#p: language 101

[beyuji]

a starter for @bejiayi ( language 101 )

yuji figured a language workshop wouldn't be that much different than the usual classes offered. turns out, as she's learning, it's a lot more difficult. yuji's got the basics down, but it's a far cry from being anywhere close to fluent, much less able to hold a conversation.

she stares down at her notes, teeth worrying her lip before she glances over to her seatmate, jiayi. she doesn't know much about the girl at all, other than the fact she was a signee from next gen. studio delta, if she remembers correctly.

"do you wanna run through the examples with me?" yuji asks in a lull during the workshop, brief time to practice with their seatmates before they move into the next lesson. looking over the simple phrases they've learned and how they're broken down. "two heads are better than one." she jokes lightly, a ghost of a smile on her mouth.

[itsgameofthronesimagines]

Strong Dragons Masterlist

Fandom: House of the Dragon

Pairing: Daemon x Fem!Reader x Rhaenyra

Tag: strong dragons hotd fic

Summary: Rhaenyra arranges Daemon to marry Lady Y/n Strong, but in the public eye, the reasons are unknown. Shortly after their marriage, Daemon and Y/n move to Dragonstone with Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon. Whatever happens on their island is a mystery to anyone in King's Landing.

Warnings: NSFW! 18+ only! Smut, mature themes and language, P in V, dirty talking, breeding kink, fingering, arranged marriages, choking, unprotected rough/raw sex (wrap it before you tap it), virginity loss, cockwarming, incest, oral (female receiving), dom!rhaenyra, daemon growls (enough said), angst, mentions of period blood, pregnancy and all the crap that goes with it, motion sickness, infertility struggles, threesomes, death, murder, depictions of both the books and shows, etc. (I’m so sorry if I miss anything I’m just writing the warnings down as I remember them)

Chapters:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five (To be continued...)

Taglist:

@ivy-targaryen @lol-im-done @stitchattacks @mariaelizabeth21-blog1 @faerosewood1723 @esquivelbianca @demiismylord @evattude @goldensunflowe-r @fexibau @chiyausu  @aphroditesmoon @winter-soldier-101 @ashlatano7567  @mochimommy2002 @champomiel @ilovemydinoboi @jackthemarvelfinatic @kindaslightlyacidic @bubbles2416 @hotd-fic @thatkinkylesgirl1 @nnyets @honeypillowsblog @pindoris @sugarmilkteaxkookiesxcream @rxscpctals @lethal-minds @witch-of-letters @green-lxght @wondergal2001 @boofy1998 @elliemilani @minbeatriz16 @siriusdumblittlepuppy  @rockerchick05 @midnightrqin @starloriha @kaitieskidmore1 @kat4na @ally22042000 @deathlyweird @eonnyx @weepingwitchofthewest @borikenlove @lovleaura @thewitch-lives @kneelarmhstrung @xrosegoldwolfx @mikariell95 @mxxny-lupin @gruffle1 @siimiasoi @the-spectacular-spider-bitch @automaticwizardnerd @here4thefanfic @i-love-morally-gray-characters​ @esmeralda-tupi​ @deadgirldreaming​ @poppyreader​ @mukduk-not-murder @bri3009 @issybee0611​ ​@nzygftoji @bigcreatorwombatdreamer​ @watercolorskyy​ @ripnevillestrevor​ @oatmealisweird​ @apollonshootafar​ @tatertati-fangirl​  looveniclovee @hotdreads​​​​​​​

Please ask to be added to the taglist via pm or ask box. DO NOT ask via comment beneath this post or any of the chapters. I will be less likely to see them. Thank you!

Also, if your user is in the taglist but you weren’t notified, I’m sorry but sometimes Tumblr is unable to find certain usernames and tag them. I’ve contacted Tumblr support about this but they never got back to me and I’ve googled a bit and still haven’t come up with a solution.

[soggyriceee]

ahhhhhh, your writing is too good <3

literally about to turn into a regular, but konig.. konig taking time off training to teach you german..

kinda like "what does [insert german word] mean?" with a *remote* in his hands.

are we seeing the vision???? love ya

Private Lessons

summary: request

warnings: female!reader, vibrators, strong language, praise, humiliation a bit. aka your crying and he doesn't care, orgasm denial. got a bit carried away at the end

side note. I cannot speak German so plzzz don't judge me if translations or spelling are not 101% right

Konig watched you at your desk as you struggled, tears dropping from your chin as your legs shook ever so slightly. in his one hand he held his throbbing member, pumping his hips up into his wet hand. in the other, a small black remote. he could crush the remote if he really tried simply by how huge his hands was. but thats besides the point.

"try again, engel." he spoke low, his eyes trailing from your face down to your crossed legs. he let out a breathy groan at the sight, bucking his hips up.

you wiped your eyes, your hands gripping the book tight enough you could rip it down the seam. "what does Alles Gute zum Geburtstag mean?" he asked for the second time now.

you couldn't see through the tears of pain but also pleasure, your breath hitching. "h-happy.. birthday." you whimpered out, feeling the buzzing between your legs dim down. Konig chuckled from behind you, the noise of his hand stroking his tip making up the rest of the silence. "good girl. see? no need to cry." he said slyly, a smirk spreading across his lips.

you two had been at this for an hour now. you sitting at the small desktop in your room, vibrator glued to your now sloppy cunt as Konig controlled it, raising the vibrations and denying your orgasm if you got a work wrong. but if you got the translation right, he'd give you a break, lowering the vibration. but that was it. you haven't cum once. and it hurt so bad.

"p-please." you'd whimper out quietly, barely loud enough for him to hear. "what was that?" he would ask in return, pretending he couldn't speak English. "Bitte." you'd say, this time a bit louder.

you could barely take it anymore. you were getting dizzy, your legs feeling like jelly. tears soaked the book at this point, your lips wet and parted as you begun to breath manually at this point. "please what?" he asked, pretending to be oblivious to the desperation you were feeling.

you could just cum. soak your panties and the white seat beneath you, pretend like you couldn't hold it back any longer. and while that excuse could work, it doesn't mean he'd be any less mean with you. you wouldn't cum for days if you made that choice to be selfish and cum now. you knew it and he knew that you knew it. he wasn't stopping you, but he also wasn't encouraging you to do it.

"I c..can't hold it." you said, trying to distract yourself from the gentle vibration still abusing your throbbing clit. you were begging him to show mercy, let you cum at least once. and you wouldn't dare to look at him. his large cock thrusting up into his hand. the sounds alone coming from him were enough to push you over the edge.

Konig was silent for a bit, the only sound in the room was the low vibrating sound and his slow pumps from his hand. sweat dripped from your forehead as your eyes squeezed shut, feeling your orgasm creep back up. you whimpered out painfully, your body hunching over the desk now as you tried to think of ways to distract yourself from coming all over yourself.

"tell me engel," he began, "how do you ask me to come?" his hand began to pick up speed, the sight of your limp, almost lifeless body tipping him closer to his orgasm.

you couldn't even think at this point, your mind foggy with the need to come. but, you pushed yourself to sit up, grabbing your notebook and looking at the tear soaked pages.

Konig had been teaching you German for months now. he got you your own personal notebook for words and phrases. and what once started off as sweet and genuine lessons, quickly turned into a game for you both. mainly Konig, but you got your own pleasure from it too.

he'd speak German to you while he fucked you, forcing you to tell him all the things you needed in German otherwise, he'd keep doing whatever he was doing. it forced you in a way to remember more of the sexual words and phrases rather than the ones that made a real normal conversation.

"bitte.." you started, your voice soft and hoarse. slowly, he increased the vibrations, causing you to cry out painfully. "keep going." he commanded, watching your body react. your body began to falter, arms barely strong enough to hold you up. your legs shook violently as a soft ringing began to fill your ears. he had finally pushed you to the edge.

"bitte.. lass mich kommen." you forced out, your arm wrapping around your stomach to try and stop the pain. Konigs hand pumped faster, his finger pressing on the remote to increase the speed. "come from me engel." he panted, watching your body shake violently as a result of the vibrator.

your toes curled almost painfully hard as your vision went in and out. you were coming but, your body was almost to weak to even fully enjoy it. but Konig loved it. he whimpered out as he watched your body tremble, your knees press together as your orgasm took over you, completely ruining your panties and the seat. and the sound of your sobs only added onto how good his orgasm felt. "o-oh engel~" he'd moan out, head tossed back as ropes of his cum shot out, covering his stomach and hand.

you on the other hand, now halfway out your seat, sat in the puddle of your own mess, body barely strong enough to hold you up. the vibrator was still going, overstiming your already aching sore clit. you felt like your body genuinely couldn't take it anymore.

you dragged yourself out of the chair, attempting to crawl to Konig and shut off the vibrator. but as soon as your body hit the ground, your vision had gone out and you'd officially passed out. this had happened before. at first Konig was scared of it, worried he'd gone too far. but when you'd woken up a few minuets later, you both discovered how much you both equally enjoyed seeing you so worn out.

so, Konig didn't rush to get you. in fact, when he did get over to you, shutting the vibrator off and pulling your panties to the side to see just how much of a mess you made for him, he couldnt help but press himself into you, feeling all your come coating his cock. "such a messy slut.." he mumbled to himself, pulling out of your cunt to watch strings of your slick connect him to you.

and, lessons were always like this. sometimes Konig would have his cock in you, fucking up into you as you tried to speak for him. other times were like this, a vibrator to your clit, you pass out from edging for so long and he'll use you. it was beneficial for you both.

so when he came in your room the next week, instead of being at training, vibrator in hand, you already knew the next hour or two were going to be painfully good.

[soyeonsbabygirl]

(G)-IDLE MASTERLIST

Jeon Soyeon

Why should I wear anything at all if you’re just going to tear it off - JSY x NY/KM x Reader

Roll your fucking eyes again and I’ll give you a reason to roll em

Rodeo

Stressed (SYQ x JSY)

“Can’t keep my fucking eyes off you”

Hotel Room (JSY X SYQ X CMY)

Cho Miyeon

“Backseat. NOW.”

How to Fuck a girl 101 - CMY x NY/KN

Hotel Room (CMY X SYQ X JSY)

Mine (CMY X SYQ)

Fucking Virgin! (CMY X KM/NY x Reader)

MiYu x Reader

Cozy riding

Nicha Yontarak / Kim Minnie

“My Shirt? Imma need that back”

Why should I wear anything at all if you’re just going to tear it off - JSY x NY/KM x Reader

How to fuck a girl 101 - CMY x KM/NY

I can be a better boyfriend than him

Fucking Virgin (CMY X KM/NY x Reader)

Language! (KM/NY x SYQ X Reader)

Minnie’s Housewife

Seo Soojin

Soojin Thoughts

Soojin’s thighs

Kiss Marks

Sooshu + Reader

Song Yuqi

“Imma need my shirt back.”

Stressed. (SYQ x JSY)

Truth or Kiss

Hotel rooms (SYQ X JSY X CMY)

Mine (CMY X SYQ)

Language! (SYQ X NY/KM x Reader)

Miyu x Reader

Yeh Shuhua

Cheers and Poms Poms

Sooshu + Reader

OT6:

Girls catch you watching porn

Ass or Titties

Girls reactions to Teasing

Girls reactions to reader kissing their face

Clueless?

(G)-IDLE helping you get off

Drabbles!:

Yuyeon

Soojin and Soyeon Thoughts

MiShu thoughts

Yuyeon - stressed idea

Members teasing Miyeon

MinQi big dicks

Minnie’s LONG fingers

Everyone using Shuhua

Sex with idle is amazing

Who needs a fleshlight when there’s Shuhua

Alpha idle x omega Shu

Free use Shu

Miyeon’s moans

Eating Soyeon’s meow meow

I don’t care if they little put them boobs in my face!!

Shuhua can fuck women ngl

Loser Minnie (and Sakura)

Miyu stuff again

Bunny Miyeon

Idle present to Miyeonie

Princess treatment w/soyeon

G!P Miyu using shushu

Miyeon Tied up

Breeding kink Minnie

More Miyu

MiMin sweetness

Miyu Cockwarming!

Yuna + Miyeon + Wonyoung

[coquelicoq]

In talking about Chaucer (p. 74), I said that, in general, puns and verbal connections of sound were unimportant and not to be sought out; and now, you will say, I have been using them to explain cruces in Shakespeare. Alas, you have touched on a sore point; this is one of the less reputable aspects of our national poet. A quibble is to Shakespeare [Johnson could not but confess] what luminous vapours are to the traveller; he follows it at all adventures; it is sure to lead him out of his way and sure to engulf him in the mire. It has some malignant power over his mind.... A quibble was for him the fatal Cleopatra for whom he lost the world, and was content to lose it. Nor can I hold out against the Doctor, beyond saying that life ran very high in those days, and that he does not seem to have lost the world so completely after all. It shows lack of decision and will-power, a feminine pleasure in yielding to the mesmerism of language, in getting one's way, if at all, by deceit and flattery, for a poet to be so fearfully susceptible to puns. Many of us could wish the Bard had been more manly in his literary habits, and I am afraid the Sitwells are just as bad.

William Empson, 7 Types of Ambiguity, ch 2 pp 100-101

i'm sorry this is so fucking funny. that pathetic loser shakespeare who loved puns so much it cost him everything, except of course his status as the most famous, most read, most immortal english-language author of all time. but everything else, he lost and it's all because of how weak he was to resist a pun :/ pouring one out for my sad little girly man who could have had it all if only he was better at writing, the thing he is the most famous guy in the world for.

even empson, who disagrees with johnson that shakespeare "lost the world", is like, too bad our favorite poet is susceptible to the thing that made him famous :/ really tragic that the guy whose wordplay we've been talking about for 300 years likes wordplay :///

also i can't get over writing a book about the types of ambiguity and NOT INCLUDING PUNS?? sorry but puns are ambiguous! that's where their juice comes from! imagine liking ambiguity so much you write a book about it but never mention puns except to dunk on them. imagine being a POET and POETRY CRITIC who looks down on sound-based ambiguity! could not be me!!

[learnukrainian]

Ukrainian 101, Lesson 40: Back to School p.2: School Subjects

School Subjects - шкільні предмети - shkeelnee predmety Subject - предмет - predmet

Maths - математика - matematyka

Algebra - алгебра - alhebra

Geometry - геометрія - heometreeya

History - історія - eestoreeya

Geography - географія - heohrapheeya

Literature - література - leeteratoora

English (language) - англійська (мова) - anhleeyska [mova]

Biology - біологія - beeoloheeya

Chemistry - хімія - heemeeya

Physics - фізика - pheesyka

Astronomy - астрономія - astronomeeya

P.E. - фізкультура - fizzcooltoora

Computer Science - інформатика - informatyka

Ukrainian - українська (мова) - ookrayeenska [mova]

Spanish - іспанська (мова) - eespanska [mova]

German - німецька (мова) - neemetska [mova]

French - французька (мова) - frantsooska [mova]

Music - музика - moozyka

Psychology - психологія - psycholoheeya

Examples:

Тобі подобається математика? - Ні, вона дуже складна! | Do you like maths? - No, it's very difficult!

Мені подобається співати, тому мій улюблений предмет - музика. | I love singing, that's why music is my favourite subject.

Його сестра дуже добре знає історію. | His sister knows history very well.

Ми скоро почнемо вчити іспанську! | We will start learning Spanish soon!

Їм подобається хімія? - Так! | Do they like chemistry? - Yes!

[stellerssong]

Hi again. I'm on some level here to ask for a complete explanation of every aspect of Hawaiian culture that is even tangentially related to your latest fic because I know absolutely nothing and there is the ever present concern that the terms run through cursory Google Translate and internet searching will lose nuance and implications. There were definitely some references to divinities and myths and such that went over my unenlightened head. The story you wove was rich and intricate enough to be held in the mind of someone who knows less than nothing and still have great meaning and truth, but I know that it will mean yet more if I can see the threads you used to make it. (On another level, I'm asking for the explanation because I am abruptly deeply interested in a topic I had previously not thought about very much, and you seem to be significantly more of an expert than the average internet search.)

first off! well first off i am blowing you so many kisses for this very kind ask, thank you so much for giving me an excuse to ramble at (great, great, great) length.

so second off! i would just like to stress that i am very much not an expert in hawaiian language, folklore, history, culture, etc. i am neither kānaka maoli (native hawaiian) nor kamaʻāina (born in hawaiʻi although not necessarily of hawaiian ancestry), and i have not studied these topics formally/in a setting that applies academic rigor. i am an enthusiastic amateur with a personal connection to hawaiian culture, the kind of brain that likes to fixate on areas of interest, and a willingness to scrounge around for reading material. i have, i think, a decent sense of what some of the baseline texts in the field are, and a fairly good bullshit detector (and the understanding/ability to dig into things when i can't rely on the bullshit detector), but ultimately i am a layman and an outsider with corresponding perspectives and biases. i also, i will admit frankly, have a pretty sharp knowledge cutoff corresponding to the time of first european contact, just because of my own personal interests and reading preferences.

read that whole disclaimer? let your eyes glaze over while you skimmed it? good! here's my real quick (lmao) rundown of Sum Things U Should Know If You Wanna Close-Read Kīpuka:

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi 101

Good grief when I put it like that I do NOT feel qualified to tell you any of this. Anyway. We can keep it basic just so you can get a sense of the mouthfeel of the words. And just fyi ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi is the proper name of the language; i'll be using "Hawaiian" as the adjective form, sans ʻokina, assuming an English-speaking readership.

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi as it is commonly rendered today has 13 letters: 5 vowels (A, E, I, O, and U) and 7 consonants (H, K, L, M, N, P, W), plus the ʻokina or glottal stop (that little apostrophe-lookin' dude at the beginning of the word ʻokina, also the source of most of my typesetting woes). Pronunciation-wise, there are no silent letters and no though/through/enough-type surprises: every letter is pronounced, and all of the vowel renderings are approximately equivalent to how you'd pronounce them in Spanish or Italian. Hence, the word kuahine = koo-ah-HEE-nay rather than, like, kyoo-ah-highn, which made me feel gross even just typing it out.

The ʻokina is pronounced, and bear with me here, like the dash in the english nuh-uh. or, if you're a try-hard vocalist—reattack the vowel after the ʻokina instead of eliding it to the vowel prior. So the place-name Kaʻū is pronounced ka-OO, as distinct from the word kau which is pronounced more like kow (which is a bit of an oversimplification of the latter word, but I'm trying to be efficient here).

That leads us neatly into the other diacritical marking used in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, the kahakō or macron which helpfully appears in its own name. No worries here; the kahakō just serves as a stress marker, so you'd say kahakō = ka-ha-KO instead of ka-HA-ko, or from the example above ka-OO rather than KA-oo.

There are a couple of other little pronunciation tricks here and there. The letter W is sometimes pronounced as a V, and unfortunately I can't really describe the rules for that shift; that is one I must admit I know mostly from vibes. For example, the correct pronunciation of Hawaiʻi itself is ha-VAI-ee, but I've never heard the place-name Waimea pronounced as anything but why-MEY-ah.

Occasionally you will encounter the letter K pronounced as a T, which I believe is an artifact of the morphological shift from older related languages such as Tahitian and Samoan which do preserve the letter T as a unique phoneme. To my knowledge, the Kauaʻi dialect (spoken today on Niʻihau) also preserves the T, but most spoken ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi heard elsewhere is based on the Big Island dialect, which lacks the T. One notable exception is the word tūtū (an affectionate/respectful term for a grandparent or elder), which you really don't hear pronounced as kūkū.

Really, though, listening to Hawaiian music is how I got the language in my ear and imo it's the best way to get it in yours. Can't go wrong with Israel Kamakawiwoʻole (of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" fame), but I have a personal soft spot for Kealiʻi Reichel, Weldon Kekauoha, Amy Hanaialiʻi, and the Cazimero Brothers.

The Place-y-ness of Hawaiian Literature

This is more of a sidenote than its own heading, but I'm the one driving the essay, and I think it's an interesting thing to point out, just because it helps establish a particular perspective I wanted to keep in mind while writing this fic.

Something you might notice as you start to look at Hawaiian oli, mele, and myth is the high level of specificity of place. Hawaiʻi is, let's be honest, not that enormous of a place when you consider it on a global scale—but the specificity of localities within Hawaiian literature is kind of astounding. Not only are there loads of place-names referenced in any given work, there are unique Hawaiian names for landmarks, cliffs, peaks, hills, streams, waterfalls—even rains and winds of specific locations merit their own names.

"kīpuka" is very specifically set on the windward side of Hawaiʻi island, so I made an effort to focus my references to place-names on that region—Hilo, ʻŌlaʻa, and Waiākea are all locations on the eastern side of the island, and the one reference to Kona on the leeward side reflects the coming of someone bearing grievances (in addition to eia aʻe ka makani Kona being an existing idiom warning the listener to watch out for an angry person, the windward and leeward sides of Hawaiʻi island have a long history of territorial warfare and jockeying for control of the island). I'd also considered having the bird discussed in the fic be a different species, the kākāwahie—but that species is/was endemic to Molokaʻi, and quite honestly my knowledge of the history and culture of Molokaʻi as a separate polity is not that great.

(This is partly due to sample bias—my introduction to Hawaiʻi was within a Big Island-based context. At the same time, another thing you may notice about the better-known source texts is that many of them center around Hawaiʻi island and, to a lesser extent, Maui, thanks to the political supremacy during the unification/post-contact era of Hawaiʻi island and Maui aliʻi. Ross Cordy wrote a whole ass book about the Oʻahu chiefdoms that is simply not to be had for love or money no matter how I search for it. I am THIS CLOSE to straight up cold emailing the man and being like I WILL VENMO YOU $75 USD DIRECTLY IF YOU WILL SIMPLY JUST SEND ME A COPY OF YOUR BOOK. PLEASE. SAVE ME ROSS CORDY.)

Girl (Gender Neutral), I Cannot Explain Hawaiian Mythology, Poetics, and Mythopoetics As a Subheading in One Post

Honestly. I can't do it. But some tidbits to assist your further research:

A great deal of Hawaiian literature and oral tradition hinges on kaona, roughly "allusion" or "metaphor." In a description that is useful to precisely no one but myself, it's not unlike the complex plays on words, puns, and deep well of references used in Heian Japanese epistolary poetry. Some of it is easy to grok for newbies: for example, the concept of one's lover as a lei adorning the body, or being splashed or sprinkled with water as a euphemism for sex. Some of it goes a lot deeper, relying on historical or folkloric place-name associations, puns, and ancient practices and superstitions.

The Hawaiian "pantheon" I place in scare quotes because ancient Hawaiian religious practices and superstition were highly syncretic, often extremely localized, and more contradictory the more you read into it. In a very, very, very, VERY rough and off-the-cuff sense, though, there were thought to be four major gods: Kāne (associated with dawn, the sun, the sky, running freshwater, and irrigation-based agriculture, among other things), Kanaloa (associated with the ocean, sea creatures, and sometimes death, as an opposing or complimentary force to Kāne), Lono (god of fertility, agriculture with something of an emphasis on dryland agriculture, rainfall, and peace as embodied in the Makahiki festival), and Kū (god of war, the deified kingship, fishermen, sorcery, and quite honestly a ton of other things in various manifestations).

There were also quite a large number of "lesser" gods, the word "lesser" used just in the sense that they weren't honored to the same extent as the four previously named in state-sanctioned religious practice. Probably the most well-known of these is Pele, the volcano goddess. (I reference another in the fic, Niolopua, god of sleep—but the jury's out on whether or not that refers to an actual god or is just metaphorical in the same way that most people think of "the Sandman" as a euphemism for sleep and not a literal guy who comes into your house and puts crusties in your eyes.)

The gods were thought to manifest in a variety of forms, called kino lau (literally "four hundred bodies"). You can think of this in the sense of "Lono takes on the shape of an albatross or a tropicbird to interact with mortals, while Kanaloa prefers to manifest as an octopus," and in stories kino lau are sometimes represented that way, but in practice it's less of a Greek myth-style practice of shapeshifting and more of an animistic religious belief. The kino lau in nature embody the god and in a metaphorical sense illustrate the interconnection between divine and earthly and the presence of the divine on earth.

(HUGE OVERSIMPLIFICATION. HUGE OVERSIMPLIFICATION. PLEASE DO MORE RESEARCH AND DO NOT TAKE ONE TUMBLR POST AT ITS WORD ON THIS.)

The Endless, in the fic, are very easy to loop into the concept of kino lau, because of their canonical universality. Danny appears as a shark (a symbol of chiefhood), a pueo, or Hawaiian owl (an 'aumakua, or ancestral guardian), a manu-o-Kū, or fairy tern (a bird associated with the god Kū, likely in his aspect as a god of fishermen, navigators, and wayfinders), a kalo plant (a staple crop of ancient Hawaiʻi, a kino lau of Kāne, and a symbol of duality and rebirth), and a snowcapped mountain (a sacred site considered kapu, or forbidden, to all but the highest chiefly individuals). Despair, meanwhile, appears as an ʻalae ʻula, or Hawaiian moorhen (another ʻaumakua, but also an animal whose cry was thought to foretell misfortune), a stingray (for her barbed tail), a hāpuʻu fern (in contrast to Dream's kalo, the hāpuʻu was considered a famine food), a lava flow and its first growths (acknowledging Pele as both a destroyer and a creator of land, just as Despair also embodies hope), and a number of other things meant to embody the devastation of Hawaiʻi (rats, feral pigs, and mosquitoes have decimated endemic birds and insects; the kiawe is an invasive plant species that forms dense, thorny, and difficult-to-destroy groves; light pollution affects behavior and migratory patterns of both avian and aquatic species).

All pretty simple, obviously!

Further Resources and Recs

Okay, so, obviously I'm not going to be able to explain every single reference in this fic in a single post, though I obviously tried my damnedest. In lieu of that, I'll offer some useful resources for further reading:

Stephen Trussel's Combined Hawaiian Dictionary is a fantastic resource for vocab that incorporates several major Hawaiian dictionaries in a straightforward (well, as straightforward as this gets) text-based web page. Ulukau also has a searchable interface, which is a little easier to interact with, but I like having the Trussel for reference.

Huapala is everyone's go-to for translations of Hawaiian lyrics. I've linked to it in the endnotes of the fic for readers interested in more on "Ka Ipo Lei Manu," but it's got nearly any ʻauana-style Hawaiian song you please, and if I recall correctly even a few traditional oli. Again, another slightly old-fashioned text-based site—but we all know how to use CMD + F in a page, do we not?

Native Books is awesome if you, like me, prefer reading things in print but would prefer not to feed your dollars into the maw of the Amazon beast. A lot of the lit on Hawaiʻi was printed either a long time ago or in very small releases and is now out-of-print and difficult to find even in libraries, so it rocks that there's an independent bookseller that specializes in getting those works to an audience in hard copy. @ NATIVE BOOKS PLEASE CONSIDER GETTING ROSS CORDY TO RE-PRINT THE RISE AND FALL OF THE OʻAHU KINGDOM THANK YOU SO MUCH. University of Hawaiʻi Press is also a good source for academic texts, although their website is...mm...difficult to navigate, and do be warned that they charge academic press prices.

In terms of who to read, you really can't go wrong with Mary Kawena Pukui, a Native Hawaiian scholar, author, composer, and educator whose work is the backbone of just, a fuckton of writing about Hawaiʻi, both academic and popular. Her book ʻŌlelo Noʻeau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings is worth at least a skim just to get the feel of the Hawaiian mindset; it also contains a healthy dose of myth, folklore, and history in the explanations of the sayings. Absolutely adorably, I've found two books she edited that I read the absolute FUCK out of as a child available as PDFs through Ulukau: The Water of Kāne and Other Legends of the Hawaiian Islands and Hawaiʻi Island Legends: Pīkoi, Pele, and Others. Definitely worth a quick read if you want more on the myth side of things.

As a non-specialist, I've really enjoyed Patrick Vinton Kirch's writing on precontact Hawaiʻi. For a field archaeologist, his writing is both highly engaging and very respectful of the peoples he studies, and trust me, I do get my back up easily when it comes to white people writing about Other Cultures TM, so I'd posit it means something that he passes my sniff test. A Shark Going Inland is My Chief is a great overview of the history of the Hawaiian chiefdoms from the first settlement of the islands to immediately precontact, and Kuaʻāina Kahiko offers a bit of a closer look at everyday life in a specific locality in the islands (in this case, Kahikinui, Maui).

Kamehameha and His Warrior Kekūhaupiʻo by Stephen Desha (trans. Frances N. Frazier) began its life as a serialized Hawaiian-language history of the rise of Kamehameha I. It's a dense read, and it WILL test your ability to remember who the hell all these people are to its limit—it mostly discusses the lives and times of the major players of the aliʻi class in the late precontact–early postcontact era, and when you remember that a) a hell of a lot of personal names in this tale begin with the letter K and b) the aliʻi class of Hawaiʻi practiced a mindboggling amount of political marriage, consanguineous marriage, and sanctioned adoption between blood relatives, the family trees get real complicated REAL fast. If you can hang on through all that, though, it's an intensely detailed and very vivid portrait of a culture at a tumultuous moment, it gives a great sense of how the Hawaiians viewed themselves and the world, and it's an interesting exercise in the mythologizing of the Kamehameha dynasty.

Okay, So...?

So...if you hung on through all that, god DAMN are you dedicated. Have what is quite possibly my favorite Hawaiian song for your trouble. It is, funnily enough, about a bird.

EDIT: I am retroactively making this post unrebloggable. I'm really, really glad folks have found it interesting and are looking into the resources I shared, but I absolutely do not want this getting passed around as Hawaiian Culture 101. If you want to learn more about Hawaiʻi, I must stress that you should look to a reputable source and not some schmuck on Tumblr rambling about her effortposting fanned fiction.

[nordleuchten]

La Fayette's Servants - Part 1

I have previously made some posts about servants of the La Fayette family, and I felt like this would be a good time to shine some more light onto these people. I originally intended to cover several of the servants in one post since you typically do not find much about their origin, family and age – but in the case of one gentleman this was very different, and I found documents relating to him in not one but two archives. :-)

Jean-Baptiste Machillot Desplaces

Desplaces, as he was commonly referred to, was one of La Fayette’s valet de chambre. I believe that Desplaces was already “somewhat advanced” in age by the time of the American Revolution. I believe so based on editorial notes in La Fayette’s Memoirs and because by the time La Fayette travelled to America, Desplaces appears to have been in the service of the Marquis’ family for some time. Either that or La Fayette very quickly took a shine to Desplaces. But more about their relationship in a bit.

Desplaces had married a woman by the name of Jeanne Pierrette and together they had at least one son (and I believe that this son was their only child). He was born on March 16, 1772 and baptized Marie Paul Joseph Roch (Yves) Machillot Desplaces. He was born in Paris and the archive there holds his birth certificate. In the document it is also noted that the child’s father worked for the Marquis:

Paris Archives, État civil reconstitué (XVIe-1859), Cote 5Mi1 45, p. 19-20, 08/03/2023.

The young Desplaces himself was married on July 1, 1806 to Marie Françoise Fretin, daughter of Pierre Fretin and Gabrielle Clerc, in Matour in the Department of Saône-Et-Loire. The archives there still have the official documents relating to that wedding:

Archives départmentales de Saône-et-Loire, Matour, Publicatiosn de mariage, 1803-1812, p. 101, 142, 08/03/2023.

You have to look closely, but in the handwritten paragraph at the bottom of the page we see that the couple had a child before they married. Their son Pierre Laurent was born on August 31, 1803.

This second document especially gives us some interesting insights. Although Jean-Baptists’ age is nowhere given, we see that he lived as a “rentier” in 1806 in Paris. A rentier is a person who draws their money from investments, such as insurances, contracts, real estate, stock market, shares in companies, investment funds and much more. A rentier often is, though not necessarily, an elderly person who made these investments with their life savings in order to live comfortable in old age.

We also see that the family still lived in Paris and since the young Desplaces was also born there, it raises the question why the marriage was held at Matour. His wife came from the region around Rhône. Maybe the young Desplaces was drawn to Matour by a great job opportunity or something along this line and took his little family with him. Maybe, and this is pure speculation on my part, his family, although now living in Paris, came originally from Matour. Matour is relatively close to Chavaniac, La Fayette’s ancestral home, and this could have contributed how Desplaces came into La Fayette’s employ in the first place.

What was the relationship between Desplaces and La Fayette? Desplaces, although a servant, was someone La Fayette loved very affectionately. Proof of that is not only his language, but also his timing. On May 17, 1777 La Fayette began writing a long letter, trying to explain to his wife Adrienne his actions and motives and trying to apologize for having abandoned her, their infant daughter and their unborn child. It was the first letter he wrote since leaving France. During this tumults and uncertain time La Fayette did not neglect to think of Desplaces. The letter was written in several sitting over the span of six weeks. In his paragraph from June 7, 1777, he writes:

Also let my old friend Desplaces know that I am in good health.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 59.

Then, on October 1, 1777, while recovering from his wound after the Battle of Brandywine, he inquired after Desplaces:

Give news of me also to M. Margelay, Abbe Fayon, and Desplaces.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 118.

And this relationship was not a one-sided one. On December 18, 1777, La Fayette reported to Henry Laurens that he had received a letter form Desplaces:

I received letters from France but indifferent ones. The last one is from a valet de chambre of mine who speaks much about the good health of my family but nothing about war-however you think that such a man can not be as well acquainted with the projects of the Governement as one of my friends could be. He promises me several letters by the same occasion which I did not receive-perhaps they will come. The letter of that valet de chambre is dated the 7 september.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 196.

He also wrote to Adrienne on January 6, 1778:

The other day I received a letter from Desplaces that mentioned an earlier one, but the capriciousness of winds and fleets, not to mention encounters with the English, often disturbs the order of my correspondence. For several days I have been concerned about the Vicomte de Coigny, whom I have heard was getting worse, but that letter from Desplaces, which did not mention him, and which told me that everyone was well, has reassured me. I have also received some others that do not mention his health. When you write to me, dear heart, please send me plenty of news about all the people I love, and even about society.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 1, December 7, 1776–March 30, 1778, Cornell University Press, 1977, p. 225.

In these next to letter to his wife Adrienne, La Fayette’s language in particular make it clear how dear Desplaces was to him. On September 12, 1778 he wrote:

Also greet Abbé Fayon, and say something for me to my dear Desplaces.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 2, April 10, 1778–March 20, 1780, Cornell University Press, 1979, p. 176.

And on October 10, 1780:

Remember me, too, to my good Desplaces.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 4, April 1, 1781–December 23, 1781, Cornell University Press, 1981, p. 196.

There is one last letter where Desplaces gets mentioned by La Fayette. He wrote on October 10, 1784 during his third stay in America:

As for the minor domestic arrangements, I hope you will have brought my aunt back with you, and you will do well then to get our friend Desplaces established.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 5, January 4, 1782‑December 29, 1785, Cornell University Press, 1983, p. 262.

I am honestly a bit at a loss where Adrienne should Desplaces help to establish himself – but it is clear that La Fayette took care of the people in his employ – what leads me to the last point I would like to raise. We already had a look at Desplaces status as a rentier in 1806 and we know that he must have had enough money to make the necessary investments. But working for La Fayette generally must have paid off for in 1778 Desplaces was able to lend the sum of 4000 Francs to a Monsieur Le Maire for one month. When Desplaces did not get his money back after the aforementioned month he turned to Benjamin Franklin for help.

Le nommé J.B. Machillot desplaces Valet de Chambre de Mr. le Mquis. de lafayette suplie Son Exelence d’avoir la bonté de le faire payer de la somme de 400 l.t. qu’il a prêté a Mr. le Maire pour un mois seulement, le tems que Son Exelence devoit lui faire rembourcer les avances qu’il avoit fait pour Elle. Sans le connoître que pour l’avoir vû chez Mdme. La Mquise. de lafayette, J’y ai été de bonne foie en lui accordant la demande qu’il me fit, aprésent je ne peu le ravoir sans le Scour [secours] de Son Exelence. Mdme. La Mquise. de la fayette m’a chargée de vous faire ses complimens. J’ai l’honneur d’être avec un très profond respect Son Exelence Votre très humble et trés obeissant Serviteur

Machillot displaces

“To Benjamin Franklin from Jean-Baptiste Machillot Desplaces, 26 September 1778,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, vol. 27, July 1 through October 31, 1778, ed. Claude A. Lopez. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1988, pp. 465–466.] (08/04/2023)

And even if the loan was intended as a short term one and Desplaces definitely wanted the money back, it is nevertheless quite telling that Desplaces was in a position to lend Le Maire such a large sum.

I have no information about Desplaces life during and shortly after the French Revolution or how he reacted to La Fayette’s flight and imprisonment, but the families servants in general and as a whole proofed to be very loyal and Adrienne tried her utmost to do right by them, even as her own family was struggling. And if Desplaces felt for La Fayette like the Marquis evidently felt for Desplaces, he must have been touched by the families hardships.

[felixcloud6288]

In case anyone's interested in understanding that math thing I posted yesterday, what I posted was something called the Pumping Lemma for Regular Languages.

A lemma is a minor theorem which has no real use outside its ability to be used for other proofs.

If you have a Regular Language, the Pumping Lemma is true by definition, and it cannot be used to prove a language is Regular. BUT, if you prove the Pumping Lemma cannot apply to a Language, you can use that to prove the Language is NOT Regular.

Read more for the journey about all this

Automata

Don't worry. This is not as complex as it sounds. An automata has a number of states that it operates in and a set of rules revolving around how it transitions between states.

Consider a calculator. You press certain buttons on it and it will display an output depending on the sequence you pressed. If you press '0 1 =', the calculator prints '1'. If you press '1 7 + 4 =', the calculator prints '21'. But if you press '1 / 0 =', the calculator throws an error. And if you press '1 + =', that also throws an error.

On the underside of the calculator, there's a set of logic responsible for processing your input. It contains a finite number of states that represent what inputs the calculator has read, a set of rules about how to transition between states, and maybe some other components depending on the machine. But not every sequence of input is recognized by the calculator.

In general, the set of all input sequences a machine recognizes is called its Language. And the set of all inputs it can process is called its Alphabet.

Regular Languages

Regular Languages are a particular type of Language. They are Languages that can be recognized by a specific automata called a Deterministic Finite Automata (DFA).

DFAs have five components to them:

A FINITE number of states

The Alphabet of the automata

The transition rules of the automata

The Start State

The Final States

The transition rules work as follows: If there is a rule that says something like (A, x) -> B, that means if we are currently on State A and read input x, we now transition to state B.

The Start State is one specific state in the DFA which we always start at. The Final States are a subset of the DFA's states where if any of them are the active state after reading the final input, the DFA accepts the input as part of the language.

So the way the DFA runs is you initially start in the Start State. Then for each input, you jump to another state based on the transition rules. You keep doing this until all the inputs are read. If the last state you're in is one of the Final States, then the input is accepted as part of the Language. Otherwise, it is rejected.

Here's a DFA which recognizes any sequence of 0's and 1's where the last two characters are '01'.

Each circle is a state in the machine.

q1 has a singular unlabeled arrow pointing to q1 indicating that is the start state. q3 is the Final State, indicated by the double circle.

Each labeled arrow represents a transition rule. For example, if we are in q1 and read a '0', we go to q2.

Some sequences that will be accepted are '101', '01', and '001101'. Some inputs sequences that will not be accepted are '1', '010', and '011'.

Pumping Lemma for Regular Languages

Consider the sequence '001101' for the earlier Language. Notice how there are more characters in the sequence than there are States in the DFA. That is because the DFA has a loop in it. You can go from q1 to q2 to q3 and back to q1. You can repeat a looping sequence as many times as you want and you'll still have a sequence in the language.

Here's the more technical definition for Pumping Lemma:

If you have a regular language L, there's a certain value P, called the Pumping length. If there is a string s which is in L whose length is greater than or equal to P, then you can apply the Pumping Lemma to it.

In that case, s can be broken down into three strings xyz. x is whatever comes before the part that loops, y is the first iteration of the looping part. z is everything after the loop.

The total length of xy is less than or equal to P. Meanwhile, the length of y is greater than 0.

After defining x, y, and z; you can then insert or remove y as many times as you want from your string, and you still have something that is accepted by the DFA.

So as an example, lets go back to '001101'. Let's say P=2 (because '01' is the smallest string we can create with the above DFA). 001101 is 6 characters long so we can pump it. And we can define x='0', y='0', z='1101'. This fits the requirement of xy's length being less than or equal to P, and y's length being greater than 0.

xz = '01101' which will be accepted.

xyyz = '0001101' which will be accepted

xyyyz = '00001101' which will be accepted

Using the Pumping Lemma

The Pumping Lemma cannot prove a language is regular because it's a characteristic of a Regular Language. BUT, you can prove a language is NOT regular by showing the Pumping Lemma doesn't work.

Let's consider a Language L that accepts any sequence of 0's and 1's where the number of 0's is the same as the number of 1's. So '01', '0110', and '001101001011' are in the language.

This language is not regular. We can prove it's not regular by showing a scenario where the Pumping Lemma will never work.

If the Pumping Lemma were true, we could choose P, then choose an xyz for any pumpable string in L.

Since we're trying to disprove the Pumping Lemma, things are inverted. We instead choose a string that will always be pumpable regardless of P. And we choose how many times we pump y which will generate a string that is NOT in the language.

So now let's show that the above language is not regular. We cannot choose our pumping length. But we can choose a string in L. We'll choose s = '0^P1^P'. This string is P '0''s followed by P '1''s. So if P=1, s = '01'; if P=2, s='0011' etc.

We cannot define how we split s into x, y, and z. But we can define roughly what they could be by the definitions in the Pumping Lemma. The length of xy is less than or equal to P, so that means xy is at most the P '0''s in s. And the length of y is greater than 0. Combining both rules means y is at least one of the '0''s in the first half and y is NOT ever going to be any of the '1''s. To simplify some things, we'll say y = '0^n' where n is any number from 1 to P.

Now consider if we pump y twice to make xyyz. xyyz = '0^(P+n)1^P'. xyyz is NOT in our language because we have a string which has more 0's than 1's. But if L was regular, xyyz should be in L. Since that's not the case, this means L cannot be a regular language.

Conclusion

So hopefully, you have a rough idea of how this worked. One of the utilities of this concept is determining the minimal amount of complexity needed to perform a certain task.

Regular Languages and their accompanying DFAs are amongst the simplest Languages and automata. They have no memory, cannot recall anything they've processed previously, and have no idea about what will happen in the future.

They only know exactly where they are in the moment and what they can do immediately from there. When a DFA is in a particular state, it does not know how it got there. It knows what states it can immediately go to, but it has no idea where it can go after.

So if you're trying to build a particular automata and you think it's simple enough to build with a DFA, you need to run it by this proof. If the Pumping Lemma can break, then your automata needs a more complex structure.

[zph]

scrs ideas on da brain:

- cupid au but he fucking sucks at his job and manages to fall in love with his cilent

- ruining his pretty makeup. (sfw)

- scara “i hate you” mouche gets caught wearing your clothing & accessories

- coworkers au.

- waiting 4 u outside the bathroom. cutesy nd’ cringe cat behavior

- how to boyfriend 101: scaramouche attempts to flirt with you. (spoiler: he is a loser &doesn’t understand a single thing about flirting.)

- doomed by the narrative.

- gossip bf!scara but you can’t take your eyes away from his lips

- intensive guide to seducing that cute regular that only seems to prefer your coffee. via. cringy nicknames & shit taste in drinks.

- prince scaramouche and his loyal knight. (childhood friends?) & cleaning his knight’s wounds.

- penpal au . except you accidentally sent the letter to wrong address & it comes back in a fury of snarky jokes &a small doodle of what looks to be him, ‘:p’

- testing all the 5 senses + scara. (sfw) / alternatively: exploring 5 love languages with scara.

- artist scaramouche. (and you are his canvas.)

- guide to writing a love letter (by kuni)

- hc. scara runs cold & he makes it your problem. (hugging & laughing ensues)

- 3 times you tell him you love him + 1 time he says it back (in his own way) -> 3 times you tell him you love him in sign language + 1 time he does it back

- actors to lovers au. (when acting comes too real) (bonus: if they are fwb. but sfw) (the writer doesn’t know how he will do that)

- siren!scara & his favorite sailor

[lotusbxtch]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you to sweet @luxurychristmaspudding @nerdieforpedro and @alltheirdamn for tagging me! sorry it took so long for me to do this.

1. how many works do you have on AO3?

7 but i have more coming!

2. what's your total AO3 word count?

18.2k approx

3. what fandoms do you write for?

PPCU and OICU

4. top five fics by kudos (notes) ooh i'll do this by AO3 and Tumblr because the differences are interesting! (for AO3 I will also list hits)

AO3:

the best ride in the galaxy - 29 kudos / 788 hits

lightning of the blaze - 20 kudos / 1,281 hits (LOL)

don't ruin this on me - 13 kudos / 239 hits

sunlight - 10 kudos / 219 hits

and i lost you - 10 kudos / 180 hits

Tumblr:

the best ride in the galaxy - 291 notes

sunlight - 199 notes

SoCal to NorCal ch. 1 - 155 notes

the best ride in the galaxy pt. 2 - 143 notes

and i lost you - 101 notes

5. do you respond to comments?

yes i do! i love interacting. i don't often get asks but those are open for commentary / requests!

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

it's a tie between "and i lost you" and don't ruin this on me.

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

i generally write happy endings for most of my fics! my series aren't done yet, but i think SoCal to NorCal is going to be an almost entirely happy fic series. :)

8. do you get hate on fics?

not yet, although someone on ao3 told me they didn't like making fun of poe at the ending of TBRITG and i'm like, but POE would make fun of himself lol

9. do you write smut?

.... do i ever. ;) it's legit my favorite thing to write!

10. craziest crossover:

probably SoCal to NorCal. Joel is the husband and Frankie is the boyfriend in the throuple.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that I'm aware of!

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

not yet!

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

no, but @for-a-longlongtime and i just talked about collaborating on one in the future.......

14. all time favorite ship?

fic ships? Tim x Javi P x Mai in Let Me Get What I Want

show/movie ships? frankie x santi. if they don't make them a couple in TF2 (whenever it comes out, hopefully), idk what the point even is lol.

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i have a dbf!cowboy!Joel x afab!Reader fic idea that i would loooooove to write but between SoCal to NorCal and some other WIPs i have going on, it might be awhile before that one sees the light of day.

16. what are your writing strengths?

smut - it flows pretty freely for me. i also love writing feelings!

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

i will often get stuck before starting writing because i have this desire to write everything in order in one go instead of just writing parts to get the juices flowing. blame my perfectionism.

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language besides your own?

i dig it, as long as it's translated well and you're consulting with others.

19. first fandom you wrote in?

Star Wars, specifically Poe! TBRITG was my first foray into fic writing!

20. favorite fic you've written?

i haven't written it in full yet ;) but probably my SoCal to NorCal series. it means the most to me (the idea was the one that convinced me to start writing fanfic) and i'm really excited to show y'all how Reader, Joel, and Frankie all interact. (plus, the Santi feature in ch 1 was SO FUN.)

NP tagging some lovelies: @mermaidgirl30 @penvisions @mountainsandmayhem @milkypompon @legendary-pink-dot

@for-a-longlongtime @sin-djarin @dancingtotuyo @casgrandslam

[princessproductivity]

My 2024 Master Reading List

✓ Keep It Shut by Karen Ehman

✓ Atomic Habits by James Clear

✓ The Surrendered Wife by Laura Doyle

✓ The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Laura Schlessinger

✓ The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington

☐ The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

☐ The Mountain is You by Brianna Weist

☐ Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray

☐ Baby Steps Millionaires by Dave Ramsey

☐ The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

☐ The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

☐ Girl Defined by Bethany Baird

☐ Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal

☐ Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Howard Kiyosaki

☐ The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephan Covey

☐ The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

☐ How to Talk to Anyone by Leila Lowndes

☐ The Greatness Mindset by Lewis Howes

☐ The Power of Concentration by Walker Atkinson

☐ The Now Habit by Niel Fiore

☐ 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Weist

☐ The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss

What is the 12 week year? 7 ways to organize your life... 7 ways to reduce your screen time... These two mistakes are stealing your time...

[itsgameofthronesimagines]

Strong Dragons (Part Four)

(Gif not mine)

Fandom: House of the Dragon

Masterlist Here

Pairing: Daemon x Fem!Reader x Rhaenyra

Warnings: NSFW! 18+ only! Smut, mature themes and language, P in V, dirty talking, breeding kink, fingering, arranged marriages, unprotected rough/raw sex (wrap it before you tap it), incest, oral (female receiving), dom!rhaenyra, graphic depictions of pregnancy and labor, threesomes, death, depictions of both the books and shows, etc.

Word Count: 7,563

Tag: strong dragons hotd fic

Summary: Y/n’s pregnancy progresses as well as her reputation on Dragonstone. Daemon and Rhaenyra are enthralled by their Mother of Dragons.

Requested by: @ivy-targaryen​

Taglist:

@lol-im-done @stitchattacks @mariaelizabeth21-blog1 @faerosewood1723 @esquivelbianca @demiismylord @evattude @goldensunflowe-r @fexibau @chiyausu   @aphroditesmoon @winter-soldier-101 @ashlatano7567   @mochimommy2002 @champomiel @ilovemydinoboi @jackthemarvelfinatic @kindaslightlyacidic @bubbles2416 @hotd-fic @thatkinkylesgirl1 @nnyets @honeypillowsblog @pindoris @sugarmilkteaxkookiesxcream @rxscpctals @lethal-minds @witch-of-letters @green-lxght @wondergal2001 @boofy1998 @elliemilani @minbeatriz16 @siriusdumblittlepuppy   @rockerchick05 @midnightrqin @starloriha @kaitieskidmore1 @kat4na @ally22042000 @deathlyweird @eonnyx @weepingwitchofthewest @borikenlove @lovleaura @thewitch-lives @kneelarmhstrung @xrosegoldwolfx @mikariell95 @mxxny-lupin @gruffle1 @siimiasoi @the-spectacular-spider-bitch @automaticwizardnerd @here4thefanfic @i-love-morally-gray-characters​ @esmeralda-tupi​ @deadgirldreaming​ @poppyreader​ @mukduk-not-murder @bri3009 @issybee0611​ ​@nzygftoji @bigcreatorwombatdreamer​ @watercolorskyy​ @ripnevillestrevor

(I do not consent my works to be reposted/copied)

A/N: Tumblr kept deleting this as I worked on it so now I’m frustrated to the point I’m in tears. I’m definitely taking a break from this series as I’m too exhausted to bother right now after all that stress.

The following week upon Y/n's arrival was a busy one, to be sure. Dragonstone was filled with activity as Rhaenyra announced to her staff that both Prince Daemon and Lady Y/n would act as every bit the lord and lady of the keep as the princess and her own husband. The servants, loyal to Rhaenyra and loyal to her secret arrangement, welcomed Y/n with open arms, each individual introducing themselves while Y/n tried her best to remember all their names for their devoted kindness. It appeared as though the idea of a child excited the entire island -not just her lovers- as they helped their new lady feel at home.

Gerardys, Rhaenyra's head maester assigned to Dragonstone, confirmed what Y/n already knew, that she was, indeed, with child. He suspected that she was, at the very least, three moons along, since she hasn't even begun to show through her dresses. Now that her pregnancy was confirmed, Rhaenyra made sure to provide the best servants for her female lover, even introducing her to her own handmaidens, including the most loyal, Elinda Massey. Elinda was the youngest of Rhaenyra's ladies-in-waiting and the most devoted to House Targaryen overall. She was sweet and caring, a pretty young woman who pulled at Y/n's heartstrings. After meeting Elinda, Y/n pats Rhaenyra's arm and assures her that she would get along beautifully with her handmaidens.

Y/n had been aware of the fool, Mushroom. She knew of him only by reputation in court, a three-foot dwarf with a large head and a lackwit of intelligence, but nevertheless, a devoted, loyal servant to Rhaenyra, who has known him for the entirety of her father's reign. Mushroom tended to favor the princess over King Viserys and therefore followed her back to Dragonstone. Once introduced to all the handmaids at her disposal, Y/n was then greeted by a particular servant Rhaenyra had promised would make her laugh. Mushroom was delightful to Lady Y/n. A little crude, perhaps, but he did indeed earn a hearty laugh out of her and a silent trust to always rely on him with her secrets, as many have gained with Mushroom over the years, whether it was earned or foolishly given.

While Rhaenyra was in charge of Y/n becoming acquainted with her staff, Daemon charged himself with helping his new wife feel more comfortable with the island itself. He took her on many walks along the beaches and gave her plenty of cautionary tales about the volcano looming over their new castle. He made sure Y/n was aware of the many caves surrounding the island of his ancestral home, and informed her of what to do should she ever accidentally stumble upon a dragon. Daemon wasn't entirely worried about the tamed ones, as long as Y/n didn't try to ride them without their respective companion... he was more or less bothered by the idea of his pregnant wife accidentally coming across a dragon with no rider.

"How many are there?" She had asked one night over dinner, "Which dragons are without a rider?"

"Vermithor and Silverwing are castle dragons, beasts who had been tamed before but over the years have lost their riders," Daemon explained from his seat beside her, one of his arms draped over the back of her chair, "They once belonged to King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne, my grandparents. Then there are the wild dragons, beasts untamed and have never known the bond of a rider. Grey Ghost, the Cannibal, and Sheepstealer are the ones you should be most careful of."

"That doesn't mean to be less cautious of the other dragons, like Vermithor and Silverwing," Rhaenyra had cut in with alert eyes captivating Y/n's, "They may have known human companionship in the past, but that doesn't mean they will be familiar with you. It's been a long time since they have been ridden, therefore it's best to just give them their space and they will give you yours."

"Our dragons might be the most decent towards you," Laenor assures Y/n, "Caraxes, Syrax, and Seasmoke have more experience with human interaction and are smart enough to realize that you are a friend to them. But I wouldn't suggest seeking them out unless you were with one of us."

"Which reminds me," Rhaenyra beams, avoiding the less dreary topic while setting down her fork excitedly, "With our new prince or princess on the way, we will need to pick out a dragon egg for them."

One of the many topics that made Y/n feel like a stranger in her new home. She had nearly forgotten the prospect of a dragon baby in her belly, "To place it in their crib, right?"

"That is the custom, yes. Usually, the parent chooses the egg, and you are welcome to come with us."

"Into Dragonmont?" The woman's dark eyes widen, looking around at the three dragon riders before her, sheepish and possibly worried, "I have no experience with dragons let alone their eggs."

Daemon nods in agreement, addressing his wife but exchanging a glance of approval with Rhaenyra, "It's best if we get you and the dragons properly acquainted then."

Rhaenyra nods in response, "Perhaps you should ride with one of us on our dragon."

Laenor bursts out laughing, startling everyone including the servants as they bring silverware and food to and from the table. Y/n recognizes the jest and found herself in the mind of a child as she grabs the nearest thing, an apple, before aiming and throwing the fruit across the table at Laenor's head. She had missed pitifully, but the attempt made the Velaryon lord laugh, even more, clutching his midsection when his ribs began to hurt. Y/n could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment, but even the corner of her mouth turned up into an amused smile.

Rhaenyra, however, looked baffled while turning her gaze between her husband and her aunt, "Have I missed something?"

Y/n had barely heard her over Laenor's laughter. One look from Daemon slowly shuts him up, but a grin is still plastered on his face, eyes twinkling at Y/n as she bashfully ducks her head, "I didn't fare very well at sea. I doubt I'd fare well on the back of a dragon."

The princess grasps her meaning and relaxed her furrowed eyebrows, flashing a heatless glare at Laenor and causing him to cough to cover the last bit of laughter within him. Y/n playfully glared at her niece's husband as well but didn't even try to fight the smile this time.

"Well, the choice is yours, my love. You may not want to be familiar with dragons now, but perhaps you can learn and grow alongside our child's dragon when their egg hatches."

Her smile sparkles, "That would be lovely. I will start out small, just as our child will with their lifelong companion."

~~~~~~~~~

Getting used to kisses on her belly would be a bit of a challenge for Y/n, but not something she would likely grow tired of. Despite not showing through her dresses, it's clear to her lovers that her body has already begun to change in order to accommodate the child. Rhaenyra blatantly kisses Y/n's abdomen one night, after already shedding the Lady Strong of all her layers, and feels the slowly forming bump beneath her pale lips. Rhaenyra smiled into her female lover's flesh, biting back a moan when Daemon involuntarily thrusts into her at the sight before him, Y/n sprawled over the edge of the bed while Rhaenyra bent over her. Daemon stood behind Rhaenyra, lined up against her backside as he continued to pull out and slowly ease back into her heat. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra continued to kiss Y/n's belly before leaving a wet trail down to her already glistening cunt, the princess softly blowing cool air over the heat and sending shivers up the lady's spine. Y/n arched her back, whimpering without any friction to satisfy her needs, trying her best to remain still with her hands fisting the bedsheets near her head.

"Rhaenyra--"

"My apologies, love," the princess kissed the soft inside of the lady's thigh. Y/n could feel her smirk against her trembling skin, "I was merely doting on our child."

Y/n scoffs up at the ceiling, "Perhaps you should dote on me first, or else I'll pray to the gods for our child to bear my reputation of holding a grudge."

"We best be careful with this one," Daemon cuts in, still thrusting his hips against Rhaenyra's arse while whispering into her ear, amusement stitched into his low voice, "I'm beginning to think her bite is worse than her bark."

Rhaenyra hums in agreement, closing her eyes and pulling her head back in bliss when his cock hits that certain, perfect spot inside her, "I think she's becoming more of a dragon the longer she's here. Perhaps it is both a blessing and a curse."

"It'd be less of a curse if you would stop talking and touch me, Princess."

The female Targaryen is startled out of laughter, gasping up to the ceiling of her chambers when Daemon's hip jerks forward unexpectedly, out of rhythm. Both uncle and niece are clearly affected by their Strong woman's demand, both equally shocked and aroused by her sudden boldness.

"If pregnancy brings out this side of you, I think we'll have to keep you full with our children all the time."

~~~~~~~~~

High Valyrian proved to be a difficult language to learn. Y/n had asked one evening if one or both of her lovers could teach her so that she might be able to communicate with them and any children they'll have in the future. Daemon and Rhaenyra were delighted to teach Y/n their mother tongue and tried their best to teach her when any free time was given. Much like the times Y/n and Daemon would spend time together by the hearth in King's Landing, the three lovers now spent the same time by the hearth together on Dragonstone.

"Ñuhon lenton Targārien jorrāelza issa?" She tried reciting one evening, her nose scrunching up as even she doubted the way she phrased the sentence, "'My love is for House Targaryen?'"

Lounging on the other end of the couch, fondly watching her female lover, Rhaenyra faintly smiled, a breath of laughter escaping her lips, "You were close, my love, though I believe there's an easier way to phrase that."

Y/n's eyebrows scrunch together in frustration, scowling, "It doesn't help that there are half a dozen ways to say your family name and half a dozen ways to say 'my'."

"We can continue learning words before having you recite full sentences." When Y/n nods in agreement, Rhaenyra straightens her posture to be fully facing her, "Mountain."

"Blēnon."

"Mountains?"

"Blēna."

"Iron Throne." Their male lover cuts in from the chair across from them, wine goblet in one hand and an open book in the other.

"Daemon."

He shrugs in response to Rhaenyra's reprimand, "She'll likely be saying that more often than 'mountain.'"

Y/n's expression turns devious, her eyes shining with mischief while purposely staring Daemon directly in the eyes as she spoke in confidence, "Āegenkon Dēmalion."

The fire blazing in the hearth casts a dark shadow over Daemon's silhouette, but Y/n's figure is ignited by the flames, glowing softly, driving the Rogue Prince into silence. He stares right back, the essence of a gentle smirk beginning to form as he stands from his seat, "Very good, lady wife."

She beams with pride, tilting her head up to him, carefully watching his every move as she responds in kind to his praise, "Targārien kostōba Āegenkon Dēmalion issi."

{Targaryens are powerful on the Iron Throne}

Even Rhaenyra's stomach jumped with delight at Y/n's powerful phrase, complementary to the way Daemon sinks to his knees in front of the woman as if her words weighed him down. He was short of breath, strong hands reaching out to caress her legs beneath her skirt, reaching up underneath until they graze the inside of her thighs, "Excellent. And how would you say 'my son will sit upon the Iron Throne?'"

Y/n shivered under his touch, her eyes fluttering shut as she willed herself not to move under his ministrations. She had nearly forgotten her husband's question until she felt Rhaenyra's hand in her hair, bringing her back down to the mortal realm. By now, Daemon's fingers were already reaching into forbidden places in the eyes of the gods, while his forehead leans into her growing stomach. Rhaenyra was placing soft kisses into Y/n's shoulder, over her dress until the princess decided to move the sleeve aside and continue the kisses along her bare skin. Y/n licked her lips, forcing herself to remember her lessons, hesitant compared to the other two phrases as she stutters out a response,

"... Ñuhon trēsy Āegenkon Dēmalion dēmagon."

~~~~~~~~~

"My love. We have a gift for you."

Looking up from her book, Y/n spotted Rhaenyra standing in the open doorway of her chambers, Daemon following close behind the princess as they entered their expecting lover's apartments. Smiling, Y/n closed her book and carefully stood from her chair, one arm sticking out for balance while the other held onto the more prominent bump around her middle that has grown significantly in the last few moons. Peering back at her lovers and noticing their appalled reactions, Y/n flashed them a devious look. They had recently become more possessive than usual and dote on Y/n almost religiously, worried by every step she takes. Normally, they are right by her side when she has to stand up, and even Lady Strong could admit that they're helpful in that aspect. Sometimes it's hard to get back up on her feet. If it weren't for her silver-haired dragons, Y/n would have likely found herself stuck in place until someone would eventually came around and find her there.

Daemon rolled his eyes at his wife's antics, stepping forward to take her hand in his while looping his free arm around her lower back, and walking alongside her toward her tea table. Y/n directed her gaze to the door again when two figures emerged, carrying a rather large item.

A large urn, heavy enough that two dragonkeepers must lift it together. It was round and likely made of iron, with padded handles the dragonkeepers used to carry and refrain from burning themselves. They place the urn on the tea table, hot steam billowing out from beneath the lid. When Rhaenyra nods her head, one of the dragonkeepers removes the big lid, slowly to further express its weight. Inside, without being told, it wasn't hard for Y/n to guess that the gift was none other than a dragon egg. She had never seen one before, but the rounded shape and the light green, scale-like shell surrounding it was a dead giveaway. Heated coals and embers surround the object, acting as a portable incubator.

Daemon announced the egg with pride, "A gift fit for the Mother of Dragons."

Y/n reached her hand out but refrained from touching the egg, feeling the heat coming off around the scales. Her smile was faint, eyes sparkling in awe as she breathlessly stated, "It's beautiful."

Rhaenyra beamed proudly at the praise, "I picked it out myself."

Daemon moved to stand behind Y/n, hands gently holding her shoulders as he kissed the back of her head, "A dragon egg sired from Syrax and Caraxes. There could not be a more perfect choice for our future prince or princess."

Rhaenyra reaches out and Y/n gladly takes her accepted hand. The princess brings her female lover's hand over to the egg, unafraid and showing the lady that the egg was not too hot to the touch. It was considerably warm, forming sweat in Y/n's palm almost instantly, but Rhaenyra appeared unbothered by the heat, "Hold this against your womb tonight, my dear. And when the baby gets here, we will leave it in its crib."

The expecting mother nods in understanding, taking the instructions to heart. She straightens her posture, addressing the dragonkeepers standing across the table. Y/n nods to them, trying to best to perfect her accent as she spoke, "Kirimvose." {Thank you}

The dragonkeepers nod back, eyes widening in acknowledgment of her proper pronunciation. Rhaenyra radiates pride for Y/n's High Valyrian before she also addressed the dragonkeepers using the same tongue. They leave at her behest and Daemon moves away from Y/n and circles the table, placing the urn's cover over the egg again.

Y/n takes her hands back and places them on her new perch over her belly. A thought enters her head and she hesitates for only a moment before addressing her lovers, "Speaking of the baby's arrival. I have made arrangements with the midwives for when I begin my labors." Both Targaryens tilt their heads in attention to her and she continues, "I will have four attend to me along with Maester Gerardys and Elinda Massey."

"Do you not want us there?" Daemon questions with a small raised eyebrow.

"I wouldn't ask that of you," she explained gently, "Traditionally, husbands don't accompany their wives to the birthing bed. I would be content if the two of you accompany each other on dragonback while I go into labor."

"That's not what he asked, my love," Rhaenyra countered quietly, "He asked if you did not want us there for the birth. If that's what you truly want, then say the word and we'll respect it. But I doubt it." Her suspicions were correct, as Y/n appeared troubled, a crinkle forming between her eyes when her eyebrows scrunched together, "What is it?"

"It's just..." Y/n sighed heavily, her weight shifting with the pregnant stomach clearly weighing her down, "Both you and Daemon have suffered the horrors of childbirth. You might not have experienced it personally, but you have suffered through both of your mothers. Aemma and Alyssa suffered and perished due to complications of childbirth, did they not?"

Neither of them answered, but their eyes appeared haunted at the reminder, nevertheless. Y/n shook her head as her voice slowly began to crumble, "... I couldn't possibly ask you both to sit and watch something like that happen to me."

The Rogue Prince appeared skeptical, "And you believe something like that will happen to you?"

Rhaenyra changes direction, addressing Daemon in defense of Y/n, "Childbirth is a woman's battlefield, Uncle. Many women, even the strongest, sometimes never survive it. It is the way of things... at least that is what my mother told me."

The princess turns back to Y/n, rounding the table to draw closer to her. A mist forms in Rhaenyra's eyes, clouded by distant, unpleasant memories, "I wasn't there when my mother died. I wish I was. Perhaps I could have been a form of comfort for her. I could have held my brother for however long he lived. I won't make that mistake again." She slowly moved her hands up, placing them on either side of Y/n's face to gently force their eyes to meet, stepping closer until their unborn child was snug between their bodies, "It would hurt me more if I was not there for you. Riding on dragonback while you faced this alone would not give me peace of mind. Please, allow me to stay with you."

Y/n hesitates, opening and closing her mouth but couldn't find the words she was searching for. Instead of refusing, she nods, letting out a shaking breath as Rhaenyra pulls her face in and kisses her cheek lovingly. They share that moment of silence, past ghosts still fresh in their minds before they both take a deep breath and turn to their prince, awaiting him.

Daemon moves around the table to join them, his pale eyes fixed on Y/n, "My mother was strong. Stronger than most of the women in my family... and my brother, they named him Aegon... he didn't survive long after she... I was too young to remember much, but I know that if I had the power, I would have taken my mother's pain from her. In a heartbeat. If I could somehow pull it from you, I would. Let me try."

Even if she was unsure of accepting the offer, Y/n didn't want to necessarily worry her lovers more by arguing further. She knew that if she wanted to refuse, she could, and they would respect her decision, no matter how much it would concern them. However, she couldn't bring herself to do so, nodding to Daemon in acceptance.

~~~~~~~~~

For the majority of her pregnancy, Y/n appeared blessed with easy, healthy milestones. Not to say Y/n didn't have any unpleasant days. She was nauseous toward the beginning and her feet ached when she began to grow round, but the biggest most unpleasant change was her attitude. Daemon and Rhaenyra were not the only ones who noticed Y/n's bite. Servants, maesters, and dragonkeepers alike noticed the change in aggression. It wasn't as though Lady Y/n was violent or unbearable, but if it wasn't for the known fact that she was a Strong, most people of Dragonstone would've initially believed she was born a Targaryen and not just married to one.

Laenor didn't appear to mind this new side of Y/n. In fact, he very much enjoyed it. It was like being back home in Driftmark with his sister, full of spirit and brutally honest.

"Must you always wear that pin?" Y/n sneered as she crossed the gardens to join the Velaryon, holding her stomach as she waddled.

Laenor grinned, standing up to help her into the chair next to him, "My sister gave it to me as a wedding gift. Don't tell me a seahorse makes you nauseous, too."

She groaned as she sat down, "The idea of the sea makes me nauseous."

He hummed in agreement as he settled beside her. They met almost daily in Aegon's Garden so the lady could get fresh air, and more times than not, they would summon Mushroom to entertain them. Today was no different, the fool making his appearance not long after Y/n and going about his newest routine of tricks and mischief.

As the fool performs, Laenor leans into the lady's space, "You're cross. And I doubt it's over my pin. What ails you, good aunt?"

She side-eyes him for the address of her title over him, eyebrows angled in annoyance as she spoke, "Both my husband and your wife have insisted on being with me for the birth."

His eyebrows raise, unsurprised, "And? Are you asking me to join as well?"

"Heavens, no, I wouldn't even play at the idea of you seeing my cunt."

"I appreciate it."

Y/n snorts and smacks his shoulder light-heartedly, "Shut up. I'm just... terrified that something bad will happen and they'll have to... watch the child or me or even both of us die."

"Why must you think about what might happen?"

"Because I'm a realist, Laenor."

The Verlaryon frowns, unconvinced, "You married a prince and secretly planned on carrying his children then passing them off as someone else's. Is that what you would consider being a realist?"

"Don't patronize me. I'm just simply stating that childbirth isn't easy. It's torture. Septas can romanticize it all they want but I wouldn't exactly listen to celibate women who have never borne a child. A wet nurse is likely to tell you the truth and the horrors behind the labors. Many women bleed out, or many of them birth stillborns. I... I've heard rumors of a more recent practice."

"Such as?"

She bites her lip and grows quiet, unsure if she should gossip about what she may or may not have learned. It wasn't a known rumor, and she had mostly heard it between women in the court of King's Landing. But if there was any lord she could trust, aside from her twin brother and her husband, it was Ser Laenor, "Maesters have learned that in order to save the child, they can cut the mother open and pull the infant from her womb. It's not ethical, but the studies show that if they must decide who to save if the threat of losing both is imminent, the maester will turn to the husband to decide."

"That's not even unethical. It's also barbaric!" Laenor exclaims, appalled as rage crosses his features, reminding Y/n that he was half Targaryen as well as Velaryon, "Surely, no one would approve of this method."

"I don't know. All I know is... it's not going to be easy."

"I would suggest raspberry leaf tea."

Both Laenor and Y/n look to the third voice, only to find Mushroom to be the only other person in the gardens. The dwarf fool had since stopped his tomfoolery and just stood there, looking at the pair of them expectedly, head tilted. Both of them looked at him, shocked as if they had forgotten he was there.

Y/n tilted her head back at him, curiosity getting the better of her, "Pardon?"

"Raspberry leaf tea." The dwarf stated confidently, puffing out his chest with pride.

"Perhaps you should properly address the lady before barging into her conversation, jester." Laenor's lips thin out, eyes narrowed suspiciously at the fool.

"It's alright, Ser Laenor." She mocks amusingly at the lord beside her before turning back to Mushroom, addressing the small man sweetly, "Why raspberries?"

"All whores know the ingredients and methods of concocting moon tea. In their line of work, it is essential and necessary." Mushroom flashes a vulpine grin, the corner of his lips stretching from ear to ear, "Not many men would bed a whore with child."

"Get to the point faster, fool." Laenor grumbled, nose scrunched in response to the dwarf's boldness, "I doubt you would talk to his lady wife in this manner if Prince Daemon were here."

"However, there are times moon tea does not work or a whore forgets to even drink it. There are times when children are born and to make the labors bearable, the whores have created a simple concoction, one that makes the birthing easier and sometimes faster. Raspberry leaf tea."

Y/n clung to every single word, awestruck and suspicious all at once, "And this tea does not harm the child?"

"Not to my knowledge."

Laenor stood once he realized that Y/n was actually entertaining the ideas of the fool, "I will speak with the maester to confirm or deny this."

"Thank you, Laenor." She smiled and watched him leave before turning her head back down to the dwarf in front of her, "And thank you, Mushroom."

Bells jingle obnoxiously as Mushroom dips into a bow, overplaying his courtesy with flair, "I am but a humble servant, my lady."

Doubtful but amused, Y/n laughed quietly under her breath, the small noise joining the soft, scented breeze of the garden, "I would hardly describe you as humble if you are to be believed knowledgeable in the methods of whores."

"Perhaps it's humble if I use my knowledge to soften my lady's worries," Mushroom beamed confidently, "After all, it would be a shame if maesters learned how to save the child, but not the mother."

"Well said, my fool."

~~~~~~~~~

Maester Gerardys listened to Laenor's suggestion and then proceeded to intently research before approving the consumption of such tea. He recommended Lady Y/n drink the tea before bed every night, and thus a new nightly routine was born. After such a heavy discussion about the dangers of childbirth, Rhaenyra was visibly relieved when Y/n took to finding solutions and even learned how to make the tea herself to aid her pregnant aunt.

In Mushroom's Testimony, published years down the road, the dwarf stated it was all because of the tea he had recommended to the Mother of Dragons prior to the birth that made the babe slip out so easily. He even spun a small tale about how the tea softened Lady Y/n's womb so much that she had barely noticed she had given birth. Much like a giraffe, Mushroom's tale would have us believe that Y/n had simply gotten up after her child was born and went about her day as if nothing ever happened.

Other scholars who wrote about such historical events did not agree with this, however, despite the fact that Mushroom was the only source to be on Dragonstone when Y/n Strong went into labor. It had been early morning when Y/n awoke in Rhaenyra's chambers, the sun not yet fully rising over the island but the sky was becoming a lovely purple and the stars were disappearing. Daemon had rolled over just as Y/n was trying to rise out of bed, Rhaenyra still unconscious to the world around her on the opposite side of her uncle.

"Careful, wife," Daemon muttered into the pillow, only half awake, "I wouldn't try getting out of bed so fast if I were you."

The responding thud that echoed throughout the room drove Prince Daemon into survival mode, waking every instinct he had as he lunged out of bed to search for Y/n. She had not gone far, having landed on her knees just at the foot of the bed, one hand holding her stomach while the other was placed on the floor below, holding her up.

Chaos erupted that early, quiet morning. Rhaenyra was roused as was the rest of the keep in response to Daemon's demand for the maester and the nurses. When asked, Y/n will look back and have little to no memory of what happened that fateful day. She remembered the labor being quicker than anticipated, given this was her first child, but over time she had forgotten what the pain felt like. Her mind was either not as sharp as it once was or it had purposefully locked away those certain traumatic events.

Needless to say, there were a few small things she remembered that she was able to reiterate in the future when asked. Maester Gerardys had refused to move Y/n from her knees on the floor, stating it was too late to place her in the child bed. The baby was coming quickly and it had barely given anyone enough time to prepare for its arrival. So Lady Y/n was forced to stay where she had landed, but she was not alone. She remembered holding onto Daemon for dear life and he dutifully stood still for her, anchoring her, gripping her arms though not as tight or as fiercely as she held onto him whilst she cried out in pain, resting her sweating forehead on the center of his chest. Rhaenyra had finally joined her as well, pulling her hair out of her face and occasionally rubbing her back and hips. The princess had gratefully taken a pillow from Elinda when she arrived to help and placed the pillow underneath poor Y/n's knees which were already bruised and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

Daemon's heartbeat and Rhaenyra's gentle voice were all Y/n could remember apart from her screams. That, and the weird shifting of her internal organs as everything moved down with her baby and with gravity. After that, the pain subsided and Y/n remembered taking big, sobbing gulps of air, clinging onto Daemon weakly as every part of her body began to violently shake in exhaustion. Her gasps and cries were the only things echoing in her ears as the whole room bustled about, people scrambling and shouting that Y/n was unaware of. Daemon held her close and eventually demanded the maester that they move her to the bed. Gerardys agreed and by the time Daemon had lifted her into his arms, Y/n's hearing returned, and she realized that she was not the only one crying. Weakly, she turned her head in the direction of the baby's cries as Daemon laid her down over the pillows and blankets.

Nurses and maids were working frantically about the room, but one woman remained perfectly still among the chaos and Y/n instantly recognized her by her silver hair. Rhaenyra was sitting in a nearby chair, smiling widely to the point her cheeks had to hurt, her misty eyes staring down at the bloody, crying babe in her lap as Elinda knelt before the princess to wipe down the infant, not having the heart to take the child from her in order to clean it. Y/n's breath had been stolen again, and her gaze never broke from the infant even as a couple of the maids came around to help clean the blood and grime from her skin. She could briefly recollect Daemon's hand in hers and another gently brushing her hair, remaining dutifully at her side while Rhaenyra attended to the child.

With the babe finally cleaned and swaddled, Rhaenyra carefully lifted it into her arms as she stood up, moving toward the bed where her eyes finally met Y/n's, tear tracks of joy cutting through her flawless face, "A son, my love. Our Little Jace is here."

~~~~~~~~~

Jacaerys Velaryon.

Y/n has held babies before, though she might have been too young to remember it, and even then she was smaller. A baby would feel heavy and a lot bigger than they actually were in Young Y/n's arms. But now, fully grown and with her firstborn son in her arms, Y/n was awestruck by how little and fragile he was. He wasn't born early enough to be considered sickly and after fully inspecting him, Maester Gerardys confirmed that the boy was a picture of health and only a little smaller than average. Relieved she had managed to birth a healthy son without much of a risk, Y/n hardly had a care in the world even when she noticed the small tufts of dark, incredibly soft hair her son bore on the top of his little head.

However, the day after his birth, after she had been rested and Laenor was able to meet his son for the first time, Y/n spoke of the future with a shadow over her eyes, "On my wedding day, you said we would cross that bridge should our baby have dark hair."

Rhaenyra looked up from watching Laenor gently rocked Jace in his arms as he slowly traveled around the room, whispering softly to the sleeping baby. Y/n was sitting comfortably in a chair by the window and meets her princess' eyes, expression blank as she continued, "Well, he does. So how do you propose we convince the world that he's yours and Ser Laenor's child?"

"Laenor's grandmother was a Baratheon. She had dark hair." Rhaenyra comments hopefully.

The dark-haired woman shook her head in response, "It won't matter. You know as well as I that the lords of the realm won't see reason in that. They only need one reason, however small, to proclaim you as an unfit heir to the throne."

"We have a fail-safe."

"Which is...?"

Daemon, still watching Laenor and Jacaerys like a hawk, spoke in regards to Y/n's question, "We let the kingdoms whisper."

"Daemon," Rhaenyra chided him, the prince shrugging without a care. His niece sighs, turning back to Y/n with a sheepish expression, "It's only half true. We let them whisper, but we misdirect them. In the public eye, I am Jace's legitimate mother. That will be indisputable. No one could deny that. But his father... it would have to be someone close to you in appearance. Someone who would do anything for you and for the crown. Someone we trust."

Y/n was no fool, but disbelief can be a bitch and it was disbelief that drove Y/n to slowly come to the realization behind Rhaenyra's words. There is a clear, hidden meaning behind how she had phrased this mystery man and Y/n wanted to outright deny it at first before she caught sight of Daemon staring at her expectedly. He trusted her to come to the same conclusion on her own and she did, albeit with a dry throat, "... My brother?"

"Yes. Ser Harwin." Rhaenyra nodded.

A flash of hurt appeared and then quickly vanished over her eyes as she looked between her two lovers, "Why was I not informed about this?"

"Because we knew you wouldn't want your brother to risk himself."

"And yet you still went through with your original plans?"

"Yes, because we also knew that your brother would do anything to protect you," Rhaenyra crossed the room, kneeling down to Y/n and clasping her hands, "He's loyal to Daemon as a soldier of the City Watch, he's loyal to me as the future Queen of Westeros and most importantly he's loyal to you as his sister. He's the perfect ally to have in King's Landing while we establish our family here on Dragonstone."

"And... and he knows about our arrangement? He's aware of all of this?"

"Yes."

A decision is made in Y/n's mind and it physically shows over her facial features, the uncertainty melting into one of petulant acceptance as she gently but firmly pulls her hands out of Rhaenyra's to take a cup of tea from the table beside her, "Next time you do something behind my back that would make me look like a fool, just don't tell me."

Unbeknownst to her, Y/n's lovers will take that promise to heart in the far future.

~~~~~~~~~

Rhaenyra writes to her father first, officially announcing the birth of her and Laenor's firstborn son. Daemon waits a few days after Rhaenyra's raven has gone before he writes a letter to Ser Harwin, inviting him to Dragonstone to visit with his sister. The prince also implied that he would like to have a soldier he could trust to be here while his niece and Ser Laenor adjust to parenthood. He had added this in case the letter was ever intercepted and considered suspicious, in case someone clever knew how to fit the missing pieces of the puzzle. King Viserys' response was joyful, congratulating his daughter and practically begging her to bring his first grandchild to King's Landing when she and the baby are well enough. Following Viserys' letter was another from the capital, announcing Ser Harwin's departure and expected arrival at House Targaryen's ancestral home.

After the letter had been received, Y/n would often find herself in the Sea Dragon Tower, usually in Laenor's chambers, overlooking the sea and waiting for a ship that would likely have her brother on board. Laenor didn't mind the intrusion as long as Y/n brought Jace with her-- or so he claimed. Despite the feigned annoyance, he always made sure Y/n had the chair with the most cushion to be seated at the window and would summon a wet nurse if his good aunt appeared not to have the strength to feed the babe herself. He secretly didn't despise her little visits if it meant getting to know the baby meant to portray as his son. The knighted Velaryon was already full of love for this child, despite the fact he didn't sire him. Nevertheless, he couldn't wait to introduce the boy to his parents and sister.

During one of these visits, Y/n finally spotted distant sails floating toward the island, her heart leaping for joy as she got to her feet, proclaiming her brother's arrival. Laenor had laughed and urged her to take it easy and not exert herself. With the babe in one arm, he offered the other to Y/n, which she took and together they brought Jace down to the gardens where Y/n was to anxiously wait for her twin. Laenor handed Jace over to his birth mother once she had been seated and for extra measure, kissed the babe's forehead and wished Y/n luck before retreating. Y/n spent the time cooing softly to her infant as she waited, trying not to feed the urge to get up and meet her brother halfway up the stairs leading to the keep. She doesn't have to wait long before she heard someone enter the garden. When she quickly looked up, she found Ser Harwin Breakbones, the same man she remembered leaving behind in King's Landing. Only at the sight of him did she finally stand, babe in arms, and scrutiny on her tongue.

"You fool. You stupid, loyal fool."

Harwin laughs joyfully, "Hello to you, too, sweet sister."

"Shut up."

He rushes forward and brings Y/n into a hug, being as gentle as possible with the baby between them. Y/n melted into the embrace, taking the time to breathe in that familiar scent of home and family before the twins slowly pull away. Harwin beams down at the infant in his sister's arms, "I take it that this is what you were referring to when you mentioned an impossible task. I don't know about you, Y/n, but this looks as though you know how to make the impossible possible. He's a handsome one. What do you call him?"

Her smile is infectious as she lifts her son up higher for his uncle to see him, "We named him Jacaerys. Jace for short."

"Jace," Harwin removed his leather glove and gently placed his bare hand over the top of the boy's head, marveling at how it easily fit into his palm, "Strapping young lad."

"Yes... he already has a dragon."

"Are you fibbing?"

"No, I swear!" Her eyes sparkled in awe as she relayed the story to him, "The egg hatched in his crib a few nights ago. Until Jace is old enough to tame it, it will be under close watch."

The amazement and possibly terror lingers for a moment before Harwin's gaze softens to one of worry, "Y/n... tell me how you are."

She tilts her head, "How do you mean?"

"Are they treating you well? Are you cared for? You can tell me the truth. If they treat you poorly, just say the word and I'll bring you and the boy to Harrenhal. You'll never have to--"

"Harwin." Y/n laughs quietly under her breath, holding Jace in one arm while she takes a hand to gently pat Ser Breakbones' cheek, smiling fondly, "I love you, brother, but you truly are a fool. Even if I was treated unfairly, you cannot protect me from dragons, especially not at Harrenhal of all places. But I'm happy to inform you that that would never be the case. Daemon loves me, as does Rhaenyra. They could never harm me."

She sits down on a garden bench and invites her brother to follow, "How did they come about asking for your aid?"

"Originally, they didn't think I would need to take part in this web they intend to spin," Harwin explained, "Prince Daemon assured me that he would only send a letter if your child was born looking more like a Strong than a Targaryen."

Y/n nods automatically, "Daemon is playing his part well, pretending to be Jace's uncle... though he tries keeping his distance."

She had been staring sadly down at the bundle in her arms, drawing Harwin to a worrying conclusion, "Do you think your husband despises the fact Jace does not look Targaryen?"

"No. At least-- I don't think so." She shook her head, unsure, "I want to believe that he's slowly realizing just how hard this whole situation is going to be for us carrying Laenor and Rhaenyra's children. Once Jace and any siblings he might have start growing, Daemon and I will have to stop parenting them and start pretending to be their aunt and uncle. Knowing my husband, he's probably thinking that when that day comes, it will hurt less if he started keeping his distance now rather than later."

Harwin nods in acknowledgment, believing he understood what his sister meant, "Prince Daemon has always struggled with arranged marriages--"

"I may have been an arranged wife to him at the beginning, Harwin, but that is no longer the case." She reminds him, "As I said, Daemon and Rhaenyra grew to love me and I grew to love them in return. That's likely when Daemon realized that this arrangement was going to be hard, knowing he couldn't openly love our children when they get older."

"I understand." He decides to change the subject, leaning over to gently stroke Jace's little face with a single finger, "What is to be done with the King?"

A different kind of shadow falls over Y/n's face, "Rhaenyra and Laenor will fly to King's Landing with Jace and his hatchling."

Harwin peered up, eyebrows raised, "And you agreed to this?"

"My son is a Targaryen, no matter who he was born to. The King's own mother would fly on her dragon's back when both of her sons were infants. While they're gone, Daemon suggests I try flying with him."

"Y/n..."

"I am Daemon's wife. I've never heard of a dragon harming his rider's wife."

"Still, I have seen you grow ill from tall heights and unsteady ground."

Y/n scoffs when she catches the mockery in his voice, nudging him with her elbow, "You embarrass me, brother... Daemon and Rhaenyra call me the Mother of Dragons. I should probably learn to fly with my children someday, don't you think?"

~~~~~~~~~

Harwin stayed in Dragonstone for a full moon cycle before planning his return to King's Landing per his father's summons. With the Hand's request also came the King's, begging his daughter to bring her son to him as soon as possible. Rhaenyra had prolonged this enough and announced it was time for her and Laenor to present the babe to the King's court. They would wait until Ser Harwin had returned to King's Landing, then they would follow on dragonback. The morning came for the heir of Harrenhal to disembark once again, and so Y/n stood on the docks of Dragonstone with her son in her arms in order to watch him leave.

Harwin smiled while placing his hand on Jace's head once more, "It won't be such a tiresome journey knowing that I'll be seeing you again in the capital soon. You behave for your mother in the meantime."

The strong knight then leaned over and kissed the top of Y/n's head, "As for you. Promise you'll write to me. As much as you can."

"Until my wrist falls off," she promised, "Give Father and Larys my love. Tell them I miss them."

"I will. Until next time, Mother of Dragons."

~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Kofi account here. Please support if you can!

Next chapter will have time skips. As I said, I will be taking a break from this series after all the frustration I went through just to post it. Please support my kofi and other fics. If you want to check out other fics that are not Game of Thrones related, my ao3 is Po_ta_toes, thank you!

Enjoy an edit I made of our favorite OT3!

[maddmuses]

mun is superior, pass it on.

Basics

Name: Madd, Maddlynn Maddithan, Maddie, Maddster, The Maddest, Waffles, Maddwaffles, Maddest One Around Age: 27+2 we ain't countin' them COVID years Gender: pebsi (fluid)

Favorites

Food(s): Barbacoa, Tacos, Tomato, Steak, Corn on The Cob, Salsa, Mint Ice Cream, Stroganoff, (still true af untouched except ig we can add caldo de res which I have been really about lately) Drink(s): Bepsi, Milk even tho it hurt me, Coors, Vanilla Bepis (even tho I can't fucking find it) Book(s): The Legends of Drizzt, Percy Jackson and The Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, Assorted D&D Manuals, Any decent Graphic Novel, Strong Manga series; Hajime no Ippo, Eyeshield 21, Boku no Hero Academia, Bleach, Dragon Ball, Hikaru no Go, Yu Yu Hakusho, Yu-Gi-Oh/GX, Naruto, Slam Dunk, karate shoukoushi kohinata minoru, One Piece. We also addin' Chainsaw Man Favorite Author(s): R.A Salvatore, Ed Greenwood, Akira Toryiama, Tite Kubo, Masashi Kishimoto, Oda, Rowling (Pre-TERF) nah fuck that bitch not even pre-TERF she was wildly overrated, Tolkien Song(s): We don’t have time to be here all day, I’ll list some recent listens; Ocean Avenue - Yellow Card, No Flex Zone - Karmin and Watsky, I’m Something Else - SomethingelseYT, Dammit - Blink182, Punk Rock 101 - Blink182, Almost - Bowling For Soup, Stan - Eminem feat. Elton John, Absolutely - Nine Days, Simple Plan - Summer Paradise, So many Ninjasexparty songs, Rambe - Slow, Rambe - Don’t Greed, Zombie Love Song - YFM, Maroon 5 - Sugar, Reunion - Busted, Year 3000 - Busted Honestly those all slapped so imma add a few more recents: Montero, Good 4 u, My Nonfiction, Boyfriend Complex, anything by the nerdcore rappers

Movie(s): The New Guy, Spider-Man Homecoming (okay just that whole trilogy was best honestly), Spider-Verses too, Star Wars: A New Hope, Ed, Edd, ‘n Eddy: Big Picture Show, Hairspray (Musical)

TV Show(s): AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Ed, Edd, ‘n Eddy, The anime adaptations of most of the manga I listed above, Ash Vs. The Evil Dead, King of The Hill, South Park (It fell off), Community, One-Punch Man, Gravity Falls, Scrubs, Venture Bros., Bob’s Burgers, Futurama, Daria, Star Vs. The Forces of Evil, The Boondocks, Saturday night Live when it’s decent, King of The Hill, Futurama, The Conners, As Told By Ginger, The Bear

Band/group(s): Busted, Blink 182, Maroon 5, Sum 41, Bowling For Soup, Ninja Sex Party Solo Artist(s): Rambe, Owl City, Billy Joel Place(s): Oregon, San Diego School Subject(s): Drawing, English, History Sport(s): Boxing, Karate, Football Male Actor: ?????????? Female Actor:  ???????????? I CAN LIST CRUSHES I GUESS BUT YOU DIDN’T ASK I DON’T THINK ABOUT ACTORS THAT MUCH

Life

Best Friend: Brandon (no longer roommate, he still isn’t on tumblr) Significant Other: Am the Single Pringle ;'( Siblings: TONS Dream Job:  Online Content Creator, Teacher, Professor Tattoos: Nada Piercings: Nope Languages: English, Spanglish, Spanish Lite

Tumblr

Reason Behind URL: Well Madd is a component to my standard web handle maddwaffles, for prefix being appropriated from an ex while we were dating (it was a cute thing because we matched) that just hasn’t really evaded me. When it was yallneedahero I would have a more clever answer for you. Reason Behind Icon: I love Isane Nami and you should too # of Posts: 20,535!!!! HOLY SHIT BEFORE IT WAS ONLY 5,235 I SCALE SO HARD Why You Joined: idk!?!!?!?!?!? # of Blogs: P much just this one now

tagging: @pick-your-poison-please @burdenedreverance @midnightactual @waspandr @thundertempo @linklewinklewoman @rangikuxmatsumoto @baiika @auburniivenus @badassbarmaid tagged by: stole from @orihimex and stealing again

[beautifulbizarremagazine]

🖤 SUBMISSION SUNDAY 🖤 Textures and strokes to die for: Check out @bahrignc’s phenomenal expressive portraits on the artist’s profile and fall in love with his unique visual language. — Do you want to showcase your work amongst this beautiful, bizarre community and be featured on our platform? Then our SUBMISSION SUNDAY is your call! ✨ Every Sunday, our Social Media Manager @kaalo.101 scrolls through our hashtag to curate a stage for amazing artists. You participate by liking our page and tagging your works with #beautifulbizarre; that’s it! The cherry on top: We will showcase some selected pieces in our quarterly print magazine in the community feature.⁣ 🖤 — #beautifulbizarre #bahrignc #painting #art #painter #submissionsunday #newcontemporary #texture #portrait #artist #inspiration #expression https://www.instagram.com/p/CpHE-YnI8Rm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[parysiren]

Dazai's connection to Ango

Warning for spoiler for recent arc in BSD - chapter 101

This is my first post in this fandom and English is not my native language, so go easy on me guys.

I was just thinking about how Dazai claimed to receive Ango's massages. Each time the Catlady (idk her name :P) uses her ability, time is stopped in a certain range of her according to Dazai, so the rest of the world's time goes on as normal.

What really bugs me about this, is that this method is like, the most obvious thing to figure out for Fyodor. I mean, I know it was few seconds at the time, but there would have been an obvious disruption in his connection to outside world.

To clarify, let me give you an example. Imagine Fyodor's informant wanted to send a message that said "mission failed". The "mission" is sent successfully, but then the Catlady uses her ability and time stops. Fyodor is frozen here in time while the reporter is still sending his message, so "failed" will be lost because Fyodor is unable to receive it and thus the message will be incomplete.

From this, and considering the fact that he had infected the prison guards long ago with the vampire virus, figuring out how Dazai is receiving information from outside does not seem that hard, especially if him and his informant exchange clocks.

Therefore, I want to think Dazai had another way to connect to the outside world and used this as a bait or something. But then again, all agancy members have made pretty dumb mistakes in this arc, so maybe Dazai is no exception. Idk anymore.

I appreciate it if someone gives me a logical answer to this.