#loves her father & fights alongside him as his equal

[sketching-shark]

i love your yuebei design sooooo much omg thank you for not holding back on how large and monsterous she is <3

Here at sketching-shark dot hell we firmly believe that lady yaoguai/monsters/demons etc deserve to look just as unique and formidable as their dude counterparts.

[bumblesimagines]

Burning Love

Request: Yes or No

Summary: As the eldest son and heir to the Iron Throne, Prince (Y/N) Targaryen has many responsibilities; most of which his darling sister hopes to share with him one day.

Pronouns: He/Him/His, M!Reader

TW/CW: Targcest/Incest (Full-blooded Brother-Sister), Aemma lives!! and Alicent is not a childbride, mentions of stillbirths and miscarriages (Aemma's pregnancies)

Collecting HOTD oneshots like pokemon cards at this point

~~~

It was known that Targaryens had... questionable traditions. Traditions those with outsider perspective could only force themself to understand.

There was the act of putting a dragon egg in the cradle of a babe and hoping the egg would hatch sometime soon after to ensure the babe was bonded to a loyal protector they'd grow up alongside of; a tradition started by Rhaena Targaryen, eldest daughter of King Aenys I and Queen Alyssa Velaryon. Targaryens were Dragonriders, bonded with the very beasts they used to conquer the lands and pull them all into one kingdom (with the exception of Dorne, of course). They cremated their dead, a custom from Old Valyria, often with the help of a dragon belonging to their closest kin. 

And of course, the most infamous and often looked down upon custom, wedding kin to kin. Another custom from Old Valyria that many followers of the Seven turned their cheek upon, for they found the act of wedding siblings to siblings and so forth (apart from cousin to cousin) a sin. Faithful followers could voice their complaints as much as they wished, but Targaryens were kings, queens, princes, and princesses. Nobody could or would stop them from keeping their bloodline pure if they so wished. 

Descending from a long, historic, and proud family, Rhaenyra grew up listening and learning the tales of those who'd come before her. Aegon the Conquer and his faithful sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya; the many rebellions and fighting brought on during the lives of King Aenys I and King Maegor the Cruel; The Old King Jaehaerys who'd chosen her father, Viserys, as heir over his own late heir's daughter, Rhaenys; and of course, the histories written during the early stages of her father's reign. 

Her beloved older brother had been two when King Jaehaerys named their father heir and three when their father ascended the throne whilst their beautiful mother, Aemma Arryn, carried her in the womb. The fourth person to ever hold little Rhaenyra in their arms had been her brother, closely supervised by their parents and the maester attending the birth, of course. With a healthy son and daughter, Viserys and Aemma hardly needed for more children, but they tried anyway. Their attempts never carried to term, however, and any little ones that did were either stillborn or died mere hours or days after birth. 

Still, Rhaenyra never needed for any more siblings. Her brother was enough, in her humble opinion. He cared for her diligently, especially during their younger years when he eagerly wished to play with her, even if it meant the two of them being gently scolded at the end of the day for dirting Rhaenyra's dresses with mud and dirt. (Y/N) treated her as his equal, even showing her how to use a wooden sword when he began his training and helping prepare her for dragon-riding on Syrax. His own mount hardly needed much training in the Dragonpit, for the mighty Vermithor's first rider had been the Old King.

As time passed, the siblings were forced apart more often than Rhaenyra enjoyed. She'd made up her mind long ago that she and (Y/N) would one day be wed, and she'd be his formidable sister-wife. Their parents merely chuckled about it when she'd first told them at the age of seven, her squeaky voice and flushed cheeks only drawing cooing from Aemma and sweet smiles from Viserys. The absence of her brother had been stark, his time taken up by training, studying, and spending time with the Small Council, but Alicent Hightower had quickly taken his spot as Rhaenyra's companion. 

However, in due time, (Y/N) became man-grown, and while Rhaenyra quickly followed with her flowering, as heir and prince, (Y/N) became the most eligible bachelor in all of Westeros. It took time for it to become apparent to Rhaenyra but her eyes and ears opened when she heard their parents speaking of it. Many families, highborn and lowborn, offered their daughters through letters or visits to Kings Landing. Lannisters, Baratheons, Starks, Brackens, Blackwoods, Tullys, and plenty more came forth. Even Otto Hightower made a passing comment about wedding Alicent to him. It was infuriating.

"In truth, I do not understand your irritation, Rhaenyra," Alicent spoke gently, her slender fingers working on embroidery. A flower she'd seen in the gardens, or something along those lines. Rhaenyra hadn't truly been paying attention to her dear friend. She'd been too focused on silently fuming at the sight of her brother showing one of the highborn ladies around the Red Keep. Every giggle, every blush, every bat of her eyelashes made Rhaenyra tick. "It's wonderful to watch one's brother fall in love."

"You wouldn't understand, Alicent." Rhaenyra sighed. "It is like the love King Jaeherys and the Good Queen Alysanne had."

Alicent faltered at her words, her head lifting to eye her friend with a small grimace. "You do remember our lessons, correct? King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne had to wed in secret, for they knew that not even their mother approved in fear of another uprising from the Faith. Nobody has made a fuss over your parents since they are cousins, but who knows what may happen if you wed (Y/N)."

"(Y/N) is everything King Jaehaerys was, Alicent. He is beloved by the Realm." Rhaenyra reminded her friend with a small smile, pushing herself off the cushioned seats and smoothing her hands over the front of her dress. Her earrings swung slightly when she tilted her head slightly to the side, the ends of them brushing against her shoulders. Her eyes tracked (Y/N) as he lifted the lady's hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles before departing. "He will be a good king, and if I could prove it, I would be a good queen. His queen." Her feet began moving automatically. 

"Rhaenyra," The name tumbled out of Alicent's mouth, her hands fumbling with the items in hand. "Where are you going?"

Bunching up the skirt of her dress in her hands, Rhaenyra grinned over her shoulder and chuckled at the concerned look on Alicent's features that only grew at the sight of her mischievous glint. "To speak with my brother!" 

With a goal in mind, Rhaenyra entered the castle and followed the distant figure of her brother as he cut down hallways with long strides until he reached his bedchambers. Rhaenyra took a moment to herself to catch her breath and rake her fingers through her long silver locks before she approached the doors and nodded for the guards to open them. She stepped inside, a smile appearing across her lips when (Y/N) turned to look at her. 

"My favorite sister," (Y/N) cooed, taking a seat at his desk and unrolling a letter. Rhaenyra rolled her eyes in return, clasping her hands together behind her back and taking small steps toward him. He skimmed the contents of the letter, his face giving away nothing of what it spoke of. "Is there something you require, Nyra, or are you suffering from boredom? I have plenty of lords and ladies who'd be happy to keep you busy." 

Rhaenyra scoffed quietly and (Y/N) gave a small grin. "I hear Father is urging you to find a wife."

"The Small Council is urging him to urge me, more like. They believe it is time to begin having children. Seeing as Father and Mother had great difficulty, they wish for me to have an heir by the time I ascend the throne to ensure there won't be issues later on." (Y/N) explained, coiling the letter back up and pulling out a blank paper. He dipped his quill in ink and began writing. "Otto has been... more friendly as of recently. He speaks incredibly highly of Lady Alicent." 

"You'd tell me if you were interested in someone, wouldn't you?" Rhaenyra reached over the desk to pluck the quill from his fingers, setting it aside and raising her brows at him. (Y/N) slumped back in his seat and laced his fingers over his midsection, a hint of amusement twinkling in his eyes. Rhaenyra rounded the table and without thinking twice, she plopped down on his thigh. 

"Nyra,"

"You know as well as I do who you should wed, (Y/N). I know what a good queen should be, and I do not care about status or riches like the families of those ladies do. We have the blood of the dragon in our veins. Nobody would truly understand us." Rhaenyra spoke softly, her bottom lip slightly jutting out as she placed her palm over his cheek. His own hands unlaced, one moving to press against her back. 

"The Small Council-"

"Fuck the Small Council." Rhaenyra huffed, earning a quiet chuckle from her brother. "You are the prince, the heir. Whatever it is you choose, they must deal with it. It is their job to counsel, to offer their advice and opinions, not to dictate what you do. We could mount Syrax and Vermithor and fly elsewhere to wed in the customs of Old Valyria." 

A gentle sigh escaped (Y/N), and he leaned forward to press a delicate kiss to Rhaenyra's shoulder. The princess relaxed at the action, her hand moving past his cheek to the back of his head. (Y/N)'s lips curled up. "You are insufferable." He told her with a gentle laugh before leaning in to press their mouths together. He drew back too quickly for Rhaenyra's liking. "But a good ruler is a patient one, Nyra. If you wish for us to wed, or to lay together-" He brushed their lips together teasingly. "-you must wait. Father and Mother will be easy to convince." 

"Does it matter if we wait?" Rhaenyra tilted her head and batted her lashes coyly, the feigned innocence prompting (Y/N) to roll his eyes. She rose from his lap and dropped her hands to his, tugging on them until he stood up from the chair. She smiled widely, devilishly even, and slung her arms around his shoulders. "We will be wed, regardless. It will not matter." 

"I have things I must do, Nyra." (Y/N) gave a heavy sigh and shrugged his shoulders, his hands coming to rest on her waist. "As I said, you must be patient. If you wish to speed things along, you should speak with Mother. She'll always be the key to winning Father over." He told her and planted a kiss on her temple before settling back down on the chair. 

"Will we be like that someday?" Rhaenyra asked softly, stepping out of the way so he could resume his letter. She toyed with the rings along her fingers, the thought of becoming one of those couples who genuinely cared for each other bringing a smile to herself. It was a desire all ladies had. While sons could marry whichever woman of age they desired, ladies had to hope the husbands their fathers or elder brothers chose were good men. She'd seen far too many times the faces of girls her age married and chained to men old enough to be their grandfathers. 

(Y/N) paused his writing and lifted his head to look at her, offering a reassuring smile. "Someday." He nodded. 

"I look forward to it, then."

[bonefall]

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

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

Curlfeather not apologizing to Frostdawn kinda rocks as an idea.

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

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

"I don't regret anything."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Why?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"It was a warrior's death!"

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

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

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

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

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

[whatsthethinking]

Somebody's Lover

Neteyam x Fem!Reader

◈ Word count: 3.3k

◈ Warning: n/a? Maybe just Neteyam being in love

◈ Note: Second request :) based on this video? Maybe, I tried. I'm finally getting around to the requests that have been collecting dust in my inbox

◈ Lo’ak version

The elders of the Omatikaya clan were becoming concerned with Neteyam, he was to pass his rites in a matter of weeks and yet, he hasn’t shown any indication of even thinking about choosing a mate. It was no secret that the young Na’vi had many admirers, many fighting amongst themselves to get a sliver of attention from the Olo’keytan’s eldest son.

But none of them seemed to have a chance. Neteyam did not show that he favoured one person over another. Everyone was treated with the same level of respect, and greeted them with perfect manners. Everyone was equal, even if Neteyam didn’t particularly like you.

Some parents would even go as far as having their children befriend Lo’ak or Kiri, even little Tuk and those who were really desperate would seek out Spider but these schemes did not go very far once they were met with Neytiri’s fiery gaze, the protective mother was able to detect their plans from miles away.

It seemed like no one had a chance, Neteyam hadn’t shown interest in anyone within his clan for what seemed like years now, not that anyone was counting. There was a time when the clan thought that Tahé was to be the ‘one’.

Tahé is the eldest daughter of Jake’s most trusted warriors, she would often train alongside Neteyam in their youth and was close to the Sully family growing up but as time went on, it was clear that the Tahé and the Sully children had grown distant. You would no longer see Kiri and Tahé skipping through the forest in search of flowers to weave, or Lo’ak dragging the girl along to get into trouble. You would see Neteyam following clan members around, learning how to forage for food, Tahé would be trailing behind him with a dazed look on her face as Neteyam soaked up all of the information.

But, it was clear that the distance started to form once Tahé had started making friends with the older children in the clan. Those older children would take time out of their day to bully Kiri and Lo’ak for being different, Tahé standing behind them not saying a word. More often than not, it would be Neteyam stepping in to put an end to the teasing, Tahé would bat her eyelashes, dismissing her new friend’s behaviour but Neteyam isn’t stupid, nor is he deaf. He could hear the teasing, he could hear his siblings cry at night. As much as Neteyam disliked the girl, he knew he had to keep up appearances and bite his tongue.

And tonight was no different, the clan was having a communal dinner to celebrate this week's very successful hunt, one that Neteyam had taken part in and was being praised for. Lo’ak, Kiri and Tuk sat to Neytiri’s left, conversing with her and their grandmother. Neteyam had been sandwiched between his father and Tahé, Tahé’s father and mother beside her.

“You should be proud of yourself, Neteyam. I was told you worked extremely hard today.” Tahé’s father praised.

“Thank you, sir.” Neteyam replied looking down at his food, “Everyone worked hard.”

“Yes, yes. But you made two sturmbeest kills mere seconds apart from each other.”

“You did?” Tahé’s eyes lit up, “you’re very talented, maybe you can teach me how you did it?”

Even though Tahé’s voice filled the air, Neteyam didn’t hear her, he was too focused on the events happening in the distance. A Na’vi girl his age was swatting a Na’vi boy's hand away from her food, while their parents ignored them, indicating this was a common occurrence. 

The boy stopped his antics when his eyes met Neteyam’s, the boy’s face broke out into a large grin as he waved his hand above his head enthusiastically. The older girl rolled her eyes dramatically before offering a smile in Neteyam’s direction which he returned.

“He would love to,” Jake started, looking at Neteyam and tapping the boy’s arm to regain his attention, “isn’t that right Neteyam?”

Neteyam’s face flushed as he had been caught not paying attention to the conversation. He looked at his father for any indication of what was happening but he was just met with his father’s smirk and a twinkle of mischief in his eye that Neytiri would suggest meant he was up to no good.

“I guess?”

“Great! Tomorrow?” Tahé questioned, clearly not sensing that the boy was not interested.

“N-no. Not tomorrow, I have plans.”

“Oh, the day after then?”

Neteyam looked at Tahé and her family, he felt all eyes on him. He was sure he could hear Lo’ak howling at his expense.

“Sure?”

Damn it

Something else about Neteyam that the clan noticed? His inability to say ‘no’.

—

“No,” Neteyam said flatly, adjusting the bow on his chest

“Bro come on, please, dad’s already on my ass for sneaking out after eclipse, just come with me. Please.” Lo’ak all but begged as he watched his brother saddle his ikran

“That’s not my problem, I told you and Spider not to go but you did anyways and now Spider’s wrist is broken, Lo’ak.”

Lo’ak looked at his brother in confusion, this side of him was different. Yes, he was used to his brother scolding him or helping him cover up his antics or coming along so no one got hurt, but in the past months, Neteyam had been brushing off his plans to cause trouble. 

“You’re gonna ditch me for Tahé, aren’t you? That’s low.”

“Tahé?” Neteyam’s face contorted in confusion, “why would I ditch you for her?”

“You don’t remember?” Lo’ak stared at his brother in disbelief, “You really don’t remember. Oh my. You agreed to help her with hunting or whatever today. She’s been running around telling everyone it’s a date or something. You would know that if you were around yesterday.”

Neteyam lept onto his ikran forming the bond and getting comfortable, “I’ll reschedule.”

Before Lo’ak could make a snide comment, Neteyam and his ikran took off into the sky.

“Oh, I can not wait to see her face.” Lo’ak smiles cheekily as he walks off, excited to tell his old friend that the love of her life stood her up.

—

“You need to hold the bow like this or you’ll drop the arrows.”

Neteyam nodded trying to focus on the instructions being given to him, but he was distracted by his teachers' close proximity.

Y/n circled Neteyam before stopping beside him, adjusting his fingers and stepping back.

“Okay, shoot.” 

Neteyam took a deep breath before releasing the two arrows, both arrows had hit way off centre, one was right at the edge of the target, a small breeze could send the arrow hurtling into the bush beside it.

“Oh?”

“Shut it,” Neteyam blushed, shooting two arrows at once was harder than the girl before him made it seem.

Y/n quickly retrieved the arrows and made her way back towards Neteyam, a teasing smile on her lips, “looks like the mighty warrior needs more practice.” 

Neteyam reached a hand out, placing it on top of y/n’s that were wrapped around the two arrows and pulled her forward gently until she was standing directly in front of him

“I’ll need all the help I can get.”

Neteyam smiled sweetly, taking in his lover's face. 

When he was with y/n it was like time stood still and nothing around him mattered. Being with y/n he felt like he could be himself, he could relax, there was no one to impress, no one holding him to a high standard. Being with y/n he felt nervous but also with her, he felt at peace.

Neteyam leaned down slightly and y/n closed the gap, Neteyam’s hand moved up and gently held the side of her head as their lips met. Y/n’s free hand held Neteyam’s arm, her fingers giving his arm a gentle squeeze. 

Neteyam could feel his heart pick up speed as y/n dropped her arrows and raised her hands to rest them on his shoulders and then slowly around his neck. He followed suit and dropped his bow on the ground, bringing his hands to her waist.

The sound of his ikran chittering brought the pair out of their embrace. Neteyam’s face flushed as he suddenly felt shy, not looking y/n in the eye. The girl grinned, bringing a hand to his chin and moving his head so he could meet her gaze. 

“Always so shy.” She teased placing a kiss on the corner of his mouth. 

Neteyam chuckled under his breath, a hand gently caressing the small of her back, “What can I say? You’re absolutely stunning.”

Y/n’s face blushed at the compliment, causing her to look down slightly.

Y/n took Neteyam’s hand, leading him to her ikran. When they arrived, y/n let go of his hand and opened the bag she had attached to its saddle. Reaching in and pulling out a small parcel wrapped in fabric. She handed it to Neteyam, her hands fidgeting nervously as he began to unwrap it. 

“I remember that you said you like the one I have, so I made you your own,” Y/n admitted shyly as Neteyam ran a finger over the woven cords and then the stone sitting in the middle.

Neteyam reached around and quickly untied his beaded choker, replacing it with the necklace. When he was sure that it was secure, he grinned at her before placing his hands on either side of her face and dramatically kissing her forehead.

“Mwah!” He exclaimed as she laughed, “I love it.”

—

As Neytiri chopped the vegetables, her ears twitched hearing Jake half-heartedly apologise to Tahé’s father for her eldest son's disappearance. Her eldest son had been disappearing more and more recently. She had an idea what could be going on with Neteyam for the past few months but she felt like she should leave it to him to tell him.

“Neteyam’s back!“ Tuk exclaimed, pointing to the sky, sure enough, Neteyam and his ikran were making a slow descent in the distance, moments later, the boy in question stepped through the low-hanging trees into view. As the boy emerged, Neytiri instantly noticed the change in her son’s appearance, his usual beaded choker that he wore with pride had been replaced with a woven necklace, and his hair had changed too. The beads that resided at the front of his hair were now in a different colour order and there was also an orange feather dangling behind his ear.

The whispering was almost instantaneous but it did not seem to affect Neteyam as he made his way towards the family tent. Passing Jake and Tahé’s father in the process. Seeing him, Jake said bye to the other man and followed his son into the tent. Neytiri stood up as well and walked in with Tuk rushing behind.

Just as Neteyam entered the family tent, Jake’s hand reached out toward the boy’s back, pulling a white and blue feathered arrow out of the quiver. Jake instantly noticed that this arrow didn’t belong to his son or anyone in his family and at a stretch anyone in the clan.

Neteyam spun around at the slight weight change and his eyes locked onto the arrow being twisted between Jake’s fingers.

“This isn’t yours.” Jake stated, “Where were you?”

“Practising.”

“Practising?”

“Yes?”

Jake hummed as he took in this lie, he liked to believe he knew his children well and one thing about Neteyam, he was a terrible liar. Something they clearly had to work on.

“Who did you practise with?” Jake questioned with humour in his voice and Neteyam’s eyes failed to keep contact with him.

“A friend.”

“Oh? And does this friend have a name?”

Neteyam’s mouth opened and closed quickly, looking at his mother for help.

“Ma Jake, you’re embarrassing him,” Neytiri interjected, taking the arrow from between her mate’s fingers.

“I am not, I'm just asking questions.”

Neytiri gave Jake a look before handing Neteyam the arrow. Jake cleared his throat, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You ditched Tahé, again.” Jake stated to his son, putting on an authoritative tone, “Her dad was just here telling me how upset she is.”

Tuk rolled her eyes at her father’s antics, taking the arrow from Neteyam, everyone in this tent knew that Jake did not like Tahé around his children but for the sake of keeping the peace, he bites his tongue.

“I forgot.”

“Forgot with your friend?”

Neteyam paused momentarily before nodding, “Yes?”

Jake dropped the act at his son’s hesitant honesty.

“She make you that necklace?” Neteyam nodded

“She do your hair?” Again, Neteyam nodded

“Have you kissed her yet?”

“Ma Jake!” “Daddy!”

“What? I’m just asking.”

—

The next evening, Neteyam found himself walking confidently through the camp, hoping to not be stopped on the way to his destination. 

Neteyam led the pair through the bioluminescent forest, being sure to brush any low-hanging vines out of the way. 

“Where are we going?” Y/n questioned, looking around, no matter how many times she ran through the forest during the day, it does not dull the beauty it holds at night

“Just a little further, I promise.” Neteyam smiled, squeezing her hand.

Walking along a thick branch, moving the flora away from her legs, he motioned her to step forward onto the mountain edge as he placed a small basket on the ground, the moss beneath her feet lighting up with every step she took.

“Wow.” Y/n breathed out taking in the view. From here, you could see almost the whole forest

Neteyam walked behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

“This is beautiful, Neteyam.” She whispered, placing her arms on top of his and taking in the view. “How did you know to come here?”

“Running around after Lo’ak has some advantages.” He smiled, placing a kiss on her shoulder.

Y/n laughed slightly at the thought of the younger boy that always seemed to attract trouble, he was very similar to her own brother, the only difference was that Lo’ak was the Olo'eyktan’s son so if he was to get in trouble, everyone knew about it.

Neteyam placed another kiss on the girl's shoulder and slowly made his way up her neck. Y/n turned her head and their lips brushed against one another.

“What are you doing?”

“Admiring you,” Neteyam replied softly, “is that okay?”

Y/n nodded, turning around, the boy pulling her into a kiss, much more passionate than the ones shared the day prior.

—

Y/n straddled Neteyam’s lap, her knees sinking into the moss. Neteyam’s hands ran up y/n’s thighs and rested on her hips.

Y/n placed one arm behind the back of his neck and used her free hand to trace the bioluminous flecks across his forehead, down his nose to his chin. Neteyam looked up at y/n, eyes full of love and admiration.

“I love you,” Neteyam said without a hint of hesitation or the usual shyness in his voice, a gentle smile on his face.

“I love you, too,” Y/n replied, smiling down at him lovingly.

—

Y/n walked into the clearing where other teens were training, her brother, Kalä, trailing behind her complaining about not wanting to train this early.

“We’re here for you, not for me.” She reminded him, rolling her eyes as he started to complain louder.

Y/n ignored him as she lent her bow against a tree and started to sort out her arrows.

Out of the corner of her eye, y/n noticed Tahé walking into the clearing with her obnoxious group of friends. As the group passes, Tahé eyed the girl before stopping fully next to her.

“Y/n, it’s been so long, are you here to train with us?” Her tone was somewhat condescending

Y/n looked down at the arrows in her hand and then back at the girl, “Did the arrows in my hand tell you that?”

Kalä bit back a smile at his sister's response which didn’t go unnoticed by the other girl who glared subtly at him.

“It’s just that I haven’t seen you around in such a long time, I was concerned, I thought something happened.”

Y/n resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the girl, instead looking to the other side of the clearing where Jake Sully, Neytiri and their two sons had walked in. Tahé’s eyes followed, her eyes lighting up at the sight. The girl quickly ran her hand over her hair and down her outfit before slowly turning away, y/n noticed that Kalä had extended his foot out but she pushed him to the side so he didn’t succeed in tripping the annoying girl.

“Behave.” She muttered, turning away to finish organising the arrows.

Tahé’s friends followed behind, chatting amongst themselves, none of them having the courage to walk up to the Olo'eyktan directly.

“She’s just so, urgh. I can’t stand her. Look at her, drooling over Neteyam, wait until she finds out he’s been shoving his ton-”

Y/n turned to her brother swiftly, hitting him in the arm with the end of an arrow, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Ow! I’m sensitive!” Kalä exclaimed defensively, holding onto his arm.

This caused the siblings to start bickering amongst themselves, which started to draw the attention of some clan members around them.

—

Neteyam looked around the clearing, he tried to make it seem like he was just surveying the area but in reality, he was looking for the girl he spent the whole night speaking to, the pair only making it back to their tents just as the sun was rising.

At the far end of the clearing, Neteyam spotted a familiar sibling poking each other in the shoulder.

Neteyam smiled, looking down at the grass surrounding his feet.

“Neteyam!”

He raised his head slowly to see Tahé walking toward him and his family, Lo’ak sighed and rolled his eyes as Neytiri nudged him. Jake looked back at his eldest son, s smile creeping onto his face as he saw Neteyam resist the urge to copy his brother.

“Good morning.” Tahé greeted cheerfully, a grin stretching onto her face.

“You’re very chipper this morning, so you must’ve already ruined someone's day,” Lo’ak stated only to receive a stern look from his father.

Tahé was about to retaliate but she was stopped as someone rushed forward, almost knocking her to the floor.

“Sorry! Neteyam! Finally, you’re here!” Kalä announced, skidding to a stop next to the boy, “Save me.”

Neteyam smiled at the younger boy, excusing himself from Tahé and his family, walking towards where y/n was standing, testing a bow.

“Look, Neteyam’s here!”

Y/n turned to smile at Neteyam before glaring at her brother, pushing the bow and an arrow into his chest before crossing her arms, “Go.”

“But-”

“Go, I’ll join you in a minute.” Neteyam intervened nodding at the younger boy

Kalä smiled smugly before walking off quickly to where other teens were waiting for an instructor. 

“You don’t have to help him, you know,” Y/n sighed, uncrossing her arms, letting them fall to her side and placing her weight onto one leg.

“I want to,” Neteyam confirmed with a smile, watching the boy join his friends.

With their backs to the clearing, everyone was able to see Neteyam’s hand slowly make his way towards y/n’s, taking hold of it and bringing it to his mouth, kissing her knuckles, causing the girl to turn and smile at him.

Jake nodded approvingly while Neytiri smiled fondly.

Lo’ak was proud of his brother for finding someone he liked and he was even happier when he watched Tahé’s face drop and her shoulders sag in defeat.

Request from @tigermoon3

[ninjamelissajulien]

Eric is an underrated Barbie King

I know most people think about Julian or Dominick when it comes to the OG Barbie Movie love interests, but I feel like a lot of people don't think about Eric [the Nutcracker]. It could be because Barbie in the Nutcracker was the first movie released, and more people remember Princess and the Pauper because of the music but I really recommend BITN.

Eric has one of the most tragic backstories out of the entire BCU cast, aside from maybe Blair (Princess Charm School). Before the movie even begins-

Eric is orphaned, having already lost both parents to an unknown cause. Before his father passed, he said that Eric was not to have the Scepter until he was ready to be king- the Mouse refused to give up control and the power he wielded. With this, the Mouse cursed Eric into a Nutcracker form and began a manhunt to literally murder him. The Mouse, verbally, wants Eric dismembered, crushed, or burned alive, to the point of hunting him across realms. Along with that, the Mouse has also killed entire villages of people and cursed soldiers into mice forms (Eric later calls them traitors, meaning they might have had a choice of being turned into mice). Eric and Clara encounter the Peppermint village with no survivors beside two children who were gone before the massacre.

Because of the curse and the manhunt, Eric had to go into hiding and kept his true identity hidden from all those he met. During this time, the citizens of Parthenia had no idea what happened to the heir to the throne, being led to believe that he had either abandoned his people or killed by the Mouse. Later, when meeting Capt. Candy/Major Mint, Mint declared that Eric was lazy, irresponsible, and useless. Candy appeared devastated when "Nutcracker" said Eric was destroyed by the Mouse.

And yet, despite all of this, Eric remained determined to find the one person who could bring his people happiness- the Sugar Plum Princess. Eric didn't care what happened to him, yet he constantly showed compassion and kindness toward those he met. He was protective of Clara, yet treating her as an equal. He trusted her, he knew that she could save him- without knowing that she was the Sugar Plum Princess. He risked his life to not only protect her, but Capt Candy, rescuing him from the river chasm without a second thought.

Eric was willing to fight to the death to protect his people and to protect Clara. He, unknowingly, earned his people's respect by standing up to the Mouse, putting his own life at risk to protect Clara, before she broke the curse.

Eric is a kind-hearted, patient, and brave hero who shows only love to Clara. I believe he deserves to be mentioned alongside Julian and Dominick in terms of well known Barbie men.

[letsgetrowdy43]

Timeline—

Au Masterlist!!

Evangeline "Angie" Chandler is from Dallas, Texas. She was raised there by her mother and father, alongside her older and younger sister.

Her mother played hockey alongside Ellen when they were little and remained one of her closest friends up until graduating from college, the two of them lost contact as their lives got busy and they both gained a career and families.

But they got close again when a scout reached out to the Chandler family and offered Angie a position on the USNTDP team, while they were searching for a suitable Billet family they saw Ellen and Jim's names on the list of available rooms and knew that Angie would be in good hands.

Ellen had quite the house full, Quinn was at Umich, Luke and Jack were still at home, and Angie and Alex Turcotte moved into the remaining spare bedrooms as Billet kids. It was hectic, but was so much fun.

Angie loved living with the Hughes, and Ellen quickly became her idol as the mother helped her through the acclimation to playing on an all-boys team, she helped with the tears and the breakdowns, talking her out of quitting her sport when her actual mother couldn't be there to help her through it all.

Angie finishes out her two years with the program, makes an insane name for herself, and suddenly she gets a call from the NHL inviting her out to the combine

The Combine goes well, she is obviously athletically gifted so she does all of the testing just fine, her interviews with teams were a little disheartening, but her ones with the Devils and the Sabres both felt really promising.

Now that it's known throughout the league that a girl was invited out to participate amongst the boys she's getting a little anxious about how real this all is

People either hate her or love her, her stats were impeccable so many hockey lovers are really rooting for her, whereas some people just absolutely hate her

So it becomes a lot, ESPN does a little documentary on her life and achievements, NHL does one on her impact within the program, its a lot of positive media where she's sharing her struggle to be seen as an equal.

She sat through many sexist interviews and read many disgusting tabloids about her that all lacked the conversation of hockey and focused more on literally anything else

But people still really hate her, her 'softness' is not the type of thing the league is built for blah blah blah, misogynistic bullshit.

Anyways, the draft comes around and she is a part of the League "Welcome to the NHL" video along with Cole, Jack, and a few other draftees.

She wore a lavender suit with a list of Women who pushed and fought to get her where she is in life on the inside of her jacket along with a tiny Ellen Hughes quote that said "Give 'em hell," an homage to the woman who pushed her the most.

She was trending on Twitter the second she stepped on that carpet, she was so obsessed with reading how much people hated her as she sat in the stands, that her dad had to take her phone to calm her nerves.

Jack went first like she knew he would, and she was the first person he went to hug after he went through his whole family, whispering a short "I owe this all to you," as she shook her head and hugged him tightly.

She wasn't drafted in the end, and she was so upset, but she was more upset with herself for even thinking that being in the NHL was a possibility.

She ends up crying in Ellen's arms outside of the arena, realizing that nothing she could do would ever be good enough.

She almost quits hockey that summer, but Quinn calls her outraged when she doesn't show up for the first summer training session.

"So that's it?" he asks over the phone. "I don't know what else I can do Q, I've done everything I can at this point, it's not worth the fight anymore" He let out a bitter laugh, "So you just let them win?" she sat for a second in silence before he spoke up again, "I'm not allowing that Chandler, I better see you tomorrow or I will show up to your house and drag you here myself." It was safe to say that she went the next day, but the real emotional moment was when Jim texted her telling her that he missed her at practice to tell her he was proud of her for pushing past it all

Then she was off to university, much like most of the USNTDP boys, Jack and Quinn are both now in the League playing their rookie years

Her collegiate rookie year was the same year as covid so it's pretty bland, her team and roommate are the only people she gets to be around so she felt very isolated by the end of the year

Before the entire world shut down though she got a chance to visit Jack during her reading week, and this is where she meets Nico for the first time

It was literally just a week of him and her giving each other heart eyes, Jack was over it the second it started, he wanted time with his Angie and Nico was ruining it.

By the end of her trip, Jack had practically locked her in his room and said that she couldn’t leave until it was time to go home cause he wanted to hang out with just her for a few days, with no Nico, and no distractions.

Luke got drafted in 2021, and she was asked to join Quinn and Jack in a video tribute for him and the Hughes for ESPN, she gladly reached out and accepted the interview.

It was at that time that a producer told her that if she ever wanted to give up her pipe dream, she could always have the backup of reporting or journalism. She was not a fan of that comment.

She was also there to witness Jack’s over-the-top reaction, which she still relentlessly bullies him for.

She spoke a little to Pat Brisson that night, and he hinted that shortly, the league is gonna do some growing and he wants to be the one to represent her if there ever comes a time that she needs it. She tells him that she’ll reach out if she ever needs to.

She became an Assistant/Alternate captain in her second year (2021-2022) and she loved it, she really grew into her role as a leader and her team was amazing.

Nothing happened over the summer of ‘22 other than training, and a summer fling that she meets at a bar in Michigan.

Fall semester 2022 starts and she’s back in Minnesota, but around a month in she gets a call from the devs asking to meet with her.

Nico, Lindy, Tom Fitzgerald, and a few other legal and coaching staff representatives are the few people in the room as they go over the terms and conditions of her joining the team.

It was summed up to her that she was being brought in as that “glue” character in their locker room, that she was to bring that close-knit family structure that they were missing. The staff had heard from many sources that she was the girl they were gonna want to bring this feeling to, so the devs were the first to take a chance on her.

Nico asked her out a few weeks later and it was a hard no, she was almost a little offended that he even attempted.

So there starts the heat of awkward tension between them, they have amazing chemistry, they play the same line, and they spend nearly every waking second in each other's presence, but there is still some tension between the two of them that seems a little less than friendly and slightly flirty.

Angie is not looking for romance whatsoever, she has a shot at a career, and to her, it seems like Nico is trying to jeopardize her place on the team, or that he doesn't see her as a teammate so she is not only mad but also really hurt that he would act like he wants her there but also through his actions shows that he doesn't.

He doesn't get that, he's a man, and he worked hard to get where he is but he's never faced the same challenges as her so he doesn't see how the weight of his actions could affect her shot at a professional career.

She attended the 2023 all-star weekend in Florida with Jack, and they had a blast, she's the one who sunk Sidney in the dunk tank which was a “mega slay” as she explained it to the reporter on sight (her media training went right out the window the second she saw Crosby)

Her being a locker room staple on the team obviously worked cause they make playoffs!!

She plays a really good run too, with 12 points in her 10 games, but she gets injured in game 4 against the Canes and she didn't play game 5

She sprained her knee and broke her wrist from a hit to the boards and was actually distraught when she was told she couldn't play for the rest of the run. She thought the boys would back her up, and she wanted to prove that she wasn't soft and could continue, but Nico put his foot down and told them that they had to think about her health first and not the possibility of a win.

She somehow found herself at the Stanley Cup finals a few weeks later, helping with commentary for ESPN, she was on a panel with Biz and Gretzky which was both equally terrifying and hilarious.

Angie also attended her first-ever NHL awards ceremony, she was a finalist for ‘Rookie of the Year’ and she won!!!

Nico saw her in her gown and was literally like 😻😻😻 the entire night, Lindy would not let him live it down either, he was relentlessly bullying the Captain every time he even glanced at the girl who was basically the fan favourite on the carpet.

Her summer is spent with a strict physical therapy regimen, but she still has a lot of fun, even attended the Tkachuck wedding with the Hughes’

She spends a week in Sweden with Jesper cause his mother really wants to meet this girl whom both Nicole and Jesper raved about during the season.

Going into her sophomore year she was so scared of ending up in a slump, and she did absolutely that from stressing about it so much.

Her sophomore year is also the year she realizes just how loved she is by the team, because of this slump all of the boys are doing everything in their power to get her through it.

It's also the year she realizes that she might be in love with her captain, but she definitely pushes that thought far to the back of her mind, not willing to think or reflect on it cause she needs to focus on herself and her career.

At this point, Nico has accepted that she views him as a teammate and nothing more so he is just focused on the betterment of the team, but deep down he knows that he will never meet someone more perfect for him than her.

Luke puts him into perspective during training camp while he's bitching about how he doesn't understand why she just won't let him be happy. And Luke being the basically little brother he is just sits up and rips into Nico for being so blind.

"It's like no one in this locker room realizes how much harder she worked for this than we all did?" he looked at the captain as everyone quieted, "she has a point to prove, you just have to play hockey, she has to show that she is worthy to even ben considered equal" and with that, he headed out to the ice, stunning Nico, his brother, and literally everyone in the room.

So that's why he has dropped any type of advances for her that he was trying to pursue, realizing that he was only harming her by trying to chase whatever feelings he had.

Angie on the other end is dealing with a mental battle, cause she never wants to be known as that girl who gets on this team and starts sleeping with her captain, having a reputation followed by a negative connotation is the last thing she wants.

But it's the holidays, they are in Ohio and are celebrating a win against the Blue Jackets in one of the hotel conference rooms, and Nico and her have not left each other's sides all night. The two of them decide to step out for a second of air, cold air filling their lungs as they just quietly stare at each other. The night had been filled with fleeting glances and quick moments of physical touch as they sat next to each other, thighs brushing against each other and hands momentarily touching. So now they are standing outside with this thick tension between them, and she just kisses him.

It's safe to say that she runs straight to her hotel after profusely apologizing to him, his eyes wide as she steps away from him with shaky hands and then just leaves him in shock.

She calls Quinn immediately, she doesn't know why, but she needs to tell someone, and she can't tell Jack, she sure as shit can't tell Trevor or any of the other USNTDP boys, so she calls her basically older brother.

Quinn assures her that she isn't going to get kicked off the team for a simple kiss, and Nico will surely be fine in the morning

Nico is just absolutely gagged, so he's fine, just shocked.

She literally can't look at him for weeks, and he's going insane from her ignoring him, so he pulls her aside and is like 'This needs to stop'

Nico stops her on her way out of Lindy's office and says he needs to talk, she is literally frozen in fear as they walk to an empty room. "Are we okay?" "I am so sorry," they say at the same time as they just stare at each other. "Why are you sorry?" "I kissed you? and it was weird and unprofessional?" "It's fine, just stop being weird about it, it happened, we move past it," he said, trying not to smother her with the feelings that he's still trying to keep it at bay, "do you regret it?" "Yes," is all she says before sighing and watching him nod and leave the room.

They both know she doesn't actually regret it, she is just doing what is best for her and for her name.

I have no idea how they get together just yet, so if you guys have any ideas lmk!!!

-

-

-

[lets-try-some-writing]

I just love the earth and moon relationship! I’m kinda a sucker for cute romance but unfortunately, I’m also into angst as well. That I can’t help but wonder how their relationship would be different in the Grim dark archive. I feel their relationship would definitely be unhealthy in some aspects and is more likely to end in a tragedy. With either the moon betraying earth or Unicron killing earth and the humans in the attempt of keeping them all out of the reach of Primus.

Within the Grim Dark Archives, their relationship is indeed very toxic.

Earth is of Unicron, and so she shares his desperate desire to free the children of Primus from the clutches of their soulless creator. It is in her very blood, and she cannot help but urge her precious children to take to the stars. Weak as they may be, they spread quickly and they will not be taken by the devastation of Primus's infection. Unfortunately, much like her maker, Earth cannot take to the stars alongside her creator and end the suffering. Not with Moon looming above her

Moon found her long ago, and he has since made it his one duty to guard her. She is HIS, and he allows no other to touch her, save for himself. He loves and hates her in equal measure. Made of Unicron, she is unholy, broken and shattered from the moment of her birth. And yet, she carries the form of a Titan, and it is for that reason that Moon holds out hope that he can "fix" her.

He tells her he loves her. He tells her that everything he does it to fix her so that they can be together. Over and over he will repeat how much he adores her as he devastates her surface with tidal waves and redirected asteroids. He whispers that she must know pain so that her blood may run the taint free. He sings that she must let go of her children and break free of her malevolent maker so that Moon may destroy him. Then, always after he hurts her, he promises that he shall take her to see the stars. He murmurs promises of citizens they shall rear together. Always his whispers haunt Earth. Always he presses closer and closer, urging her to break free so that he can take her into himself.

"We can be one. I shall take you into myself and together we will be pure. Together... we can spread the glory of Primus to new worlds. Tell me love, do you not wish to see a whole colony grow under our watchful gaze?"

Forever watching her, taunting her... Earth can only weep as she tries to guard her father. She must guard him. She is the only thing standing between her maker and obliteration. Moon, for all his torment, would never kill Earth to reach Unicron. He fights off other Titans who dare to harm her.

Only Moon can hurt her.

Only Moon can have her for himself.

Only Moon can have the honor of "cleansing" the Unmaker's daughter.

[lazyveran]

thinking about where azula's ego comes from and her self confidence

see, azula's been born into and seemingly fully subscribes to the divine right of kings and heavens mandate and so on. so assuming this, her self worth and confidence is innate. her ego doesn't stem from trying to prove herself, since she believes that she's simply been born better than others. for azula, that's fact. she's intrinsically a princess, a royal, something more divine than man. alongside this is the imperial cult of personality built up around the royals that azula is born into, no doubt shaping this idea further. azula expects the love of her people, she expects complete obedience and respect, and she expects herself to simply be better than others. this is reassured by her skill in firebending, which does put her in a league of her own. it's physical, undeniable proof that she is better. therefore the two cores of her ego compliment and reinforce each other and result in her supreme confidence.

azula using backup and azula doing things that would make others insecure or shameful simply doesn't matter. whatever she does is right and will not reflect poorly on herself because she believes she is better than everyone on an intrinsic level. why on earth would she care about what others think? she's the princess, after all. she has nothing to prove.

it also places her relationships in a very interesting light. azula has been raised to see herself as a leader of those 'lesser' than her, so mai and ty lee fall into that category. she uses them because of her intelligence, she does not feel shame in it because of her very anchored, stable ego, but ultimately they cant be equals to her because of right of birth, and she treats them as such. there's a gap there that azula can't bridge because if she does, shes betraying one of the core foundations of herself.

but what i think is so interesting is that her self confidence is deeply anchored within the few she does see as equal. and that, invariably, is family. because they're the only ones that also possess the royalty in which azula builds her self perception off of. it's why ursa effects her so badly, why in the few moments they have outside the palace she treats her brother - her rival in as many names as is the royal convention (and really that almost defines their relationship because azula sees herself as a princess first and sister second) - with respect and care. or as much as she can in her stilted azula way. and of course, her father. the fire lord. the sole and supreme divine ruler of her nation.

the only person she doesnt seem to extend this to is iroh, but i assume that's because he forsook the throne. which to azula is forsaking his birthright, their shared birthright as royals, and therefore he becomes lesser in her eyes. he didnt want to be royal in as many words, and azula demotes him accordingly within her own mind. why would she listen to someone who willingly 'lowers' himself to be rabble? zuko, at least, despite being demoted in her eyes by her father, still fights for his birthright. that is something she understands at a core level, and no doubt one of the reasons she offers his prince-hood back to him.

it almost seems to me that at some point azula starts to see herself more by her titles, role and function as royalty than as a daughter and person. no doubt from ozai's attitude towards her deeply shaping her own self worth. she's been groomed to be the throne's servant first, and a daughter second afterall. ursa's absence amplifies this, removing the one shaping force that insists that azula is a girl, not a weapon nor a perfect princess. where zuko's journey separates his self worth from his position as prince, azula doesn't get that actualisation. she is a princess who is also a girl. she is a royal that happens to be a human too.

to her, ozai is her fire lord before he is her father. zuko is a prince before he is her brother. ursa is the fire lady before she is her mother. the throne comes first, always. azula relies on her status as royalty to understand herself and her position in the world. without it, shes completely unmoored and most likely has no idea who she is, how to operate, or where her loyalties should lie. she seems almost dependant on her status in that way. she sacrifices everything for it. because what is she, who is everyone else, if she's not a princess?

[nightowlwriting]

summary: (he never kisses her left hand, always her right, because she once told him that she’s nothing more than the anchor on her hand and the history of the fight with the archdemon so many years earlier.)

word count: 2.2k

warnings: subdrop, mentions of past child abuse, torture, and allusions to past almost-sexual assault (no assault occurred or is described in the fic)

note: i haven't written in a long time, so this is me easing myself into ktober24. also this takes place in MY canon for the dragon age series which heavily diverges from bioware's canon. eventually i'll get around to novelizing the warriorverse (my warrior playthroughs of the game) but with veilguard coming out in less than thirty days that will have to wait.

title credit: sufjan stevens

kinktober masterlist: here

amalia cousland: here

mobile masterlist - request - ao3

Cullen Rutherford is a strategist at heart and a man of his word. Born from a lineage of farmers, put through trials and tribulations that most men can only imagine - all to rise to the Commander of the Inquisition’s forces. Not without struggle, of course, especially as he falls deeper into his Lyrium withdrawal. But those struggles, the demons that come for him at night, and the gnarled roots of addiction inside of him don’t stop him from being the man that Amalia always knew he would grow into.

She remembers being a child in Honnleath, before the blight and before Ves and before shedding the heavy Sulzbacher name for the equally heavy Cousland name. She remembers being friends with Rosalie first, one year her senior, and then Branson next. Branson was a few years younger than Amalia, but she got along with him fine. Mia came next and then, finally, Cullen Rutherford.

She remembers that he was three years older than her and golden. Golden hair, skin touched by the long hours with his father and farm hands in the fields, and fundamentally benevolent. She first saw him through a curtain of her then-black hair after Branson had tripped her as she trotted alongside Rosalie, smiling down at her. She was only six at the time, to Cullen’s nine, but she knew. She knew that he’d go on to do great things, knew that he’d escape Honnleath like she wished that she could, that he would find a great love like in the stories her mother used to tell.

The world seems so simple when you’re less than a decade old.

Now, though, nothing has really changed. Amalia is still friends with Rosalie and Branson, though only by the letters she sends and receives from the South Reach. Cullen is still all of those things he was as a child, except now he’s been tested by the Maker in tragedy, war, and now one of the Magisters who first entered the Golden City. Selfishly, she’s glad that it’s Cullen. She’s almost thankful to the Maker and Andraste for all of the shit they’ve mucked Cullen through - and the shit that they’ve mucked her through - because it brings the two of them to now, this exact moment in time.

The truth of what nearly happened at Fort Drakon ten years ago had come out at the war table, but Cullen hadn’t looked at her any differently. They’d had the night together at the Winter Palace, after Amalia’s disastrous decision to dule that Duchess in front of the entire court, and Cullen remained stalwartly at her side. And then, when she’d gone up to his office to try and escape her meddling family he’d asked her to go back with him.

To Ferelden. To the Redcliffe arling.

To Honnleath.

She had been hesitant. Matthias surely wasn’t still there, but Amalia also didn’t want to risk seeing her father again, no matter the circumstances. She also didn’t want to see where so many of her happiest childhood memories took place - always at the Rutherford farm or sitting underneath the shade that Shale provided and never inside of her home - after the blight and after ten years of abandonment. But Cullen smiled so sweetly at her, took her right hand and pressed a kiss to her scarred knuckles, and said please.

(He never kisses her left hand, always her right, because she once told him that she’s nothing more than the Anchor on her hand and the history of the fight with the archdemon so many years earlier.)

Cullen had taken her to the lake, had given her his coin, and then taken her back to Honnleath where the bulk of the force they’d traveled with had finished the job they set out to do. Amalia doesn’t mind that they’ve gone through the small home, and dungeon beneath it, that had been her childhood abode. Doesn’t mind that they’ve taken her grandfather’s writings and research and loaded them in heavy boxes on the back of the bronto-drawn carts. She’s not a mage, just mage-blooded enough to pull off rituals as seen by the time she spent with Morrigan’s grimoire and the survival of her Grey Warden siblings. Amalia, at heart, is a warrior. If her grandfather’s works will help the Inquisition mages, then they shall be taken back to Skyhold.

It helps that Wilhelm Sulzbacher was a bastard of a man to everyone in his life, including his elven wife and golem. Amalia has nothing left for him, or her father, Matthias. It helps that he was also a bastard of a man to his elven wife, and elfblooded daughter. It’s almost cathartic to see the Inquisition soldiers - Amalia’s soldiers - carting everything up out of the dank basement she was so terrified of.

Cullen had let her watch for a few moments, standing in the spot that Shale used to stand in, before he took her back to the Rutherford house. It had been cleaned, probably at his request, and then…

Well, and then Cullen made good on his promise.

When she’d been nervous at the Winter Palace, he hadn’t pushed her into sex. They’d shared pleasure, yes, but not sex. Amalia hadn’t wanted their first time to be because of a duel and she agreed with Cullen’s sentiment: neither wanted their first time laying together to be in Orlais. They’re Ferelden at heart, and no amount of satin bedding or hearty foods could convince them otherwise. He’d promised her as he brought her off on his fingers that she’d know nothing but pleasure from him. He’d take her back across the border into Ferelden, he’d find a place comfortable for both of them, and if she wished it they would lay together.

Of course, being in the throes of an orgasm made Amalia agree to anything he was saying. Cullen Rutherford is a strategist at heart and a man of his word. As soon as the missive had crossed his desk about needing Wilhelm’s research, he knew that it was of the upmost importance that Wilhelm’s granddaughter, Amalia, be there when it was retrieved.

The fact that he had his childhood bedroom prepared, cleaned, and fitted with more expensive sheets before their arrival is none of anyone’s concern.

Except Amalia’s, but she’s not very concerned about that. She’s more focused on the way his skin feels against hers, hot and slick, and the way that pleasure still lays heavy in her limbs. Cullen has her pulled as closely as possible to him, legs tangled, as his hands roam up and down her bare back. He has been right when he’d told her that she needn’t worry with him. When Cullen had tried to press into her body for the first time and Amalia had flinched - barely noticeable but she knows that he notices everything about her - they’d prepared more.

(Prepared, of course, meaning that he’d put his mouth on her again until she peaked once more.)

There was never a moment in which Amalia Cousland felt like Cullen Rutherford was just fucking her to own her or taking what he wanted without considering what she wanted. His body over hers, so broad and muscular and golden, hadn’t felt like those moments before Alistair had kicked the door to the machine room down. Cullen’s hands handn’t felt like brands upon her skin - well, they had, but the good kind of brands. The kind of brands Amalia can see herself becoming addicted to. The way Cullen held her as he pressed into her hadn’t made her panic with claustrophobia or cry out in terror.

Amalia isn’t even sure she can call what they did fucking. That seems too… Primal of a word for what they shared. Love-making, maybe. It had felt like love, and she knows that she loves Cullen but can he love her? If he doesn’t, could he? Her past weighs heavy on her shoulders, and she can’t even escape it. Everyone knows the story of the girl who took the final strike on the archdemon at Denerim, of the Grey Warden who refused to let her die, of the Ashes that brought the girl back to life. The scar on the left side of her jaw, from just below her mouth to underneath her ear, is proof that she did die at the hands of the archdemon, that when Ves used the Ashes of Andraste leftover from healing the Arl of Redcliffe that they not only brought Amalia back to life but darned her face back together and left a mottled line of proof.

And now she’s the Inquisitor. The Herald of Andraste. She half believes it herself, because why else would the Ashes have worked? Why else would the Joining not have taken?

Why else would Ves and Alistair, both set on keeping her away from the Conclave and the fact that their Calling was shouting at them to be there, sent her with Bethany and Carver to see if they could find the other Wardens?

Why else would she have been the only survivor? Another moment of death and loss, and Amalia is still standing.

Before she knows it, she’s crying. She doesn’t want to worry Cullen, he already carries so much on his shoulders, but she can’t stop. Before long the heady, heavenly feeling of being in his arms, of knowing him and his body, twists and sours into panic and sorrow.

“Amalia?” Cullen asks, pulling only slightly away from her. Just enough to see her face, really, and she wonders what she looks like. Hair and eyes leeched of color because of her brush with death, scarred face, Anchor… She can’t possibly be the woman he thought he’d be in bed with. The woman that he thought he’d end up betrothed to. “Amalia, darling, what’s wrong?” His voice shakes and he cups her face with one hand, tilting her head up until she’s looking at him.

And, well, she can’t let him think he’s done something wrong.

“I am,” She finally warbles, shaking her head as best she can when she’s laying on her side tangled up in him, “I’m wrong. I should have died in Denerim, and I should have died during the Joining, and I should have died at the Conclave. How can you stand to look at me, Cullen?” Her voice breaks as she begins to cry in earnest, tears blurring his face as he looks at her.

“Oh, darling,” He whispers, bringing her close enough that his lips can press against her forehead, and then her nose, and finally on the jagged scar that reminds her of what she was willing to give up to protect Ves and Alistair. “I don’t care what should have happened,” Cullen finally says, pressing himself as close as possible, “I only care what has happened. Everything leading up to this moment, with you in my arms, is all that matters.”

“But we’ll never be free of it,” Amalia allows herself to sink into him, to press her nose against the side of his neck and drown in oakflower, eldermoss, and the faint scent of leather. “We’ll never be free from people knowing who I am, what I’ve done. I don’t care if it’s all good, if they think that I’m the Herald of Andraste. I just want a normal life. I want you to have a normal life, and I can’t give you that.”

Cullen shifts and for a brief second, Amalia is afraid that she’s chased him away. He only sets her down on the mattress and disentangles himself so that he can prop himself up over top of her. His hand cups her neck, large enough that his thumb can press and lightly rub back and forth over her scar. He smiles down at her, his own scar pulling slightly as he does so.

“You needn’t worry about me,” Cullen kisses her briefly, “Especially not about whether or not I want normal. I don’t care about normal, Amalia. Maker’s breath, the only thing I care about having is you. That’s all that matters to me.” She hiccups, tears still trailing over the sides of her face as she looks up at Cullen, and tries to believe him.

“But would you be happy with me?” Amalia asks, voice pitifully quiet. “If we were to stay together past the Inquisition, I mean.”

“If?” He asks instead of answering, “If? Amalia, I am in love with you. I would lay down my life for you. I don’t know what will happen past the Inquisition, I don’t know what will happen in ten years or twenty, but I know that I want you by my side.” He looks so serious, golden, that Amalia’s breath is taken away. “I want to be by your side.” He says, softer than he spoke before.

“You love me?” She asks, reaching for his face, “You love me?”

Cullen smiles crookedly, and it’s like the sun. It almost fully chases away the storm clouds that had settled in her chest. They’ll never truly be gone, not with what she’s seen and what she’s been through, but in Cullen’s arms and his bed, they don’t seem so scary. They don’t seem so all-consuming like they had been only moments before.

“Of course I love you,” Cullen says, “I can’t imagine a world in which I don’t love you.”

Amalia beams, then, even though her smile only reaches half of her mouth. It doesn’t bother her like it normally does because Cullen is kissing her, surging against her, pressing her into the soft cushion of the mattress underneath her. She lets him take her again, or maybe she shares herself with him again, and for a moment the world doesn’t seem so scary.

[uwu-co-in]

What majors 'Attack on Titan'characters would have in college AU (part 2):

Source: My Majors

Word count: 1.1k

(part one)

11. Sasha: Crisis/Emergency/Disaster Management

• Sasha was first admitted to a college with the major Culinary Science, along with her boyfriend, Niccolo, but left the course after a month

• I want to eat food not study it was what she retorted to everyone, but in reality, she just felt she would not be contributing enough to the community

• As the major took out for a lot of field work, she signs up for all, and even joined internships from the first year itself, regarding the same

• A procrastinator; crams on the night of the exam, while Niccolo is cooking her assortment of dishes and gets super groggy on examination mornings :')

12. Connie: Graphic Design

• His mother was extremely proud of her son getting into the college; so much that she had told every other person passing on the streets how Connie will be a genius, in whatever tech stuff he is doing

• Opted for a college far away from home, because he wanted to experience life to the fullest by living alone, and learning to fend for himself

• Teaches basic computer science to two kids, and works as a freelancer digital artist, along with juggling his classes

• Loves his subject and puts effort behind it quite regularly, but call him for a party he'd be there with two extra beer bottles, ridiculously shimmery clothes and a party popper!

13. Jean: Architecture

• Look me in the eye and tell me that Jean doesn't look like a dreamy arch student, always carrying his sketchbook along with him and sitting down to draw the building or monument designs that seem to intrigue him

• Was in eighth grade, when Mikasa told him that the way he draws the buildings are very clean. Boom, and he wants to draw them for the rest of his life

• For some reason, his mother did not approve of his subject choice, until one day she found a few building designs doodled in placards sprawled over his desk and reconsidered her opinion

• Loves a good party once in a while, but really wants to work behind the subject so sometimes, calls a rain check

14. Erwin: Intelligence

• Ever since Erwin can remember, he wanted to be in the army, fighting for his motherland. That was what he had wanted all his life, and he had every quality to enlist himself for it until he sustained incurable injuries on his right arm trying to save an elderly couple from an accident

• Intelligence major was a piece of cake for Erwin, for he was a natural leader, acing all his classes with ease. He loves spending time in the library a lot, and his favourite book is rumoured to be 'Crime and Punishment' by Fyodor Dostoevsky

• He is equally loved and lusted by the women in his university, but apart from occasional casual flings, he does not want to engage in a relationship because it 'fuddles his mind'

• His room is speck clean and he likes working out regularly and eating healthy (cooks his own food and is distrustful of the canteen meals)

15. Zeke: Law

• In school, Zeke was reprimanded a lot because according to his teachers, he was 'always quipped with a brash follow-up question, with no regards to authority'. In college, he encashed it by enrolling himself in a law major programme

• He is a big believer in practical knowledge and quickly networked to find internship opportunities to practice and observe lawyers alongside his regular studies

• With an absentee father, he worked two side jobs as a cashier at Starbucks and a private tutor

• He participated a lot in debate competitions and moot courts to enhance his critical thinking and analytical skills

16. Marco: Film Studies

• Always a sweet and dreamy guy, Marco chose film studies because he passionately believes films influence people a lot

• Ask him, and he will name the most obscure movies just to seem like a film student with a mysterious air, while in reality, his favourite movie is Mean Girls

• Likes people watching and tries to do all his college work sitting in a cafe, with 'coffee, coffee, coffee!'

• Has tried making short films, and although the themes and plots have been pretty good, he is yet to get real recognition for them

17. Porco: Aviation

• Ever the cocky guy, Porco took aviation because it made him feel like he was on top of the world

• Scored average in theory but was very skilled in practical knowledge

• His professors have often recommended he enlist for the air force, but he doesn't want to; he wants a low-key life without stress (staning a king who knows the importance of mental health!)

• Flirts A LOT with his fellow classmates, and 10/10 uses his charm to get his homework and assignments done

18. Pieck: Inorganic Chemistry

• Pieck's main goal in life is to see more women in STEM, and thus, her major

• Has excellent mathematical and statistical skills and uses them efficiently to excel

• Straight A student, has the special lucky glasses that she wears while taking her exams

• Very humble and soft-spoken, she is often forced to help others even when she doesn't really want to

19. Gabi: Marketing Research

• Gabi originally wanted to become a footballer and had once run away from home because she felt her parents did not approve of her career choice

• While football is still her passion, she has a newfound love for marketing

• Immense persuasive skills and great essays make her one of the toppers of her batch

• Feels stressed trying to juggle studies and football, but she loves both and can't live life with one without the other

20. Falco: Art History Criticism and Conservation

• Falco loved visiting art museums as a kid, and this love of his followed well into adulthood

• His favourite artist is Monet, and his core memory of college is their field trip to the Sistine Chapel

• Loves art, any art in any form, and appreciates every art he sees; is passionate about learning more and has inculcated the skill of finding beauty in everything

• His dorm room is filled with paintings from roadside artisans that he fell in love with, and on Sundays, he tries painting himself (and fails miserably, but is the happiest)

[girl-named-matty]

House of Gaunt pt.2

This is basically just some lore dumping about Ominis family in my lore. I have so much its kinda ridiculous at this point but I feel the massive need to share it so here we go. This is just barely a fraction of it but it'd take me forever to explain it all.

Also just a disclaimer that my version of the Gaunts is decently different then the one you read about in the Harry Potter universe. the HL universe itself doesn't exactly align 100% with what is canon in the HP universe anyway so who cares LOL. Tw: We all already know the Gaunts are violence af but either way, mentions of violence, cruelty, suicide, etc... Nothing graphic at all however I just felt the need to mention that just in case.

Starting off with the old man. We have Cyrus Gaunt, the head of the family.

(obviously he looks older than he does here-- since he's old af but I'm just working with what I got lol) Cyrus is the father of the five children + the head of the Gaunt family. He's the oldest out of all of his own siblings, hence why he ended up as the head. To put it frankly, he's a psychopath and crazy. On top of all the crimes the Gaunt family commits against Muggles, Squibs, and other Witches/Wizards who don't share his ideologies, he also runs an underground smuggling organization alongside his brothers and two of his sons. That alone has racked up his crime record.

His marriage to his wife, Belladonna was 100% arranged but he found some sort of love in her eventually. Definitely not your stereotypical loving husband and wife. However she gave him children and is a pureblood supremacist so that was really all he was asking for.

In the simplest way possible, he is a cruel man who doesn't care if he harms others. Or even if he himself gets harmed in the process as long as he has fun doing it. His son, Marvolo, was actually the one to give him the massive scar. He and Marvolo had always had a rocky relationship ever since his sons birth and when Marvolo was fourteen, he had really pissed his father off.

Cyrus threatened to throw Marvolo out if he couldn't prove he was worth something. He challenged him to a duel and said if his son could even get one hit on him--he could stay. Marvolo, not really caring what happened, just wanted to take the opportunity to fight his father. One thing led to another and Cyrus ended up with that massive scar on his face. (smooth move bro).

So yeah he's miserable and a total pain but gotta give it to him for being so persistently annoying.

Moving onto the mama of the family: Belladonna Gaunt.

Belladonna Gaunt is the unfortunate woman to have married that stick in the mud up there. She holds strong pureblood ideologies however she's much less cruel than her husband. However that "less cruel" part really only applies to her family or close friends. She loves her children and that's pretty much it. Of course there is some kind of love between her and her husband but it feels more "professionally forced" if you know what I mean.

So needless to say she was quite upset anytime Cyrus did anything rash against their children since she didn't agree with it. However, that doesn't exempt her from the Gaunts regular hobbies of torturing muggles in their own living room. She hardly actively participated but she often watched and found enjoyment in it.

But things like the night Ominis' was crucio'ed for the first time, she left in tears before anything happened--clearly upset about her husbands choice to allow his older brothers to do that to him.

Despite this, her beliefs are still deep rooted in pureblood supremacy and she does believe in violence against others she doesn't see as equals to her. Sooo she definitely does have her flaws.

Onto the oldest: Aurelius Gaunt.

Ever heard of parents picking favorites? Well yeah, he is the perfect example of being the favored child. His name, Aurelius, can be translated to "The golden one" (lol the golden child) which pretty much speaks for itself. However, that's not it. His middle name is Avyaan/Avyan (however you prefer to spell it) which can literally be translated to "he who has no imperfections" so yeah.. you guys can pretty much guess how they feel about their son based on that.

In that time period it was very desired to have a son, specifically a firstborn who was a son. Someone who could carry on the family name and legacy and so the Gaunts got exactly what they wanted when their firstborn was a boy. Aurelius grew up as the golden child, basically being the perfect son his parents wanted him to be. Cruel, willing to do anything for them (even if it was illegal) and much, much more.

Aurelius' approach to acts of cruelty tend to be much different than how most of his family approaches it. He tends to analyze things before going straight into it. But sometimes he just doesn't care, it really depends on what he's feeling like. Aurelius helps his father run the underground smuggling organization and is his fathers successor to the Gaunt family name and fortune.

He's always had a bit of a rivalry with his younger brother, Marvolo, and that sprouted feelings of hate on both sides but he's more tolerant of Marvolo than Marvolo is of him. Aurelius married a pureblood girl from France and they have two children.

However following the events of Matty Ambrose's 7th year at Hogwarts while Aurelius was roped up in Leona Oswald's crimes, he was eventually put in Azkaban for his crimes , which was quite shocking seeming how often the Gaunts could weasel their way out of punishment for their actions. Although that was mostly due to the fact that Marvolo was persecuting him himself.

However years later, Aurelius ended up being released on a deal that he would no longer participate in acts of crime and would have no association with his family outside of his wife and his children. But he was eventually allowed to attend the funeral of his mother, father, and sister but nothing else other than that. And because of that deal, everything he would've gotten from his family instead went to Marvolo (which was the reason why Marvolo even attempted to put his brother in prison in the first place, even though he himself was arguably worse). Aurelius lived the rest of his life in rural area in France with his wife.

Next in line is the crazy one we all already know: Marvolo Gaunt.

Now you might be looking at him and be wondering: Why isn't he short, ugly, and look like a monkey??

As I mentioned earlier, this universe does differ from the HP universe. But don't worry, he gets what's coming to him and later on in life he gets cursed and that's when he becomes ugly and starts looking like a monkey as described in the books I promise LOL.

But now that we've got that out of the way, let's start talking about this git. Just as firstborn sons were desired so they could carry on the family name and legacy, second born sons were desired too... as backups.

Yup, that's basically why he exists to his parents. And they never even tried to hide that from him. Belladonna and Cyrus hoped to have a second son just in case something ever happened to Aurelius--and they did end up having a second son but since nothing ever happened to Aurelius till much later, they severely neglected Marvolo throughout his life. Marvolo was born crazy and violent, that just a fact. However his childhood did have an impact on him which led to him being even more inclined to commit crimes and do horrible acts.

He fought constantly with his siblings, his parents, and basically anybody around him. He misbehaved and was punished severely because of it and he got in trouble with the Ministry several times. Each and every time his father would have to pull some stupid strings to get him out of that situation. Marvolo saw the way they treated Aurelius and was massively jealous of his older brother, so he tried to get his parents to treat him the same way.

He had a better relationship with his mother than he did his father as at times Belladonna did show that she cared about him. But Cyrus put Marvolo in enough dangerous situations carelessly to make known that he didn't care that much at all.

But if there was one thing that he knew his parents liked, it was violence. So he was going to upstage his brother in any way possible to "make his parents proud". This led to him being driven to mass violence and deeper and deeper into madness. Eventually driving him to the point where he killed and tortured innocent people for his own fun and enjoyment. His parents did end up liking him a bit more for that, knowing that if there was anyone they didn't like and needed gone, that Marvolo would take care of it in a heartbeat (as long as there was something in it for him.)

To gain revenge on his older brother, he ended up black mailing Matty in her 7th year at Hogwarts in order to get her to gather information about Aurelius' hand in Leona's crime organization in order to put Aurelius away for good. Of course, this wasn't exactly easy because Matty was like "tf?? no??" but eventually he was able to force her into helping him after the Aranshire incident (ifykyk.)

Eventually this plan worked and Marvolo ended up with all of Aurelius' inheritance and would later on become the head of the family after Cyrus' death.

Later in his life, Marvolo was forced to marry a pureblood girl he didn't care much for. He had two children, Morfin and Merope (we all know them) but didn't care much after his wife died. It did send him spiraling a bit but not because he was sad but because that meant he had to deal with the children alone.

His sister-in-law was extremely angry due to his carelessness regarding his wife and her sisters death. So she was the one that ended up cursing him, leading him to look like how he's described in the books. (deserved lolol)

Moving onto the middle child and first daughter: Selene Gaunt.

Out of all the Gaunts besides Ominis, Selene is one of the more moral ones. Tbh she's kinda a girlboss and I love her for that. Selene is the oldest and first daughter in the Gaunt family, so naturally she was doted on a little bit more than her other siblings growing up. She is pretty much along the lines of the stereotypical oldest daughter. She takes care of her siblings, makes sure things runs smoothly, but finds her siblings extremely annoying LOL.

She does have favorites and it's Ominis, simply because she doesn't find him as annoying. Her ideologies aren't nearly as deep rooted as her family but she kept that a secret. Truly, she didn't care that much about pureblood supremacy and didn't exactly agree with the torture of innocent people. Out of all of them (except Ominis), she has the cleanest record.

However she fell in line just to please her family. She did what she was told and that's how she stayed out of trouble. She dislikes Marvolo and Lyssa the most since she thinks they're annoying. Especially since Lyssa basically became a "mini-Marvolo". Now THAT annoyed her.

She'll be the first to tell them to shut up and start acting civilized and is definitely the more sensible one. Like Ominis, she was quite close to her late Aunt Noctua, which is the reason why she is the way she is. But she keeps the fact that she's not as dedicated to her families ideologies as they are a secret.

Per request of her family, she married a pureblood man, settled down and had children. Unfortunately her death came rather early in life but she was remembered well by her brother Ominis. She was the only family member he really ever stayed in contact with after leaving.

(and we all know who Ominis' is so we're just going to skip down to Lyssa lol)

This is Lyssa Gaunt, she is the youngest out of the family and the craziest outside of Marvolo. Lyssa, like Marvolo, was born with mental issues that effected her life from her first breath. And growing up it never got any better. When she was first born, her parents couldn't think of a name for her. They did take note of how quickly she'd get so angry even at a very young age, so like the horrible parents they are they decided to name her after the Greek Goddess Lyssa, who represented rage and fury (and rabies in animals, if you wanna go that far lol.) So the name unfortunately fit.

Lyssa grew up doing cruel things from the get-go, whether it was torturing small animals or pulling harmful pranks to her nannies and the help around the house. But since her parents were older and busier by the time she was born, she was hardly punished for any of this.

Marvolo had tried to get Selene and Ominis to follow in his footsteps of madness however he knew that wasn't going to work out. So he turned his attention to his youngest sister. He enabled and encouraged every bad thing she did, which caused him to quickly become her favorite sibling. They were really the only two who ever got along outside of Ominis and Selene.

Lyssa was also very naturally talented at legilimency from a very young age as well. (It's a trait I HC most of the Gaunts have, however think of her like Queenie Goldstein from Fantastic Beasts). This made it so she could easily see inside people's heads, invading their privacy and finding out personal information about them. She was later used to find out information about the Aranshire incident and anything Matty had to do with it (which enabled Marvolo to use that information to blackmail her.)

Lyssa's only friends at school were the rats she found scurrying around. She'd use the unforgivable imperio to make them do anything she wanted.

Unfortunately for her, Lyssa's life ended much sooner than the others and she was never quite sure if she ever experienced true happiness. She really only felt exhilaration and "glee" from cruelty but never true happiness. In quick attempts to get their last child married off, Cyrus and Belladonna forced Lyssa into an unhealthy marriage.

However, unlike her siblings who complied. Lyssa refused and it did not go well for her, unfortunately. Lyssa took her own life within the first couple of months of the marriage, believing it was the only way to escape. She was only nineteen when this happened.

Her death only threw the Gaunts down a more slippery slope as it was the beginning to their massive downfall that would eventually render the Gaunts irrelevant, powerless, poor, and reduced to nothing but shameful criminals.

Well if you read through all of that--dang, im proud of you LOL. It's pretty grim however that's exactly how the Gaunts are so I'd say unfortunately it's pretty accurate. But thank you for reading anyway and I appreciate it! ❤️

[akwolfgrl]

Part 22 LFT

Zoro relished in the sound of Sanji's laughter and in having his full attention. His face was flushed from the alcohol, and his eyes almost sparkled as if the stars had fallen into the ocean. The waiter dropped off their meals and left them be.

“Who was your first?” Zoro asked. He needed to know his comptsion, who he was being compared to. He took a bite of his food while he waited for the answer.

“Hmm witch gender?” Sanji asked, taking a bite of his food humming happily. “Here try this,” Sanji held a fork full off food twords of his mouth. Zoro swoloed the food in his mouth before taking a bite. He liked his better the peppercorns where too much. “Form your face. I'm guessing it's not your thing, anyway, my first times. I was fithen and a new bus boy was hired, he had dark skin and dark eyes, a wkied grin, both a tounge and a lip pricing. I love a man with pricing,” Zoro grinned. He at least had that covered. “He would roll his sleeves up, showing off his mucalre arms any chance he got, we would slip away and fool around in a closet anychane we got. When I finally decided to go all the way we got caught in the act,” Zoro watched Sanji shudder, seemed like Sanji had a thing for getting caught. “Then when I was sixteen thire was an older teen, her father was a fishmonger, they would deliver fresh to us every morning. Sometimes she came alone and she would invite me to join her on a boat. She was baituful, with freckles kissing almost every inch of her skin. She had short blue hair with sides shaved. Before you, it was the best sex I've ever had. What about you, Marimo, who was your first?”

“This is a weird story, I was staying the night at an inn, and there was a knock on my door. Thire was a large chest in front of my door and out pop a naked leggy blonde. She only had jewelry on. She stepped out of the chest and started kissing me. Backing me up into the room. The next morning, I found out she was supposed to be a distraction, but they got the wrong room,” Zoro had turned her and her friends in for a pretty nice bounty after he found out. That had been quite the night. He wouldn't mind seeing Sanji like that, naked dripping in shiny pretty things, something he had to tear off.

“So you also like both?” Sanji asked.

“I don't care, I like what I like and what's between your legs doesn't matter to me, like Nami she could switch genders and I still wouldn't be into her, Nami is too much like a little sister. If you were to become a woman, I would still want you,” Zoro explained.

“I prefer women, I love all women and think they are all beautiful. My preferences in men are more specific, I definitely like muscles and scars, and pricing is a huge turn on,” Zoro was checking all the boxes much to his amusement. “Someone who I can protect but is strong enough to protect me in return, an equal. I want someone to fight with, and alongside with, I enjoy our fights and bickering. It's what I know from the Baratie. A bonus if he gets rid of bugs for me. What about you?”

“Some of the same things you mentioned, I vule strength, someone while I can portcet I know doesn't need it. I do have a thing long legs that go on forever and a nice ass. I'm not into someone who will just do everything I tell them to, I like being challenged both in out of bed,” Zoro changed the subject. “Can you finish singing the song from earlier sometime?” Zoro wanted hear him sing again.

“Hmm sure why not,” Sanji smiled at him.

I set upon the sea

To search for phantom sails from tales my mum told me

A ghostly gallion filled with gold

She sails alone

No crew, nor captains guiding hand

Can tame tame the one the sailors call the shadow

Zoro hadn't expected Sanji to start signing but he couldn't give a fuck that they were in public. Not when the man sitting in front of him had such a nice voice, Zoro never knew he had such a thing for voices but he loved the ero cook's voice. Their waiter came back shortly after the song was finished.

“Would you like to order dessert?”

“No thank you, just the check please,” Sanji smiled before paying the bill. “Ready to go mossy?”

“Yes,” Zoro nodded, standing up, glad he didn't need to choke down something sweet, Sanji took his hand once more as they headed on their way.

[thedragonemperess]

DESCENDENTS OCS??????

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I already tagged you in another ask about them so I'm gonna use this one to ramble for a little bit about them :333

When I was talking about Oscar, I brought up his relationship with his father(s). And there's a reason for that! Because he only technically has two. I, personally, don't think that the barrier blocks out ALL magic, because in a world where magic is so intrinsically tied into some things' biology, it would be insane cruelty and straight-up mass murder to block out magic, completely. Only people that really pay attention or experience this first-hand are actually aware of it, such as Soren (and the Snow Queen), who is still magically immune to the cold under the barrier, or Dr. Facilier, who has had his Shadow for so long that it's now permanently tied to his being and still has it under the barrier (which I actually included in a fic I wrote about a month back). Oogie Boogie is another character who is held together by almost entirely magic, and as such, wouldn't be able to live without access to it.

So, when the Isle and Auradon both started experiencing a baby boom, Oogie Boogie didn't wanna be left-out.

And he Frankenstein-ed a child using some of his own bugs and fabric, dead body parts, and a bunch of electricity.

With the help of Dr. Facilier.

Making Dr. Facilier his second father.

And Freddy and Celia his half-sisters.

(Oscar did get to grow up alongside other kids, by the way, it was just that every few years his human body parts needed to be replaced.)

In my version of D1 that includes Soren, they blackmail the Core Four into sneaking them into Auradon with them in exchange for not reporting their plan to steal the wand to the people that come to pick them up. The whole time he's Auradon, he's communicating with Uma through a pager that he got Toby to fix for him. Post-D1, Soren talks to Ben about getting some more kids across the barrier sooner rather than later, but he's backs himself into a corner in the process:

Do they vouch for bringing Uma, Harry, and Gil over, do they vouch for bringing Hansen over, or do they vouch for bringing Toby over?

Or, in other words:

Do they vouch for bringing their crew over, do they vouch for bringing their best friend over, or do they vouch for bringing their brother over?

The conversation with Ben happens during the post-Coronation party, after they revealed their identity to save Auradon, and it's the first time they are actually admitting to themselves that they do feel love for people, and that it's something they can't fight, anymore. Furthermore, it's something that they can't continue to lie to themselves about, anymore.

And immediately after coming to this realization, they have to choose between the people that they love the most.

It completely fucks up his view of love for a hot minute, since, when they ultimately choose their crew (because they're the ones he's been in contact with the whole time), he ends up convincing himself it's because he loves his crew more. And he feels so bad about that. It also continues to fuck up his relationship with Gil, because, in his head, Gil should be with someone who loves him above all, and obviously that can't be him, because he prioritized his loyalty to his crew and Uma over the other people he's close to when convincing Ben to bring more people over. He has no idea that he can love people equally while also loving them in different ways, or that there's not necessarily anything wrong with loving someone more than someone else.

In terms of a smaller moment, post-D3, when Hansen comes over to Auradon and starts college, I'd like to imagine that he applies to a school in Arendelle in order to make-up for the trouble his father caused. And, much to his surprise, Anna actually invites him to live in the castle with them while he's in school, because she wants to give him a chance.

(Kira develops the WORST crush on him and Adrien sits and waits to see how long it'll take for her to realize Hansen's gay since she refused to listen to Adrien the first time he tried to tell her.)

In relation to Kira and Adrien, I like to believe that Captain Hook is a good father, so he's actually one of the first OVs to settle down in Auradon post-D3. So, when they find out that Hansen knows a guy (Soren) who works with a guy (Harry) who's Captain Hook's son, they take the first break from school to visit Soren together and track down Captain Hook. They geek out SO HARD, BRO. It catches Hook COMPLETELY off-guard. The first thing he says when they finally shut up long enough for him to get a word in is, "Is this* allowed?"

*Auradonians being huge fans of villains.

Tamara doesn't like Peter Pan. Tinker Bell does not like that Tamara doesn't like Peter Pan. They regularly fight about this.

In that regard, Tamara's relationship with her mother is strained. Tamara is half-human, which is how Tink was able to have a daughter in the first-place, so she feels like her mother doesn't entirely understand what it's like for her in Auradon or Pixie Hollow. (Me? Projecting my identity issues onto my OCs? More likely than you'd think.) Additionally, since fairies (from Neverland) having relationships with humans is a fairly new trend, with kids spawning from those relationships being even newer. Most fairies that do go that route end up leaving behind Pixie Hollow altogether. So Tink doesn't really have any idea what she's doing. And then there's the fact that they're two different types of fairies, so Tink really has no idea how to bond with her. Tink once asked Tami to wear green on family day, since she was under the impression that Tami usually wore purple/red (again, I can't decide between fast flying or fauna) around campus. Tami wears green around campus, though, (which is representative of the fact that she actually does really want to be closer with her mother, she just has no idea how to achieve that, either), and decides that, since Tink had the audacity to ask (Tami had no idea Tink didn't know she wore green around campus), she wore purple/red on purpose. (If she were to wear purple, I'd like to imagine the extra cherry on top would be that she asked to borrow some of Mal's clothes alskdjf. [Within my AU of Regime Change, people that heard and saw their fight on family day think that, surely, things can't get any worse, but then two family days later, she introduces her new boyfriend, Harry Hook alksdjf].)

Of the Tempo Trio (who are definitely a polycule of some kind, by the way), Mimi has the easiest time finding a music following in Auradon. Her more pop-y songs land easy and people who are really dedicated venture into the rest of her music from there. Oscar is in the middle in terms of difficulty, since her folk-punk music intrigues some older people, but overall does so-so at reaching his target audience. Sika has the hardest time since his sound and lyrics are either very harsh to match the Isle or very personally concerning to match his attitude about life. Mimi, when she decides to take a gap year to focus on her music career post-D3, ends up getting them to perform with her from time-to-time, which always ends up helping them grow their following the most.

Soren's title of 'Prince' can't technically be taken away from him once he enters Auradon, because, in my head, it's not technically a real title. It's really more of a human-term that was applied his mother ('Queen,' in her case) to better understand what exactly it was her mother did. Soren would keep the power that came with taking over his mother's role no matter what, so the title is really meaningless. She says this to Audrey at some point in either the Soren-insert version of Wicked World or D2 and Evie just feels so vindicated while Audrey is just so pissed.

I think that's all I've got that I wanna share for now?

Again, I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry for responding to this so late. I hope both you and @bassguitarinablackt-shirt enjoyed this!!! ^-^

[animehouse-moe]

Mobile Suit Gundam - The Witch From Mercury S2 Episode 10: The Woven Path

So two things to start. I apologize for not getting this post out until today, but it was Father's day on Sunday (I'm not a father) so was spending time with family. Secondly, really cool that Ryusuke Tarou did an end card for GWitch. They're a super cool illustrator that has just what you need when you want to see all your favorite characters happy and free of trauma, living it up in the modern day. Their Twitter is full of fun and wholesome illustrations.

Anyways, the episode at hand. A lot going on, a lot of callbacks and references, and a lot of importance pieces. Unsurprisingly, that means a lot to talk about! Well, waste not want not, I'll get started.

If it wasn't already clear, Quiet Zero is a very large piece of religious symbolism coupled with the concepts of life and death, and it's not exactly subtle. The episode starts off with a Gundnode that is placed squarely within the cross that appears on Quiet Zero, evoking comparisons to crucifixion in regards to the sins that innocent Eri is forced to bear.

From the unsuccessful attack on Quiet Zero that brought the Gundnodes out, we bounce around establishing where all the characters begin at this episode. Finding Miorine holed up in her room, the Earth house puttering about getting prepared to follow Suletta into battle, and Suletta herself talking with Elan.

I thought they did a really good job of handling the interaction between this pair, as Suletta sits on the same bench she waited at her Elan for. The current Elan doesn't sit down though, rather he faces away from Suletta. I think it's a nice touch to keep this pair's relationship distant and on different wavelengths, and in part to show this Elan running away from something yet again. It's a great little piece to his character, that thanks to Suletta's words and Norea's book, allows him to see why someone would rally against the fear. For something greater than themselves, something that they want to protect or save.

Skipping ahead a little bit between the buildup, Guel comes to Suletta to offer her a chance at redemption. Just as she did for himself, though this time in the form of a duel.

I think it's great, and I also think it's a solid callback to Utena. I also hear there's a similar scene in an older Gundam series, but I'm a first time watcher (essentially) so I wouldn't have known otherwise. Anyways, choosing fencing as the form of combat was a really great decision on Guel's part. Half ego, half character, he challenges Suletta to a form of duel that can't be fibbed or faked, one that relies on the moment itself rather than careful planning or preparation. He wants to fight Suletta to prove himself, but to also allow Suletta that opportunity. He doesn't want to hold Miorine over her, nor does he want Suletta's pity. He wants to stand alongside her, to be shown to be equals through the purest comparison possible. I love it, I really do. I love how much our little Bob has grown into a man, but truth be told, thanks to that piece towards the end of the episode, I'm scared for him.

Anyways, here's the super smooth fencing sequence.

So, Suletta wins the duel, and with it the chance to talk to Miorine. I think it's very endearing, and like many have said prior to me, does a great job of allowing Miorine to quite literally open her own door. Before that though, she's crushed under the weight of her own actions, unable to move forward. Suletta doesn't offer her mother's hollow words to justify sacrifice, but rather approaches Miorine as someone who shares a terrible burden as well. I could say a lot more, but I'm going to summarize with this: it's the inverse of Suletta's experience at Plant Quetta. It's Suletta reaching out a caring hand to support Miorine through her fear of violence and death that stains her vision red. Suletta herself admits to her actions at Plant Quetta to establish that comparison for this moment.

Through this conversation, she uses a lot of the words that her mother gave her. That she was protecting someone, that it was the right thing to do. She does very well at realizing her mother's grasp on her in her own way, and in experiencing senseless death first hand, comes to understand how terrible it is. And of course, Suletta is a curse breaking machine through this second cour/season, as she continues to reference her mother's words in opposition to them. What I really love is how she's internalized the original phrase, and subconsciously uses it now, in her own ways, to uniquely support and encourage the characters that need it. It changes bit by bit each time we hear it, but it's still there, and it's still Suletta's version.

Suletta does successfully encourage Miorine, and coaxes both a potential death flag and future date out of her once-again fiancé, and we get a really impactful scene of Miorine moving forward to open the door on her own.

While the act is her own, she still has Suletta waiting on the other side to support her. Suletta still extends a hand out to Miorine, like her own mother did back on Plant Quetta. But rather than excusing or justifying Miorine's actions, she's accepting them alongside Miorine, providing a hand to hold onto while she fights onwards. What I really like with this scene is its subtleties. Suletta's hand reaches out further than Miorine's, but despite that action of reaching out, she places her open hand beneath Miorine's to allow Miorine to reach out for Suletta as well, and when Miorine does reach out, there's hesitation at first. And then there's the ending scene of their hands intertwined, where they both appear in the center of the frame without one side greater than the other. Really small details, but I think really important in regards to how the pair are interacting with and approaching each other. It's incredibly cute, and is only further bolstered by the use of a piano rendition of the opening song that punctuates this entire interaction.

With Miorine out of her room, the plan to begin an assault on Quiet Zero can begin, as Suletta climbs into the monster Calibarn to prep.

There's not a whole lot to comment on as Miorine retakes the reins of the Benerit Group, and even pays a visit to Shaddiq prior to the Calibarn testing. The real impactful piece is Miorine during Suletta's permet score testing. Despite the pain that Suletta's in as she climbs the scores, Miorine is the one that pushes her through to success. I think it's really great how much confidence she has in Suletta through this sequence, and that it all melts away when she reaches the needed score.

And with that success, the Earth house bolstered by the Benerit Group sorties to challenge Quiet Zero. It's also here that my panic attack for Bob begins. He's sortied in his own Dilanza when a Schwarzette appears and fires on him, with his own brother piloting. I'm scared for two reasons: the last time Guel fought family in space his father was killed, and his brother is piloting a Gundam. This means only one of two things, Bob dies, or his brother dies. I can just barely bare Guel losing his brother as well, but losing Bob himself would be heart crushing at this point.

Anyways, onto Suletta and Calibarn rallying against Quiet Zero! I really liked this piece because you can tell that Eri is in fact, holding back against her younger sister.

Also, Calibarn is Caliban from Prospero

Yeah, that's on me, I forgot to add it in the last episode where the name was revealed. I was more so irked by the fact that it was the convenient existence of another Gundam, that I completely spaced out on the fact that Calibarn was foretold by the existence of Aerial and Prospera. So yeah, my bad, but GWitch is still holding itself close to Shakespeare's Prospero, with the ideal of bringing Ericht back to life (which is a power that the play version of Prospera does wield).

Anyways, how is Eri holding back? Well, glad you asked! It's pretty clear to see in this one sequence here. The Gundnode has several arms which wield several beam sabers against Suletta and Calibarn's one. Child's play to understand that Eri could have ended the fight then and there, but instead opted for a more even playing field for Suletta. Really nice touch to show the love that Eri still has for Suletta.

And the icing on the cake, Ericht now appearing above her own casket. The whole idea of a cradle existing within her own casket, where she typically resides is a lot, and speaks to Prospera's grief for her lost daughter, so this sequence takes a different approach. Suletta's only ever seen Eri as Aerial (well, she used to, now they're separate), so the concept of her being "dead" doesn't ring true for her.

It's here that we find our episode's end though. Left on a cliffhanger, waiting to discover the fate of many of our characters, and what will become of Suletta and Ericht. Lots of great stuff, and I'm very curious to see if GWitch will stay true to it's Shakespearean roots.

[gildengirl]

When did you start trusting Zach? When do you think Cammie started trusting him?

Funny story... the first book in the series that I ever read was OGSY, so I was immediately introduced to Zach and thrown right in the middle of the Zammie timeline. Even though Cammie was still wondering if she could trust Zach, I immediately liked him and was ready to give him the benefit of the doubt. Plus, his name is "Goode" so in my mind I didn't think he could possibly be a bad guy. (The irony of then finding out his mother is kinda the Big Bad™ of the series 😂)

As far as when I think Cammie started trusting Zach, that's a good question! Whether or not Zach is trustworthy is something Cammie tries to figure out since she first meets Zach in CMH. She kinda seems to go back and forth from that point, especially after the Circle enters her life it becomes harder for her to know if she can trust him.

Which the whole Catherine reveal at the end of OGSY kinda damages Cammie's trust in Zach for a moment, even though he's still just as trustworthy as before. I think Cammie was on her way to really trusting Zach towards then end of OGSY, but finding out his mother was part of the Circle and the person to almost kidnap her makes her question which side Zach is on. And I think we as the reader can easily think "Well, just because his mother is part of the Circle, it doesn't mean that he is." And while that's totally true, I get why Cammie wouldn't initially come to that conclusion, because all her life (or for the most part) she's wanted to follow in her parents' footsteps and such a large part of her identity is rooted in being her parents' legacy, so it's harder for her to believe that that's not the case for Zach. Also, this is all happening when she makes the pivotal decision to finish her father's last and most significant mission of stopping the Circle. So I think that explains why Cammie is so shocked and hurt when she learns that Catherine is Zach's mother. She also may be hurt by the fact that he never told her (which is fair). Hmmm... kinda makes me think of another person that hid their connection to Catherine until she dramatically revealed it to Cammie and everyone else.....

Anyways, when Zach fights alongside Cammie in the tombs and saves Joe at the end of OGSY (and risks his own life doing so) I think it reestablishes her trust in Zach. So I want to say that Cammie started trusting Zach by the end of OGSY? It's hard because right after OGSY is when she loses her memory, which causes a lot of confusion for Cammie (I mean, obviously). For the most part though, Cammie shifts from struggling to trust Zach, to struggling to trust herself. And seeing how Zach is there for her in OSOT (especially when she faces the loss of her father all over again), and just how this boy loves her like it's breathing... I think it's safe to say that by the time we get to OSOT, they do fully trust each other.

Really though, I think there are moments from CMH onward where Cammie trusts Zach, even if it's just in that moment, because she's falling for him! And like how it's often hard to pinpoint when you fell in love with someone, it's equally hard to pinpoint when you started trusting them, and I believe that's the case for both Cam and Zach. They're also spies in a world of spies, which arguably makes trust a harder thing than love. But, we know they have plenty of both those things in the end.

[general-cyno]

I recently saw someone on YT talking about Zoro's past and while I agree that his flashback feels rushed within the story (which I think can be explained by how early it happens) what always surprises me is how unsettling it is for people. It's a simple but sharp reality in a fantasy world, quite similar to what happens in Usopp's past and perhaps not so common for the rest of the OP world, who have pasts more rooted in the rules of that universe. Kuina died after falling down the stairs. "In OP's world there are people who survive worse things..." they say. "It's absurd. She was trained and very strong." Yeah, sure, but Kuina died like that. Suddenly. Anticlimatically. She was as full of dreams and ambitions, fears and insecurities as everyone else. But she died in an accident. She died too soon. Without a reason. With no one to blame. Simple, cruel and real.

Y'know, I've seen this around a lot. especially in posts (on r/ddit and twt in my case) where people argue about zoro having a "mid" backstory or complain about wanting oda to give him a proper one. and ngl I feel like this pairs up with OP fandom's bad habit of powerscaling everything - even loss, trauma and grief.

Sure, if you compare kuina's death to all the other ones throughout OP it might not seem as "tragic", but this is one of those instances in which context and individual experiences matter most. kuina was just a kid who, despite her strength and training, was led to believe by her own father that her gender would become the reason she'd never achieve her dreams. and when she finally finds someone who believes in her, who sees her as an equal and a goal to strive towards to, who's willing fight against and alongside her - she dies. as you mention: she dies without reason, with no one to blame. that is plenty tragic to me, regardless of all other sad or abhorrent things that happen in the story's universe.

This is just me speculating but I've also wondered if the fact that zoro's relatively well-adjusted despite the hardships and losses he's lived through is part of what makes people downplay both kuina's death and the role it plays in zoro's backstory/motivations. because the thing is - zoro may not carry or express his losses and grief as outwardly as other characters do, but look at how he reacts when the people he loves are in danger and the kind of sacrifices he's willing to make so that they'll be safe. how he's usually always keeping an eye on and watching out for all of them some way or the other. look at how he cries (which iirc he's done on page only three times) when he loses the duel against mihawk.

Zoro, similarly to other straw hats, had his parents die due to pirates or bc of an illness, grew up as an orphan, and the only friend he had died in a manner he couldn't do anything to foresee or prevent as well; the latter of which has impacted his life all the way to adulthood. kuina's memory is one that's at the forefront of what he does, just like his promise to luffy. draw the parallel between this, how fiercely protective he is and how much he hates the idea of dying in circumstances out of his control (I'd argue it even terrifies him a little, judging by his reaction to the reaper in wano) and it's easy to see how much his experiences, and especially kuina's death, have shaped him as a character. just bc he's not crying, having breakdowns or generally brooding about it every time he appears on screen doesn't make his life story less important, sad or tragic than anyone else's. plus, the stability he provides to luffy and the crew is crucial, so he needs less narrative reasons to leave them, not more. zoro not having, for example, a centric rescue arc doesn't make him less of a straw hat member either.