#luckily these two were born to a prime

[compaculaaa]

I'm curious, who named the sparklings? Did Alpha Trion named them all or Sentinel named some of them?

Alpha wanted sentinel to name them but after everything, alpha gave them names in the dark and damp cave they resided in

Names that gave him hope

[timmydraker]

Tim Drakes parents were very traditional and overly proud of the fact that they came from old money.

They boasted about this in many ways for several years, but once their son was born they decided they would use him as a prime example of how they would continue the old ways they learnt.

Tim learnt things like piano and proper dinner etiquette before he was four, and learnt old Latin and French as a means to showcase his wealth and knowledge. They made him learn many things and luckily he enjoyed most of them, especially when it came to STEM and reading.

They also valued the arts and wanted him to learn as much as he could about architecture and literature.

When he showcased some knowledge for waltz and ballroom dancing, they decided he should do dance lessons.

This is where Tim discovered Ballet and fell deeply in love with the artistic and passionate form of dance. He began to study it around the same time he grew an interest in Batman, though he had yet to try get photos of the man.

Tim talked to his instructor and asked the older man about male dancers in Ballet and Mr Volkov was more that happy to help. Tim’s parents weren’t very in tuned with their son by that point and only cared that he was attending classes that were traditional, so they payed no mind to him learning ballet.

The skills he learnt regarding balance and core strength was greatly appreciated when he began to stalk Batman and Robin. He would do his warm up stretches while thinking about what patrol route the two would make that night, considering why Bruce Wayne chose to become The Bat while he counted each step 1, 2, 3, 4 with the music. He wondered to himself why Jason Todd became Robin when Dick Graysons motivations were much more obvious as he practiced and perfected sauté and focused on how his hands were placed, something he often forget was important.

By the time he became Robin he had been allowed to do several permanences, and was practicing for his role as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake in just a few months.

It was one of his biggest dreams to play as the Prince in such an iconic performance, especially when he got along well with both Odettes dancer and Odile’s.

Bruce and Dick are excited for him, though Dick shows it better, and Tim is overjoyed to know that his parents will be in town when the opening night is. They say they’ll come and are proud of him for being in such a well known play and doing so in the traditional manner that the play was once made in.

Tim does wonderfully and Alfred organises for it to be recorded for them all to watch later.

Tim is greeted by them back stage after it ends and excitedly runs up to Dick to receive a huge hug. Dick is loudly saying how proud he is and that he’s so impressed his brother can do such an amazing dance. It’s the first time they’ve seen him perform and they were enamoured.

But Bruce looks tense.

“Bruce? Did… did you not like-“

Bruce cuts him off with a hug, “Of course I like it. Loved it even. It’s just…”

It’s then that Tim looks around and notices his parents aren’t there. They could have just gone home, but they wouldn’t give up a chance to boast about their money and successful heir.

Unless…

Tim looks down and tries to hold back his tears, “they didn’t show, huh?”

Tim can’t help but break down once Dick moves in to hug him, yet as Mr Volkov and some of his costars who are his friends come up and join them, he feels okay.

It’s not Janet and Jack, but it’s nice. It’s warm and kind and maybe that’s all that matters.

[contentloadingandstuff]

Equals - Yae Miko x Kitsune!Male!Reader

A/N: Something experimental today. It's an idea I've been sitting on for quite a while now. If you want to, I'll make more. Enjoy. CW: Mentions of abuse and dubious consent, discrimination, societal misoginy (kitsune culture and stuff), objectification, sexism and the aftermath of life under these. For context - a female fox is called a 'vixen', and a male is called a 'dog'.

The era of Kitsune is long gone. 

Taking a stroll through modern Inazuma, one would never believe that there were once as many youkai as there were humans living on the islands. Tengu, Oni, Bake-Danuki and among them, the ascended foxes - Kitsune. As their demonic fellows, they too had an island to call their own, one that has now been swallowed by the sea for centuries. There, Kitsune created a nation of their own, their hearth, their home. Alongside with houses and streets, they quickly formed a culture that would echo for millennia, right until the fall. 

Many elements of it leaked to the general heritage of Inazuma - the festive masks are one such example, followed by the entirety of ritual practice carried out within the shrines scattered across the land. After all, it's the very reason why a kitsune traditionally stands at the helm of the Grand Narukami Shrine. The same is the case of fox warriors - never has history witnessed a dog lead units of his kin or other peoples to war, at least not one that isn't an exceptional, legendary character of some kind. The reason for this state of things is not easy to find as few cultural sources remain, but scholars did not give up on their research. They sought the input of Yae Miko, one of the only Kitsune remaining in Inazuma, who gave them a simple answer - males are very rare. Satisfied, they placed her answer in the books, and the discussion was closed. 

But Yae Miko, as is customary for the current Guuji, kept the truth for herself. In truth, she decided to conceal it because it's an aspect of her kind that she is anything but proud of, even if she never took part in it. What was ordinary for foxes in their nation's prime would be unacceptable even for humanity of that age. 

There happen to be two ways a Kitsune is created. Primarily, it's through the union of two ascended foxes - a kit conceived this way is immortal and sapient from the beginning, gaining the ability to transform in just a few years of life. Even with a single birth usually resulting in three to six newborn foxes, dogs are rare, with one being born in every fourth or fifth litter on average. The second way of creation doesn't favor them either - so far, there have only been a handful of wild dogs that lived long enough to become ascendants, further reducing the introduction of males into the population. Luckily, evolution had it that those rare men welcomed into the world were incredibly resilient to illnesses and injuries, even by Kitsune standards, letting them live and spread their genes for generations to come. With the proper approach, the Kitsune weren't in any way threatened with extinction. 

As is commonly observed by historians, culture reflects the nature of a species, and such is the case for Kitsune. Over the years, the female-dominated society came to a simple conclusion: males are rare and must be protected. This prime example of a logical takeaway soon led to another, less egalitarian idea - something human researchers would refer to as infirmatus sexus, observing such inequalities in some cultures of their own. Kitsune believed that males must be protected, yes, but thought of them as inferior in intelligence and overall wit, as they rarely ascended from the wild. The vixen majority had no issue with this idea and the society turned matriarchal, increasingly more restrictive towards the men. But it was justified, in their eyes - they were required to prolong the species, right? As time went by, so did the objectification of the male sex progress ever further. 

Before the fall, society was based around large family units - lines ruled over by the oldest vixen, referred to as the matriarch. Beneath her were others - first, her own daughters, followed by those of her predecessor, then their offspring and finally, at the lowest rung, the foxes that just stood up from four paws. Dogs were not subject to this hierarchy, as they were dispensed with as objects with a clear owner - usually the matriarch. She had the right to mate with him, and when a change of power came, so too did the patriarch - usually switched for a younger male from another family, the further, the better. Similarly, male kits stayed with their father (raised, of course, under the careful scrutiny of the vixens) until they were of breeding age to be pawned off to another lineage for political favor, land, rights or simply cold, hard currency. 

Dogs that were too old to produce offspring or simply infertile were disposed of, in ways more or less kind, depending on who happened to own them. The majority got to stay as authorities for the youth and priests, and those with no luck were sold to slavers or human poachers. 

You were born into one such lineage on the fringes of the nation. You still recall the drawings of your infant self - an adorable pup with a pristine but messy white coat, two little ears pointing out, greedily taking in the sounds of the world. Allegedly, you had four sisters, though you never seem to recall their names. The first memories of young Y/N were primarily centered around your father - a towering, muscular fox with a gleam of wit in his eyes and grey eating away at his own fur. Despite his young age and fitting appearance, you always saw him as wise and ancient - maybe because of the hair, darkened by stress and exhaustion. He was cynical at times, but loving nonetheless. One of the fondest memories you had was when he would lift a panel from the floor and let you run free in the forest outside. There were rules of course - don't let anyone see you and come back before the first rays of sun. You enjoyed your time of unsupervised play, chasing squirrels and exploring the woods, always coming back through the same crawl space before it dawned. Your father would wash all the dirt off and send you to sleep with a warm hug, asking you to keep quiet about your adventure. Of course, you nodded along, but being a kid created the inevitability of a slip up. After you mentioned it to your female playmate once, you were taken away from that house and never saw it again. 

You don't know what became of your father. You didn't even get to know his name. 

The new house was larger, and so were the girls inside. While you didn't like playing with vixens at home - there was always an adult watching and you would get relentlessly berated for injuring yourself even in the slightest - you at least had somebody to have fun with. There, you had nothing. Lady Matsui, your owner and wife-to-be, simply had you locked in a room with books and toys to get yourself busy in the few free moments you had. You hated it there, but any mention of it would get one of the toys you had taken away. Any sign of disobedience to your caretakers, especially during exercise or classes, would get you punished. Matsui didn't seem to have patience for you, and was constantly complaining; she wanted a husband with red fur, not white fur. You were simply a temporary solution, and by the end, you would have all her deepest fantasies memorised. You were never part of them - as she said, you shouldn't get too attached. You were to be replaced shortly, after all. At least the food was alright. 

Years went by and it was clear that Matsui would have to begrudgingly accept you as her permanent husband. She didn't take it lightly at first, but after a time of angry outbursts and drinking, she had a sudden change of heart. “If I'm to own you”, she said, “I should at least train you properly”. And trained you were, both physically and in mind. Your free time was reduced to null and your days became dedicated to working out and studying. Sometimes the two were mixed - you had to recite the rules while doing push-ups. Good boys always sleep at night. Good boys thank their mistress for food. Good boys always listen. Good boys never question what they are told. Then, you were served unsalted, nutritious foods. Raw vegetables, slightly cooked meat, plain rice and raw fish made up your diet - all natural, as your Lady wanted. All tasteless. Any fussing, talking back, crying, making mistakes or disobeying would quickly put you in the punishment room. She would slap a bamboo cane on your hands and butt until you were red, sore and bleeding, she would make you kneel on small rocks or sit up the wall for hours, sometimes she would whip you. “Military discipline”. All the while she constantly announced her displeasure with your existence.

No matter how muscular you were made to be, it was never enough. So your diet was changed, shrinking endlessly to meet her impossible standards. No matter if you were tall, it was always too short for Matsui. So you were made to hold on to a bar with rocks tied to your ankles to stretch you out. Your knees still hurt sometimes, the skeletal deformations made permanent by this regular exercise. No matter how much stamina you had, you always ended mating too early. So you were trained, day and night, forced to perform through pain, distress and exhaustion. Sometimes Matsui had balls or parties held at her estate, and you were the main entertainment. You would dance, sing and play any instruments they wanted, but your wife and her friends were never there for your artistic skills in the first place. Your cries, moans and screams were much finer. Now that you think about it, her friends were likely never allowed to mistreat the dogs of their houses, so they took out their frustrations and carried out their wildest fantasies on you - without consequences. They were smaller, they were lighter, they were physically weaker than you, and yet you couldn't defend yourself. It would only make things worse - far worse if you did. You felt filthy. You felt humiliated. Afterwards you cleaned yourself frantically, but the feeling of their hands on you never faded. 

You ended up rubbing so hard that your body bled. 

You became a reclusive, quiet fox. Saying anything more than what was expected of you usually ended up badly, so you decided it's better to just stay silent. Taking your punishments and abuse with silent resignation was the only way of survival - without entertaining whimpers and pleading, Matsui and her vixens quickly grew bored of you. Instead of releasing your pain in front of them, you resorted to crying silently in your room, screaming without making a sound in the moonlight. You did all the things every male did - trained, ate, rested, had sex, attended events as a decoration and primarily - mated. Unlike your father, you never had the chance to raise pups. The female kits were always under the care of the vixens, and you didn't have the luck to sire any sons - for which you were always berated and beaten by your owner, even when she was pregnant. To her, she said, you were useless. Worthless. Even as a breeder. Still, despite not being able to hold your children in your arms, you did your best to learn of them. Some of your caretakers were kind enough to let you know their number and names. You diligently noted these details on a piece of paper, writing the names you would give your daughters if you could. Naomi. Ai. Juri. Kana. These and many more were the only connection you had to your little ones. 

It was the only good thing you left behind when you got the chance to flee. 

Internal rivalry between daughters, sisters and mothers was commonplace, so much so that it sometimes evolved into internal wars - you made use of one. Matsui made quite the negative reputation for herself, not just by mistreating you, but by cheating other families. They were out for blood, and although they wanted to steal you away for themselves, Matsui’s heirs decided that you deserved a chance. Once the fighting broke out, they took you away, threw you on a small boat you had no idea how to pilot and kicked you out to sea. 

It was hardly pleasant at the moment, but you would always thank them for taking pity on you after you landed in Inazuma. In the human nation of thunder, everything felt foreign. It was a bigger island, with long stretches of empty fields between sparse human settlements. These smaller, mortal creatures were quite the nuisance to you - although you saw a few traders in your life, you never got to take a closer look. But, instinctually, you know that stumbling into the view of a human guard was a mistake. You ran away and tried to hide amongst the jagged cliffs near the island's largest mountains, but you had unknowingly walked right into the hands of another, pink haired vixen. 

Your arrival in Inazuma was noticed instantly. After all, humans haven't seen a fox other than Yae Miko for a few centuries now. When she initially heard the news, she couldn't believe it - definitely, it was just another poorly-observed monster, or a mere trick of the light. But she still wanted to confirm that rumor, and the moment she saw a white pair of ears amongst the usual crowds of Inazuma City, she had a single thought - to catch you. Snatch you right up in a net, for whatever silly, selfish reason, if only to touch you and ensure you were real. It wasn't a surprise for her that you panicked and hid as quickly as you showed up - you had reasons to believe your freedom would be unwelcome. Finding you was barely a challenge for her nose, and with the help of a few shrine maidens, you were captured and brought back to her residence. 

What an incredible sight, you were. Definitely one for very, very sore eyes - Miko has long since abandoned the hopes of finding a partner of her own species and having a litter, which definitely contributed to her cynicism and general exhaustion with life. But here you were, real and in the flesh. An actual dog. A handsome, muscular dog. Soon enough, however, Miko's initial excitement dwindled and the factual gravity of things reached her senses. In front of her, curled on the floor, was a dirty, underfed, terrified creature. For somebody that, in the post-cataclysm circumstances of human society she was born into, would shake every room he would enter, you were frightful and quiet. You needed proper care, so Miko announced you would be staying with her until further notice. She then rolled up her sleeves and got to work. 

There was no doubt that you could understand her, and speak by extension, but you were significantly suspicious of her. Surely, she would want to chain you down again, you thought. She might even be worse than Matsui for all you know. Each meal she offered could contain one of these strange powders they made you eat when you were misbehaving, putting you to sleep and letting her do Archons-know-what to you. So you pushed the bowl away, and her alongside it. You had to stay strong. 

—

She takes the handle into her hands and, as gently as she can, pushes it down. The room before her is bathed in darkness, but her eyes pierce through it without issue. The matches she left on the table are untouched. 

What a surprise, she muses. 

From the moment her foot stepped over the threshold, there has been a pair of eyes boring into her frame. Miko casts a discreet glance towards the bedside corner. The resting spot itself was stripped of everything besides the mattress, now placed into a cozy nest of blankets and pillows in the safest spot in the room, the point furthest away from the door. From there your E/C surveyed Miko's every move. A part of her couldn't hold a smile. The unfortunate circumstances aside, it was quite adorable. 

“Good evening.” Miko says, picking up a candle from the shelf. She puts the plate of food she brought on the table and lights it, illuminating the space with a warm, flickering light. Placing the candle close to herself, she looks directly your way. 

There is no response. Your eyes continue staring at her, unblinking. 

No luck just yet. But I clearly have his attention, at the very least. 

A sigh escapes her lips. Miko takes the plate and steps a bit closer to you. “You clearly don't trust me. I can assure you I mean you no harm, and that I won't do anything against your wish, but I bet you want to see for yourself. And while that is alright, I doubt you will get to, the way things are going now.” She crouches down, placing it on the wooden floor. “You must have been through a lot, but please, you need to eat. I don't know what you enjoy the most, so I feel like this is the right place to start.”

Again, you remain still. Up close, Miko can see the blank expression on your face, dirty with mud, sweat and dried blood. Miko rolls her eyes, but manages to silence the groan of frustration before it forms. By no stretch of the imagination was she the best person to take you in, but if not her, then who?

Do you want to be difficult? Fine then. Two can play at that game. 

“Alright then. Suit yourself - if you don't feel like helping yourself to this positively scrumptious meal, I will.” Miko takes the single pair of chopsticks she brought in her hands and lifts a piece of sushi from the plate up to her mouth. She hums ostensibly, enjoying the taste of cold-smoked salmon. 

Something moves in the darkness. Your ears are fully up and pointed her way, like radar dishes picking up every crunch and smack of her lips. The plump, snow white rice and the bright orange salmon exude a tempting smell, reminding you of just how hungry you are. If she eats it without problem, then you should be fine too…

You slowly creep forward, the blankets and pillows around you silently falling as you stretch your aching arms and legs. Miko pretends not to notice you, but in reality her ears tell her exactly what's going on. She observes as your hand emerges into the light, your eyes never leaving her figure. Her sharp eyes instantly notice how chewed your fingers are, with no white nail to see. You snatch the piece of food and sniff it. After making sure it's alright, you bite into it. The delightful taste of well-seasoned rice and real, fresh fish lights up your senses. 

You reach for another. And another. And another. Before long, Miko is pushed back in your priority list and you sit in front of her, wolfing down the food straight off the plate in her hands. The vixen smiles. 

Finally, you're eating. It might not be much, but it's a start. You are just like a stray cat, aren't you? Scared, neglected and mistreated. Afraid of every shadow. 

She delights in watching your ears tremble under the speed of your eating. 

Such a cute creature. Who would ever want to hurt you? Certainly not me. Miko tilts her head. I wonder if I can…

“Thank you for the meal.”

Your sudden words make her pause. She never once doubted you could speak, but at the same time she didn't expect you to open up at something as simple as food. It was important nonetheless - if you spoke once, it would be just a matter of time before you speak again. And then she could learn everything about you. Who you are, what you like, and most importantly, who hurt you. 

“Do not mention it, little one.” She slowly stretches out her hand towards you. “May I?”

You stop eating for a second before bringing your nose closer to her hand. It smells like salmon. You return your attention to the delicious sushi on the plate. 

With a hum of satisfaction, she places her hand between your ears. They fold to the sides, making way for her. Miko rubs her hand over your grimy, brownish fur. It was white once, for sure, but now that colour is just barely showing in places. No worries - she would wash you and make sure your coat will return to its undoubtedly splendid layer. 

“I'm here. It will be alright.”

There's a long road ahead of us. But you won't have to walk it alone, dear. 

Thanks for reading!

[pelova4president]

Little soulmates

Mapi León x Ingrid Engen x pregnant!Reader

summary~ After going through IVF with the loves of your life you get pregnant. They are nothing but supportive, helping you with everything. When the boys are born they look just like your lovers.

The three of you have always had a baby wish. Looking at Mapi playing with the kids of your friends and Ingrid sitting with a sleeping baby in her arms made your heart warm. They would be perfect mothers.

Both Ingrid and Mapi played football but you didn’t. They were in their prime time so the most logical thing was for you to carry the baby. You were still young, you 21, Ingrid 25 and Mapi 28. You didn’t want to wait. You’ve found your soulmates. Luckily you didn’t want to do anything but that, carrying a child of your lovers was something magical.

You agreed to do IVF, choosing a donor that looked a bit like both of them. Brown hair like the Spaniard, green eyes like the Norwegian and freckles like both of your lovers.

The doctors said that you shouldn’t get your hopes up, the first try almost always doesn’t work. But that was hard. Both of your girlfriends were there when they did indeed told you that the first attempt had failed.

They were there when you cried in the doctors office, when you were silent on the ride home and even when you cried yourself to sleep between the two of them.

Ofcourse they were heartbroken too but they needed to be there for you. You were going through hormonal changes and that made you feel things. The only thing they could do for you was be there. So when the morning came and you woke up, they were there. When you tried again, they were there.

And eventually, when you got pregnant, they were there. Mapi was absolutely over the moon, hugging you and kissing all over your face. Ingrid couldn’t help but smile at the silliness of Mapi and kissed you on your head. “We’re gonna have a baby!” Mapi cried and ran across the room to her phone, calling her mom.

While Mapi was telling her mom the news Ingrid kissed you over and over again. “I can’t believe we’re gonna be moms, y/n i love you so much. I can’t believe it.. A mini Mapi or you!!” she hugged you. “Or a mini Ingrid.” you laughed.

Just when you thought Mapi couldn’t get more excited you got the news that you were having twins. She was switching between jumping around the room and kissing you stomach all while Ingrid hugged you from behind and kissed your cheek.

Later on you got the news that it was twin boys. You didn’t really prefer one sex over the other so the three of you were happy. Ingrid started searching for names immediately.

She really liked Noah and Theodore while Mapi loved the Spanish names Mateo and Hugo. You still had a few months to go so you didn’t really got into the whole name thing, you decided that that was up to your lovers unless you thought the names were ugly.

When you reach your second trimester the three of you decided to tell the team. Ingrid and Mapi couldn’t wait to tell them so when they finally could they were beyond excited.

It was a Tuesday afternoon, just after training when the team got called into the canteen. Mapi took it as her responsibility to tell everyone. “Hola chicas! Both of my pretty girlfriends are here as you can see. The reason for that is because one of them is carrying my two sons!” she yelled. “Our two sons!” Ingrid corrected.

The whole team came flying towards you. But before anyone could get near you Mapi stopped them protectively. “She’s carrying our bebés so be careful!” she warned them.

You knew it was time share the news with the rest of the world, you couldn’t hide your pregnant belly much longer.

marialeonn16, ingrid_engen, y/n_y/l/n

liked by leahwilliamsonn and 217.381 others

kicking like your mamas already

comments

alexiaputellas can’t wait to babysit them

↳ y/n_y/l/n tía ale 🥹

greiten gratulerer❤️❤️

aitanabonmati dos pequeños futbolistas

maanum99 can’t wait to meet them

esmeebrugts i’ll take on babysitting duties

↳ ingrid_engen learn to cook first

fembarcaforevr THEY ARE SO PERFECT

footballengen23 she’s pregnant with twins??!

Halfway through the pregnancy you really started to feel the effects that it had on your body. Your whole body was sore, the cravings you had were just weird and those moodswings… Both of your girlfriends tried to help you in any way possible. Mapi massaged your feet while Ingrid tried to massage the knots away in your shoulders. When you were craving something again, even at night or very early in the morning Ingrid would drive to the store to get it to you as soon as possible.

The moodswings however were harder. Whenever you were watching a movie, your head on Ingrids chest while Mapi traced paterns on your stomach. You couldn’t help but cry at the sad scene on your television. “Hey hey.. amor, why are you crying?” Mapi would ask you. You shook you head and answered “I don’t know, i just can’t stop crying.”. Ingrid and Mapi would share a smile and comfort you until you felt better.

y/n_y/l/n

liked by alexiaputellas and 169.839 others

i guess i’m the only one who has to do the whole mom body kinda thing

comments

marialeonn16 but you’re a milf 😋

↳ y/n_y/l/n MARIA PILAR LEON

↳ marialeonn16 what can’t i just compliment my girl?

ingrid_engen you’re my beautiful girl ❤️

alexgreenwood5 enjoy your vacation 😍

wosofannn1 they’re literally so fit

marialeonn16 posted on their story

Mapi was so proud and wanted to show you off to everyone while Ingrid just wanted you to herself. Ingrid knew that it wasn’t long before everyone wanted to see you and their baby’s so she wanted to enjoy every single moment.

While Ingrid cherished every moment and every bit of you, Mapi couldn’t keep her hands off you. She had always loved your ass and tits but now that you’re pregnant she loved them even more. When you walked next to her she made sure to have a hand on the small of your back and eventually a little lower so it rested on your ass. The Spaniard also loved to cuddle you from behind, taking your tits into her hands.

Ingrid loved your stomach, the idea of one of her girlfriends carrying her babies made her so proud and happy. Your taller girlfriend also loved to hug you from behind, taking your belly into her hands, lifting it up for you and holding some of the weight. She knew you liked it so it only made her happy to do it for you, even when her arms started to cramp.

You were 37 weeks pregnant pregnant when your water broke. It wasn’t the most ideal moment. Your girlfriend were playing the el classico, one of the most important games of the season.

It was the 76th minute, you were talking to Alexia, Jana and Frido, since they were injured. It was then that you felt the wetness. You looked down but couldn’t really see anything because of your round belly.

Jana was the first one to notice and went straight into stress mode. “Oh my god! Y/n your fucking water just broke, what are we doing?” she asked you. You looked up at Alexia who was sat with wide eyes. She needed a moment to process it all but came to her senses eventually.

“Jana you need to find Jonatan. Frido and I will take y/n to my car and drive her to the hospital.” she ordered. Jana went running onto the field and told Jonatan the news.

Both of your lovers had joked about you delivering the twins while they were playing a game but you told them that that wouldn’t happen. But you were wrong. Ofcourse they wanted to come out now.

Alexia carried you to her car and went straight to the hospital. She sped through traffic and you’re impressed that she didn’t cause a crash on the way.

Arriving at the hospital Alexia and Frido ran out of her car and into the hospital. You thought that they’d forgotten you and they probably did. But Frido came back with a wheelchair. She put you, still dressed in your Barca jersey and soaked trousers, in the wheelchair.

Before you knew it you were in a hospital room already. The doctors were asking you questions you couldn’t even answer, you needed your girlfriends. Where were they?

The door flew open and there they were, the two stressed faces of your lovers. Ingrid ran to you and kissed your head, asking you if you were okay. Mapi just stood there, in complete shock. You could see the sweat on her forehead, she looked like she’d just seen a ghost.

“Maria Pilar Leon, i’m pushing your kids out so help me out here!” you yelled. That took her out of her trance and she stood next to you, holding your hand.

It was painful and hard but with Ingrid and Mapi by your side it was a little better. Ingrid kissed your forehead and combed through your hair with her hands. She was whispering encouraging words and telling you it would be alright, like she always did.

Mapi was another story, the women was beyond stressed. The colour had drained from her face and she was shaking, you were not sure if that was because you were gripping her hand so tightly or if it was just that she was about to see her boys.

It was about five hours later when your first baby decided to arrive. Mapi fainted and Ingrid started crying happy tears. They placed the first boy in Ingrids arms since Mapi wasn’t really available.

Minutes later, when your Spanish lover was with you again, the second boy arrived. The baby was placed in Mapi’s arms and you couldn’t help but smile at the sight. There they were, it was perfect. The loves of your life holding your babies.

Later when everyone was a bit more stable Alexia, Jana and Frido came in. Alexia started crying and hugged Mapi telling her how happy she was for all of you. Jana sat next to you and told you all about the game and how Mapi and Ingrid reacted to the news. Frido walked over to Ingrid who handed her one of your sons.

marialeonn16, ingrid_engen

liked by viviannemiedema and 281.829 others

Theo Hugo Leon-Engen

Mateo Noah Leon-Engen

vår verden - nuestro mundo

comments

leahwilliamsonn they’re the cutest!!

fridolinarolfo the luckiest auntie

brunavilamala pequeños monstruos 🦖

janafernandez3 i hope they’re good at football

y/n_y/l/n they better be perfect since i’ve had them in me for 9 months

↳ ingrid_engen små engler 😇

After two days in the hospital you finally got to go home. Mapi was driving, you in the passenger seat and Ingrid in the back with the boys. You’ve never seen Mapi drive so slow. You giggled at the memory of Mapi driving way over the speed limit just months ago. The brown eyed women noticed this and asked you what you were thinking about. “Just how you’re so careful ever since i got pregnant. You’ve really gone full mom mode.” Ingrid laughed at your remark. Mapi looked in one of the many mirrors she installed over the last few months “I’ll never let anything happen to any of you.”.

Your two footballers got a few weeks off and spent every moment with you and the boys. They loved walking the boys around the city, showing them everything even though they didn’t really pay attention.

ingrid_engen posted on their story

Theo was a little angel, just like your Norwegian lover. He was always sleeping, even smiling now and then. Mateo on the other hand was just like his other mommy. He didn’t want to sleep, was very clingy and loved to roll his eyes. Even though the two of them were complete opposites they were really attached to each other.

marialeonn16 posted on their story

Even though you had carried them for almost a year, the twins started to look more like your lovers by the day. Not only on the outside but on the inside too. They were surprisingly tall for their age, just like Ingrid, they have Mapi’s hair and their faces were just the two faces of your football players combined.

When they were two they really started to get into football, always kicking a ball around the house, even when you told them not to. They ran onto the field after every game, wanting to play with their tías. They were destined to be footballers.

y/n_y/l/n

liked by janafernandez3 and 211.422 others

they look more like their other mommies than me :(

comments

marialeonn16 they act like you though

↳ y/n_y/l/n they don’t! Mateo is crazy like you and Theo is a mini Ingrid

↳ fridolinarolfo true

lucybronze my little babiesss

esmeebrugts Theo can dribble already ⚽️

↳ brunavilamala i taught Mateo to shoot on goal

fan4woso66 are they gonna play for Norway of Spain?

↳ barcaisbest probably Spain

↳ l9veingrid i hope they’ll play for Norway

ingrid_engen, marialeonn16, y/n_y/l/n

liked by aitanabonmati and 269.174 others

los chicos 👦🏻👦🏻

comments

fridolinarolfo Theo is a mini Ingrid

↳ marialeonn16 Mateo is a mini me though!!

alexiaputellas big boys already 🥹

keirawalsh they’re little monsters

lucybronze my little ballers ⚽️

ona.batlle i miss themmm

↳ y/n_y/l/n they miss their tia too

leahwilliamsonn golden boys

fann437woso THE MATCHING SHOESS 🥹🥹

backheelrusso99 i just know mapi got them those little adidas samba’s

[manicpixiedreamedwins]

♡ AN INCOMPLETE LIST OF THINGS I LOVE ABOUT EDWIN PAYNE ♡

We were introduced to Edwin by watching him use a magic spell. He utterly destroys a cursed object to save his partner between cunty little jabs while they were running for their (after)lives. If that wasn’t enough to make me completely unwell about him, he then had this very soft, tender moment while he and Charles were clinging to the wall outside their office, hiding from death. He reassures Charles they will never ever be separated from each other because he will not let it happen. I’m sorry what?? He’s gorgeous?? He’s magical?? He’s a bitch?? He’s a lover?? You’re telling me he did that all in five minutes and you were expecting me NOT to be utterly unhinged about him??

Ahem. Okay. Now let’s go into some other things I really love about Edwin (I’ll try to go in chronological order, but no promises here):

Episode 1: Honestly I was completely gone on Edwin in episode one. What do you MEAN he's promising his boyfriend best friend that death will never ever do them part before the intro even crosses the screen? But even after that, he just kept getting better. He stuck his hand through iron bars because he wanted attention. He does ultimately go to Port Townsend, but he's constantly making cunty little remarks while they're on the case because he is not. Happy. To. Be. There. (Or happy to be sharing is bff of 30 years- we find out he is dealing with some deeper trauma in the alley shortly after). He has a flair for the dramatic. He totally turns the idea of the reserved, buttoned up Edwardian upside down- he has opinions on everything from the name of their agency to witches and he will share them. He has a lot to say (he just talks around some of the most important details, as we find out later).

Then the IT'S A LARK TO YOU MONOLOGUE? Yeah sorry I was on the floor at that point.

Episode 2: Some of my favorite parts of this episode were seeing Edwin do what he does best- which is use his knowledge to get the agency out of a jam. Of course he's brilliant enough to read ancient Aramaic (I have to know, does "knowing" a language to him mean mastering it? Because he seemed pretty capable of reading the inscription.) I also loved how he subtly defended Charles. Charles absolutely lobbed that vase at the skeletons in the dandelion field to protect him, but he later softens the story and says Charles simply "dropped" it. Then he further smooths things over by celebrating Charles' idea to use the jar as a new vase. As much as some may claim he's not people smart, I would argue he is- he simply prefers to leave that bit to Charles.

Episode 3: Edwin and Crystal both working together to work the VHS was a prime comedic moment in some ways (he was born too early, of course, and she was born after the VHS was popular), but it was also sweet to see the two share a moment of mutual acknowledgement for one another's skills at the end. You also realize although he may be worried about losing Charles to Crystal, Edwin is genuinely alarmed when they encounter a misery wraith and tries his best to walk her through evading it (and luckily, neither of them suffer the wraith).

Episode 4: Edwin daydreaming about Charles lives rent free in my brain ♡ (as do the starfish, not to worry) I could talk about many moments, but I'm going to talk about the cliff moment because it is so :)) misunderstood :)))) Something I love about Edwin is he is very, very attentive to Charles. In episode 2 Charles doesn't want to talk about Dads anymore- so they don't. In episode three Charles has clearly been crying and clearly been talking to Crystal about it, but he doesn't want to keep talking when Edwin comes in- so once again, they don't talk. But there are many things Edwin does notice about Charles. He's usually a cheerful guy, and he's hard to rattle. He usually only fights when provoked. He likes physical touch, and he often pats Edwin on the shoulder for reassurance. Could Edwin have worded his concern differently? Sure. Do I think it would have mattered after Charles just relived the worst moments of his life? I am unsure. I think that he tried to show concern, was the only once who approached Charles after all that, and tried to offer his preferred form of comfort, speaks volumes about how observant he is. He's a great detective.

Episode 5: I love that we see Edwin practicing necromancy. This is a moment that is so underrated and I just want to point out that summoning a spirit that is unsettled or not at rest to talk to you is an old, archaic form of magic that takes a lot of skill. People who are interested in seeing Edwin do more magic can consider looking to this scene for some dark, eerie inspiration . We also got some very quotable quotes: "There's a... fuzzy lizard motioning?" "What is a hand job?" "We should follow up with this Molly character."

THE!!!! HUG!!!!!! HE!!! CRAVES!!! THE!!! HUG!!!!!!!!!

Episode 6: BOYFRIEND SWEATER!!!! HE WAS GOING TO TRY AND GET A BOYFRIEND!!! WITH THE LITTLE SWEATER!!!! HE DRESSED UP!!!!!!!! JUST!!! FOR!!! HIM!!!!! I- AAAAHHHHHHH!!! Look that's probably genuinely my favorite part of the episode, but I also really enjoyed seeing that Edwin had a little on the go potion kit full of glitter and magic? I want one?? That was oddly enchanting? And is there anything more "to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die" than holding hands with your crush as you get pulled into oblivion by a giant teeth face mushroom? I think not. I would love to know what he was going to say to Charles.

Episode 7: He confessed to him on the steps to Hell and he is a pretty crier and I could type a whole post about this all by itself but this is getting really fucking long I am so sorry okay actually the fact that he was like you don't need to feel the same I just need you to know and then Charles was like "well we'll figure it out" and he was like I KNEW IT HE DOES NOT FEEL THE SAME is so. Edwin. BABE. What is going on in there. Please explain. You are so smart but so... PLEASE???

Episode 8:

He looks really pretty screaming on a table Also he tried to shake hands with the night nurse even though she hates them oh. My heart. Then that little giggle and squiggle in the chair when Charles was half-flirting with him I am crying they were taken too soon.

In conclusion: EDWIN PAYNE, LOVE OF MY AFTERLIFE EVERYONE

I AM SO UNWELL (I don't think I will ever be well again)

[story-weavr]

A Hidden Story

Notes:

Inspired by The Bot Who Went Through Time by Commoncoral

This can be read as just TFA or a mixed universe.

The Autobots led by Optimus Prime were in a covert Autobot lab where experimentation for an energy source was underway. Due to the dangerous nature of the experiment, a secluded and hidden location was chosen for a lab.

Unfortunately, the Decepticons found the lab and attacked!

During the battle, an explosion occurred.

Waking up, Optimus Prime found himself on a Cybertron of the past. Unfortunately, he was smack-dab in the territory of Tarn. The most dangerous city-state on Cybertron, where crime, corruption, & brutality go hand-in-hand.

Knowing the danger he was in as well as the risks, Optimus opted to disguise himself with a new body and identity: Convoy.

He quickly found work where no one really cared who you were: Mining.

Luckily, he quickly made friends with another miner, Dion. He showed the young Convoy the ropes, and the two quickly became inseparable.

One day, a cave-in occurred. Convoy, furious at the foremen’s disregard for the trapped miners, immediately started the rescue effort. He, Dion, & others managed to save them.

The group was punished with cut pay and overtime for the resulting effect on production. Convoy, for leading it, was put on half-rations.

Later, at his hut in one of the miner camp-towns just outside the Tarn mines, Convoy received visitors. All but one were the mechs his actions saved.

Terminus, unfortunately, could not come with the others due to his damaged legs. Instead, he sent his son, Kilotron.

Kilotron was a gentle and noble soul within an intimidating frame. The mech was often visited by those who wanted him to work as a thug or a gladiator.

But Kilo was uninterested; he wouldn’t risk dying or killing.

After becoming closer with Kilo, Convoy later learned the young miner’s dream: to become a writer. One who could help, not just Tarn, but all of Cybertron to become better.

Something his grandmother, a Tarnian politician, failed to do. This resulted in her becoming a mining prisoner, and her son born in mining.

Over a short period of time, Convoy and Kiltron’s feelings became that of love. At first, Convoy tried to keep it platonic. But he started to lose hope that he’d ever return to his time.

One day, another cave-in occurred. This time, Convoy and Kiltron were trapped alone.

When they dug themselves out, something terrible greeted them. Among the casualties, Dion and Terminus had passed.

Convoy knew then: he or Kilo could die at any time.

That day, Convoy and Kilotron moved in together. In mining culture, they were now Conjux.

Time passed. Kilo moved up the miners’ informal ranks becoming a Head for a large team. Convoy had been reassigned to logistics and was now expecting their first sparkling. The two had become respected figures in their camp-town. They often met with other leaders to better organize the mine work and supply distribution.

One day, however, something terrible happened. The city-state of Vos, eternal arch-rival of Tarn, sent a squadron of bombers to various mining sites on the outskirts of Tarn. The plan was to take the mines for Vos by hitting the headquarters that were always a fair distance from the valuable mines themselves.

Unfortunately, Convoy and Kilo’s camp-town was right next to one of the targets.

Kilotron was still deep in the mines with his team. Convoy was surrounded by flames and panicking miners and civilians. He helped as many as he could escape.

Unfortunately, he himself became trapped. All hope seemed lost.

Then a portal appeared in front of him. Ironhide screamed Optimus’s name. Desperate, Optimus Prime ran through the flames and passed through.

Back in an Autobot lab, surrounded by old familiar faces, Optimus screamed in Ratchet’s familiar arms.

His Conjux was gone. Possibly dead in the attack. If not, he would die by the mines, Tarn’s corruption, the Vos’s attacks, by the Decepticon-Autobot war.

But worse than that, if Kilotron did survive, he’d be completely alone.

And the only thing Optimus had left of his beloved… was the sparkling he carried. The sparkling he would name Windblade.

When Kilotron finally came out of the mines, all he wanted to do was go straight back to Convoy and their unborn sparkling.

When he got out however, he was greeted by a group of miners led by one of the other camp leaders.

What he said caused Kilo to drop his tools and take off running. He ran, and ran, and ran.

Until finally he reached the hill that overlooked his home.

Where a dilapidated but lively camp-town once was, there was only smoking ruin and the smell of ash.

Kilotron let out a ROAR. One of grief… and rage!

That day, Kilotron… the miner… the writer… the mech with a family…

Was dead.

A short time later, Tarn’s infamous gladiator circle was shaken by the criminal lord Cryotek’s newest talent!

Megatronus!

[new-tella-us]

The Mothers Part 1

Alright! The way this post will work is, I’ll go over each mom and discuss a brief “before the Demon Lord” section, what happened to get them into the bastard’s harem, what they did when they had their son and how that affected their kid. Then I’ll mention some extra people they either liked or hated. I am doing this two at a time as usual.

Starting with-

Istorae The Overthrown Queen

Istorae, as a young woman, was known to be a hopeless romantic and an impossibly talented woman. She was her kingdom’s prettiest gem. She, of course, had her faults. She could be ridiculously devoted, jealous and thought herself better than most by default. Eventually, she would meet an interesting young man. A brute whose name she’d never learn. Despite seeing herself as greater, she couldn’t help but be interested in this man. The brute wasn’t the prime of his kind, but he had ambitions that most didn’t have. His ambitions and dedication to them made him admirable to her. And slowly, she started to fall in love with him. 

To prove that he deserved her hand in marriage, Istorae’s parents sent this brute off into a war for a neighboring kingdom’s land, despite her protests. If he lived, their army won, and he could bring back proof that he personally defeated the current monarch, he would earn Istorae’s hand. And despite getting captured, the brute succeeded. The war was won, the kingdom was defeated, and the mad monarch’s head was brought back as proof. The brute became the new queen’s consort, only to then stab his wife in the back. He dethroned Istorae, killed her parents and proceeded to amass a harem, truly becoming the Demon Lord. This broke Istorae and the once lively and bubbly queen became solemn and hateful.  

When Raestrao was born, three wives and a secret harem girl were already amassed. Istorae couldn’t show much love towards her son. Her heart was already corroded over. She only focused on training and education. 

Istorae and Raestrao grew a distant, cold and formal relationship. She was more of another commander than she was a mother, facilitating the importance of perfection. In her eyes, she should never have given anyone “lower” a chance, so she raised Raestrao to be perfect and never give anyone less than perfection any leeway. They deserved judgement of the highest degree.  

She also would partake in teaching Raestrao to master magic both from their species and general magic from books. She expected nothing less than excellence from her son in the hopes that he would, one day, overpower his father and take the throne. 

The consequence was that Raestrao grew up with little to no warmth in his life. He was only seen as “good enough” by either parent if he obtained perfection. He grew up judgmental, terrified of failure, and replacing genuine warmth and care with politeness and formality. Luckily for him, his brothers showed him the love his parents never did so he had some reference of care. Who knows how cold Raestrao would have become if he didn’t have his brothers? 

When Raestrao disappeared without a trace, it felt like Istorae’s heart was broken all over again. And while she was distraught about losing her heir and claim to her throne, she also was torn apart about losing her only child. In James’s Demon War Route, she would make her decision to sacrifice her own life to create a Stone Destiny. If there was even a chance that her son was alive and able to take the throne, she would force it to happen. She wished for him to be the next Demon Lord... 

Be careful what you wish for. 

As for extra people Istorae liked or hated.  

Istorae has one servant that she genuinely sees as a friend. She still has her guard up around the servant, but she can hold a very pleasant conversation with them. 

Istorae does enjoy Raestro’s company. She sometimes can be uncomfortable with how similar he looks to the Demon Lord but, she does genuinely love her son, no matter how little she shows it. 

She flat out hates the “harem girl” the Demon Lord has. Remember, she has a major jealousy issue (most succubi do) so the implication that the husband she once loved and still holds some remanence of love for loving another woman hurt. Similarly, she despises Izroul. She‘s never done anything to the boy, but she can’t stand to even be in the same room as him. It doesn’t help that Izroul also looks a whole lot like the Demon Lord. 

She isn’t on speaking terms with Aezera. The first and last wives envy each other’s positions. 

Next is

Kalipo The Siren of the Scalloped Seas. 

Kalipo has always been diplomatic. It’s how she was raised, it’s who she is. She always believed that anything could be solved with a talk. Now, this doesn’t mean she was lenient. She believed in punishing the insolent and foolish and tight rules so specific that you would be pressed to weasel your way out of them. She believed in the “devil of the details” basically. However, she saw that and negotiation as a way to prevent danger and aggression rather than as a response to it. 

When the Demon Lord wanted control of the sea, he would take to using the very strategy of the mad monarch he once opposed. He would storm Kalipo’s underwater kingdom without warning or mercy. He had his greatest mages use “Spells of the Fins” on mass to make his land army almost as effective underwater as they were on land. The sheer numbers and foreign diseases brought to Kalipo’s kingdom wiped out her numbers quickly. Even her parents fell. Kalipo attempted to offer peace, negotiation and deals as she always did but the Demon Lord didn’t care about that. He would only accept pure domination or total annihilation. Kalipo was forced to agree to the former. 

When Uzaeris was born, the fourth and final wife was being... “obtained”. The kingdom was tense and the birth of a second heir that was both not Istorae’s and part animal demon didn’t help. Kalipo saw the uptake in violence in the streets of the kingdom she was now a part of and couldn’t help but be saddened and disgusted by it. The kingdom was tainted with blood that Kalipo was determined to correct. She would raise her son strictly on diplomacy. From mediation, to manipulation, to flirtatious advances to debate, every type of verbal communication would be mastered by Uzaeris whether he liked it or not. 

Kalipo and Uzaeris gained a mentor/student relationship. It was warmer than Istorae and Raestro’s but that isn’t saying much. Uzaeris was still more a student/heir than he was her son.  

In the beginning, Uzaeris was not compliant. He wanted to do other things with his time and wished to get into his own hobbies. He even gained a small violent streak in his childhood. This was unacceptable, Kalipo had to change that. She had to change him. So, she used her own, far superior, manipulative behavior to force a bond between Uzaeris and the newest ‘member’ of the family, Izroul. She, with her infinite patience, would slowly craft scenarios where Uzaeris would see Izroul at his lowest, hungriest and most pathetic moments; slowly, she forged a bond between them and used that as her manipulation. And it worked. Uzaeris gained the motivation to try his hardest to learn politics, diplomacy and the art of manipulation to become the next Demon Lord. He even learnt magic and basic fighting skills to defend himself if needed. 

The consequence was that Uzaeris had no identity outside of his flirtatious persona. His free time was spent either wooing any poor soul that would fall for it or with his brothers, the only time he felt like he could be someone else. He was the perfect manipulator but nothing else. Uzaeris would also become extremely protective of Izroul and distrusting of Raestro. His mother poisoned his mind about his elder brother that persisted even into the human world. He was convinced that if Raestro stayed under their father’s thumb, he would become as bad. Though as he got to know Raestro during their stay in the human world, he would realize that Raestro wasn’t anything like his mother told him. 

When Uzaeris left, Kalipo already knew. She was the only one to witness it. No one, not even the boys, knew that she saw them leave. Why did she let them go? Because she realized there was no point. They had their out and Izroul, her only leverage against Uzaeris, had freedom shown to him. If she took that away, Uzaeris would not only hate her and be aware that she was only manipulating him but would also be set on finding an alternative to escaping with his brothers. She was smart enough to know when she lost. Of course, she was hurt by his instant willingness to abandon her, but his mentality was a monster of her making. She made him care more about his brothers than her. And she knew that. 

In Erik’s Demon War Route, Kalipo is nowhere to be found. She was the first wife to escape as soon as had the chance. Her current whereabouts are unknown.  

She didn't particularly like or dislike many people. Except her son. But even then, there wasn't much "family love", it was more "I tolerate you more than I tolerate most people." She doesn't even really hate Damien's mom all that much. She can be jealous but there wasn't someone to be jealous for.

She does despise her husband for all the bloodshed he caused. They had the most "distant" marriage of all the wives. TL:DR- Istorae's raising mentality- "Be perfect. Anything less is trash. Also don't be anything like my scum of a husband, you already look too much like him."

Kalipo's raising mentality- "You see this sad, pathetic, wet dog of a bastard child? Feel bad for him and take over the throne so that you can help him. 'What about Raestro?' What about him? He's probably evil."

[kalahannikolai]

The dashing Nightbeat, detective extraordinaire and master at learning secrets he's not meant to know! I was inspired to do a Cyber Emblem design of him thanks to @morelfunguyart and their adoration for Nightbeat. It was downright infectious, and I just had to do my own! Gave him some design aspects as homages to classic detectives, like the facsimile of a trench coat, fancy "facial hair", and an energon cigar. ;3

Backstory under the cut!

A fresh spark birthed from the Wellspring, a young Nightbeat was briefly raised in the sparkling center of Proximax along with the others of his pulse. He showed signs of a curious nature early on, as he caused quite the ruckus in his center from scurrying everywhere he could reach. Nightbeat also seemed particularly uncaring of going into rest mode at night with the others. His nocturnal tendencies and inclination to fight sparklings he thought were being mean earned him his name at a young age.

It was a concern of the sparkling center officials that Nightbeat's rambunctious behavior would not earn him a mentor. But when the construction worker Grapple surprised everyone with his visit, they were even further surprised that he came with the intent of adopting a sparkling. The hulking builder seemed oddly taken with the curious rapscallions, and after going through proper procedures the pair left together. A small Nightbeat excitedly rode on the armor around Grapple's head as the large bot took them home.

Said home would be the city of Unitrex, where most of the military and infrastructure personnel resided when off duty.

Nightbeat grew up comfortably under Grapple's care, the construction bot's income more than enough to support them both. Though, the demands of Sentinel's projects meant Grapple was not often able to be around. Nightbeat was unbothered by the absence, even if Grapple himself always regretted how busy he was. Luckily, the residential nature of Unitrex afforded Nightbeat many a friend to make while his mentor and caretaker was away.

Two neighboring families to Grapple's unit had their own younglings Nightbeat's age. Though they were sire-born, Brainstorm and Velocity were unbothered by Nightbeat's fresh nature and were eager to play. The three were nigh on inseparable, and were the scourge of Unitrex as their combined rascal energy vexed many a mature bot. Every time complaints were made to the responsible parents, they were waved away as the fanciful antics of youthful sparks.

"So long as they cause no real damage or danger, let the children be children." Prowl, the Head of Security for Unitrex, insisted when pressured.

The older he got, however, the more Nightbeat began to cause problems. His curious nature never went away, and every time someone refused to answer his questions was a disaster. He would only find a way to get the answer himself, and it usually resulted in being arrested. Each time it happened, Prowl would quietly dismiss the charges and send the bot on his way. This led to many accusing him of leniency, but Prowl not long after settle that with ease.

Before long, Nightbeat would mature enough to begin honing his curiosity and need for the truth into a proper vocation. He briefly joined the Central City Guard Academy, mostly to receive the proper training and licenses to perform independent investigative work. Graduation was a simple thing for Nightbeat, and having Prowl in his references was a strong start to his career. He even earned the respect and reference of the renowned guardian Hound, who appreciated the hound-like dedication to hunting for the truth that Nightbeat possessed.

Nightbeat caused a great many issues for Sentinel Prime and the conclave, as most of his jobs and efforts ended up wounding their image and control. This would incur a great many cease and desist orders, none of which that Nightbeat ever obeyed. It reached the point where one day, the conclave finally ordered an officer to arrest the rebellious detective. Unfortunately for the conclave, despite having tried to circumvent Prowl's authority and compassion, the officer deployed to arrest Nightbeat was a one Orion Pax.

Equally as rebellious as Nightbeat, rather than take him in Orion Pax took the detective back to Grapple in Unitrex. There, the two laid low to avoid conclave attention at Orion's request. They did all up until the Autobot Resistance was officially founded, and a newly risen Optimus Prime gave them the option to join him. Both did so willingly, along with Velocity and Brainstorm, as the people of Unitrex sided with the heroic Autobots against Sentinel's corruption and Megatron's aggression.

Nightbeat remained on Cybertron when the journey to find the Khadracons was taken. Though, when news reached Cybertron of a great many dire things taking place there, Primus knows he became very curious. And one of the most dangerous things in the galaxy was a curious Nightbeat...

[idioticsky]

For the ask thing, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLESSSSSS

You've opened pandora's box Wonder-

WARNINGS FOR UP AHEAD: character death mentioned, characters loosing limbs, implied child abuse and characters vaping

I have so many fan kids for fairytale man and I'll try to organize them by age-

Naomi:

Naomi's the oldest out of the six kids her parents have. She's a little chaos kid who wants to be a hero like her dad in a bad timeline while just wanting to run free in a good timeline.

In the bad timeline she follows her dad around as he throws out orders a lot while visiting her mom during her breaks in the med bay. She wants to make them proud of her and help them carry some of the weight on their shoulders- not really the best mentality for a kid though!

One day when she was seven a kraang attack happened on the base and she tried to show off that she could be strong to her parents by causing an explosion, making her lose her hearing and her legs from the accident. This also caused the base to collapse, killing dozens- including Danny and Donnie-

Naomi was separated from her family and was soon found by the kraanf and taken in and used in an experiment called 'project flower garden' because why not take something so sweet, like a child, and turn them into weapons. The whole point of the experiment was to see how the kraang could infect the kids with the kraang mutation to make super soldiers. They weren't treated the best and were even brainwashed during this to think the kraang were saving them and giving them a new home and life.

Naomi was the prize of that project and was a pretty powerful soldier. She was given prosthetic legs and hearing aids to make her a better soldiers and went on many missions during the seven years she was used in that project before Casey Jr., Michael, and two of their cousins (two ocs by my friends @skrapa-doodlzz and @ljgarts ). After that, Leo went out with one of my friends ocs name Celeste (also by Lj) to do what they could to take down kraang prime and their forces. During the big fight, Naomi is brought out to fight against her father, which causes Leo to hold back and try to get through to his little girl before she finally breaks the brainwashing before turning on kraang prime and killing him and passing out.

Leo takes Naomi back to what's left of the resistance before going to get her help, but soon realizes something: his loved ones are back and alive-

Yeah- when Naomi passed out, I made it so she brought back a few important people in her life because she's a witch like her mother without any of the training. She didn't know she could do this and didn't even know what she did, but it used a great deal of her magic which put a heavy toll on her body, so she's gonna be out for a while.

Once she wakes up, she's just trying her best to adjust to a normal life after the kraang war is over, and that's the basics for the bad timeline! I don't got too much for her for a good timeline though since I don't think of them often-

Michael:

Michael is Leo and Danny's second born who was literally born from magic. He's a kind kid who can be a little dense, but means well in any timeline.

During the bad timeline he would do a lot of what Naomi did while also playing around with his cousins Izzy (also by Skraps) and Lena (also by Lj). He would train with his dad along side Naomi some days and really loves his family.

When he was five, the base collapse happened, but luckily, Celeste was able to grab him and regroup with Mikey, Leo and a few others. After that, Michael tried to check on his dad a lot more after the lose if his sister and mom. He wanted to be strong for his dad and be there for him when he would be upset, so he would hide his pain in favor of helping out his dad. During the seven years before he was sent to the past, he would train and help out where he could, but was never allowed on missions because Leo fears of loosing his son.

When Michael was sent to the passed to stop the invasion, he loses a leg and cracking his shell pretty bad after taking past Leo's place in the prison dimension, he's still dragged out like in the movie, but he's shaken up after that. He stays with the turtles for a whole before Lena, Izzy, and him get an apartment together. He starts healing a bit before finding out that Izzy started vaping. Michael promises to hide it, but soon follows her in starting to vape. He does quit after a while and ends up going to therapy for all the stuff he repressed and even takes up music as a way to help him relax and vent out frustrations. He's finally healing and being happy again.

I got more fan kids but this is way to long as is so imma just cut this here. And have some friend doodles of our sillies!

Added a bit of fairytale cuz I care them<3

All the arts belongs to @skrapa-doodlzz and @ljgarts btw! I can't draw for shit, but I do got a few stories of these goobers I need to find and post!

[chicknstripz]

∘₊✧ Fear & Doubt ✧₊∘

Pairing|| Fem!Reader X Echo Word Count|| 1383 Tags|| Self-Deprecation, Self-esteem & Confidence issues, Disabilities, Fluff & Angst Synopsis|| Anakin can't help but notice a certain someone likes his boy Echo, and he's not about to let the newly returned trooper talk his way out of it! 'Jedi' prompt for @clonexreaderbingo

Echo is used to feeling confident, to feeling like he can handle anything the galaxy can throw at him! But this? This has him wheeling! The sight of you smiling from across the room enough to send him into a mild panic. Fives would have known what to do, of that he was sure. His little brother had quite the way with the opposite sex back in the day. But Fives wasn’t here, he was dead, and Echo’s not sure what’s worse. That no one had told him he was dead for a good two weeks, or that he didn’t know how to say hi to a pretty lady. “Go on, say something.”  Anakin’s friendly nudge in the side didn’t help matters. Echo used to feel comforted by the Jedi’s behavior, used to feel deep comradery and trust. Now? Well, he’s not sure what to feel. There’s a massive disconnect, a chasm that has opened up between them, and he’s not sure if that’s normal for a former POW. He tries to smile at his old friend, tries to bridge the gap, but the opposite side keeps drifting further away. “She isn’t going to be interested in someone like me, sir.” Anakin laughs, a full bodied sound that draws your attention. “I wouldn’t say that Echo. Just look at that smile! She doesn’t react like that when she sees your brothers.” If he was being honest, which he wasn’t, he’d have said he hadn’t noticed. He didn’t have enough time to notice if a nat-born was smiling at him or not, but these past two weeks? Oh he’d had time and plenty of it. He’d gone weak in the knees when you waved at him from across the mess, stuttered his way through a health check when you delivered new supplies to the med-bay, and more then once caught you smiling at him from the corner of his eye. He’d have considered it a compliment in his prime, but those days were behind him and he was adamant he’d protect you from his robotic self.

“Doesn’t change that I’m -- well -- me.”

He gives his body a gesturing wave.

“And it doesn’t change that she’s interested. Look, I know how difficult it is - having to deal with changes to one’s body, but that doesn’t change who you are in here.”

The weight of Anakin’s hand is soothing, a reminder that he’s very much alive as the Jedi spreads his fingers to cover the handprint Rex had painted the day before. He might be leaving to join the bad batch on a permanent basis, but that didn’t mean he was leaving the 501st behind. He was, and always would be, Rex’s kih’vod.

“This. This is all she cares about.”

Anakin gives a slight push to make his point, his other hand resting over his own heart as he stares into Echo’s eyes.

“All you need to do is be brave enough to say hello. Think you can do that trooper?”

“Sir, yes sir.”

If only it turned out that way! The meek ‘h..h..h..hello’ is a far cry from his long lost confidence, and he ends up fleeing with a muttered excuse before you could say hello in return.

[ --- ]

Luckily Anakin isn’t one to ‘give up’ when it comes to the ‘welfare’ of his men.

He orders flowers via the holonet for his battered friend, asking Padmé for her opinion on what would make the most romantic gesture. Deep red roses complimented with delicate sprays of tiny white flowers. Colorful chrysanthemums, their hues picked to best represent the current season. Lilies, their delicate white petals standing out against the bluer shades of gilia and cornflower. Sometimes he felt bad about undermining his friend like this, but watching you thank him for his sweet gifts? It only spurred him on, the awkward sway of Echo’s body as you kissed his cheek bringing a smile to his lips.

He sends care packages to Echo, full of all the things Padmé sends to him. A selection of sweet and savory treats, carefully cultivated to appeal to Echo’s taste buds. Decent powdered caff, the blends changed up to see what one he likes best. A blanket, the deep blue a reminder of his days in the 501st as he transitions into the batch. And boy does he consider it a victory when you start sending them yourself, Echo’s delight as he shows flimsi photos of you in colorful outfits near contagious. Because, honestly, what was better than your ‘brother’ showing off pictures of the person he loved?

Then one day, one glorious day, Echo asks you out! He’s been thinking about it for some time, buoyed by your sweet smiles whenever his vode sends you flowers. Echo still hasn’t figured which of his brothers is doing it, and at this point he doesn’t particularly care. It’s brought you closer, allowed him to experience things he thought were beyond him, and he’s not about to let the opportunity slide. Fives would have been appalled if he allowed that to happen. He swallows at the thought of his lost twin as he knocks at your door, the matt surface reflecting his face back at him for the barest moment before you answer. You always meet him with a soft smile, your eyes dancing with sweet affection as you take the flowers from him. He knows enough from your ramblings to know you like the roses the best, the mix of yellows and pinks popping against your dark shirt as you gather them into your arms. “Oh Echo, they’re beautiful. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?” He shifts his weight from foot to foot, the nervous energy settling in the pit of his stomach. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out for dinner? I -- ahh emm -- can’t afford much on a stipend but...” “YES!” You cut him off before he finishes the sentence, your excitement visible in your face as you wrap your arms around him. The self conscious part of his brain wants to push you away, wants to apologize for how uncomfortable his cybernetics must be, whilst the other? It wants to pull you in, to bask in your scent as you murmur sweet nothings about how much you longed for this. It's the later side that wins, his sigh deep as he settles his chin on your shoulder. “Should have done this months ago.” “What stopped you?” He swallows, embarrassed by the thoughts that had clouded his mind for so long. “Fear” It was a small word to describe the way he felt, but it suited it perfectly. Fear that you wouldn’t return his feelings. Fear that he wasn’t good enough. Fear that his body would sicken you. They’d compounded to an amorphous mess, to the point where he couldn’t pin down the reason why he’d been so afraid. But he had been, and it was embarrassing. He was an ARC trooper, a corporal. He wasn’t supposed to be scared! He exhales as he turns his head, a waft of your soap calming his nerves as he settles his hands on your waist. “Fear of what?” “Everything.” He shudders when your hand covers the back of his head, the way your fingers brush his headpiece making him want to apologize immediately. “Oh sweetheart ...” The softness of your voice chases away his forming apology, his mind blanking as he lets the warmth of it coat his nervous system. He’s never heard something so sweet, so loving, the moment so profound he’s sure it will stick with him until the end of time. “ ... You have nothing to fear with me.” The tone of your voice assured him that he didn’t need to worry about his looks or his trauma. You’d accepted him for who he was months ago, had smiled at him as if he was the only person in the galaxy. He sinks into you as your warmth draws him in, the fight leaving his muscles as he allows himself to accept your affections. He’d have to thank Skywalker the next time  saw him. If it wasn’t for him he’d have never known what your smiles meant! Would have never been able to take that first step into a life filled with warmth and love. 

[fauvester]

Your garashir adoption au is sustaining me. I am fuelled by the art. This and sunshine is all I need.

How were the kids to feed when they were first brought into the nest? Was food scarce after the war? Were there any hoarders? Are any of them insufferably picky eaters in later life?

OOOGH thank you so much for asking about OC lore... I'm so glad you're enjoying it... I'm having a grand old time playing in this little sandbox where our favorite guys end up with a big loving family..

Iskra and Young Elim get the most food-related behavioral issues since they were both in orphanages after the Fire when food was already in short supply. Luckily they were close to Lakat, where Federation aid was dropped and dispersed, so they had a little more than facilities elsewhere. Iskra developed all kinds of behavioral issues and tics that took decades to fully go away. Elim externalized it and tried to regiment everything around himself. Little 7 year old trying to cook for his ward with federation rations...

Iskra hates to see food wasted. Will eat out of the house trash. Hates replicated food, will make Lim cook her dozens of frozen meals to take when she leaves Prime. Could stand to drink a lot less - but if she doesn't drink it now there's no guarantee it'll be here tomorrow. Doesn't like to hold on to sentimental objects - what's the point if they're going to get taken or destroyed?

Lim is still 'collecting' dried goods and stashing them around even as a grown man.

Jocasta had access to stable food, but not a lot by the time her father died in the war and she was remanded to his wife's custody. Even as an adult she barely eats at all, and doesn't like sweets (very un-Cardassian.)

By the time Idan was born the Garak-Bashir family was well established enough to have reasonable meals, between two salaries, a kitchen garden, occasional replicator access and their federation contacts. And Lim turning scraps into moderately edible meals. So he's a good eater, other than eating a lot of non-foods as a kid. Weird physiologic quirk that lead isn't toxic to Cardassians, thankfully.

[scotianostra]

Happy 61st birthday to The Proclaimers Charlie And Craig Reid born on 5th March 1962.

Growing up in Edinburgh, Cornwall, and the Fife town Auchtermuchty, they listened to early rock & roll and country, gravitating toward artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Hank Williams. After playing in various punk bands during their school years, they formed The Proclaimers in 1983 and… 

Growing up in Edinburgh, Cornwall, and the Fife town Auchtermuchty, they listened to early rock & roll and country, gravitating toward artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Hank Williams. After playing in various punk bands during their school years, they formed The Proclaimers in 1983 and quickly developed a regional fan base with a particularly devoted following in Inverness. As an acoustic duo singing -style harmonies in the mid-‘80s.

After touring with the Housemartins the Scottish duo were signed by Chrysalis records, they were immediately compared to the Everly Brothers. Considering their energetic, melodic folk-rock, the comparison made some sense, even though the Proclaimers didn’t really sound like the Everlys. Instead, the band was a post-punk pop band, aggressively displaying their thick accents on sweet, infectiously melodic songs about love, politics, and life in Scotland. After two albums in the late '80s,This Is the Story and Sunshine on Leith, the second featured one of my fave songs by the twins, My Old Friend The Blues, a Steve Earle song about depression.

The band disappeared for several years, suffering from personal problems and severe writer’s block. When their 1988 song “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” was used in the 1993 film Benny & Joon, the duo began to receive massive radio airplay in America, sending them into the Top Ten in the U.S., as well as the rest of the world; it was their first taste of worldwide success.

Luckily, the band was close to completing their third album at the time, Hit the Highway, leaving them in a position to capitalise on their success. The single Let’s Get Married received little attention, and the band pretty much disappeared in the eyes of the general public, but diehard fans like myself knew they were special and still had loads to offer.

They made various contributions to several movie soundtracks – Dumb & Dumber and Bottle Rocket – during the latter part of the decade, but family priorities took full scale.

The new millennium gave us a much more fresh sounding Proclaimers. They inked a new U.S. deal with Nettwerk, and Persevere marked Craig and Charlie Reid’s fourth album, and my favourite. It was a return to form; singing about the grim and glory of their native Scotland, but also a sign of the prime of life, my pick of the album being Scotland’s Story which drew parallels between historical migrations to Scotland and arrivals of more recent immigrants. The song list included the beautifully crafted My Act of Remembrance, which paid tribute to their late father, if you haven’t listened to it please do on the YouTube video I have posted.

Arms of steel, hair of gold Royal blue eyes, with a rebel soul You scared me, you still do But I loved you More than you ever knew….

The band’s fifth effort, Born Innocent, appeared on their own imprint Persevere in February 2004, produced by fellow Scot Edwyn Collins, Restless Soul followed a year later, the song When Love Struck You Down is another strong song by the brothers. Life with You in 2007 gave us the song of the same name which is a karaoke favourite in Scotland. I sing the older songs from the 80’s myself.

The Proclaimers have given us 12 studio albums and they tour worldwide, my favourite wee anecdote from the Reid's is regards their song Throw the R away. The record companies who were keen to sign them told them unless they ditched the Scottish accents they would not be successful, the song tells us

You say that if I want to get ahead The language I use should he left for dead It doesn’t please your ears.

In an interview a couple of years ago Charlei commented “it was a conscious thing, because we were singing about where we live, our experiences and it just felt stupid to sing in an English or American accent.” Quite right too.

In 2020 Craig and Charlie are amongst fellow Scots Bill Paterson, Rebus writer Ian Rankin, and bizarrely Irish-American actress Saoirse Ronan, who have lent their voices to a new audio guide for Edinburgh Castle. I have never used the guides myself, but may do so on my next visit to see how they sound.

The boys have now released their 12th studio album, Dentures Out featuring 13 songs clocking in at a lean, tight, focused 34 minutes.

Charlie and Craig are in the middle of a world tour just now, having played North America they are now in Australia, then onto New Zealand before heading home for dates in Wales and England, then gigs in Kelso, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The song I have chosen, I hope reflects the Scottish attitude that we welcome all immigrants into our country with open arms.

[gemwing1988]

Katie Gemwing TV Tropes

A/N: Warning, this fanmade tropes will have some spoilers for certain parts of stories of The Dreamstones series for those who have yet to read them. And some tropes will be renamed due my “No swearing” policy. Read at your own risk but also please enjoy.

The Ace: All three members of the Dreamstones are skilled and powerful in their rights, but Katie has her awesome moments.

She is skilled at archery three years straight.

As a Crystal Dragon, she can master multiple elements similar to TLoS Spyro and Cynder.

Action Girl: Big time!

Actually Pretty Funny:

In Chapter 1: Pulled Into a Book, she smirked in amusement when Lexie joking pulls out her Bible to marry a laughing Natty to a slice of pizza when Natty jokingly asked if she could marry pizza.

In Chapter 19: Take to the Skies, she actually giggles along with her friends when they were amused by her calling the Devil “Luci”.

Adult Fear: As the oldest in the group, Katie often fears of the constant dangers her friends face up, whether it’s Lexie and Natty’s unwanted lovers or the kids getting bullied or threatened.

Next to Lexie, Katie is most horrified and guilt-stricken when King Dice stole Mugman’s soul during their confrontation in Misterie’s shop.

Matt, Liam’s kid brother is often in some potential danger ranging from several kidnappings and being surrounded by the Devil’s minions.

Kaichi the Sprigon also counts on being targeted due to his small size.

And the fact that TCS Cuphead owing the Devil his soul can do a real number on her Paranoia Fuel.

Adventure Couple: With Validor since the third season of The Cuphead Show: Dreamstones Edition.

Affectionate Nickname:

Her friends and most of her family calls her Kate.

Both versions of Mugman often refer to her as Miss Katie. Henchman also does the same as well as Clank from the Ratchet & Clank franchise.

TCS Ms. Chalice often calls her either “Sparkles”, “Glitter Wings” and “Blue Eyes”.

Starlight is one from her sister.

Hilda Berg from the book nicknames her Moonbeam.

Validor affectionately refers to her as “Oceanfire” due to some comparing her eyes to the ocean as she has a fiery spirit in her depths.

Afraid of Needles: Much like Lexie, Katie is terrified of injection needles for obvious reasons and hates every time she has to go to a doctor’s appointment that involves needles.

All of the Other Reindeer: Being born with autism, Katie had difficulties with some things and she was badly bullied at school, mainly as a teenager.

All-Loving Heroine:

All Your Powers Combined: Unlike Spyro and Cynder, Katie is able to combine two per elements together to form into a much more effective Fury attack blast. Her prime example is defeat her fight with the Devil from the book by combining her Ice and Electricity Fury blasts into an electrical snowstorm.

Alone Among the Couples: Throughout Heart, Soul & Mind, it’s sequel, Playing with Loaded Dice and the first and second season of The Cuphead Show: Dreamstones Edition, Katie is the only one among the main trio who doesn’t have a Love Interest. Her boyfriend, Validor is later introduced in season 3.

Amnesia Danger: She briefly has amnesia which the Devil takes advantage of her memory loss by manipulating her into believing she is his fiancée and that her friends are the bad guys. Luckily, his plan didn’t work.

And Now, You Must Marry Me: Of all people, both versions of Cuphead’s Devil wants to her to be his queen, going as far as kidnapping, blackmailing and even trying to trick her into becoming his bride.

Animal Motifs:

Dragons. The dragon is her Chinese Zodiac sign and she has several dragon themed ornaments and plushies in her collection as well as a Spyro the Dragon themed purse-wallet and a Spyro the Dragon game controller holder in her bedroom. She also has fondness for shiny things such as gems, which is a trait among dragons.

Swans. According to both versions of the Devil, Katie is often compared to a swan from being beautiful and graceful to fierce and aggressive when provoked, especially when her friends are in danger.

She often associates with dragonflies as Lexie does with butterflies while Natty goes with fireflies.

Potentially foxes given she wore a blue jewelled fox brooch on her jacket in Heart, Soul & Mind, and Kaichi’s character design is heavily inspired by foxes.

Battle Couple: With Validor.

Beautiful Singing Voice:

Be Careful What You Wish For: Having it the hardest in the Real World where she often feels like she’s unappreciated and unwanted, Katie wishes to live out her childhood dream to live among toons and go on adventures like in her favourite movies. After she had found the Cuphead book with the gemstones, her wish coming true was a lot more than she had bargained when the Devil is involved.

Berserk Button: Although she rarely loses her cool, Katie still has a number of buttons best not to be pushed.

King Dice and Anubis are always on the receiving end of her wrath whenever they come onto Lexie and Natty.

For some reason, she hates being called “sweetcheeks” TCS Sal Spudder learned that the hard way when she, Lexie and Natty scared him, Chauncey Chutney and Ollie Bulb off before they could attempt to soak up the nutrients out of Elder Kettle’s vegetable garden to spite the Cup Bros.

She hates the worst people pulling a Karma Houdini, especially when they’ve pulled some heinous acts out of spite and for the sake of being cruel.

She also can’t stand tyrannical and controlling parents who abuse their own children and force things onto them such as who they should be friends.

Don’t take advantage of either her or her friends’ kindness and trust, most especially Lexie’s. Dice had certainty learned that the hard way.

Animal and child abuse is a sure way to set her off.

She has ZERO tolerance towards bullies.

For personal reasons, mentions of her fights with her stepfather counts as one.

Never, under any circumstances, insult or badmouth about her boyfriend.

Do NOT ever come in between true love. Katie questions how many times she had to teach Dice Anubis that lesson.

Similar to Sonic the Hedgehog not liking being called a rat in some of his games, Katie hates it whenever someone calls her a gecko.

Also, do not play with her emotions, betray her or break her heart in the worst way possible.

Beware the Nice Ones: Next to Lexie and Natty, Katie is one of the sweetest and nicest people you could ever meet. However, when it concerns her friends either being bullied or harassed by unwanted lovers, she can also be the most fiercest when one of her buttons are pushed.

Big Eater: While thankfully nowhere near the extent of Goku from the Dragon Ball franchise, Katie still enjoys some tasty food and can be extremely excited about dinner and going out for ice cream with her friends.

Big “NEVER!”: Similar to mentioned below. Big “NO!”: Katie is often prone to scream this one out whenever something bad is about to happen or when either versions of the Devil from the Cuphead is coming onto her.

Big Sister Instincts: She has a sisterly friendship with Lexie and Natty, and to the extension, Matt, Liam, the Cup Brothers and even Ms. Chalice. Whenever either of them are in trouble, she will not hesitate to dive in to the rescue.

Blow You Away: Wind is one of her multiple elements. Its attacks allow her to literally blow her enemies away. They also allow her to buffet enemies and throw them about, and foes struck by them are left hanging in the air and vulnerable to attack.

Blue is Heroic: She dresses in plenty of blue, her dragon form is crystal blue and she is one of the heroes.

Breath Weapon: As a dragon, she obviously has that. Much like Spyro and Cynder from The Legend of Spyro Trilogy, she has multiple distinct elements - fire, ice, electricity, earth and wind. She also has the ability to master the Light Aether element in certain occasions.

Break the Cutie: In Heart, Soul & Mind, the Devil had attempted to break all three girls’ spirit by taking the souls of the former debtors. Katie is hit the hardest when she suffered a nightmare about being blamed due to have finding the “Cuphead: Don’t Deal with the Devil” book to begin with. However, in the rest of the story, she gets better.

Bully Hunter:

Calling Parents By Their Name: Or in her case, calling stepparents by their name. Whenever he upsets, Katie bitterly calls her stepdad by his name behind his back. She only does by in private, although this habit is often mentioned in her P.O.V once in a while. In her defence, her relationship with him is… strained.

Celestial Body: Her feathery wings occasionally glimmer with starry sparkles and they glow with bright blue and purple Auroras whenever she’s about to unleash a Light Aether Fury or breath attack.

Crush Blush: She occasionally blushes when Validor compliments her or when he states his fondness of her traits.

Cute Clumsy Girl: She has her moments of being mildly accident prone.

Damsel In Distress: Subverted. Despite being armed with a Keyblade, a summon charm to summon allies from various franchises and is able to turn into a dragon, whenever she’s either disarmed or if something blocks out her magic, she is prone to be captured and taken hostage against her. She will often have her friends helping her out of scrapes that she can’t handle alone.

Damsel Out of Distress: When push comes to shove, Katie is capable of being her own hero from time to time and will resort to her resourcefulness and cunning to get her out of trouble. Defiant Captive:

Delightful Dragon:

Determinator:

Disappeared Dad: When she and her older sister were very young, her biological father had divorced with her mother and moved away. And when she was somewhere in her late 20’s, he passed away from over alcohol poison due to over drinking.

Does Not Like Spam: Katie has a handful of certain foods she does not like or hate with a passion.

She really hates mushrooms. She most especially hates the smell of any being cooked.

She doesn’t like extra mature cheese due to the strong smell and texture.

She doesn’t like lamb and she despises the idea of eating kidneys and livers.

She’s not a fan of black liquorice.

And for personal reasons, she refuses to drink any types of alcoholic drinks.

Ironically, she also doesn’t drink coffee. She doesn’t like the taste.

Embarrassing Nickname: Subverted. TCS Porkrind tends to often call her “blueberry” due to the amount of blue in her clothing, much her awkward confusion. She decides to just roll with it later on.

Even Loving Heroes Have Hated Ones: As sweet and compassionate as she is, Katie still has a number of people she despises due to their lack of redeeming qualities.

She gets overly irritated with both versions of King coming onto Lexie.

She has a heated rivalry with Anubis since he had been lusting for Natty and he has some ways of getting under her skin. And the fact of his career as a bounty hunter and resorting to kidnapping Cuphead certainly didn’t do him any much favours to elude her wrath.

With his snobby attitude and his tendency to steal other people’s musical works to pass them up as his own to take all the credit, Ludwig has the displeasure of being added onto Katie’s list.

She could never bring herself to forgive her bullies after how they had treated her at school. Her reasons are justified since they had never apologised.

Everyone Has Standards:

Played for laughs, she hates pineapple on pizza.

She also doesn’t like raisins in cookies.

She really doesn’t like bathroom humour because she finds it gross.

While it’s true she can agree that most children should be disciplined whenever they misbehave but she is against Corporal Punishment because she believes physical punishment is basically child abuse. She even finds spanking to be too harsh.

While she finds most slapstick humour to be funny off from TV, she doesn’t like the idea of her cartoon friends getting badly hurt or worse in the situation is much more serious.

Although she has every right to hate and resent her past bullies for mistreating her back in school, Katie would never bring herself to stoop down to their level when the Devil (game) had offered her the power to get revenge on them once she agrees to be his queen.

Everyone Hates Mathematics: Her worst and most frustratingly hated subject at school.

Fan of the Past: She is greatly fond of cartoons from the late 90s such as the original 1991 Rugrats series and Disney Afternoon cartoons like Darkwing Duck and Looney Tunes. She often laments how much she misses such shows since there is hardly anything good on television anymore, aside from The Cuphead Show on Netflix.

Katie: Hey, can’t go wrong with the classics, am I right?

Fear of Thunder:

Feathered Dragons:

Friendless Background: Before Lexie and Natty, Katie didn’t had any much friends at school due to being bullied. Friendless Background: Before Lexie and Natty, Katie didn’t had any much friends at school due to being bullied.

Friend to All Children: If her interaction with Matt and the Cups are of any indications.

Friend to All Living Things:

Gamer Girl: Dating back to playing Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage (Gateway to Glimmer back in the UK) on the PlayStation 1, Katie enjoys playing video games and is a veteran Pokemon gamer dating back to having Pokemon Yellow: Pikachu Special Edition on the GameBoy Colour.

A Girl and Her X: In some case, a woman and her Sprigon companion.

Girls Are Really Scared of Horror Movies: Katie’s not really a fan of horror movies because she can’t stand extreme blood and gory scenes. And she doesn’t like any horror themed video games due to the overly graphic death cutscenes if the player loses. Not to mention the Jump Scare scenarios don’t sit well with her either.

Girls Love Chocolate: No arguments that chocolate is her Trademark Favourite Food.

Girls Love Stuffed Animals: She has a collection of stuffed toys and plushies back home.

Good is Not Soft: She is one of the sweetest, nicest and compassionate of the Dreamstones girl, but when villains, bullies or creeps threaten her friends and love, that’s when the gloves are off.

Graceful Ladies Like Purple: It is one of her favourite colours. Her belt bag is purple as well as the scarf-like ribbons at the bottom of her necklace in her dragon form. She also wears purple clothing such as her pyjamas, swimsuit and some dresses everyone now and then.

Growing Up Sucks: Sadly, she feels like it does given how she is often at odds with her stepfather and her struggles with her autism.

Hardcore Bookworm: She enjoys reading and is a very powerful dragon half-blood.

Hardocore Adorable:

Has a Type: Her ideal man is sweet, kind, honest, caring and very accepting of how she is. She also likes a man who is a proper gentleman with a sense of chivalry, puts others before himself, is good with kids, a Friend to All Living things and is a Cool Big Bro.

Hates Dresses: Subverted. She’s okay with wearing dresses on special and formal occasions such as a date at a fancy restaurant or an invitation to a gala. The only times she hates being a dress if she’s a victim of Go-Go Enslavement. She also finds wearing a dress limits her mobility when she needs to get around and would very likely trip over the hem of the skirts.

The Heart: According to Misterie, Katie, as the Binder, is the Heart of the Dreamstones and she often tries to keep everyone together.

Heroic Dog Lover: She’s a huge dog lover and she has two dogs back in the Real World - a Samoyed and a Pomeranian.

Hidden Depths:

She enjoys doing some cross-stitching and is excellent at embroidery. Her specialities are making Bookmarks in the theme of PokeBalls and flowery hearts.

Bowling is actually her most favourite ball game and enjoys playing it.

Hope Bringer:

Iconic Outfit: Her Crystal blue cold shoulder jacket with the flowing bell-shaped sleeves, long midnight blue handles gloves along with her medium denim jeans, back boots, midnight blue tank top with the light blue shoulders, purple belt bag, bracelets and book-shaped locket is her trademark look. She retains it throughout the stories while Lexie Natty go through an upgrade.

I Did What I Had to Do:

I Don’t Want to Ruin Our Friendship: When “Tom Chrystolite” proposes to her on their first date in the Gilded Rose’s garden, Katie lightly turns him down as she’s against marrying someone she just met and isn’t ready for that commitment. She also wanted them to be just friends for now until Lexie and Natty reveal who Tom really is thanks to the Bible.

I Just Want to Be Special: One of her wishes was to be someone who could make the world a better place and is respected, appreciated and loved as a hero. She had often wondered if people would be nicer to her if she was someone who matters.

I Just Want to Have Friends:

Innocent Blue Eyes:

In-Series Nickname: She is affectionately called Kate by her friends throughout their adventures.

Irony: Yep, even Katie has a list of a few things.

She’s half-dragon and she can breathe fire but she doesn’t like spicy food of any sort.

She likes ketchup and Heinz tomato soup, but for some reason, she hates actual tomatoes. Probably because she doesn’t like what the insides look like with the seeds and juice.

She ironically doesn’t like actual oranges due to the texture but she’s okay with drinking fresh orange juice (as long as it’s purely smooth and doesn’t have bits in it).

Despite her British origin, she doesn’t drink tea, much to TCS Devil’s surprise and the confusion of some toons who stereotype her.

Lexie and Natty often compare the Cuphead Devils as the King Bowesr Koopa to Katie’s Princess Peach although she has yet to play any of the Super Mario games.

Despite being old enough to drink, Katie hates alcoholic beverages of any type due to personal reasons.

She’s also old enough to drink coffee but she hates the taste of how bitter it is.

It’s All My Fault: She took full responsibility of her friends when she was the one who had found the book and gemstones and is quick to blame herself.

Kiddie Kid:

Despite being in her thirties, Katie is a child at heart due to her autism given her Fangirl obsession with cartoons and video games but she can still be mature when she needs to be.

She also doesn’t drink coffee or any alcoholic beverages, preferring mostly soda and frappes.

Kind Hearted Cat Lover: Although she leans more to being a dog person, Katie still like cats as she gushes over Aya and squees over the cuteness of a curious kitten bounding up to her for a pet.

Let’s Get Dangerous!:

Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone: Whenever Liam and Lexie or Natty and Andrew are having a romantic moment, Katie is prone to catch on that the lovers need a little alone time with being in each other’s company and ushers the others away while leaving herself.

Magic Pants: Whenever she turns back into a human, her clothes are still intact.

Magical Accessory:

Hey Keyblade transforms into the blue bracelet with the white and purple beads she wears.

In her dragon form, she wears a necklace that magical summons special armour for protection or to enhance her abilities on certain occasions.

Mama Bear:

The eldest out of the Dreamstones girls and is overly protective of her friends. She also seems to have some motherly instincts towards Matt, Kaichi and the Cups.

As a mother, she can be at her fiercest whenever Eira is in danger.

Marry For Love: While she’s not ready for that commitment, she is still a firm believer in this.

Meaningful Name:

Katie means “pure” in Greek, fitting for her sweet and curious nature.

In the Ancient Language of the Dragons, her middle name, Estelaria means “Daughter of the Stars” since the egg her ancestral namesake was said to be brought down from the stars.

Her surname, Gemwing has some meanings as well since her wings often have star-like glimmers and glints like a gemstone. Turns out there’s a rare gem in the Dragon Realms called the Midnight Opal, which is a dark blue gem that has a starry luster.

Meet Cute:

My God, What Have I done?!:

My Greatest Failure: She struggles to emotionally connect with her stepdad.

Neat Freak: She tries to keep things tidy as possible and she has the tendency to keep certain things in the order she likes. She admits that she does get mildly freaked out and annoyed whenever someone doesn’t out things back the way she likes it when they were in her room.

Nice Girl: A sweet, bubbly and well-meaning woman.

Not Above It All:

Despite her zig-zagged fear of the Devil, she’s not above giving him terms of insults whether it’s behind his back or right up to his face, going far as to call him “Luci”.

She has her moments with making up some puns, much to the amusement of her friends and expanse of the bad guys.

She’s not above expressing her inner child when she gets excited about somethings like Christmas and enjoying chocolate and ice cream.

Oh, Crud!: Phrase Catcher: Cuphead does a mild modification to his best known Catchphrase for Katie and the girls with this quote: “Eh, don’t be too worried about it”.

Playing Hard to Get: Both versions of the Devil from the Cuphead universe believed her to be doing this whenever she refuses his advances.

Please, I Will Do Anything!:

Running Away to Cry: Whenever she’s upset and wants to be alone, Katie runs off in tears. This trait is what kicks off the first adventure in Heart, Soul & Mind where she finds the Cuphead book with the three gemstones planted in the bookshop at her local town by the Devil.

Running Gag: She sometimes will zap TCS Devil with her electric breath in the same fashion like in the Sweater episodes or occasionally like in The Devil’s pitchfork whenever she’s defending herself or when she wanted to deliver some payback.

Say My name:

Katie is prone to scream out for her friends’ names whenever they’re in trouble with their unwanted lovers or when either versions of the Devil is about to take her away.

She often says or cries out Cuphead’s name either to scold him when he does or says something irresponsible or if he’s in danger (mainly with the Devil).

She Cleans Up Nicely: Normally wears gender-neutral clothes and is always seen in her Iconic Outfit, she can still dresses up in elegant gowns and cute dresses on certain occasions. And is just as pretty in a dress as Lexie and Natty.

Single Woman Seek Good Man: She made it clear to both versions of the Devil her reasons why she would never marry him. Since Validor arrived, she is head over heels for his kind-hearted nature.

So Beautiful, It’s a Curse: In the eyes of both versions of the Devil from the Cuphead franchise, Katie is deemed the most beautiful as well as very powerful for her powers. And it certainly doesn’t help that she often attracts unwanted attention from more some other darker admirers such as the dreaded pirate overlord, Levithaus.

Stepford Smiler: While she does a bubbly personality, there are times that Katie can be emotionally troubled when it concerns her with her rocky relationship with her stepdad and struggles to put up a brave face and a cheerful facade to mask her anxiety and woes.

Squee: She’s a die-hard fan of certain franchises and will fangirl extremely hard over the latest Pokémon game, anime or even the possibility of a new Spyro the Dragon follow up game to the Reignited Trilogy.

Sweet Tooth: She has a great love for sweets, mainly chocolate, cake and ice cream.

Tears of Fear: Not very often but she will sometimes shed some of these when most terrified.

Tears of Remorse: She is often prone to express her guilt and remorse over honest mistakes or if she feels at fault through crying.

Tender Tears: Potentially the most emotional of the Dreamstones girls. Being autistic, she is sometimes most prone to be driven to tears of pain, sadness, frustration and when she feels emotionally helpless. This happened a lot at school as well her fights with her stepdad.

Term of Endangerment:

Both versions of the Devil often refer to her as “my dear”, “my sweet”, “my darling”, “my little one” “sweetheart”, and “my little dragonfly”.

By Leviathius, she is “my dear”, “my sweet”, “my love”, “my treasure”, “my shining pearl”, “my little mermaid”, and “my siren”.

Tomboy With a Girly Streak: Although she’s a tomboy, Katie isn’t above keeping in touch with her feminine side as she sometimes wears a dress in special occasions and dabs on some perfume. She also likes shiny things, the colour pink and adorable cute things.

Trademark Favourite Food:

Chocolate in any form in all of its glory. Milk chocolate is the best.

Red velvet cake is one of her favourites.

She also enjoys ice cream. Most especially chocolate, vanilla, coconut and cookies & crème.

For savoury, her favourite is pizza, especially if it has southern fried chicken with extra cheese and a barbecue sauce base.

She really loves fried chicken.

Being British, she enjoys a Sunday roast with either chicken or turkey, mashed potatoes, carrots, roast potatoes, onion and sage stuffing Yorkshire puddings covered in plenty of gravy in that following order.

Well, more of a favourite drink than food, really but she loves fizzy drinks between Coke Zero and Pepsi Max in either normal, cherry or vanilla flavour.

Trapped in a World: Twice in fact alongside Lexie, Natty, Liam and Matt. Once in the game version the Cuphead universes via a book. And the second time was in the TCS version.

Trying Not to Cry: She often tries to keep her emotions in check but once the water works start building, she can’t seem to stop until she has a moment to herself to calm down.

What Beautiful Eyes!: Her blue eyes are said to be very beautiful indeed. A rare Crystal Dragon trait is that her eyes sometime literally sparkle. According to both versions of the Devil, her eyes are like the ocean, deep and mysteries and sparkle when the sunlight glistens over the water.

Why Did It Had to be Snakes?:

She has a crippling phobia of wasps due to being stung by one in her palm as a child when she accidentally trapped it between her head and hand.

She also hates scorpions due to how deadly their stingers are. So, it’s understandable that she is scared at the thought of getting stung by one.

As mentioned above concerning needles, she always dreads going to the doctor’s for an injection. No matter how small it is.

Both versions of the Devils still count in a way since he tries to force her to marry him. TCS Devil, taking on a Let’s Get Dangerous turn can actually be terrifying when he wants to be.

Your Favourite: The Devil had been doing a LOT of research on Katie when he often serves her favourite dishes when inviting dinner. Even going as far as buying her certain chocolates she likes and giving her a bouquet of her favourite flowers.

[lauraneedstochill]

My first choice (part 2)

summary: Aemond thinks you are way too good to be Aegon’s best friend. But you are enough for the one-eyed prince to fall in love with. pairing: Aemond Targaryen and F!Reader words: ~8500 (this is why I divided it into 2 parts lmao) warnings: friends to lovers, more angst (death of a parent, attempted harassment), hurt/comfort, an embarrassing amount of softness, Aegon is the smartest one for once author’s note: this is heavily inspired by “Little women” (2019) and Amy March in particular (read the rest of my long-ass explanation in part 1). again, I apologize for the angst! it gets worse before it gets better.

 Part 2. In a room full of art I stare at you.

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment you fell in love with Aemond. Maybe you were too blind to notice until it was too late or maybe you were doomed from the start. From the moment when the boy, who everyone deemed to be intimidating and reclusive, bent down to you to offer help without any hesitation. The second-born son of the King, tall and close-mouthed, surely had more important things to do than waste time on a strange girl crying over her stupid dress — and yet, he only showed you solicitude, asking for nothing in return.

You thought that mayhaps you owed him, and were seeking the opportunity to return the favor. Or at least that’s how you tried to justify the fact that you were looking for him every chance you got. You often found a reason to chat with Aemond during dinners and feasts, feeling bad for him spending time on his own — and you learned that he was very easy to talk to. You made sure to visit the training yard if he was there and sometimes stayed to watch him train for hours, even — or especially — when everyone else already left. His tenacity and strength had certain allure but under all those layers, you saw a lonely boy whose only friend was probably his dragon.

Despite the circumstances and his preferred solitude, Aemond never rejected your company, however sudden it might have been. Even when Aegon foolishly suggested playing hide and seek one evening, bored out of his mind, and you busted into the library and stumbled upon Aemond, who looked like he had no interest in silly games. And yet, when you awkwardly asked for the best place to hide at, he guided you to the enclosed area of the reading room. It was dimly lit by just a few candles and, somewhere between feeling uncomfortable and getting scared, you reached for his hand. He didn’t pull away. Furthermore, he stayed with you and cheered you up with stories about Old Valyria, making you forget about any childish fears.

As the two of you have grown older, you often heard people being frightened by Aemond’s disposition but you found there to be no ground for that. He’s never been rude to you nor had he lost his temper, regardless of circumstances — and the day you saw him without the eyepatch for the first time was the prime example of that. It was getting late and Aegon had too much to drink and, while running around in a drunken stupor, he cut his hand somewhere in the yard. Luckily, the wound wasn’t too deep but he was bleeding and refused to get help, against your best wishes. He was babbling that scars adorn a man — and then, in an attempt to escape you chasing him, he barged into Aemond’s chambers. You ran in merely a second after, with explanations at the ready, and were met with his younger brother standing there, looking startled. It took you a second to realize he wasn’t wearing his eyepatch.

“My scar will be easier to hide,” Aegon giggled, not recognizing the gravity of the situation.

It was the only time you had to make an effort not to slap him in the face. You thought it was mostly a secondhand embarrassment, which was part of the experience of being Aegon’s friend, but the look on Aemond’s face, hurt and humiliated, also made your heart ache.

“His scar is a reminder of his bravery and the strength of his character that he should only be proud of,” you gave Aegon a death stare. “Yours will be a reminder of your idiocy.”

It seemed to work as his smile vanished and he even muttered an apology, leaving hurriedly to call for the maester. When you turned to Aemond, he already had his eyepatch on, and you fought the urge to come and take him by the hand again. You didn’t want to bother him at such a late hour, so you opted to offer an apology, too, and leave him be.

“His behavior was unworthy. But I meant what I said,” you turned to Aemond on your way out. “And the sapphire looks very pretty,” you could swear you saw a trace of a smile on his face but you chose not to think much of it.

With every encounter, sudden or not, and every conversation, most of which were too short for your liking, you were making more room for Aemond in your heart. You should’ve known you were a lost cause when you actually told yourself — out loud, with hands grabbing the edges of your table — “I will not fall in love with him.” At that point, you already did. He always worked so hard to be seen — and you only had eyes for him all along.

You hid your true feelings well enough for anyone to take notice — but your father was no fool. He also knew better than to meddle with whatever your thinking process was. So he watched from afar for quite some time, until you started catching his curious glances on you every time you went to talk to Aemond. Predictably, after yet another feast he could not resist bringing up the topic.

“Did the royal menace have too many cups of wine again? Haven’t seen him this evening,” he adored Aegon whole-heartedly, and you suspected that their shared love for crude humor was the main reason for that. You didn’t mind.

“Wasn’t that many, actually,” you chuckled. “But he asked me and Aemond to help him to his chambers, said he wasn’t in the mood today.”

“Well, you seem to really enjoy Aemond’s company. I assume that the feeling is mutual?” he looked expressively at you.

Your face grew hot at his words. You also felt your heart break just a little.

“We are merely friends,” you told him, your smile too tense to be believable.

There was a shadow of concern in your father’s gaze, followed by a sad sigh.

“You will let me know if anything changes, though?” he mustered a smile in return and his was much brighter than yours.

“You will be the first one to know,” you promised as he came closer to bring you into a bear hug. You never spoke of it again.

Surprisingly, the only other person who seemed to have suspicions about the nature of your and Aemond’s relationship was his father, the King. You didn’t think he was aware of your existence, and even when your friendship with Aegon grew stronger and you became a regular guest at the castle, you soon realized Viserys barely paid any mind to his younger kids’ whereabouts. You would catch a glimpse of him in the halls and curtsy out of politeness but didn’t expect him to notice. You got too comfortable with his absence — so much so, that one day, when Aegon was carrying your supplies and humorously complained about the lack of art in the castle, you blithely suggested painting a portrait of the King. The last thing you expected was for said man to step out of the corner.

“I would be delighted,” he cut right to the chase. “Lady Y/N, isn’t it?”

He didn’t look scary up close, his face wrinkled and a tad too tired, but quite benevolent. He simply asked if you would be content with drawing him on the Iron Throne and you agreed, just as easily. Truth be told, you didn’t think he would follow up on his offer — being the King and all that, but he sent a carriage down to fetch you literally the next day. Viserys took the task with juvenile ardor, bombarding you with questions — what pose to take, what paint do you use, how quickly will it dry and how did you learn to draw. After he was satisfied with the answers, he changed the subject.

“My wife considers you to have a positive influence on my eldest son,” he pointed out with ill-concealed interest.

“I deeply appreciate her trust but I believe that he is capable of changing on his own,” you corrected him courtly.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” he disagreed with a mischievous grin. “I’ve only heard good words about your guidance. It seems that you rein him back so easily, you would’ve made for a fine wife.”

You silently groaned at his comment.

“Your grace, I can assure you, our relationship is strictly of a friendly nature.”

“Oh, I know, I have seen you two,” he said, laughing, and when you peered at him, you saw that it wasn’t his usual uncomfortable-looking crooked grin but an actual genuine laugh.

“Shall you ever lay an eye on any other of my sons,” Viserys continued, much to your surprise. “Do not hesitate to tell me,” and his face suggested he knew more than he was letting on.

You ducked behind the canvas so he didn’t see your heated cheeks.

His suggestion lodged in your memory and even though you wouldn’t dare to actually approach the King, you held out hope that maybe he would give Aemond a similar hint. But months passed, Viserys’s condition drastically worsened, and for whatever reason, he never mended the relationship with his children. And eventually, your hope was gone.

You didn’t lie to Aemond when you told him about having power over who you love. But you failed to mention that said power has its limits — and doesn’t guarantee that your feelings won’t be one-sided. You learned that lesson the hard way when you had to face up to the reality you were in. Your love for Aemond seemed to be as infinite as the ocean — and you had to fit it in a fragile vessel of your heart. At first, you felt the waves raging at the mere glance of his, at every gesture of his goodwill or just upon hearing his voice. The storm of your feelings would splash over the rocks of your self-control but you survived the roaring torrent of love, time after time. The rough ocean grew calm over the years as you came to terms with being in love with someone who didn’t love you back.

You did choose to harbor feelings for Aemond, and you had no regrets about that. But when adulthood came with its own responsibilities that you had to focus on, all your energy was put into finding a husband. You were aware that your choice would have a major impact on your family as their stability depended on it. You approached the issue in a cold-hearted manner, prioritizing the duty above all else. Mayhaps, you were too calculated in your pursuit, and that was how you ended up accepting the courtship of a man who had nothing to give but his wealth.

When it comes to Jason, he never ceases to evoke a few feelings, too, but none of them are pleasant. His arrogance is the first thing that catches the eye — he’s wrapped in it and wears it with pride as if it’s another title of his. You often have to bite your tongue and fake a smile in response to his dismissive remarks and borderline vulgar comments. It doesn’t help that his self-esteem is inflated beyond your comprehension, and if only he could put his own face on their House’s sigil, he would. You are grateful that he keeps his hands to himself but you notice him getting quite handsy with the maids, and it gives you an unsettling feeling. His behavior is so disdainful and frivolous, you have no doubts that once you are married, you will be merely an accessory to him, a pretty wife to show off to his friends without taking your opinion into account. Showing off is the one thing he does best — and each time you can’t help but compare him to Aemond who doesn’t even know how to take a compliment. You find yourself thinking about the prince every time Jason comes by, and these thoughts help you get through tiresome promenades with the lord and endure boring dinners with him.

But after your last conversation with Aemond, you force yourself to stop thinking about him altogether. That decision is remorseless but you believe it’s for the better — or at least that’s what you convince yourself to think after you run out of the garden and into your carriage, only caring about getting home as soon as possible. You pretend that nothing happened, lying to your parents that the prince was too busy and you had to return earlier than planned. And then you lock yourself in your chambers, with hand clamped over your mouth to muffle the sound of crying. A small part of you hopes that Aemond will come to you the same day and explain himself. But he doesn’t. When you don’t hear from him for another two days, you come to the conclusion that he regretted his sudden outburst. And that his words actually held no meaning.

Cutting Aemond out of your life does seem to be attainable with some time, and you perceive it as just another task, another skill you can master. But getting him out of your head seems like an impossible goal from the start. You are so used to keeping memories of him, cherishing each and every one, you can’t just erase them all at once. You try your best, you do so with ferocious persistence, but there’s always some annoying little reminder ready to surface and catch you off guard at the most inopportune moment.

It gets even harder when four days later you find yourself sitting next to Jason who is even more presumptuous than usual. At this point, you feel like your nerves are at the limit, so you can’t even find it in yourself to keep up the act. You push your food around the plate, jumping from one pointless thought to another: the tasteless meal, the barely visible crack in your cup, the revolting tone of the lord’s voice. You feel your mother staring at you, clearly displeased with your attitude, yet Jason is oblivious, too wrapped up in bragging about his winery — or whatever else he is talking about, you have no idea because you stopped paying attention about twenty minutes ago.

You think if you stay by his side any longer, you will be physically sick.

So you get up from the table — may be a bit too dramatic for your own liking — and muster out a weak excuse:

“My apologies, I am in need of fresh air.”

You leave before anyone has a chance to stop you.

It seems like an act of disobedience but there’s so much freedom in it, you feel that you can finally take a breath. And you do exactly that once you reach the balcony, several corridors away from the dining hall that felt stuffed with Jason’s ego. As you stand there, soaking up the last rays of the sun, you can’t ignore the obvious question — how is it even possible to marry someone you absolutely cannot tolerate. You never had illusions about the nature of your relationship with him but you at least hoped there would be some ground to build your future on. At yet, right now it looks like you are trying to lay a foundation in the quicksand. For a man of a noble lineage, Jason knows too little of what nobility actually is, and you have enough self-respect to not give him explanations. The prospect of marrying him makes your duty feel like a burden, and you contemplate if you should even take the risk.

You are lost in your thoughts until you hear a thin voice:

“Do you know where the sun lands?”

You turn to find your sister Alyna standing at the door, in her long white nightgown and barefoot, her eyes unnaturally large for her baby-like face. She always talks like that, too thoughtful for her young age, and sometimes she reminds you of Helaena. There you go, another connection to Aemond.

“I do not, my sweetling. Wherever that place is, it’s a well-guarded secret,” you comb her curly hair with your fingers as her curious eyes study your face.

“Maybe it doesn't want to be seen,” she deduces. “Just like you don't.”

Her ability to get straight to the point sometimes blindsides you. It’s also quite liberating to talk to someone who hasn’t yet learned the skill of pretense, and she may be the only sibling of yours with no ulterior motives or hidden agenda. Alyna tilts her head, signaling that she isn’t enjoying your touch anymore — and when you remove your hand, she says, out of the blue:

“Just like Ser Lannister doesn’t.”

You stare at her in bewilderment, and only then notice that the hallway behind her is empty. It dawns on you that Alyna’s nanny Dorea is nowhere to be found. She is only a couple of years older than you, meek and quiet, her trusting nature ever so defenseless — but she is also very pretty. Too pretty for her own good, as your mother likes to say.

You feel a wave of nausea again. This time, it’s followed by a sense of dread curdling in your stomach.

“What did he do?” your voice comes out unusually calm, in striking contrast with how you are really feeling.

“I heard him talking to Dorea outside my chambers. I wanted to join the conversation but he asked me to leave,” her brows slightly furrow. “He said there are some things I am not supposed to see.”

It may be the first thing you and Jason can agree on, you think. It is also the only thing because you certainly will never agree to marry him — and that realization frees you of any false politeness and self-restraint.

“What are those things?” Alyna naively asks, shifting from one foot to the other.

“I shall go and ask him,” you pat her on the cheek. “But you stay here, alright? I will be back before you know it.”

Usually, it would take about a minute to reach your sister’s chambers, but you cover the distance twice as fast. You are a couple of feet away when you hear muffled voices — one is demanding, the other one is scared, and both are well-known to you. You grasp the situation in no time and run to quickly open the door. When you walk in, you feel a flare-up of anger at the sight: Jason grabbed Dorea by the hips, trying to pull her closer, as she weakly protests, her palms pushing at his chest in an attempt to get away. The squeak of the door makes them turn their heads to you, and you see the distressed look on the nanny’s face.

And then their gazes fall behind your back, and Dorea gets horrified.

You easily guess the reason for that — your younger sister isn’t very good at following orders. So Alyna mumbles, standing next to you and looking at her nanny:

“I do not think she likes it.”

“Neither do I,” you throw Jason a baleful stare. “Let her go and get out.”

He removes his hands — so carelessly, it almost seems like he’s offended by your suggestion of his wrongdoing. Dorea immediately comes to your side, ashamed and distraught.

“Did he hurt you?” you inquire, helping to adjust her dress.

“My lady, I think you misinterpreted —” Jason tries to say but you shut him off.

“I am not talking to you,” you scowl in his direction. Your face softens when you ask Dorea again: “Are you hurt?”

She shakes her head, sheepishly trying to explain:

“I didn’t do anything, I-I didn’t want to, and he said... He said he is a lord and I sh-should be flattered.”

Not only did Jason has the audacity to pull that off but he also wanted to do so at your little sister’s chambers — and you simmer at the thought.

“I believe you,” you gently stroke her shoulder. “I promise you will never see him again.”

“These are some unrealistic expectations,” Jason sneers, walking to you but his grin dies down when you look at him again.

“I know your opinion of women isn’t very high — trust me, the feeling is mutual — but you cannot seriously believe you will fool me,” you sense that now he isn’t pleased with your attitude but you don’t care. “When I told you to get out, I meant it. You are not welcome in this house.”

“That doesn’t sound like a wise decision to make if we are to be wed,” Jason contemptuously hisses.

“Then I guess the wedding is off,” you glare defiance at him. “But whoever you end up marrying, I hope she outlives you. Just so she can spit on your grave,” the last part is meant only for him to hear.

And he definitely does as his face reddens with rage. Jason roughly grabs you by the hand, and your nose fills with the stench of wine when he speaks:

“You are in no position to make demands,” he drawls. “Your family is in debt up to its ears, you little halfwit, so I suggest you choose your words very carefully.”

While he doesn’t see it, Alyna looks between you two, and, out of the corner of your eye, you notice her frowning. She doesn’t do well with conflicts as they upset her deeply, which can only trigger one reaction. Before you can say anything, a high-pitched scream shatters the room, echoing through the whole house.

Jason removes his hand within a second, looking shocked, but Alyna stands innocently with her mouth closed as if nothing happened. Your parents come to her chambers in the blink of an eye.

“What is wrong?” your mother looks at you all uncomprehendingly.

“Ser Lannister got lost,” you cooly explain. “He is already leaving.”

“And why is that?” your father glares at him with suspicion.

You want to spare Dorea the humiliation so you pause for a moment, trying to come up with an excuse. But Alyna has no understanding of what a maiden’s honor is — and she loudly proclaims:

“Ser Lannister was touching Dorea, and she didn’t like it.”

No one in the room needs an explanation for that.

“You shameless scoundrel!” your father roars at Jason, who unsurprisingly isn’t as courageous as before.

“Ser, there clearly has been a mistake — ”

“It was a mistake to let you in,” your father rudely interrupts him. “You won’t set foot in my house ever again. Get out of here before I make you!”

Jason doesn’t need to be told twice and storms out of the room as your father’s gaze follows him. He stands with hands clenched into fists, his nostrils flaring with anger.

“Pompous jerk,” he mumbles under his breath. “And to think that I was willing to give him my daughter’s hand...!” his voice breaks, hoarse with ire, and you notice a vein pop on his forehead. You have never seen him so furious.

“He’s been dealt with,” you cautiously say to ease the tension. “That shouldn’t be a cause for your concern anymore.”

He turns to you, his eyes bloodshot and breathing heavy. As you step closer, you hear whistling sounds with his every breath, and his gaze gets absent. You realize that something is wrong as he opens his mouth to speak but no sound comes out.

“Father, are you alright?”

He places a hand over his heart, trying to inhale, a look of fear in his eyes. The chain of events is too sudden to comprehend: his breathing begins to wheeze as he squirms, falls flat on his back and convulses.

And then your evening turns out to be way worse than you could’ve ever imagined. A week later Aegon wakes up at an ungodly hour — and he’s fueled by sole determination to put an end to everyone’s misery. Surely, he must be the only sane person in his house since all his family members seem to be oblivious to what is going on between you and Aemond. Aegon, however, can use his eyes for their intended purpose — and it is clear as day to him that you and his brother are in love with each other.

He caught on to that pretty fast, although the signs were not that obvious at first: you often smile to people purely out of politeness and Aemond may not show his true feelings even under threat of death. So Aegon kept secretly observing you two, taking note of fleeting glances and light touches, of the way you would relax in Aemond’s presence, the way he was always too eager to help you with whatever you needed, and how you two would gravitate toward each other. Both his brother and his best friend were annoyingly stubborn about making their own decisions so Aegon didn’t mean to interrupt — or at least he tried not to. But when your evident mutual pining stretched into years, Aegon started losing his patience.

In the beginning, he initiated small things, asking Aemond to come and greet you (“Oh, I just woke up! And you are already dressed for the occasion”), to deliver you his hand-written message (“Yes, it is incredibly important and I trust no one but you!” — it was his doodling of Aemond), to keep you company during the feast while Aegon stepped out for a moment (he didn’t come back). He asked him to switch places at dinner (so you and Aemond could sit together), to help find the books you wanted (“All those years of you reading should be good for something”), to pick up the portrait of his children (“They are your nephews, is it so hard?! No, I am not being dramatic!”). A couple of times he even pretended to be way more drunk than he actually was just so you and Aemond could help him to his chambers and spend some time alone in the process. None of that worked. At some point, he seriously contemplated locking you both in a room but then came to the conclusion that you would rather team up to find a way out than confess your feelings. Truly, it seemed hopeless, and Aegon thought that maybe he should give up.

But as of recently he couldn’t help but notice that something was clearly off between you and Aemond, although the younger prince refused to talk about it, and you simply stopped visiting the castle. He decided to give it a day or two, hoping that you would sort things out and refusing to even consider the opposite. A week passed and nothing changed, and Aegon cannot bear looking at Aemond’s sour face any longer. So the older prince comes up with a plan.

He is unexpectedly the first one at the breakfast table and everyone who walks in shoots him a surprised glance. They are amazed even more to see that Aegon isn’t drinking which is as rare as a miracle. Aemond comes last and he is the only one who doesn’t notice the change, too wrapped up in his thoughts. Another thing that goes unnoticed is the gleam of sadness on their mother’s face.

Five minutes in, Aegon clears his throat to attract everyone’s attention.

“So, I was thinking,” he drawls loudly.

“That does not sound good,” Otto mutters, unimpressed, which Aegon chooses to ignore and continues.

“Lady Baratheon’s poor taste in men shouldn’t be an obstacle in our way of reaching the grand goal.”

“Which is...?” Otto asks while the younger prince doesn’t move an ear.

“To find a lady worthy of my brother, of course!” Aegon tries his best to say it with a straight face.

Aemond spares him a glance. “I didn’t know you took much interest in that.”

“I always have your best interest in mind,” Aegon slaps him on the shoulder earning a disgruntled hum in return.

“I was just thinking if we should go over the list of requirements once more,” Aegon suggests.

“I don’t have a li—”

“Of course you do!” another slap. “At the very least, she should be of a noble kind. Am I right?”

“Sure,” Aemond absentmindedly agrees.

“And we are definitely looking for someone who is keen on reading.”

“Yes,” Aemond rolls his eye and looks at his plate, already showing no interest in the conversation. That is exactly what Aegon wants — and he starts talking a bit faster:

“Someone with a flexible nature...”

“U-hmm.”

“And with a kind heart...”

“Yes.”

“A great listener...”

“Uh-huh”

“Who will attend to your every need...”

“Sure.”

“And may even be of indescribable beauty...”

“Hmm.”

“...And you will still be miserable because you love Y/N.”

“Yes,” Aemond says without thinking — and then it’s too late to take his word back because everyone’s eyes are already on him. When he turns to his brother, Aegon has a shit-eating grin on his face:

“You are welcome.”

Alicent looks genuinely confused. “Aemond, but why haven’t you mentioned it?”

“I’ve been asking myself the same question for years,” Aegon snorts, and Otto raises an eyebrow.

“Years?” his grandsire questions.

“I almost gave up on him,” Aegon keeps talking while his brother just sits there, eye glued to the table.

“She was the one who drew the portrait of our father,” Helaena cheerfully speaks up. “And he kept it.”

“He did,” Alicent nods and gives her son a sympathetic look. “Aemond, she is an admirable young lady. No one would have spoken against it if only you —”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Aemond cuts her off, averting his gaze. “She is to be betrothed to Ser Lannister, and I do not intend to ruin her plans.”

“You cannot be serious!” Aegon pinches the bridge of his nose. “Shall you find the courage to propose, she will immediately reject him!”

“She already did,” Alicent avows, to everyone’s surprise.

Aemond looks up at his mother in an instant.

“Did she?” he asks in disbelief.

Alicent gives him a wan smile.

“A week ago, yes. It is rumored that his behavior... left much to be desired,” she explains half-heartedly. Her face, however, doesn’t show any signs of happiness.

“That seems like a reason to celebrate but it doesn’t sound like it,” Aegon looks at her questioningly, and Aemond tenses up in anticipation.

Alicent dithers as her face falls, eyes getting woeful and voice feeble.

“Her father fell ill that very day. Some say he got too upset with the whole situation, and I...,” she takes a deep breath. “I received a message this morning. He passed away three nights ago.”

Everyone falls silent, their faces showing shock that is quickly replaced by sadness.

“Seven hells,” Aegon mumbles.

Aemond doesn’t utter a word, feeling his heart sinking. He knows that you’ve always been your father’s daughter, and the prince cannot even begin to imagine how heartbroken you are right now. He should’ve been there for you, he thinks, full with remorse and guilt.

“You should go,” Aegon turns to him, not a hint of jesting in his voice. “We may give her some time to grieve, but I will gladly take Sunfyre out for —”

“Why would you need to?” Aemond gives him a puzzled look. “I can take Vhagar.”

Aegon emits a long-drawn groan and says to no one in particular:

“And to think he is the smartest one? I am having doubts”, he then glances at Aemond with reproach. “I am sure her mourning family will not at all get terrified at the sight of your monstrous dragon.”

His brother mulls over the idea.

“It is not safe to fly drunk.”

“I will be stone-cold sober.”

“You believe both of us will fit into the saddle?” 

“We will fit just fine, can you stop with your excuses?! I am being reasonable for once, and you are making me regret it!”

“I don’t think it would be wise,” Otto cuts in their bickering, and both princes turn to him.

He holds pause with a blank stare before a sly smile crawls out on his face.

“I would rather recommend the prince goes right away. We don’t want her family to make any rushed decisions,” their grandsire advises, earning a sign of relief from Aegon, who jumps out of his chair.

“We’re leaving this very second! Do I need to drag you out of your —”

“You do not,” Aemond stands up in a hurry — and then Aegon still grabs him by the hand, pulling his brother out of the room.

Alicent gazes fondly after them.

“It was very kind of you,” she says to her father without looking at him.

Otto thinks that, with how well you’ve been handling Aegon, marrying you to Aemond would be a blessing. Because gods know, he is fed up with them both.

On their way to the Dragonpit Aegon can barely hold back his excitement but his brother’s mind is clearly elsewhere. The older prince lets Aemond take time to gather his thoughts and doesn’t bother him along the road. But once they reach the cavernous building and both pop out of the carriage, Aegon decides some encouragement would be fitting. 

“Have I ever told you how I met her? That day at the feast?”

Mentioning your name always works wonders — Aemond turns to him in a flash.

“I was jesting around and she was the only one who didn’t laugh at my jokes. At all. Just stood there with a straight face and ignored me. Can you imagine?” 

Aemond does know the unimpressed look you usually give Aegon, and it causes him to let out a dull chuckle.

“Took me good five minutes to even make her smile — and, frankly, my success didn’t last very long. Pretty sure half of my jokes landed flat. But you know what was the real issue?” Aegon’s smile is melancholic. “Most of the evening she kept asking about you.”

Aemond looks like the very epitome of heartbreak. Not only was he blind, he was also an idiot, he realizes.

“I know, I should’ve told you sooner,” Aegon gives him an apologetic look.

Aemond shakes his head. “I should’ve told her sooner.”

“Well, it’s only been what, seven years?” his brother chortles weakly while the dragon keepers finally bring out Sunfyre, and the dragon casts Aemond a curious look.

Aegon approaches the beast first, running his hand over the scales that shine bright in the sunlight, and the prince can never get tired of that blinding beauty. But his excitement mingles with another feeling.

“I value her friendship, you do know that, right?” he squints at Aemond, who simply nods.

“This is my way of saying that if you mess it up, I might push you off my dragon on our way back,” Aegon casually remarks, grabbing the rope to climb up.

Aemond falters with answering, reluctant to admit.

“There is a chance that I already messed it up.”

Aegon looks down at his brother and gives him a stern glare.

“Unmess it, then.” You don’t remember much from the past week, your days and nights blurred into one another. The only thing that stays on your mind is your father’s face — you can still see it so clearly, with his gentle gaze and his every wrinkle, the corners of his mouth always upturn like he’s a second away from smiling. You also remember how that face contorted in pain, how his body stiffened, and that scene plays on repeat in your head, over and over. And then there are only pieces of memories, torn and mushed together, and you can’t find it in yourself to sort them out.

You spend all your time at your father’s bedside, with a string of never-ending prayers falling from your lips. They don’t seem to help — and nor do the maester’s efforts, and you lose hope with each passing minute. As hours fly, you get a very bad feeling that soon turns into blood-curdling awareness. Deep down, you know what’s to come, and you hate yourself for it. You think you will never stop crying but by the time the maester declares your father’s demise, there are no tears left. Death has many faces — none of them looked at you with mercy.

Your mother wails, overtaken by despair, your sisters don’t leave her side, eyes puffy and full of sorrow, and you are sure that you look the same — yet you feel completely empty. There’s a cleft in a place of your heart, and all the feelings seemed to flow out, leaving you drained and emotionless, but it brings you no relief. Everything in your house reminds you of your father, his presence tangible in the rooms and in the halls, his image still as clear as a reflection in the mirror. The memories of him crawl out of every corner, seep from under the doors, fall on you along with the dust you brush off his things that you can’t make yourself take away.

Stacks of hardcovers with bookmarks in the middle.

The unfinished cup of wine.

The long grey coat hanging on the back of his chair.

Piles of letters left unanswered.

Parchments, ink and a quill that he will never use again.

All the pieces of him that you can’t look at, don’t want to look at — yet it’s all you see, and there’s is no hiding from it. You feel trapped in your own house, and you wait for the walls to collapse so maybe under the weight of them you will find some peace. You are restless in your grief, you are drowning in it.

The day of the funeral leaves a blank space in your memory, void of colors and sounds apart from everyone’s crying. The ceremony is rushed and there is only a handful of family members since your mother couldn’t bring herself to tell everyone yet. You don’t blame her for it — you think she’s too afraid to say it out loud, afraid that speaking the words will make them real, and she’ll have to finally accept his death. You have no problem with acceptance, you just don’t know how to move on. How to stay strong when you are shattered beyond repair.

Your home now feels like a coffin but everyone expects you to be in charge, so you force yourself to. Merely an hour after his body was buried in soil wet with rain, you find yourself sorting out his papers. You look through his diary, his scribbled notes, the calculations he made in attempts to stabilize the emptying coffers. He’s always been the responsible one, keeping count and cutting costs, planning for the future — and yet he’s been robbed of it. None of it makes sense to you and your father isn’t there to teach you. You clench your teeth in frustration, and it makes you want to put your head through a wall.

You push through the second and the third day. You give orders to the maids, who walk on eggshells around the house, sharing concerned looks. You take it upon yourself to bring meals to your mother and all but spoon-feed her so she at least will have some energy to get up from bed. She doesn’t — while you want nothing more than to get away. You’ve had a fair share of responsibilities your entire life but now there’s an abundance of them and it puts you in a chokehold, and you are all alone in your discomfort which brings you no respite at all.

On the fourth day you wake up feeling like the walls are closing in and you can’t breathe, the need to leave anchoring in your lungs. You don’t want to waste another second as you put on a coat right on top of your nightgown, frightened that each moment of stalling might lead to you being dragged into the same routine again. But the house is asleep, and the sun has barely risen when you tiptoe out of your room. You only wake up one maid, telling her you’ll go for a walk so your sudden absence doesn’t come off as a deed of cruelty.

You step outside and close the door behind your back, taking a slow, deep inhale. And just when the guilt is about to sneak up on you — you dart off into the morning fog.

The air is fresh and cooling against your skin as you run away from your house and through the trees, not minding the branches or the damp ground. You breathe the crisp air in, and it makes your body feel weightless, and you speed up, leaving no chance for the responsibilities to catch up with you. Patches of the forest, splattered with all shades of green, bushes and weeds that graze your knees — you pay them no attention as your feet carry you further away, up the hill, to the most remote place you can think of. You don’t know how long it takes for you to reach the narrow wooden bridge and cross the remaining field that ends with a cliff, but when you finally do, your feet ache and your lungs burn and you gulp air.

The sky is draped by the light layer of clouds but the blue of it stretches as far as the eyes can reach, and the movement of the sea can be seen in the distance. The morning is still with silence and it welcomes you, the fresh breeze encircling your body. The feeling of it isn’t gentle as the wind instantly bites every part of your skin that is covered with sweat. You should’ve worn thicker layers, you shouldn’t have rushed, maybe you shouldn’t have come at all — but you are too tired of thinking, of restrictions. Of yourself.

You let the cold seep in and pierce you to the marrow as you watch the waves meeting the horizon. You then close your eyes, hands coming up to cross over your chest. It’s an oblivion of some sort — with no demands and no tears, it’s only you and the wind. The empty space around you matches the emptiness in your heart, and the beating of it sounds like a hollow note. You feel nothing, you feel numb, but it’s so tranquilizing, you can’t help but give in, just to stop brooding for a few minutes — or maybe hours, you care not.

In this state of torpor, you almost miss the sound of wings cutting through the air. When you open your eyes, you only catch a shadow hidden by the clouds and a glimpse of gold but it’s still enough to guess. Sunfyre. At any other time, Aegon’s visit would’ve brought you joy yet right now it feels useless against the doldrums of your soul. At least your sisters will be happy to see him, you think, not having the slightest desire to move from your spot. The wind is now howling, the grass is rustling — and then the small measured sound joins the melody of nature. It sounds like someone’s approaching but their step is nearly noiseless. There is only one person who walks like that, and the realization brings you out of your trance.

You turn to Aemond before he can say anything, your gaze meeting his, and he immediately stands still. The distance between you is just like before, and you only now grasp the amount of time that has passed. You haven’t seen him in two weeks — and so much has changed, and nothing is the same — but when you look at Aemond, at every painfully familiar feature of his, your heart twinges. You really, really missed him, and it’s the first thing you feel in fourteen days.

He notes your lack of protest and hesitantly comes toward you, only pausing when he’s at arm’s length. His cheeks are flushed pink from the wind, the collar of his coat raised to the angles of his jaw.

“I didn’t want you to be alone,” his tone is filled with sadness. “Even if you despise me.”

“I could never,” you mirror the words he once said but your voice comes out too quiet and blank.

There is only compassion and understanding in his gaze, and you are hungry for both, so you don’t break eye contact. He doesn’t, either, and reaches out a hand — it moves to your shoulder as he says:

“I am so sor—” when his fingers come in contact with you, Aemond suddenly stops talking, and his eye darts to your arm. There is a flicker of confusion on his face that quickly turns into worry.

“You are freezing,” he breathes out, and his worry grows stronger in an instant.

Aemond cautiously guides his hand up and down your arm — you see the movement, clear as day, but you don’t feel it at all.

“I didn’t really notice,” you mumble.

You want to tell him that staying with your family drove you up the wall, that you lost sleep and the nights bring you no rest, that you accept your emptiness and loathe it. But the wind is still howling, your mind is clouded with exhaustion, and you are afraid that Aemond will get angry at you.

Instead, he pleads.

“Let me take you home,” he continues caressing your arm. “Please, let’s go back. You can’t —”

“I don’t want to,” you retort, and all the unsaid words bubble up and pour out. “I could not stay there any longer, it was all too much, I needed a break, I — it just made me feel like...,” your skin finally absorbs the heat of his touch which sends goosebumps down your spine, and you get short of breath.

“Like I wanted to disappear,” you say, voice barely above the whisper.

Your confession hangs in the air, and you catch that same unreadable emotion in his eye. Three heartbeats later Aemond removes his hand, and the absence of it threatens to strip you of your short-lived comfort. But then he unbuttons his coat — and opens his arms to you:

“Disappear here.”

His words break the ice of your numbness, filling your lungs with air — so much of it, you almost feel light-headed. You are cold, and you are lonely, and you missed him. In a heartbeat you fall into his embrace, with the same force one may plummet down from a cliff — only instead of waves, you are welcomed by his warmth, and you instantly sink into it.

Aemond takes you under his coat, gently putting it over your body, and then holds you tight. You instinctively wrap your hands around his waist, nestling against his chest. Your cold palms glide over his shirt, and Aemond involuntarily shivers but doesn’t budge. He starts slowly stroking your back, and you soak up the calmness that radiates off him. His touch is soothing, quieting your mind, and you lose yourself in the serenity that it brings. 

You are both lost in time, standing quietly, as your body gradually warms up and relaxes. You listen to his heartbeat, the rhythm of it even and lulling, and it makes you feel at peace.

When Aemond looks at you clinging to him, his heart swells with so much love, he can barely contain it.

“How are you feeling?” he asks softly.

“I don’t know,” you sigh. “It all happened so fast, I didn’t know what to do. I still don’t. Everyone expects something from me now and I... I wish he was still here.”

“Your father was the kindest man I have ever met,” his voice is laced with sorrow. “I am so sorry you had to go through that. I should’ve come sooner but I only found out this morning.”

“And you came,” you remark delicately. “It’s all that matters.”

You snuggle up to him even more and relish in the feeling of his body close to yours, finding solace in it. You let yourself forget about everything else in the world, comforted by his kindness as he shields you from all the worries and the troubles of life.

“Whose idea was it to take Sunfyre?”

“Aegon’s,” the prince chuckles. “He was very persuasive, I’ll give him that.”

“Is he waiting for you on the hill?”

“He went to see your family, offer his condolences. And maybe complain a little since he didn’t particularly enjoy the flight.”

You try imagining the two of them squeezed into the saddle, and you know Aemond must’ve teased Aegon all the way to your house. You feel the tickling of laughter in your throat but it doesn’t go higher and then dissolves. Still, it’s a start.

“How much do you regret agreeing to that?”

Aemond pauses — and then his low voice vines through your hair:

“Right now, I don’t.”

You feel his heart skipping a beat, and for some reason, his pulse speeds up. You wonder what the reason may be, and your cheeks heat up when you are struck by the answer you can’t dare to hope for.

Or maybe you can.

“I’m not marrying Ser Lannister,” you blurt out, your own chest vibrating with anxiety. 

Aemond pulls away just a bit, only to have a look at you.

“I heard about that,” he reveals. “He was never a good —”

“You are under no obligation to say anything or do anything,” you cut him off, nervously lowering your gaze, because if he tries to pity you it will break your heart all over again, and you cannot bear it right now. “I just... I knew I would never love him. So I believe it’s only for the best.”

You keep babbling, but he hardly listens, his eye fixed on your face. Aemond isn’t sure you fully allow yourself to be this vulnerable with anyone. But it’s his favorite side of yours — with your bashful sincerity, your overly complicated explanations that he understands with ease, your habit of talking with hands, with your searching gaze and your eyes bright with life. It’s all the little things that he adores.

It’s what makes his feelings finally spill over.

“...But we don’t need to talk about it, you don’t need to say anyth—”

His touch is so gentle, you barely register when Aemond puts a finger beneath your chin, lifting your head to look at him — and then suddenly his lips cover yours. His mouth is even warmer than his hands, and he gives you a couple of seconds to make sure you won’t pull away. And then he starts kissing you, slowly and steadily, in a way you could only dream of.

Aemond gently cradles your head, his lips are soft and ardent — they meld with yours, and time freezes and sounds fade as you melt into the kiss, into his touch. And at that moment nothing else matters. You are wrapped in his tenderness, the ocean of feelings flooding your body, and he enters your heart like he owns it. He always did.

Aemond is the one to break the kiss, sensing that you are gasping for air. You slowly open your eyes in a daze, as if you’ve been awoken from a dream.

“I will take care of everything,” he affirms, his mouth still only a couple of inches away. “You do not have to worry about a thing.”

One of your hands moved on top of his chest, and you feel that his heart rate is back to normal. The pounding of it pulls you back to reality.

“You mean that?” you whisper. “Aemond, I don’t have that much to offer.”

He brushes a strand of hair from your face and leaves a trail of light kisses up to your temple.

“You have everything a man can wish for,” he reassures you, and his gaze finds yours again. “Everything I have ever wished for.”

The prince takes your face between his hands, and his thumbs follow the contours of your cheeks.

“Even in a room full of art I can only look at you,” Aemond murmurs, his words are flamelike and go straight to your heart, making it flutter.

Only now you notice that the sun emerged from the clouds, and the golden light illuminates everything around you. You bask in it as well as in Aemond’s affection — and he makes you feel seen, safe, cared for. Loved.

“That was very poetic of you,” you tilt your head and lean closer to him.

“I agree with poets on one thing — we have no control over who we love. But I have never regretted loving you,” he can’t stop himself from placing a kiss on the edge of your mouth. “And if I had to choose, it would still be you.”

When you meet his gaze, this time you read it with ease — and you are sure it’s a mere reflection of your own. An overwhelming feeling sweeps over and spreads through you. But the ocean is calm, and you are not cold anymore — and Aemond does love you, after all.

You feel your mouth quirk in a smile, genuine and a very happy one. Aemond presses his forehead to yours and promises:

“From now on, you will always be my first choice,” and then you see him trailing for your lips.

And you believe him.

the taglist: @greenowlfactif, @mischiefmanaged71, @pasta-rask, @imjustboredso, @iiamthehybrid, @m00n5t0n3, @crispmarshmallow, @bellaisasleep, @aemondssuit, @ipadkidsworld, @itisjustwhatitis, @maximizedrhythms, @fckwritersblock, @hiatuswhore, @fantasyreader130, @bibli0thecary, @teapartydreams, @kyuupidwrites, @thelittleswanao3 (I couldn't tag some of you for whatever reason, so I'll just message you guys)

yep, it’s me again!

the title is someone’s quote (I have no idea where it’s from, pls help a girl out)

“Disappear here” are Jonathan Carroll’s words that have been engraved in my memory for years and they just popped into my head while I was writing in a haste and only then I realized wait, technically it’s a quote, you can’t do that?! but guess what, I did! I also tried to rephrase these two words but it looked weird so I’m letting you know that I suck as a writer

the bit when she babbles and he looks smitten with her — I couldn’t help but think of that scene from “North and South” (it screams Aemond to me!)

I imagined the cliff to look like this 🍃

I originally planned to turn the romance down just a notch ’cause I already have 4 sappy fics and I wanted this one to be more “realistic” but… oh well, me and romance go hand in hand, apparently.

you will see this version of Aegon more often because I enjoyed it immensely!

what do you guys think? comments and opinions are VERY welcome! 🥺 ✨ my masterlist English is not my first language, so feel free to message me if you spot any major mistakes!

[k1ng0fn0b0dy]

💜 DAY 6 OF MONSTER WEEK — MERMAID NIKI

[900+ words]

[Gender-neutral]

Description: You're a pirate and while you're plundering some loot, you come across a mermaid.

[Read the rest under the cut]

Since you can remember, all you've known is the sea. You were born on a pirate ship during the worst storm your parents have ever sailed through. Cradled roughly in its waves, you never cried even when the saltwater mist burned everyone's eyes.

Your mothers said that your third mother was the sea, just as she was the mother to every pirate who sought refuge in her tides. When your mothers retired from their captain and first-mate position, they left the ship and crew to you and your first mate, Wilbur.

You are the youngest pirate, and especially the youngest captain, to ever grace the sea, and you bear that title with pride. You spend as little time on land as possible, finding it as unsettling as sea-sick people find the sea.

That's why it's almost ironic that the first time you met a mermaid face-to-face was on land. Somehow, two sea creatures (you proudly claim that title, thank you very much) managed to meet on land before in the sea, funny innit?

You had to stay on land longer than you'd've liked to get some ship repairs, which luckily your first mate was handaling for you, so you had lots of free time. Deciding for no real reason to explore, you had managed to wonder into a rather seedy looking nerighbourhood.

While walking you passed a certain house with expensive drapery framing the windows and you can instantly tell that whoever lives there is richer than they seem. And that in itself is a sign for some illegal happenins and it just so happens that your favourite people to steal from are fellow criminals.

You managed to pick the lock to the front door and within minutes you've managed to pick a good number of prime sellers to pocket. Someone opens up the door when you're heading down their basement so you take the opportunity to book it further down and that's when you come face to face with a mermaid.

"Do you need help?" Those were the first words you'd said to her after finding her locked in a fish tank in some poacher's home. The question was admittedly stupid, but you had just been caught mid-robbery and you're known to be "fish-brained" as Wilbur calls it.

She can't answer, or maybe you just can't hear her, but you pry the tank open anyways because you wouldn't be able to live with yourself it you left a fellow child of the sea to die. When the lid pops off, she uses impressive upper arm strength to pull herself up and knock the tank on its side. She looks at it and smacks her tail into it, shattering the class instnatly and leaving her with a curled lip, proudly smirking like she had won some battle.

You have only about three seconds to admire her very pretty coral-pink scales ad even more impressive arm muscles before the owner of the house you're robbing bursts through the door.

You're still holding the fish tank lid and waste no time in smacking him in the face with it, spreading the shattered glass across the floor.

The mermaids obvious strength is brought back to attention as she handstands her way towards the man. They groan, trying to gather their strength and sit up. Immediately her tails slams down on his back with a crack and she starts smacking the shit out of him with her tail until some of his teeth fall loose and you're sure he won't be able to walk the same again.

The mermaid looks over at you and thankfully recognizes an ally when she seas one. You prop the door open and offer a hand, unsure whether she'd like help going up the stairs or if she's capable of that too.

She accepts your help after a moment, though she doesn't seem the least bit threatened by you which us slightly insulting. You're out the house and standing by the ocean is a process that feels way too long. Although by your standards, any time away from the ocean is too long.

The mermaids slips into the sea and you waver her away with a smile.

{《☆》}

Niki, the mermaid, ends up following your ship. She declined to talk to most of your crew but Wilbur did have some more luck, managing to learn her name even before you.

It's weird how quickly all of you had gotten used to her presence. Shexfelt a bit like a good luck charm too, since storms settled easier when she was around.

Today she swims circles around your boat, where you're stuck aimlessly floating as there's no air to guide the ship. Only very, very extreme heat.

"It's sweltering today," Niki says, fins creating a little wake in the water as they swished back and forth along the side of the ship. "The sun must really beat down up there. Especially when you're at the helm steering all day."

You prop one boot heavily atop the bulkhead, leaning one elbow on your knee to peer over the edge and into her sea foam eye's. "You know if you want me to go swimming with you and Wil, you really need to confirm whether or not you plan to drown me. Again."

"I never drowned you," Niki protests, elbowing Wilbur to agree with her. "But I would like you to swim with us, yes."

"Yeah, Cap," Wilbur nods, smiling mischievously. "Unless you're too chicken."

You narrow your eyes at Wilbur, "I know what you're doing and it won't work on me."

"I can't believe our darling Captain was such a scaredy cat," Wilbur taunts while staring you directly in the eyes, "Afraid of a little water."

"Alright that's it," You rip your shirt off, barely remembering to take your shoes off, before diving into the ocean. Wilbur cheers the entire time you fall and catches a mouthful of salt water.

"C'mon you little shit, I'll drown you and we'll see how you like it," You're smiling the entire time though. It's so much more natural being in the sea than even being on a boat. And it does help that you're with two of your favourite people.

{《☆》}

[I hate life it is so late I ruined my sleep schedule and my computer died halfway through writing this but damnit I finished anyways. Anyways I'm going to sleep before I critically murder myself further, thanks for reading.]

[L0v3, k1ng]

Masterlist

Monster Week Prompt List

Taglist: @creatorofstars

[agent-yolk-writes]

Team Prime + Reader who works at Monarch (Part 1)

A/N: Don’t look at me. These are just two hyperfixations that were dormant suddenly waking up again after watching TFP and the Monsterverse movies again around the same time. Then I got around to looking at tfp x reader imagines/headcanons/scenarios and oops! An idea was born!

Anyways I hope you like this! If you want to see more of this, or TFP imagines in general, please let me know! I love hearing from people and I want to get back into writing imagines/headcanons again!

Important notes: This is vaguely right before/at the start of the events of the 2014 godzilla movie where monarch was still kinda hush hush to everyone.

Warnings: I might’ve gotten carried away lol

So after an incident at the moth temple, you were more or less placed on a ‘mandatory vacation’ to recover. It’s amazing you even had this kind of job security since Monarch is, technically, a secret organization that the government cannot publicly acknowledge.

Luckily, you just happen to have family in a remote town in Nevada that you haven’t seen in a while. Two birds one stone, right?

You haven’t seen your nephew Raf since he was in kindergarten and look at him! He got so big! Not to mention he’s smart with computers! But at the end of the day, he’s still the quiet, shy kid you’ve come to love since he was born. Don’t tell his siblings, but he’s the favorite.

But when you offered to pick him up after school or go get ice cream together, he would refuse most of the time. At first you were upset, thinking you were breaching on his personal space. However, that sadness turns into fear suspicion when you see Raf climbing into a yellow camaro one day. You know for sure no one in the family drives such a flashy sports car.

He had mentioned having friends that were slightly older than him, but he made no mention about their ability to drive. Since he’s the only one that boards the vehicle, the possibility that it’s a parent of one of the friend’s is ruled out. Is he...being bullied? Or blackmailed? They’re the only reasons you can gather since confronting your nephew only gets you vague answers.

Since you have all the free time in the world, you tried to track the car whenever you see it in town. The keyword here is try. You would think spotting a brightly colored car in a very tiny town would be easy, right? Wrong! Sometimes it’ll make turns that lead to dead ends only for it to disappear when you round the corner! You would expect this behavior from the creatures you study, not cars!

Other times you would see it parked near either a huge green muscle car or a blue motorcycle, sometimes both. You take camp at a nearby establishment and wait for whoever is driving them. Unfortunately, you always lose the waiting game. Maybe you’re getting in over your head. Maybe Serizawa was right about you taking the time off.

Literally the day you were planning to give up the chase, you noticed there’s this...cybernetic purple car that seems to be following you. No matter how fast you’re walking, it seems to be matching your speed. When you enter a store, it would always be waiting for you. You don’t know what their end goal is, but you’re sure as hell ain’t gonna find out. If you’re at risk, then Monarch is at risk. 

~~~

You managed to convince the employees to let you exit out the back door after explaining that someone’s after you, which isn’t too far off. The main shopping center has an alley system that you vaguely remember, so you can easily shake them off there. As soon as you went outside, however, you were immediately greeted by an identical looking car just a few feet away from the door. Not taking any chances to wait around, you ran in the opposite direction. You didn’t even have time to figure out what could you use to throw at this guy to buy you some time.

As soon as you made it out of the system, another car stopped in front of you. What made this one different, however, was the fact that it was that yellow sports car you’ve been following for the past few days. It opened it’s door to you and you can see Raf sitting in the passenger door.

“I’ll explain later, just get in!” He urged you.

[to be continued...]