#let alicents kids have a safe space

[dirtytransmasc]

Pitch for a self-indulgent fix it au that I'm too lazy to write but need for my own sake and sanity:

Because Aegon was close with Rhaenyra's boys, he gets very close to her. It's slow at first; he is still Alicent's child, and she can't help but feel some level of resentment towards him, no matter how cruel it is. But Aegon is still sweet on her and her boys; he still craves his eldest sister's praise and attention, he is still just a child, and she can't bring herself to resent him for very long. Once she comes around to Aegon, she starts to include Aemond in things around the palace grounds, and puts a stop to the bullying, because now that she's let one little brother into her heart, she can't leave the other out in the shit storm that is this family. She treats them like she treats her boys, especially after seeing how deep the trauma runs in both boys. She takes care of Aegon when he's made himself sick and lets him hold onto her after Alicent, or her father has had a go at him . she takes Aemond out on Syrax and helps him with his studies. aemond is most fluent in High Valaryian, so they can almost talk 'in code', and they do it to mess with the others quite often. She makes sure both boys have a safe place with her and her boys. Things are still rocky; they're still emotionally used, abused, and neglected by their parents, the whole kingdom is still filling their minds with poison, and they're angry. angry at the world, their family, fate. they take it out on Rhaenyra and the boys at times, but she never turns them away, she helps them. They're still struggling to keep their heads above the water, but Rhaenyra is there, she makes it easier; she holds them up the best she can as she begins to drown beside them.

Bad shit still happens, Aemond takes Vhegar and loses his eye, Luke is on the other end of the blade, and the fight in the hall still happens, but everything is easier. Because they were truly treated like kids, Rhaenyra had more to lose in that moment than Alicent could truly take from her; she doesn't allow Alicent to turn the attention away from Aemond and onto politics and petty feuds. She protected all of them. Aemond wasn't treated like a pawn and scapegoat, Aegon wasn't thrown under the bus, and Luke was forced to carry some of the blame (a healthy, child-appropriate load).

There's a rift, but it isn't as big. Aemonds doesn't grow up as angry, Aegon doesn't grow up to be as much of a cold and impulsive drunkard with the maturity level of a teenager, and they stay relatively close even as the family grows apart. The boys still grow up together, they still have their sister, and they are less susceptible to Alicent and Viserys's abuse and neglect.

When Aegon is supposed to be crowned he runs to the one safe place he's ever known, into his sister's arms, now with the additional protection of his uncle. Aemond and Luke have a confrontation, but Luke is willing to surrender whatever it takes to bring his uncle peace and Aemond can't do it. He never wanted blood, but he thought he should, as his entire life was surrounded by numb violence, his studies full of carnage, his family line had blood on their hands and were dead set on tearing one another apart. But as he looks at his nephew he just couldn't, doing it made him feel sick. Luke was still so little compared to him, still so young, yet willing to give it all up right then and there. It really just turns into a screaming match, both of them in tears, screaming at the world for putting them in this hell hole (they hug it out after). At the end of it, all of Rhaenyra's kids and siblings are safe at dragon stone (Heleana and her children included, I didn't know exactly how to tie her in, but she's here don't worry).

the 'war', though that's and over statement at best, a straight out lie at worst, is an attempt to out the 'king' back on his thrown. Rhaenyra won't give up her siblings, her supporters behind her, her husband and children both ready to fight rough and bloody for their family.

I can just imagine Aegon, who's always suppressed how caring he can be, standing in front of his pregnant sister, knowing she will fight and die for him if need be, because he won't let her lose anything else. He won't take anything else from her. He won't let someone else get hurt because he's a coward. Luke behind Aemond, Jace in front of Helaena and her kids. Deamon taking a stand next to Aegon, giving him a nod of approval. And even if this means war, this is one of the first times any of them has belonged to a true family.

how it ends I'm not 100% sure. full circle redemption, bittersweet end, something in-between. it could go in a lot of ways. I just know that I'm mentally ill thinking about it.

[yanderes-galore]

HOTD

Corlys vs Viserys

Platonic

Concept (HCs)

This is a good pic due to their past with one another.... So here's your two dads/friends. Up to you. I wasn't entirely sure where to start so the pacing is a bit rocky...? You're a Targaryen. Hope it came out okay :(

Yandere! Platonic! Corlys Velaryon vs Viserys I Targaryen

Pairing: Platonic - Rivalry -> Sharing

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Manipulation, Rhaenys is an enabler, Rivalry, Westeros politics, Dubious companionship.

Having these two so fond of you is dangerous.

The Targaryens and Velaryons are two of the most powerful families in Westeros at the time Viserys and Corlys are around.

Corlys is one of the best seafarers, so the sea isn't safe for you.

In terms of Viserys, you're lucky he lost Balerion long ago, so he has no dragon to track you down.

You're close to both families due to political ties often making you meet them.

Maybe you're close to the Targaryen family in some way (Sibling or Child?).

This makes you close to Viserys, the amiable, kind, and diplomatic king.

You may meet Corlys through Rhaenys, the two families having to meet at times.

So, while you visit Rhaenys (Whom you are also close with), you share friendly chat with Corlys, her husband.

Corlys is different from Viserys, shrewd yet loyal and not minding violence.

This is how you become close to the two.

It would most likely be through blood and political ties.

Your close bond makes you experience the sea with Corlys and more diplomatic values with Viserys.

I imagine a rivalry would start due to the tension between the two.

Due to decisions made by the Targaryen family, Corlys has some spite.

Which only increases when you spend more time with the Targaryens than the Velaryons.

Viserys either doesn't pick up on it or ignores such tension.

He's too caught up in being around you, often asking for an opinion or watching over you.

The good news about you being a Targaryen is you have a dragon.

A dragon you often like to use to visit Rhaenys and Corlys, sometimes even against the word of Viserys.

Despite the tension between the two, they still care about you enough to not make too much of a fuss about it.

If anything your bond between them heals the tension a little bit since you travel between the two families so often for both diplomatic and personal matters.

Be you a child or sibling of Viserys, you often get along with the rest of your family.

Rhaenyra and you are often around and helping one another, much to Viserys's pleasure.

When you're with Corlys and Rhaenys you help them take care of Laena and Laenor.

Honestly, if anything you're sort of mending the two families in a way.

Until events make you unable to continue such visits.

With the death of Aemma, your mother/sister-in-law, and the issue of succession coming up once again... you spent less time with the Velaryons.

You were too focused on keeping the head of the Targaryen family in a good head space.

Viserys is naturally attached to you due to this while Corlys grows impatient with Rhaenys.

You probably even come up in conversation between Corlys and Daemon.

Daemon may even find the tension between his brother and Corlys amusing.

Do you even know how much you affect these two families?

Viserys probably doesn't let you participate in the three year long war Corlys and Daemon are battling in.

Your true place is in King's Landing to aid him, not flying a dragon in the Stepstones with his exiled brother and Corlys.

It's clear Viserys wants to keep you with him for comfort and to teach you to be peaceful.

He wants you fierce, yes, but you're better off beside him your birth place.

If you're a sibling, you're most likely his younger sibling.

If you're his kid, you're probably older than Rhaenyra but not in line for succession (Married off to another, perhaps?).

Viserys has such an attachment to you he ends up dictating what you do even when he doesn't mean it.

When he marries Alicent, he wants you to help with his other children.

All while Corlys is sending you letters or having Rhaenys visit you on Meleys to check on you.

In the same way that Corlys hates you being in King's Landing so often, Viserys hates you being in Driftmark for too long.

Corlys loves it when you visit to make chat

You're much younger than him due to the age difference of him and Viserys, yet he acts like a mentor of sorts.

He may not be the fondest of Viserys's decisions, but he enjoys you.

Viserys knows he shouldn't worry when Corlys has you... although that changes once he learns Corlys took you as backup for some sort of battle or quietly took you on a trip on the seas.

Their fights are usually verbal and diplomatic as Viserys is a very peaceful king.

When you're not around and they meet, you're brought up eventually...

Then bickering ensues as a maid informs you that the two have come to another disagreement.

The good thing is their rivalry is usually dealt through politics most of the time.

Both of them want to be the favorite and want the other to stop bringing it up.

Naturally you should stay with Viserys as your Targaryen.

Yet your power is useful in Driftmark due to your dragon.

Their views are conflicting which often brings them to fight again.

Corlys stays loyal to the king only because he's king after this.

In return he wants you to keep visiting Driftmark, even if Viserys hates the idea.

A rivalry between the two would only cause s larger rift between the two families.

Even the marriage between Rhaenyra and Laenor doesn't help.

The two would most likely share, reluctantly deep down inside.

Viserys knows he needs to play nice and solve this like a diplomat.

Corlys himself knows that, meaning their rivalry would go dormant once they agree to share you between the houses.

Luckily, this conflict will not lead to war...

But the king may lose his sea fleet and maybe even you if there's anymore disagreements.

[presidenthades]

Alicent and Daemon.. That's a whole pack of worms

How would they even get along enough to make 4 kids 😭

Daemon swearing up and down to despise Otto and Alicent and then marrying Alicent and fathering and targ bro's and Helaena...

It actually would be really interesting how Daemon would treat the targ bro's and Hel,where he isn't insulting them every two minutes 💀

So here’s how I would make a “Daemon and Alicent get married and have the Targbros + Helaena” fic happen.

They probably get married around the same time Alicent married in canon, maybe because Viserys realized it might not be a great idea to secretly see a 15yo girl in his rooms…and then he foists responsibility onto someone else, i.e. his brother. Instead of banishing Daemon from court, Viserys annuls the Rhea Royce marriage and tells him to marry Alicent to show harmony and friendship with Otto. Viserys marries Laena instead.

Otto is horrified. Daemon is also horrified, until he realizes Otto hates it, and then Daemon decides he’s going to use this marriage to make Otto miserable by winning Alicent over from her father. Alicent might disapprove of some of Daemon’s activities, but we see in the Episode 1 tourney that she does seem to find him attractive at least. She is probably secretly relieved not to become the queen, although marrying Daemon would also cause a lot of friction with Rhaenyra.

I doubt Daemon would be an especially good husband to Alicent, but he would keep up appearances to fuck with Otto. Alicent is probably content to maintain appearances while mostly being left alone to care for her kids. She is less stressed about her kids being murdered, because they are very far down the line of succession, and few people are willing to mess with Daemon’s children.

In my AU, I tweaked the kids’ ages so Aegon, Helaena, and Aemond are only one year apart from each other. Baby #1 is conceived quickly during the honeymoon period. Daemon names him Aegon after his deceased younger brother and the Conqueror. Daemon is happy he has a healthy son so quickly, so this might prolong the honeymoon period.

Baby #2 shows up. It’s a girl, so Daemon lets Alicent name her, as long as the name sounds Targaryen. Baby #3 is another boy, and Daemon just rearranges one letter in his name ➡️ Aemond. So creative.

Rhaenyra gives birth to Jace around the same time Aemond is born, and a few moons later Laena gives birth to Baela and Rhaena. Laena survives and the twins are healthy, but complications render Laena unable to conceive again. Viserys still has no sons, so this cements Rhaenyra’s position as heir. Velaryons are disappointed but ultimately OK with this because Laenor is married to her and already has one legitimate child, so their blood is getting on the throne.

It does not escape Daemon and Otto’s notice that the only Targaryen males of the next generation are Daemon and Alicent’s kids. When Rhaenyra’s next kid is another girl, our favorite good-son and good-father duo reluctantly cooperate to scheme how to get their blood on the throne. The obvious solution is betrothing Aegon and Jace. Alas, Viserys is still in his “keep Daemon away from the throne” era and strongly discourages Rhaenyra and the Velaryons from accepting.

Daemon and Otto are still determined to marry Aegon and Jace for the Iron Throne, and also Aemond and Luce for Driftmark. Then they realize they should have at least one more boy to marry to Baela. By this point, Alicent is no longer starry-eyed about her marriage, but she’s carved out a space for herself at court, and her kids are all safe and healthy. She’s OK with having another child (it helps that Daemon is not a rotting corpse), and so Baby #4 is born. Daemon swaps one letter in his own name ➡️ Daeron.

Rhaenyra gives birth to Joff a few moons later. She has no interest in having any more children, since childbirth is so risky. Her three daughters are the most desirable marriage prospects ever, so there’s a lot of competition, and Viserys is not in favor of the Targbros. Luckily for them, their dad and grandpa 10000% prepared to be their wingmen 😎.

Ooh I almost forgot to answer how Daemon would treat his kids!

He and Aegon bond over a love of partying and roaming around Flea Bottom. Daemon is better than Viserys at keeping Aegon in shape, because Daemon is actually paying attention to his kids and ensuring they are competitive suitors for Rhaenyra’s daughters. Aegon is more inclined to listen to a dad who takes him out to gambling dens and ale houses for father-son time.

Aemond tries very hard to be like his father, which pleases Daemon. They do a lot of sparring together and talk about Valyrian history. Since Laena is still alive, Aemond can’t have Vhagar, but Daemon might take him on a secret outing to Dragonstone so he can claim Vermithor. Even though they are similar on a surface level, father and son probably still argue a lot because their pride gets in the way.

Daeron is very happy and friendly. Daemon has no idea where he gets it from. Daeron is the baby, so Daemon indulges him like everyone else does, but he really starts paying attention after Daeron is old enough to be whacked around the training yard/thrown onto dragonback.

Daemon isn’t sure what to do with Helaena at first, but unlike Viserys, he realizes that her prophecies aren’t just nonsense. Daemon has a healthy dose of skepticism (“dreams didn’t make us conquerors, dragons did”), but he would be intrigued by the idea of his daughter being a dragon dreamer. Considering Helaena’s abilities and the fact she’s Dreamfyre’s rider, Daemon might decide it’s better not to marry her away and just keep her at home. This makes Alicent happy.

[abbysleftbicepp]

What Did I Ever Do To You?

A post outbreak day abby x fem!reader fic.

Warnings: Violence (if you squint), slight angst, some fluff, not proofread, I’m new to this so lmk if there is more that I can’t think of!!

Part 1

“Why did Isaac have to put me on this patrol?” You groaned under your breath as you reloaded her gun, and taking out another scar.

Truth be told, You never liked going on patrols to kill non-fungal people. You hated having to be at war with the scars. You’d rather be killing off infected, or doing other jobs at the settlement like looking after the cattle. You’d also often help out in the nursery, sharing your knowledge in the preschool rooms and telling stories to the older kids.

“Is that all of them?” Manny asked, trying to get his breathing steady again.

“Yeah I think so.” Abby sighed in relief. You could finally return after a long day of fighting scars who got too close to the settlement. Just as Abby finished speaking, a truck pulled up as if it were answering their wishes of not wanting to hike all the way back.

“I call shotgun!” Manny yelled out.

“You always get shotgun.” You rolled your eyes as you hopped into the back, letting Alice and Abby on.

“That’s a good girl.” You petted Alice as Jordan drove off.

There was an awkward silence between you and Abby. There was always tension in the air when you were together. You never even knew why.

“You did good out there. I’m surprised you could hold your own so well when you’re never out on these kind of runs.” Abby spoke up.

“Uhh…that sounded very back handed, but I’ll take it. Thank you.” You responded. The silence returned in the back of the truck, enveloping everyone.

“Did you hear what food they have in the canteen today? I’m starved.” You spoke up, trying to fill the silence that was taking over the truck.

“Uhm..I think it was potato and leek soup.” Abby responded dryly, fidgeting with her fingers.

“Thanks.” You finished, ending their short conversation. The rest of the ride home was quite peaceful. The sun was setting in the sky, creating beautiful orange and pink hues in the clouds. Alice had fallen asleep on the truck floor, she had quite an eventful day.

The air was warm, with a slight breeze contrasting to the cozy atmosphere. There were flowers starting to bloom in the grass, you could tell it was the end of spring.

————————————————————

Sitting in yours and Nora’s shared room, You listened to your favourite song through your Walkman. This hour was the one hour of solitude you got a day, and she liked to spend it with her eyes closed, listening to the calm music as she allowed her mind to wander.

“Hey Y/n, I’m gonna head out. Issac is wanting me to pull a shift for Mel.” Nora yelled before leaving the room, leaving you completely alone.

Your mind drifted to memories that you tried to push away. Your memories from back in Boston.

~flashback~

“Ellie! Riley! Wait up!!” You yelled as you followed them down a street to your shared hideout. You three had found a house that no one was using, and never got checked by Fedra. You all decorated the place and made it feel cosy. It became your safe space, a place to escape for a while.

When you finally arrived, Ellie and Riley were in a heated argument.

“Fuck you Ellie! I don’t wanna see you ever again.” Riley announced before storming out the door.

“What just happened? Are you okay Ellie?” You asked, worried for your friends. Ellie broke down crying as you wrapped your arms around her.

“Shh it’s okay..I’m right here..” you spoke, trying to soothe Ellie.

A month and a few weeks had passed, and Riley never returned. For all you knew, she was dead. So that’s what you assumed.

~End of flashback~

Suddenly, you felt someone tap you on your shoulder, waking you from your sleep.

“Huh? What time is it..?” You asked, rubbing your eyes as you sat up.

“It’s 8pm. Manny wants to have a movie night in his room, the whole groups already there but he insisted on me coming to grab you.” Leah responded. “Go get some slippers on and meet us in his room.” She finished before leaving.

You let out a groan, you didn’t want to be rudely awakened nor go to see a movie in Manny’s room. That was mainly because Manny shared a room with Abby, and you didn’t want to cross paths with Abby whenever wasn’t necessary.

Once you got your hoodie and slippers on, you grabbed your keys and dragged yourself out the door.

When you arrived you knocked faintly on the door, hoping that no one would hear it. Your hopes were soon crushed when Jordan opened the door.

“Ah you took your time, come on in.” He said, welcoming you into Manny and Abby’s room. When you walked in, everyone greeted you, everyone except Abby.

Sitting down next to Nora, you spoke up. “What are we watching then?”

“We are watching Spider-man 3.” Manny answered, putting popcorn on the coffee table before sitting down himself and pressing play.

You nodded, as you tried to focus on the tv. However, you could feel someone staring holes into your soul. You turned to look at who was looking at you, and you caught Abby looking away.

“Sly.” You thought to herself.

After the movie ended, Leah, Jordan and Nora all decided that they were too tired for another film. Manny insisted on you staying for another one, so you decided on staying. You probably wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep either way.

Manny put on Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, as he knew that both Abby and you had a mutual liking to the film.

After half an hour, manny got a text from one of his side chicks. “Girls, I’m afraid I’ve gotta head out. I got a hookup.” He said before rushing out the door. Now it was just you and Abby, and the tension was swallowing them whole.

When the movie finished, the tension in the room only grew. You wanted to leave and go back to your safe place, but you knew that Abby would watch your every move, and that scared you. Confidence bubbled up inside you, begging to be let out, so you spoke up;

“What did I ever do to you?” You asked looking at your hands.

“What?” Abby retorted.

“For years all you’ve done is shut me out. All I’ve been trying to do is show you kindness, show I’m worthy of your friendship but you feel disgusted to be in the same room as me.” You wanted to stop speaking, but the words would not stop spilling from your usually quiet mouth.

“I’m tired of trying to show my worth to you. I’m tired of trying to be good enough for you, when all you want is to be as far away as possible.” You continued. Abby sat there quietly.

“You tell me that you don’t have time for friends, but that’s just bullshit because we’re both in the same friend group and your kind enough to them…so why not to me?” You finally looked up, with hurt eyes. For only a split second, Abby faltered. The mask slipped for a second as she saw the pain she was causing in your eyes. You look at her with a shaky breath, seeking information that you’ve needed for a long time, but Abby never spoke. She just sat there, looking at you with shock.

You let out a short laugh, trying to take away from the tension, before walking to the door.

“Fuck you Abby.” You said as you stormed out, heading to your room.

————————————————————

COME BACK FOR PART TWO!!! Lmk if you wanna be tagged

Taglist:

@toothgapedlesbo @littlegingerperson2 @paqerings

[tsarisfanfiction]

Remembrance

Fandom: Trials of Apollo Rating: Gen Genre: Family/Hurt/Comfort Characters: Kayla, Apollo, Michael Human memories fade, and details get forgotten. Godly memories don't, and Apollo will always help his children, if they ask. TOApril Day 30 - Fading Memories. Longest fic of the month to round this TOApril up! Once again it took me a while to work out what I wanted to do with this one, but I definitely need more Apollo&Kayla and also more Kayla&Michael content in my life, so that's where this ended up. There's also a few easter eggs in here for some of my other fics, for the observant/readers with good memories!

Kayla huffed, dragging the box out from underneath the bench.  Damn musicians, shoving all their stuff in the area that was supposed to be her nook, and especially damn the musicians that were also head counsellors that had enabled it.

Also Will, because Will hadn’t been a musician but he’d still let it happen (and Michael, but Kayla would always forgive Michael anything).  No more.  Kayla was head counsellor now, and even if it was only for her final year in camp, this nook at the back of the cabin was going to at least have space for her to stuff all the annoying things like chore schedules.

She wasn’t Austin, or Alice, or Will (or Michael).  She wasn’t having that stuff in her personal part of the cabin, stressing her out with duty­-based things in her safe, stress-free bunk.  Not a chance.  It could get banished to the back of the cabin like she knew other cabins did, for her to pick up when she had to and ignore when she didn’t.

Well, Kayla was realistic.  She wasn’t going to get all of the instruments out of there; there was an entire orchestra’s worth, at least, and several of them were large and heavy, or otherwise not easily moveable – she sent the harp and the full sized drum kits a half-hearted glare, knowing full well that she was never going to win a fight with those particular sisters over the placement of their main instruments.  Still, she could at least clear the flutes that hadn’t been used in years – Kayla didn’t think she’d ever seen any of them come out – off of the desk and find a different cranny to stow them in.

The same went for the crates worth of sheet music stowed under the desk, which was what she was currently trying to wrangle.  For being simple sheets of music, they got heavy when there was a lot of them, rather like a whole pile of target faces all at once, and it took more than a bit of pulling and shoving before she got them moved over enough that she could pull a chair up and sit in it without her legs being crammed against crates.

Well, almost.  She growled as her feet kicked against another one, and ducked back down under the desk to see if she could push that one further back, outside of accidental kicking range.

It refused to, so with another grumble she started to yank it forwards instead, not quite sure where she was going to move it to but determined that it wasn’t going to stay in too-close kicking reach.  Kayla wasn’t tall like Austin or Jerry but she also wasn’t short like Yan and needed some leg room while she was doing head counsellor things.

When it finally came out, it was covered in dust, enough to make her nose itch.  It also wasn’t sheet music, like she’d expected.  Nor was it spare archery targets, which she would’ve been delighted to find – they were forever running out of those.

It was full of photographs.

Curious, she picked one up, puffing until the dust shifted.  There were two boys in the photo – one young and gap-toothed, and the other… well, still young, but maybe at least a teenager.  He had a lot of beads for someone Kayla guessed might be thirteen or so, but the younger kid – and he was really young, definitely nowhere near double digits – didn’t have a camp necklace at all.  He had familiar blond waves and blue eyes, though, and Kayla realised it had to be Will, back when he’d been the baby of the cabin.  The older boy must have been one of their siblings, with his own blond hair and darker blue-green eyes, but Kayla didn’t recognise him.

She set that one down and picked up another, wiping the dust off against her sleeve.  This time, the faces were more familiar, more blond kids, but ones she knew she’d seen before.  Their names didn’t come to her, but she was pretty certain that if she read through the names on the first bead of her necklace, she’d make the connections again.  Unlike baby Will and the unnamed boy, these two were more rough and tumble, with the girl having the boy in a headlock while he clearly fought to get out of it.  Both of them were laughing, though, and the camera was held at an angle, as if the photographer had been laughing too hard to keep it steady, too.

The third photograph made her freeze when the dust came off.

It was her, from behind.  Her hair had been freshly dyed, with no sign of her natural colour at all, and Kayla had only dyed her hair like that for a short time before deciding she preferred to keep the crown of her head visibly ginger.  She was at the archery range, bow in one hand and  gesturing wildly with the other.  Next to her, also with their back to the camera, was someone with black hair in a short pony tail, more or less the same height as eleven year old Kayla – gods, this had been taken six years ago – and gesturing back at her.

She didn’t recognise them.  Not really.  She knew who it was – of course she did, it was Michael, and she was sure she’d always remember the way he kept his hair tied back like that – but what she recognised was his bow, the beautiful horn horse bow that now lived in the attic of the Big House.

Staring at the photograph, she was suddenly hit with the realisation that she didn’t remember his face.  She didn’t remember his voice, either.  She remembered him being her big brother, that he’d spent hours and hours with her at the range, better than any of the Olympic archers Da had coached but completely disinterested in competition shooting, but she couldn’t remember his face.

Kayla had no idea what colour his eyes had been.  If he’d had bangs or if his hair was all swept back into the ponytail.  Details that felt like they should never be forgotten, but she couldn’t remember them.

Logically, she knew she’d only known Michael for a few months, which was basically no time at all compared to the length of time she’d since spent at camp, but with how often his name still flittered through her thoughts, it felt like she ought to remember him better than that.

It hurt, to realise that she didn’t.

Kayla dived back into the box, trying to find more photographs of him.  There were a lot where there was a blur of black hair in the corner, or turning away, or with his back to the camera.  She even found one with a younger-looking Alice braiding his hair, but Michael hadn’t been looking at the camera then, either.  He’d been looking back at Alice as best he could without turning his head.

Still, it was the clearest one she’d found so far, and she cleared away more streaks of dust with her fingers until it was clean.

Seeing Michael with Alice reminded her that she was the only camper left in their cabin, now that Austin had left, that had met Michael.  Raphael and Emma had arrived the next summer, and everyone else was even later than that.  There was no-one else to show the photograph to and reminisce with, or try to remember with.

Okay, maybe she could go to Chiron, but as great as Chiron was, it didn’t feel right.  Chiron hadn’t been any closer to Michael than he was to any other camper, she didn’t think.  She didn’t know how he could have been.  It wasn’t like he was family, really, although she was pretty sure he and Apollo-

Apollo.  Dad.

Her dad, Michael’s dad.

She didn’t even finish thinking it through before she called him, startled when her voice sounded thick, like she’d been crying.  She didn’t think she’d been crying.

The instant appearance of her dad, and the way he immediately wiped tears from her face, told her that she had been.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her, sitting cross-legged in the small patch of floor that wasn’t covered in photographs or musician things.  It put him right in her personal space, but Kayla never minded that with her dad.  Either of them, actually.

“I found these,” she said, waving photographs in his face.  One of them was the first one she’d found, with her and Michael.  Another was the one with Alice.  “And I don’t… I don’t remember him, Dad.”  A sob erupted from her throat.  “I’ve always said he was my favourite brother, but I don’t… I don’t remember him!”

Part of her waited for him to poke her in the chest and tell her that actually, she did remember him.  That he was in her heart, her favourite brother, and it didn’t matter if she couldn’t remember the exact shade of his eyes, or whether he usually had bangs.  That was the sort of sappy thing people usually said, after all.

But he didn’t.  He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against his side, tucked under his arm like she was younger than she was, like she wasn’t now the most senior Apollo kid in camp.

“Do you want me to talk about him?” he offered, and her head snapped to look at him.

“Yes,” she said, latching onto the offer like it was a lifeboat.  “Yes, Dad.”

He chuckled, quietly enough that it didn’t feel like he was laughing at her.  “Okay,” he said, and plucked the photo of her and Michael from her fingers.  She barely felt it go.  “Michael was a fighter.  And I don’t just mean because of the war, or his arguments with Clarisse – and he got into a lot of those with her.  He was a fighter because he had something to fight for.”  Kayla felt Apollo squeeze her shoulders.  “You.”

The noise that escaped her was both unladylike – not that she cared – and very startled.  “Me?”

Apollo gave a one shouldered shrug.  “Well, his siblings.  All of you,” he admitted.  “Michael was always one for loving deeply, when he let someone in.  He had a reputation for being harsh and prickly, especially with other campers, but beneath the thorns was a massive heart with so much love to give out, if they could make him believe they were worth it.”

“I don’t remember him being prickly,” Kayla admitted.  “Except for the arguments with Clarisse.”

Apollo gave another chuckle.  “He was always arguing with Clarisse,” he said, sounding fond.  “That started his first day at camp and never stopped.  Then again, I probably didn’t help matters,” he added, and that sounded sheepish.

Kayla twisted in his grip to look at him, astonished.  “What did you do?” she demanded.  Apollo’s smile definitely twisted into something sheepish.

“I claimed him,” he said, and Kayla frowned, because of course he did.

“How-?”

“I claimed him because he shot her in the thigh,” he clarified, and she felt her jaw drop.  “It was the first time they’d met, and both of them were very volatile back when they were that age, more so than by the time you got here.  They got into a fight, and well.  It was the first time Michael had ever held a bow, and it was a beautiful shot.  How could I not claim him for it?”

“You claimed him… because he shot Clarisse?” Kayla repeated slowly, trying to wrap her head around that.  In some ways, it made sense.  In other ways, it really didn’t.  Then she registered the other thing he’d said.  “Wait.  He’d never held a bow before camp?  Really?”

The one thing she definitely did remember was how amazing an archer Michael had been.  It was the sort of skill that came from being an archer from the moment he was old enough to hold a bow – Kayla should know, she had the same skill – not from being a preteen, or maybe even a teenager, before ever touching one.  Actually… “how old was he?”

“He was nine, at the time.”  There was a story there, Kayla could tell, but Apollo didn’t show any signs of expanding on it, and she decided it wasn’t worth asking.

Demigods didn’t turn up at camp that young without a reason, and the reason was never a good one.  Kayla didn’t need to know what Michael’s was.  She didn’t want to know.

“He was amazing at archery,” she said, instead, and Apollo smiled fondly.

“That he was,” he agreed.  “He could out shoot some of my sister’s Hunters.  They hated him for it.”  Kayla could imagine that – Thalia and Reyna were chill, but some of the Hunters were definitely snobbish over their perceived archer superiority.  It was one of the reasons Kayla kept rejecting their recruitment pitches; they didn’t like being challenged by an archer who didn’t wear Artemis’ silver colours.  She bet it was even worse with a boy.

“Serves them right,” she muttered, and leant back against her dad’s side again, reclaiming the photo of Michael and Alice.  “I remember him being an amazing archer,” she admitted.  “And his arguments with Clarisse.  I just…  I wish his face hadn’t faded.”  She tapped at the photograph with a chipped nail.  “The photographs aren’t clear enough.”

“I can make them clearer, if you want,” Apollo offered, and Kayla didn’t know how but she wasn’t going to turn down a chance to re-memorise Michael’s face.  Properly, this time.  She nodded.

Apollo held up a hand in front of them, palm up and loosely cupped, and hummed lightly.

Whatever Kayla had expected, it wasn’t for a ball of light to convalesce in front of them, swirling and shifting until Michael appeared in front of them, perching on the box full of dusty and abandoned photographs.

Kayla had forgotten how short he was.

She’d seen it in the photograph, how a sixteen year old Michael had been the same height as an eleven year old Kayla, but being seventeen herself now – gods, she was older than Michael when he’d died – and more or less fully grown it was stark, seeing him in front of her and realising that he really had been tiny.

He didn’t say anything, probably because he wasn’t real, just Apollo manipulating the light until it showed her her big brother again.  Still, there was life in the way he looked like he was sitting, one leg straight down and the other knee raised up, foot on the edge of the box he was perched on, with one elbow resting on the knee.  He wasn’t looking directly at them, but he was focused on something that only the apparition could see, and it was good enough for Kayla to finally, finally, remember the exact shade of brown his eyes had been.

He didn’t have bangs, either.  There were some loose hairs that didn’t quite reach back into his ponytail that stuck out a little, but no bangs.  He did have earrings, though, a single golden stud in the ear lobe.

Kayla had forgotten he’d had those.  She wasn’t sure if she’d ever noticed them when he was alive and she’d taken his presence for granted, unlike the way she was drinking every detail in now, because this felt like a last chance.

Mortals weren’t supposed to dwell in the past.

Something warm dripped onto her cheek and she glanced up on instinct to see silent tears rolling slowly down her father’s face as he looked at the apparition he’d created.  It was a comfort, to know that she wasn’t the only one affected by it.

Still, her eyes were drawn back to Michael, the ephemeral sight that wouldn’t last forever.  His mouth was twisted into a slight smirk, confidence pouring off of him from his expression to his pose, and even though he looked small and young in a way Kayla knew he hadn’t when he’d still been alive and she’d been five years younger than him, rather than a year older, it felt right.  Familiar.  She was sure she’d seen that expression on that face many times before.

Apollo gave a shuddering breath, and raised his hand towards Michael again.  His fingertips dipped into the illusion, and it rippled slightly.  Kayla knew what was coming, and refused to look away as, slowly, Michael faded from sight again.

“It’s good to remember,” Apollo said hoarsely as her brother disappeared.  Kayla wondered if she was supposed to feel worse, losing him again, but instead she thought it felt more like closure.  “But don’t get trapped in the past.  Keep looking forwards.”  He squeezed her arm.  “You’ve got a future ahead of you, and if he was still with us, Michael would be the first to tell you that you’ve got that Olympic gold in the bag next summer.”

Kayla remembered archery lessons with him, being pushed past anything Da had ever tried with her, because he’d known she could keep up, even back then.  “He would,” she agreed.  “I miss him, Dad.  I know I only knew him for a few months, but… I miss him.”

“I know,” Apollo said.  “So do I.”  He reached out and picked up some of the other photos, of familiar and semi-familiar and unfamiliar faces.  “I miss all of them.”

Kayla plucked another one from the floor – the one with the two blonds wrestling.  Both of them had died in Manhattan, she was more certain of that, now.  Siblings she’d known but not for long enough, although with her mind in reminiscing mode she found names finally climbing to the front of her memory.  Nathan and Robyn.  She didn’t think she’d ever seen one without the other.

Looking at them, with their semi-familiar faces, and the other photos still strewn around from her frantic hunt for pictures of Michael’s face, she found an idea forming in the back of her mind, and she barely let it finish before she spoke.

“Dad?”

He hummed, turning his head towards her.

“Help me put these up on the walls?”  She gestured to the box.  It wasn’t like it was doing anything except getting in her way under the desk, and photographs deserved to be looked at.  Her siblings deserved to be remembered, not stashed away and forgotten.

He stared at her for a moment, clearly not expecting the request, before his whole body softened.

“I’d love to.”

[sequinsmile-x]

Movie Night

Emily doesn't remember the last time they watched a film that wasn't their daughter's favourite, so Aaron hatches a plan.

-x-

Hi friends,

This is some nice family fluff for you all on this Friday evening <3 this all came from a conversation with @eobangingwhen, so I'm dedicating this to her.

I promise I will write something more than pure fluff very soon haha

Hope you all enjoy this, and as always let me know what you think <3

-x-

Warnings: vague spoilers for Frozen and Star Wars VI I guess??

Words: 3k

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

There were moments when she found it hard to believe this was her life. 

It was strange to think that only six years ago she was in Paris, convinced she’d never feel safe again. That her penance for her actions which had led to a gravestone with her name carved into it was the loneliness she’d felt there. The fear she would have once believed would never fade a punishment from a God she wasn’t entirely sure she had ever believed in. She wished she could go back and talk to that version of herself, that she could assure her that life would get better than it ever had been before, that she’d end up with a family of her own. 

The idea of it always made her smile, because she knew even if it was possible she’d never believe herself anyway, especially when she would reveal her husband was Aaron. 

She’d had a crush on him for as long as she could remember, a flipping in her gut whenever he was near that had morphed into something more powerful as time went on. A feeling she knew was love the moment he was missing after Foyet had attacked him. Their timing had never been right, feelings she now knew he’d had for her growing at the same rate as hers that had to be ignored because of circumstance. For a long time, it felt like they’d never get a chance, so she’d convinced herself it would never happen. An attempt to protect herself from any more pain, sure that if she attempted something that wasn’t reciprocated would leave her with a brand on her heart more painful than the one Ian had left on her skin. 

It made her grateful for this, made the difficult moments of parenthood and marriage easier to swallow when she reminded herself she could have missed out on him, on them. Her life a quilt made of ordinary moments, memories stitched together and laid over her like a comfort blanket that she relied on in her worst moments, when her monsters snuck out of the shadows and convinced her she would somehow lose all of this. 

She smiles as her daughter presses herself in the small space between her and Aaron, the three-year-old insistent on being as close to them as possible at all times. Alice smiles at them both as she rests her head on Aaron’s arm, sinking into his embrace when he wraps his arm around her, his hand coming to rest on his wife’s thigh. He smiles at Emily and winks before he looks at their son, Elliot, curled up on his mother’s chest, his hand tangled in her hair as he tries to fight off sleep. The 18-month-old always wanted to be involved in everything, his focus always on his older siblings, and very often Emily and Aaron had to hoist him up into their arms, lifting him off his feet so he didn’t follow them to the roundabout at the local park and get too involved with the bigger kids rougher games. 

“Mommy, can we watch Frozen?” Alice asks, her sweet voice drawing her attention to her and Emily has to suppress a sigh. 

Alice loved Frozen. She wanted to watch it all the time, the movie one of the few things that would hold her focus. They’d watched it so often that Emily was sure she could recite it word for word, her disdain for Olaf the snowman enough that she’d planned his death in more than one way. 

She never thought she’d loved Aaron more when she quietly admitted that to him one evening, shame dripping from every syllable as she told him just how much she hated their daughter’s favourite character, and his only response was to say he’d done the same thing. 

“Sweetie,” Emily says, taking one hand off of Elliot’s back and tucking some of Alice’s hair behind her ear, “Maybe Jack wants to pick the movie for once.”

Alice pouts a little, and frowns at her, but any comment from the little girl is cut off by Jack from Emily’s other side.

“It’s okay, Mom,” he says, smiling at her when she turns to look at him, “I don’t mind if we watch it again.” 

She reaches out and ruffles his hair, smiling when he dives out of the way, the pre-teen on the cusp of being constantly embarrassed by his parents. 

“Are you sure honey?” 

He nods, smiling as his little sister beams at him, and he shrugs as if it’s no big deal, “She loves it.” 

Aaron squeezes Alice closer to him. He looks back and forth between Jack who was sitting at the other end of the couch and then at his watch. Jack was endlessly patient with his younger siblings. He loved being a big brother and always went with the flow, but he could see the flash of horror going through his son's eyes as he thinks about spending another evening watching the animated movie. 

“How about we watch it now,” Aaron suggests, looking up at Jack, “And Jack can play his game whilst we do,” he smiles when his eldest smiles and nods, already walking over to the Nintendo Switch they’d bought him and turning it into handheld mode, “And then when you go to bed Mommy and I will watch something Jack wants to watch.” 

Alice nods enthusiastically and Aaron grabs the remote, well aware the Frozen DVD would already be in the player, and he starts the movie. Alice is enraptured for the start, her eyes fixed on the screen as she sings along.

“I don’t remember the last time we watched a movie that wasn’t made for children,” Aaron eventually says quietly so only Emily can hear, Alice too lost in the movie, as if it was the first time she’d ever seen it, and Jack in his handheld video game to hear their parent’s quiet discussion.

She hums and raises her eyebrow at him, running her fingers through Elliot’s hair, the toddler now fast asleep against her, “I don’t remember the last time we watched a movie that wasn’t Frozen.” 

He smiles at his wife and leans in to kiss her cheek, only to be immediately chastised by Alice, who turns to look at him, a glare Emily would say was all him on her face from where she’s sitting between them.

“Daddy - watch Frozen!” 

“Yeah, Daddy,” Emily says, winking at him over Alice’s head, a promise for later hiding in the action that makes his stomach swoop, just as enamoured with his wife as he was on their first date. “Watch the movie.” 

Time alone was rare these days, even rarer than it always had been and all of a sudden he found himself desperate to just spend time with his wife. To watch a movie that they picked and snuggle on the couch the same way they did when they were first dating and Jack had gone to bed. 

He watches the movie but doesn’t pay any attention, his focus instead on planning a date night as soon as possible. 

___

Emily sighs to herself as she shakes her head, unable to focus on the paperwork in front of her. It had been a rough night. Elliot had barely slept, his shift from two naps a day to one having an impact it hadn’t had with Alice. He’d been fussy all night, crying out for Mama even when Aaron went in to try to settle him. Eventually, he’d woken up Alice and she’d crawled into their bed and fell asleep in between them. 

She blinks blearily, massaging her fingers into her temples as she desperately tries to pay attention to her work, and she smothers a yawn. She smiles tightly at Spencer as they catch each other's gaze over the divider between their desks and then she looks back at the paperwork, determined to get at least some done today. 

“Emily, do you wanna-”

Later, she’d blame her exhaustion for how she replies to Specner, her brain automatically taking over her mouth because they’d yet again watched Frozen that morning, the movie on in the background to keep Alice and Elliot happy as she and Aaron desperately sucked down coffee and half-cold oatmeal.  

“Honey, Mommy really doesn’t have the energy to build a snowman right now.”

Her eyes go wide as soon as she says it, her brain finally catching up with her surroundings and she groans when the moment of shocked silence is filled with laughter, Derek’s the loudest. She covers her eyes with her hands and curses under her breath.

“I think somebody should go get Mommy a cup of coffee,” Derek says, and she looks up and narrows her eyes at him, her glare doing nothing to stop his smirk. 

“That’s actually what I was going to ask,” Spencer asks, his cheeks burning with embarrassment as he stands up, “I’ll go get you one.” 

“Alice still obsessed with Frozen, huh?” JJ asks, turning to look at them and Emily nods, groaning again as she thinks about it. 

“It’s all she ever wants to watch. I never thought it was possible to hate an animated snowman as much as I do,” she narrows her eyes, “I’d melt the son of a bitch if I could.” 

JJ chuckles sympathetically, “For Henry it was Cars,” she says, shaking her head as she crosses her arms over her chest, “I actually once dreamt that I cut Lightening McQueen’s break line.” 

Emily laughs, any guilt she may have felt for disliking her daughter’s favourite movie as much as she did fading, “You have no idea how much better that makes me feel.” 

Derek clears his throat, his smile getting wider as he gets her attention, and he leans back in his chair, his hands on the back of his head, “So, Mommy what are your and Hotch’s evening plans?” 

She rolls her eyes and actively ignores the use of the moniker, “The usual.” 

Spencer walks back over and places the coffee down on her desk, smiling at her before he returns to his own desk. The smell of it alone is enough to reinvigorate her and she picks it up and immediately takes a sip.

“Thanks, Spence,” she says, smiling gratefully at him, “I appreciate it.”

He shrugs nonchalantly, “No problem.” 

“Yeah,” Derek says, “We’ve got to be nice to our Momm-”

“Derek Morgan if you call me Mommy one more time I will make sure you never have kids of your own,” she says, cutting over him. She purposely holds her glare, suppressing her need to laugh, when his eyes go comically wide, clearly very aware that she’s serious. 

“Why are you threatening Morgan, sweetheart?” Aaron asks, and she looks up, smiling softly when she sees him standing on the walkway, leaning on the railing above their desks. 

She knows he’s tired too for two reasons. Firstly, because he used a nickname for her in the office, a tiny piece of their personal life slipping free, the sharp line between the two parts of their lives slowly getting blurrier. Secondly, he had an Elsa sticker on the lapel of his jacket.

It was something Alice frequently did. She would carefully select a sticker and place it diligently on his jacket, she did the same for Emily too, claiming it would protect them as they fought the bad guys. She knew that usually, Aaron would remove it the second he got to the office and shrugged off his coat. He would place it on a photo frame on his desk, the picture inside of it one of Emily and the kids, a collection of brightly coloured cartoon characters surrounding a photo of his family. A much needed contrast to the usual horror that crossed his desk in their case files, a reminder of all the good there was in the world. 

She had a similar collection too, although she placed her stickers on the inside of one of her drawers, safe and protected from any unsub that might be brought through the bullpen, not wanting to give them any access to something they might consider a weakness. 

She smiles at her husband and taps her own lapel, “Honey…” 

He looks down and clears his throat, pulling the sticker off of his jacket with more tenderness than his hands should be capable of. A smile flashes across his face that she knows he can’t control, and he nods briefly at them all.

“I’d better go put this away,” he says as he turns and walks back into his office. 

“You guys are so cute-”

She turns and looks sharply at her friend, “Derek, I swear to God.” 

The rest of the day drags by, minutes feeling like hours as her exhaustion slowly returns. When it’s time to go home she immediately jumps up, smiling at her husband as he exits his office exactly on time. He takes her bag from her the moment he makes it to her side, ignoring her playful eye roll. 

“Ready to go home, sweetheart?” 

She hums, “God yes,” she says, checking her watch and hissing, knowing if they didn’t leave immediately they’d hit traffic. “We have to go get the kids.” 

“Actually,” he says, waving goodbye to the team as they step out through the glass doors and towards the elevators, “Jess went to get them. And right now they will all be very excited to have a sleepover at hers.” 

She smiles, narrowing her eyes at him as he reaches for her hand, linking their fingers together, “What are you up to Mr Hotchner?” 

He winks at her and squeezes her hand again, a silent promise pressed into her skin, “That’s for me to know and you to find out Mrs Hotchner.” 

___

He takes her home via their favourite pizza place, refusing to tell her anything else about his plans for the evening as they drive home. 

It’s only once they’ve eaten, talking softly over slices of pizza, the house so much quieter than usual it makes her ache a little, that he tells her they are going to watch a movie together just the two of them. They call the kids and talk to them over FaceTime to say goodnight, and Emily can’t help but smile at the sight of all three of them squished together as they fight to get their faces in the frame, each of them desperate to see their parents despite their excitement to be at Jessica’s. 

Once they are done speaking to the kids, she smiles widely at Aaron as he tells her to settle on the couch and that he’ll go get them some wine as he clears the pizza boxes, an instruction he signs off with a gentle kiss stamped against her lips. She chuckles when he brings in the wine. He’d served it in plastic Death Star shaped cups they’d got at DisneyWorld the year before. He waggles his brows at her as he hands her one and she laughs again, leaning in to press a kiss against his lips as he settles on the couch next to her. 

“I don’t need many guesses to know what film we’re watching,” she says, kissing him again before she pulls back to take a sip of her wine, “You thought of everything.” 

He shrugs as if it’s nothing, as if the gentle way he loves her wasn’t the thing that kept her afloat, and he places his cup of wine down on the table, “I just thought it’s been a while since we did this just the two of us.” 

She hums and nods, putting her wine down next to his before she snuggles into his side, sighing contently as his warmth immediately starts to leach into her. He reaches for the remote and starts the DVD player and she smiles when she sees the menu for A New Hope already on the screen, and she idly wonders when he got the chance to put the DVD in the player, a small part of her hopeful he’d somehow lost the Frozen one in the process. 

“Are you sure you want to watch Star Wars, honey?” She asks, tilting her head to look up at him. She rakes her fingers through his hair, love for him threatening to burst out of her chest, “We could watch something more grown up, who knows when we’ll next have the chance?” 

“It’s your favourite movie, Em,” he says simply, stamping his lips against her forehead as he presses play, “I wouldn’t want to watch anything else.” 

She shakes her head at him and kisses him, her hand on his cheek to hold him in place as she sighs into his mouth. When she pulls back she rubs her nose briefly against his, unable to stop her smile even if she wanted to, “I love you.” 

“I know,” he replies, his voice deadpan and she playfully glares at him. He laughs and leans in to kiss her again, “I love you too,” he says, kissing her once more before the scrolling text appears on the screen, “Now pay attention.” 

She chuckles and rests her head on his shoulder, content and relaxed as she snuggles further into him as he lays a blanket over their laps. She wraps both of her arms around one of his and hugs it, safe and happier than she ever thought possible as she sits next to her husband. Snuggled up on their couch in their home, watching a movie she probably knew by heart. It was achingly ordinary, and she would never stop being grateful that this was her life. 

He notices she’s quieter than she usually is when they watch this. She’d normally whisper lines half a second before the characters said them or tell him a fact about the behind the scenes, not embarrassed about her self-declared nerdiness around him, but she’s silent. He looks down and chuckles to himself when he sees her eyes drifting closed and he kisses her forehead, shifting her gently so her head is resting on a cushion in his lap. He runs his fingers through her hair, scratching gently at her scalp as he does so, and she hums contentedly. 

She’s asleep before Princess Leia is captured. 

-x-

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[atopvisenyashill]

had to wait to watch the episode bc my cousin called and started asking clarification questions ahout rhaenyra’s kids (her ultimate opinion was “why do we need to recycle the name so often. there are plenty of other boy names I CHECKED ONLINE I HAVE A PAGE BOOKMARKED why did she have to choose aegon i’m so confused”) so let’s goooooo-

THE LADS THE LADS THE LADS THE LADS THE LADS THE LADS THE LADS

why does kermit not have red hair THATS THE TULLY HAIR COLOR GODDAMIT

i don’t like that rhaenys knows about marilda’s kids. makes absolutely no sense with her established character. what was the point of that scene.

alfred broome is so fucking annoying i need this man to die. why are you constantly picking fights with royal family members who have DRAGONS in PUBLIC.

“king consort” why are they so inconsistent with this

corlys walking in right when people are badgering his wife, i KNOW ser alfred almost pissed his pants lol

“the whore of dragonstone”

“ser criston is marching on rook’s rest” “rook—a pathetic prize!!” THATS WHAT IVE BEEN SAYING ITS SO STUPID THAT THEY RISK TWO DRAGONS, THEIR KING, AND HIS NUMBER ONE ADVANTAGE ON FUCKING ROOK’S REST. AEMOND AND CRISTON U R DUMB BITCHES.

i like that aegon has to be goaded into it, at least that makes sense as to why he’d go for such a useless ficking castle. aemond trying to take control back after being humiliated in the brothel, where even his toxic safe space in sylvi has been violated by his brother. and aegon, ever uninterested in the nuances of ruling and his own culture, can only answer back in halting and unclear valyrian…has to save face by going for a castle he knows is useless.

larys picking up right away on everything alicent is leaving unsaid all while she’s suffering through the equivalent of taking plan b in front of him, and they both know that’s exactly why she’s cramping right now. delicious. sexy.

ITS LAENA HAUNT THAT MOTHERFUCKERS ASS

AGAIN I MENTION THE FIDGET TOY. why is it there. simply to distract aegon? that’s not fair, he’s just a goofy lil guy!!

“what thoughts would you have?” OMG?

it’s really interesting how aegon has been snapping at people or retreating but never really sticking around long enough to REALLY argue. but not only does he let his mother fucking DIG INTO him (as USUAL, it’s almost a comfort, the familiarity with which she sits across from him and tells him how much of a disappointment he is) but he straight up asks her opinion! grasps in the silence, reins in his temper, and asks his mother what she wants from him. and once again her answer is a reminder that he is never enough!

going to walk the doggy i’ll be backkkkk

[xthescarletbitch]

For the fic title game

"You know I'm gonna find a way" with Kara

And

"Take my hand" with Luther

thank you for sending this in!! <3 both very good choices.

for kara, i think of her path where she makes it to canada with alice and luther without sacrificing anyone because markus got the public opinion up high enough for the border guard to let her through without any trouble.

now, i’d set this fic somewhere before that. where, exactly? not sure. i could place it anywhere from her and alice’s first night on the streets to before jericho (could even do it during jericho).

for the sake of answering this ask, and keeping it reader-insert friendly, i’ll choose the moment where she has just escaped todd’s with alice, and she’s looking for a place to stay. i’ve always had a little fic idea where the reader is similar to rose and just takes in androids to help. however, there is more to the character—they were alice’s old babysitter, more specifically the one who’d watch alice every time kara wasn’t there, whether that was due to her fetting repairs or even before she was in the picture.

alice would bring you up to kara, who would be hesitant at first because she really does not want todd to find her. after exhausting her options by trying other spots, though, she chooses to follow through with finding you because she just wants alice to sleep in a nice, warm bed.

upon finding your place, kara is relieved when she sees androids through the window. she is happy seeing that it’s a safe space. you let them in, of course, and you’ll talk a bit about everything. you try your best to accommodate them both and have them feel welcome in your home, providing them with dry clothes and whatever else they need.

later that night, when kara is tucking alice in bed, she’d assure alice, “you know i’m gonna find a way,” referring to getting them to safety because she knows that they can’t stay at your place forever. alice nods, trusting kara, and then wishes you both good night.

kara exits the room, and you both get to talking. because i’m all about friends-to-lovers, this would be the start of pining between the two of you. this certainly won’t be the last night that you’ll see kara. you’ll be with her on every step of the journey, physically and spiritually. i’d find a way to place you at the scene throughout her story. a speedy romance, david cage style (like carla/lucas and madison/ethan). 🫶

next, luther!! i typically wouldn’t write for him, but, if anything, i’d do so in a platonic way. for his, i’d probably do the post-revolution trope where the three of them (him, kara, and alice) are in canada together. after crossing the border, kara is frozen, unable to believe she’s actually made it. so many thoughts circulate in her head as she looks around.

luther snaps her out of it, offering his hand to her. he promises her and alice that he won’t stop protecting them; he is there until the very end. for the sake of the fic, luther would know just where to go and lead the girls. he may have some prior connections in canada from androids he’s met with in the past, so he opts to take kara and alice with him.

they’d find temporary shelter for the night before consulting with luther’s friends. eventually, they’d get set up with more permanent housing and jobs to provide for themselves. they’d live a regular life together, platonically or romantically, and just enjoy their days in canada. alice would (maybe) attend school like a normal kid, kara would probably have a job at some bakery (i can’t explain this), and luther would probably work in something to do with business/accounting/technology (i also cannot explain this).

oh! and if i combined the two to be in the same timeline, maybe the reader has crossed the border before them, and kara is reunited with them after she does so, too. i’d just let kara and reader explore their romantic relationship as they live their lives without worry. i’d give my babies a happily ever after because that’s what they deserve. 😤

[setaripendragon]

Trying to organize my ask notebook better since I've run out of space under general fandom asks and I would like to know what fandoms you are in so I can ask the correct people about the correct fandoms.

I think my main ones are Bagginshield/The Hobbit, Sherlock/Johnlock, Dragon Age Inquisition, {Pippin/Faramir Merry/Eowyn}/The Lord of the Rings and I dip my toes in a few that I currently can't remember but ones I don't engage in canon at all are Good Omens but only for Crowley/Azirapheal ship, Stranger Things but only for Steve/Eddie ship, The Witcher but only for Geralt/Jaskier things and Ladybug and Cat Noir but only for Adrinette .

Also do you like getting asks that are or include story ideas or snippets?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer within a certain amount of time or at all.

Ooh, I am in so many fandoms XD It wouldn't actually be easier to list the ones I'm not in, but sometimes it feels that way.

Definitely there with you on The Hobbit and Bagginshield and Lord of the Rings and that whole 'verse, and I'm all in on the Good Omens and The Witcher (well, all in on most of the fandom, I've read some of one of the books, played some of one of the games, watched some of one of the shows... XD).

I also enjoy me some Sherlock, but my preferred flavour is Elementary, rather than BBC.

At the moment my main fandoms are One Piece (catching up with the anime atm, it's taking a while XD), Supernatural, and Star Wars (pretty much entirely second hand, except for the Kenobi show and recently being bullied into watching the Mandalorian with a friend =P).

Okay, I'm going to try and be concise now because otherwise we'll be here all day. Here are fandoms that I've written stuff for (published or not): A Song of Ice and Fire, Alice in Wonerland, Assassin's Creed, Avatar the Last Airbender, Black Butler, Bleach, James Bond, Charmed, Criminal Minds, Critical Role, Emperor's Edge, Fairy Tail, Firefly, Frozen, Fruits Basket, FullMetal Alchemist, Girl Genius, Rise of the Guardians, Harry Potter, Kingsman, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Merlin, Chronicles of Narnia, Naruto, Avatar (2009), Once Upon a Time, Peaky Blinders, Percy Jackson, Pride and Prejudice, The Sandman, Shadowhunters, Sinbad (Dreamworks), Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Teen Wolf, The Untamed, Torchwood, White Collar, X-Men.

I'm not, you know, deep in the fandom of more than usually three or four at a time, but my muse wanders like she's got itchy feet. And I'm probably at least passingly familiar with several other fandoms: I'm enjoying watching Dungeon Meshi at the moment but I haven't yet got the itch to play in that sandbox, I love reading Scum Villain's Self Saving System fanfic but I don't feel I know the characters well enough to write my own, I watched basically all of the Disney animated movies as a kid but I haven't yet had a solid enough idea to write, I have seen some of Stranger Things but I watched most of it while somewhat sleep deprived and that is not the best way to watch horror ^^" I've played FF7, I've read the Hunger Games, I've watched Yuri On Ice, etc, but I don't have a convenient list of those, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I won't make this any longer than it needs to be going into my ships unless you ask specifically, but let it be said that I'm a polyshipper in a big way (nothing gets my brain to go brrrrrrr like complicated relationship dynamics =3), and making it onto my NoTP list takes some seriously rancid vibes and/or overly pushy fans, and it's always safe to ask me about a ship =P

Story ideas are very welcome! The muse needs constant feeding =P I won't make any guarantees about them going anywhere, but I love seeing them all the same. Snippets... are probably the same? I don't know, I've never been sent one. I'm probably even less likely to do anything with them, just because of stupid brain quirks, but who knows?

[stardustandrockets]

This is my last post in my series of rainbow recs. If you've enjoyed my content and can donate, my ko-fi is linked in my bio and my stories.

Thank you to everyone who has read my posts, saved them, shared them, and commented. It really means a lot that so many people have said they resonate with what I’ve said. It hasn’t been easy sharing some of this stuff as it’s not something I always like talking about. But with the #JesusJune reading challenge that was created by Christian bigots, I felt it was an opportune time to let my fellow religiously traumatized queers know that you’re not alone.

It’s been a hard journey to get to where I am today, and I don’t think I could have done that if it weren’t for my partner and queer representation in books. Before joining booksta back in 2017, I can think of only two queer books I’d really read, M or F? by Lisa Papademetriou and Chris Tebbetts and Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. I read them both in high school and then fell off the reading wagon because college was a lot and I was too busy surviving to leisurely read. But it was the first time that I had read books with explicitly queer characters.

I am so very thankful that queer books exist at the capacity they do now. Even though scared adults are trying to ban queer content, it’s there for kids that need it and I greatly hope the ones that do need it are able to get it. If I had books like Loveless by Alice Oseman or known of any out and proud asexual authors, I might have discovered my asexuality sooner. That being said, I’m so glad that kids these days have better access to information that I did growing up (despite what some people want) and seem to know who they are at an earlier age. I think they’ll turn out okay, all things considered.

Remember: whether you are out or not, know you are greatly loved and my account is a safe space. 🌈 Bigots can't and won't win.

[themculibrary]

Phil Coulson/Melinda May Masterlist

A Daydream Away (ao3) - manquant G, 3k

Summary: Pre-Bahrain Coulson and May having a drinking session but it's more complicated than that.

Can You Love Me Again ? (ao3) - MelindaTheCavalryMay T, 4k

Summary: Written for Philinda Secret Santa for @philipthegirlnickel to the prompt : Can You Love Me Again ?

Come Hell or High Water (ao3) - sabinelagrande E, 2k

Summary: Getting stranded together is a great, as long as you don't pick the wrong weather.

Compartmentalized (ao3) - suallenparker E, 3k

Summary: When their relationship crosses a line, both fight hard to keep things compartmentalized …

Daddy and Miss May (ao3) - MelindaTheCavalryMay G, 3k

Summary: written for Philinda AU challenge. When Martial Arts teacher Melinda May is forced to hold a mommy and kids day at her training institute, something promising happens.

flyin' high (you know how i feel) (ao3) - agentmmayy T, 1k

Summary: "We do a lot of other stuff in bed," May said.

Jemma blanched.

Some Things You Can't Change (ao3) - Syfyfan T, 4k

Summary: Daisy shows up at Coulson Academy throwing wrenches into everyones lives.

The Coulson-May Accidental Bed and Breakfast Retirement Plan (Go Ahead Ask Melinda to Serve You Breakfast in Bed) (ao3) - anarchycox T, 36k

Summary: At the start of season 5 Melinda rescues Phil from outer space. Only after the rescue he admits that he is very tired and just wants...something else. Melinda lets him know the Australia option she had mentioned years ago was still open. They walk away from their lives and disappear to a homestead just outside Alice Springs Australia. But now it is just the two of them, no missions, no people, to run interference. And they have to face the feelings they've been hiding for so long. Or you know...just continue to bury them in remodeling the house and Phil trying to raise a sheep and a million other things that go wrong and eventually very very right.

The Framework (ao3) - daisyqiaolianmay (skinman) G, 17k

Summary: "What if The Framework really had fixed every regret to perfection? What if it had given them everything they ever wanted? With no catch."

_

It wasn’t real? Her life, the one she remembered so well, wasn’t real. Melinda May stared up at the ceiling in horror, lain back on a bed in the med bay, her fists clenching and unclenching.

“Honestly it’s miracle your brain’s handling the duplicity of your memories so well. Though I am worried about your stress levels, your blood pressure is pretty high.” Simmons nattered on, “I’m going to need regular scans, of course, and I’d suggest talking therapy. You need someone to help you piece through what was reality and what was fiction, we don’t want you developing a personality disorder.”

“It’s all real to me.” May muttered bitterly.

The last stand (ao3) - MelindaCoulson4 T, 5k

Summary: Phil & Melinda are alone and locked up by Talbot. They’re finally forced to face everything they’ve been pushing aside. Picks up right at the end of 5x20. Inspired by the promo pics for 5x21.

The Snow Keeps Falling (But I'll Keep You Safe Tonight) (ao3) - skyeicer (browneyedgenius) G, 6k

Summary: When Daisy builds a snowman with her friends Jemma and Fitz in her mother's front lawn, she wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it was definitely NOT her mom falling in love with a guy named Phil. Oh, and breaking a curse. Don't forget about the curse.

or

Vancouver is a pretty magical city after all, and so is Edmonton, apparently.

The Truth is Out There (ao3) - anarchycox G, 2k

Summary: A Philinda Secret Santa fic with the prompt: don't ask questions you don't want the answer to. I wrote a sweet and slightly crackish alternate for what happens after they are all cornered at the diner at the end of season 4.

Who’s the Cavalry? (ao3) - AgentTaro G, 3k

Summary: As Maria Hill covers for Melinda in class, Flint wonders who the hell is The Cavalry?

Work-Life Balance (ao3) - Oparu (USSJellyfish) M, 31k

Summary: Melinda May has done her best to settle in to her life at the Academy. She has a great apartment, she sees Yo-Yo and Mack as much as she can and Daisy and Ftizsimmons are just a phone call away. Her students are great. Her job is fulfilling.

Except, her apartment's way too quiet and she doesn't have any personal life to speak of and her weekends are empty. She has a plan to fill the void, but then Phil Coulson walks back into her life exactly as she remembers him from Tahiti.

Maybe it is pretty magical after all.

Youth (ao3) - Book_freak T, 10k

Summary: Daisy had always wondered what May was like when she was younger. She hadn't expected to find out like this.

[dirtytransmasc]

Stop cause the image of Criston helping Alicent with soothing Aegon down because he’s crying. She’s so young and she’s already pregnant with Helaena and its just all so much. So Criston picks up Aegon and rocks Aegon back and forth until he falls asleep

Oh my god…

Criston always be the father that her children needed. He’s there for it all. When they’re born and when they have their first day of school and are nervous. He’s THEIR dad!

Got carried away lol!!!

he would have this kind, soft voice, no malice or ill held in it, no sickly sweet pity, just a clear want to help, and she's just so tired that she hands over her firstborn without thinking twice about it.

he takes the little thing in his arms with such care and delicacy, the boys head gently cradled in one hand, making it look oh so tiny, his body tucked carefully to his chest. he's smiling and cooing at him the instant they touch, gently rocking him, making him soothe a bit.

he looks at Alicent like a dad reacting to meeting their baby for the first time, his eyes full of pride and love and adoration. he's met the baby before, but this is the first time he's held him, the first time he's truly understood just how perfect he is. Alicent made this little thing, and he loves her for it, for being so strong for so long. he's worried all this time, wanted to help her, to take on the little tike and give her a much needed break, and now he has to make her understand the very honor it is to even hold the babe.

he'll use a gentle hand to wipe away Aegon's tears, the soft touch soothing his crying until it stops completely. only then does he sit down, not too close but not too far from Alicent, knowing she needs a break and some space to calm herself, but that moving the babe too far away would only stress her more. he rock's the wee thing back and forth, back and forth, smoothing his hair and tracing over his teeny tiny little features with his thumb. just as the baby starts to fall asleep, he wraps him in his white cloak, his heart nearly melting when Aegon nuzzles his face into his armor, huffing softly at the warmth that radiates from it.

he'd spend hours holding the little thing, watching over his queen as she too slept, pulling her down against his shoulder, an arm around her to spare her from the rooms chill. both of his loves would be safe and well rested if he had any say in it.

he had sworn his heart to his queen the second she spared his life, a debt he could never repay, but now? now he swore himself to her and her children, he just had to, something in her heart decided it, and no amount of logic could sway it. he would always protect these two, from anything and everything.

just before he too could start to doze into that familiar space any warrior would know, resting but alert and on guard, he felt Alicent take his hand, pressing it to her belly, letting him feel the kick of the little babe inside. make that three, he would protect all three of them, and any more kids that would follow.

[unohanabbygirl]

the bby lucemond crumbs in take me with you before you fall has me in shambles rn :'(

The absolute chaos there would be if I was this version of aemond in one of those time travel fix-it aus. Like the typical 'the old gods give you a chance to fix your parents' fuck ups after you die' trope except the war crimes would be on sight as soon as he gets sent back bcs baby nephew deserves the world 😔

Nothing against everyone's redemption arcs in FMN but there's just this extra ✨spice✨ to them having revenge and/or getting their shit together in the canon era as opposed to modern au because of how relatively easier it would be to get away with murder as royals who own literal dragons. Also the thought of aemond and aegon having to deal w their gay panic in traditional westros and realising laenor was right for booking it to essos LMAO

I love writing bby lucemond because they’re so sweet together. Aemond is just a shy kid who wants his nephew to think he’s more interesting than Aegon while all Luke wants is to read stories and eat lemon cakes with his uncle.

While I do like fix it au’s, I just can’t help but picture FMN somehow taking place in canon. It’s so interesting because of the way everyone would go about handling things. Someone abused a vulnerable amnesic Luke? Just assemble the dragons and burn shit to the ground, problem solved sakasjsksksks

Luke being uncomfortable with nice/expensive things is a tuff situation to deal with because they’re literal royalty. The gasps the maids let out when Luke dresses himself up for the day or goes to the kitchens to fix his own meal is certainly something.

It also makes the issue of gay panic so much harder to deal with. It’s easier for a man as insecure as Aemond to be open with his sexuality now because modern Westeros is progressive + has endless representation in media and safe social spaces. However, if we turn back the clock to 129 A.C where no such things exist Aemond would have to do a lot of soul searching and learning to accept himself. Especially since he and Alicent still hold onto the faith.

Aegon just straight up doesn’t give a shit about how anyone perceives him (except for Jace depending on the topic) so he couldn’t care less. He’s already experimented with men anyway so it’s whatever but slipping his way into Jaceala’s relationship makes him quite nervous.

[killian-whump]

Whom in Colin Character Coven would play with the frogs 🐸? (Michael already has)

I'm not sure if Michael's played with the frogs or not... but we do know that he's ultimately the reason the frogs came and that he uttered a "You gotta be fucking kidding me" when he saw they'd followed him even here.

As for the others, a lot of them are limited by time or space from encountering the frogs in the first place. For example - Philip, Abe, and JJ are all from earlier time frames when the internet didn't exist, let alone singing frogs atop dashboards.

Granted, I suppose they would all have access to the internet whilst staying in the coven house, but I feel like they wouldn't bother with such things that are so foreign to them.

Although the idea of any one of them being addicted to something stupid/silly like Angry Birds or Candy Crush is amusing to me. Maybe Farmville? Something that was once a huge phenomenon, but isn't as much anymore - so they can be simultaneously ahead of their time and yet still behind the times...

ANYWAY!

Of those from current/modern time frames who could believably encounter the Tumblr frogs (forgs for those who prefer), I think most would probably give 'em a few clicks just to see what they're about - but then ultimately forget about them, as most of them are very busy gentlemen with lots to do.

That said, I think it's safe to say that Conor Elliot would complain that there aren't enough notes on there to write a proper song, but then proceed to write a froggy masterpiece nonetheless.

Peter Sheerin would truly enjoy the frogs when high. I feel like their colors and notes would speak to him then.

Mark would use the frogs to try to pick up ladies. Professor Harrison would do the same, but with classical compositions played entirely on frogs.

Douxie would find clicking on the frogs rather tedious, I think. In which case he would enchant them to life, give them little guitars and have a rocking rainbow frog jam session.

I feel like, of the Hooks, Detective Rogers would most enjoy the frogs and like writing little ditties on them and playing them for Tilly/Alice. Storybrooke Hook would probably be clueless as to what to do with them, yet he'd somehow accidentally construct an entire concerto with them for Hope's amusement and then just shrug when Emma's like, "What the fuck?"

Dark Hook would try to steal Douxie's froggy rock band to send them all to hell. Noooo. Protect the forgs 😭

[karl-raccoon-enjoyer]

Would you be willing to share some of your A and B headcannons? (Only if ur willing haha)

Absolutely! Was very excited to see this ask!!

(wasn’t sure if you meant individual or shipping,so I did both)

A-Specific HC’s

*I usually refer to her in a gender neutral way to respect other people’s headcanons, but I think she’s transfem

*Also has autism because I have autism (that rule basically applies to any headcanon anyone’s ever had about A ever but-)

*Tbh my headcanon for what name she would go by in different circumstances changes constantly, so let’s just say she can’t pick a name to save her life

*Can be very calm or very chaotic depending on the circumstances

*”The circumstances” being whether she needs to be the voice of reason to keep people safe/help people or not

*A acts crazily but at the same time cares very deeply about other people

*Her little quirk is drawing on absolutely everything

*Her art style is a little cartoony but the kind that uses cross-hatching

*Think the art style in the original Alice in Wonderland

*Which also happened to be her first special interest

*Would have some kind of pet reptile

*Is entertained by watching her reptile hunt the bugs she puts in it’s cage

*A’s reptile goes everywhere with her (even if it’s sometimes in places where it shouldn’t)

*For every time she changes her own name she changes her reptile’s name

*If her reptile doesn’t like you, she doesn’t like you

* Therapist Friend™️ (no explanation needed)

*Favorite texture is tightly-woven yarn (the soft kind not the hard kind)

*Least favorite texture is drying honey

*Already made a post about this but- Because she’s so caring, she took care of Matt as a baby (I headcanon he was only a couple months old when he arrived) and is now his mom

*She made those goggles he wears one day to try her hand at crafts

*Absolutely hated them, but still gave them to Matt because he thoughts they were cool

*That’s why Matt always wears them

*Her and Near both have a stim of playing with their hair, but neither one knows who picked it up from who

*Has a very beautiful singing voice

BB-Specific HC’s

*We all know this already, but he’s trans as well

*Despite that he still like some more traditionally “feminine” thing like nail polish and makeup (not saying that’s weird/bad)

*Before he was trying to copy L, his little quirk was making dolls

*He taught Near how to make those little rubbery dolls he has

*Also really likes puppets

*Had really long black hair

*Was like an older brother to Mello

*Sometimes slept under little kid Mello’s bed to scare off the monsters (then sometimes made it seem like he was fighting them to keep Mello on his toes)

*Worms his way into the weirdest crawl-spaces that nobody even knew existed

*One time one of the workers found one filled with tons of unfinished dolls

*Turns out it was his pit where he put all of his failed creations

*Eavesdrops on people all of the time

*Comes up with concerning names for his menstrual cycle such as “The Great Cleansing”

*Gives some of his creepiest dolls to people he doesn’t know that are too intimidated to turn them down

*Loves horror movies

*Once tried to make an indie film, but the tape was destroyed by Whammy’s staff, so there wouldn’t be a recording of him

*Is talented at a few instruments but doesn’t care enough to pursue any of them

*Would be the type of kid to have a jar of dirt that they store live bugs in

*Would tell other kids to stick their hands in as a prank

*Put bug eggs in the rooms of people he didn’t like

*Once tried to eat a live bug but didn’t do it again because it tasted bad

*Honestly there’s a very long list of disgusting things he’s tried to eat in the past

*Has a notebook full of weird ass short stories he wrote that don’t make any sense

*Rarely bathes

Ship HC’s

*They both do reckless shit but then get upset when the other does reckless shit

*”What the hell don’t pierce yourself you could get really hurt!” *pierced themself 3 days ago*

*A is one of the few people Beyond really cares about

*A’s crush on Beyond started when he had found her reptile after it had gotten lost and it was [expressing affection in whatever way that animal does] at him

*Tbh his first reaction was to run some kind of “experiment” on it, but he thought it was pretty so he decided not to

*After A died he took care of her reptile and cried more than he’d like to admit when it died as well

*Beyond became interested in A through him realizing that she also liked to do schemes around Whammy’s, and, after participating in some with her, realized she was pretty fun to be around

*Neither of them have a problem with PDA (to a reasonable extent), so most of the little kids think they’re really gross (think back to when you were little and saw 2 characters kiss in a movie)

*A is way taller than Beyond

*A has a lot of OC’s and Beyond turns her favorite ones into dolls

*Beyond is more like a stepdad to Matt than anything

*A is the only person he ever told about the numbers

*She believed him wholeheartedly

*Refuses to tell her her’s or Matt’s numbers because he wanted her to be able to live her life freely and happily without worrying about death all the time (like him-)

*As soon as Beyond figures out his feelings he confesses

*A tried to keep her composure, but she still starts happy-stimming

*A’s love languages-

* Giving-

1. Physical Affection

2. Words of Affirmation

* Receiving-

1. Physical Affection

2. Acts of Service

*BB’s love languages-

* Giving-

1. Acts of Service

2. Gift Giving

* Receiving-

1. Physical Affection

2. Words of Affirmation

*Beyond has a place in his room where he stores food, so A can always have access to her comfort foods

*When Beyond couldn’t sleep, he went into A’s room to watch her sleep (in a protective way but also in a creepy way because it’s Beyond)

[redemptioninterlude]

five times safe:      ( five times the receiver felt safe because of the sender ) - cc @ alice !

5 times ... meme ( no longer accepting ) + @chmerical // cc

The foster family they place her with is like. Terrifying. And Alice? Well, she doesn't really know how to be just yet. Still caught up in the nightmares of the things that she's seen, wrought with the guilt of survival where the rest of her family had not made it, it extinguishes the brighter girl that she'd been before this moment. Those AWFUL MOMENTS of awareness that hit her now - knowing that she's going to be sent away someplace else for being so difficult, she wants, so badly, to wake up from all of this as if it were simply some nightmare that had hooked its claws within her tender girlhood. Anything other than this crueler truth in which she would wake within new spaces that felt anything like home. But there's someone else here. They call themselves Charlie, all system hardened and dosed in her old recklessness, she recognises them, sort of, but they'd never yet run into the same circles. How it's one nightmare that hits and, she's startling awake with the jagged sobs left to rack within her chest, finding that Charlie's already climbed into bed with her, half surprised to find their fingers already slotted through her own. The assurance of it just... what she needed in that moment, feeling them stir as she tried to regulate the speedway racing of her breath, the back of her palm rubbing furious at the tears on her face before she settles there into the sheets, back there where they've made a cocoon within her sheets for the both of them, trying to leave herself calm enough to drift off once more.

Alice so rarely feels like she can feel naturally herself. It's one of those things where she's conditioned to a grin, to her madness that's come to grip her soul! But where's the room to feel hurt? Tired? Selfish? There's only enough for it to work within the INSTILLED FRAMEWORK of her femininity, and how frustrating that could feel at times. They're teenagers now, and Alice is fresh off of another disappointment, and there's no tears for it all, just a laugh as she lets something terrible take hold as she holds out a hand to them. "Want to get fucked up?" because it's the most natural thing in the world for them, they're soulmates, aren't they? And Alice, she wants to know what it feels like to shed her skin for a few hours. "Let's do something daring." she suggests, with bright eyes and a smile. Isn't it funny that Charlie's the one to shake their head? And instead do something bold themselves, after calling her their Alice, pulling her closer to press a kiss, a little more clumsy, against the fullness of her mouth. "You don't have to do that to feel better," it's like a promise that they whisper to her, Alice feeling something akin to nerves grasp at her chest, and oh, when's the last time she felt nervous like this? "You don't have to do anything." they repeat. Relaxing after a moment, forehead coming to press against their own, knowing that this is a big moment, isn't it? "... promise?" pinky fingers hook ; a tentative smile from her, this time. "... but what if I want to do that again?" and this time, the both of them laugh, Alice taking them by the hand to drag into less watched corners for the both of them.

Do you know? How hard this is for her. CC knows it, from association, from knowing her as if she were see through. Nobody ever really asks after her, when she's always there on the offensive ; Alice with her endless questions, that game smile equipped to take down the world! But CC's the only one who asks her these things back. What do you dream of, Alice? And perhaps they're the ONLY ONE she feels safe enough to tell, because her dreams are terrible, ugly things. They don't change, do they? From foster homes crowded with kids to expel paychecks, where every moment is one beneath reproachful eyes, and while she's come to learn how to shine on despite it, it's only with CC that the world of it melts away, and she feels good enough to simply exist. Without pageantry nor expectation, wound within the comfort of their embrace as her finger draws against their skin, drawing a prayer, a rune. "... where do we go once we age out?" CC, she thinks, already has space made with Gerald, the green monster of the mountain. But Alice, oh! She wants her freedom too, knowing that despite the nerves attached to it, the invitation that could be there otherwise... freedom demands something different of her, knowing she could trust them enough to not think of this in the worst kinds of ways. "... would you hate it if I found my own place? You'd have the key. Always. I just. Want to know what it feels like."

Alice returns a raving loon. Hysterical and unyielding, she screams and hisses, a terrorist of the worst type as she grabs for things and pushes all away. Except for CC. Oh, how they wait for her so patiently as she cries into her palms about the THINGS SHE HAS SEEN and the monster of the mountain, they don't take away from the fact that she feels it, or say that she's crazy. Everyone left convinced she's off dreaming or hallucinating, that she was making up stories again, as if she hadn't actually gone missing and actually come back affected, unable to sleep unless they were there curled up within the bed with her, her face buried within their chest and begging them to keep the nurses from injecting her with yet another woozy dose of whatever, clinging to them desperately as nails dig, her brown eyes widening, pupils blown out. "Don't let it take me again-" words spat past gritted teeth, burying her face there against their chest, barely able to breathe past the rattling thoughts that swung like a pendulum within her chest, only realising later when she startled awake that she'd even fallen asleep there with them in the first place.

Exhale, her breathing draws shaken, buried there in their room. In a bed that smells just like them, but alone for the moment, teeth digging in against her bottom lip as she half rose, looking around for the signs, or the evidence, of where they've gone. It's quiet... a little too quiet, and there are nerves that still run ragged and raw, gaze flickering around the room, pulling her clothes back from discarded piles along the floor. In the bathroom brushing her teeth when the door bursts open, her smile BLOOMING ON AUTOMATIC as they stroll in, casual as ever, breakfast in hand. It almost spills when she springs, her arms around their neck, her lips kissing every square inch of available skin, she loves them, she loves them, and this is one of the only times things have ever felt right.