these years hating the lot of you, and you didn't hate him back, he had barely been in your mind those years you were in Dragonstone 

He was desperate to coax some feeling into you

You had loved him, you had said so yourself

Had

You clearly didn’t love him now, so the next best thing he could do, was make you hate him

Because he had loved you to

Since he was a child and you a little girl, he loved you innocently, with a still pure heart. 

But then his mother and grandfather poisoned him, poisoned his mind, his heart, putting into his head that you were just a little bastards who was out for their inheritance, their birthrights, that you were a little whore even if you were a young girl, just like your mother, that you were there to manipulate, to whore yourself out to get what you wanted

So his sweet, innocent, healthy childish crush became a dark obsession, because he shouldn’t want you, he should hate you, and yet… He started desiring you with his whole being… It was wrong, he was a prince, a prince taught by the teaching of the New Gods, and you were a bastards born of filthy and impure desire

At that point you were already in Dragonstone, but Aemond never forgot about you

By the time he saw you again during Driftmark, he couldn’t hide it no longer, despite what he knew his mother was going to answer, because she was intended on making peace with Rhaenyra

But that cunt took you away from him, scared

How could you refuse him? him? a prince of the realm, a Targaryen Prince, not a bastard like his children

When he came to his senses, he felt a warm liquid on his chest, you were crying, and he was grabbing so hard into you he was bruising you

“I just want to know why you hate me and my brothers so much”, you whined

Deep down he knew it was wrong, he knew that you were not at fault…

But you flaunted it

You and your little bastard brothers flaunted your inheritance, your dragons, always laughing, forgetting practice, not taking it serious enough

And then that little bastard took his eye

After he rightfully claimed Vhagar

He took his eye and his own father wouldn't defend him against them.

He hated you because you were happy, and you had the love of the man who was supossed to love him the most

And he was wretched 

And yet he couldn’t answer, he didn't find it in himself to look until he found a clear answer

So he didn’t

You hugged him, hugged his torso, your face on his chest

“I don’t want you to hate us”, you whined

Perhaps they were just children, manipulated by their parents, their frustrations, anger and hate rubbed into them, passed onto them like a twisted disease 

“Why?”, he asked

“Because I’m scared of that hate”, you answered, “all that hate is going to get us all killed”, you whispered, “I don’t hate you uncle”, you said then

“Even though I killed your dragon?”

“I don’t hate you” 

“Even though I raped you bloody?”, he asked in an even tone, you shook your head, “and I called you a whore, and a bastard?”

“I don’t”

This cycle of hate had to end with you.

“You don’t want me dead?”, he asked

“No”, you whispered, “I just wish we could all be small again, and play together like we used to, we could have been good friends”, you said childishly

You had been so protected and guarded your entire life that you still held onto that childishness 

He chuckled

He had killed your dragon, drowned you, raped you, choked you, humiliated you, defiled you, and the only thing you wanted was for him not to hate you, to go back in time and start over, so you would all be friends

Oh you were so innocent 

So pure

“I don’t hate you Zaldrïtsos”, he said finally

He just enjoyed hurting you

He just enjoyed possessing you, it was much better, to take you by force... But he wanted you, you didn't want him back, but he had the power to take you by his own. It was exhilarating

But he didn't hate you

He wanted you so much that it hurt him

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[defelozedd94]

I don't really like Lan Zhan in The Untamed

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but Lan Zhan kind of bothers me in the drama. He always seems bored and annoyed by everything, he never talks, he comes across as emotionless, and he only seems to care when something is related to Wei Wuxian, which is pretty selfish I think. I have trouble connecting to him.

For example, Lan Xichen has always been there for him, always supporting him no matter what, even when he had no reason to believe him or when protecting him could have put him in trouble. But has Lan Zhan ever done anything for his brother? No. He seems to care mostly about himself and Wei Ying. For instance, when everyone was against Wei Wuxian except for Lan Zhan, Lan Xichen helped by hiding him in the Cloud Recesses, even though he had no proof and no reason to believe that Wei Ying wasn’t evil (let me remind you that all the other clan leaders were against Wei Wuxian at that time, so Xichen could have easily gone along with them on this). But he took that risk, because he always trusted his brother.

But when the situation is reversed and it's Jin Guangyao who is accused of being evil, does Lan Zhan do anything to support his brother? No… he only stands by Wei Ying’s side, even though he himself has no proof against Meng Yao (in the end, it was proven that they were right about Meng Yao, but at the time, there was no way to be sure). Xichen could also have trusted Nie Mingjue over his brother when it came to Wei Ying (since Mingjue also believed Wei Wuxian was evil), but he didn’t. So, when it’s about Wei Ying, Lan Zhan is willing to believe he’s still a good person, but when it comes to other people like Meng Yao, he doesn’t even try to give them the benefit of the doubt (even though his only proof against him was what Wei Ying reported him, since he's the only one who used Empathy on Mingjue). I guess he’s blinded by his love for Wei Ying, but that’s pretty selfish.

Now, I want to say that I do like Lan Zhan in the donghua. He’s way more likable and seems less selfish and more focused on justice. He's actually one of my favourite characters. I don’t know about the novel, as I haven’t read it.

People hating Lan Xichen...

I also saw people saying they hate Lan Xichen, and I was shocked. How can you hate someone who has always been good to others?

People say he was too passive, but they forget that he’s a clan leader. He cannot do whatever he wants in his position; he has to put his clan’s safety first. What if he had publicly protected Wei Ying? He could have turned all the other clans against him and his own clan. (The Untamed clearly shows how dangerous public opinion can be.) It’s just like when the Jin clan wanted to kill the innocent Wen people—Xichen didn’t agree with it but couldn’t openly oppose the decision of the other clans. Also, Xichen did help a lot more compared to the other clan leaders. Wei Wuxian's own brother did nothing to help him. Huaisang, Wei Ying's former friend, did nothing either, and Mingjue was clearly against Wei Ying. Same with Jin Guangshan.

Then people say he was too naive. Maybe he was, but that’s because he believed there was good in everyone. That’s why he trusted Jin Guangyao, thinking he still had some good in him despite everything he had done. If Xichen hadn’t been like that, he would have thought Wei Wuxian was pure evil, just like the others did.

I also saw people complaining that Xichen didn’t protect his brother when Lan Qiren punished him for injuring thirty-three elders of the Gusu Lan clan. Well… The Gusu Lan clan has strict rules, and attacking clan elders—no matter the reason—shouldn’t go unpunished. The rules are absolute and apply to everyone, even Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen. Lan Xichen is someone who follows justice and tradition, so he was in a difficult position. Even though he loves his brother, he was raised to respect the discipline of the clan. Intervening would have been seen as disrespectful to his uncle and to the laws of Gusu Lan. Also, Lan Wangji himself probably wouldn’t have accepted his help. Lan Wangji is extremely rigid and committed to his own moral code. He chose to act, knowing full well that he would be punished. Even though he suffered, he accepted the consequences of his actions. And in the end, Lan Qiren holds too much authority. Lan Xichen has a lot of respect for his uncle, who acted as a parental figure after their parents died. He wouldn’t have dared to openly contradict him. However, he did support his brother afterward, helping him recover and always staying by his side. That’s just his way—he prefers to offer support in the shadows rather than openly defy the rules. In the end, Lan Xichen is a good person, but he also believes in order and discipline. He surely thought Lan Wangji had to take responsibility, even if it broke his heart. Also, he was raised by his uncle to respect the rules and was used to being punished himself, so I’m pretty sure he was scared to oppose his uncle.

That’s it! If you have a different opinion, I totally respect it. :) I just wanted to share mine!

[mxtxfanatic]

sorry for mdzs ask !! next time I'll ask ath about bingqiu I swear 🥺 feel free to ignore it !!

I know that many ppl think that lwj's main conflict is that he put the rules of his clan above actual, real righteousness and bc of that I think too many ppl try to put him down and say that before wwx he didn't know what is morally correct and what's not and attribute his moral standing entirely to wwx

but, imo, his conflict is more external, not rules vs self but more his own righteousness vs what others, especially his elders and family, claim to be correct. he didn't help wwx more not bc he was unsure whether wwx was right or wrong in helping the wens, but more about his own filial duty and the attitudes of his elders and ppl whose opinion he valued and trusted towards the situation. and yes, he was in a better position to help wwx than, for example, jiang yanli, but his situation was still not ideal — and despite it he still tried his best and, if I remember correctly, spoke for wwx even before the yiling date

but with so many ppl claiming that he was entirely all about rules right before saving wwx during the nightless city massacre I start to have second thoughts and doubt myself. so, my question is: what do you think is lwj's main conflict?

Disagree. Lan Wangji has never valued or trusted others' opinions over his own morality and actions. The "Lan Wangji is a stickler for rules and wants to be the Lan's golden child" idea in the book is just as false as "Wei Wuxian was a natural troublemaker who caused issues for everyone, and that's why he ended up evil hated" idea is. It was an image of Lan Wangji meant to be deconstructed by actually seeing his character in real time. Lan Wangji at 6 unflinchingly faced punishment for refusing to budge from his mother's doorstep because no one would give him an explanation for why he couldn't see his mother despite having fulfilled the proper requirements. Lan Wangji at 16 kept pets, which was against the rules, because Wei Wuxian gifted him rabbits. Lan Wangji during the war risked resentment from his fellow cultivators by persistently attempting to convince Wei Wuxian to give up the ghost path mid-war. Lan Wangi in his 20s was debating how to convince Wei Wuxian to follow him back to Gusu despite his uncle's dislike of the other man, spoke up for Wei Wuxian publicly multiple times including during the emergency conference, helped him bring Wen Ning back to consciousness in the Burial Mounds despite this being clear manipulation of resentful energy that his uncle raged against, and spoke up for the Wen siblings during their sham trial. He never struggled about what his clan believed was correct because he has always had his own strong sense of righteousness that he followed.

There was no "helping" Wei Wuxian because, while fandom likes to focus on food and money as a problem, the actual problem was that the rest of the cultivation world were genocidal bigots dedicated to destroying a whole people as petty revenge against a man that had already been killed and a clan that had already been soundly defeated. No matter how many times Lan Wangji spoke up for them, the Wen remnants still died. No matter how Lan Wangji spoke or physically fought for him, Wei Wuxian still died. And when Lan Wangji stood by Wei Wuxian's side in his second life, speaking up for him and physically defending him, instead of the cultivation world to take his words built on a 20-year humanitarian reputation into account, they turn on him, too, during the second siege. So what else, exactly, was Lan Wangji supposed to do for Wei Wuxian in his first life that would have prevented the tragedy that befell everyone?

[mcflymemes]

PROMPTS FROM THE SOPRANOS *  assorted dialogue from the television show, adjust as necessary

i find i have to be the sad clown: laughing on the outside, crying on the inside.

i went ahead and ordered some for the table.

when you're married, you'll understand the importance of fresh produce.

we've got guns here.

he just told you to shut the fuck up.

the things i take pleasure in, i can't do.

don't you ever say you hate life.

oh, poor you!

so what, no fucking ziti now?

you want compromise? how's this?

i'll keep this short and sweet.

you're weak. you're outta control. and you've become an embarrassment to yourself and everybody else.

sometimes it's important to give people the illusion of being in control.

are you in the mafia?

tomorrow i can be on time, but you'll be stupid forever.

let me tell you a couple of three things.

you're not gonna believe this.

a wrong decision is better than indecision.

i'm like king midas in reverse here. everything i touch turns to shit.

if you can quote the rules, then you can obey them.

we're soldiers. soldiers don't go to hell. it's war. soldiers kill other soldiers.

we're in a situation where everyone involved knows the stakes and if you are going to accept those stakes, you've got to do certain things.

there's an old italian saying: you fuck up once, you lose two teeth.

someday soon, you're gonna have families of your own and if you're lucky, you'll remember the little moments like this that were good.

hey, i don't even let anyone wag their finger in my face.

it's good to be in something from the ground floor.

those who want respect give respect.

is this a woman thing? you ask me how i'm feeling, i tell you how i'm feeling, and now you're going to torture me with it.

lately, i'm getting the feeling that i came in at the end. the best is over.

my father was in it. my uncle was in it.

maybe i was too lazy to think for myself.

buy land, 'cause god ain't making any more of it.

i don't care how close you are. in the end, your friends are gonna let you down.

family... they're the only ones you can depend on.

take your hat off.

teddy roosevelt once gave an entire speech with a bullet lodged in his chest. some things are just a matter of duty.

some people are so far behind in a race that they actually believe they're leading.

sometimes we're all hypocrites.

other people's definitions of you, sometimes they're more about making themselves feel better. you gotta define yourself.

people only see what you allow them to see.

death just shows the ultimate absurdity of life.

you know when i was depressed i said i didn't want to live? well, i'll tell you something. i didn't want to die.

that's why dinosaurs don't exist no more.

don't touch that! my program's coming on.

i wish the lord would take me now.

our existence on this earth is a puzzle.

i'm getting my wine in position to throw in your damn face.