#sour series

[luvmmarner]

William Nylander - Drivers License

WORD COUNT: 2765 (including lyrics) TW: cheating (kinda), betrayal. PART OF THE SOUR SERIES

ɪ ɢᴏᴛ ᴍʏ ᴅʀɪᴠᴇʀ'ꜱ ʟɪᴄᴇɴꜱᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ

ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴛᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ

'ᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ꜱᴏ ᴇxᴄɪᴛᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴇ

ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴᴀʟʟʏ ᴅʀɪᴠᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ

ʙᴜᴛ ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ, ɪ ᴅʀᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜʙᴜʀʙꜱ

ᴄʀʏɪɴɢ 'ᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ'ᴛ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ

You and Willy always talked about you getting your driver's license, but due to the fact that you were so busy studying for tests and finishing off school, you never managed to do so. He would often talk about how the major reason he wanted you to get it was so that you could drive to see him when he was bored or when he wanted to spend time with you. But you never got the chance to do any of that. When you finally got your driver's license, it was already too late; he had already left, and the only thing you could do now was drive through the suburbs of Calgary all the way up to Edmonton. ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴘʀᴏʙᴀʙʟʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʙʟᴏɴᴅᴇ ɢɪʀʟ

ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴅᴏᴜʙᴛ

ꜱʜᴇ'ꜱ ꜱᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴏʟᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴍᴇ

ꜱʜᴇ'ꜱ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪ'ᴍ ɪɴꜱᴇᴄᴜʀᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ

During the time that you were dating, you undoubtedly struggled with feelings of insecurity. You were extremely careful, but the only reason for this was that you didn't want to damage yourself again. You have a history of unsatisfactory relationships, the majority of which ended with the person you were dating cheating on you. You had many other insecurities as well, especially after seeing her with him. It was you who introduced her to him anyway. She was your friend and someone you trusted, but she betrayed you just like everyone else.

You can vividly recall the day when you first met Kat. In spite of the fact that there was just a three-year age gap between you two, she didn’t care at all how old you were. She was interesting, and she shared your hobbies. What more could you ask for? You two hung out every day and talked until you came to the conclusion that you should invite her over. It was the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. Willy and her connected right away, and without your knowledge, they gave each other their phone numbers and began texting one another every day. It's not like you had a problem with that; it was until they started lying to you and hanging out behind your back. You didn’t blame Willy at first, because Kat was persuasive and her fun demeanour could immediately convince anyone to hang out with her.

ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ'ᴛ ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜰᴇʟᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴡᴀʏ ꜰᴏʀ ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ

ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇ ʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ꜱᴏ ᴏᴋᴀʏ ɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ'ᴍ ɢᴏɴᴇ

ɢᴜᴇꜱꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʀᴏᴛᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴏɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴍᴇ

'ᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ, ɴᴏᴡ ɪ ᴅʀɪᴠᴇ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜱᴛʀᴇᴇᴛ You were aware that the two of you were not perfect. You both went through good times and bad times, and at times the two of you fought to the point where you broke up, but in the end, you always made up. You knew that he was the only person who could make you feel loved and protected for the first time, despite the fact that you occasionally detested him in heated moments such as arguments. You knew deep down that he was the first person you trusted to keep your heart safe in a relationship. You never thought he was interested in someone else, especially someone else who was your friend and whom you also trusted. You guys broke up on seemingly good terms, with him saying that he needed a break because he wanted to focus on his hockey career, and he hoped that he could go pro one day. You were very upset when you guys broke up, even though you kind of knew deep down that you guys would not be getting back together, but in your mind, you still clung onto a little bit of hope that things might change—that he might comeback. That never happened; multiple years passed by, and you tried your best to reach out to him and his family. Just to check up on him, but the number he once had that he used to always call you and text you on was out of service. It wasn't until one day that the thought occurred to you to check out his social media; you would just give a quick check just to see how he'd been, and then you'd never check it again. It was the worst mistake you could’ve ever made. His Instagram was filled with photos of Kat and him. One of the photos shows them smiling in a cafe. At the same cafe that you and Willy would always go to daily, you looked at the date on the photo, and as soon as you did, tears started falling onto the phone. It was the day after you two had ended the relationship. You didn’t know how he could be so okay after just one day. You guys were together for awhile, and you weren’t okay, especially on that day. You isolated yourself inside for weeks, and the only time you emerged into the sunlight was when you unlocked the door to get the food deliveries. Despite this, you weren't doing well even now, especially after learning this information. ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʟʟ ᴍʏ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ

ᴏꜰ ʜᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ ʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ɪ ᴍɪꜱꜱ ʏᴏᴜ, ʙᴜᴛ

ɪ ᴋɪɴᴅᴀ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ꜱᴏʀʀʏ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇᴍ

'ᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ'ʟʟ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴅᴏ

ʏᴇᴀʜ, ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ, ɪ ᴅʀᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜʙᴜʀʙꜱ

ᴀɴᴅ ᴘɪᴄᴛᴜʀᴇᴅ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴅʀɪᴠɪɴɢ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ

You were well aware that your close friends were growing tired of hearing you continuously vent about your ended relationship, but they had no idea what you were going through. They've never been in a relationship that lasted more than a few years. You and Will started dating when you were just 14 and split up when you were 18, and here you are, 6 years later, still hurting. You are aware that you should have moved on by now, but you do not want to experience that pain once more, and you know that you will not be able to love in the same manner that you once did in the past. William was the one and only person you've ever loved with such profound intensity, and despite the fact that it may be difficult for you to admit it, you still love him to this day.

You were aware that none of your friends knew William as well as you did. You and he spent your childhoods together and continued to do so until you both reached adulthood together. Your friends never hang out with him outside of planned get-togethers for holidays, such as Christmas or Halloween. There were a few of your friends who spoke to William, but the conversation never went beyond the "just friends" threshold. You knew that even if some of your friends continued to be friends with him to this day, their relationship with him would never be as close as it was between the two of you. When your friends finally spoke about him, all you heard was that an NHL team had allegedly selected him in the draft. This was the only information you received about him. You felt a sense of pride toward him. It was something he never stopped talking about; it was his dream, and he never stopped telling you that he wanted to play in the NHL at some point in his life. You wished you could congratulate him, but you unfortunately couldn't, and you weren’t just going to ask your friends for his new number. You had to forget about him eventually, and you decided to start now.

You made the decision to take one more drive into the city that you had

grown to passionately love. Your mind was making the assumption that you were travelling to his house to see him. The one thing he has always wanted you to do You were going to move on; you just knew it would take a bit longer, especially since you’ve been grieving for a bit.

ʀᴇᴅ ʟɪɢʜᴛꜱ, ꜱᴛᴏᴘ ꜱɪɢɴꜱ

ɪ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ꜱᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴄᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ᴄᴀʀꜱ, ꜰʀᴏɴᴛ ʏᴀʀᴅꜱ

ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ᴅʀɪᴠᴇ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇꜱ ᴡᴇ ᴜꜱᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ ᴛᴏ

'ᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ɪ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ꜰᴜᴄᴋɪɴ' ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ, ʙᴀʙᴇ (ᴏᴏʜ, ᴏᴏʜ-ᴏᴏʜ, ᴏᴏʜ, ᴏᴏʜ-ᴏᴏʜ)

ꜱɪᴅᴇᴡᴀʟᴋꜱ ᴡᴇ ᴄʀᴏꜱꜱᴇᴅ

ɪ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ʜᴇᴀʀ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴀꜰꜰɪᴄ, ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ʟᴀᴜɢʜɪɴɢ

ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴏɪꜱᴇ

ɢᴏᴅ, ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴏ ʙʟᴜᴇ, ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ

ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ꜰᴜᴄᴋɪɴ' ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ, ʙᴀʙᴇ (ᴏᴏʜ, ᴏᴏʜ-ᴏᴏʜ, ᴏᴏʜ, ᴏᴏʜ-ᴏᴏʜ)

You had another breakdown just a few days after your 25th birthday. You found out about William's recent engagement to Kat from the word of mouth of your other pals. It was the worst possible piece of information that could have come your way. You were unable to hold back your tears the entire day. You made the decision to go for a drive in an effort to put an end to your crying. You always experienced an unanticipated sense of peace whenever you were behind the wheel. You thought the drive could give you the same peace you always experienced, but wherever you looked, you would see and hear him. You hesitated to drive past places you'd been with him, but today was different. Every traffic light and every stop sign, even every sidewalk. You closed your eyes, imagining the good times you'd had with him and how much you wanted them back. You still loved him, and now you know it for sure.

ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ'ᴛ ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜰᴇʟᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴡᴀʏ ꜰᴏʀ ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ

ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇ ʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ꜱᴏ ᴏᴋᴀʏ ɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ'ᴍ ɢᴏɴᴇ

Nobody’s perfect. He wasn’t perfect, and neither were you. You had your bad moments, and so did he. It was what made you guys stronger, but no matter how much effort and time you put into the relationship, it was never bound to work. He was happy now, and so were you. You learned to grow over it, and now you’ll hopefully find someone who makes you as happy as Kat made him. You wished things could’ve been different. Just maybe he could've had some more empathy for your feelings and cared just a little more after the breakup, but you were kind of grateful he didn’t. Because it made you not care about it anymore.

ʏᴇᴀʜ, ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ, ɴᴏᴡ ɪ ᴅʀɪᴠᴇ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜱᴛʀᴇᴇᴛ

It was something you'd never expected to do. Your friends suggested you go with them to a hockey game. You hesitated at the thought of it. What if he’s there? But they constantly reassured you that he was not on either of the teams playing tonight. You finally agreed and honestly wished you hadn’t. The moment you arrived at the arena and took your seat, you regretted it. You were sitting on the side where Calgary shoots twice. That means the other team warmups would be on the side you sat, and unfortunately, the seat your friends picked way prior to the start of the season was at the glass. Another big unfortunate thing was that it was the Toronto Maple Leafs. At first, you didn’t know he was on that team. It was not until all the Leafs players came out onto the ice that you saw the number and the last name. 88. You wanted to get out of there, but you couldn’t be rude to your friends, who paid a lot of money to get these seats. You made the quick decision to stay. Since it has been some time, it was possible that he would not recognize you. You also got over him fully two years ago when it was announced that he was engaged, so really, it shouldn’t have been an issue.

The undying fact was that you truly didn’t get over him. That was verified, because you’ve never gotten with anyone since him. You were waiting, and you didn’t entirely know why.

You were retrenched from your thoughts when your friend turned to you to tell you the news that made you stop altogether.

“You know he’s single, right?” JJ, who is one of your best friends, said

“Who?” You asked your first question nothing but shaky. You had a hint as to who she was talking about, but you wished that it wasn’t true.

“Will… You know you guys could finally get back together. He’s been single for a year now, and it looks like Kat and him are fully done.” JJ stated before quickly adding to the conversation. “You should give him another chance.” You didn't even bother to listen to the very end of what she had to say. When you heard this, a portion of you was overjoyed, but on the other hand, you felt anger rising up inside of you. This was a setup, and you had no patience for it. You ought to have seen from the beginning that this was odd. JJ spent the entire day yesterday hooked on her phone. Now everything makes perfect sense. He wanted a second chance, but you were unsure how to deal with it. You wanted to hear his side of the story about why he left. You knew the reason wasn’t just because he wanted to focus on hockey; you knew it was something more than that. You were torn. You still loved him and cared, but did he deserve it?

“You set me up?” You asked, trying your best not to just get up and leave and instead listen to what she has to say.

“He was messaging me yesterday, saying he wanted to talk to you and apologize to you for what he’s done. He really misses and cares about you, and he even said he made a mistake. He really loved you, and he wants everything back. He just misses you.” JJ’s voice was rolling quietly at the last part.

You fell quiet; you had no response to that. You were happy. But you didn’t want to get hurt again. You shook your head in denial before looking at the ice. The number 88 caught your eye multiple times. He knew you were here the moment you made eye contact with him. You felt yourself falling again, this time not tears. Instead, you felt yourself falling in love again. The way he looked at you was nothing but filled with love. It was comforting. He skated around before pressing his back against the glass you were seated in front of. The words Nylander are constantly catching your eye. The last name you’ve always wanted, but now you could maybe have it someday. You turned to JJ, giving her a nod before saying, "Fine, give me his number.” She squealed in excitement, giving you a side hug. You didn’t know it was the best idea to do it, but it was too late now, as you finished typing the numbers into your contact and sent a simple hello. Before turning off your phone,

The rest of the game went by quickly, and unfortunately, Calgary lost 7-3, with Nylander and Matthews both scoring two goals. You weren’t that experienced with the Maple Leafs and only really watched hockey whenever you were bored, and when you did, it was only Calgary and Edmonton that you watched.

After the game ended, you went home. You were hoping to go to bed as it was almost 3 a.m., but a chime from your phone distracted you completely. The text was from Will, and it was only an address. You took a few moments to consider it before making the decision to hop in your car and drive to the place.

You finally arrived at the location. It was definitely a hotel; the multiple-level building was a clear indication of that. You replied to him with a quick message saying “number?” and he quickly shot back a reply with just "1003." You spoke silently to yourself before remembering what happened in the past. You promised yourself that you wouldn’t get hurt again. You knew this could just end in you getting hurt again, and you weren’t ready for it. You already got hurt, and if it happens again, especially by the same person, you will never forgive yourself. You typed a quick message saying, “Sorry, I can’t.” You gave one last look at the building before starting your car again and driving off.

[auraeseer]

Whose orange is it?

It's our orange.

[637lemonbelle637]

Sour Series /Episode 1/

I decided to make this series of really short snippets of sad things the characters from demon slayer go through and or deal with that I think would fit there character. Of course none of this is down right canon though it might be based off of their canon experiences and other canon events. Anyway I was just feeling like doing that and I will be doing ALMOST ALL demon slayer characters. Yes that includes characters like Kyogai and Sakonji. I hope everyone likes them and can understand why I think these would fit their characters. Anywho, Shinobu Kocho

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shinobu Kocho

Shinobu has always been a calm woman. Rarely ever showing more than a concerned look on her rather fair face. However, even for someone as trained to hide emotions as she is, they get to her sometimes. The stress of having all the lives of each demon slayer in your hands whenever they are hurt. Or the fact that your arms are so weak and frail you can't do the main purpose of your own job?

It hurts to think about how others in the corp might think of her. She doesn't like thinking about other's opinions and she normally does not. She simply acts like she doesn't care at all. However, when these emotions do get the best of her, it is hard for her to cry.

This mainly happens late at night when she's peacefully asleep and suddenly has a bad dream. Without being prepared for the sudden jolt of emotion it takes a rather large toll on her mood. Her hair would be frilly and roughly curling the sides of her face as she hugs her knees to her chest in her quiet room. This is when she thinks of all the things she dislikes the most in order to get the tears out and over with.

She thinks about how she could do nothing for her sister, or how people must see her because of her so called "negligent" personality. She makes herself rethink whether her choices were truly the right thing to do.

She rethinks about every moment of every day where she could have done something a little differently and it would have changed for the better but she didn't do that thing. If only she had thought it then. if only it had came into her mind. if only she cared enough to remember. Using this method she easily begins to cry. The tears are silent though. She doesn't sob, she doesn't whine and she doesn't scream. She sits, her face cold yet calm.

And she cries.

[astrowarr]

i honestly don't think grian betrayed scar in the finale at all, even by final killing lizzie and jimmy

grian was abundantly clear from the start who his alliance was with: scar, and scar alone. he outright told scar on multiple occasions not only that his friendship didn't extend to scar's allies, but even that he still intended on killing jimmy as revenge. scar knew full well where grian stood with his teammates; if he didn't know, it was because he was being intentionally ignorant about it.

grian kept his promises. the closest he gets to a betrayal is when he first sets up the trap and says "we could get a triple kill," but even then, he doesn't. he goes to great lengths not to kill scar; after scar has lost his final life, he laments as to how the bloodlust made it so so tempting to just kill scar, but he couldn't because their alliance was "too strong." grian avoids using the bambunker trap until after scar is dead, and says "my only issue with this trap was that i was going to kill scar."

grian didn't betray scar. he went out of his way not to. he lived up to every single promise he made, and he didn't even force scar to feel it. because he knows how badly it hurts to watch everyone you love die in front of you. so he made his intentions clear, and in the end, he even managed to spare scar the survivor's guilt that clings to his hands like blood and gunpowder. a small mercy that was, perhaps

[mercutio-the-velaryon]

the infinite forms of something that perpetually creates and undos

[superectojazzmage]

Among my mounting bad/unsure feelings about Arcane season two is a feeling of... I don't know, weirded outness over how Jinx is being handled. Just the way they seem to almost be trying to pretend like she wasn't depicted in season one as basically a sadistic, bloodthirsty, would-be school shooter who did shit like shooting animals for fun or blowing up buildings to try and impress her dad.

Like, the narrative of this season seems to be going out of it's way to handle her with kids gloves in a way that season one didn't, treating her as if she's just a "lol so quirky" kind of character or even a genuine revolutionary hero to be idolized as Zaun's leader compared to season one's "oh this lady is genuinely dangerously unstable and a threat to everyone around her". She's not treated as a villain - albeit a tragic one - she's treated like she's a flawed hero at worst.

Hell, I mean, you see it with the whole plot of Zaun following Jinx as a symbol of revolt. Because all throughout season one, Jinx's relationship with Zaun in even the most charitable light amounted to everyone except Silco being fucking TERRIFIED of her or outright hating her guts, and with good reason as she did nothing but make everyone's situations worse by being a mood-swinging killer who attacks anyone and anything around her at the slightest provocation and constantly goes into violent, hallucinatory fugue states at even the most mild of stresses. But than she blows up the council and suddenly everyone is literally equating her with a god worshiped in Zaun? Imagine if you saw people claiming the Unabomber was the Second Coming and you get an idea of how bizarre that is.

Everyone regarded Jinx as a walking bomb in season one. Even a lot of Silco's allies - from Sevika to Marcus - spent said first season saying Jinx was out-of-control and that killing her would be doing Silco a favor, and that was objectively true, especially considering Jinx ends up directly murdering Silco in yet another fit of blind rage and panic. Now we get season two and anyone who seriously opposes Jinx seems to be treated like either a jerk or a burgeoning extremist for not liking a terrorist who kills people because the voices in her head say to do it, and some people who despised Jinx in season like Sevika now act like they're just mildly annoyed by her childishness and weird behavior (something else that was played in a very creepy light in s1, but now seems treated like it's harmless).

Her crimes from season one and even this season are kinda brushed over; there's tepid acknowledgment that she killed Caitlyn's mom and two other councilors, but that's it and nobody really dwells on the fact that she basically did fantasy 9/11. And likewise, Caitlyn is treated as if she's becoming a violent zealot for shooting at Jinx while Isha is near, but nobody so much as comments on Jinx outright murdering numerous children through Grey-bombing Piltover or literally shooting a teenage Firelight in the back in season one just because she looked like Vi.

Speaking of Isha, I hate to say it, but she really does feel like she has no reason for existing beyond making Jinx look better. No themes of Jinx perpetuating the kind of abuse Silco inflicted on her by raising to be the monster she is, no acknowledgment of how dangerous somebody like Jinx would be as a mother, no questioning of the ethics of Jinx's actions, and Isha watching Jinx murder people is framed in a silly, comedic light compared to season one's blunt depiction of how Powder being exposed to violence from a young age warps her. Isha throws straight KILLS HERSELF via suicide bombing and it's framed as a heroic, beautiful act and not a horrific sight of a child being so radicalized by the terrorist that raised her that she thinks killing others and eve herself "for the cause" is good. The series dangles her and Jinx being friendly with each other in front of you like a parent jangling car keys at an infant. "Oooh look at Jinx and Isha dancing and dying their hair haha it's so cute don't think about bad things, Jinx is nice now!".

I just honestly am not a fan of this "Harley Quinnification" of Jinx after season one went out of it's way to tear down that kind of character. Such a big part of Jinx's portrayal there was ripping apart the idea of this manic pixie terrorist who is Totes Awesomes and only hurts bad guys as part of it's larger themes of the ugliness of violence and the dangers of valorizing it. And I really feel like we're losing that. Not even just with Jinx, but with Zaun as a whole, this season feels like it's going full "everything is Piltover's fault, Zaun didn't do nothing wrong, those Piltover babies should just shut up and let themselves be attacked for being big stupid oppressor doodoo heads!!!!" which feels very counterproductive to the series' messages and like frankly shit writing.

[eternalnat]

I rarely make tumblr posts, but I am so infuriated by this situation I need to say something about it.

Five Hargreeves, who spent 45 years alone in a post-apocalyptic world, and every single moment of his life since was spent trying to get back to his family. The Five who ran himself dry for 2 weeks straight trying to stop the end of the world, and reunite his family. The Five who slaughtered an entire board of directors just to ensure him family's safety. Who turned back time himself, while bleeding out on the floor, just to save his siblings. You're telling me, that the Five whose entire motivation for living was once saving his family, is the same Five, who in s4 has entirely given up, and in the Subway is the one trying to convince Lila to stop looking after 6 and a half years? The Five who never once stopped trying to return to his family in all 45 years of surviving alone, decides to settle down in a greenhouse and live out a cottagecore life?

Furthermore, the same Five who told Lila that Diego loved her, who reassured his brother that his wife wasn't cheating on him and loved him dearly, the same Five who got on with Lila only due to the fact that they both cared for and loved Diego, the person they had in common, is the same Five who stole his brother's wife, whom he had three children with, just because the writers were excited that Aidan Gallagher was finally legal?

Five who hated authority, who despised when people gave him commands, who wanted nothing more than to retire in s3, is now working for the CIA and willingly calling his boss, 'sir'?

Five who used to be so paranoid and suspicious of everyone and everything, who used to solve problems alone and came to epiphanies that saved the world, who didn't even trust a past version of himself, also didn't realise that his boss of many years had an umbrella tattooed on his wrist?

Everything that once stood out about his character is now gone, as if the writers themselves entirely forgot about his existence until the last moment, and added him in as an afterthought, without thinking of the effect he would have on the story.

[reallyunluckyrunaway]

[kabishkat19]

My Fav Poly couples🖤

(Both Canon/Non canon)

1. Tulio x Miguel x Chel

I think this goes without saying, this is the starter pack of Poly couple ships; the chemistry and banter alone.

2. Sour x Jenny x Buck

These three self proclaimed outcasts caring about each other deeply; say no more

3. Gene x Courtney x Alex

I just feel these three have potential and there’s no way Gene will end up in a conventional relationship.

4. Rey x Po x Fin

Might get hate but I preferred this over the Rey x Kylo ship, this just makes my heart melt.

5. Scooby Gang (Not Scooby himself)

This goes without saying; each one of these characters as chemistry with each other and it’s the 70’s.

[crankybeetle]

@carryon-countdown day 29: cherry

Not me grabbing a cherry scone stock image lol

[nadjasnandor]

why did we stop saying shit like the one i love the most is actually nandor. guillermo come back stop trying to be a regular human guy we need insane toxic codependency more than ever

[luvmmarner]

Mitch Marner - Happier

This is one of the older works of mine, so my writing style is pretty different. It's a reupload since it was just gone for some reason. TW: not much but heartbreak. PART OF THE SOUR SERIES

ᴡᴇ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴀ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜ ᴀɢᴏ

ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴍɪɴᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ, ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ

ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴏɴ, ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ɴᴇᴡ

ᴏɴᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ɢɪʀʟ ᴡʜᴏ ʙʀɪɴɢꜱ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜ

You and Mitch called it quits after being together for a little over a year, it was something that was going to happen at some point. But you didn’t think it was going to happen so soon, not even a day before you broke up he said he loved you. Your relationship wasn’t exactly ‘toxic’ but you both argued on almost everything. It was certainly unhealthy and you couldn’t deny that. 

Right after the breakup, you didn’t know what to do. You had friends from the other guys' girlfriends, but even then they weren’t the friends you could entirely trust. You had no clue that Mitch moved on until they told you. 

You didn’t believe it at first. How could he move on so quickly, after being together for well over a year. It was then you started to believe after clicking on stories of the team girlfriends that you did believe. Even though you were hurt and broken you hoped that this new girl brought out the better in him.

ʙᴜᴛ ꜱʜᴇ'ꜱ ꜱᴏ ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ, ꜱʜᴇ'ꜱ ꜱᴏ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ

ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ꜱʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴏʀɢᴏᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴍᴇ?

You’ve been creeping their instagrams more specifically his new girl that you later found out was named ‘Lyla’. There was no doubt she was pretty, her instagrams were flunked with pictures of them. There were constant articles as well saying how she was so sweet and Mitch even agreed on an interview saying ‘how lucky he was’. 

It was like he forgot about you. You weren’t even mentioned in any of his interviews. The interviewers were all focused on her and so was Mitch. You couldn’t recall the amount of times you broke down after that. You couldn’t hold your tears anymore.

ᴏʜ, ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ

ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ

ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴇʟꜰɪꜱʜ, ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ, ɪ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴏ

It’s been 2 months since you and him broke up. Even if you did wish for him to be happy, you loved him. But you also wished that it was you instead of her. You knew that could never happen, you guys could never happen again. You didn’t want him to be unhappy like how he was when he was with you. 

He looked so much happier. But it was hard to still get over the fact that you two broke up. You knew it was selfish. You were being selfish. Even after so much time passed you still couldn’t let him go. You didn’t even make any attempts at letting go and moving on. You just couldn’t.

ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ

ɪ ᴡɪꜱʜ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ, ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ

ꜱᴀʏ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʜᴇʀ, ʙᴀʙʏ, ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ

ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴏꜰ ᴍᴇ ꜰᴏɴᴅʟʏ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴀɴᴅꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴏɴ ʜᴇʀ

ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘɪᴇʀ

The last straw that made you move on was a photo of his hands wrapped around her, both of them were smiling and looked so happy. Your body hoped that he would think about you whenever he touches her. But your mind was constantly thinking if he was happy, just not happier.

After a while you found yourself moving back to your home town montreal. You didn’t want to see the jerseys of the Toronto maple leafs, especially marner’s jersey. It always felt like a stab in the back. So you moved.

You also got a new dog named Fluffy, a brown chocolate lab. She comforted you every time you had a breakdown which was pretty rare ever since she laid beside you. As you laid in your bed, you decided you wanted to end things off in a good way. So you opened your phone and sent one last text. 

"I wish you all the best really"

[smimon]

OK. Unplanned but here it is. Giant K series #18: sourffering

And since this fits with today's prompts from bojere week (Cuddling / Finding comfort in one another) so 🥰 happy bojere everyone

[soulthesimmer]

unwise by lotus: world premiere 🌎

[an-abyss-of-stars]

𖤓 Don't You Dare Do This Without Me 𖤓

Pairing: Rhaena x Aemond

Warnings: Smutty hints...mainly consensual

Word Count: 4.6k

Summary: Rhaena THOUGHT she was merely dismissing her husband's call for affection after an argument. Little did she know, her rebuffing had instead sent her petulant husband off on a tirade to burn an enitre village to ash.

.

Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ao3

Note: (THIS fic is intended to be a little mini-series. It's a piece of a plot I've been toying around with for a month or two. A Dark King Aemond story with Queen Rhaena grappling with her horrid situation. I do have an entire long form story/idea for this premise, that would start immediately after the war and span over several years. It would be much darker than this smutty snippet, like practically 'dead dove' really! But this little fun fic here entered my brain and I just figured I'd throw it out here as a mini 5-6 part thingy.)

So hopefully it's an enjoyable little something something!!

——

"I can't believe him, I can't fuc-" Rhaena's anger induced muttering died upon her tongue as she stepped into her shared royal chambers, her feet halting almost immediately as her legs stiffly stood right in front her three-year-old son. Little Aemon had run up to her as soon as the doors flew open, rushing to hug her skirts as he stared up at her expectantly.

What was he doing here? 

It was early, still the middle of the afternoon, she was certain that by all accounts her toddler should only be nearing the end of lessons now. Not dawdling around in her chambers to play-

"Darling! Sweetling, you are early," Rhaena schooled her previously set scowl into a bright affectionate smile, lilting her voice as her eyes took in the visage of her charming little boy. It was beginning to feel like such an effort, schooling her emotions from her son these days, seeing as he seemed to be so perceptive already. Any slight twinge upon her face, and his sweet little face would scrunch into a look of instant concern for his mother's wellbeing. Followed by the little hand he'd place upon her leg before he asked 'are you well, mama?'. 

It was a wonder where he'd managed to inherit such sweetness, surely not from his father. 

With a gentle sigh, Rhaena began to crouch herself down to Aemon's level, careful to keep her balance as her swollen belly carried a true weight to it now. Her back felt it, her thighs and her knees worked to compensate for it. Offset the weight she'd put on for the health of this third babe. Though she was eight moons along, so she was nearly to term. It was a motion she navigated with skill now, for she knew her body well and so she knew her limits when it came to this stage of her pregnancies. Soon enough she'd seat herself down or lay abed for an hour or two before the ache creeping along her calves worked down to her swollen feet. 

In the meantime, however, she placed a soft hand upon her eldest son's check and smiled warmly at him. Eliciting an equally dazzling giggle from her little boy, the adorable sound almost immediately soothed her heart. Allowing her to push aside the stresses of the day, the endless aggravation only her husband could muster within her, just long enough to focus in on her child. Meeting his gaze, she sought to pry just a tad, "what of your lessons in the library, sweet one? Have they truly concluded or have you managed to escape from your maester yet again?" 

At that, Aemon teetered on his toes for a moment. His hand absentmindedly holding onto Rhaena's shoulder for balance as he happily gurgled at the playful accusation. Gently biting his thumb with his free hand, a near bashful blush spread upon the apples of his cheeks as his attention was just as quickly drawn away. Distracted already, the mop of curly platinum blonde hair that reached the nape of his neck swished with the motion he'd made. His pale cinnamon brown skin glowing in the rays of the afternoon sun. 

Ah, dear...she did love her son dearly, but his mind did tend to wander off all too easily at times. If he was not obsessively focused on something of his interest, his mind was liable to dawdle. It was Rhaena who had to work to lure his attention back to her, nudging his chubby cheek with the caress of her thumb. Adding an accompanying prodding hum for him to both listen and follow the sound. 

Thankfully it was enough, her toddler was quick to turn back to her. His distraction, the glittering rays of beaming sunlight, had poured in through the paneled windows of the room. Illuminating everything within sight of the spacious solar, the various deep crimson red furniture, the large round oak table that was just off center. It was still covered with stacked books and rolled scrolls that Aemond had left out to continue analyzing later in the day. Toys still remained scattered by the fire upon the maroon fur carpet, Rhaena supposed Aemon had been sat there waiting for her return. Most likely playing there with his young wet-nurse, Elaya. 

The nineteen-year old maid from the Riverlands was currently sat by the fire in one of the cozier armchairs, rocking Rhaena's second born son, Daemion, in her arms. Now, Daemion shared many features with his elder brother, the same almond eye-shape and rounded bow-shaped lips…both a blend of their parentage. They held the same curly hair texture, although, Daemion’s little tuft of curls shone more silver than Aemon’s blonde in the sunlight. And Aemon’s skin was slightly paler than Daemion’s. His eyes were a shade of bright lilac as opposed to Aemon’s pale indigo. Daemion’s little button nose reminded Rhaena more of her own than Aemond’s, although the point at the end of it still spoke of the boy’s inheritance from his father. 

In either case, little Daemion’s eyes were levelled low as he relaxed in the arms of his wet-nurse. It was to be expected, Rhaena had only nursed the babe but an hour ago, so it was more than likely that her one-year old was simply feeling the drowsy calls of his milk-filled stomach. She'd left her younger son in the safe arms of her trusted wet-nurse perhaps a half hour ago when she'd initially left her chambers to visit her twin sister, Baela. 

In the case of her eldest, however, Rhaena knew well that the bright afternoon sun was an enticing thing to a young Targaryen. It promised games in the garden, playful training in the training yard...but most of all, it promised the possibility for dragon riding. Aemon was newly minted in the activity, having gone for his first flight with his father just a few days ago. It was all he would talk of, on and on he happily talked the ears off of anyone who'd listen. From Maesters to maids, to his aunt, Baela, to his uncle Aegon, and especially to his equally young cousins Maegelle and Laena. The two daughters Baela had birthed for her husband under Aemond's reign as King. All of a part of rebuilding their family's line, restoring the Targaryen bloodline. 

A bloodline Aemond more than single handedly destroyed himself...but Rhaena had gone down that road before. It never led anywhere, it never returned what she'd lost. 

It was easier to focus on what she did have. The title of Queen may have been thrusted upon her, as well as her first born son...but she'd found her stride. Settled herself into motherhood, her new station, her new title, her seat next to the throne. She'd even willingly taken to her main duty as Queen, found her own pleasure in conceiving her second and soon to be third child. She'd found her way to loving and at times controlling the psychopathic irate dragon she'd been made to call 'husband'. 

Besides, he had his moments, she supposed, he was always good to their sons and their nieces. He quite frankly adored all of the young children they’d brought into the world for House Targaryen. He was prideful over their very existence, especially that of their own two sons. He spent every moment in their presence showing them love and acceptance. Their young princes were dotted on ever since their births, they wanted for nothing. They were always made to feel wanted. A sense of innate yet nurturing compensation on Aemond's part, Rhaena was sure. He went wordlessly about it, but she could surmise that he wished to give his sons everything he did not have in his youth. 

Everything his own father failed to deliver. 

As seen by the flight he'd taken Aemon on, their little boy had loved flying upon Vhagar so much. The experience improved greatly by the fact that Aemond had eagerly taken the time to indulge their son of his own accord. Vhagar was the most magnificent dragon to her young son, his favourite of all that he'd seen in his little life. 

And that was why he'd loved that day more than any other. 

Though it was unfortunate, Rhaena always thought. 

For while she agreed, Vhagar was a magnificent dragon, a relic of times long gone...a living piece of history. But she couldn't help but think that her young Aemon had missed a truly glorious age of dragons, he'd never be able to meet his true Targaryen grandparents or two of his other aunts…the rest of his uncles. He'd never be able to see any of their dragons...Caraxes, Syrax, Vermax, Arrax, Tyraxes, Meleys...so many lost. So many gone...and sometimes four years seemed just long enough to put the darkness behind her, to call it all history so that she might distance herself from the pain of it all.

But other times, it was just too blatant...just too obvious. 

So many members of her family were missing from this current family portrait. The chasms were there, Rhaena’s current life would always lack because of their absence. The vacant holes they'd made upon her person, upon her heart, forever cutting slivers away from her there. No amount of new Targaryen babes could replace them. 

They were all dead and gone...and she was made Queen of the rubble in the aftermath, wed to a kinslayer...the second usurper King. 

What a fate. 

And her little son knew none of it truly. 

"No, mama! I finished, my lessons are all done! Maestwer...um...maestwer Alfa...Alfadwer-" Aemon blurted out his little rambled response, finally recalling that he'd been asked a question nearly ten minutes prior. He'd taken so long, Rhaena's mind had drifted to far darker memories. Though as she'd learned through her experience with motherhood, it didn't do to dwell on such things with children around. They always noticed it...they weren't naive enough to miss it entirely.

"Maester Alfador, you mean," Rhaena gently corrected, smoothing a couple of his curls back behind his ear. 

Aemon was quick to nod eagerly, pointing towards Elaya to add, "yes and...and he told Elaya how papa went out!" 

'Out' was putting it mildly, for while Rhaena knew not the extent of Maester Alfador's knowledge on the matter at hand. She did however know exactly what sent Aemond 'out' of the castle just a few hours ago. As she recalled it, Rhaena had received the order from the Kingsguard guarding her door earlier this morn. 

See, earlier in the morning, before the sun had properly risen. Rhaena had awoken to a rather...regularly expected act, a warm delicious pleasure that crept up between her thighs in long wet languid swipes. The feeling seeped into her peaceful slumber until the aching arousal dragged her back into consciousness. Where she'd awoken to find her husband settled between her legs, his arms tangled around her thighs keeping them spread as he lapped at her quivering wanting cunt. 

Eventful as it was... she'd awoken to many mornings with such activities to pull her from her sleep. Aemond was always eager, he had been ever since he’d stolen her from the Vale and made her his wife. Only now the urges seemed heightened, especially since she began to reciprocate his wantings. The conception of little Daemion was the birth of these feelings...and now the conception of another babe barely a year later had shown the realm and their present court that their union was—mending.

Into what, exactly? 

Something feral and animalistic, surely. A complicated mess of attraction, love and loathing. 

In either case, once Aemond had brought her to the brink of ecstasy itself...he pressed a kiss upon her rounded belly and readied himself for the training yard. From there, she hadn't seen him. Assumably he'd returned to bathe and dress himself again for the early morning council meeting, but she'd fallen back to sleep in-between that time. Only normally, he would have woken her. Normally, they'd have readied for the meeting with his council together...she'd negotiated that right of hers from her husband after the birth of Daemion. As his Queen, she wanted a spot upon his council, to be an active participant in his rule. Time after time, whether it was another one of their vicious volatile arguments between them or an instance of a sweet and tender domesticity as they lazed naked within their bed. Aemond had spent the last two years echoing the sentiment to her, that she was more than just his broodmare. 

And then he did this. 

He removed her from the council this morning. Without even the gall to tell her himself, he left for the meeting without her and then left the information for their guard to relay to her. 

Of course, later upon his return, when Rhaena was properly woken. Bathed and dressed herself in a lovely velvety gown, a dark Targaryen red with intricate black lace linings. With added black lace and sewn jeweled dragons and floral embroidery woven along her bodice and the hem of her skirt. She'd been sat upon her favourite chaise, providing their second son with his early morning feeding.  

That was when Aemond burst through the doors with a look of exhaustion and a need for attention. 

A need she had no intention of abiding by as he sought to exclude her so soundly this morn with no warning once so ever. In all honesty it had tainted the way she'd sweetly awoken in bed with him, as clearly that was more than just his hungered need to taste her first thing in the morn. As it was just as equally his act of service to placate her for what he had planned on doing all along. 

As it happened, Rhaena had burped their babe upon her shoulder, before she swiftly handed him off to Elaya to take to the nursery. It was only once the young wet-nurse had left the room that Aemond moved for Rhaena. Taking long strides to meet her upon the chaise, she'd scoffed at him then, knowing exactly what he wanted. His heated gaze lingered on her still exposed bosom, lustful and wanting...though she was too annoyed with him to indulge him. 

Perky and engorged as they were, she knew he more than likely wished to lay with her. To rest his head upon her swollen breasts as she caressed his hair and allowed him to unwind from his otherwise stressful meeting. And perhaps, had she'd been present for said meeting...or at the very least privy to the information that had been shared or delved into there...she would have sympathized. She would have given him exactly what he wanted, she'd placate him, hold him as he sometimes wishes to be cuddled. 

But no, not then. 

Instead she pulled the buttons of her chemise closed, lifting herself up off of the chaise, she walked around him and made her way to the long ornamented wall-length mirror that stood on the northern side of their chambers. There she stared purposely at her reflection only, working to ignore the way his perplexed expression morphed into one of burning irritation. As Rhaena casually touched up the ends of a few of her long loosening twists, it would soon be time to undo them, free her curls and wash her hair. A task she'd take to later this evening before bed. 

In the moment, however, Rhaena focused on herself. The vast majority of her maternity gowns had elegant buttons upon the front of the gown, made for easier access to nurse her babe at any given time of the day. A stipulation that had always been a part of her marriage, Aemond would have no one but her to nurse their children. 

Though it was in that mirror's reflection that their argument had started. He'd made his way towards her, and she'd turned her dragon's fire directly upon him. Perhaps she'd been warranted in it, that inundated rage of feeling belittled and undermined felt all too consuming for her to ignore in the face of Aemond's condescending rebuttals. That she was apparently in no 'condition' to need to be present for council meetings, that she would be filled in on the most ‘pertinent information’ when needed. 

Perhaps it was her body now, so late in her pregnancy, hormones ran amok fluttering dangerous levels of heightened emotions throughout her. Though even still, she was certain of it. 

He was sidelining her...she could feel it. 

And she didn't know why. 

‘Confinement’ felt like such a half-assed answer. 

He was hiding things from her and yet he still sought rewards for such blatant behaviour. Was it any wonder she denied him those rewards, she was in no mood to lay tangled in bed with him. She was in no mood to allow him to nuzzle his cheek upon her ample chest while he caressed her belly and teased her core with soft presses of his slender fingers. She knew him far too well for that. The progression of him starting off by claiming that he just wished for her to 'set him at ease'. Only, within the hour he'd seduce her to the point of having her gown torn off with his cock working her with rough deep wanting strokes. 

It was something he could never resist, especially when she was this far along with one of her pregnancies. All he wanted was to be inside of her, to feel her heated walls clenched tightly around thick length. His ever constant need to sink into her warmth, soak himself in her wetness. All as he held her tightly against him, nestled between her thighs as he rocked into her with perfect rhythm. Set at a pace of his choosing, with his teeth grazing her neck marking her body. And that ironclad grip of his, enough to set bruises, enough to make her shudder with want…the sort of hold that prevented the mere idea of escape. 

Letting her go...it was never an option, it always seemed a foreign concept to him.  

This would have been no different and seeing as she was cross with him. She chose to stand her ground, to hold fast to her willpower against his handsome seductive charms. It was a hard thing sometimes these days, seeing as her body almost always wanted for him...a true traitor, really. Her body had always betrayed her when it came to him. Ever since her early days, even when she firmed her way through every bedding session. Even the nights she cried through the utter heartbreak of allowing the acts done upon her…in the name of her safety…in the name of her duty. 

It’d been disgusting then, to think that her body had still enjoyed it even when her mind screamed the opposite. The thought of taking in the cock of the man who’d killed her first love, her second love…her grandmother…and then her father. 

Perhaps some days still…she found herself disgusted with herself. Because she didn’t hate it as much as she should anymore…because she’d found her way to enjoying it all. 

Surely the Gods’ frowned upon her. 

Thankfully, though, in that moment, when she denied him she stood by it. And because she stood so harshly against his whims, he stormed out of their rooms. A dark thunderous slam of pent up aggression and building animosity, he needed a different outlet seeing as his preferred choice had repudiated him. And in that knowledge, Rhaena knew well that he'd only ever go to Vhagar next. 

In this world Aemond Targaryen had two sanctuaries. 

Vhagar…and Rhaena, herself. 

And if one would not have him…then he’d storm his way over to the one that would. 

That however, had been several hours ago now. Rhaena had spent the rest of her morning in peace, she'd bathed and dressed Aemon herself. It was a good distraction from her own frustrations. She broke her fast with her young son, watched on as he ate his oats and banana slices messily. Biting back small amused smiles as she corrected his loose hold of his spoon and dabbed a napkin to his grubby mouth. Nibbling on her own custard pastry, delicately sipping her spiced tea in between. Their meal had been nice, they'd spoken about the day's activities her son wished to partake in. The lessons he was most excited to learn about today, as well as his hope to go flying with his father again later in the afternoon. 

Seeing as Morning was still growing, now a much larger beast over the last four years...she was still too small for Rhaena to fly upon herself. Let alone for her to take her son up with her. No, the choices were limited. Aemon could either fly with his father upon Vhagar, with his aunt upon Moondancer, or his uncle upon Sunfyre. As his own little golden hatchling, Golding...was his current name for his bonded beast, the he-dragon was still far too small for him to mount. Though Golding was surely a temporary name as Aemond intended on convincing their son to choose a more suited name for the dragon. But that was a conversation they'd have to shelf for now. Aemon was still a toddler and so he quite enjoyed the name he'd chosen.

In either case, as Aemon's choice for dragons to fly upon was scarce...he would always choose Vhagar first, he was painfully enamoured with every facet of his father. Even the less than savoury parts of him. 

Once Maester Alfador came to fetch Aemon for his lessons to attend with his cousins, Rhaena turned her attention back to her younger son. Playing letter blocks with Daemion, reading to him and singing lullabies as he grew sleepy in her arms. She'd taken him and sat upon the balcony overlooking the courtyard so that her babe could take some sun and fresh air as he slept soundly, there she listened to sounds of the busy castle. The birds chirping in the wind and the distant roars of the dragons near the pits. 

And there she'd thought of Vhagar and her husband. There was so much she still wished to say, so much he'd simply chosen to walk out on just because he could. With the full freedom that came with the title of King...he expressed that power either as intelligently as he wished or as childishly as a man of four and twenty could.

But now with Aemon in her company once again, she'd have to deal with the boy’s father, Aemond later...once he returned from his petulant flight upon Vhagar... she'd deal with him then. 

Returning her focus to her son, she pressed a sweet kiss upon Aemon's forehead. Gazing down into his pale indigo eyes, a mirror of his father's own. In fact, in all honesty…Aemon's entire visage was simply a little mirror to Aemond's own. They shared the same face shape...or at least the pudgy round face Aemond once held in childhood. It was a good indicator for the features their son would one day mature into. The two of them also shared near identical noses and lip shapes. Although, Rhaena's own added genes had ensured that the tip of Aemon's nose was just a tad bit more rounded. His lips more rounded than Aemond's own plush sharp bow-shaped lips. 

It was in the little things, Rhaena supposed. How their son had inherited her curly hair, a pinch of her tawny complexion. Her soft curved eyebrows and her almond shaped eyes. 

Yet still, all in all, their son was the living embodiment of a namesake, one Aemond had purposely bestowed upon their first child. Either to flood his own ego or in a dubious if not blindingly obvious attempt to flaunt his supposed legitimate reign over the one he'd stolen. The one he’d slaughtered in order to usurp the throne.

Though surely the realm was privy to the fact that it was Rhaena's own blood that made their son and the rest of their children so pure, they'd made both a purebred Valyrian heir and a spare for the throne. A union that started with a form of forced coerced duty...now led by something far more complicated. 

Something that existed between the bounds of love and hatred. 

For the moment, Rhaena gave her son leave to return to his toys. He'd want to play with her, but she needed a moment to herself first. She'd only just returned from spending some time with her sister in the gardens, where she'd divulged a splintered version of the events of this morning. Not that it mattered really, Baela may have joined Rhaena in their unified ridiculing of their King. But at the end of the day Baela would remind Rhaena of the same fact she always had, that Aemond Targaryen was a fickle psychotic being…and that she should be careful to never push the bounds and risk her life in the process. 

Because she’d already done so years ago…she’d already made such attempts in the past. And while she still had her life granted to her, she did not walk away the victor in those situations. 

So in that way, her elder sister’s advice had always been sound…but it was hard to swallow at times. Seeing as Rhaena’s forced marriage barely compared to the near bliss Baela was lucky enough to experience with her own spouse. In their case, her union with Aegon was a long time coming, a match Baela had hoped for since she was six and ten. Though it was a shame that just as she'd gotten used to the idea of marrying their sweet and loyal Jace...he'd been plucked from their lives. 

Although Rhaena always supposed that as devastating as his loss was, he was spared in a way. For while he’d come to love his betrothed, his daring Baela…she…she still secretly harboured feelings for the enemy. The night before Viserys had died, Baela had spent one final night with Aegon before he was set to wed Helaena. She'd left that passionate encounter with the settling seed of a man she was most likely to never see again. The Gods, though, they could be funny in that way. Tearing the realm apart, bathing a family in blood and tragedy only for the fates to align yet again. For Baela to finally have Aegon as she once wished, just in time to make her not-so hidden pregnancy legitimate before it was too late. Only now both their hands were tainted. War had taken both Jace and Helaena. War had taken everyone away from the dragon twins except their lone grandsire, Corlys Velaryon and his now legitimized heir Alyn Velaryon. 

*KNOCK, KNOCK...KNOCK* 

The pounding knock at the door drew Rhaena back out of her thoughts once again, she was losing it slowly but surely. She really did need her husband to return, she needed to clear her own mind...she needed to focus on something, anything else. The knock was hard, blunt and formulaic, it could have only belonged to a member of the Kingsguard. So when Rhaena swung the door open to see Ser Willis Fell, she was not surprised to come face to face with his hardened visage. Expressionless as he was, the redheaded man simply stepped aside for a young squire to hold out a silver platter in front of their Queen. 

"For you, my Queen. A raven hath just arrived," the young lanky boy bowed his head, as a sign of sheepish reverence and respect. 

A small scroll. 

A missive.

How odd. 

Tumultuous as this reign had been over the years, at this point in time, nothing beyond yet another rebellion could warrant the urgency of a missive like this.

—

Part 2 coming soon...maybe Friday!

[phoenixcatch7]

Loz fandom stop being angsty and give the daydreaming kids on big fun adventures with a cool glowing sword some actual whimsy and joy challenge