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cosmicgoddesswrites · 1 month ago

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The Nanny - Chapter 14

SINGLE DAD!KUROO X NANNY!READER

Summary: Kuroo Tetsuro is about at his wits end; there’s only so much a man can take with work piling up, his divorce getting messier by the minute, and his 6-year-old daughter raising hell at home. Hiring a nanny sounds like a band-aid solution, but who knows, maybe this will work out?

Word Count: 3817

Warnings: Female!Reader, angst, some cursing, mentions of explicit content

Prev. Masterlist. Next.

(Y/n) didn’t want to admit that she had been waiting eagerly for Emiko’s phone call. It was wrong to wish that Hanako would once again be too busy for her daughter so that (Y/n) would have an excuse to spend time with Emiko. Despite everything, Hanako was still her mother, and if what the young girl said was true, then she was at least making an effort to be a good one.

(Y/n) tried keeping herself busy, otherwise she knew the day would go by slower than usual while she waited for Emiko’s call. She kept having to remind herself that it was a call that may not even come, but that did little to dim her excitement.

She was in the middle of researching things to do in Osaka when 3:15 rolled around. Emiko would be out of school by then and would know if her mom was there to pick her up. (Y/n)’s eyes glanced between her dormant cellphone and her laptop screen.

A couple minutes passed before she decided to continue her research and distract herself from her rising disappointment. Just as she began clicking through some photos, her phone began to ring.

Without looking at the caller ID, she answered with a big smile on her face. “Hello?”

“(Y/n),” She was thrown off by the deep but familiar voice on the other end, “It’s Sakusa.”

The smile unwittingly dropped from her face, “O-oh, hi Kiyoomi!”

“Is it a bad time to be calling you?” He asked. (Y/n) thought she had done a good job of hiding the disappointment in her voice, apparently not.

“No no, not at all! I was just waiting on a call.” (Y/n) flopped backwards onto her bed, “What’s going on?”

Sakusa cleared his throat, “I was wondering if you wanted to meet for dinner tonight? The flight to Osaka is coming up and I wanted to see how you’re feeling about it.”

(Y/n) couldn’t help but smile, “do I hear you blushing, Kiyoomi?”

“I don’t do that…”

“Really?” she tilted her head, “you were blushing a lot once I got your clothes off-”

“Okay okay you proved your point,” he sputtered, causing (Y/n) to laugh into the phone.

“You’re cute, yknow that?” she giggled, unable to keep herself from smiling.

“Does that mean it’s a yes for dinner tonight?” Sakusa asked, tone hopeful.

(Y/n) smiled wider and absentmindedly began twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers, “absolutely. Pick me up at 7?”

“Sounds perfect. I’ll see you then.” With that, Sakusa hung up, leaving (Y/n) to squeal into her pillow. She allowed herself to bask in the moment before getting up to find something to wear. Just as she opened her closet door, her phone began to ring. It was either Emiko or Sakusa. Either way, she launched herself onto her bed and snatched the phone off her nightstand, again, not checking the caller ID.

“Hello-”

“(Y/n), please don’t hang up.”

(Y/n)’s eyebrows knit together at the sound of Kuroo’s frantic voice on the other end of the call. “Tets- Kuroo what is it?”

“Emiko- she’s missing. I think Hanako took her…”

–

(Y/n) banged her fist against Kuroo’s front door like she was the police. She was sure she looked like a mad-woman to any nosy neighbor that happened to be watching. But her current appearance was the least of her worries, which was evident considering the fact she didn’t bother changing out of her sweats after hanging up with Kuroo.

Once the door had swung open, (Y/n) stepped inside without waiting for an invitation. “Have you heard anything from either of them?”

Kuroo shook his head, his skin was pale and his hair was more askew than usual as if he had spent the entire day running his hands through his hair. “No… I called the school and they said Hanako had picked Emiko up early from class.”

(Y/n) made her way to Emiko’s room with Kuroo hot on her heels, stopping in the doorway when she saw the state of the room. “It looks like a tornado came through here…”

“Hanako was in a hurry, I imagine,” Kuroo swallowed. “Didn’t leave any clues as to where she coulda taken her…”

(Y/n) stepped into the bedroom, biting her lip anxiously as she noticed almost all of Emiko’s clothes had been taken out of her drawers and closet. “She’s planning on being away for a while…”

The sound of the bed creaking had (Y/n) turning her head in Kuroo’s direction. He sat at the edge of Emiko’s bed, his head hung low and resting in the palms of his hands. (Y/n) was at his side in an instant. She rested a comforting hand on his shoulder as he kept his face covered.

“I don’t know what to do… It’s all my fault…” he croaked.

“You couldn’t have known this would happen,” (Y/n) protested as she gave his shoulder a squeeze. “You just thought Hanako was trying to be a good mom…”

“That’s the thing,” he sighed, “I should know by now she’s not capable of that… She has no love in her heart for anyone or anything, how- how could she ever be a good mom? How could I let my baby be around someone like that?”

(Y/n) bit her lip, moved her hand from his shoulder and sucked in a breath. “We can’t linger on the things we should have done differently, we need to figure out where they went.”

Kuroo furiously wiped at his eyes and cleared his throat, “I don’t even know where to start…”

“Well if they packed all their things, they’re planning on going somewhere longterm…” (Y/n) glanced around the bedroom, “meaning Hanako would be trying to put distance between you three. They would be leaving Tokyo…”

“She doesn’t have anywhere to really go,” he mused, running a hand through his hair, “her father is in Fukuoka, but last I heard they weren’t on speaking terms…”

“It’s the only lead we have though,” (Y/n) said. She pulled her phone from her pocket and began to search trains or buses scheduled to leave for Fukuoka anytime soon. “Emiko mentioned Hanako had a job, would she have enough to pay for two train tickets straight to Fukuoka?”

Kuroo looked over her shoulder at her cellphone and promptly made a face when he noticed the ticket prices. “Not at all. She hasn’t worked there long and they don’t pay much.”

“Then they’re taking a bus.” (Y/n) concluded. She filtered her search results and started scrolling through the bus companies with buses scheduled to leave for Fukuoka that day.

Kuroo’s hand suddenly shot out to her phone as he tapped on one of the companies listed. “That one,” he said, “she has a cousin that works with that station. They would have given her a discount.”

“You’re sure?” (Y/n) asked as she took a screenshot of the information for the bus’ departure.

“Positive. She was talking my ear off about how he got promoted a couple weeks ago,” Kuroo explained as he rose to his feet. “Let’s get going, it’ll be boarding soon.”

(Y/n) pocketed her phone then followed him out to his car, “And if the bus is gone once we get there?”

Kuroo didn’t hesitate as he got into the driver’s seat, not even waiting for (Y/n) to get in before starting the car, “We get on the first plane to Fukuoka and wait for them at the bus stop with the police,” he said matter of factly.

(Y/n) gripped onto the grab handle above her head as the scar skidded out of the driveway and towards the direction of the bus station. “That’s a reasonable response considering this is literal kidnapping… Why not call them now? Have them meet us at the station-”

“Hanako will panic and run the second she sees the cops there,” Kuroo interjected, “If she and Emiko leave the station before we get there, she’ll find a more discreet way to skip town, and it’ll be even harder to get Emiko back. It’s my fault this is happening, and I’m not gonna make another dumb decision that’ll end with us never seeing Emiko again.”

–

The bustling station proved difficult to maneuver through as (Y/n) and Kuroo struggled to find the gate where Hanako’s bus would be leaving. It seemed the sole purpose of the people milling about the station was to thwart any and all attempts to keep Emiko from getting on that bus.

(Y/n), though trailing a couple paces behind Kuroo and struggling to keep up, could hear his breathing getting more and more frantic by the second. She practically tripped over her feet to make it to his side and take his shaking hand in hers, “We’ll find her, I promise.”

“It shouldn’t be this god damn hard to find a damn gate number, who the hell came up with this stupid bus system?” he grumbled, glaring at an older man that bumped shoulders with him and made him lose his balance.

“Lets try the information desk,” (Y/n) said, pointing out a booth in the middle of the station with a short line in front. She took it upon herself to bow her head apologetically to the other patrons as Kuroo cut to the front of the line, not bothering to look back at the other people he was mildly inconveniencing.

“I’m looking for gate B6, it’s an emergency!” Kuroo said, quickly snatching (Y/n)’s phone from her hands and showing the staff member the bus’ information.

The very tired looking woman glanced between the two, then to the line behind them. “Sir, please be respectful of the other patrons-”

“Gate B6!” Kuroo pleaded, gathering the attention of a nearby security guard, “Please! My kid is on that bus, I need to find her now!”

The guard made his way to Kuroo and (Y/n), looking to settle the two down as well as get them away from the line of, now very frustrated, travelers. As the older man, with little urgency, began trying to get more information from the two, (Y/n)’s eyes began scanning the crowd for anyone familiar.

Unknown faces flooded the station, and waves of anxiety began turning to swells, eager to gobble up (Y/n) in their dark waters. The pit in her stomach grew cavernous stranger by stranger. Emiko was nowhere to be seen.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a familiar messy head of hair was visible through the hustle and bustle of the station. (Y/n), without realizing it, snatched Kuroo’s larger hand in hers and dragged him towards that direction, much to the dismay of the security guard.

They left the main terminal, now finally walking in the direction of B6. Several buses lined the area, and businessmen, families, teens and everything between were either boarding or seated on nearby benches.

(Y/n) felt a squeeze on her hand. She had almost forgotten that she had taken Kuroo’s hand to guide him through the building. (Y/n) looked to him, then followed his eyes to a lonely figure on a bench.

Emiko sat by herself, nervously clutching the strap to a small pink duffel bag as she stared at the strange faces all around her. She jumped as Hanako emerged from the crowd, took her by the hand, and began leading her to one of the buses.

In a flash Kuroo was gone, having left (Y/n)’s side in favor of catching Hanako, with (Y/n) following close behind.

He caught up to the mother and daughter effortlessly, and snatched Emiko away from Hanako, startling the two. Emiko let out a small yelp, her fear fading once she recognized her father.

“Daddy!” She cheered, wrapping her arms tightly around Kuroo’s neck.

Hanako whipped her head around once she felt Emiko pulled from her. Her eyes went wide once she saw Kuroo and (Y/n). “I can explain-”

“How do you explain this?” Kuroo asked incredulously, trying and failing at keeping his voice down. “I’m actually curious how you explain this stunt you just tried to pull!”

Emiko, who had just been trying to get at (Y/n) for a hug, turned her attention back to her parents. “Daddy, we were just going to go see grampa!” Once the young girl saw the expression on her father’s face, she looked at her mother confused. “You said you told daddy we were going… That he was going to meet us there after work…”

Hanako couldn’t hide her guilty expression, “I just wanted us to have some quality time together…” She turned her gaze to (Y/n), her gaze going cold “You will never know what it’s like to lose your family to someone else-”

“Stop it, Hanako.” Kuroo stepped in front of (Y/n), shielding her from Hanako. “You didn’t lose us to (Y/n), you lost us to yourself-” He paused as he felt Emiko shaking in his arms. Kuroo carefully set her in (Y/n)’s arms, and gave them both a sad look as (Y/n) cradled Emiko so one ear was pressed to her larger shoulder, and the other was covered by (Y/n)’s gentle hand.

Kuroo then glared back at Hanako, “All this was never about Emiko, or me, or us being a family. It was about you, and your pride, your selfishness. You really think taking Emiko away from her father and her friends, carting her off to Fukuoka to live with your dad is what’s best for her?”

Hanako was now shaking with anger, her face red and her fists clenched. “You can’t talk to me that way… I’m still her mother.”

Kuroo shook his head, “You may have given birth to her, but you’re no mother.” He reached down to the bags at Hanako’s feet, grabbing the handle of Emiko’s pink suitcase without looking at her. “I’m going to take you back to court and get full custody of Emiko. You’ll see her when it’s convenient for her, not for you. I’ve had enough.”

Hanako opened her mouth, no doubt to shout obscenities at him, only for Kuroo to silence her with a look, “You’re going to make this as easy as possible for Emiko, or I’ll make sure you only ever see her behind bars.”

With that, Kuroo used his free hand to usher (Y/n) and Emiko away from Hanako and out of the station.

Emiko wordlessly watched as Kuroo and (Y/n) unpacked her bags. The entire ride back to the home was silent, save for a few quiet sniffles from the young girl. She was now sitting on her bed, picking at her fingers nervously.

“Daddy?” She asked in a small voice, avoiding Kuroo’s eyes as he turned to look at her, “am I in trouble?”

Kuroo’s frown deepened. He moved to sit beside his daughter, and hugged her close to his side. “No, baby. Not at all.”

(Y/n) crossed her arms and leaned on the nearby wall, watching as Emiko clung to her father’s disheveled work shirt.

“Your mom,” Kuroo paused to sigh, “She did something very wrong. She tried taking you without telling me.” He slightly pulled away while stroking at Emiko’s hair, looking into her eyes intently. “I don’t know if she ever would have let me see you again…”

Emiko’s bottom lip quivered and she clung tighter onto the shirt. “I didn’t know, daddy. I promise I didn’t know.”

Kuroo hugged her again and peppered kisses onto her head. “I know you didn’t, baby” he sobbed, “I know. I’m never going to let that happen again, I promise.”

The two heard sniffling from the corner of the room, and looked to see (Y/n) furiously wiping at her wet cheeks. Emiko bounced off the bed and ran to her. (Y/n) kneeled down and caught her in a tight hug. “Why are you crying, (Y/n)? She asked, causing (Y/n) to chuckle softly.

“I’m just glad you’re home safe with your dad, Emiko,” she smiled. (Y/n) pulled back, wiping Emiko’s tears then wiping her own once again. “It’ll be dinner time soon,” she said as she cleared her throat. “I think your dad wants to take you somewhere special tonight. Right, Kuroo?”

Kuroo stood up and chuckled as he scratched at the back of his head. “Of course, anywhere you want, Emiko.”

Emiko perked up at the mention of food, “Even icecream for dinner?”

“I don’t know about that,” Kuroo laughed, scooping his daughter in his arms and kissing her cheek. “How about we get you changed? Those clothes smell like a yucky bus station.”

Emiko playfully gagged and giggled, then hopped out of her father’s arms to get changed.

Kuroo and (Y/n) left the room to give her some privacy, then simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. “So,” Kuroo began, his tone hopeful, “are you going to join us for dinner?”

(Y/n) couldn’t help but smile at the offer, but almost on cue, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. She hastily checked the device, her smile dropping once she saw a text from Sakusa. It was almost 5, she would have to rush home and change if she were going to meet him-

“(Y/n)?”

She quickly looked up from her phone and stuffed it in her back pocket. “Sorry… I already have dinner plans…”

Kuroo raised an eyebrow at her. “With Sakusa? Is he your boyfriend now?”

(Y/n) sighed, “Kuroo, you can’t do this. You can’t be upset that I’m talking with someone else, we were never even really together.”

“You can’t tell me not to be upset-” Kuroo stopped himself as he glanced at Emiko’s room. He gingerly placed his hand on (Y/n)’s lower back to usher her to the kitchen. Once there, he continued. “You can’t expect me not to be upset. I made a mistake letting Hanako into this house, but it never stopped me from caring about you.”

(Y/n) bit her lip and looked down at her feet, only for Kuroo to tenderly cup her chin and tilt her head to meet his gaze.

“I know that I hurt you… If I could go back, I would choose you, every time-”

“But you can’t.” (Y/n) cut in solemnly. “You can’t just wish away all the hurt you gave me…”

Kuroo took her hands in his like they were made of glass. “Then please, let me make it right. I’ll spend every waking moment making what I did right. If you’ll just tell me you love me again, I’ll be yours.”

(Y/n) sighed shakily before pulling her hands away, “I’m going to Osaka with Sakusa…”

“(Y/n), please-”

“The flight leaves next week, I’m going to be on it-”

Before (Y/n) could continue, Kuroo took her in his arms and held her close, so close that she could smell the faint scent of his faded cologne somehow clinging to his shirt. It was then that (Y/n) realized where they were standing: they were at the kitchen island, the same exact spot where their date had ended what felt like a lifetime ago.

She remembered leaving her keys behind so she’d have an excuse to come back inside. How they breathed each other in, how her heart felt like it would jump out of her chest. And just how close they had come to kissing each other.

“Please,” Kuroo begged, “just tell me now… do you still love me?”

(Y/n) rested her hands delicately on Kuroo’s chest, lost in his honey eyes. Her chest heaved as she slowly shook her head, “I don’t love you…” she murmured, shifting her eyes to his lips.

Whether it was a lie to deter Kuroo, or a lie to convince herself to leave, Kuroo shook his head. Despite (Y/n)’s answer, the corners of his lips tugged into a small, sad smile.

“You’re a liar,” he whispered.

Kuroo carefully leaned forward, eyes half-lidded, and lips parting ever so slightly. When (Y/n) made no move to pull away and clutched at his shirt, he closed the gap between them, and planted a tender kiss on her lips.

(Y/n) quietly moaned against his lips and her eyes fluttered closed. As she moved her hands to cup his jaw, the door to Emiko’s bedroom swung open, causing the two adults to almost fly apart on instinct.

Kuroo released his hold on (Y/n), and she took her hands off him, but they both stayed close together as they processed what had just happened.

“Kuroo,” (Y/n) began, taking a deep breath, “what just happened today- Emiko needs you. There’s no place for me here right now…”

He bit his lip and gently took her hands in his once more, “You’re really going to go with him?”

(Y/n) hesitantly nodded, “It’s what’s right… Emiko needs you, 100%.”

Emiko walked into the kitchen, smiling at the two, unaware of how her father was letting go of (Y/n)’s hands. “I found out where I wanna go tonight!” She announced, sitting herself at the dining room table.

Kuroo ran a hand through his hair, put a smile on his face, and turned to look at his daughter. “Oh yeah? Well good, I’m starving.” He hastily went to Emiko’s side and ruffled her hair. “Say goodbye to (Y/n), angel.”

Emiko’s smile faltered and she looked at (Y/n), “She’s not coming with us?”

(Y/n) opened her mouth to respond, but Kuroo answered for her. “She has a very important trip she’s going on, she has to get ready for it.”

“Oh, okay.” Emiko frowned.

(Y/n) approached the two and kneeled to hug Emiko, “I’ll be sure to visit you after my trip… go have fun with your dad, okay?”

Emiko nodded her head and watched as (Y/n) stood to look at Kuroo. The two said nothing before (Y/n) grabbed her purse and left.

The whole way to her car, (Y/n) contemplated turning back. All kinds of conflicting thoughts swirled in her head as she moved on autopilot. Once in her car, she looked back at the house, took a deep breath, and forced herself to drive away.

Everything in her head told her this is what was right, that with Kuroo’s upcoming custody battle, Emiko would need all his attention now more than ever. That it wasn’t (Y/n)’s place to interfere in their family, this is what was logical to (Y/n). But everything in her heart told her to go back to them.

She indeed still loved Kuroo and Emiko, but kept driving away.

—————————————————–

Taglist:

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#the nanny series #kuroo tetsuro #kuroo tetsuro fanfiction #kuroo tetsuro x reader #kuroo tetsurou

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prismatic-starstuff · 5 months ago

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yknow even if miquella did plan to bewitch everybody... is that even THAT bad? bewitchment just aligns you to his side its not even really mind control. like yeah it's not the best way to go about it but the other options are things like "taint every single soul in the world" "kill everyone forever" "burn the entire world to meaningless ash" "return the status quo that brought everything bad to pass to begin with" and "leave the world to its own devices with absolutely 0 outside influence". makes "make everyone nice to eachother and love me (everyone already likes him)"

so personally, i definitely do see the tampering with free will as being a bad thing because it reads a bit too much like mind control; but! i wholeheartedly agree with what you say about the other options! and this is something i've thought about a lot before so i'm gonna go off about it a little, so— long reply ahead, i'm sorry anon!

important disclaimer: this isn't 'miquella did nothing wrong,' 'age of compassion would be best for the world,' 'ranni and/or marika are evil' or any of that. this is 'miquella is not as bad as the people who say he's pure evil claim, and the age of compassion should have been an ending option.'

the long and the short of it is... miquella isn't any worse than many of the other options we're presented with, and that gets overlooked so much in conversations about him. because yeah, if we take it that his game plan is 'i command you all to love me and each other,' that isn't great because of the tampering with free will; but...

the standard elden lord ending is perpetuating the same order that caused multiple wars and mass exterminations in the lands between.

fia's ending is the same, just with the addition of better treatment for those who live in death.

dung eater's ending curses and dooms the entire land and literally everyone and everything in it.

frenzied flame is presented through the lens of destroying everything so something better can come after, but the destroying everything part still very much happens.

we aren't really given enough information to know what goldmask's ending would even realistically look like.

age of stars still has the involvement of higher beings (moons in elden ring are sentient) and ranni leaving to let people figure it out for themselves doesn't say a lot one way or the other.

like, for all that can be said about him, miquella is outright trying to do something good for the lands between as a whole. if his plan was to bewitch everyone, then the means aren't great, no... but at least the remaining higher power would unquestionably have the goal of making a gentler world at heart. and as you rightly said, people under miquella's charm aren't full on mind controlled or changed beyond recognition; it wouldn't be a world of mindless puppets.

we're given endings where there are still higher powers around (ranni) and endings where we do bad things in the name of a better end result (frenzied flame) and endings where we perpetuate the old order that did bad things (standard, fia, goldmask) or outright make a new worse order (dung eater) so... why didn't we get a miquella ending? there are literally no other endings where there isn't some kind of higher power/force still around, he was also doing bad things in the name of a better end result, and he would've at least tried to make a new and better order; so the hypothetical miquella ending would have... literally been no worse morally than the other endings.

and if it comes down to what miquella did to mohg... yes, manipulating and killing mohg for his own ends was bad. period. no arguments. but uh... our other options are ranni who killed godwyn for her own ends, marika who has a really long list of things she did, frenzied 'May Chaos Take The World' flame, and ✨️the loathsome dung eater✨️ (not counting fia and goldmask because, sadly, their endings do come under 'marika endings' since age of duskborn is very similar except for the treatment of those who live in death, and age of perfect order is still the golden order)

so— even if we got 100% confirmation that his end goal was to charm everyone, then would? miquella?? even actually be that much of an outlier???

TL;DR: miquella isn't perfect on a moral level but, to various degrees, Literally No Other Ending Option Is so where the heck is my age of compassion ending fromsoft

#again anon i am so sorry for the length alsnkxnalxnsn #elden ring #miquella

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bluelikebruises · 2 years ago

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blue bird cries pt.2 || aegon ii targaryen

Aegon II Targaryen/TargaryenF!Reader summary: months after aegon's drunken outburt, rhaenyra comes with a question that is bound to change your life. <the hearing and dinner scene> wc: 8.7k tw: aegon targaryen, incest (cause yknow targaryen's) reader is aegon's half sister, unhealthy relationship, angst, bittersweet ending, implied smut, a bit unrealistic because i’m delusional, canon divergence, slight ooc helaena, idk how land inheritance works. part one here!

a/n: there was supposed to be two versions of this but i kept re-writing & re-writing, i wrote about four different versions & hated all of them. except this one of course :) isn't proofread because if i stared at my laptop screen any longer my eyes would melt . enjoy. also! finishing some oneshots for tlous & hotd, so stick around for that taglist: @bibli0thecary

☆━━━━☆━━━━☆

Two seasons had nearly passed, and though you and Aegon disappeared from each other's lives, Aemond and Helaena had become ever more present in yours. A kinship which you hadn’t accounted for, never imagining you would become close to Helaena. Not after all those years of almost ignoring one another—of feeling guilty for being in love with her husband.

But when one day you were studying in the gardens and she asked to join you, how could you say no? It became a ritual after that, moving from the gardens, to your chambers, to hers, and eventually Aemond’s. You all huddled over your laps, tables, chairs—there was never a surface you found difficult to balance your books upon.

There were times when you would convince both of them to stop studying, Aemond would always argue but Helaena would eagerly agree to whatever you proposed. Aemond outnumbered could do nothing but adhere to you both. Nights were spent eating chocolates, dancing, and gossiping about the Lords and Ladies at court. Helaena at first did not see the fun in gossip but after Aemond let out a curse word her eyes widened and she giggled and joined in. Her gossip included the horrible embroidery and fashion she saw that day, which you could talk about for hours. While Aemonds was a bit more on the politics of those in court, one subject he hated the most was the Lanisters.

“Ser Tyland seems to have taken a liking to you”

You scrunch your face in disgust, “Does he not have a lady wife in Casterly Rock?” you asked already knowing the answer.

Helaena let out a fake gasp, “Oh the treachery”

You laughed, “No Ser Tyland please do not cast your lady wife aside for little me” dramatically you placed your hand on your head for a pleading effect. Helaena laughed, Aemond smiled and let out a chuckle.

Other nights you would practice braiding each other's hair, while Aemond sat in the corner of whatever room you were in reading. Once you had convinced him to let you braid his hair without arguing he agreed, sharpening a dagger as you and Helaena braided away.

You grew to love spending time with Helaena, she always found the most simple things intricate and fascinating. Always timid when someone new arrived at court, always in her own world which now you consider yourself lucky to be able to be a part of. Sometimes you would even look after Helaena’s twins—your nephew and niece, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera. Though it troubled you to watch them alone, they resembled Aegon more when Helaena wasn’t present. They were living breathing proof of Aegon’s commitment, of his marriage to Helaena. A cruel joke by life, if you were not to love Aegon you would love the pieces of him.

━━☆━━

The night before Rhaenyra’s arrival the three—five counting the twins—of you were in your chambers. You had pushed all the furniture towards the walls and adorned the floor with pillows, furs, and quilts.

Aemond sat upon your fur covered floor with his back pressed against the couch you had not moved. Helaena leaned against him as she embroidered, occasionally glancing up to see the twins. Your head lay leisurely on her lap enjoying the quiet fuss of the children.

Months ago the mere thought of Helaena and everything she stood for was enough to bring you to tears but as you laid your head on her lap none of that seemed to matter. The afflictions of a young girl in love shattered to pieces when presented with sisterhood.

Your bubble of peace burst when your chamber doors opened, Ser Criston stepped in announcing the presence of the Queen and none other than Prince Aegon.

At the mention of his name you freeze, with a heavy heart you refuse to look at him. Your heart filled with regret and guilt at the words you had spat at him. Instead you focus solely on the Queen whose presence still after many years caused you to stiffen. You stood and bowed as your siblings didn’t even blink.

“Mother,” Aemond greeted her.

“Your highness” you politely greeted as she smiled at you. Regardless of how many times she tried to convince you to plainly call her step-mother or simply mother, you always insisted she was Queen before she could ever be your mother. But of course to your siblings she was their mother first, any royal title always came second or even last.

“Good, you're all here,” she spoke. From behind her two servants emerged taking the children with them.

You rose from the floor to sit on the couch, refusing to acknowledge the Prince.

“There will be a hearing on the morrow, Vaemond Velaryon has called into question the validity of Lucerys Velaryon position as heir to Driftmark”

Puzzled, you almost asked what exactly there was to question. But Helaena rested her head on your lap and Aemond placed a hand on your knee which shook you from your thoughts. A move they had done many times before when they did not want you to be upset.

You think of asking regardless of your siblings' strategic move but your eyes betray you, shifting to steal a glance at Aegon. Your thoughts stop as your eyes meet his, heat rises in your throat and for a brief moment you longed for the feel of his hands around you again.

Following his line of sight you find him staring at both Helaena’s head and Aemond’s hand. Touches so insignificant yet they were a display of affection you would never be able to share with him.

The Queen spoke, “I expect you all present,” she directed towards her children, “As always Princess you are more than welcomed to join us” she said to you.

Respectfully you nod, thinking about your sister's homecoming. Her return after six years and she was returning under the most distressing circumstances.

“Good, good” she comments looking over at the three of you. She smiled, and took her leave. As she left the room you assumed Aegon would follow but he stood still as the doors closed. You looked towards Aemond who seemed unfazed by his brother’s presence.

For a moment you allow yourself to set your eyes on Aegon again, a smirk lined his lips. And though you knew he hated you, you couldn’t help but admire him. Taken by his eyes a sorrow hid beneath them, his lips that were always tainted by the wine he sipped, his perfectly disheveled hair that framed his face. In a blink you look away trying your best to portray your annoyance with his presence, because though you regretted your words nothing good would come from looking the least bit remorseful.

You tried to occupy yourself by running your fingers through Helaena’s hair, every strand you stroked felt softer than the last. Feeling Aemond lean towards you, your petting stops looking to see him raising his book to you. He had done this many times, indicating he wanted to share something he read with you. Sometimes they were poems, philosophical passages, or historical facts regardless you always happily read them.

The chance to read the passage was stolen by Aegon’s words, “Perhaps you three should try to not so accusingly look like a harem”

All the beauty that you admired moments earlier had dissipated as you rolled your eyes.

Aemond placed the book down and looked at his brother, “Perhaps you should try to not so accusingly look like you're in need of a bath. Or do you not know how to bathe? In that case simply ask the servants for help”

Helaena giggled as she buried her head into your lap trying her best to stifle her laugh. It was a childish jab and yet you laughed silently covering your mouth with your hand. You could see Aegon’s eyes drop unamused, leaving your chambers without a fuss.

“Do you suppose he’ll go bathe?” you jokingly ask.

━━☆━━

The day of Rhaenyra’s arrival you had tried to round the royal family to meet her, but your search was to no avail; none of them appeared to be on the grounds of the castle. Though truthfully you hadn’t looked for Aegon.

As you waited for Rhaenyra your annoyance with the Hightowers grew. Your siblings, following suit of their mother, did not care for the arrival of their eldest sister. How could the Queen so deliberately ignore your sister's arrival? It was an act of irreverence towards the future Queen that neither you or Rhaenyra would soon forget.

Your annoyance was interrupted by the sound of hooves and the entrance gate rising. Her arrival was met with you standing by the entrance gate alone; your only companions were the King’s Guard stationed outside.

Watching the carriage stop before you caused excitement to bubbled in your stomach, Rhaenyra was finally here. As she stepped out of the carriage, you shared hugs and kisses.

More were shared with her small clan, filled with nephews, niece, and your uncle.

After greetings you tried explaining the lackluster arrival party, but she simply grabbed your hands reassuringly. Your nephews and niece departed to explore the Red Keep and you led Rhaenyra and Daemon to your fathers room.

“‘Tis only been some years and you have grown so beautifully” Rhaenyra said.

“You flatter me sister,” you smile, “But if you think I’ve grown, you should see my dragon” you smile thinking fondly of the winged creature.

Your uncle laughs, “And what is the formidable beast’s name again?”

“Red Wing” you smiled, “But the Dragon Keepers sometimes refer to him as—”

“The Crimson Terror” he finishes. Truthfully your dragon was no terror, he was simply spoiled and moody. But you would never admit that preferring to have everyone believe he was frightening monstrosity.

Still you nodded and there was a pause in the conversation as the three of you turned the hallway. You suppose neither of them knew how to speak to you—or you to them—years of separation had left you feeling like strangers. Perhaps under better circumstances you could have grown to know them once again. You had very few memories with your uncle, but you remember fondly all the times spent with Rhaenyra before she married and had children.

“Have they been kind to you?” she asked.

They in question being the Hightowers, the Queen and the Hand

You nodded, “Her highness has always been gracious towards me, the Hand pays me no mind”

“That cunt” Daemon says. You try your best to hide the laugh that threatened to spill out.

“He’s occupied with the good of the realm” you say sneeringly.

Daemon catches on, “Always so courteous, even when mocking someone” he smiles at you.

“Father says discretion is key”

“Does he?” Rhaenyra asked.

“He used to, after you left”. You had never once brought up her departure even in the short time you corresponded through ravens. Up until your twelve name day it was a sore subject. You had been inconsolable the first year, always being on the verge of tears whenever someone brought up Rhaenyra. Begging your father to allow you to visit her and yet he never did. It wasn’t until years later that you learned why, you suppose it was the milk of the poppy that got it out of him. But regardless he confessed that he feared you would go mad with grief upon your return. A part of you sympathized with his decision, another was filled with anger. Years of separation from your sister simply because of the fears of madness.

“Ah” she acknowledges her departure, “It was with a heavy heart that I left” a frown is on her face.

“I know. I hold no resentment towards you” you smile.

At your words she returns your smile, reaching to grab your hand, “Your presence is longed for in Dragonstone,” she squeezes, “You do remember that it is to be yours once I am Queen. It would do you good for you to familiarize yourself with it”

The thought of visiting Dragonstone sounded exciting, considering how you used to sob for it. And the only time you had left King’s Landing was for Laena Velaryon’s funeral, which wasn’t the fondest memory.

“Are you suggesting a visit?” you ask excitedly.

She smiled—a full smile, “More of a permanent residency”

Oh, her words caught you by surprise, you never imagined or thought of leaving the Red Keep. You knew Dragonstone was to be yours one day, but never gave a second thought to the reality that you would in fact one day reside there. You assumed Rhaenyra would become Queen and you would simply stay in the Red Keep, for what business did you have in Dragonstone? A whole sea away from your father and siblings.

“A generous offer but—”

She interrupted, “Give it some thought”

On the arrival to the King’s quarters you excused yourself, kissing them both goodbye. Retreating to your chambers you thought of perhaps looking for your siblings but you knew you would not find them, Aemond and Helaena resembled ghosts in that way. Moving through walls without a sound and only showing themselves when they wanted to be seen.

In your chambers you thought of your Rhaenyra’s offer, of how drastically your life would change if you accepted. Of the distance that would keep you from your siblings, you had just grown close to Helaena how would you be able to leave her? Or Aemond who you had a soft spot ever since you were children.

You wish you could say Aegon was not a part of your decision making, but thoughts of him crept into your head—for a brief moment you wished to stay solely to be able to lay your eyes on him. Even if his eyes stared back filled with hate and disdain.

Thoughts of your father began to flood your mind. How devastating it would be were he to die and neither of his eldest daughters were by his side.

His voice rang in your head, remembering one of his many lectures. Where he would boast of the Targaryen legacy and the weight of the crown.

“You have a duty to the Realm, a duty to your house”

What is duty if not serving the ones you love? And your love for family cut deeply, a love so sharp no sword in the Seven Kingdom could compare. You knew regardless of your decision you were going to bleed.

“A Targaryen must always reside in Dragonstone”

━━☆━━

The night was spent thinking, you had all but made up your mind as you entered the Great Hall.

The hearing was to start in a matter of moments, you walked greeting the Lord’s and Ladies of court. Who were here for no other reason than for a show, to watch your family momentarily stumble or if they got lucky, fall and become ordinary like the rest of them.

In a matter of moments you stood at the front of the hall next to your sister and uncle, your nephews and niece standing behind you.

“Let us get this over with” Daemon huffed in annoyance.

Standing next to Rhaenyra you spoke in hushed voices, she was insistent this was a ruse. By stripping Lucerys’ claim as heir to Driftmark they were questioning the legitimacy of her own claim. She was sure Vaemond and the Hand had aligned themselves and created this plan. And though you tried hard to pay attention to her words, the only thing you could think about was whether you had made the right choice or not. Selfish thoughts on a day that was detrimental to your sister and your house.

Though you were deep into the conversation with Rhaenyra the arrival of your siblings had not gone unnoticed by you. Thoughts of uncertainness were briefly paused as the same annoyance from yesterday crawled up your skin. You spotted Aegon trailing behind Aemond and Helaena.

You wanted to walk over and question why they had not been present upon Rhaenyra’s arrival.

But couldn’t talk to them in good conscience knowing you were teetering with the possibility of leaving. And a hearing that called into question the legitimacy of your nephew was no place to inform them.

Besides there was a part of you that knew why none of the Hightowers had shown up. The rivalry between Alicent and Rhaenyra was one that had grown roots and solidified itself over the years. A rivalry you knew was encouraged by Otto and had been passed down to their children and because you were neither of their children you did not participate in their hostility and aversion.

When a silence washed over the throne room you braced yourself for what was to come. The thick doors of the hall opened revealing Vaemond and his banner men. Vaemond walked into the Great Hall with an aura of unbotheredness and ease, almost as if he knew he would come out victorious.

When he began his petition you watched your sister and uncle, both of their brows pressed tightly on their faces. Jace and Lucerys stood behind them, little Lucerys doing his best to keep his head held high. The longer you looked at them, the easier the decision seemed.

You wish you could say you were attentively listening to the concession before you but you would be lying. Your attention was stolen by Aegon, who did nothing but stand besides Aemond looking bored, tired, and unimpressed. You stared at the intricacies that were the features on his face wondering what he was thinking, if he was thinking at all.

As your eyes raked over him his eyes stared back, in a blink your eyes were at the front of the room. Refusing to meet his gaze pretending you were not just gawking at him during one of the most important meetings of your sister's life.

To make sure neither your gaze or thoughts slipped towards Aegon you slid next to Lucerys. Who you were sure was nervous about the current proceeding, alleviating some of his nervousness would do you both some good.

Just as Rhaenyra began her petition the doors of the throne room opened, guards announced the arrival of your father.

Any thoughts you had before were pushed to the side as your benevolent father who by some miracle or sheer will made his way into the room. In slow strides he approached the Iron Throne.His arrival had taken the room by surprise but no one looked more surprised than Vaemond, who looked between Otto and the approaching King.

The King had some trouble walking up to the throne, dismissing the guards who tried to help him and as your uncle helped him up the petition continued. At the wishes of Rhaenys the King reaffirmed Lucerys claim as heir to Driftmark. You smiled at your nephew reaching for his hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

Vaemond of course was displeased and didn’t bother hiding it, his words were filled with venom and hatred. Daemon was staring daggers at the man, fire burned in his veins, you were sure of it. Then you caught his eyes landing on Rhaenyra, they glanced at one another in a blink she gave him a small nod. If you did not know her as well as you do, you would have thought nothing of it. Was it a nod of approval? of permission? Of agreement? There was no time to wonder as Vaemond angrily spun and pointed at Lucerys.

”That is no true Velaryon”

You moved in front of Luce, shielding him from Vaemond.

“And certainly no nephew of mine”

Rhaenyra ordered the boys return to their chambers but neither of them moved.

“You have said enough” she directed at Vaemond.

“Lucerys is my true born grandson, and you no more then the second son of Driftmark”

“You may run your house as you see fit but you will not decide the future of mine. My house survived the Doom and a thousand tribulations besides” he turned towards Lucerys but when his eyes did not land on him he looked at you. His eyes bore into yours as you refused to stand down, refused to give him access to view your nephew.

“And gods be damned I will not see it ended on the account of this—“

There was a pause in not just his words but the room as well. Then the words boomed out of Vaemond’s mouth. Bastards, a whore. Your eyes widened, the room was stunned. Lucerys hand became an anchor, for if not you would have pounced on Vaemond and tore him to bits.

“I will have your tongue”

Then in one swift movement Daemon was behind Vaemond, his sword in his hand. In a blink you saw red and half of the man's head on the floor.

Finally able to pull your eyes away from the corpse you made sure your nephews and niece were okay. They looked shocked, a bit shaken but good nonetheless. Your eyes made their way to the other side of the room where your siblings stood. Helaena looked frightened, Aemond intrigued his eye following Daemon, Aegon looked shocked, his eyes on the body then for a second time during the hearing caught yours.

“He can keep his tongue” Daemon wiped the blood off Dark Sister, quickly guards surrounded him.

“No need” he nonchalantly wiped the blood of Dark Sister returning to Rhaenyra’s side.

You had heard stories of your uncle’s rash behavior from your father before, but hearing about it and witnessing were different things.

━━☆━━

Dinner came in the short hours after the sun had set. Candles and torches lit the dining room, light chatter was being swapped by all as everyone anticipated the arrival of the King.

You stood with your nephews and their soon to be brides, chatting about how their travels had fared them, how life was in Dragonstone and King’s Landing, and how they wished they could see you more.

Though you had enjoyed your life in the Red Keep you missed your nephews. Their little faces and big eyes, all but nearly convinced you to take permanent residency in Dragonstone.

Looking forward you spot Rhaenyra in her seat, she looked rigid and uncomfortable looking straight ahead. Coincidentally the Queen was seated in the same manner, they both looked awkward and stiff. You knew words went unsaid between them, how could they not since the last time they saw one another was the night Aemond lost his eye and the Queen cut Rhaenyra.

The doors of the hall opened, guards stepped in carrying your father on top of his chair. Everyone stood with their hands clasped in respect for the King.

As everyone sat the tension in the hall could be cut with a butcher's knife. You wished to sit beside Rhaenyra but knew you couldn’t due to her husband. It seemed every couple in the room was sitting side by side. The only exception to this couplet seating arrangement were you and Aemond. You had assumed you would be sitting next to one another since neither of you were wed, but there was no chair beside Aemond. The last empty chair sat right in front of your father, of all seats in between Jace and Aegon.

Rasp coated your fathers voice as he spoke, “How good it is,” he inhaled, “to see you all tonight, together” he looked at everyone around the table. You smiled as his eye landed on yours. His sight of the table ended as he longfully stared at Rhaenyra. Who held his gaze until the Queen looked at her, her eyes shifted to the intricate spread that was on the table before her.

“Prayer before we begin?” asked the Queen. Leaning into her your father agreed

You had grown accustomed to the overcompensation of the Queen ever since the night of the incident. To lessen the rumors that she was mad she began to worship The Seven, heavily. Their symbols began to become increasingly prevalent all throughout the Red Keep. You simply went along with it considering your father did not care, perhaps due to his old age. But if it didn’t bother him, it didn’t bother you.

“This is an occasion for celebration, it seems. My grandsons Jace and Luke, will marry their cousins, Baela and Rhaena,” your nephews and their bride smiled gleefully, “Further strengthening the bond between our houses. A toast to the young Princes . . . and their betrothed”

You lifted your cup smiling at the couples.

“Hear, Hear!” your uncle Daemon says.

Placing your cup on the table Aegon leaned towards you, your body tensed at his closeness. Unsure of what to expect, you didn’t move. So when he acted as if you weren’t there and pestered Jace you nearly pushed him away.

Nearly, pushing Aegon would require your hand to touch his chest. An act so miniscule, that wouldn’t mean anything to most, a shove, a push, it was an ordinary action. Yet touching him felt like an illicit affair.

“Well done, Jace. You’ll finally get to lie with a woman”

You roll your eyes at his words thinking about how unbelievable he was. Baela looked at Aegon disapprovingly, as if to ask him what his nerve was. Quite aggressively Jace set his wine cup down, ready to retaliate but your father spoke.

A toast was called in honor of Lucerys, forgetting about Aegon’s crude words you picked your cup enthusiastically towards Luce.

Watching your nephew you thought if he could accept his role as heir to Driftmark at his young age, surely you could accept your own fate.

Your thoughts of your fate were cut short as again Aegon leaned over, you swallowed every fiber in your body telling you to push him away. Inciting violence was not what you wanted to do on this night. You looked around the table to see if anyone noticed, no one batted an eye except Aemond.

“You do know how the act is done, I assume? At least in principle? Where to put your cock and all that”

Aegon never did know when his jokes were in bad taste. Always poking and prodding until he got an explosive reaction from the other person.

“Let it be cousin”

“You can play the jester if you wish, but hold your tongue before my betrothed and my aunt”

You smiled at Jace’s act of protection, the gentleman that he was.

“Hm. Your aunt” Aegon said as if contemplating the concept of the word.

You shot him a glare annoyed at his stupidity and his little verbal stunt, “Perhaps it would be best if you returned to your dinner little brother”, you forced a polite smile. His eyes looked up at yours before he turned his attention to his cup of wine.

Your father’s cane hit the floor, and you saw him struggling to stand, his breaths heavy and strained.

“It both gladdens my heart and fills me with sorrow to see these faces around the table, the faces most dear to me in all the world . . . yet grown so distant from each other in years past” he looked down trying to remove his mask, struggling. A look of unease painted the Queen’s face as if bugs were crawling up her skin. The mask dropped onto the table with a ‘clunk’.

You had only once seen him without the mask once, the night you had sat at his bedside reading. You thought he could not hear you, but as you mispronounced a word he laughed. Asking if you had always pronounced it that way, sheepishly you admit you had. He laughed in a way you hadn’t heard in years. In all his movement the mask slid down his face onto the bed, barely holding onto his face. He asked you to not be frightened by his appearance, you told him you never would.

Free of the mask he turned to look towards Rhaenyra’s side of the room; they all started silently. If they were alarmed or frightened they didn’t show. Turning to your step mother’s side you saw Aegon’s head dip, not daring to look at your father, you almost laughed. Helaena kept her eyes on her fingers, Aemond stared eagerly; he always was captivated by the macabre.

“My own face . . . is no longer a handsome one . . . if indeed it ever was. But tonight I wish you to see me as I am. Not just a king but your father, your brother” he turned towards Daemon, “Your husband . . . and your grandsire. Who may not it seems walk for much longer among you. Let us no longer hold ill feelings in our hearts. The crown cannot stand strong if the House of the Dragon remains divided. But set aside your grievances. If not for the sake of the crown then for the sake of this old man, who loves you all, so dearly”, he sat back down practically falling onto his seat.

The room stilled until Rhaenyra stood with her cup raised.

“I wish to raise my cup to Her Grace, the Queen” she looked towards her, “I love my father. But I must admit that no one has stood more loyally by his side than his good wife” she paused, “She has tended to him with unfailing devotion, love, and honor. And for that she has my gratitude and my apology”

Her words took you by surprise, it had been years since the Queen and Princess spoke to one another, least of all kindly.

“Your graciousness moves me deeply, Princess. We are both mothers and we love our children. We have more in common than we sometimes allow” she stood, “I raise my cup to you and to your house” and as if the words were hard to say she paused, “You will make a fine Queen”

Happily surprised you smiled at Rhaenyra, you hoped their cups were a step in the right direction, perhaps a hopeful future lay in front of them.

“To the Queen and the Princess” you raised your cup drinking from it as did everyone. Aegon practically downed his cup, then he glanced over to you, you pretended not to notice. Even when he stood and walked in between Jace and Baela, Aemond’s eye followed him.

With every brief look at Aemond or Helaena, you wondered when it was best to tell them about the decision that laid at your feet. To involve them in your decision would alleviate your guilt, but it would also mean they would try to convince you to stay.

Your thought came to a sudden stop as Jace stood slamming his fist against the table. You hadn’t heard what Aegon had said but you knew it was unrefined. When Jace cleared his throat Aemond stood, the table quieted, all eyes looking at them both.

Inhaling Jace grabbed his cup, “To Prince Aegon and Prince Aemond. We have not seen eachother in years, but I have fond memories of our shared youth. And as men, I hope we may yet be friends and allies. To you and your family’s good health, dear uncles”

“To you as well,” Aegon said annoyed, sinking back into his seat.

Turning to Jace you laugh, “Nicely done” you made sure to say it loud enough that Aegon would hear you.

Then Helaena stood, it seemed everyone was raising their cups tonight. Aegon sat forward with his hands clasped as his head rested on them, clearly embarrassed by Helaena. Gods if you could strangle him you would.

“I would like to toast to Baela and Rhaena. They’ll be married soon. It isn’t so bad. Mostly he just ignores you” Aegon vexed, didn’t bothering to look at her, “except sometimes when he’s drunk”

You heard the laugh of your uncle clear as day, which caused you to laugh.

“Let us have some music”

Jace stood asking Helaena to dance, she looked up to Jace who had his hand out then to you almost as if asking if she should. You smiled in response then she smiled and took Jace’s hand.

As Helaena stood you caught Aegon rolling his eyes, his jaw tightening as if upset.

His own upsetness almost made you roll your eyes. The hypocrisy of Aegon to claim all Helaena was good for was bearing his children and yet be upset by a simple dance.

Feeling brave and in the mood to serve Aegon a taste of his own medicine you tease him, “Come now little brother cheer up, ‘tis not like you would ever dance with your lady-wife”

He didn’t look at you, his eyes looked everywhere but you.

“Yes but she is mine. Perhaps you’ve forgotten with the whispering you three get up too” he sipped from his cup as he looked at Aemond.

“Jealous little brother? That we have stolen our sister from you” he didn’t respond. You smiled leaning back into the wooden chair.

His lack of response solidified that you had gotten under his skin.

Your fathers painful moans echoed through the hall, guards quickly came and took him away, Out of respect for the King you stood along with Rhaenyra and Daemon.

“Please, sit” the Queen begged.

You didn’t listen as you saw Lucerys from the corner of your eye snickering. Following his eyesight you saw Aemond with a roasted pig in front of him, immediately you understood.

Aemond slammed his fist against the table as he stood, Jace and Helaena stopped their dance.

“Aemond”, you shook your head. He looked at you but his stubbornness never allowed him to listen.

“Final tribute” his cup raised everyone's eyes on him, “To the health of my nephews: Jace, Luke, and Joffrey. Each of them handsome, wise,” he paused and you could feel it, his next words would be no good, “Strong”

“Aemond,” the Queen pleaded.

The room had gone momentarily still.

“Come, let us drain our cups to these three . . .” enthusiastically Aegon raised his cup in the air, “Strong boys”

“I dare you to say that again,” Jace threatened.

“Why? ‘Twas only a compliment”

Angrily they both approached each other. You almost laughed thinking about how you did not want to cause a scene during dinner and there Aemond was; causing a scene. In a blink Jace hit Aemond square in the jaw, beside you Lucerys rose, Aegon followed towards him they were both out for blood. Immediately you follow Aegon, seeing him grab Lucerys and throw him against the table towering over him.

“Aegon that is enough!” you heard the Queen say.

You grabbed Aegon pulling him off your nephew, digging your nails into his skin.

“Don’t touch him,” you snapped. You stood in front of Lucery's protectively as Aegon retreated with a smirk and his hands held up.

“Looks like the princess has come to your rescue. Again, first Vaemond and now I” he snickered, “Is the princess going to hold your hand again? Can’t fight your own battles, nephew?”

“Pay him no mind Lucerys, he’s a drunk and now it appears also a coward”

His hands came first and you almost think there will be a repetition of what occurred in his chambers. But instead his hand grabs your face, his index and thumb squishing your lips together as his fingers pressed against your cheek. His hands were made of an iron grip, you could feel his middle finger under your chin.

“Watch your tongue, sister,” he warned. His eyes filled with a different rage than you remember, grief was woven into his anger. His lips stained red from the wine, gods did you want to taste it.

“Perhaps you should release the princess, lest you do not care to keep your hands”, Daemon said, looming behind you. Aegon kept his eyes on you, they quickly trailed to your lips as his hand dropped. With a final look he turned and retreated to the opposite side of the room.

Baela and Rhaena stood ready to lunge at Aegon, luckily for him two guards held them back. Lucerys moved towards his brother both ready to fight their uncle’s, guards also restrained them

Checking on both your nieces you hadn’t heard what Aemond had begun to say.

“Though it seems my nephews aren’t quite as proud of theirs” he stalked towards Jace who had freed himself from the guards' grasp and stalked towards Aemond.

“Wait, wait!” called Daemon, stepping in front of a charging Jace. With no other option Jace retreated back.

“Go to your quarters. All of you, now”, Rhaenyra commanded before looking at you, “Pack your belongings we leave at sunrise” It wasn’t a suggestion, it was an order. The decision had been made for you and you understood why, there was too much animosity between your opposing families. Rhaenyra would no longer allow you to be caught in the center, you had been in the Red Keep without her for far too long.

You nodded and with a heavy heart retreated to your chambers, unable to meet anyone's gaze. The walk to your chambers was sullen and with your head hung low you pushed open your doors.

Afraid of the sadness that would engulf you at the thoughts of leaving both Aemond and Helaena you began to pack quickly. Tossing clothing onto your bed, emptying drawers by shaking them, piling your favorite books by your feet.

The hour was quite late when you had finally gotten about half of your items packed. A sigh left your lips looking at the pile you still needed to sort through.

But before you could even begin the doors to your chambers burst open. Rushing in was Aemond and Helaena both looking angry and distraught.

“You’re leaving?” Helaena spoke first looking at the mess of dresses, riding outfits, books and trinkets that laid on your bed.

“What is the meaning of this?” he looked at you, “You planned to leave? And with no intention of telling us?”

“I was—I was. But then dinner turned into—I wasn’t even sure whether my departure was permanent or not” you alluded and his eye momentarily looked to the floor, “I just forgot”

“How long have you known?” Aemond asked.

You take a breath, “Rhaenyra proposed the thought on the morning of her arrival” you say twiddling with your fingers

He scoffs, his mouth agape in disbelief, “Since when has she cared about your position as heir? When was the last time you received ravens from her? Or gifts for your name day? She abandoned and forgot all about you”

“Aemond,’tis my duty as heir of Dragonstone” you try to reason, not wanting them to be upset with you.

He shakes his head, “No, I will not stand for this”

Helaena neared, your name gently falling from her mouth as she took your hands. She smiled at you, “If you want Aegon, have him. Please just stay”

Your once beating heart stopped, your blood ran cold, shocked, your eyes widened at her words. Never once did you dare think anyone least of all Helaena knew of your transgressions with Aegon. How foolish of you to think Helaena was blind to it all. To your sudden cold shoulder and avoidance of Aegon. Of course she knew, still you wonder if she knew of the kiss—of the love confession—of Aegon’s hands wrapped around your throat.

“You think I have not noticed the longing looks that wash over your faces. He's my oldest brother I will always love him, but as a husband I hold no love for him”

There was no time to process her words because as if on cue the doors to your chambers opened, revealing Aegon. A laugh almost escaped your lips, surely the gods were playing a gag on you.

His eyes raked through your chambers searching for answers, “So it is true then, you are to leave?” he asked

“Yes” you simply say

“So our eldest sister can just show up and pluck you from us”

Us. Since when was there an us?

“She is not plucking me” you retorted defensively.

He narrows his eyes and tilts his head, “She has convinced you to leave under the guise of heritage”

“A heritage that is also yours”

“Hardly”

Your eyes shifted but their’s never did, all eyes were on you and it made you want to crawl into a hole and never return. Desperation, hurt, and betrayal painted their faces.Unable to handle it you plead, “This is my duty. Why can’t any of you see that, we all have a duty, this is mine”

“You think your duty is to live in that desolate hellscape?” Aegon snapped.

“That desolate hellscape is our ancestral home and I have been chosen to maintain the tradition, it was bound to be one of us”

He scoffs, “She’s using you and you are too blind to see it. You’re nothing but a pawn in her game. A means to an end”

Your eyes narrow ready to unleash another berate of words at him, but Aemond cuts in.

“He’s right”

For a third time in the night your eyes widen. Disbelief at the word that came from Aemond’s mouth. Aemond who would roll his eyes whenever Aegon entered a room, who never took anything he said seriously and who certainly never agreed with him.

“Rhaenyra only beacons you to Dragonstone to show strength in her claim as heir”

“There is strength in the claim it is the King’s proclamation”

Aegon rolled his eyes and Aemond huffed turning away from you. Your eyes caught Helaena’s, she looked worriedly at you.

“Do you believe I am a means to an end?”

“There is a reason for everything” she plainly stated

You were not blind to politics, you knew how her invitation would look to all those who whispered about Rhaenyra in the halls. It would appear to be a strategic ploy since having you by her side showed that you supported her right to rule. You didn’t ponder if there was any truth in the thought. You had thought about it all night before the hearing but a part of you desperately wanted to believe the invitation was genuine, that Rhaenyra had your best interest in mind. That she was not just beckoning you because it would benefit her.

To hear your siblings so openly agreeing that they thought you were being used both angered and saddened you. They had never been kind to Rhaenyra, never gave her a second thought yet they stood in your chambers declaring she was using you for her own means.

“Out. All of you” they didn’t move, “Get out!”

Helaena was the first to react, she visibly recoiled at your shout, her eyebrows raised as she looked at Aemond who looked at you once more before leading Helaena out.

Aegon followed but instead of exiting he closed the doors, turning towards you, “I have left you alone to gallivant with our brother and my wife and yet you still punish me”

“My departure is not your punishment, there is no punishment”

“And still you injure me” he enunciates every word, his hands pointing inward at himself.

You sigh, like his drunken stupor Aegon was no better sober–no more understanding or thoughtful.

“Injure you?” you laugh, “You wrapped your hands around my throat, you cut off my breathing and yet you speak of injury”

Guilt washed over you knowing you were in no position to chastise him, but his belief that his hurt out weighed yours angered you.

His eyes shifted to the rings on his fingers twiddling them,“T’was a regretful incident”, his eyes slowly came back to yours. There was glint in them, regret perhaps the facing of a truth he was denying.

You don’t respond, continuing to sort through your items. A moment passed before either of you spoke.

“Are you to leave and never return? Is this the last night I will lay my eyes on you?”

“Of course not, I’ll return for Rhaenyra’s coronation, for name day celebrations, festivities, hearings”

His eyes harden, “And who’s to live with you in Dragonstone after our sister and her clan return to King's Landing?”

You freeze, his question had caught you by surprise, you hadn’t even thought that far ahead.

“Will you reside alone with nothing but servants to keep you company?” He takes a step towards you standing on the opposite side of your bed.

“Alone or not I will be fulfilling my duty”

He laughs, “You speak of duty yet if you truly cared about your self-proclaimed duty you would be wed by now”

Your patience was running thin and emotions high, “And who am I supposed to wed Aegon? Some Lord who sees me as an opportunity to be close to the crown. Marriage may mean nothing to you but I will wed someone I love”

His head drops towards the floor before it raises again, “Did you not confess to me in my chambers?”

You scoff, “I confessed because your hands were around my throat, because I could not breathe”

“You have never been a good liar”

Of course you knew that, but to stand before Aegon and confess your love again would add to your betrayal and how could you do that to Helaena again when she knew. Your treachery would stop at allowing Aegon’s lips to fall on yours, you would not make the same mistake twice.

“If you are to continue pestering me–I ask that you leave”

He didn’t respond and you didn’t bother looking up, continuing packing your trinkets.

“Did you mean it?”

You look up, taken aback unsure if you had correctly heard him. His eyes stared back at yours searching for answers, they looked almost pleading, pathetic in a divine way.

Opening your mouth to speak felt near impossible while he looked at you, “Aegon . . . “ you pleaded rather roughly.

“I want to hear it from you,” he paused.

“Was once not enough? Must I rip my heart out and show it to you? We are not children anymore this game you are playing has to stop”

“This is not a game to me”

“You treat it as such”, he walks around the bed stepping towards you. His messy hair framed his face like it always did, loose strands falling over his left eye.

When he was close enough that you could reach towards him you thought he would stop but he did not. He kept walking in slow strides, you nearly trip over your own books stepping backwards.

You should have ran, placed some distance between Aegon but you couldn’t move, stuck in a trance that was Aegon’s eyes. A trance that was momentarily broken as your back hit the cold stone wall.

“Don’t go”, his eyes are imploring, so close you could feel his breath on your lips when he spoke. You wanted nothing more than for him to leave, to make your departure easy because the longer he stood before you the faster the self restraint you had held for months began to slip.

His hand came to your face, a finger gently traced your cheek. You turn from him defensively refusing to let him win, to let him see how desperately you longed for his touch.

“Look at me” his fingers came under your chin attempting to move your head. But you protested lifting your head away from his grasp. Again he repeated his action and again you moved pushing his fingers away, moving frantically trying to get away from his touch.

“Look at me,” there’s a sternness in his voice you had never heard before. His eyes were filled with fire, his grip like steel and you are left with no choice but to face him.

With his free hand he brushed hair that had fallen on your face during your struggle. Your eyes locked with his, looking at him felt like being lit by a thousand suns–by the fire that lived within the dragons. With every passing second your resolve was deteriorating, and you did not want to know what would happen when it did.

“Do not leave” he gently brought his second hand to hold your face only this time you didn’t fight him.

The Aegon before you was vastly different then the one you had seen the past couple months. There were no snarky remarks or annoyed looks, there were only distressed words and pleading touches.

“I must”, it was a sullen response.

He shakes his head, “No you do not. Stay”, he's begging.

In return you shake your head.

His hands squeezed your face, “I’ll stay true to Helaena, I will not disturb you” there was a frantic urgency in his voice.

You laugh, “We both know that’s not true”

Perhaps under different circumstances Aegon could change, perhaps if he respected his marriage things would have been different. But there was no changing the man he had grown into.

You place your hands on his in an effort to pull them off but he did not yield. A part of you was glad his touch did not leave, basking in the warmth you would not feel again. There was a pull in your chest the same one you had felt the night of his drunken stupor. You tried to push it down, to swallow it whole but it was far too overwhelming.

He said your name softly, thumbs gently brushing your cheeks. And as his body pressed against yours–you were again teetering dangerously close to falling under his trance. Time seemed to stop as both of you inhaled each other's breaths. Aegon’s head slowly comes closer to yours, his lips a word away.

He paused and all you could think about was how close he was. How far apart the two of you had been up until this moment.

There's a hot slash in your chest and you know immediately what it meant, your string of self restraint was cut. And there was no point in trying to regain hold of it, for it would slip right through your fingers. Any trace of respect and honor for the sanctities of marriage or yourself were gone. You could feel the vines of guilt beginning to climb your body but before they could wrap themselves around, you acted. If you were to scarcely see Aegon for the rest of your life you would take advantage of your last night in the Red Keep.

Pushing every thought and feeling down you press your lips to Aegon’s. He’s taken aback you know because he does not react right away. But quickly he returns your actions without hesitation or pause. His lips moved with yours they tasted of; fruits, meats, and of your failure to stay away.

You should not want this–want him. Not after his actions in the dining hall, not after he so easily strangled you. But as his hands left your face and began to roam over your body you did not care about his previous arrogant behavior.

When your lips parted Aegon wasted no time in tangling his hands in the lace of your dress, his fingers working expertly. His eyes bore down on you, the sadness behind them was gone, replaced with a hunger you had never seen. It should have made you feel small or weak, like a sheep who has been caught in the mouth of a wolf.

But you felt neither small nor weak, not as your fingers found themselves under his shirt. Your cold limbs pressed against his hot skin. You were two hungry dragons waiting to draw blood to sink their teeth into flesh and fill the hungering ache in the pit of your stomachs.

As your lips met again desperately your teeth and tongues clashed. A battle of hands and lips took place, a tugging of lace, cotton, and skin.

While Aegon’s fingers traced down your back and his lips nipped at your skin you paid no mind to the regret that would eat you alive tomorrow. The shame that would haunt you every time you close your eyes as the image of Helaena was conjured up by your mind. Your little sisters pleading eyes as she handed her husband over to you on a silver platter all so you would stay.

Tomorrow you will not be able to face Helaena, tomorrow you will sneak off before she’s able to say goodbye.

#targaryen reader #aegon ii targaryen #aegon ii targaryen/reader #aegon ii fic #helaena targaryen #aemond targaryen #hotd fic #aegon ii targaryen x reader fic

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streamdotpng · 2 years ago

Text

acting news

streamer enid au! once again part 2

There's a taste on Enid's tongue when she speaks. It's sweet, flavorful and distracting - addicting she can almost say. No wonder she keeps talking and talking, murmuring about anything just to taste that drug stuck in her mouth.

It's why she couldn't fully focus on her stream, why her eyes aren't drawn to the colourful lights of the game she was playing on autopilot. Something was distracting her and she didn't know what.

It isn't until she hears the slow yet measured footsteps passing by her door that it finally clicks and a smile grows on Enid's face.

Right, she ate well yesterday.

Chat is as noisy as always, clamouring with their normal chatter but they seem to be confused as to why Enid suddenly decided to shut up.

"streamer going insane?"

"U see that glaze in her eyes? Bet she’s high on chocolate"

“You can get high on chocolate???”

“Ofc not this is y u dont believe everything in the internet”

The werewolf quickly looked back to the game, a lil snort bubbling in her throat. Chat definitely has their moments, these were one of them. To think people wonder why she was streaming, it's for dumb reasons like this.

"hi guys what's happenin"

"ur mom is what's happenin"

“Yall so rude ;-; i was just asking”

A sound alert is the one that fully snaps Enid back to attention. With a quick thank you to one Sokoe-chan, she finally dragged her eyes away from the game to give a very concerned look at the camera, her eyes just reading that mess of a convo.

“What the fuck chat?” she murmured, but the tone definitely couldn't hide the upward quirk of her lips. “Also I don't get high on chocolate, that's not how werewolves work.”

Chat begins to spark at that, questions of ‘duh, dogs are allergic that makes so much sense’ to ‘who made you the werewolf expert huh!?’

It makes Enid lean back as she builds a house. She’s playing minecraft after all, albeit one with horror mods but considering that the sun was up and her chests were full, she decided to go and finally build a house.

Before her chat remembers and calls her homeless.

She shivers at that, can you really blame her? It's hard to build things when you’re being chased and only have your own flesh and bone to keep you running.

The sound of rattling bones rings through her headphones and Enid’s cheeks burned as she gave her full attention back to chat. It's still a little shocking to have people pay for a free live stream, so she does try her best to give her gratitude to any supporters. “Thank you again Sokoe-chan for the ten gifted!”

The text to speech drawled in reply “did you hear that Lunal curse is getting a movie adaption exclamation mark exclamation mark question mark.”

Enid’s eyes widened as she immediately straightened and pulled herself close to the camera. “Really?!” she places a hand on her chest, leaning back with a dramatic sigh. “My wife is going to do amazing, I'm telling you.” Enid points at the screen, a bright smile on her face. “Ain’t nobody can beat my woman! Imagine being a director and the main actor-”

As the werewolf goes on a tangent, chat meanwhile has their own thoughts.

“There she goes”

“Can you blame her?! Wednesday does such a good job as Viper”

“It just feels a lil self insert for the author to act out the main role yknow?”

“Hey now, if it works then it works”

“Just sayin!”

“Brother ur in the wrong channel to be dissing Wednesday”

“Endespair is a huge W.A simp after all”

Enid paused in her words to raise a brow. “Hey hey, nothing wrong with saying your thoughts but you’re treading a thin line there man.” she waves her hand around. “She’s giving good content and getting that bag! Besides, she auditioned for that role and the others greenlit her to be Viper.”

Most of the chat agrees, some even citing a few articles of the process. This definitely wasn’t a new topic in terms of Viper’s casting.

The tone overall seemed rather easy going, everyone vibing until a comment pops in that makes Enid’s lips drop and her brows to furrow.

“Trust a dog to be at someones heel”

“HEY”

“Too far dude wtf”

“MODS”

“U AINT ACCEPTED HERE”

A stormy look crossed Enid’s face and the ban hammer dropped. The wolf sighs, escaping the game to the menu as she gives a look.

“we’re boutta be scolded againnn”

“Its not our fault!”

“Sjdklajdklsja father forgive us”

“Pls not again, i havent recovered from the last lashing”

Enid’s look is affronted, but chat’s lil attempts to make her smile works. “You guys make it sound like I abuse you or something,” she laughs and for a moment, chat thinks they’re off the hook before she removes her glasses to raise a brow at the camera.

A classic look of disappointment.

“Dangit thought that was going to work”

“Lowkey i dont mind being scolded if its endespair”

“Daddy issues right here”

“Ay no need to call me out like that”

Normally, Enid would hold out for a few more seconds, just to make the tension palpable enough to fuck with her audience until the loud sounds of bones rattling makes her shoulders drop.

This is why she can’t be serious until it's really needed.

“Lunaslandingpad threw 50 gifted subs into the pile” spoke the alert but just before it could continue, Enid paused it to let out a harsh and very tired sigh.

One so filled with emotion that it makes Chat pause themselves as she rubbed at her eyes before sliding on her frames.

“One, no bribing me to feel better,” Enid starts and immediately, chat clammors in agreement. “Two, none of those dog comments. Not only is that a shitty thing to do but I have werewolf tagged on stream to make sure others like me find it easier so don’t make me regret it.” A shine of white is shown, her fangs seemed to almost be bared if it weren’t for the hand that covers anything below her nose. “Last, there is nothing wrong with criticising a piece of work but don’t bring that stuff here.”

Silence filled the air as Enid leant back, her lips pursed as she crossed her arms. “Got it?”

“Ofcourse!”

“Yesser”

message deleted by moderator

“WE SAW THAT” “Caught in 4k”

Soon, Enid’s scowl turned into a bigger raised brow before rolling her eyes as she opened up the mod log to see the rather.. Thirsty comment. “You all really gotta think before you type.” her head shakes as she laughs. “you guys are lucky i wouldn’t have you guys any other way.”

Taglist: @agathaharkness-simp @lunaslandingpad

#Wenclair #Writing #Enid sinclair #Streamer Enid au

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diodellet · 3 days ago

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bearing with it (for now)

On Lou Tang and pain cw: internalized ableism, symptoms of somatic anxiety, mentions but no overly-graphic descriptions of pain. all of this is unbeta'd and disorganized asf. do not take any of this as proper medical advice, take it with a heaping of salt. i'm just writing this to fight the horrors™

i already mentioned in her intro post that she tends to suffer from tension headaches because of her high twintails

she also gets headaches when she gets really mad but shhh that's for another day

unrelated, but still on the topic of chronic pain: lou also gets really really bad cramps during menstruation (might be bcs she's generally bad at taking care of herself, dehydration, sleep deprivation, and what have you, but also👇)

a lot of her pain tends to stem from the fact that she's going through life unmedicated

girlie had one bad experience with ibuprofen and refuses to take anything out of fear that it'll make her feel worse

so she tends to bank on hot water and grim's bodyheat, or a nap

naps are her biggest saving grace, but ill save that for another post

though, as bad as the pain gets, she doesn't faint. (tho if she did, she'd flomp in the other direction of someone else's attempts to catch her)

the only time she fainted was when grim lobbed a spelldrive disk at her head (tho she did come close to crumpling on the ground in sheer pain in the class hallways because of dysmenorrhea)

but even then, she was more embarrassed it happened in front of oh, yknow, just the whole student body.

(in fact, when she woke up in the infirmary, she took a look at everyone and tried to go back to sleep. "this is all just a bad dream," she tries to delude herself. Which obv u can't do as someone with head trauma so she had to be shaken awake, much to her dismay)

and i just imagine that this "lifestyle" would Piss Off jamil so much. because he's used to having meds on hand and giving first aid

but here's this girl outright refusing help - diD she JUst SlaP hIS hAnd AwaY????

"Lou?" At the sound of her name, the girl's head turned towards Jamil. Her lips pull into a weak smile - which, combined with the pallid color of her face was enough to signal that she was not okay. "Hi! Nice weather we're having, aren't we? It's nice and windy~" "What's wrong?" Judging by the way she has an arm curled protectively around her midsection and how she is heavily leaning against the railing, she was probably - "Nothing!" Her gaze wavers and looks back out to the school field. "Well, looking down at the courtyard makes my hands all clammy, but as long as I keep my feet planted on the ground - " "You're cramping, aren't you?" He cuts off that long-winded drivel before it spirals out of control and starts searching through his pockets. "Can you take pills without water?" "No, no! I'm fine, really!" She waves her hands dismissively, features flushing with shame in spite of her attempts to keep her voice light. Not that it stops him. "There's a water fountain by the second floor stairs. Can you walk?" He pulls out an opened blister pack of over-the-counter painkillers. "I. Told. You! I'm fine." She pushes the offered meds back towards him. At the slight brush of her hand against his, she quickly pulls back. Takes three steps away from him for added measure. "See? The pain's passed. I'm okay now." Somehow, Jamil gets the feeling that Lou was lying through her teeth. But he won't press, the color's returned to her face. Somewhat. "Alright," he relents. When an awkward silence falls over them, her eyes flit from his face, to the floor, then to the wall sconces. Her hands fidget with her fingers. "Anyways, I'll get out of your hair now. Thanks, goodbye." And she walks away. "The infirmary's in the western wing. On the ground floor," he calls out before she could round the corner. (She doesn't turn around, in fact her walking pace speeds up. A loud curse leaving her lips. Jamil can almost envision the way her brow would crinkle in frustration. And a part of him can't stop that strange sense of amusement from welling up at the sight.)

sure, it's cute for the first time. but then this happens every time he offers her help and it stops being pitifully adorbs anuna!! nugagawen mo jamil viper!!

sadly, lou has a lot of internalized shame (and fear) to undo when it comes to asking for help with dealing with pain. (though when she's in Ramshackle or in one of the beds at the school infirmary, she won't bother to hide her misery unless company invites itself over)

maybe it comes from the fact that when she was back in her original world, she viscerally remembers the few times her pain was brushed off as her causing a scene

or maybe it stemmed from how her family has ingrained a strong sense of hypochondria into her (getting into arguments over how to treat her illness - even if it's just a slight fever, and "joking" about what kind of hospital treatments would be done to her, all that fun stuff that relatives like to do /derogatory), that she just gets overwhelmed with the onset of any kinds of symptoms

maybe it's a mix of both.

though, later down the events of the main story, her usual coping and defense mechanisms are gonna be so worn down that she'll take a bowl of soup from jamil (he tells her it's leftovers since it's obv she would reject the food if she found out that it was made for her)

tagging: @viperwhispered @crystallizsch @twstgo (if anyone’s interested in being tagged for more stuff with the yuusona, lmk through the replies)

#dellet-writings #lutangcore🎪#my one tip: take ibuprofen on a full stomach. or just NEVER on an Empty Stomach. that shit is Too Potent.#(im prefer taking smth gentler like tylenol/paracetamol)#im remembering this time in elementary where someone in front of me got hit by a motorcycle #it wasnt like super speedy. but both the person and the driver fell #i was amazed at how the person stood up immediately like prolly bcs of adrenaline? embarrassment?#anyway back to my other pressing wip #twst oc #loujami #jamil viper x oc #twst oc x canon #jamiyuu

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labselkie · 3 months ago

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“can someone ask me abt her i wanna yap” speak your truth abt agatha 🤲 free pass

I also do genuinely know Nothing about her so if you want a topic I do literally know nothing — @strawberry-selfships

HALLO HEYY!! don’t even fret it’s a weird premise but i do have a general explanation! STILL TAKING THAT FREE PASS AND RUNNING

wandavis is about the scarlet witch trapping a town in a sitcom curse. agatha is there but since she's a witch she's unaffected, so she just screws around and plans to steal the scarlet witch's powers

at the end of wandavis agatha's powers r locked away, so the plot of her new show is her teaming up with some ragtag witches and her evil probably ex gf to get them back

BUT FOR ME!!!!!! it starts when agatha sees marie one day in the hex (the spell) and senses something off about her, so she brings her inside and is able to reverse the spell. and tada! this girl has wings! so in the spur of the moment, full of shock nd awe; agatha decides to keep marie around. she figures she can use marie as a spy but she gets feelings soooo

I JUST LOVE HER ITS A PROBLEMM,, i wanna imagine marie taking her time with agatha, doing what she can to help without even being asked to. even if that just means tidying up around the house

a big point in the new series has been agatha struggling w maternal instincts nd such. but since i like to insert myself into everything, i usually say that’s a consequence of marie’s undying kindness

how it feels to see that old lady^

episode 3 the first house marie does down the poison, but out of everyone, agatha is worried about her second (obviously agatha’s most worried about herself but yknow) agatha is honestly more hostile on the witches’ road because she has more to lose, hopefully i can still stick in some fluff

obviously i’m scared to see rio again, but i’ve tried to make a stalemate, no mater how much “tension” is in their scenes together, no matter how much the fandom wants to see them ruin their lives. i think marie would be the better choice, at least she cares about agatha

#ask!!!#i love my friends #selkie speaking #꒰ა Tongues & Teeth ໒꒱

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xdraonarts · 1 year ago

Photo

SaTBK PROMPT WEEK || DRAGON || DAY 8

[Prompt List] | [Day 1] | [Day 2] | [Day 3] | [Day 4] | [Day 5] | [Day 6] | [Day 7]

@satbkpromptweek @sonicstorybook

my entire body has unionized against me and sold me out to both OSHA and the IRS, but yknow what? I got a whole series of really cool art I am very proud of. So who’s the real winner here. That’s right. It’s ME.

Wanted to end everything off with a bang and I can NOT pass up the opportunity to draw a really cool dragon, so here’s the final boss fight of my (at least first) SaTBK au storyline. Against the Metal Overlord himself. One day I think I do want to do some in-between lore illustrations and finish out the visual story I was going for during this prompt week, but... thats a thing for future X to decide. Present X simply wishes to bask in these pretty pictures.

Lore below the cut so it can be seperate from the artist commentary

During Arthur’s party’s search for Atlas and a way to harness it’s powers to see if it could cure those corrupted by what’s known as the Phantom Ruby, Infinite had personally taken it upon himself to help the cursed Robotnik soldiers regain their old selves, horrified that their leader would not only kill his most loyal men, but rip them of everything that made them.. well. Them. While he fell mostly on deaf ears, he seemed to have the most reach with Prince Ferris.

Over the course of two groups’ bonds, Ferris grew increasingly angry with his father and, with the Jackal’s help, plotted revenge.

After finding Atlas, King Arthur and his adventuring crew make haste back towards Camelot, all the while allowing Francesca to test the sword’s properties on a recently captured Robotnik soldier, Termina the Goat (not pictured but one day I’ll have to draw her). Fortunately, Francesca’s studies have varying degrees of success in clearing the Robotnik Curse out of those it’s afflicted for a time.

Unfortunately, however, the adventuring party seemed to be late to save Camelot and the Robotnik Empire from harm. Finding the Camelot knights fighting a seemingly futile battle against the newly transformed, draconic body of Ferris.

Unwilling to let the Dracolich claim the lives of more of his men, Arthur rides into battle armed with Atlas. Francesca urges Exxie to follow, giving her as much of the elixir to ward off the Robotnik curse as she can muster. While Infinite was more than happy to sit back and let his new companion snuff out the lives of any knight dared cross the prince, the bandit interferes with his own attack on the kingdoms to try and keep the remains of the Jackal squad safe from the havok he’s helped to create.

And thus the climactic battle against the wrathful prince begins.

fades into the distance and leaves yall on a cliffhanger lmao

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moomeecore · 7 months ago

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hey, i hope this isnt rude, but i value your thoughts on betty (and simon!) and i think about your various analytical pieces often.

so i hope this isnt too vague, but. ive been thinking about the ways betty and simon might differ from each other, specifically in the way they view...everything. do you think one of them has a 'sees the big picture but misses the small details' view and the other has a 'gets lost in the details, cant see the big picture' view? im not sure if they differ here, or if they are both the 'gets lost in the details' but going opposite ways...?

FINALLY getting around to awnsering this. i got sick so it took me even longer than i thought it would (had to wait until i could retain coherent thoughts)!!

Ok So, a lot of this is extrapolating (esp for betty) and goes very into more of a headcanons and Personal Interpretations area than a, like, canon analysis. in part bc the show dosen’t give us a ton of content of these characters (i mean, there’s plenty of simon content as ice king but im talking about pre and post ice king simon here). but yea im just gonna ramble. dont take this super seriously btw guys. again a lot of this is just personal Interpretation yknow

SO i think simon is definitely a “gets lost in the details guy”. at least like, overall. that man overanalyzes things until he goes into a state of paralysis and then he just passes out. in some ways he might better about this post being-freed-from-the-curse, on the basis of "had to survive the apocalypse by thinking on his feet", but also worse about it bc of the lasting impacts of having been ice king. because one of the Big Things about ice king is that he almost never thought anything through and just did things as soon as he thought of them. i think simon probably really wants to be Not Like Ice King and so might be scared of making choices too fast or acting too impulsive. i imagine he’s very worried about behaving like ice king and thats something thats in the back of his mind most of the time, impacting his confidence in his own choices & actions. but also f&c sorta shows that he has that issue of trauma responses causing him to have emotional outbursts and make quick decisions. so thats something to keep in mind.

i think he's, like stuck in a state of being scared to do things without thinking really hard abt them but then sometimes he does that and then he usually regrets it and feels really awful afterwards. not always guilty-awful even. f&c seems to show him feeling angry a lot. to me simon deals not just with guilt over being ice king or recovering from being ice king or Having strong reactions to things or making choices he regrets… but also with Anger At The Situation - a lot of feeling confused and not sure what to do and overwhelmed, i think . (i like that they let him be angry and frustrated, not just sad and depressed. i think this is very realistic to trauma related emotional responses)

the other thing abt simon is he tends to follow other people's lead on a lot of things. i think he just likes not having to deal with the pressure of making decisions. he seems more inclined to lead around f&c than around, like, finn, though. and betty. but i think that’s in part because he was taking on a protector role w them. but yeah. he does a lot of crazy shit in f&c but very noticeably does not really act as a lead decision maker. until they get to the vampire world and they get attacked for a second that man is yelling orders and breaking a chair over his knee and pulling out a pocket knife to carve it into a stake lighting fast. which i loved that. i loved that he gained so much confidence from being in Panic Mode when confronted w vampires Because those where something he had to deal with in the apocalypse when raising marcy. he had to know what to do for marcys sake. other than that tho he's usually making suggestions at most. and agreeing to do scary crazy shit lmao . EXCEPT he decides on his own in secret to try and contact golb . hehe (motivated by wants to see his wife)

(it also seems like when he feels more confident in something he's much more capable of making choices. (makes sense) he wasnt paralyzed by anxiety when going on that research expedition with betty, probably because he was literally getting a phd (or had a phd, the show was so weird abt that) in that subject. makes sense he knows what he's doing. and also is interesting bc in ep2 of fionna and cake when he goes on an Adventure with finn he's very scared and nervous, but then talks about how he "used to be quite the adventurer in [his] day", which fits into the theme f&c had w his character where he feels out of place and less confident bc his whole ass profession isn't really relevant anymore, and everything is so different from how it used to be. so yeah. current simon has even less self confidence and confidence in his own decision making than Back In The Day simon bc of that)

id like to say that…. i think that the fact that it took betty only a few years to summon and eldritch god to free simon from his curse meanwhile it took simon 12 years to get to the point where he kidnapped a guy to use in a summoning ritual to talk to betty is interesting. bc i really do think they both love each other, and are both obsessive and co dependent. but betty went off the deep end so fast, meanwhile simon took a lot longer to do something comparatively Less Evil for betty. i think that a lot of this is because simon is just less confident in his choices, more nervous about making decisions, and *slower* at making decisions. in part because of a obsessive focus on details (i also think a buncha other stuff contributed to the difference in how long it took betty vs simon to do differing levels of fucked up shit for eachother but Yeah that’s the relevant part.)

i wouldn't say betty is a "think about the big picture, ignore the details" person though, necessarily. maybe compared to simon she is, but she's still a huge fucking nerd. she's an academic! to me she's someone who takes issues and situations that are more subjective and translates them into concretely structured language in order to guide herself through what actions she should take (my friend responded to this with “so what youre saying is betty took a philosophy class and was like ‘aw yes! Math!’” and yeah that is exactly what im saying)

i feel like canon sort of implies this, and definitely doesn't Not Imply It, but i also think canon didn't flesh out her character very well, so in a lot of ways im making my own assertions. but i think she's the type of person who likes to view things in ways that are ....not necessarily less complicated, but more concrete? like she can handle an uber complicated math problem with ease, but the way a math problem is complicated is entirely different from the way a social interaction is complicated, you know. and she's way better equipped for the first one.

so, basically, i think betty would be like: Dosent see the bigger picture.... but in a different way from simon, where instead of getting caught up on and overwhelmed by all the little details, she picks a specific angle to view the situation and then focuses on That, often to the detriment of viewing things from a wider, more complex and nuanced perspective. so better at seeing the bigger picture than simon, but still can miss a Lot…

i also feel like she leans towards viewing things as "identify a problem/issue, then find away to eliminate it" and "identify a goal, and find a way to reach it" . like i feel like she'd tackle social and personal situations in this way. it's not like she can't do things for fun or anything, but like, if she upset simon she'd go into Solving A Problem Mode and be like: “The issue is Simon Is Upset. The goal is Make Simon Not Upset. First i have to identify Why simon is Upset, and then how to make him Not Upset. This is The Current Goal I Must Complete.” like, not in an abstract sense. like shes literally narrating that to herself. i think she likes to focus in on "what's wrong here and how do i fix it" as opposed to dwelling on emotions and exploring nuance. (which may be a contributor to how she ended up in that “there’s so little me left anymore” state by temple of mars: she was so focused on Fixing the Problem that she didn’t allow herself to really process her feelings too deeply and that took a toll on her mental health.)

simon is maybe more aware of nuance, which could be part of why he gets caught up on details because he's like "this CANT be properly categorized into something more straightforward, there's actually a billion TRILLION little details and that is stressful". like simon desperately wishes things could be simplified down more but is usually like "actually no, a million things are happening actually". he's like me he would get upset if asked to rate his pain or feelings on a number scale at the doctor (i can’t do that shit for the life of me. Those things are far too complicated to put on a number scale in my eyes). meanwhile betty just will force things into concrete categories and steps and factors that Make Sense To Her with intense fervor and if she starts to have a "this is too complicated to address" moment she feels threatened and then tries very hard to reprocess things in a way that is easier, or just does her best to ignore the things that make stuff too complicated to address

i think betty tends to view things in medium-sized chunks that incorporate some but Not All details in a situation, and that she cares about small details and being thorough but feels like accomplishing the goal is the most important thing, so is willing and able to make a quick decision if she feels it's the only choice. like. she had a limited time before the portal closed, and she chose to jump through it, because she thought "the problem is that im not with simon. simon is on the other side of the portal. ill go there" it's not that she doesn't like to think things through. she loves to think things through! its just that OVERALL she is a Doer who wants to solve the problem and thinks taking action and doing something is way better than sitting there and missing an opportunity. betty will think through the details if she has time, but if she doesnt, she just breaks things down into whatever is most easy to digest and process, and then takes the option that seems.like it will get the most desired outcome based on the available info. and also shes just very confident and headstrong. and THATS. why she punched bella noche

In my eyes betty likes having rules and defined, structured processes about what to do or how to deal with stuff. and she dosen’t really like changing those. she's very autistic. she hates change i think. so does simon. but i think that simon would be more likely to be like: the change in situation is so upsetting that it's making it harder to think and process things, so he just gets overwhelmed and has an even harder time addressing whatever is happening or comprehending it. meanwhile betty is quick to try and find the easiest way to rerout her thinking to fit the new change, she's just really fucking pissed off and stressed out about it (part of this to me is she hates feeling powerless & hates feeling like she might fail). she copes with changes in her surroundings by finding a way to connect the changed situation as well and as fast as possible with her pre existing methods of tackling situations. i think bettys also worse at handling changes in people than changes in situation. to quote my friend when we where texting about this “Situations dont have feelings”.

Like. Betty has so many skills. so much knowledge. but isn’t great with people. And she gets to know people and figures out how to understand them and then THEY CHANGE??? ILLEGAL. and so… like…this is literally her whole thing with simon!! elements seems to imply that betty originally views things as "simon is cursed, i have to fix the curse". but when she makes an attempt to meet simon where he’s at and try to interact with him as ice king, she is unable to handle it. she is upset that he is different, so much so that she concludes the only way to view things is to see them as separate people, even though it was implied that she wasn't doing that before! she was approaching it like he was Simon With Memory Loss…..but then she does her villain betrayal scene and now she's all "things will be back to just me and simon, and you won't exist" . meaning before she directly started interacting with him, she was able to view him as simon, but when she did interact with him for an extended period of time and found out how different he had become, she felt so threatened by this that the only way she could handle it was by switching her view in order to not have to confront the idea that simon could have changed that much. it also meant switching her view to a place where she would be okay hurting simon. but when he starts to protest, get upset, ask what's wrong, and worst of all, insist that he's worthy of respect, that starts to stress her out and she has to talk out loud to herself to reassure herself that she's doing the right thing

and in that scene simon goes "i don't know who this simon guy is, im ice king", which i think is a Big line - he's responded to simon in the past, but doesnt always. Like. he's inconsistent in whether or not he's aware that's a way of referring to him, which makes sense bc he seems to have memory lapses where he remembers things fine one minute and forgets them the next, them remembers about them way later. anyway having him say that simultaneously provides a Confirmation of bettys new perspective, but it also… isn’t meant to. i feel like, to the audience, its saying that "simon has changed so much, he's entirely different now. and this is the way things are, and betty should accept this, but she cant" . to betty its telling her she’s right, but that kind of sucks, because she’s not totally sure how much she wants to be right (she dosen’t want this to be simon, but she also dosen’t want simon to be gone)

(i think the idea of betty Swapping her perspective abt simon during elements as a coping strategy to deal w the panic of What If Simon Is Different + the moral dilemma of potentially hurting him fits nicely into the "betty has bpd" interpretation . my girl is splitting)

(also ik many people interpret simon and ice king as Literally being entirely different people but tbh i think that is way less interesting and doesn't make a lot of sense with the canon. but also ik this is partially because what people consider to be "different people" is subjective. like it depends somewhat on ur perception of identity and stuff. also having different interpretations is valid and fair and all that - and adventure time is often very loose in its text and there’s lots of ways to interpret it. but whatever man im just saying my feelings and That is and Always Will Be the Same guy to me and i think that perspective is waay more interesting to explore than simon getting possessed by an alternate personality or whatever. so im just going under that interpretation….. i think some ppl would perceive the "im ice king" line as being a conformation of them as separate people but to me it's a more abstract representation of the idea that a Drastic Change has taken place that Cannot be reversed!!.... which. Ok eventually it is but tbh i doubt they even knew how they'd end the show by this point and i still think in the context of elements it still works very well as a way driving home both how betty is Not Handling the Situation Well while also making you empathize with her bc u also know how hard that must have been for her to hear)

i think betty is very person-oriented in a unique way!!she's codependent while also being low empathy, introverted, and in many ways socially inept, which is an interesting combo! i really get the vibe that she has always struggled socially and had trouble fitting in, so attaches really heavily to people who she does feel a connection to, and works really, really hard to maintain the relationships she has. i like to think she’s scared of rejection…

i think simon is much more empathetic, emotion-driven, and in tune with others than betty, but i also think he can be Very bad at actually understanding other people on many levels - like with his obliviousness to betty being interested in him romantically until she spelled it out for him, or to the impact of bettys earlier sacrifices. simon also, with the mission to get the crown in f&c, despite his empathetic nature and love for his friends, does not seem to consider that putting the crown on would upset his friends. This shows a "focusing on one thing and missing something else" scenario, and perhaps more of a "thinking abt the big picture" (saving f&c's world) over the details (friends would be sad) thing. so that's interesting. (although i think part of this example in particular stems from his self hatred preventing him from really thinking that his friends would be upset if he did that. but in a sense it is focusing on big picture over details). So theres some nuance there i think

BUT Anyway, i think this issue probably is mainly with him struggling to read people, or fully understand others perspectives, despite caring deeply about people and feeling Upset when he can tell other people are Upset. he cares and he feels very emotionally connected to people, especially people he cares about…. he just isn't that great at picking up on things sometimes. (also. Worth noting, i think its def shown that while simon may be very caring towards his friends and is a generally nice and approachable, well meaning person who wants whats best for other people. He still is very capable of Hating People and Doing Bad Things On Purpose. Don’t want to ignore that. also hes very desensitized to bad things happening in many respects lmao. So its not like hes just always super nice and caring and amazing. He still murdered choose goose to death and That is via the power of choose goose being annoying and Simon Loving Betty)

Betty also struggles to understand other people but instead of being downright oblivious to certain things or being unsure and nervous she finds relating to people and understanding their actions and emotions to be actively difficult and makes an active effort to understand people in a bit of a scientist-looking-at-a-subject way. Which can be helpful sometimes and less helpful other times. like. it's good that she has a way to navigate social interactions . but also that way of addressing things isn't always conductive to a healthy relationship, especially when she doesn't really let simon in on the fact that she's making these sort of analyses where she's like "what will maximize Simon Being Happy and how do i accomplish this" sometimes to her own detriment. simon is just like "wow betty is so confident and good at knowing what she wants" meanwhile betty is like "i will make the best choice For Simon" betty i think is better than simon at reading people but not good at Empathizing With Others Emotions or really Understanding or relating to the emotions behind their actions .

she also is shown to, despite caring So much about simon, not be very considerate or caring towards others (not the same as being low empathy & etc dw im not equating them. Its just on the topic of How She Views Others!!!). To be fair, we don’t see nearly enough of her interacting with people besides simon, but i like to think that she just sorta struggles to really care about and have compassion for Random People but deeply cares about those she is Really close too (but as far as we know, thats just simon)

OVERALLi think they see the world very similarly in some ways and very differently in others and it's an interesting balance. also they are both Autistic. In cconclusion !!

betty

likes to break things down into concrete concepts because she struggles to comprehend more subjective and nuanced experiences, especially in social situations + Feels more comfortable approaching things from a “scientific” perspective because it is familiar and easy for her to navigate; threatened by uncertainty and comforted by things that are more straightforward and well-defined

doesn't dwell on things a ton (esp not as much as simon) because she's very goal-oriented and focused on the Now. she wants to get to the next step. that often then means ignoring Her Own Feelings Or Needs if she deems Other Things to be more relevant or important than them (not good for your mental health) + this also means she’s better at making quick decisions! she cares about details and prefers to have All The Relevant Info but is willing and able to cut things down to a “wider-picture” that helps her make whatever choices will help her achieve her goal - that wider picture just may not always be the Full Actual wider picture.

struggles to put herself in other people's shoes - finds it easier to view herself as an outside party with the goal of achieving the ideal outcome in a social situation. In general has low empathy and struggles to understand/relate to others feelings, which impacts her perspective on things and how she handles/views situations.

(not really mentioned earlier but idk where else to put it:) i also think she has that Autism Trait where you focus in on a specific goal you want to achieve and struggle to focus on anything else until it's accomplished (and that that sort of thinking pattern happened with curing simons curse). where you put off doing anything, even things you could do, until something that you Need to happen (according to your brain, not the real world) happens. Betty put off being person until simon was saved. she put Everything on hold until she accomplished her mission. and this is in a way a form of not seeing the bigger picture, because its overly focusing on a specific thing at the expense of others

(bettys better at balancing seeing the details & the big picture in a sense, but more like. she picks a medium sized chunk of what is going on and focuses on that and acknowledges details when able to but is willing and able to make split second decisions based on little info and is confident in doing so. but whereas i think simon might have more of a "sees the whole big picture but then gets caught up on the details" thing going on, i think betty just straight up focuses on One Portion of something, of varying sizes, which could or could not he considered a "detail", but then almost completely ignores everything else, viewing things as individual challenges or events that need to be addressed before anything else can be)

simon

is someone who really likes to think things through, and can easily get hung up on details and can easily get overwhelmed by those details and sent into a state of anxiety-fueled-spiraling or decision making paralysis

this is worse probably for Current simon because he’s also Trying To DIstance Himself from his identity as ice king, and as ice king he had no impulse control and thought things through very little. so simon likely puts even more pressure on himself to think things through! unfortunately hes also Going Through A Lot Emotionally and sometimes that’s too much and he Dosen’t think things through and just acts on how he’s feeling. And that makes him feel Worse about himself and just Everything in general

he is more confident with his decision making skills if he feels more prepared/knowledgeable on the subject at hand or is taking on a caretaker role (like with marcy, or f&c). but currently he dosen’t have a lot of that going on so that kinda sucks for his self confidence.

simon is better at empathizing with people than betty & at creating connections with others & is more caring towards people he dosen’t know that well - and so may consider Other People more in his perspectives on things. But on the other hand hes not always the best at reading people or understanding their perspectives, even if he feels emotional connections and cares about people, so he can easily overlook other people’s struggles or perspectives within an issue - even if he cares deeply about their wellbeing (very relevant to his relationship with betty)

he’s generally more emotion driven than betty, and dwells on & ruminates about his feelings, sometimes to the point of obscuring his understanding of a situation or his ability to engage with it. On The Other Hand this means he at least acknowledges how he’s feeling meanwhile betty is like “im classifying that as irrelevant information until further notice” lmao.

he’s better at understanding nuance & subjectivity than betty but this contributes to his habit of getting-overwhelmed by everything & Overthinking

(simon focuses on details over the big picture overall. he easily gets caught up in details and panics. he traps himself in cycles of worrying about details that can paralyze him when making decisions, and so prefers to not have to make choices. BUT simons "paralyzed with fear of making decisions" state can often be overturned by the power of Having Strong Emotions and his decisions may be Less Good because of the power of not being great and understanding other people. he's very emotion-driven and currently suffering from a billion mental health issues so sometimes all that gets in the way of his natural over-thinking. hes got a better understanding of nuance than betty & is better at Empathizing with others and more considerate but not all too great at reading them or recognizing others Feelings or Behaviors)

I THINK I REPEATED A LOT IN THIS. AGAIN, KIND OF JUST RAMBLING. HOPEFULLY IT WAS SOMEWHAT COHERENT

#text #asks

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