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barbieaemond · 1 year ago

Text

Intrusion (part I)

moodboard by the queen herself @zae5

PAIRING: (modern) Aemond Targaryen x Lannister!reader

WARNINGS: angst, Aemond has no filter, drug use (very brief), mentions of overdose, suggestive themes, sexual tension (sadly nothing more but part II will be a helluva ride)

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Sothoryos is a large continent in Martin’s universe. It is located below Essos.

WORD COUNT: 7k

Song for this fic:

taglist: @zae5 @chompchompluke @multyfangirl

“What’s up with the green light?”

Jason's voice came distantly, even though he was sitting right next to her. She looked up through her long eyelashes, scanning the mighty, green-lit Hightower from top to bottom, an emerald glow kissed her face.

“How dumb are you? It was a beacon once.” She said mindlessly, dragging her eyes away from the car window to watch her brother crouched on a little mirror with three lines of white powder on it.

“D’you want some?”

“I’m done with that shit.”

“I should hope so.” He chuckled, rolling a banknote between his fingers with the expertise of a magician ready to do his trick. “Dad is still paying the hospital to keep their mouth shut. Not to mention the papers…”

She heard him snort the substance, humming with delight as it reached his brain. She looked at him for a moment, green just like the glowing light on her face. It was so easy for Jason to surrender to the void. She struggled to do even that.

“Speaking of which” he said wiping his nose “he could’ve bothered to come.”

“And watch Otto Hightower gloat in his face? Dad would rather throw checks to the homeless.”

“Why are we here then?” he asked as the car stopped in front of the huge, tall building, the tallest in all the continent.

“Because he wants to remind everyone we are still the wealthiest in this wretched world.” She said she grabbed her little purse and got out of the fancy car as soon as the driver opened her door.

Blinding lights fell on her as photographers took note that the Lannister family had sent its scions to attend the annual Gala held by the Hightowers. A party that had always been held in the capital in the previous years, at least until what the newspapers had called the divorce of the century.

“I would not be so sure about that.” Jason said, squinting his eyes in front of the ruthless flashes. “Papers say Viserys is going to pay a fortune, for alimony and all that shit.”

“Miss Lannister! Here, please! On your right!”

She built a broad smile for the photographers, maneuvering her hair to let it slide down her shoulder, placing a hand on her hip. A well-thought-out act, repeated incessantly for as long as she could remember. A beautiful machine doll bathed in gold and diamonds.

“Do you still read papers?” she asked, not breaking her plastic smile.

“How else should I find out if I've done something illegal?”

“They’re a reliable source on that, less on others. They claim I had a thing with Cregan Stark when even walls know he’s gay.”

They claimed many other things. But she never confirmed or denied the rumors, because it was all part of the plan.

Any rumor of an alleged flirt or talk of an engagement with a scion from one of the old power families of the country only increased the height of the pedestal on which her father and mother had placed her. So that when rumors died, the vultures would come even more savage, raising the stakes to win the most coveted prize in their circle of starched shirts and centuries-old privileges that no longer had any value except in the small, greedy world inside their small, greedy heads.

She moved, swiftly but graciously, and stepped inside the building, followed by her brother and his giggles, and the photographers screaming at the top of their lungs, begging for another picture—just one more. The begging had started already.

The Hall of the Hightower Palace was a sight to behold. Adorned with green and dark tones, crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings and yellow cocktail music pushing all the fine-dressed people to chat and laugh more loudly as if they unconsciously tried to imitate the lively ups and downs of the notes.

The Lannisters lingered on the entrance, immediately catching many pairs of eyes, greedy and green as the decorations around them.

“Are they waiting for us to go greet them?” Jason asked, watching the Hightowers at the center of the Hall. “Gods, why do they always act as if they were royals and us merely subjects?”

"Apparently, it has been proven they have hints of blue in their blood.”

“Who’s the blondie?” he asked, taking his sister’s arm as they walked towards the hosts.

“Helaena Targaryen.”

“Oh! The freak?”

“She’s not a freak. She’s a renowned entomologist.”

“And my point stands.”

Miss Lannister knew all the four Hightowers waiting to be greeted. After all, who didn't?

Otto Hightower was the most influential man in the country, although he liked to hide and pull his strings behind the curtains. They said that family and strangers made no difference to him. His daughter Alicent would agree with a stiff lip.

She wore the most lavish dress of all, but that was not what caught the eye, but rather the determination in her gaze and the way she stood. A woman free from the chains of a marriage she had never wanted.

“It is a pleasure to have both of you here.” She said smiling at the two Lannisters. Her father Otto was towering just behind her, a curious look on his face as his eyes rapidly scanned Miss Lannister.

In fact, he stepped in, saying “Indeed, Alicent. Especially Miss Lannister. I’m relieved to see you well.”

After what happened in Pyke, was the part he deliberately omitted.

The young woman looked at him, unfazed, building another one of her plastic smiles and then directed her attention to the youngest son of Alicent and Viserys Targaryen. Daeron.

The boy was no more than twenty, but he had a way of standing and carrying himself, which gave him at least five more years. That was the price of being doomed to inherit a heavy family name and all within it. The young Lannister girl understood it all too well.

As for Helaena, she seemed the most out-of-place creature, like watching a dolphin swim along sharks. The Lannister girl didn’t know her that much; truthfully no one did. Helaena was always far away from the country for her studies, traveling to the edge of the world to discover wild and rare creatures. She had a way of avoiding eye contact, Miss Lannister noticed, if not for brief and furtive glances, as if she was afraid that if she looked too much, she would see too much.

“And you don’t call that a freak?” Jason asked once they moved away from the Hightowers.

“You are just sour because she barely looked at you.” his sister answered, grabbing a flute of champagne from a passing waiter.

“Hey. I’m nice to look at!” he said gesturing to his figure.

“You tell yourself that.” she sipped her bubbly like water, barely tasting it, as her eyes roamed around the lavish hall, watching the same old play unfold, with the same old puppets. And she was one of them, perhaps the main star, ready to follow the script and never stray from it. It was her purpose in life. A well-trained parrot with a melodic laugh and the stillness of a porcelain doll.

She looked around and saw the eagerness, the anticipation as they bided their time before flocking to her, begging for flesh and money and power, each one of them so eager to sell one piece of themselves to be on a golden plate, the very same on which everything was always freely given to her. Things, places, people. The Golden Girl, they called her. She was born in it, she reflected it. She never had to ask, she never had to beg for anything. While everyone around her seemed to be able to do nothing else.

"Miss Lannister, we would love to have you as our guest in High Garden. Please, consider our invitation."

"Miss Lannister, did your father receive the gift I sent him last week? Please, have him contact me as soon as possible, I have another proposal for a collaboration."

"Miss Lannister, please, convince your father not to cut off the funds, I wouldn't know what to do without the invaluable support of your bank.”

“Miss Lannister, please—"

Please. Please. Please. Please.

They all came muffled, the beggars and their begging, as if speaking from the surface while she was deep down underwater, floating. Then the puppet would take over, moving haughtily and mischievously, promising lies with empty smiles and stolen words. The same old power play, to tell the world the Lannisters were far above it.

But amid the muffled chatter and greedy eyes, there was one in particular, stripped of all reverence, blue and cold as the eye of the scientist dissecting something under a microscope.

He had placed her under the lens out of pure boredom.

He never attended these kinds of gatherings, at least not after Sothoryos, not after Floris. He was there only because his mother had insisted, almost pleaded with him. This was the first public event after the divorce. It was essential to appear close, united.

The word tasted rotten in Aemond's mouth.

He had made sure Aegon would not attend, and had come in through the back, creeping into the hall like a spectre.

Alicent had seen him at once, her eyes widening with surprise as if she were certain he would not come. And they had barely talked.

She had kissed him on the cheeks with that look in her eyes, the one that rose tenderness and contempt at once inside him, twin flames mirroring and dancing around each other. His mother's lips opened and closed repeatedly, like a record needle cutting the same groove on and on without making a sound. And he had no desire to fix that.

Once, maybe. He had nurtured so many unspoken words that they had ended up souring and festering the more he held them back, locked in a dark corner where no light filtered. So, his mouth stayed sealed and silent, like a tomb.

He had withdrawn to a corner of the hall, watching as the people lingered with their gazes on his dead eye, half curious, half scared. Something he was all too used to. He found himself cursing under his breath for wasting time in such a vapid and useless way. He could have been at home, studying, or working in the basement.

But then he had spotted her.

It was hard not to.

The moment she had entered the hall with her brother, it seemed she had drawn all attention to herself, absorbing all the light from the chandeliers. It seemed that her golden dress was truly made of gold.

Aemond had seen her once or twice in the past and each time, two distinct thoughts had rapidly crossed his mind.

First: that she was a pretty doll with more money in her pocket than cells in her brain.

Second: that he wouldn't mind taking her doll's clothes off.

No man with sense would have denied her beauty, but the more he looked at her, the more he saw how dry she was, how cold, like a sculpture doomed to live the same moment forever.

It was all scene, all pose. And Aemond understood it at once since he himself had enacted the same play in the years past. He knew what it meant to be an inanimate thing waiting to be moved by others, for duty or loyalty. Things that had lost all meaning to him once he’d found out that the more he latched on these things, the more hollow he felt.

He watched the Lannister girl build fake smiles at each turn and he found himself grimacing, feeling pity for her, almost contempt. Perhaps she was just a tool, an extension of his former self for him to loathe, like spitting into a mirror.

But he just couldn’t stop watching.

She had a way of making the place where she stood like some kind of holy shrine and everyone around her kept scrambling to fall at her feet. She had a way of moving, slowly, like a creature living underwater. She would lean forward as she listened to people, only to retreat when it was her turn to speak, and she did it quietly, making the privileged speaker unconsciously lean towards her.

A tactic—a working tactic, though. Because Aemond had found himself craning his neck forward more than he would’ve liked to admit, and he wasn't even close to her.

“Choosing your next victim?”

He turned on his blind side as Helaena stopped beside him, handing a flute of champagne.

“Hāedar.” he said, taking the glass “Don’t say that. With all the shit they say about me, tomorrow they might title I’m a serial killer.”

“Well, you do have a dank basement in your place. And with the way you keep looking at the Lannister girl, it would be hard to beat the allegations.”

He looked down at the sizzling bubbles and curled his lips. Helaena did the same as her blue eyes scanned his face. Of all her brothers, she had always had the closest bond with Aemond. Born only one year apart, they had grown up as close as twins. Helaena did not look down when she talked to Aemond; she did not stutter or struggle to voice her thoughts as she did with anyone else. And his lips, which struggled so much to voice his emotions, always curled up in the most spontaneous way when they spent time together.

“You won’t get away with a smile, though.” She pointed out after a sip of bubbly “You barely talked to me earlier.”

“I was afraid our mother would stir up a hornet’s nest seeing me here.”

“She was sure you wouldn’t come.”

“I shouldn’t have. This place smells of coffin.”

She watched him for a moment, trying to guess his mood and, therefore, whether it was a good time to speak. “Did you get my message last week?”

His eye remained fixed on the elated crowd, but Helaena didn’t miss the slight twitch in his lips. “I did.”

“You didn’t answer.”

“What was there to say?”

“Aemond, I know you have your grudges, but... he’s our father and he’s severely ill. He wants to see us, all of us, at Summerhall, next month. I want to believe he’s changing and—”

“Must I remind you what happened the last time we had a family heart to heart?”

She did nothing but cast a single, saddened glance to his dead eye and all her willingness to talk and try to make things better withered like a leaf in a frosted land.

“He’s changing because he already has one foot in the grave. Quit the fancy words, Hel, he’s not changing. He’s just trying to relieve his conscience. A bit late for that, no?” and he downed his champagne in one gulp.

“Aem—”

“I don’t want to hear about it. I don’t care.” He said, slipping his pack of smokes from his pocket and placing one cigarette between his lips. He glanced one last time at his sister and with the coldest distance he said “But do let me know when he dies. I'll toast to that.”

She had had three flutes of champagne while talking to a countless number of faceless beggars when she started to feel nauseated. She didn’t even know by what, whether it was the champagne, the people, or herself. Perhaps all of them.

The cold night air embraced her as she went out on the terrace, making the hairs on her arms stand and her half-covered spine shiver. She had not brought her coat with her, but she did not mind. The cold awoke her from her torpor, made her stop being a relic on a mantelpiece.

She slipped a cigarette between her lips and looked into her purse for the lighter. "No, no, no—" she said to no one, frantically feeling every nook and cranny of the purse. "Fuck!"

"Here."

She jumped, turning her head just in time to see a lighter flying towards her. She caught it, staring at the dark corner on her left. There was a man sitting there, wrapped by the shadows, except for a thin white hand laying on the table, long fingers, and half a cigarette resting between index and middle.

She squinted, trying to get a better look. “I can’t see you.”

“I do.”

It was just a simple statement, but his tone was strange, riddled with an edge of shrewdness.

She stared at the dark figure for a moment longer, then lit her cigarette and walked a few steps closer.

"I would like to know who I'm speaking to, stranger." She said, handing over the lighter.

A moment later the shadow stood up, and she had to lift her chin as she watched the glow of the lamps unraveling his face, sharp like a knife. The air hitched in her throat, her gaze inevitably caught by the blue of his eye, as well as the dead blue of the prosthetic. "Oh."

His arched mouth bent upwards. "Define your oh."

“It’s just a oh, you’re not a stranger after all.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, curiously tilting his head with a ghosting grin “What do you think you know about me? Aside from what you read on gossip papers.”

“I don’t read gossip papers.”

“Yes, you do. All the girls like you do that.”

“All the girls like me?”

“Dolls with a trust fund to squander before forty.”

She raised her eyebrows, quickly scanning the young man before her. He was clad in black, with a black turtleneck and a leather jacket, accentuating his sharp features and pale face framed by short hair, a bit curly but neatly styled. “You’re the one to talk, Mr. I have blue blood in my veins.”

“I don’t work for my family.” He said matter-of-factly “They don’t pay my rent and they don’t cover up my shit.”

“Mine neither.”

His eyebrow raising was enough to dismantle her lie right away. “Papers say otherwise.”

“Do you trust papers and their cheap rumors?”

“Hmm. Trust is a strong word. But true or false, rumors are often more revealing than facts.” he took a long drag on his cigarette, narrowing his eyes and she watched as the dead one remained unnaturally still. It was not disturbing, she thought. It gave him a sinister allure, catching her off guard.

“Then I should believe all the rumors about you and your...charming mystery.”

“They say I’m charming now?” he asked with a smirk.

“I believe they called you a sphinx” she deadpanned “before claiming you hit a journalist, a woman.”

“And which one do you think is more likely?”

She looked at him uncertainly. Well, he was charming. But he was a lot more mysterious. More than a sphinx, Aemond Targaryen was a living riddle.

Even before the accident in Sothoryos, from where he returned with an eye missing, the second-born son of Viserys Targaryen and Alicent Hightower was a foggy figure, often in the shadows, more than often in the shadows of someone else, his half-sister Rhaenyra, his older brother Aegon. And after Sothoryos, he seemed to have grown his own shadows, distancing himself from his family and dropping his academic career to do Gods-know-what in a small flat in the oldest quarter of Oldtown.

“Both?” she dared.

He clicked his tongue, looking away with disappointment, and flicked the cigarette. “Too easy. And now you’re boring me.”

“I shall take my leave, then.” she chirped with a tight smile.

“Don’t expect me to follow you. I am not one of those wankers inside who come in their pants as you bat your fake eyelashes.”

The smile left her face instantly, and she glared at him, throwing her half-cigarette on the ground. “It is true, then. Royals do act like the rudest jerks.”

Instead of looking offended, her words seemed to do nothing but tickle his pride—some kind of gratification that poured like poison from the angles of his mouth. “I don’t act. But if I wanted to, I'd know who to turn to.”

“Meaning?”

“And you keep boring me.” his eye went momentarily below her neck, and he tilted his chin “Are those pretty diamonds slowing blood to your brain?”

Miss Lannister looked stunned. No one, ever, dared to talk to her like that.

She was used to being praised and begged and praised. A beautiful portrait framed by gold and hung on a wall for all to see. She should have been outraged, she should have used her last name as shield and threat. But for once, she was breathing on her own, free of any strings.

“Are they real?” he asked suddenly, and she stilled as his hand ghosted on her necklace, feeling his cold fingertips hovering above her skin.

“Of course they are.”

“Hmm.” He mused, pulling his hand back as he continued to stare at the necklace and then down at her dress. “They serve their purpose I’d say.” he said dragging his eye back to her face.

“Slowing my brain?” she asked with a little vitriolic smile.

“Hiding all the fake beneath them.”

“Who are you, a fortune teller?” she spitefully asked. “Do you possess the Third Eye as well as the Fake One?”

“One eye is enough to see right through you, golden girl.”

“And why were you watching me if I am so blatantly obvious?”

He almost shrugged his shoulders. “These parties are dreadfully boring. I was in need of a distraction, and you were hard to miss.”

“I could say the same about you.” Her gaze flicked for an instant to his dead eye. “Except that I don’t hide in dark corners from my own family.”

Whether he was stung by her words or not, his composure remained utterly impassive. A sphinx through and through.

“No. You do it before them.” An amused smile, spiced up with poison, curled his lips. “At least I have the dignity to disappear instead of begging for attention like a pathetic creature.”

Her words did not sting, but his surely did. And they shouldn’t.

They had crossed paths once or twice in the years prior, but effectively, Aemond was but a stranger to her. She wasn’t even aware of him watching her inside the hall, maybe too absorbed in her puppet play, or maybe resigned to scream into a crowded room of deaf mannequins.

She swallowed heavily, not dropping her gaze, waiting for all the gold to shield her, hide her, serving its purpose once more. But Aemond had a strange look in his eye. He was staring at her, and what he saw thrilled him.

He was sure he would see harshness, contempt, but not that. Not…anguish. It was buried in her pretty eyes and yet it just lied there in full sight, the darker shade of abyss beneath the crystalline blue of the deceiving surface.

If only someone had bothered to look.

“You remind me of someone.” he said almost mindlessly.

“Do I dare asking or do you wish to offend me some more?”

He seemed to ponder for a while, looking at her as if he were measuring an opponent.

“Come with me. I’ll show you.”

He moved, leaving the terrace without waiting for her, sure enough she would follow him. And she did.

Not immediately, though. She stared at his tall figure as he went back inside and thought she should go back to the party, go back to the script. There was something uncanny, almost eerie about staying close to him, like walking on the thin thread of a cobweb while being dreadfully aware to be walking towards the spider’s bite.

But the dread made her feel alive, made her heart pounding in her throat. So, she followed him.

“I didn’t know your family had it.” She said with a tinge of amazement as they stopped before the painting gloriously exhibited along one of the lavish corridors upstairs. “I thought it got lost during some war.”

“It was.” He said, stopping beside her, eye roaming on the canvas.

“Did I remind you of a lost anonymous painting?”

“You reminded me of the Maiden.” And his eye flicked to the left of the painting. Then he dragged his gaze on her, turning his head, and watched her. “Do you know the story?”

“The myth?”

“You don’t believe it to be true?”

“I don’t believe in Gods. Or myths.”

“That is strange, coming from a girl who spent so much time building her own.”

She turned her head and looked at him. He was smiling subtly, but it was different this time. There was no poison dripping from the angles of his mouth, but the clearest intrigue.

It stopped her heart for a moment. A sudden cut in the canvas, a crack in the porcelain. And she felt that this stranger was peeking inside, or perhaps she was.

Aemond looked back at the painting and laced his arms behind his back, making the leather of his jacket creak. “They said once there was a land inhabited only by Gods and Monsters. The Maiden was the most beautiful Goddess in the Holy Garden. She grew flowers from her hands, trailing behind her as she walked. But she was unhappy. The Gods only sought her for her gift, used her as a piece of ornament. She was beautiful on the outside, but inside—”

“Lonely and hollow.” she filled in.

“Just like the Stranger.” he said, and they turned at the same time, locking their eyes.

Aemond glanced back at the ominous figure in the painting and said “He was not allowed to enter the Gods world. He lived underground, blowing his mortal winds to call the souls into his realm of death. But then he saw her. He dried her tears through his wind until one day—”

“He took her.” she filled in once more. “He used the wind to tie her hands with the flowery branches she grew and kidnapped her from the Holy Garden.”

“Are you sure kidnapped is the right word?”

“According to the myth? Yes. You might have been a great scholar, but I’m not a goat.”

He chuckled quietly, and the sound made her turn again to watch him.

He held her gaze as amusement left his marbled features, and without taking his eye off her, he tilted his chin towards the painting “Look at her. Look at her face and tell me what you see."

She did so, observing the anguish, the dark trepidation on the Maiden’s face.

“She is frightened.”

“Is she?” he asked, and suddenly he was almost behind her. His breath tickled her ear like the wind on a hot summer day, and her breath hitched once more. “Look into her eyes.” he whispered on her nape “Is it fear to be taken…or desire?”

She swallowed, keeping her eyes fixed on the painting, and dug her nails into the expensive fabric of her little purse. “Art is not math.” she said with confidence “There is not one undisputable interpretation.” And she turned to face him “So unless you painted that, and I have some doubts, you say she’s keen on being taken. I say she’s frightened.”

Aemond stared at her for a moment with a strange new look on his face, as if someone had just issued a challenge to him. His blue eye was wide, and the little smirk was peeking through his lips. “Do you ever choose a position, golden girl?”

“I think I just did.”

“Allow me to rephrase, then. A less boring position.”

She opened her mouth to retort, but he was faster. “Let me show you something a little less ambiguous.”

"Wow, these are beautiful," she said as they climbed the stairs to the floor above the one where the glorious anonymous painting stood. On the angled wall, a series of photographs were exhibited—portraits, precisely—all in black and white.

"Are we complimenting each other now?" he asked, halting on a step.

She looked at him doubtfully for a moment before slightly widening her eyes. "What, these are yours?"

He gave her a simple nod, and she looked back at the portraits.

"My mother put them here. Her way to prove she cares, I guess." He said absent-mindedly, as if conversing about the weather.

The Lannister girl watched him closely, in search of something that would betray such a cold statement, but there were no cracks, no cuts.

"The great mystery unraveled.” She said forcing a dramatic tone “Aemond Targaryen is a photographer."

"I am not. I don’t do it for a living.”

“Yes, because you don’t need a job to get by.”

“Look who’s talking.”

She glared at him, trying with poor success to stifle a smile.

“It's just an interest." He stated.

"A passion." she dared to suggest.

"I wouldn't call it that. Passion preludes emotion, ardor. Photography is nothing like."

She watched him fold his arms behind his back in a peculiar way, grabbing his forearms with his hands. He had done the same thing earlier, in front of the painting. The gesture caught her attention then, as it did now.

"What is it then?" she asked, trailing her eyes back to his face.

He stared at her for an impossible long time before answering. “Revelation.”

She looked back at the portraits and observed them thoroughly. There were some men caught behind the camera, but the majority were all women. Young and beautiful women.

The portraits were majestic, she considered. He had found a way to toy with light which made these people look like glimpses from an otherworldly dimension, flashes of dreams.

No, not dreams, she thought.

The light was cruel, exposing, cutting. And all the subjects seemed to have been caught in a moment of great distress, flowing almost into a grotesque despair.

Flashes of nightmares.

The sight made her lips part, her skin shiver with eeriness and something else, something she could not name. The same basic instinct that had pushed her to follow him. These people, made eternal by black and white, were dressed, but their souls utterly naked before the eye.

“I wouldn’t call it revelation…”

“And what would you call it?” he asked, stepping beside her to watch the portrait, not missing her little startle when his elbow brushed against hers.

She took a deep, silent breath and turned her head to look at him. "Intrusion.”

“Hmm.” He mused, slipping his pack of smokes from his pocket “Intrusion of which kind?”

He placed the cigarette between his lips only to see her hand snatching it away, but slowly, just like she was used to move, so much that her fingertip brushed his upper lip. “Any kind.” she answered and his eye fell on her rosy lips closing around the filter.

His mouth twitched, as if her light brushing had lit his skin aflame, and he moved unconsciously, bringing the lighter close but pausing, his thumb lingering on the little wheel, and he looked at her, just as she looked at him.

When he pushed his finger to light the flame, the short metallic sound came through with a strange finality, a curtain dropping after the first act.

She lit the cigarette and took a long drag, glancing at the portraits and then back at him. “Did you fuck these women?”

“No.” was all he said, hiding a little smirk as he slipped another smoke between his lips. He saw her raising her eyebrows with clear disbelief, so he clarified. “Not all of them.”

“I bet they revealed themselves thoroughly.”

“They were more than keen to do it.”

“And did you?” she countered, tilting her head, lowering her voice so that once again, he found himself leaning towards her, like a moth to a flame. “Did you reveal yourself as well? Did you let them intrude?”

“Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril.”

She clicked her tongue and laughed—the very first genuine laugh she could conjure up in the span of hours, or even days. “Now you’re just trying to impress me.”

“Yes. And unfortunately for you, it is working.”

She gave him a bemused look at his brazen statement, but she felt strangely exposed under his unblinking stare, a hand ending her ceaseless floating to anchor her against the seabed.

“I want you to come to my place," he said suddenly, his voice kept quiet, almost soft, to the verge of whispering. It wrapped her senses like a soothing lullaby.

“I want to take your picture.”

“Why? To end up on this wall and in your bed like dozens of girls before me?”

“Dozens?” he raised an eyebrow “I’m flattered.”

“Don’t be.”

“Hmm” he crooned, cocking his head to one side, a contented expression stretching on his face, much like a cat licking its whiskers. “Envy doesn’t suit a Lannister.”

“Envy?” she repeated, laughing scornfully. “You’re an arrogant brat, has anyone ever told you?”

“Many in fact. So, shall we?”

“Shall we what?”

“Pity, I thought you had stopped boring me.” He said pocketing his lighter “Stay here playing the doll with those old fogeys, if you like. I’m leaving.”

She had only time to blink and he was gone, leaving her on those steps with the foreign, unsettling longing to follow. Her feet moved on their own, dragging her back to the party with an urgency shaking her bones, pushing her eyes to dart in every corner of the hall, moving amongst the people as if chasing the wind.

“Oh, there you are!” Jason pulled her to him, and she stilled, as she was used to, but everything inside her kept moving. “That Lonmouth smartass came at me screaming like a chicken.” Jason said with cocaine pupils, slurring words after words “as if it’s Dad’s fault that he’s an idiot. Put him in his place, would you? I’m too high, I might stick a fork between his eyes. D’you you want to hear something funny?”

“No, Jason. I don’t.” she replied absently, looking around once more “Listen, did you see Aemond Targaryen?”

“What?”

“Nevermind.” She said, wriggling herself from his hold, but he was fast to pull her back “Sis, why are you looking for that creep?”

“Let me go, Jason.”

“Listen to me. First the shit show in Pyke and now Aemond One Eye? Dad would not be happy to know you are—”

“Dad would not be happy to know fucking anything that he has not concocted and told us to do. And I’m tired of it, Jason.” She hastily broke free from his grip, alerting the well-dressed people around them, but she ignored them altogether. “Just this once, you’ll have to play the puppet. I’m done for tonight.” she tugged the pocket square from his jacket and threw it at him. “And wipe your nose, for Gods’ sake. There’s coke on it.”

She wandered inside the huge hall like walking through quicksand, sinking a little more any time another man or woman stopped her to chit chat, to ask her about her father and the bank and the next slot in her father's agenda.

As if she had any clue. As if her father had not dismissed any of her natural vocations like wrong bills to be fed to the shredder only to make her study economics, only to frame her degree, and then instruct her himself to specialize in the sacred act of parading herself around like a rare stuffed creature.

“Here you are.” A hand slipped around her waist, and she found herself enveloped by two familiar hands. “I’ve looked for you anywhere.”

“Quentin.” She said, looking into the dark glinting eyes of Quentin Martell, slightly wrinkling her nose for the heavy male perfume in which he had apparently dunked his suit.

His eyes scanned her slowly, looking like he wanted to peel her dress off like an orange. “Always outshining anyone else, are you?”

She looked away, stifling an exasperated sigh, all too used to Quentin’s redundant flatteries.

“This party is dead, isn’t it? And rather self-celebratory from the Hightowers. As if they don’t owe their current position to Viserys Targaryen.”

She glanced at him and saw her father talking. It was one of his favorite refrains at breakfast, lunch or dinner. It made no difference to him. Any time was a good time to incense themselves as the best, the wealthiest, the proudest, and hundreds of more superlatives that made the food instantly go rancid in her mouth.

Distractedly, her eyes roamed around, numbing her ears while Quentin kept talking. It was then that she saw him. He had not left.

Holding a glass of some liquor, he seemed to be in deep conversation, or rather on the receiving end of a soliloquy from his grandfather, who was leaning slightly over him, almost talking to his ear.

His eye was absently buried to the floor, one long finger tapped against the glass. A couple of words she could not make from that distance slipped from his mouth, resigned as his whole demeanor.

She thought she was looking into a mirror.

“Honey, are you listening to me?” Quentin asked at some point, tightening the hold on her waist. “Who are you looking at so rapt?”

“No one.” she hurried to say. But Quentin was quicker to follow her gaze before she dropped it. “Aemond One Eye?” he said on the verge of mockery. “Baby, he is so out of your league.”

She cocked her head and plastered a tight smile on her lips. “And precisely, what do you know about my league?”

“You know what I mean. How blind can you be not to notice that your brother has been screwing your girlfriend behind your back for months? Oops, sorry, wrong metaphor.”

“Both the Baratheons and the Targaryens have denied it.”

“Sure, sure. Then why the Baratheons were not invited tonight? And why did the one eyed come? He never does. Oh wait, look at that, Aegon’s missing. Not surprising though, didn’t they say Targaryens used to fuck amongst their own in the old times?”

She lowered her gaze, lost in thought, and then turned her head, instantly widening her eyes, shoulders tensing when she saw Aemond looking straight at her, sipping his drink, straightening the cobweb’s thread on which she had been tottering until that moment.

“Baby, are you high again?” Quentin asked her, with a genuine, inquisitive tone.

“What?”

“You’re shivering. Greyjoy told me everything about that night. Said you went batshit crazy on coke. Depraved as he is, it’s actually a good thing that you OD’ed. That creep would have fucked you even that stoned.”

She immediately grabbed his arms, trying to wriggle out of his hold. “Let me go.”

“Oh, come on.” He nothing but hold her more tightly. “I know you like to get a little freaky once in a while. I do, too. In fact, why don’t we take a tour upstairs? We could cheer up this drag.”

“No. Quentin, let me go.”

“Come on.” He insisted, pulling her to his chest.

She had to step on his foot to shake him off. “Let me cut straight to the point. I won’t fuck you, Quentin. Not tonight, not even if you were the last man left on this earth.”

He grimaced, spitefully twisting his mouth like any man who's been denied the chance to feel like a man for a few minutes. “I had warned Greyjoy about this. I told him you’re a spoiled cunt. You know what? You should get with that Stark fag. He may fuck your ass, so maybe you’d feel something 'cause I’m sure as hell your cunt is drier than the Red Waste.”

The insults were also part of the play.

After all, the act might not please everyone in the stalls. “Just shrug them off. They’re praises, actually, disguised bitterly for what they cannot have.” her mother said “Besided, a lion does not concern itself with the opinion of the sheep.”

When she was younger, each bitter word was a giant finger pointed at her, a gavel sealing the next judgement. Her mother had tried with all her carelessness to teach her how to be exactly that. Careless, a river flowing in its direction no matter the filth that would pollute the waters.

But she was draining, ever since Pyke, perhaps long before that.

She was tired of pretending to be gold while her fingertips seemed to leave behind nothing else but ash.

Thank you so much for reading!! If you like to be tagged when I post part II, leave a comment below 🫶

#intrusion #liv(in la vida loca)#aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen x you #aemond targaryen fanfic #aemond x reader #aemond x fem!reader #aemond x you #ewan mitchell #aemond fanfic #aemond targaryen x female reader #aemond one eye #aemond fanfiction #Spotify

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yes-asil · 1 year ago

Note

Hey so I’m about to watch detective Conan for the first time and I just wanted to make sure but Cased Closed is the one I’m supposed to watch first right? Cuz there are a could other detective Conan stuff on the site I’m using

I have the perfect list on how to rewatch the show under the cut

We've got a German website over here, so this is kinda??? official, but not really, it just makes the most sense as far as I'm concerned.

Episodes 001-054

Movie 01 (The Time-Bombed Skyscraper)

Episodes 055-097

Movie 02 (The Fourteenth Target)

Episodes 098-139

Short Stories 01-03 (Wait for Me, Wandering Red Butterfly, Santa Claus of Summer)

Episode 140

Movie 03 (The Last Wizard of the Century)

Episodes 141-173

OVA 01 (Conan vs. Kid vs. Yaiba - The Grand Battle for the Treasure Sword!)

Short Stories 04-07 (Detective George, Ten Planets, Play It Again, Making of Conan)

Episodes 174-186

Movie 04 (Captured in Her Eyes)

Episodes 187-231

Movie 05 (Countdown to Heaven)

Episodes 232-262

OVA 02 (16 Suspects!?)

Episodes 263-275

Movie 06 (The Phantom of Baker Street)

Episodes 276-303

OVA 03 (Conan, Heiji, and the Vanished Boy)

Episodes 304-315

Movie 07 (Crossroad in the Ancient Capital)

Episodes 316-344

OVA 04 (Conan, Kid, and the Crystal Mother)

Episodes 345-356

Movie 08 (Magician of the Silver Sky)

Episodes 357-383

OVA 05 (The Target is Kogoro!! The Detective Boys’ Secret Report)

Episodes 384-396

Movie 09 (Strategy Above the Depths)

Episodes 397-424

OVA 06 (Follow the Vanished Diamond! Conan and Heiji vs. Kid!)

Episodes 425-434

Movie 10 (The Private Eyes’ Requiem)

Episodes 435-452

Drama Special 01 (A Challenge Letter to Shin'ichi Kudo ~Prologue Until Goodbye~)

Episodes 453-459

OVA 07 (A Challenge from Agasa! Agasa vs. Conan and the Detective Boys)

Episodes 460-470

Movie 11 (Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure)

Episodes 471-490

OVA 08 (The Casebook of Female High School Detective Sonoko Suzuki)

Drama Special 02 (Shin'ichi Kudo Returns! ~Confrontation with the Black Organization~)

Episodes 491-504

Movie 12 (Full Score of Fear)

Magic File 02 (Shin'ichi Kudo, The Case of the Mysterious Wall and the Black Lab)

Episodes 505-520

OVA 09 (The Stranger from Ten Years Later)

Episodes 521-529

Lupin III vs. Detective Conan (TV special)

Episodes 530-531

Movie 13 (The Raven Chaser)

Magic File 03 (Shin'ichi and Ran, Memories of Mahjong Tiles and Tanabata)

Episodes 532-561

OVA 10 (Kid in Trap Island)

Episodes 562-570

Movie 14 (The Lost Ship in the Sky)

Magic File 04 (The Osaka Okonomiyaki Odyssey)

Magic Kaito Special 01

Episodes 571-610

Detective Conan vs. Wooo 01

Detective Conan vs. Wooo 02

Drama Special 03 (A Challenge Letter to Shin'ichi Kudo ~The Mystery of the Legendary Bird~)

Movie 15 (Quarter of Silence) (Love that movie aughhh)

Magic File 05 (Niigata ~ Tokyo Souvenir Capriccio)

Episodes 611-616

OVA 11 (A Secret Order from London)

Episodes 617-623

Drama Episodes 01-02

Episode 624

Drama Episode 03

Episodes 625-626

Magic Kaito Special 02-03

Drama Episodes 04-07

Episodes 627-628

Drama Episodes 08-09

Episodes 629-630

Drama Episodes 10-11

Episode 631

Magic Kaito Special 04

Drama Episodes 12-13

Episodes 632-634

Magic Kaito Special 05

Episodes 635-641

OVA 12 (The Miracle of Excalibur)

Magic Kaito Special 06

Episodes 642-651

Movie 16 (The Eleventh Striker)

Magic File 06 (Flower of Fantasista)

Drama Special 04 (Shin'ichi Kudo and the Kyoto Shinsengumi Murder Case)

Episodes 652-666

Magic Kaito Special 07-08

Episodes 667-670

Magic Kaito Special 09

Episodes 671-674

Magic Kaito Special 10

Episodes 675-680

Magic Kaito Special 11-12

Episodes 681-694

Movie 17 (Private Eye in the Distant Sea)

Episodes 695-721

Lupin III vs. Detective Conan: The Movie

Episodes 722-735

Movie 18 (Dimensional Sniper)

Episodes 736-753

Magic Kaito 1412 01

Episodes 754-756

Magic Kaito 1412 02-04

Episodes 757-758

Magic Kaito 1412 05-06

Episodes 759-760

Magic Kaito 1412 07-08

Episodes 761-762

Magic Kaito 1412 09-11

The Disappearance of Conan Edogawa ~The Worst Two Days in History~

Magic Kaito 1412 12

Happy New Year, Kogoro Mouri (Fugitive: Kogoro Mouri)

Episodes 763-764

Magic Kaito 1412 13-14

Episodes 765-766

Magic Kaito 1412 15-16

Episode 767

Magic Kaito 1412 17-18

Episode 768

Magic Kaito 1412 19

Episode 769

Magic Kaito 1412 20

Episode 770-771

Magic Kaito 1412 21-22

Episode 772-773

Magic Kaito 1412 23-24

Episode 774

Movie 19 (Sunflowers of Inferno)

Episode 775-813

Movie 20 (The Darkest Nightmare)

Episode 814-844

Episode “One”: The Great Detective Who Shrank

Episode 845-854

Episode 856-874

Episode 855

Movie 21 (Crimson Love Letter)

Episode 875-898

Movie 22 (Zero the Enforcer)

Episode 899-935

Movie 23 (The Fist of Blue Sapphire)

Episode 936-1002

Movie 24 (The Scarlet Bullet)

Episode 1003-1038

Zero’s Tea Time 1-2

Episode 1039

Movie 25 (The Bride of Halloween)

Zero’s Tea Time 3

Episode 1040

Zero’s Tea Time 4

Episode 1041

Zero’s Tea Time 5

Episode 1042

Zero’s Tea Time 6

Episode 1043-1058

The Culprit Hanzawa Episode 1

Episode 1059

The Culprit Hanzawa Episode 2

Episode 1060

The Culprit Hanzawa Episode 3-4

Episode 1061-current

#detective conan #it took me a while to translate sdhsdj #I'm sure I could have found an english version somewhere but eh #here you go anyway #I'm on ep 86 and I just love the Mouri family + Conan so much

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writingforatwistedworld · 2 years ago

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I’m really glad requests are open because I have a hilarious idea! For these headcanons for the self aware au, the reader is already in Twisted Wonderland! The idea is that Crowley attempts to profit off of the reader when he notices a lot of his students displaying yandere behavior towards them by making it into a game show. Can you please write the headcanons for how Malleus, Lilia, and Azul both reacting to this development and what happens when they participate against each other and other students?

Self-aware au

I do not take any responsibility for you reading this no matter which age group you are from!

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, obsession, unhealthy relationship, war, violence, beheading

Azul Ashengrotto/Malleus Draconia/Lilia Vanrouge-Taking quiz about the Overseer

I can actually imagine Azul being one of those people who watch game shows and always yelling out the right answer, almost ripping the TV into shreds whenever a candidate answers wrong

But this is something he is quite nervous

This is about you, after all! So what is a poor octopus supposed to do?

Yeah that, he leans everything about you once more

Whilst he is well-versed about you he is not so familiar with the views of some places, especially the Valley of Thorns with their rather over-the-top religious approach

So the day has come, Azul is standing in front of Crowley, barely holding himself back from collapsing on the spot from sheer fear of answering something wrong

And would you look at that? Malleus and Lilia are his opponents... they do look at him like they are feeling like eating something with octopus today though...

Azul is hearing his blood rush through his ears... the first question is coming! Who-what? Vanrouge literally jumps on the buzzer the second the Headmage is done? With that kind of speed??!

Most would right now crumble but I guess the sheer amount of fear has just killed something in him so suddenly there is no fear, only calm... and two Fae looking hungry

So when Crowley hasn't even spoken the last word, the sentence already making sense without it, Ashengrotto uses all the impressive strength an octopus has, them being mostly muscles, and slams down on that buzzer

Lilia looks slightly impressed, the keyword is slightly, Malleus is still hungry, Azuls buzzer is in pieces

And as such a competition starts so filled with selfish motivation, gaining your attention, that Crowley is regretting ever having this idea

Azul feels that he can do this! He is so close to winning! So close!!! AND HE HAS WON!

Congrats Azul! Just be happy that Malleus is busy with sulking or else he would be dinner at this point

Cue to the next day, he is standing proudly in front of you, waiting for a reaction

Only to crumble to dust at hearing you ask if something special has happened, “You look so happy.”

Azul cries for a whole day in his pot, wondering if there would be any way to tell you how much he adores you without confessing to all the deals he made with others to keep them away from you

Oh there is going to be a quiz about you?

“How intriguing...” the local dragon Fae thinks whilst polishing a diamond he planning to gift you as the beginning act of his courtship

“How intriguing...” the student with horns thinks whilst seeing the name of his fellow dorm leader and also possible future dinner in the form of sushi or Takoyaki (I am middle European so excuse me not really knowing any recipes with octopus)

“How intriguing...” the future King says when he studies up how other places see you, rather negligent in his opinion

But this isn't about a certain dragon Fea feeling the urge to topple the ruling powers of other nations to make them believe what he believes in. No, this is far more important. This is about him wanting to tell Gao-Gao that he is the one who knows the most about you... and maybe about obliterating Ashengrottis ego

So here we are, Malleus himself, the fifth most strongest magician himself, taking a quiz about you

Lilia looks hungry for octopus as well

So when Crowley asks the first question Malleus obliterates the red thingy in front of him

Lilia looks proud yet also a bit annoyed (probably because he was faster), Ashengrotto has turned into chalk complexion-wise

Answering right Malleus gets the first point, Crowley is shaking whilst putting another one of those red thingies in front of him

And whilst it looks like Ashengrottos nerves have been so fried after all of this, the octopus pulls through, even manages to get a few points!

But the sea-dwellers fate is doomed! Begone with his dream of beating him, Malleus Draconia, proud pet owner of a “Gao-Gao”!

Ok more seriously, Crowley is actually the one this close to passing out from fear but I would be too if an octopus turned personality-wise into a Kraken, the stuff of legends, whilst going up against a dragon

We can be happy that NRC is still standing at this point

And as such, the dragon won! Lighting the Krakens ego into flames so that only ashes remained whilst laughing triumphantly over it's remains

Only to crumble to dust himself when asked by you what was going on yesterday, you having heard that there had been an uproar

Gap-Gao better be ready to hear his beloved owner cry for an entire week

Lilia was made for this, ok?

Believe me, you would be too if your who-knows-how-long immortal life was filled with learning every single piece of information about another individual

And when Lilia sees that the former hatchling he once took care of is also entering the bat's spirit for competition is once more lit on fire

If Malleus Granny would be here to witness this she would have asked him if another foolish King had dared to declare war on you, his fighting spirit being once more reawakening

But no. It's a quiz. A quiz that might lead to the end of the world

Great, Lilia is petting his little bats whilst telling them how delighted he is about such an event happening in the near future

And such the day has come. The day that makes Lilia feel like his younger self... only without armor and a sword ready to split heads

The Fae can hear the fanfare, feel the wind ruffling his hair as he watches his enemies with sharp eyes...

And then he gets pulled back into the here and now, remembering that no chopped-off limbs or heads will help him here

But it's not like he is some brute needing violence to progress in life

No, that would be beneath the pride of a walking encyclopedia about you

After all, the Overseer wishes for peace, thus he will be peaceful and only feral on the inside

Lilia slams the buzzer, Crowley is shaking in his seat, Malleus and Azul are doing their best to counter him

But the little ones don't even know about information only found in long-lost ancient texts, so old they were already crumbling apart when the general himself was still a child

If Lilia wasn't so dead-set on winning then he would probably admit that it was a bit unfair considering that he had a lot more time in this world which he filled with studies about and fights for you

Thus it is no surprise when he wins in the end, the octopus and the dragons ego crushed beneath the metaphorical blade of the general

Only for the general to stumble the next day and metaphorically impale himself on his pointy metal when you ask him the next day what made him so giddy

Well I guess even generals with a track record of turning everything to dust that questions you doesn't always win...

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worldsetfree · 11 days ago

Text

Stardust Crusaders × Reader: How They Show Their Love

You've seen so much on this brief and crazy trip, but you've come to notice and appreciate the little things your beloved does just for you. They're crazy about you, and ready to show their love.

I. THE MAGICIAN

Muhammed Avdol comes to you to escape Joseph and Polnareff's loud, obnoxious energy. You are his peace amidst the chaos.

Not afraid to be silly in front of you, see the Judgement fight. But this man also has a bit of an ego and will hit ridiculous poses and do things to impress you. He will pull you into games or markets to show off.

An emotional boon, Avdol is always always willing to listen to you and your feelings. What kind of a sham fortune teller wouldn't be a good listener?

Alone and unguarded, Avdol will let his walls down to shower you with praise. He'll whisper to you and tell you that you're stunning, compelling, and a thousand other things he's noticed in his careful observation. He'll indulge himself and sink ever deeper into that adoration, into desire, and let it burn and consume both of you.

IV. THE HEIROPHANT

Is a fool. He caught feelings and does not have enough social xp to know what to do. He's not supposed to rush, but he wants to so very badly.

That being said, Kakyoin Noriaki is a very courageous person, so when the time comes, expect him to demonstrate his affection with gusto!

People buy jewelry for their loved ones, right? So what's wrong with him spending his life savings on you? Notice him, senpai! >:[

I headcanon that Kakyoin is incredibly touch-starved. He will seek you out in quiet moments and find comfort in your arms and adoration.

VII. THE HERMIT

Joseph Joestar is smothering in his affections! Expect an ambush!

Old fashioned man does old fashioned things. Flowers, opening doors, guiding you with a gentle hand. Chivalry at its finest, he claims. You are precious to him, and he will treat you as the finest china.

Is rich. Will flaunt it for you (you're worth it!). Diamonds on your wrist when you least expect it. Maybe it's not your style, but he wants you to feel as beautiful as he sees you.

Kind of obnoxious. Loves to tease. Still wily after all these years. Joseph strikes me as the type to sneak in subtle touches, nips at your skin, etc. when no one's looking. He'll drive you crazy all day and only reward you when you're finally, finally, alone.

IX. THE CHARIOT

AGGRESSIVELY NEEDS TO BE THE CENTRE OF YOUR ATTENTION. Jean-Pierre Polnareff is always going out of his way to woo you and impress you!

Is a knight, will be your knight. He's here to protect you from all that may harm a hair on your head. Expect Polnareff to be your champion, especially when you can't support yourself.

Only the finest of accommodations for you, cherie! That's why he's gone out of his way to get you the keys to the finest suite! (Note: this will cause fights with the other Crusaders.)

Of course, he's also very unsubtle about his desire to share those accommodations with you. He's won you the fanciest hotel room and somehow already beat you there, laying on the bed in wait. Where did he get the candles...?

XVII. THE STAR

I already wrote a whole thing on this, but 3taro in particular is a bit of a mess compared to his older selves. Edgy boy is still figuring all this romance stuff out. Give him time.

Kind of a tsundere. Expect many acts of kindness followed by backhanded comments to keep you at a distance. Bought you lunch, but you're dense for not taking care of yourself. He does these things to ease the anxiety he's incurred on this trip.

In this vein, he is your sole protector. Kujo Jotaro would like to know your location, and also be in that location, please. Watches you like a hawk to make sure you're safe (he finds your every move captivating).

Opens up to you in surprising moments. At this age, he often acts on impulse. You've done something ridiculous to win a fight with an enemy, and he's so completely floored by your boldness, your smile, that he's on you before he realizes what he's doing.

0. THE FOOL

Iggy is not going to chew your hair and torment you like he does the others.

"Don't pet me", but also will lay down with his back pressed into your side. Likes to snuggle.

You are the only one allowed in his space. This confounds the other Crusaders to no end.

Might even whip out the sweet eyes and demand stritches. Will kick his little foot when you do!

I'm back, I guess? Sorry, work consumed my soul so thoroughly that I became locked in my mind. Duwang Gang request next!

#jjba #jojo's bizarre adventure #jojo no kimyou na bouken #part 3 #stardust crusaders #kujo jotaro x reader #kakyoin noriaki × reader #muhammad avdol x reader #jean pierre polnareff x reader #joseph joestar x reader #old joseph joestar #iggy jjba #ramblingsfromzawarudo #I swear I only include iggy because a) he is a Crusader #and b) I love my dog

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dnpanimationstudioclone · 9 months ago

Text

Meet Husk🐈‍⬛🎰🪄

Made my own take on Husk for fun! Ngl I ended up changing alot more than I thought I would.

Made him a Tuxedo Ragamuffin cat. They’re said to look the closest to rabbits, to fit with the whole Magicians and rabbits thing, without loosing all the fun stuff with his cat theme 🐈‍⬛.

Made his coat a more dark gray with greenish tint!

Gave him a vest, a popular thing for both bartenders and magicians to wear, plus a popular 70’s fashion. Made it poker table themed. Also added stripes @a-sterling-rose pointed out it could connect him with Alastor who's also got stripes.

Added a nametag unto it!

Gave him a shirt, made the collar sharp as that was also an iconic 70’s look. It’s been said he died around the 70’s.

Went with green, @the-burd-lord helped me out here, suggesting it fits best with his personality(also can mean renewal and rebirth), plus it’s often seen as a color of fortune and luck along with red! I also added gold as it also shows fortune and can symbolize a gold heart 💛 I can totally see him and Mimzy argue over who pulls it better.

I'll admit. Garfield Def inspired me in how to design Husks body build. I really digged @skwtches style on Husk especially with the body change!

Instead of hearts I made his main symbol the Ace of Spades ♠️ with its significance to life, death and luck. Also added more clubs as they’re also revolved around that.

“The spade represents a leaf of the "cosmic" tree, and thus life. Along with its companion suit, clubs, spades represent fall and winter and the power of darkness. In the Tarot, they symbolize intellect, action, air, and death”

Made his Hat more crumpled and added an ace card into it🎩♠️

Added rolls on his pants(still has suspenders the vest just covers) and added diamond and club patches!

Gave him a watch that looks like a casino chip 🎰🪙

Made his eyes with gold with green irises! Also made his eyebrows shorter and white.

Made his hands and feet more cartoon paw like with gold claws.

Untied his bow tie. I imagine he only ties it, if Alastor tells him to or wants to make himself looks more charming and presentable..

Beer Belly!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHISKERS!!!!!!!!!!

I know the picture doesn’t show it but he def does still have a tail but it’s shorter and fluffier looking(one of Angels many favorite things about Husk)

For the suit order on his wings and vest buttons, normally the order power wise is the Spade, heart, diamonds then clubs but instead the hearts at the bottom, to show his hearts the most vulnerable, how he’s very guarded and protective about getting hurt from caring too much💔. Instead the diamond replaces the heart as he’s able to gain profit/fortune well(just has trouble keeping it due to his gambling and buying booze a lot) and then the clubs as his lucks always going back and forth♦️��️

For his wings I missed the old suit symbols the pilot wings had so I brought them back and made them bigger. And did some research and the dots on Husks new wings are Roulette board circles which I think is cool so I kept those but reworked it to look part of a roulette wheel too.

Also made takes on other Hazbin characters, Charlie, Vaggie, Angel Dust, Alastor Niffty and Baxter🍎🦋🕷️🦌🐛🐟

What do u think? How would u redesign Husk? I’d love to know💖

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel redesign #hazbin hotel redesigns #Hazbin redesigns #hazbin redesign #Hazbinhotel #hazbin hotel fanart #hazbin fanart #husk #husk redesign #my art #husk fanart #hazbin husk #hazbin hotel husk #Hh

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whencyclopedia · 3 months ago

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Ulunsuti Tales

The Ulunsuti tales of the Cherokee deal with the mystical jewel, the Ulunsuti ("transparent"), a diamond on the forehead of the great horned serpent Uktena. The Ulunsuti appears in several Cherokee legends, but the story is developed through three tales dealing with its discovery and power, all encouraging belief in and respect for supernatural forces.

Rock Art Depicting a Horned Serpent

E. Kay Luther (CC BY-SA)

Aganunitsi's Search for the Uktena is a hero tale on how the medicine man Aganunitsi brought the great power of the Ulunsuti jewel to the people. The Uktena and the Ulunsuti relates the origin of the great Uktena serpent and the power of the Ulunsuti. The Red Man and the Uktena is another version of the discovery of the Ulunsuti, its power for good, and its danger if one does not treat it with proper respect. Together, these three form the basis of the Ulunsuti legend and are sometimes, though not always, referred to as the Ulunsuti tales.

According to Cherokee belief, the world was made by the Great Creator, Unetlanvhi, with three planes – the higher realm of Galun lati, the earthly realm of mortals, and the lower realm of dark energies. In the middle realm, humans were responsible for maintaining the balance Unetlanvhi had established at the beginning of creation. One maintained this balance through recognition of one's place in the world, honoring the Creator, and living one's life in harmony with one's community and environment.

This balance was always threatened by the dark energies of disease, chaos, and death from the underworld, however, and so it was to one's benefit to have protective powers ("medicine") that could cure the sick, ward off demons and ghosts, predict the future, and help one find food and resources. The most powerful of these objects, according to the old legends, was the Ulunsuti.

The Uktena symbolizes the chaotic forces of the underworld that threaten balance on earth. According to The Uktena and the Ulunsuti, the Uktena was created to assassinate the Sun and, failing in its mission, became so enraged that the people were terrified of it. The creature was too powerful to leave on earth or drop into the underworld, and so it was taken up into Galun lati, where it could be watched over.

Before leaving earth, however, Uktena released others like itself with its power distributed among them in the diamond of the Ulunsuti on their foreheads. In defeating the Uktena, and winning the Ulunsuti, one had not only triumphed over the forces of chaos but could also wield the dark one's energy against future threats and for the benefit of oneself and one's community. This was only possible, however, if one followed the rules closely, mindful of where all power on earth finally comes from.

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The following text is taken from Myths of the Cherokee (1900) by James Mooney, pp. 297-301, republished by Dover Publication, 1995.

Aganunitsi's Search for the Uktena

In one of their battles with the Shawano , who are all magicians, the Cherokee captured a great medicine-man whose name was Aganunitsi, "The Ground-hogs' Mother." They had tied him ready for the torture when he begged for his life and engaged, if spared, to find for them the great wonder worker, the Ulunsuti. Now, the Ulunsuti is like a blazing star set in the forehead of the great Uktena serpent, and the medicine-man who could possess it might do marvelous things, but everyone knew this could not be, because it was certain death to meet the Uktena. They warned him of all this, but he only answered that his medicine was strong, and he was not afraid. So, they gave him his life on that condition, and he began the search.

The Uktena used to lie in wait in lonely places to surprise its victims, and especially haunted the dark passes of the Great Smoky mountains. Knowing this, the magician went first to a gap in the range on the far northern border of the Cherokee country. He searched and found there a monster blacksnake, larger than had ever been known before, but it was not what he was looking for, and he laughed at it as something too small for notice. Coming southward to the next gap he found there a great moccasin snake, the largest ever seen, but when the people wondered he said it was nothing. In the next gap he found a green snake and called the people to see "the pretty salikwayi," but when they found an immense green snake coiled up in the path they ran away in fear. Coming on to Utawagunta, the Bald Mountain, he found there a great diyahali (lizard) basking, but, although it was large and terrible to look at, it was not what he wanted, and he paid no attention to it. Going still south to Walasiyi, the Frog place, he found a great frog squatting in the gap, but when the people who came to see it were frightened like the others and ran away from the monster, he mocked at them for being afraid of a frog and went on to the next gap. He went on to Duniskwalgunyi, the Gap of the Forked Antler, and to the enchanted lake of Atagahi, and at each he found monstrous reptiles, but he said they were nothing. He thought the Uktena might be hiding in the deep water at Tlanusiyi, the Leech place, on the Hiwassee, where other strange things had been seen before, and going there he dived far down under the surface. He saw turtles and water snakes, and two immense sun perches rushed at him and retreated again, but that was all. Other places he tried, going always southward, and at last on Gahuti mountain he found the Uktena asleep.

Turning without noise, he ran swiftly down the mountain side as far as he could go with one long breath, nearly to the bottom of the slope. There he stopped and piled up a great circle of pinecones, and inside of it he dug a deep trench. Then he set fire to the cones and came back again up the mountain.

The Uktena was still asleep, and putting an arrow to his bow, Aganunitsi shot and sent the arrow through its heart, which was under the seventh spot from the serpent's head. The great snake raised his head, with the diamond in front flashing fire, and came straight at his enemy, but the magician, turning quickly, ran at full speed down the mountain, cleared the circle of fire and the trench at one bound, and lay down on the ground inside.

The Uktena tried to follow, but the arrow was through his heart, and in another moment, he rolled over in his death struggle, spitting poison over all the mountain side. But the poison drops could not pass the circle of fire, but only hissed and sputtered in the blaze, and the magician on the inside was untouched except by one small drop which struck upon his head as he lay close to the ground; but he did not know it. The blood, too, as poisonous as the froth, poured from the Uktena's wound and down the slope in a dark stream, but it ran into the trench and left him unharmed. The dying monster rolled over and over down the mountain, breaking down large trees in its path until it reached the bottom. Then Aganunitsi called every bird in all the woods to come to the feast, and so many came that when they were done not even the bones were left.

After seven days he went by night to the spot. The body and the bones of the snake were gone, all eaten by the birds, but he saw a bright light shining in the darkness, and going over to it he found, resting on a low-hanging branch, where a raven had dropped it, the diamond from the head of the Uktena. He wrapped it up carefully and took it with him, and from that time he became the greatest medicine-man in the whole tribe.

When Aganunitsi came down again to the settlement the people noticed a small snake hanging from his head where the single drop of poison from the Uktena had struck; but so long as he lived, he himself never knew that it was there.

Where the blood of the Uktena had filled the trench a lake formed afterwards, and the water was black and in this water the women used to dye the cane splits for their baskets.

The Uktena and the Ulunsuti

Long ago - hilahiyu - when the Sun became angry at the people on earth and sent a sickness to destroy them, the Little Men changed a man into a monster snake, which they called Uktena, "The Keen-Eyed," and sent him to kill her. He failed to do the work, and the Rattlesnake had to be sent instead, which made the Uktena so angry that the people were afraid of him and had him taken up to Galunlati , to stay with the other dangerous things. He left others behind him, though, nearly as large and dangerous as himself, and they hide now in deep pools in the river and about lonely passes in the high mountains, the places which the Cherokee call "Where the Uktena stays."

Those who know say that the Uktena is a great snake, as large around as a tree trunk, with horns on his head, and a bright, blazing crest like a diamond upon its forehead, and scales glittering like sparks of fire. It has rings or spots of color along its whole length and cannot be wounded except by shooting in the seventh spot from the head, because under this spot are its heart and its life. The blazing diamond is called Ulunsuti, "Transparent", and he who can win it may become the greatest wonder worker of the tribe, but it is worth a man's life to attempt it, for whoever is seen by the Uktena is so dazed by the bright light that he runs toward the snake instead of trying to escape. Even to see the Uktena asleep is death, not to the hunter himself, but to his family.

Of all the daring warriors who have started out in search of the Ulunsuti only Aganunitsi ever came back successful. The East Cherokee still keep the one which he brought. It is like a large transparent crystal, nearly the shape of a cartridge bullet, with a blood-red streak running through the center from top to bottom. The owner keeps it wrapped in a whole deerskin, inside an earthen jar hidden away in a secret cave in the mountains. Every seven days he feeds it with the blood of small game, rubbing the blood all over the crystal as soon as the animal has been killed. Twice a year it must have the blood of a deer or some other large animal. Should he forget to feed it at the proper time it would come out from its cave at night in a shape of fire and fly through the air to slake its thirst with the lifeblood of the conjurer or some one of his people. He may save himself from this danger by telling it, when he puts it away, that he will not need it again for a long time. It will then go quietly to sleep and feel no hunger until it is again brought out to be consulted. Then it must be fed again with blood before it is used.

No white man must ever see it and no person but the owner will venture near it for fear of sudden death. Even the conjurer who keeps it is afraid of it and changes its hiding place every once in a while so that it cannot learn the way out. When he dies it will be buried with him. Otherwise, it will come out of its cave, like a blazing star, to search for his grave, night after night for seven years, when if still not able to find him, it will go back to sleep forever where he has placed it.

Whoever owns the Ulunsuti is sure of success in hunting, love, rain-making, and every other business, but its great use is in life prophecy. When it is consulted for this purpose, the future is seen mirrored in the clear crystal as a tree is reflected in the quiet stream below, and the conjurer knows whether the sick man will recover, whether the warrior will return from battle, or whether the youth will live to be old.

The Red Man and the Uktena

Two brothers went hunting together, and when they came to a good camping place in the mountains they made a fire, and while one gathered bark to put up a shelter the other started up the creek to look for a deer. Soon he heard a noise on the top of the ridge as if two animals were fighting. He hurried through the bushes to see what it might be, and when he came to the spot he found a great uktena coiled around a man and choking him to death. The man was fighting for his life and called out to the hunter: "Help me, nephew, he is your enemy as well as mine." The hunter took good aim, and, drawing the arrow to the head, sent it through the body of the uktena, so that the blood spouted from the hole. The snake loosed its coils with a snapping noise, and went tumbling down the ridge into the valley, tearing up the earth like a water spout as it rolled.

The stranger stood up, and it was the Asga'ya Gi'gagei, the Red Man of the Lighting. He said to the hunter: "You have helped me and now I will reward you and give you a medicine so that you can always find game." They waited until it was dark, and then went down the ridge to where the dead uktena had rolled, but by this time the birds and insects had eaten the body and only the bones were left.

In one place were flashes of light coming up from the ground, and on digging here, the Red Man found a scale of the uktena. Next, he went over to a tree that had been struck by lightning and, gathering a handful of splinters, he made a fire and burned the uktena scale to a coal. He wrapped this in a piece of deerskin and gave it to the hunter, saying: "As long as you keep this you can always kill game." Then he told the hunter that, when he went back to camp, he must hang up the medicine in a tree outside, because it was very strong and dangerous. He told him also that, when he went into the cabin, he would find his brother lying inside nearly dead on account of the presence of the uktena's scale, but he must take a small piece of cane, which the Red Man gave him, and scrape a little of it into water and give it to his brother to drink and he would be well again.

Then the Red Man was gone, and the hunter could not see where he went. He returned to camp alone, and found his brother very sick, but soon cured him with the medicine from the cane, and that day and the next, and every day after, he found game whenever he went for it.

#History #Cherokee

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chillwildwave · 6 months ago

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The Wishing Kingdom AU: Florin Walt ✨🪄🔮

Since I posted Chapter 4 and at the moment working in Chapter 5, I thought it would be a great idea to share a character that Ive been thinking on who to add to the story and what role they play.

I simply thought about adding Flazino after watching that deleted scene, I mean I did the elements of the character but from this description, you will know…

This is Florin Walt, an imprisoned apprentice of the king and queen who wishes to do magic just like them, but his type of magic of a bit distinct to other forms, you see…

The backstory of Florin starts off in Stillfort, a poor village where he lived with his mother, father and little brother, he spent most of his life working in the farm and doing the chores around his cottage, although during his spare time, he would use a pair of chalk and started drawing on the rocks (sort of like how Rapunzel paints on her tower walls) so that he can make his dream come true, however, people around him said that it would be too impossible and that there’s no such thing as a dream come true, but he still kept drawing and drawing until the rocks were covered.

When he was 9, tragedy struck…

It was when a nearby kingdom by the name of the Crangon destroyed his homeland due to loosing a lifelong beef between Stillfort since they won a war centuries ago and it was plotted as revenge, little Florin tried to attack one of the soldiers who was on his way to destroy his home but the soldier brutally kicked him back to the floor, causing his hand to bleed, thus, unable to get back up, he watched his poor home and his dream die…

Years later, still with no home, he went up to the highest mountain where a cave stood strong since the war, filled with curiosity, he went inside and to his surprise, there was a stained glass drawing of him as a king with these sketchy lines of magic on the centre of his hands, below the drawing,

There is a wand shaped like a pencil that is wrapped around in thorns, it felt like his dream had already chosen him, it felt like there was someone calling out to him where he could finally get his dream come true, to think he worked his whole life to get this goal, it felt like it would become reality because of one kingdom…

One night, on his 18th birthday, he walked all the way to an unnamed kingdom at the time where he snuck inside the castle where he could get his dream, hesitant, Florin knelt by the king and queen (Harry and Adrianna during that time), he started by touching the pencil, raising it up and drew a circle, and just like that, that circle began to move ever so fluidly, like an illusion brought to life!

Impressed, Adrianna and Henry rewarded him with a wish to become a sorcerer by taking a petal and placed it on his chest and from there, his dream finally came true!

Since his dream, he continued using his magic to get better at his skills as whilst using it to help those in need for his kingdom, however, since Magnifico and Amaya entered the building, he knew that fate would enter….

During their ceremony, Amaya decided to reward Florin with a magical diamond, shaped like a pencil except it was extremely sharp, it wasn’t any diamond, it was a wishing diamond, just one touch and his wish would become bigger than ever, even though he already had his wish, he didn’t agree the first time but after hearing the queen’s truth about the wish, he accepted and touched his finger on the top of the diamond and…

OUCH!

The diamond caused another cut on his finger which led him to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, the magic from the diamond stole his wish and it floated towards the king and queen and his bright colour scheme went dark in a matter of seconds, and after that, it was then when he was thrown in the dungeon where until the curse lifted, he would spend the rest of the night doing labour for the couple.

The role he plays in the story is that he is supposed to be a cursed magician in Rosas until Asha and Antares find him and lead him to stop the couple as soon as possible, but he lacks empathy since he only cares about getting his dream back by himself without anyone’s help but as the story progresses, he learns to empathise with people throughout.

Now let’s analyse his design…

For the character design, I wanted it to become different from other Flazinos and I was able to do this by looking through medieval wear from the 1200s whilst also adding the gradient purple on his hands and feet, the purple is also present in the yellow suit which is symbolism for creativity and lack of empathy, it’s also a royal colour as well which is so funny because he wasn’t born into royalty to begin with, and I also noticed how I accidentally made him hot, like look at that face!!!!!

And this is the design of him after Rosas, and as you can see, the colour scheme has gotten darker, I wanted to use this to represent the current state of Rosas as well as the pain of getting your greatest desires washed away and taken away from you, and I feel like this could be great to visually showcase character development as the AU progresses through chapters!

I also forgot to mention that his name is a reference to Florian from Snow White and Walt Disney himself, so I felt like it would be heartwarming to pay homage to him in this way and also through this characters beliefs on making his own wish come true…

Let me know your thoughts on the character below and see if he stands with other Flazinos, I’m pretty sure they’ll greet him with open arms!!!! @annymation @uva124 @signed-sapphire @wings-of-sapphire @gracebethartacc @gracebeth3604 @rylxdreams @flicklikesstuff @oh-shtars @mythartist21 @spectator-zee @rascalentertainments @your-ne1ghbor @ishadow246 @tumblingdownthefoxden

#wish disney #wish flazino #animation studnet #worldbuilding #character backstory #character deisgn #artists on tumblr #writers of tumblr #the wishing kingdom au #the wishing kingdom #twk au #wish rewrite #wish au #star wish #asha wish #original character #character art

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dustedmagazine · 1 month ago

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An overwhelming year: Joshua Moss on 2024

2024 was an overwhelming year in almost every sense, but the subject here at Dusted is music, and music was a phenomenon that was overwhelming in a good way. I fell in love with brand new albums I will listen to for the rest of my life, discovered decades old albums that were like missing pieces of myself, and I didn’t get to albums I might fall in love with ten years from now. My band released eight of our own albums to varying degrees of notice. I did a brief tour, something I had not done for over a decade, and we played more shows than we ever have in a year.

I mention my own musical activities because when you are engaged in DIY music, it's all about connecting with people, and most of them are other musicians with beautiful music to share. Every time we play a show, we are treated to performances by two or three other bands, who almost never disappoint. I had sublime nights around Portland this year. I swooned to jangly pop downers Rosy Boa. I zoned out to mesmerizing finger picking and jazz improvisation from guitar magicians like Will DeLee and Mike Gamble. I lost my mind to the free explorations of the Joel Nelson Group and Water Shrews. We played with French artists Tamagawa and Oldine and connected across the Atlantic with their atmospheric sounds. When I was on tour, I got to meet an online friend and collaborator, John Swanke, and watch him weave his tapestries of New Age guitar. I met drone-folk revivalists Friends of the Road, who put out one of my favorite albums of the year, and I got my face melted by the thrash-metal Grouper vibes of Power Strip. All of this was life affirming - in times that feel haunted by deadly forces that are bereft of creativity or joy, all of this felt like, aside from my family, my main reason for being alive.

There is an additional vitality that can be added to this practice, because music can be used to materially address the complex issues we face. Many artists, including myself, leverage their fanbase to raise money for good causes, but in the wake of Hurricane Helene, a massive, heavy hitter filled benefit compilation called Cardinals at the Window raised over $300,000 to support those impacted. more recently, the Gold Bolus Recordings label has put out an excellent compilation to benefit Palestinians, called Mandatory Liberation Volume One, featuring artists such as Powers/Rolin Duo and Ashcan Orchestra.

2024 was a great year to be a fan of music too—as fragmented as the digital universe, is, has the effect of multiplying the amount and variety of music released, permutations of genres spiraling like fractals of style. I think every deep music head's dilemma is knowing that we'll miss more records than we ever catch, but it's a wonderful problem to have. Below I have included a list of my 30 favorite albums of the year — I tried to go under-the-radar as much as was honest — but this is stuff I listened to a lot.

Spiral Pier — Cash Payment (EP)

JPW/Dadweed — Two Against Nurture (EP)

Future — WE DON’T TRUST YOU

Rosali — Bite Down

Daniel Wyche and Patrick Shiroishi — Hopeful Intervals

Jeremy Kizina — Remnants In Repose

Seawind of Battery — East Coast Cosmic Dreamscaper

Cindy Lee — Diamond Jubilee

Penn Bryce — Feel Free

Taylor K Conrad — Mountain Stars

Cassini — The Cassini Project

Friends of the Road — Sunseekin’ Blues

Water Shrews — Red Eared Slider

Myriam Gendron — Mayday

Shane Parish — Repertoire

Rob Dobson — Be Easy

Beth Gibbons — Lives Outgrown

Bill MacKay — Locust Land

Blue Angels — s/t

Quintelium — Dream and Reality

Will DeLee — Improvisations for Guitar and Charango

Niklas Sørensen — Akustisk

Hearts of Oak — Valley of Dark Hills

JM Hart — As We Know It

Kim Deal — Nobody Loves You More

Power Strip — Nothing Yet

Spiral Joy Band — Waves of Higher Bodies

Old Crow Medicine Show — O.C.M.S. (re-issue)

Souled American — Notes Campfire (re-issue)

Grateful Dead — Duke '78 (archival)

#yearend 2024 #dusted magazine #joshua moss #the modern folk #rosy boa #will delee #mike gamble #the water shrews #cardinals at the window

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elliespeach · 2 years ago

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meet cutes with modern!ellie

the black diamond slope

you decided to tackle the hardest slope on the mountain, after boasting to your friends that you were perfectly capable. the truth was, you barely could go down the moderate slopes, but you wanted to prove a point. when you reached the top of the mountain, there were only about half a dozen other people attempting the slope, which made you nervous. as you started to go down the mountain, you took your time; your friends be damned. the snow was whipping you in the face regardless and it was getting hard to make out just exactly where you were going. everything was going perfect until a snowboarder came into your path, taking you both out. you both rolled for a bit before slowing to a stop on the side of the mountain, snow reaching places that made you shiver uncontrollably. the snowboarder got up first, unphased by the collision and you expected them to take off but they came to your side– a sweet voice attached to the culprit.

“jesus, are you okay?” she whipped off her helmet and auburn hair came rushing down around her face, you expected a dude-bro, not a pretty girl. you managed to get yours off while you sat up straight, and her face softened even more than it already was. “that was totally my bad.”

“i’m good,” you rushed out, and despite the cold your face was now burning hot as she spoke to you. she extended her arm to help you up, which you happily accepted. “get me a hot chocolate down in the lodge and i’ll forgive you,” and the auburn hair girl laughed while telling you she’d get you anything you wanted as long as you never told anyone she totally wiped out.

the magicians ‘volunteers’

the boardwalk was packed with people and as you walked down the seemingly never ending strip, a magic show caught your eye. normally, you’d keep walking but he was attempting hypnosis and it piqued your curiosity. you got comfortable in the crowd of people swarmed around him on his little make-shift stage and watched as he searched the crowd for volunteers. immediately, you bowed your head, not wanting to be a part of this random guys show. but as if the universe had plans, he pointed to you, “girl! yes, you! with the silly crochet tote bag!” your eyes met his embarrassingly and before you could say no, he was practically pulling you up onto the platform. “okay… one more.” his finger bounced off people in the crowd, a large number of people were begging to be his next volunteer, but again he picked the most disinterested girl.

she was pretty, and had freckles all along her cheeks and forehead that no doubt multiplied by the scorching sun. she denied it at first, just like you had but the magician was insistent and pulled her on stage as well. you both stood awkwardly next to each other, and when your head turned to face her she gave you a look that might as well have screamed, “what the fuck is going on?”

you shrugged, laughing just a bit while the magician talked to the crowd. you whispered to her, “follow my lead, yeah?” this guy was going to regret picking you. the girl next to you nodded, a sly smile on her face as well.

when he started to ‘hypnotize’ you, you slumped your head as they do in the movies and you could hear the crowd gasp as if it was something magical, you refrained from laughing and heard him walk past you to your fellow volunteer. you assume she did what you did by the crowd's reactions and when the magician snapped his fingers and shouted, “now act like scared ducks!”

you brought your head up and immediately turned to the freckled girl next to you, grabbing her face and pulling her into a kiss. you didn’t stop there because you dipped her, again like they do in movies. she reacted well enough, soon kissing you back before the magician started to scramble. “no, no! thats not–” he panicked, “off my stage!” you broke the kiss and both of you were laughing as he shoo’d you off the stage, him muttering apologizes to the crowd as you both ran off.

the grocery store shuffle

the last thing on your list was bread and as you turned down the isle, basket in hand, you eyed the bread you needed. it was just past the very attractive girl contemplating what pasta she wanted to buy, her fingers on her chin as if it was some big decision. as you began to walk down the isle, she grabbed a random box, throwing it into her own basket before turning in your direction to walk the other way. you both were going at each other head on and when you stepped to the side to allow her to pass, she did the same. you weakly smiled and stepped in the opposite direction, to which she also copied, trying to let you go ahead. and then you both did it again before she laughed, extending her arms dramatically. “stay there, i’ll go–” and she brushed past you. you looked back only to find her doing the same thing and a blush spread across her face as she whipped her head back around.

when you were finished and ready to leave, self-checkout was the shortest line, but as you went to pay you realized the twenty dollar bill you slipped into your wallet was actually a ten, and you were short four dollars. “fuck,” you said, looking at your items to decide which to leave behind. the pasta girl, who was checking out right next to you, noticed this and offered you a five. “no, no it’s fine. i don’t need bread anyway–”

“you almost ran me down trying to get it, just take it,” she smiled at you, and your face turned hot. as you reached for the five she snaked it back playfully, “my only condition is that you come get drinks with me later.”

that crappy apartment door

knocking on your neighbors door was the last thing you wanted to. especially when you were only in a towel, dripping wet from your shower. your amazon package had arrived while you were singing your heart out and when you saw the notification you were more than excited, running to your door and grabbing the package. only thing is, your apartment door locks as soon as its closed and you were now locked out of your place. it sucked even more because you were a newer tenet, it’s not even like you had someone you knew around. so while you knocked on your across-the-hall neighbor, you thought about just throwing yourself off of the building.

before you could commit to such an idea, the door opened revealing someone you hadn’t expected. she was pretty with auburn hair that was tucked messily into a low bun, a few strands dangling beside her face. instantly, you wanted to turn around and just start breaking your door in. anything so that you wouldn’t have to talk to this girl while you were literally butt naked. but she had a inquisitive smile on her face and leaned against her door frame, “not how i expected to meet my new neighbor,”

“i got locked out of my place,”

“i can see that,” she crossed her arms, “just how exactly did that happen?”

“these stupid fucking doors lock automatically, i mean how was i suppose to know that.”

“its on the lease,” she mocked and your eyes rolled. she could see your desperation and dropped the act, “cmon, i’ll call our landlord, you can borrow some of my clothes in the meantime, guy takes forever to get here when i do that.”

#ellie williams #ellie williams imagines #ellie williams x reader #ellie williams au #ellie williams fanfic

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keep-on-trying · 23 days ago

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Watched fansubs of MahoPre II ep 1, and... well. Couple things.

When the diamond Linkru stone first sparkled in the ep, it changed colors to pink. Doesn't that mean it basically reverted to it's original form from first ep of original series? Because both their Diamond Linkru stones were pink before waking their Precure powers originally. Very curious detail.

Mirai thinking the outfits being prettier is the reason they feel more fired up but Liko absolutely is thinking it on more serious sense LOL. God I love them and gosh I missed them so much!

The main villain (Ailu, Isle, I have no idea if he has official romanji version of his name) is following some sort of script of encountering Haa-chan, Mirai and Liko. And the little girl who looks like a green-haired Haa-chan. So there's time shenanigans involved but in different manner than OtonaPre's.

Regarding the green haired girl, she's not officially introduced by name yet so I'll not call her by name yet, even thou anyone who's checked pre-release material would know her name, but based on what happened in Haa-Chan vs Isle scene... is she possibly Mother Rapapa herself? There was focus on Haa-chan being the inheritor of her powers, AND whatever was happening basically reverted Haa-chan from her all-powerful form to Cure Felice... what in the hell?

Why does Isle know Cure Miracle is Asahina Mirai? Why is there such huge focus on his dog? Is this all related to how this ep puts emphasis on Mirai becoming non-magic world's secret magician hero and thus doing reckless missions on tyring to help people out? Did she possibly fail to save the dog? Or does Isle come from the future and thus knows of Mirai, and knows she will fail to save him? And is on some revenge journey??? Also, Isle basically had some sort of device that has powers from Deusmast??? That's worrying.

One weird thought I had was Isle having a crush on Mirai and being mad Mirai is instead priotizing her relationship with Liko and Haa-chan and idk if that would be a bad plotline or good plotline to build upon MiraiLiko LOL. Considering the emphasis on dog, doubt this is the case. But the opening showing Isle's black heart basically exploding makes me think his heart has had an achy situation.

The animation of first ep is GOURGEUS btw, absolutely gourgeus. New animation for pink diamond henshin scene is so beautiful, and so is the new animation for diamond eternal attack. They're really nailing it with the animation direction for this series. So far it don't feel cheap. And the OP and ED have so many tasteful nostalgic references to original OPs and EDs, it feels so nice for them to follow the themes from before. Makes it feel like a proper sequel.

EDIT: Soooooooooooo, many many many people are saying that Mirai and Liko do kiss during their transformation scene, in a subtle blink-and-you-miss-it style.... judging by what Yoshiyama Yuu tweeted.... it might indeed be it XD.

I guess those are my thoughts for now. Very excited to see more!

#aleira watches mahopre II #precure #pretty cure #mtmd01 #discussions #mirai days spoilers #maho tsukai precure mirai days #witchy precure mirai days

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synthleeius · 1 year ago

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hiii~ 💕 if requests are still open, could I possibly request lee!lyney with ler!traveler? I think lyney deserves a good gettin' ehehe

Magic tricks

hello!! ⭐️

this was SOO fun to write ive been dying to write for Lyney UGH

i hope it was okay i wrote Aether instead of Lumine, i just find him easier to write. enjoyyy🫶

Lyney flared out the stack of playing cards, smiling smugly at the traveler standing in-front of him.

"Traveler~ Be a dear and pick a card for me, will you?" He asked, holding said cards out to him.

Aether simply tilted his head after being stopped in his tracks, shrugging before sliding out a card from the middle. "Hello to you to, I guess."

"Ah, my apologies.. Hello, Aether. Remember that card, yes?" He corrected himself, confirming Aether had a memory of his pick before taking the card back.

"Now, prepare to be amazed, dear traveler!" Lyney exclaimed, shuffling the cards in a way that told Aether he had done this many times before. "Was.. this your card?"

As he spoke, he pulled a card from the top of the deck and flipped it to Aether's view dramatically. The black diamond card glistened slightly, and the shorter just chuckled. "It might've been."

"Ta-da~" Lyney hummed, sliding his cards into a pocket.

"You know, ive been practicing my own magic lately, Lyney." Aether replied, huffing a laugh at the excited expression the other showed.

"You have?" He gasped, "Well, I've obviously taken a toll on you! Who else would you get inspiration from, hm?"

"Lynette." The traveler cut him off slightly, watching the magician's face drop. "Pfft, relax.. I was just kidding, it was you."

"You tease.." Lyney crossed his arms over his chest, before his smile returned. "Though, you'll have to do a trick for me. And maybe if your lucky, I can teach you a thing or two~"

"Isn't that against the magicians code?" Aether joked, laughing softly before taking a few steps closer to him. "I can show you a trick. You'll have to close your eyes though."

"Well, how could I ever say no to a offer like that?" Lyney smirked, letting his arms fall to his sides and closing his eyes.

"Thats good," The shorter praised, moving to stand behind him. "Prepare to be amazed, Lyney~"

With that, he dug his fingers into the backs of Lyney's ribs and wiggled his nails gently into the skin. The taller gasped loudly, falling back into Aether's chest on reflex as he laughed.

"Aether!" is the only word he managed to get out before he was cut off by his own giggles. "stohohop thahat! Thahats uhunfair!"

"Well, I think its pretty fair." He replied in a unbothered tone, like he was completely oblivious to his hands that were now spidering down to his hips.

"Wehell Ihi- don't!" He yelped when he felt Aether's hand linger towards the side of his thigh, barely grazing over the fabric of his tights. He tried to move forward out of his grasp, but the traveler held a firm arm around his waist to keep him as still as he could. "Ihi'll fall!.."

"Huh.." Aether pretended to be deep in thought, before scribbling his fingers into the squishy surface. "Not gonna lie.. that kind of sounds like a you problem. I'd be happy to help though, if you'd do something for me."

The squeal the magician let out earned a few strange looks from the passerby's, his knees buckling slightly before he pushed them back straight. "Whahat do yohou wahant?"

"Well, thats no way to ask is it?" He asked rhetorically, sensing that Lyney might actually fall if he continued in that particular spot for any longer.. So with that logic, he moved up to squish pouch of skin at his sides.

"people ahare staharing! I hahave a reputation yohou know!" He argued, squirming back into the figure behind him like that would make the sensation any less unbearable. "Juhust tehell me!"

"Well.. its simple really, all you have to do is.." Aether paused, moving to whisper in the other's ear. "-admit that you like this."

Lyney gasped and moved his head away, squeezing his already shut eyes. "Wihill- will yohou stohop?"

"Probably not." The traveller shrugged, laughing at the whine that tore from Lyney's throat. "Okay, okay! I will.."

"Yohou behetter.." His laugh turned to soft breathy giggles as aether switched his squeezing to soft in poking and prodding.

"Ihi guess.. I guess its not horrible?" He whispered, his cheeks flushing up in embarrassment. "Now.. let me go! I have a show soon y'know, I'm a magician, not a toy.."

"Alright, alright~ I had my fun." Aether sighed happily, releasing him from his grasp. "And before you ask, yes, I'll come to your show."

"You know me too well, dear Traveler.." Lyney turned around, a genuine smile on his face. "Now, I'll be taking my leave. I'll be searching for you in the audience~"

So he left as soon as he came.. Aether had half the mind to tell him to fix his hair up, but he was more looking forward to hearing the way Lynette questioned him about it.

#ticklish!lyney #ler!aether #genshin impact tickle #genshin tickles #genshin tickle #syns stuff #requests #tried to write this mf in a day so its kinda short #i hate letting requests sit #magic boy gets got #ler!traveler #ler!traveller #lee!lyney #genshin impact tickles

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gx-gameon · 9 months ago

Text

Gx rewatch - school duel arc

Episode 20

The introduction of the school duel.

And the introduction of Blair. (Or Rebecca 2.0) And her crazy stalker tendencies

Syrus is already worried about being replaced.

Jaden being willing to keep Blair’s secret as long as she duels him. “A duel always reveals the truth”

Not the first time we hear Avians voice is him being in love for Blair’s card

Not Sparkman to!!

Zane roasting Syrus for having a crush on Dark Magician Girl.

Jaden is very lucky Burstinetrix is either A) loyal to Jaden only. On B) that she’s not a lesbian. Also he calling the boys pathetic is a mood.

Jaden not making her tell him her secret because “I learned everything g I need through your duel.”

Oh thank you Alexis and Zane for letting the kid down easy.

Not her leaving with a crush on Jaden.

I know in the dub she’s 8 but in the sub she’s 11 and that feels a lot better considering she comes back in season 2 (12) as a student in year 3 (13)

Episode 21

It’s announced that North academy is using a 1st year and Zane nominates Jaden to be their competitor. Everyone agrees but Crowler (of course) who wants Bastian. (Not like their are several other obelisk students who could do it)

Love the friendly rivalry between Jaden and Bastian.

Not the reporter dressing up as a Slifer and getting disrespected. Jaden calling him old right off the bat. (Au Jaden knows this is a spy/reporter as soon as he sees him and keeps him close so he can’t mess with Oto-San’s school)

Oh no he’s got beef with Skyscraper.

Jerad is such a mess.

I love Chumley saying that he got good at dueling because he started hanging out with Jaden and Syrus.

Jerad asking about missing kids and Jaden almost giving everything away before he catches himself.

Jerad you are a full grown man don’t sneak up on Alexis (14) at the abandoned dorm in the middle of the night with no one around. I don’t like this at all. Like I know he’s just looking for his story but this situation makes me very uncomfortable.

Zane Simms it up best. “Instincts vs Intelligent”

“We teach the Slifers well when they don’t skip class”

Again why couldn’t we have more chemistry dinosaurs from Bastian’s deck? Maybe it’s because I love chemistry and have a special interest in dinosaurs but I want this.

Bastian dealing Jaden’s fusion card is such a good move. What a way to shut down Jaden’s deck.

Episode 22

Not the reporter hacking in to find the missing students

Zane being impressed by Bastian and repeating Syrus previous statement “fusions are how Jaden wins all his duels” the brother really are more a like then they think

Jaden excited for the new challenge of finding a new way to win. Love the positive attitude buddy

The reporter having second thoughts about ruining duel academy because Jaden got into his head

“You make your moves at home I make mine in the field” Jaden I love the confidence.

I forgot about his carbon and diamond card. Yugioh give me more chemistry cards!!!

Jaden getting out blade and using skyscraper to help out. I love the strategy! (Also him giving the reporter war flashbacks

I forgot how fun this duel is. It’s a good back and forth I love how Jaden is still having fun.

Not Jaden winning with a hyper specific equipment spell. Only in the anime would you get the hyper specific equipment card with the particular monster.

I love Bastian’s respect as a duelist.

Not the reporter falling in love with dueling again. And giving Alexis the info about the missing students.

Jaden is representing the school.

I know au Jaden had told his dads about the match before hand. The probably steamed it and watched with the whole family/friend group. Joey and Tristian were cheering. Serenity Téa Mokuba and Mai are cheering but not as obnoxiously as the prior two. Seto, Yugi Atem, Duke and Bakura are all discussing strategy and how well both Jaden and Bastian are doing.

They are all thrilled about Jaden completing big the school duel. (Maybe Kaiba will have to schedule a trip to watch the school duel in person this year. It’s his school after all)

Maybe in the au Jaden tell his Zoro-san about the reporter and Kaiba picks him up. He’s original going to pay the guy off to stay quiet but because of his passion to find the missing students he lands a job with Kaiba Corp. (I’ll have to see if the reporter pops back up, I don’t remember)

Episode 23

I love everyone offering their favorite cards to Jaden to use in the school duel. Very classic yugioh. But could we not phrase it as “you have to win or you’ll embarrass the school.” And phrase it as “we’re here to support you, you’ve got this.” Like Jaden’s obviously feeling the pressure already. Don’t compound it.

It’s an obvious difference between DM and Gx in DM in a scene like that they would offer Yugi the cards and build up his confidence and reassure him, they believe in him. But in Gx they remind him of the pressure and how he can’t fail. It makes them offering their cards feel more like they want credit for helping him win and not because they genuinely want to support him.

Although “I want to help you be alone.”-Bastian and “you can’t be alone all by yourself.”-Alexis are iconic

Belowski! He can see duel spirits and speak Kuriboh which is great.

I love that he starts talking about how the colors are just the man’s way of keeping them down and Jaden is over it so fast. “Whatever let’s just throw down.” Aka please stop talking (about my too-san’s color system)

Is Belowski using ‘shadow powers’? Since his Moki Moki cab makes people sleepy.

I love how annoyed Jaden is with his friends fawning over Moki Moki and how great the other duelist is

“Who are you rooting for?” - Jaden “isn’t it obvious Moki Moki” - Bastian

Honestly that has to hurt. To have all of your friends root against you for seemingly no reason.

Love that Jaden realized that their weird behavior was caused by Belowski

I’m sorry but the kid was left at Duel Academy as a baby? This school is less than 10 years old how does that work? Is that the back story in the sub?

He is the first duelist who can summon real monsters in this series which is very cool. Not loving that he lives in a jail cell on campus

Au Jaden has so many questions for his Oto-san. Why is this kid kept in a cell for the same ability Atem and Yugi have?

Love that Jaden is the only student not affected by Moki Moki powers. I’m going to check it up to his own powers. Jaden is the supreme king and user of the Gentle Darkness. I think he has more power than Belowski. I also love that Belowski is surprised by this.

The explanation that Jaden loves to duel so much he just got ramped up he couldn’t sleep. No. Dark powers.

Episode 24

It’s the Chazz episode!!!

He is stranded in the ocean and he imagining Jaden with a pink and floral background? And a rainbow background? Incredible

Him falling into the ocean and blaming figment Jaden

It’s the intro of Ojama Yellow!!!

Not Chazz getting rescued. The ‘rescuer’ dumps his cards in the water the ruin them and then starts asking about Jaden. How does he know about Jaden? Chazz talks about him in his sleep.

I’m living for figment Jaden.

“Talk is cheap.” “Ya well I’m rich!” You go Chazz live up to Kaiba’s crazy rich boy talk

Dude just tried to drown him, shot him out of a submarine into a frozen wasteland. Are you trying to kill this boy?

The answer is yes as they send him in a quest through the tundra to get 40 cards

Not Chazz trying to buy the cards.

Like is the the best way to teach Chazz that money isn’t everything? No they are trying to kill him. But it is effective. He’s going to learn to cherish his cards.

Chazz found 41 so that he could give the old guy the extra. He’s a sweet heart. Though he did try to get ride of Ojama Yellow. Love this duel spirit.

“I have two brothers who are lost!” Love the set up also the reflection of Chazz’s own family. He is one of three brothers as well, but his brothers don’t treat him well. The ojamas really are the brotherhood Chazz could have had.

Oh no he only had forty! What a sweet boy. Figment Jaden “when you do nice things nice things happen to you.” And Chazz getting his last card from the ground.

50 man duel gauntlet! Chazz isn’t even fazed. Oh that’s all?

Also him winning against 50 duelist with a deck he cobbled together with cards he found in the tundra is mad impressive. Not to mention taking on the top 5-2 duelist at the same time to prove a point.

Chazz finally respects his cards!! And is talking to duel spirits!

Chazz as much as you say you don’t like Jaden you sure think about him a lot. He’s literally your inner voice.

Not the Chancellor saying he never liked his top student Czar

Is there only 50 kids at this school? Or is that just the freshman class? Or is it just the dueling gauntlet

Episode 25

Chazz it up! Chazz is up!

Love him getting not only his iconic black coat but also the ‘best deck’ from North Academy.

Love Jaden just summoning his monsters because “I have the best monsters!” Yes king I love how much he loves his deck.

Runs right in up to the two chancellors. “Where’s my opponent?!?” He’s so excited.

Chazz came with a squad “I transferred when I stoped getting the respect i deserved!” He’s read for a verbal smack down and is ready to be king

Jaden over here “I think the match is sold out.” “Oh are you the referee?” “Wait when did you switch school?” The whole grudge has flown over his head. He’s just happy to be dueling and to see Chazz again. They are here for two very different events

Au Jaden sees the helicopters fly in and thinks “my Dads are here? I hope uncle Joey doesn’t blow my cover.” The. He sees Chases brothers and is confused but sure we’ll roll with this.

Then they tell him they are live streaming the duel. And in cannon he’s excited but in the au he’s so stressed. He spent most of his childhood abounding being on camera. What if someone recognizes him and puts together he’s the Prince of Duels? Play it cool Jaden. Play it cool.

The Princeton brothers suck. Not them calling Chazz a slacker and putting all this stupid extra pressure on him. And throwing a deck at him he’s never played talking about how it’s expensive so it will win. Good sirs he already has a deck and strategy he’s been working on the whole way here and you want him to change it last minute? That’s not how you win.

Not Jaden think about how he should have brushed his hair. Or shower. Hah to be empty headed

Not Chazz having a panic attack and break down and Jaden just watching

Cannon Jaden might be starting to understand why Chazz is the way that he is but Au Jaden understand right away. He also feels pressure to succeed but his family never puts it on him. It’s all internal. Chazz is getting it externally and it’s crushing him. Too-San doesn’t talk about his childhood but from what Jaden’s leaves together from Uncle Mokuba Seto was in a sillier situation growing up

Crowler get your fake butt out of here. “I love both of these duelist.”

Chazz really does know how to work a crowd. And I’m glad the North academy kids respect him.

The armor dragons are here!!!

“I’m sorry Burst. My bad.” Not Jaden apologizing to burstinetrix I love this.

He also just got Yeeted and laughed it off. Your doing great Jaden

It took his brothers THIS long to realize Chazz isn’t using the cards they gave him.

Jaden being giddy at how great their duel is. Chazz repeating his brothers’s mantras is so sad. Can’t wait until til you learn to be silly

Chazz I love you but “you go bye bye” isnt as threatening as you think it is

Episode 26

Winged Kuriboh is here and so is Ojama Yellow!

Love Jaden immediately asking about Ojama Yellow.

Chazz you just yelled about a spirit and chasing it all over the stage in live tv. You’re not doing a great job hiding.

Jaden you shouldn’t be talking about people being weird for talking to themselves. But way to put it together that Chazz’s brothers suck.

He just wants to show Chazz that dueling is fun.

Chazz just trashed Jaden and mocked him on live tv and Jaden just laughs and talks about how much fun he’s having even though he’s losing and that Chazz should have fun to since he’s winning.

Not them cutting the feed when Chazz loses

Not Chazz’s brothers publicly disowning him. And roughing him up in front of both schools!

Way to go Jaden! Stand up to these guys.

And the whole crowd cheering for Chazz! I love this

Au Jaden is so over these two. He’s grown up around the best siblings of all time (the Kaiba brothers and the wheelers not to mention Yugi and Atem.) he knows how siblings should act. And while all the siblings he met at Duel academy so far are all crazy and different (I’m looking at you anti-Kaiba bros the Trusdales) these two are a new low.

He knows his Dads watched the duel. He’s sure he can reach out and explain somethings about the situation.

He still stands up to them and tells them off for Chazz.

But he also reaches out to Oto-san and questions how quickly they can buy their whole company. (The answer is very fast) He makes sure it won’t negatively affect Chazz before he unleashes his over protective Oto-san/#1 big brother Seto Kaiba on them.

I love Chazz deciding to stay and he was so polite talking to chancellor Sheppard.

“See you next year!” And we never see them again

Ahhh Chazz got dropped down to Slifer

I love how casually Jaden and Syrus mention the cockroaches and rats in the dorm.

“My new family is already difunctional” Chazz I love you.

Over all the school duel arc is pleasant. I’m glad we will know have silly Chazz and I have a tone of ideas for my future fics.

The DM cast were absolutely pumped for Jaden taking place in the school duel. They flew out to watch him duel. None of them were impressed with the Princeton brothers b it they were impressed by Jaden and Chazz.

Jaden sneaks away from his friends to go celebrate with his family after they get Chazz all set up in his room.

Chazz it up!

#yugi moto #yugi mutou #jaden yuki #judai yuki #yugioh gx #seto kaiba #dad yugi #syrus truesdale #zane truesdale #alexis rhodes #chazz princeton #bastion misawa

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