#then Cole came along and ruined her

[ryukisgod]

Cole Turner is the JustinBobby of Charmed

[lvndrfucks]

Hiiiii I love your writing smm and you’re one of the only people writing for the wallows 😭😭 Do you think you could do a Braeden or Cole fic where the reader’s the new photographer for the band and one of them starts having feelings for her? Thank you!!!💕

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆ you’ve been hiding in plain sight｡˚📹 ࣪𖤐💋

You’ve only had one job in your life and you wouldn’t trade it for the world. You were lucky to get an opportunity like this, knowing how many would kill to be in your position. But it was also the fact you were doing what you loved with the people you loved supporting you.

You were first introduced to the Wallows members during a photoshoot. Nothing crazy, just a basic background and the boys being themselves. Despite the seriousness of the photos, they were always cracking jokes. You couldn’t help but laugh a few times with them.

“I feel like I’m doing those Kohl’s family photo shoots,” Braeden said. “Can we pose like that?”

You chuckled a bit. “Go for it.”

They lined up close together, putting their hands on each other’s waists and stared into the distance. You laughed while getting the shot.

“Okay. Why don’t we take a break and then we’ll bring in the bench prop for the next portion.” They nodded at your instruction.

While you were reviewing some of the photos on your laptop, you noticed one of the boys approaching.

“Hey. I was just wondering if I could look at how the pictures came out so far.”

“Yeah, of course.” You moved over to let Braeden view the screen.

“These are amazing,” he spoke after a moment of silence. “The lighting and everything is like perfect. How long have you been doing photography?”

“Well, I started in high school. Just taking photos for yearbook and stuff. Then, in collage, I got my Bachelor’s in Fine Arts. I didn’t get hired until two years ago,” you explained. “I’ve also done a few concerts and events.”

“Wow. Thats impressive,” he complimented. “Do you mind if I see your other work?”

You nodded. You decided to show him the photos you took from a festival at the start of your career. It was the first time you’d ever been to an event so wild and full of energy. You felt lucky to had been given the opportunity.

“Wait, is this Lollapalooza,” Braeden questioned.

“Um, I think so. I don’t actually remember.”

The further he scrolled, the more excited he became. “Oh, my God, it is! Look, there I am!” He clicked on one of the photos that showcased him singing on stage with the rest of the band.

You laughed slightly. “It was so long ago, I didn’t recognize you guys. What a crazy coincidence.”

He smiled, agreeing with you. “These photos are sick, though. You’re really talented.”

“Thanks.” You looked down after feeling your face start to warm.

“I don’t know if this seems appropriate or not, but we’re going on tour soon and we could really use a photographer. I don’t want to steal you away from your job or whatever, I just think you’re the perfect person we’re looking for.”

You must’ve heard between the lines because all you could pay attention to was the fact he called you the perfect person.

You were speechless at the offer and told him you’d have to think about it. It sounded like a dream, but you didn’t want it to backfire in the future and ruin what you’d built up so far. It took a lot of time to think over and you consulting your friends about it. In the end, you were sure you made the right choice.

The concert had just ended. Everyone was still high on adrenaline and congratulating each other on another successful show. You were packing up all your belongings when Braeden walked towards you.

“Hey, did you make sure to get my good side?” He made a model-like face that made you laugh.

“All your sides are good,” you replied playfully.

He grinned. “We were thinking of going out for some drinks. You should come with.” You hummed unsurely. “Come on,” he urged. “It’ll be fun.”

“Fine. But I’m gonna change really quick.”

“That’s fine. I can wait and we can ride together.”

As much as you got along with Dylan and Cole, you and Braeden seemed to have a different relationship. You two often complimented each other so much that it was borderline flirting at this point. On plane and car rides, you both always sat next to each other and have shared hotel rooms before. There was one incident of having to share a bed because all the other rooms were booked. Neither of you complained.

You enjoyed the company of Braeden and how you felt around him, but you couldn’t help but wonder if it was more than friendly behavior.

Back on the tour bus, you put your camera equipment away and changed. Braeden was waiting in the small living room area when you stepped out. He looked up from his phone when he heard you.

“Uh, you look great. Very, very pretty.” He let out a small nervous laugh.

“Thanks, handsome.” You smiled and patted his chest. “Come on. Let’s get drunk.”

The music was loud inside. There were flashing lights on the dance floor and bodies everywhere. You and Braeden held hands while maneuvering around to find the others. For safety reasons, of course.

The others were already occupying a booth in the corner. You and Braeden managed to squeeze in, your bodies pressing close to each other. You could feel his chest against your back and he kept one arm behind you on the back of the booth.

Shots went all around, which you weren’t very fond of. Braeden laughed at your cringed face in disgust as you downed the drink. He left briefly to order something else.

“So,” a smirk painted across Isabella’s lips, “you and Braeden showed up together?”

You rolled your eyes, knowing where the conversation was going. “Yes. Just like you and Dylan and everyone else showed up together.”

She threw her hands up in defense. “I’m not saying anything. Just pointing out a fact.” You nudged her shoulder with a smile.

Braeden returned with two drinks in hand; one for you and one for him. You thanked him and clinked your glasses together.

The next hour or so consisted of laughing and drinking. In that time, your head was already buzzing and you were swaying in your seat. You gasped suddenly hearing the music change.

“I love this song!” You patted Isabella’s arm. “Let’s go dance! Please!” She laughed and nodded.

Braeden moved out of the way to let the both of you out. He wasn’t that drunk, wanting to keep an eye on you. And everyone else. He watched you and Isabella start singing along to the song, jumping around with everyone else. There was a faint smile on his face that he didn’t realize was there.

He felt someone pat his back. Dylan gave him a knowing look.

“Are you gonna make a move or stare like a creep?”

“I don’t know if she likes me like that,” Braeden told. “Yeah, I guess we flirt and stuff, but don’t friends do that?”

The whole table stared at him.

“Dude, no,” Cole said. “Have you heard how she talks to me? One time she yelled at me for drinking her Dr. Pepper. When you did, she said it was fine and bought more.”

“Trust me, she likes you,” Dylan concluded. “Go over there, man.”

Braeden looked down in thought, then nodded to himself. He chugged the rest of his drink and stood up. The boys cheered behind him.

Braeden said something in Isabella’s ear you couldn’t hear. She nodded and walked back to the table. She gave you a thumbs up over her shoulder.

“Is it okay if I cut in?”

You nodded at his question and felt your body draw closer to him. There was small hesitancy in his movements when all of a sudden, his hands gripped your waist. You raised your brow before draping your arms over his shoulders.

“Can I tell you something,” he asked.

You gulped. “Of course.”

At first, he didn’t say anything, like he was trying to find the right words. He looked into your patient eyes and decided: fuck it.

Braeden surged forward, his lips landing on yours. A few seconds later, he pulled away. He awaited your reaction. Your mouth slowly upturned before tugging him towards you.

hera speaks!

tysm for the request and i hope you like it <3 i’m working on a few more and some of my own, but requests are always open !!

[quindriepress]

This week's spotlight is on Beth Fuller and her comic Witching Hour. Beth is an illustrator and concept artist from Dublin, Ireland. She’s considering putting down the stylus pen and heading off into the wilderness to live as a hermit, but likes hot showers and horror films just enough to keep her in civilisation. For now, anyway. (@bethfuller | website | instagram | twitter)

"Witching Hour is about a young girl sent on a mysterious journey by her father. Two pale trees with intertwined branches form a strange gate at the edge of 12-year-old Esio’s town, and beyond it lies an old, ruined land. Over their pints, as dusk falls, the villagers say it’s where lost things - and people - eventually end up. She’s got sandwiches, an apple, plasters, a bottle of Tipperary Kidz water and a Horrible Histories book in her rucksack and she’s heading off into the unknown, with only a talisman to guide her. There’s no telling who she might meet along the way."

Read the spotlight below the cut!

"That’s the initial rundown, anyway. Speaking more subjectively, I wanted to create a setting where two totally different characters - as different from each other as you can get - are forced to work together and end up changing each other’s lives. I really do think you can get on and find common ground with almost anyone, in the right circumstances."

Witching Hour took several years to incubate. "I’d been working on a comic slowly and haltingly since I was 18. There are pages kept deep, deep in my computer with old, badly drawn versions of Esio in a radically different setting, but it never really made sense as a story. I don’t think I made it past page three! Still, the fantasy atmosphere and character of Esio stuck with me over the years. Plus I really like to mix the dull, routine and mundane aspects of everyday life with things that are otherworldly and strange."

"Eventually we had a visual narrative module as part of my degree, and while recalling my old comic pages (I was mulling over it in the shower, which is where I think many of us do our most important thinking) an idea came to me that would form the basis of Witching Hour. Adding this to the embers of my previous project gave me more than enough fuel to sit down and start drawing.

"I have plenty of ideas for what I want to get up to next. I’ll work on a tarot set, keep working on freelance concept art and illustrations, design some tattoos, maybe try my hand at another comic at some stage. As always, feel free to get in touch and let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see from me!"

Beth draws inspiration from many sources: "The landscapes of south-west Ireland. Horror films, foreign language films, fantasy films, anything animated. The writing of Michelle Paver, Neil Gaiman and Ursula LeGuin.

"For me, though, it’s primarily the work of other illustrators that has inspired me the most, and it’s often only through seeing and evaluating lots of different brilliant styles that you can start to discern your own tastes. As a child, the obligatory Ghibli film catalogue. Then the work of Chris Riddell, Max Prentis and Ian McQue were enough inspiration to foster an interest in art school. I went, studied Illustration at DJCAD, and discovered Jake Wyatt, Celia Lowenthal, Juliette Brocal, Linnea Sterte, Jack T. Cole, Evan Cagle, Alphonse Mucha and (of course) Moebius. Seeing their work is like taking the creative spark and making it into a deodorant flamethrower."

Beth's work often centres around fantastical worlds and sweeping landscapes. "I think somehow you always come back to what you know. Sometimes you don’t even notice you have a fascination with something until you start to create and it keeps returning.

"My family and I spent a lot of time around Irish coastlines growing up, especially during the warmer months. Kerry, in the south-west, has mountains that turn brown in winter, then when summer comes are carpeted with a haze of purple heather, not unlike the hills of Scotland. There are crumbling ringforts and monastic ruins on isolated hilltops. I could be in the most beautiful place in the world but still miss the coconut scent of Kerry gorse. The fantasy aspect is fun to play with, and it adds a nice sense of mystery, but fundamentally I think the landscapes I draw are an attempt to capture, and return to, the shores I kicked about on as a kid."

For aspiring comic creators, Beth has this advice: "This is a common one, but I think it’s still worth saying: if you have a story, get it down. You don’t need to consider yourself a comic artist to make a comic. You also don’t need to wait around for the right time, or enough expertise - nobody is going to give you a nametag with ‘comic artist’ on it. If you can draw, and you need to say something, just start drawing boxes and see where it goes. Also, ‘Necropolis’ by Jake Wyatt is really good."

You can pick up Witching Hour, alongside the other three comics in our 2023 collection, right here on Kickstarter! 

[emilykaldwen]

The Maiden and the Drowning Boy | Aegon x OC | Chapter Five

Rating: Explicit Ships: Aegon II Targaryen x Abrogail Strong (Lyonel Strong's Daughter), Jacaerys Velaryon x Helaena Targaryen

Summary: As the kingdom teeters on the edge of chaos, Alicent Hightower swaps the pieces on the board: Aegon will marry Abrogail Strong, Larys’ younger sister and heir to Harrenhal. Caught in the web of intrigue and political machinations, the pair must figure out where their loyalties lie, and what they mean to one another.

Tropes: Childhood Sweethearts/Friends to Lovers, Generational Trauma and Cycles of Abuse, It's All About the Character Development, Unreliable Narrators, Multi-POV, Canon Divergent, Bisexual Aegon II Targaryen, Book/Show Mash Up, Fix-It Of Sorts, Stopping the Cycle of Abuse before it gets us all killed, Team Neutral, fairy tale vibes meets victorian medievalism meets grrm

no tag list. please follow @emkald-fic and turn on post notifications for updates or subscribe on AO3

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Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four

CHAPTER FIVE - PAIN IN MY HEART

Some time has passed for the dust to settle in the wake of the betrothal, unshed tears, and attempts at fratricide. Aegon and Abby begin adjusting to the new state of things and Alicent begins to show her hand. Mommy issues abound for all.

The maester's hands were cold and uncomfortable as they examined him, searching for sores and whatever the fuck else he rattled on about as he came entirely too close to his person. Aegon's fists clenched at his sides, his head tilted back so he had no chance of catching sight of the grizzled head below him, bobbing around his cock. It would certainly ruin any pleasure that he would ever experience again.

It was too damn early for this. The sun was still creeping over the walls of the Keep, not even past the early morning. Dreadful.

"No unsightly marks, your Grace," the man affirmed. "Ensure that any pleasure house you visit keeps clean quarters, and you should be safe from giving illness to your Lady wife."

His Lady wife. He saw the smile that graced her features, the spray of freckles along her nose and cheeks. Her bright eyes were blue as the sky he found escape in, and her cascade of sunset curls were his. Every bit of her would belong to him in a few moons. Cool hands that tempered his fevered skin would touch him without a barrier. The soft pout of her heart-shaped mouth pressed open by his thumb-

"I don’t need guidance on spreading illness to my wife when I visit her bed. I’m more concerned about avoiding having my cock fall off," he snapped defensively, yanking his trousers up as soon as the maester pulled away, not wanting the stirring from where his thoughts had been wandering to manifest in front of his current company. Ser Criston was on the other side of the low partition and Aegon did not need to meet his gaze to know that he was being examined and judged and found wanting.

Aegon could barely resist mouthing the words that followed, for they were as familiar as his mother's prayers. "Every woman is an image of the Mother and should be treated with respect," Cole reminded him with a level voice. Aegon knew it, as intimately as his mother's judgment, that the man was disappointed; disappointed in his inability to be better in the training yard, and his inability to keep his cock in check.

For as long as Aegon could remember, Ser Criston Cole had been by his mother’s side and by extension, that of him and his siblings. While Viserys (he could never think of the rotting king as his father, only Sire, for all that the word entailed) had noticed him in Aegon’s earliest memories, telling him how he would tame a dragon one day, and regaling his young self with stories of the Black Dread, it was Criston who came to his mind when one asked or spoke about father. Just as he desired to keep and then win back his mother’s affection, lost to time as it had been, he felt the same with the man who was currently judging him like the Father and Warrior themselves. Once, Cole had seemed heartened by Aegon’s natural talent with a blade and his hunger to prove himself in the training yard, especially in the face of Rhaenyra’s growing brood of dark haired brats. It hadn’t hurt as much then, the lessons. The weight had not come upon him all at once. It was a slow build. Stone by stone, they pressed down on his shoulders, with each turn of the moon until he struggled beneath the weight of the expectation.

His mother’s growing paranoia and panic with each new son born to his sister, and what Aegon suspected was pressure from outside sources, left his cheeks mottled pink and red from her hands and the bite of her nails on his shoulders. It left him sensitive to raised voices and sudden movements. It left him pretending to be more in his cups than he was, if only to keep watch of what went on around him, what people said, what someone might do to him. Then came the times when he was beyond caring of his fate and hoping some percent oblivion might be found beyond the next bottle.

Cole’s growing shift in praise to Aemond and his increasing barbs for Aegon to pay attention and how a warrior and a prince did not prowl after the ladies and the serving maids poured salt on the growing wounds his mother gouged.

“A man saves himself to perform his husbandly duties,” he’d said when catching him in the hall with his tongue down Lady Melia’s throat when he was three and ten. The older girl had been dismissed from his mother’s service within days of the event.

Ser Harrold had told him that he should not force himself on a lady, that a good and honorable man does not use his power as an advantage over young lasses. A good and honorable man treats them with respect. “A man denies the temptation to sully himself for one night for a simple promise or a hope of a dream,” he’d said when Aegon had been dragged back from the Street of Silk, soaked to the bone from the rainstorm, and bruised and beaten from the paramour of the woman who’d lured him in. He’d been five and ten. She had been the daughter of a merchant, sharp and lovely with brown ringlets that frizzed in the heat. Aegon thought she loved him, or at the very least, desired him enough that maybe he could run away from everything that hurt. Maybe, with this other woman and her dark curling hair, he could forget how beautiful Abby looked laughing beneath the dappled sunlight of the weirwood tree, for surely he would never be allowed to have her. She would be sent away, meant for someone else because he was a growing disappointment and do you not see how Aemond applies himself? Why is it so difficult for you?

Ser Harwin had sat him, Aemond, and Jace down one afternoon after coming upon them doing something ridiculous in the garden. He couldn’t remember if it was because he had pulled Abby’s hair, or the fact that Aemond and Jace had been fighting over something - a toy or some such nonsense. He’d said that when you found the perfect someone, you would make a deal with the seven devils if you had to, to be with them. And that it was always worth it.

“Women and young ladies are not here for such earthly pleasures. They are all that is pure and good in the world, and are ruined beyond measure when they fall into the depths of pleasures of the flesh. Every woman is the image of the Mother, and every young girl the Maiden herself. Protected and unsullied,” Criston said when Aegon had come bounding to him, barely ten years of age, flushed and with bubbling nerves and excitement in his belly. He’d asked if Abby kissing his cheek meant that she loved him. “Do you think Mother would let me marry her if I asked?’” For she was his Rhaenys, and Cole knew his mother better than anyone in the world.

‘Always with the Mother,’ Aegon thought, feeling as if the cascading shadow of the Seven-Pointed Star shone on him now. ‘Always with the Mother, and every girl an image of the Maiden, so thank you so much for that.’

The smile Aegon turned on the Kingsguard was deceptively innocent, dimpled cheeks and all. "Funny, pretty sure the two I fucked the other night would have my queenly mother scream in terror and bar herself in the sept."

Now Ser Criston wasn't even trying to hide the look of judgment on his oh so perfect face. Aegon snatched his tunic off the partition and shoved his arms through. "Is she going to keep me under house arrest until the tourney? The wedding? Lock me in a tower like a maiden in a song?"

"Your mother could have married you to the princess."

Aegon felt a curl of nausea in his stomach at the thought of bedding his sweet sister, regardless of the custom of his forefathers. "And make dear little Aemond a kinslayer? I would not survive long enough to make it to the sept."

"Or she could decide to marry Lady Abrogail to your brother."

“And we’re back to Aemond kinslaying, or worse, to get himself out of a marriage he never asked for. Not with our sweet sister right there and ripe for the taking.” It mattered little to Aemond that it was becoming increasingly obvious to anyone who cared to look that Helaena’s affections had withered, that, in truth, they had really never been what their little brother thought they were. Aegon scoffed. “It puts us all back in the same boat." His gaze flitted to meet the knight's through the mess of hair hanging in his eyes. "Me miserable and alone, or dead. Such love you hold for me. Not to mention, how cruel of you to flaunt my betrothed’s narrowly avoided demise to prove a point." His waspish tone didn’t feel like enough to banish the pressure of unease that settled inside Aegon’s chest at the thought of harm befalling Abby, poor point or not.

Such love and regard his family held for him, while screaming that he was to be king. Expecting one thing from him, and something he didn't want.

At least we like one another. That counts for something, doesn't it, Aegon?

But it didn’t count, did it? Liking had nothing to do with what he wanted. He didn’t want the neglect and cruelty within his parents’ marriage. He didn’t want Abby to simply like him.

Aegon lifted his wrist to adjust the cuff of his sleeve and hissed softly when the fabric dragged over the healing scratches Abby had left. He instinctively pressed his mouth against the injury to soothe it before doing the clasp. So rarely did Abby’s teeth bite at him, and there was something satisfying and pleasing at the reminder of it.

Unlike Cole, who continued to speak to him as if he were a child, as if he were some squire or recruit. Sometimes Aegon felt as if the knight treated him no better than a troublesome hound. As if the man were his true father, thinking it his right to speak to him in the same tone he already heard from his mother. This man was Kingsguard, his mother’s sworn shield, and if they were so hellbent on making him king one day, Cole would answer to him. Perhaps he should remind Cole of that more often.

"You didn't answer my question, Ser Criston." Still waspish, his tone grew firmer. He might not be king yet, but Aegon was a Prince of House Targaryen, one of his father’s heirs, and a dragonrider - no mere mortal man, not a backwater soldier from who knows where.

Cole watched him steadily, the muscle in his jaw ticking before averting his eyes "Not so much locked in a tower, but confined to the Keep, my prince.” Cole spoke as if the proper etiquette physically pained him and Aegon smirked, humming softly. “You may go to the Dragonpit, escorted, but should you try anything, your mother has ordered that we bar you from it."

Something ugly curled in his chest and he barked out a laugh as he pushed open the door and headed out. "Cruel woman." It almost impressed him. Only once had they ever barred him from Sunfyre, and it was when he thought, after several cups, that going riding was the best idea ever. He still thought it was. His mother? Not so much.

He still had the scars from her nails along his elbow. A half crescent around the joint like a bite mark.

Cole was not far behind, and he glanced sidelong at the man. "Is there a schedule now? Classes with Aemond and his favorite maester? How lovely to be shown up by him in another arena."

"Well, that's why you're going to the yard. Your… everything could use some work. And it'll be a good release for you, since you're under confinement."

They had confined Mother for three moons before she had Daeron. Seven hells, he and Abby were going to have to have children. He was supposed to sire heirs and be a father, and his father was utter shit. But making heirs wouldn't be so bad?

A clap on his shoulder jogged him back to attention. "Physical exertion helps."

Aegon sneered. "Says a man who doesn't fuck. You can't trust a man who doesn't fuck, with only his own hand for company." He made a lewd stroking gesture before miming a spray of victory.

"Says a man who was once seven and ten," Ser Criston corrected, and Aegon rolled his eyes. His point still stood. Fucker never gave into the bait that he laid for him. Aegon still felt annoyed, although he acknowledged it deserved some respect.

As they reached the training yard, his eyes still bleary with sleep and the lingering headache, the coil of tension in his chest eased. Aemond was not alone, making the impending humiliation more bearable. Helaena may cheer for every time he'd get whipped in the yard, but there was no malice in his sweet sister.

"Good morning!" Helaena sang, her voice like a bell bouncing off the worn red brick of the yard, and she waved excitedly at him and Ser Criston. "It's been so long since I've seen you with a sword."

Sweet, supportive sister.

Aegon peered into the basket she was holding, snatching a piece of gingerbread. "Wine?" he asked with a hopeful look.

"Mother says you're to dry out so that you stop sweating wine." Aemond's tone was neutral, but his sly little smirk - what Mother would call sweet innocence - was all that he needed to provide.

"Does she not care to witness her son's humiliation that she ordered by her own queenly command?" His voice was light as he pulled on his padded coat over his tunic. At least Ser Criston was letting him ease back into things. No need to cut him and have him grow leprous the way their father had. He felt a vague dread at his siblings' pitying glances. He yanked at the strap on his tunic as Aemond moved towards the ring, twirling his wooden sword in hand.

His brother had long moved to live steel and Aegon's bitterness was acrid in the back of his throat. Or maybe it was just the lingering effects of the wine. He grimaced at the weight of the practice sword in hand and reached for a second one. It had been months since he'd dragged himself to the training yard. When Aemond lost his eye, he threw himself into the blade, and Aegon felt overshadowed as his brother earned admiration and love for something he was supposed to excel at. The presence of Daeron would worsen the situation, but it might shame Aemond with him before the shining little star.

"Alright, let's warm up. Aemond, what we did yesterday. You," Ser Criston pressed the tip of his own wooden sword - a toy in the hand of a Kingsguard and the Queen's sworn protector - into Aegon's chest, “You surely remember how this goes, right? It's been some time. Mayhaps you'd like to start off with only one, my prince?"

The taste of bile continued in the back of Aegon's throat. This man might be the closest thing he had to a father, no matter how he rejected it. Ser Criston Cole was there, without his gleaming Kingsguard armor, and he spoke to him in the same holier than thou tone he would to Ser Harwin Strong.

“Breakbones.” Ser Criston's voice would drip in sharp venom. Breakbones to the man who he'd witnessed act with kindness to his little sister, who had inquired to his well being when Aegon had been hacking away at the practice dummy until splinters of his sword had embedded into his palms. Who'd pressed a cup of cold water in his hands and simply sat with him as he desperately tried to catch his breath.

Aegon felt the muscle in his jaw tense and jump, his ears burning with a feeling that he would not acknowledge. It was the wine. The hangover. Nothing more. Aegon used his left sword to knock Ser Criston's away and the man let him with a smirk.

He should apologize.

He should ask Abby how she truly felt. He should ask her why she had gotten so upset when he laughed. He should… do a lot of things. Aemond was probably right, insufferable as always, despite his lack of understanding when it came to their sister.

Riding. He would take her riding, Aegon decided, while his man set out fresh clothes and his riding leathers. He scrubbed the sweat off the back of his neck and concocted his plan. Yes, he'd pack a basket of wine - no, cider, Abrogail preferred cider, but he preferred wine. So, a sweet wine. Yes. Perfect. There certainly would be cakes in the kitchens, and they would picnic beneath the afternoon sun in the Kingswood. By the lake, he thought, tugging the loose, bleached linen shirt over his head and shoving his legs into his trousers. Black wool for warmth and leather along the inside of the thighs for strength. The lake where they'd played as children would be perfect.

The last time, they'd played capture-the-treasure, during Rhaenyra's nameday before she'd left for Dragonstone. Helaena refused to be the princess, so Abrogail took her place and had been quite the quarry. She'd called Jace and Luke for help and he had to fight them off until Aemond and Helaena showed up.

Aegon paused as he pulled his hair back from his face. Maybe he should get her something. Girls liked trinkets and pretty things. It always excited Helaena when Aemond brought her bugs and flowers. A frustrated sigh and he grabbed his jacket. "Where's my sister and her ladies?" he asked his man, who'd been tossing the used water out the window.

"With her Grace, your mother, my prince," he said with a bow.

He winced. With his mother. Aegon wondered if he should ask if Lady Abrogail was there, but Abby was always with Helaena.

The path to his mother's room was an achingly familiar one, and the knots in his stomach were frustrating and unpleasant. Why did she have to be with his mother? She'd been angry about the fight, and Aegon had been doing his best to avoid her while Aemond sported the worst of the bruises. Laughter echoed down the hall when he made the turn towards her chambers, and he flexed his hand, wiping it along his thigh. Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.

"You are close enough to my size, but I do not think this suits you for a wedding," came Mother's voice, through the half-open door. Thoughtful, critical, but not bad-critical. "Turn? I don't think this shade of red goes well with you."

"The curse of red hair," was Abby's reply, light and agreeable as always. "It's a beautiful dress, your Grace, but should this not be for Helaena?"

"I don't like it," came her sister's complaint. "It feels like it wants to hook into my arms. Oh! Hello Aegon!" she called, and he realized they caught him before he could even announce his entrance.

He wondered if Helaena knew he was coming.

Mother's room was full of afternoon light streaming through the southern facing windows. Helaena sat on the couch facing towards him, running her fingers through an assortment of brightly colored ribbons in her lap. Mother stood by the window, speaking to the woman who knelt at her feet, adjusting the hem of the dress that Abby wore. She stood on the stool in front of the mirror, and from where he stood in the doorway, he had the perfect view of her reflection.

The red of her curls glowed almost as gold as Sunfyre's scales where the sun caught them unbound down her back. Abby smiled uncertainly as she gazed at her reflection, her hands on the golden dragon decorations on her shoulders. She wore a cream dress with deep Targaryen red slashes in the back of the skirt and long tapered sleeves lined in the same blood crimson.

Aegon's mouth went dry at the sight of her, and the way her eyes widened when she looked towards him over her shoulder. As his mother turned to look at him also, he tried to school his appreciating expression to one that wouldn’t get him scolded and thrown out. Abby’s face was one of surprise, his mother's expression one of exasperation.

"I…" He couldn't speak. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth and he wiped his hand on his thigh again. The twisting sensation in his gut moved lower, familiarly, and he shifted his jacket in front of him.

"Ser Criston tells me you performed well in the training yard this morning," his mother said, and the exasperation turned… into a smile. Not a large one, but a genuine smile all the same.

"Did he?" Abby asked, looking at his mother, then she positively beamed at him, which wasn’t what he expected after the way things ended in the garden a fortnight ago. "Well done! Did you use both swords today, or just the one?"

Aegon swallowed and felt the blood rush to his cock and to his cheeks. "Just the one. The one sword." Not quite a lie, as his dual swords did not last very long. Why did he sound like that? High pitched and voice cracking as if he were a kitling like Aemond. "I don't think Ser Criston wanted to face me with both, no matter how rusty I am." He cleared his throat, rocked on his feet. "Need to lull him into a false sense of security. Underestimate. Your opponent, I mean."

Helaena giggled.

Aegon's cheeks flamed hotter.

"Well," his mother stared at him, and it really did nothing to dissuade the discomfort in his trousers. "I'm very glad to hear that. Was there something you needed?"

‘Her. I need her.’ Aegon didn’t know how to voice the prayer.

"I… I was just letting… I'm going riding. On Sunfyre. I'll be back by supper." His voice didn't crack again, and he got all the words out. Huzzah.

"Oh! Abby's outgrown my old riding clothes," Helaena said with such excessive delight that Aegon wanted to throttle her. "We should also have new ones made for her. Perhaps they could match Aegon's!" His sister's bright eyes met his, and he could sense the mischief radiating off her. "You could leave your jacket, wear your spare today."

Aegon took everything back. He hated his sister.

"That's a good idea, but Aegon doesn't need to leave anything," Mother mercifully cut in. "Enjoy your riding, Aegon."

"Have a wonderful ride, Aegon," Abby echoed, averting her eyes and turning back to the mirror.

"Are the rooms prepared for Lord Tully and his retinue?" the Queen asked Lady Fossoway, who sat across the table with parchment scattered across the blue and green tablecloth. Abrogail took her seat on the other end of the Queen's settee, the elder woman sparing her a glance and a small smile of greeting.

"Yes, your Grace. Lord Tully and the Lords Bracken and Blackwood will have rooms within the South Tower," Lady Fossoway confirmed. "Lord Vance will join them, and Ser Simon Strong will meet with their party when they reach Harrentown."

"Uncle Simon's coming?" Abrogail broke in. Lady Fossoway's green eyes flicked up to her and Abrogail felt as if she should apologize for speaking out of turn. The words caught in her throat and she broke the lady's gaze to look at the Queen, who was watching the exchange with an unreadable expression in her dark eyes. Something in it felt like a test, and so Abrogail continued. "Larys said that Uncle Simon would relay to Aegon and I about the current state of Harrenhal and where we might start."

She almost said where Aegon might start, but Abrogail understood that in running a lord's holding, both husband and wife had their duties. Queen Alicent sat on the Small Council, and she knew from stories that her own lady mother had run Harrenhal before they joined her father in the capital.

"Yes, he'll be staying with us through the tourney, so that the pair of you may be better acquainted," the Queen confirmed and Lady Fossoway's eyes averted back to the parchments. "Abrogail, I'd like you to join me in the small council as our cupbearer."

Lady Fossoway's gaze rose again, only just.

"Shouldn't…" Confusion overtook her previous uncertainty. "Shouldn't that be for Aegon, or Helaena, or even Aemond?" Or Jacaerys, she thought, but did not say.

"Aemond will also serve. The two of you will take turns, but I want you to have the experience before you leave for the Riverlands. Della, Lord Grover's maester, has requested a meeting with Grandmaester Mellos to see about the ailments he's having. Make sure he tends to him. Can't have him dying beneath our roof." Clipped tones, matter of fact, one item after another.

They passed a parchment to her, and Abrogail took it. A list of ladies and houses filled the page. Alerie Blackbar, Wylla Karstark, even Allana Tyrell and Josana Lannister. She even saw the names of the Blackwood girls as she scanned down the page. "You and Helaena will each take a Baratheon into your circles, and then between you both, you can find which of these ladies will be appropriate for your needs." The Queen continued to speak to another of her ladies who had just come in and Abrogail took a deep breath, fingers wrinkling the edges of the page.

"Aegon should do it," she said in a rush, and the gazes of the three women now gathered around her turned to look. Abby took a deep breath and licked her lips.

Marrying Aegon makes me a princess, she thought. And she wants to make him King, and I'll be his Queen.

"With respect, I am grateful for the opportunity, but Aegon should be cupbearer before we leave. It would be prudent for him to understand the workings of the council, especially since he shall be in the position of vassal in the future." Vassal to his elder sister. To speak otherwise would be treason, even among this circle.

The Queen’s large, brown eyes watched her for a long moment and Abrogail did all she could not to shrink away from it. There was something deeply unsettling about it, as if she saw something weak inside her that she wanted to sink her teeth into at worst, or at best, bat around like a lazy cat to see what Abrogail might do. The watchful gaze felt like it lasted for eternity before the Queen finally lifted a hand towards her ladies in dismissal. The women quickly moved and Lady Fossoway shut the door, leaving Abrogail with Alicent Hightower and the anxiety at speaking up threatening to suffocate her.

"You are a good girl, aren't you?" she said after a long exhale that did not quite ease the tension riddled line of her shoulders. The Queen reached out and her cool fingers tucked Abrogail's hair behind her ear. Her curls hung free down her back, a simple twist on either side of her head keeping them from getting in the way.

The Queen was beautiful, as she always was, with her auburn curls pulled back with tendrils loose around her face, untouched by gray. Beautiful, and ever melancholy. Even when she smiled, it did not wipe away the shadow that lingered along her regal features.

Abrogail would never speak it aloud, but the Queen and Aegon looked more alike every day, and it broke her heart.

She did not answer, and one did not appear to be expected of her. The knuckles of the Queen's hand traced along the curve of Abby's cheek and instinct compelled her to reach up and take the woman's hand in her own to hold. No different from what she might do with the others, even if it was stepping over a boundary that she wasn’t supposed to cross. There was pain in the woman's eyes that hurt to see, for the Queen, for Alicent Hightower, was the closest thing that Abrogail had left to a mother anymore.

An almost child she might be, but Abrogail was under no illusion that she was as important to the Queen and the Hand as if she were a true child of the crown. There was no one left for that, and so, she would do all that she could to be valuable.

"I am merely a reflection of the lessons and values you've instilled in me, your Grace," Abrogail said, fingers squeezing the Queen's hand. "I want to make you proud, and to not dishonor you, especially now that I am to be your good-daughter."

"A daughter," came the swift correction that had Abrogail looking up with surprise. "You are like one of my own children. I have watched you grow the same as them. The only difference is I don't have to worry about you the way I do them, now do I?" The Queen extracted her hand and Abrogail folded hers in her lap. "You are a wonderful influence, and I am ever grateful."

“Always smiling, it warms my heart in these trying times, a stór,” her papa would tell her when Mama was sick. Never stop.

So she didn't.

"Forgive a mother for her inclinations," the Queen continued. "I understand that the decision made has changed everything for you and it's not a simple thing. This is one of those events in our lives that we as women must endure, and we must make do." The Queen paused, looking away, and Abrogail watched the Queen's fingers twist, fingers picking at her thumbnail. “Aegon is certainly not whom you imagined. I never thought I would marry the King. I was young and thought I might marry a Tyrell, or perhaps a Tarth. Knights of flowers and charm."

Something cold settled in Abrogail's stomach. It was an unsettling and familiar sensation, one that ran through her veins when they stood as witness to Aegon's tongue lashings, the sharp crack of a hand. Sometimes there would be the thunderous threat of warning when the Lord Hand was giving it, for he would raise a hand to Aegon and Aemond both.

She'd noticed the Queen flinching during those moments, a pale look of dread on the woman's face in the presence of her father.

"My apologies, your Grace," Abrogail spoke softly, mouth turned into an uncertain, her brow furrowing. "I don't quite understand what you mean."

She wanted to hear Aegon's mother say it.

The Queen reached out to take both of her hands and held them tightly, thumbs rubbing soothing strokes along the back of Abrogail's palms. Brown eyes glistened with unshed tears, a softness to the Queen's features that reminded Abrogail of Aegon and a faint memory of her own mother.

"Aegon refuses to listen to me. He’s out of control. He is determined to flaunt every privilege granted to him, every opportunity we set before him." When the Queen took a shuddering inhale, it felt as if she was drawing the air from Abrogail's lungs to sustain herself. "He's like Rhaenyra in that way, but she was eager to serve the King on his council. Aegon, sadly, lacks the same ambition she has. Fortunately, you and I, my dearest, are very much alike. Therefore, I've asked you to serve, not him."

Abrogail's gaze followed the Queen's fingers as they held hers, unable to face the hurtful expression in her eyes. She thought of Aegon vomiting in the bushes after he dragged her from the Hand's tower. He clutched at her like demons from the hells would reach up and tear them apart. Even when he’d hurt her the way he had, unintentional as she was sure it was, Abrogail couldn’t hate him.

Slowly, she extracted her hands from the queen and leaned back to put some distance between them. Teeth caught at her lower lip as she tried to find her words.

‘I am to be his wife, and that is a sacred thing,’ she thought. It didn't matter if they were Lord and Lady, or King and Queen. They would be Aegon and Abrogail, married beneath the eyes of the Old Gods and the New, and like the example shown by the Queen, Abrogail would stand by Aegon through whatever trials awaited.

The promise was made years ago in the cold room at Driftmark, while she cut his long curls with embroidery scissors and he wept for his brother and cursed his father.

"You've watched us our whole lives. You’ve borne witness to the games we've played, the companionship and trust that we've built, and yet you feel you must apologize to me?" Her voice wavered, but her posture was strong, and she held the Queen's gaze. "I know Aegon. I've known him my whole life and while maybe we aren't as close as we once were, I know these good things are still there."

Abrogail remained steadfast and silent, hoping the Queen would understand Aegon was not a punishment. Despite everything, she knew that the kind boy she had known was still there, and she was confident that she could help him find his way back. She wouldn't have to spend her nights wondering if news of Aegon's death in Flea Bottom would reach her by morning.

"Abrogail, your heart is gentle, but your fond memories do not erase the egregious things he does now. Not his drinking, his lechery, his bad habits. But, if we work together - you, me, and your Uncle Otto? We can shape him into the king that he needs to be. That takes trust, my dear child." With each word out of the Queen's mouth, Abrogail's heart fell, and a mournful understanding took root inside her chest. "We do not leave you to handle Aegon on your own. You tell me everything, and we'll handle it. Do you understand, my sweet Abrogail?"

Did she understand everything, sweet girl that she was?

Sweet girl. Darling girl. Dearest Abrogail. Sweet Abrogail. Little Maiden Marchpane, sweet as honey, and so easily devoured.

Mo stór beag, Papa would call her, the River tongue rolling off him as easily as common. My little treasure.

The loud sound of the door opening broke the silence, boots scraping across the stone floor, and both of them jumped at the suddenness of it. Aegon entered silently, his jaw tight, lips pursed, and hair disheveled.

"Aegon," she said, her voice lilting, immediately drawing back from the Queen, feeling an easing sensation in her chest that chased away the cold. Abby smiled while the queen frowned at the intrusion.

She watched him move, glancing between them, and Abby stood up, fingers smoothing the pale blue and gold silk of her gown. She wondered if she still had to curtsey to him now that they were engaged; Aegon was apathetic about such things, while the Queen was not.

At the moment, Queen Alicent's thoughts were irrelevant to her. Despite still feeling heartsore from the morning in the gardens, Abby smiled at Aegon. It was not a bright one, but it was there all the same, and focused on him.

Aegon seemed confused, then his face softened as he searched her face for something she didn't understand. He then turned his gaze to his mother. "Abby's coming with me this afternoon," he said with no sort of greeting except the clearing of his throat. "We're going riding. We'll be back before nightfall."

The command of it all brought a flush to Abby’s cheeks, and she cast her eyes to the ground to avoid the piercing look the Queen was giving them both. It was a complicated feeling that tumbled inside of her chest; she was still hurt, though the bruise on her arm from where he’d grabbed her had faded. In truth, Abby was still sour about it all, but in the wake of the conversation and the Queen’s request, in the aftermath of her frustration and distaste for her son, and her own insistence of Aegon being given a place to serve and not her, she felt protective of him - gentled towards Aegon. And it was a feeling that was most certainly helped by the way he simply walked into his mother’s room to state "Abby’s coming with me." There was no asking for permission, nor even a greeting to his mother. She wondered if it was nerves, she wondered if he had seen something in her expression that spurred it.

Abby knew though that she didn’t have to wonder at her answer to it.

"Abrogail is assisting me with the arrangements for the tournament, Aegon. Perhaps you should find Aemond. I believe he's still training in the yard with Ser Criston," the Queen said, indulgent but firm in her tone.

Abby's mind was racing as she swallowed nervously. "Your Grace, I apologize, but Aegon and I had already planned to ride." She looked at the Queen with her eyes demure, a curtsy dropped, the lie flowing from her so easily she could not believe herself. "I’ll take the time to pry his mind for things he'd like at the feast."

As Abby moved, Aegon's gaze shifted from his mother to her, making her stomach tighten. It reminded her of the look on his face in the fountain beneath the weeping cherry tree. Her hand reached out for him and she bobbed another graceful curtsy to the Queen. "Your Grace," she murmured. It was her turn to pull him out of the suffocating room and Aegon’s huff of surprised laughter made her grin.

[Chapter Six]

[singemall-stayallnight]

Documentary With Led Zeppelin Stories

Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, and Jimmy Page at the Chateau Marmont, 1969. | © Jay Thompson

Similar accounts of Led Zeppelin’s abusive behavior are given by Sharon Osbourne, in a 2012 documentary titled Sunset Strip, which is currently free on the Tubi app, and by others in the book Led Zeppelin by Bob Spitz.

In Sunset Strip, Sharon talked about how the members of Led Zeppelin would abuse and were pushy with the starstruck girls around them. Led Zeppelin is discussed by several other people in the film as well. The portion on the band starts at around 52:12. Everything that was said about Led Zeppelin in the documentary is transcribed below:

"I stayed with Led Zeppelin there (Hyatt House) a lot, and they had the entire sixth floor. They always rented out the entire sixth floor and, you know, took over." Grins

-Pamela Des Barres

"Everyone knew in Hollywood that Zeppelin were in town, and those guys were so fuckin' wild. They'd abuse the chicks. They liked to push it to see how far they can go. Burning 'em, cuttin' their hair off, handcuffin' 'em. I mean, you know, leaving them handcuffed for a couple of days in the room."

-Sharon Osbourne

"They'd ride motorcycles up and down the hallway at the Continental Hyatt House, and throw these wild, wild parties. You know, up all night, and throwing TV's out the window. All that stuff was true."

-Rodney Bingenheimer

Then, there's an old video shown, presumably from the 70s, in which three unidentified women are talking about LZ.

The clip begins by one woman saying, "Led Zeppelin did lots of stuff. Richard Cole, he took this leather strap and he started beating me, and I didn't even know him. They threw Cynthia in the swimming pool and ruined all her velvet clothes. They were really weird."

"Hostile," one of the other women chimes in.

Cuts back to Sharon

"They were probably the worst, but they were many that abused loads of people on the Strip. But that would never, ever, ever have been tolerated anywhere else but America. In America, they were like, 'Oh, do you wanna hit me some more? Do you wanna burn me? Do you wanna fuck me with a fucking, you know, rod of iron? We'll do it.' And that's, that's how it was."

-Sharon Osbourne

Rodney Bingenheimer, Jimmy Page, and Lori Mattix in Los Angeles, 1972. | Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Sharon's recollections corroborate a pattern of behavior described in the book Led Zeppelin by Bob Spitz: p. 190

"Once, during Led Zeppelin's stay at the Chateau Marmont, Peter Grant wandered into one of the empty bungalows they'd rented and found a naked young woman tied to the bed by her wrists and ankles. 'I said, 'Hello, what are you doing here?' She said, 'I don't know, but guys keep coming in and fucking me.' I said, 'Oh okay, well, have a nice day.'

No one gave a thought to whether these girls were well below the age of consent. Some were eighteen, some were sixteen, some were fourteen, occasionally younger--mostly no one bothered to ask."

p. 503

"LA meant it was party time. Swan Song and Atlantic rented a fabulous house in one of the canyons and packed it with a guest list of relatively high-profile friends, everyone from Roger McGuinn, Keith Moon, and Rod Stewart to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It was a glittery champagne-and-cocaine affair that soon devolved into debauchery. The company pulled out all the stops, somehow sensing this might be a send-off, the last time Led Zeppelin performed in LA.

'I brought along a friend unlike Lori, a thirty-five-year-old, successful woman who knew how to take care of herself,' says Betty Iannaci. Later, Peter Grant invited Iannaci's guest to his room. 'He had come into a large quantity of cocaine and was feeling very generous.' Eventually Betty's friend wound up naked and handcuffed to the pipe under Grant's bathroom sink so that, for an entire weekend, she was at the disposal of anyone who came in. Jimmy came across her almost by accident and, in an uncustomary show of gallantry, found a key to unlock the cuffs and helped her to escape."

Led Zeppelin & Manager Peter Grant. | Source: Pinterest

When I first watched the Sunset Strip documentary, I thought if those girls were restrained and abandoned alone in a hotel room, they were sitting ducks. Any number of terrible things could've been done to them. Zep regularly threw parties at the hotels they stayed in. People would roam from floor to floor and wander into different rooms. Those girls could've been raped.

Then, I read Spitz's book and found out that is what happened. Women and girls were handcuffed or tied up, ditched, and gang raped, sometimes over the course of days. They couldn't consent. They were literally trapped. A man walks into the room and gets to do whatever he wants to whichever girl is there. And she has no choice in the matter.

The men who violated the women & girls who were physically restrained and left alone in unlocked hotel rooms are the ones solely responsible for choosing to rape. But the fact that the Zeppelin band members were restraining women & girls, then leaving them for days at a time is abusive.

Ann Wilson wrote in her review of Spitz's book that Led Zeppelin's story was one of, "rape and pillage," (among other things) and it really was. There were occurrences of statutory rape and two instances of attempted forcible rape by John Bonham.* Let's not forget the multiple incidents of violence committed by Bonham against numerous people, including women, such as the female journalist he punched in the face for smiling at him.

The degeneracy, including rape, is brought up in another review of the book:

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/bob-spitz-new-book-led-zeppelin-the-biography.1117692/

"I thought the book was fairly well written. I’ve only read one or two other books on Zep, so a lot of the info was new to me. The best parts of the book were the chapters covering the formation of the band, which really painted a detailed picture of the late 60’s music scene. The parts of the book covering the recording sessions were also very well done. Once the 70s and the drugs kick in, the depravity and excesses were all consuming. Very difficult to come to grips with these parts as a fan. I know the text is unrelenting in its depiction of this period, but I dont think there is any other way to tell it. Unfortunately, the serial stories of drugs and rape weren’t punctuated with a few arrests and prosecutions.

Grant was a small time gangster right from the beginning, so it doesn’t surprise me how he ended up. Page hooked their destiny to a star that was inevitably going to burn out… and in a big way. Grant used force and intimidation to get his way and ended up alienating the press and US promoters.

After Bozo died from his disease, Plant was the only one to carve out a semblance of a solo career. JPJ dropped off of the map and Jimmy adopted a very low profile. I strongly suspect his musical skills were damaged by the 70s lifestyle. It is obvious after reading this book why the band would rather not discuss their history, which is extremely unfortunate. It would be nice if they could educate a new generation about one of the best bands ever. Of course, their feeble archive program doesn’t help."

-johnnyb1964, Jun 28, 2023

Led Zeppelin at the Continental Hyatt House Hotel, AKA the Riot House, on the Sunset Strip, 1973. | © James Fortune | Courtesy: modernrocksgallery.com

Sharon's statement that Led Zeppelin were, "probably the worst" reminds me of the bolded line in this comment:

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/i-just-read-richard-coles-book-and-i-may-never-listen-to-zeppelin-again.225428/page-2

"It's interesting to contrast this thread with the controversy about Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod), the New York Met's star relief pitcher, who was arrested for attacking his girlfriend's father and was charged with third-degree assault.

None of the sports fans I've spoken with have said, 'It doesn't matter if K-Rod punches a 53-year-old man, I enjoy watching him play, he's one of the best in the business, and his private behavior doesn't matter.' Rather, most of them are not only disgusted by his behavior, but they want him off the team.

The members of LZ weren't punching middle-aged men, but their behavior was no less reprehensible. Yes, rock and roll is (or at least used to be) about rebellion and sex and freedom, but it doesn't have to involve doing degrading things to other people. There's a difference between rowdy and mean, between hooking up with groupies and treating women like utter garbage, between being reckless and intentionally destroying other people's expensive things. All those stories about LZ's behavior aren't legendary because they're typical -- it's because they were at the extreme end of rock star behavior. They're lucky that they're not in jail, or that they weren't shot by someone whom they pissed off.

Now, despite my little rant, I'm able to enjoy my Zeppelin CDs without thinking about any of this. But I understand Zack's feelings.

My question for everyone is, is there a degree of behavior that WOULD cause you to feel like Zack? (Other than, say, the artist brickwalling his or her CDs?;)) Someone mentioned Gary Glitter…has anyone stopped listening to him? What if your favorite artist drove drunk into a schoolbus, killing a dozen 6-year-olds? Or killed his wife?"

-Matty, Aug 20, 2010

Robert Plant with friends at the Riot House. | Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Pixels

They were other bands behaving badly at the time, but Zep's bad behavior still stands out. I'm unaware of Bonham ever expressing guilt or apologizing for any of his atrocious actions, but as I said in a previous post, I believe the other three former members of LZ see various things differently now and have changed for the better. They certainly have much to feel contrite about, though.

More than one person on here has said they want to maintain a balanced view of Led Zeppelin and not overlook the wrong they've done. Well, here ya go. These are additional glimpses into the foul side of Led Zeppelin's history.

*Ellen Sander went into detail about the attempted gang rape she experienced at the hands of John Bonham and another man. That all four members of the band attacked her is a persistent rumor surrounding Zeppelin, but Bonham was the only LZ band member involved in the attack.

Trips is mostly inspirational — and, as in her chapter on the Plaster Casters of Chicago, iconic groupies known for making casts of various rock legends’ penises — also massively entertaining. But the book doesn’t shy away from the dark side of rock life. One chapter chronicling a 1969 U.S. Led Zeppelin tour starts as a triumphant road movie and ends as a horror film. Sander writes that, when she went to say goodbye to the group and their entourage on the last night of the tour, she ended up in physical peril.

'Two members of the group attacked me, shrieking and grabbing at my clothes, totally over the edge,' she writes. (Sander now specifies that the aggressors were John Bonham and a member of the band’s entourage.) ' I fought them off until [manager] Peter Grant rescued me but not before they managed to tear my dress down the back.'

Reached through a representative, Led Zeppelin declined to comment on the incident. Though in Mick Wall’s 2008 Zeppelin bio When Giants Walked the Earth, when asked about Sander’s account by the author, Page replied, 'That’s not a false picture.'

Sander recently took some time to reflect on that traumatic night, which she calls 'the nadir of that whole arc of experience with Sixties rock & roll.'

So, regarding the Zeppelin incident, I only want to discuss it insofar as you’re comfortable with it.

I’m totally comfortable with any aspect of it, so just go ahead. It was a long time ago. I believe I have healed from that, many times over.

The account in the book is fairly brief. Could you set that scene for me and recall what you remember happening?

You know, we’d been on the road together. I’d been at recording sessions in New York and they had a date at the Fillmore. I had a certain timespan on the tour and I wasn’t going to see them again. I saw the show at the Fillmore. It was splendid, and I went backstage to say goodbye and got attacked.

It was [a member of the band’s entourage] and Bonzo and I don’t know who else. I know it wasn’t Jimmy [Page] or John [Paul Jones] because they were in the corner just flapping their heads. It was only an instant. It couldn’t have been more than 20 seconds, or something like that. Then Peter Grant just sprang up from his seat and just picked them up by the cuff and pulled them off me. They came at me from the front, I crossed my arms over myself, and I turned my back, and I had on this dress, that was tied in the back. The top of it was tied in the back, and they just ripped that down, but I still kept the dress up because I had my arms crossed over my front. And there I stood with the back of my dress torn and Peter said, “Why don’t you take my car home?” So we went downstairs in the back, and he put me in his limousine, and I went home, shaking. I don’t know if I was frightened or if I was angry or both, but I was just shaking. I was terrified.

I just never thought that would happen. I knew about the behavior with the groupies ’cause they would talk about it all the time, and I’d see a little bit of it. What I saw, I wrote about. I was kind of like, 'That’s just with them, but I’m different. I’m a reporter. I’ll do my story for Life magazine. I won’t be vulnerable to that.' And I was.

So just to clarify, this was basically in front of a room full of people?

It was backstage, so it wasn’t all that full. It was the band, the road crew and Peter Grant, maybe a couple other people, but those weren’t very big rooms upstairs backstage at the Fillmore East. I just came in to say goodbye. I wasn’t coming in to hang out. I just wanted to say, “Goodbye. It’s been exhausting but wonderful working with you and best of luck, you’re great, thanks, goodbye.” And I was going to go home and start writing — well, I had a bunch of notes. And that was that.

Would you say that it was John Bonham who was the primary aggressor?

No, it was [the member of their entourage]. And then Bonham was right on it, but it was [the other man] who, I think, started it and then as soon as he encouraged it, then Bonham.

I don’t know where [Robert] Plant was, but I saw Jimmy Page and I saw John Paul Jones. And Jimmy Page was just, like, holding his forehead going, “No.” And John Paul Jones just kind of turned his face to the wall, like he always did. He was always apart from them. He was never into their orgies.

And you said the person who broke it up was …?

Peter Grant. And he was a big guy. Really, he could pick up 220-something guys and just lift them up and put them down. So you know, as it turned out, I was never in any real danger, but I didn’t know that.

So the entire Zeppelin road piece was written after that incident? I think you wrote that you took a year off.

Yes. I decided not to write a piece that would promote them. And plus I was having trouble having any emotional distance from it, which I hope is understandable.

Of course.

My editor was very understanding. I just backed off, and I got busy with a lot of other stuff. And then a year later I was looking at it, looking at my notes and going, “You know what? I’m putting this in the book.”

In terms of getting to that point, was it really just a process of time? Or was there some therapy, or other methods?

Yeah, it was time. You know, it’s been, what, 50 years? It was time and also that I knew that it was an anomalous event. Everybody else I ever worked with treated me very well or better.

Overall, your piece is surprisingly sympathetic to the band, in light of what happened.

Well, I mean it didn’t seem like bitterness to the point of focusing the truth elsewhere. I mean, I loved the story more than I loved them. I just took it from the notes, the way it was. Before that happened, I was very sympathetic. Empathetic maybe.

And their music, I still respect and love. The virtuosity of Jimmy Page still amazes me.

Thinking about what’s happened in so many other industries with the MeToo movement, if something like the Zeppelin attack happened today and it came to light, there would be a huge uproar about it. Do you ever wish that that cultural shift had happened earlier?

I don’t think anybody who ever heard from me or read that story, I don’t remember anybody not being upset and outraged about it. And as I say, it was anomalous. … But men with power always took sexual advantage, and all of a sudden, it’s being called into question, and it’s about time.

I mean, my 50-year-old editor at Saturday Review — my agent put it this way — chased me around the desk. And when I told her about it, I was really upset; she laughed. And I felt very betrayed that she laughed. But then, I felt like, OK, nothing bad happened, it’s just something I have to put up with — I want the gig. And he never did it again, and we never talked about it.

[kozukatt]

i wanna see those ninjago headcanons pleaseeeeee

ask and you shall receive :3

Lloyd:

𑁍 he would be the one to sneak food out of the kitchen

𑁍 whenever Zane’s baking he’s there ready to taste test and steal chocolate chips

𑁍 everyone keeps forgetting he’s just a kid in an adult body so even though he acts tough Lloyd is actually terrified of fighting 

𑁍 after Harumi died in the collapsed building he took a few days off to process the whole thing

𑁍 Kai is a big brother to Lloyd so whenever he’s upset Kai’s always there to help

𑁍 same thing with Nya; she’s a big sister and the middle sibling of the RGB trio

𑁍 Lloyd respects everyone on the team for practically raising him and dealing with his evil phase

Kai:

ꕥ will ironically say “FIYAAAA!” But everyone is used to it so there’s no reaction

ꕥ literally an oven

ꕥ remember in s1 when he found Zane in the fridge? Yeah he never lets him live it down even though he chilled in the oven around that time

ꕥ blames himself for every little thing that goes wrong on a mission

ꕥ takes criticism hard

ꕥ grew to be less protective of Nya but he still worries about her time to time

ꕥ relies on his elemental abilities so when they’re taken away (s10) he feels utterly useless 

ꕥ avoids water because 1: he’s terrified of it and 2: so he won’t ruin his hair

ꕥ Kai’s only afraid of bodies of water so anything more than Nya’s abilities is terrifying to him

Cole:

 he’s simply a bear

 a plus size god

(Minor TW for eating disorder)

 developed an eating disorder during the 1 year time skip as a way to punish himself 

(TW over :3)

 video games are his outlet

 never actually had a crush on Nya he was just confused and felt like he had to feel like he liked her

 amazing at sarcasm

 his and Jay’s bromance can never be broken

 even though his relationship with his dad got better he still never feels like he’s enough

 is afraid of singing because of a deep rooted fear of failing stemmed from his dad

 he’s an amazing listener and comforts the team whenever they need

Jay:

✫ has repressed his comic nerd until Lloyd came along

✫ ADHD at its finest

✫ hyper fixated on comic book characters to try and escape his responsibilities 

✫ gaming with Cole is one of his outlets 

✫ doesn’t like to be called out on his faults but will take them well and improve

✫ still feels resentful to his biological mother and father for leaving him but is glad he has Ed and Edna

✫ his hair is always staticky and always shocks people

✫ isn’t allowed in the kitchen because once he tried starting a fire and blew up the oven

✫ his freckles developed after acne and are a result of scars from said acne

✫ a natural ginger

Zane: 

❄︎ his hair is individual strands of synthetic hair

❄︎ whenever his skin got damaged in s1-3 it would mend back together like real skin

❄︎ when he rebuilt himself he only had basic functions but as time went on Jay added on the ability to feel temperature and other things

❄︎ he constantly has imposter syndrome for being a nindroid

❄︎ he has immense respect for his team and Wu

❄︎ the only rational braincell of the group

❄︎ acts irrationally though when it comes to family (Falcon, the ninja, etc.)

❄︎ he sometimes gets rusty and has trouble moving without pain

❄︎ constantly cold but doesn’t feel it so it takes fire or some other super hot thing to make him even a little warm

❄︎ cooking and baking for the team and people he cares about is his way of showing love

❄︎ whenever someone is having trouble with something he will be there to help no matter what

Nya:

༄ she’s a buff queen

༄ one of the tallest of the group

༄ doesn’t have a good relationship with her mother until the end of seabound

༄ even after she reached her full potential Nya is constantly afraid of failing 

༄ her and Kai relied on each other a lot when they were growing up

༄ they didn’t have a good relationship when they were younger but after Wu took them in they had a stable environment and were able to have a better relationship 

༄ wants to prove to herself and others that she’s worthy of being on the team

༄ has a grudge against Dareth for trying to downplay her 

༄ HATES being put into stereotypes 

༄ never backs down from a fight 

༄ even when she knows she can’t win Nya’s able to stall until catching them off guard to gain the upper hand

[helaenalyst]

since i saw someone else do it i'm gonna write my own version of rook's rest just for fun (with less blatant kinslaying and with more gwayne hightower)

it starts the same way, with aemond spotting aegon riding sunfyre into battle and getting pissed because there's now a wildcard present in his perfectly calculated plan. while having two dragons does give them an advantage, he doesn't trust aegon, and thinks that he will be a hindrance. aemond has no plans of kinslaying at this point. he's just pissed that his lil bro is going to ruin his plan and make him look bad

aemond goes after aegon but vhaegar is slow to rise so sunfyre gets into the fray first and engages in battle with meleys. same conversation between criston and gwayne, then criston rallies the troops to advance. he has no idea why it was aegon who came, the most likely explanation is that aemond couldn't make it for whatever reason and sunfyre was the only other dragon they could send, so he's determined to make do with what they have

when aemond does get there he's pissed to see that the army already engaged, but at least rhaenys looks like an easy target while meleys and sunfyre are locked in battle. aegon says his "thank god" line and aemond orders vhaegar to chomp rhaenys off her saddle, however aegon's reaction tipped rhaenys so she can order meleys to let go of sunfryre and dodge the attack. aemond is beyond pissed. if aegon wasn't so transparent, then they would've already won!

this would be the first instance during the battle that aegon being aegon (earnest, loving, naive, stupid) would fuck things up. aemond grows increasingly convinced that aegon will lose them the war because he can't be focused and ruthless, while aemond can

aegon and aemond have the obvious advantage in a 2vs1 (with vhaegar to boot) but rhaenys is an experienced rider and warior so she can hold her own for quite a while just dodging and maneouvering fast. aegon thinks they should work together and keeps trying to order aemond around but aemond just wants him out of the way so he can do his thing and hes getting increasingly pissed because why the fuck is he here, why does he keep getting in the way. eventually aemond fires a "warning" shot at aegon by firing near him and at rhaenys, implying that he won't hesitate to fire at him if he needs to do it to win. ageon stands back and aemond goes alone after rhaenys

aegon is going through a lot right now because even in the fucking dragon battle he's being told to step aside and do nothing because he's a nuisance. he turns his attention to the castle and figures it should be easy to just go there and burn them all but he's shocked to see the storm of arrows actually has a chance to hurt him and sunfyre and once again he steps back. it's his first time in battle, he's panicking like crazy, he doesn't want to die. he looks for criston among the troops but he obviously can't communicate from such a height. he's alone in this and he doesn't know what to do

we see criston on the ground looking up and muttering "what are you doing, aegon...?". he's worried for the kid. gwayne is just grateful that sunfyre at least has the attention of the arrows and presses criston to advance, criston snaps out of it and nods and off they go

(maybe gwayne could stop an arrow headed for criston while he's distracted by ageon's confusing actions or something for extra points, let him get a W and repay his debt)

in any case, rhaenys sees the green army advance and goes full speed towards the castle, circling along the rear of criston's army to burn the troops. aemond does the same, but the vanguard of criston's troops is really close to the castle so when aemond burns the enemy troops he also burns his own troops. we get a couple of shots of criston and gwayne (separately) barely dodging vhaegar's fire. aegon sees what aemond is doing and he's horrified to see it because hey, what are you doing, cole is right there! he flies up to aemond and tells him to stop, aemond obviously ignores him, then aegon tries to command vhaegar to stop (in english of course) in a very dumb desperate attempt, and tries to grab the reins from aemond, this is where aemond reaches his limit and looks at aegon with immense fury and orders vhaegar to knock him out of the way, too irritated to care for what happens to him or sunfyre or cole and just wanting to finish the job

aemond didn't expect rhaenys to show up and dracarys the hell out of aegon while sunfyre is stunned after vhaegar's blow, though. he looks briefly guilty, but he quickly steels himself and goes after rhaenys, engaging one last time to finally take her out. we see a reaction from gwayne on the ground, who clearly saw what happened since he couldn't take his eyes off the dragons, and who will fear aemond like he's death itself from now on

the ending goes the same as in the show, criston goes after aegon but gets knocked out by vhaegar while aemond and rhaenys are fighting, eventually aemond kills rhaenys and meleys falls over the castle, gwayne rallies the rest of the troops to take it, etc

aemond looks for aegon after the battle, trying to block the guilt for what happened. he tries to justify his actions. maybe this is better for everyone? without aegon they can win the war. he's just too stupid. he didn't expect to find aegon alive. he tells himself that he can't possibly survive those injuries, but that he may live long enough to tell everyone what happened and have him executed for what he did. he's still the king. if he can speak at all, aemond is fucked

with these thoughts in mind he starts to draw his sword, but that's when criston arrives, so he stops. criston can't tell for sure if he saw what he thinks he saw, and doesn't want to believe it (unlike gwayne who is very sure of what he saw. whether to tell alicent or not would be something that they argue about in future episodes). he falls to his knees, looks heartbroken, etc. and aemond walks away

tldr i just wanted to play up the fact that rhaenys is experienced and very very good at what she does as well as the relationships between the team green characters and aegon's good heart vs aemond's ruthlessness. i also tried to give aemond a really good reason to reach his limit and hurt his brother bc i dont think he was at the point where it was a first resort for him yet. if that makes sense

[zeciex]

A Vow of Blood - 32

Warnings: This fic includes noncon, dubcon, manipulation, violence and inc3st. Tags will be added as the fic goes on. This is a dark!fic. 18+ only. Read at your own discretion. Please read the warnings before continuing.

Summary: “You will be trapped by the obligations of love and duty, unable to escape the web of expectations others have woven around you,“ the witch said….

Chapter 32: The Hunt

AO3 - Masterlist

Swinging his sword with controlled precision, Aemond cleaved through the air, the blade’s descent accompanied by a swift swooshing sound. With deft movement, he evaded an imagined adversary’s assault, seamlessly transitioning into another strike. The crunch of the gravel beneath his boots harmonized with his rhythmic motions. 

The maids in Daenera’s entourage had assembled, busily unloading the contents of a cart that bore the princess’s possessions. However, despite their presence, Daenera herself had yet to appear. 

Aemond’s jaw clenched, his grip on the sword’s hilt intensifying as he executed another spin, bringing the blade down upon a makeshift opponent crafted from wood and straw, the impact slicing into the dummy’s shoulder. 

Daenera’s return to King’s Landing left Aemond in a state of conflict. Part of him longed for her to remain distant, concealed from his thoughts and vision, granting him the illusion that she didn’t exist. But, such endeavors had always proven futile. She had become an inescapable presence, like a persistent specter haunting his thoughts. Despite his relentless efforts to sever these ties, they clung to him, a potent poison that seemed to course through his veins. And now, with her return, he felt as if that poison would only be reinforced, further entangling him in a web of emotions he had struggled to suppress.

Each swing of Aemond’s sword brought forth the sharp crack of wood splintering, the impact of metal against the strawman’s frame resounding in the air. His breath came in short, rapid bursts, as beads of sweat formed on his brow and trickled down his face. His every muscle seemed to tense and coil beneath his skin as he restlessly moved, the rhythmic thud of his heart synchronizing with the rhythm of his strikes.

“Princess!” A shrill gasp broke through the air. 

Aemond clenched his jaw, his grip on the sword firm as he extracted the blade from its target. 

“What happened? Are you hurt?” The eldest among Daenera’s maids inquired, her voice trembling with concern. 

The air in the courtyard seemed to shift, becoming thick and stifled. 

Aemond’s brow furrowed, and he pivoted slowly, his sword’s arch somewhat lackluster as his curiosity overpowered his focus on the practice. His movement halted abruptly when his gaze fell upon her figure. Blood streaked her face, tracing a dark path down her neck and collecting within the folds of her dress. The fabric was disheveled and marked by stains of both blood and dirt, ripped and ruined. 

What gripped his attention most keenly, however, was the distant look in her eyes, as though she were detached from her surroundings. 

Several guards, along with Ser Criston Cole in his pristine white cloak, converged around her. Aemond also moved closer, his face now a hard facade concealing the swell of emotion he felt–his heart seemed to falter within his chest. 

“We were set upon by a group of men,” Daenera spoke, her voice bearing a distant quality, as if it were an echo of itself. “Anthor and Byren… they’re dead.”

“And Fenrick?” The older servant inquired hastily. 

Daenera blinked, her gaze shimmering with tears that threatened to fall. “I don’t know. He ordered me to run, so I ran.”

“Ser Criston,” Aemond interjected sharply. “Assemble the gold cloaks and a contingent of the Kingsguard. Sweep the city.”

His gaze locked with hers, and he noted the spark in them. Aemond felt his fury burn within his chest, searing through his veins and out into his body. She looked so fragile, as if a touch could make her shatter. It didn’t suit her. 

Aemond tore his attention from her and brought it upon Ser Criston as the kingsguard spoke. “This is a matter for the gold cloaks, my prince, not for the Kingsguard.”

The older maid’s frown deepened, transitioning into a clear sneer. Her name came to him then; Joyce. 

“Princess Daenera is a member of the royal family,” Aemond growled at Ser Criston, his voice cutting off Joyce’s attempt to interject. “And a member of the royal family has been subjected to an attack.”

The expression on Ser Criston’s face tightened, his teeth visibly grinding and his eyes narrowing. After a curt nod at the prince’s order, he allowed a subtle, disdainful look to slide towards Daenera. If Aemond’s patience hadn’t been so precariously stretched, he might have been tempted to knock out Ser Criston’s teeth then and there. 

Taking a decisive step towards Daenera, Aemond met her gaze, her eyes wide yet wavering, still present despite her ordeal. He fought the urge to reach out to her, his hand lifting slightly from his side before falling again. “Rest assured, we will find your man and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”

If it had been anyone else, he would not have cared to make such promises. In the back of his mind, he knew he should have stepped away and left the gold cloaks to sort this out, that if anyone looked too closely they might imagine there to be more between them. 

As he moved to continue on his way, his attention drawn to the task at hand, her arm shot out, her fingers gripping his bicep. He turned his head towards her, finding her gaze momentarily on the ground before it locked onto his. 

“Aegon is in one of the whorehouses,” she informed him, her voice carrying an urgency that made him pause. “The one with the blue door.”

Acknowledging her words with a curt nod, Aemond let her hand fall away from his arm. She turned from him, her maids enveloping her in a protective circle as they guided her back towards the Keep. A mix of emotions rumbled within his chest – annoyance at Aegon’s involvement, whatever it might be, concern for Daenera’s safety, and a gnawing sense of responsibility that he hadn’t asked for. 

With a terse exhale, Aemond reasserted his focus on the situation. He didn’t need the additional burden of worrying about Aegon’s wearabouts. 

“Fetch my armor,” he commanded a passing servant, the urgency in his tone mirrored by the servant’s hurried departure to fulfill his order. 

“My prince, I advise against–,” began Ser Criston, his tone cautious.

“We shall see how your teachings will hold up, Ser Criston,” Aemond curtly interrupted, cutting off Ser Criston with a determined and decisive voice. He wasn’t interested in Ser Criston’s advice. 

Aemond had no desire to be hidden away like some fragile trinket. He didn’t need to be shielded from the rough edges of the world, afraid of a few scrapes and cuts. What he needed was to exact justice upon those who dared to harm his family – no matter how loose the concept of family was between them. Regardless of the family’s internal divisions, an attack on any Targaryen could not go unanswered. 

Swift retribution, delivered without mercy, was essential. They had to set a precedent. 

And he couldn’t allow the men who had put their hands upon Daenera to continue breathing. 

As the servant returned, bearing his armor, Aemond’s focus shifted to the task of putting it on. He allowed the servant to help him into the breastplate and shoulder guards, the familiar weight of the armor settling upon him. His practice sword was exchanged for his true blade, the grip settling perfectly into his hand. 

All of Ser Criston’s efforts to dissuade him from participating in the search were futile. The gold cloaks had been organized into groups of fives and dispatched throughout the city to comb every corner and crevice for the culprits. Much to Aemond’s annoyance, Ser Criston and Ser Erryk insisted on shadowing his every step, like overprotective hounds. 

Their presence grated on him. He didn’t require their protection, nor their incessant scrutiny of his decisions. What he needed was to obliterate the ones who dared lay hands on a member of the royal family. 

News of the incident had evidently spread, casting an eerie stillness over the once-bustling streets. Now, only a few inebriated souls and the homeless roamed about. The feeble light from the streetlamps and windows merely accentuated the encroaching darkness, a fitting backdrop for the turmoil that had been unleashed. 

They turned onto the Street of Silk, where the atmosphere was oddly different from the rest of the city. Here, the air bore a sense of tension, and the locals seemed to shrink in the presence of the white cloaks, like vermin exposed to light. The air smelled sickly sweet, and it seemed to stick to the back of his throat. 

Aemond’s contempt for these wretches surged. Pathetic and frail, these men were weak, a slave to their own indulgences. And among them, the weakest of all was his own brother. 

“This is hardly a place for a prince,” Ser Criston grumbled, voicing the blatant truth. Nevertheless,  the halls of brothels had been tread upon by countless princes and kings, their secrets concealed in the dark corners of these very establishments. Some had left mere coins behind, while others left their reputation in shambles and bastards hiding in the shadows.

“My brother possesses a specific taste for depravity,” Aemond muttered as his mind involuntarily revisited the memory of the brothel his brother had brought him to during his more innocent years. 

“Too inexperienced,” Aegon had mocked, his tone dripping with a peculiar blend of mockery and brotherly love. “Wouldn’t want to disappoint your future bride, now, would you?” 

The barb from his brother’s past jest stung anew, fanning the embers of resentment that had long smoldered. 

His thoughts were jolted back to the present as they stood before the very brothel his brother had once dragged him into. It had seemed much more enticing to the young Aemond, even though he felt woefully out of place. The memory of Aegon’s chuckles and his own blush at the time still haunted him. 

Further down the street they found the blue door, an oddity amidst the more dazzling facades of the neighboring brothels. The contrast was not lost on Aemond; it was as if this place strived to stand apart, a bit more discreetly sinful. 

Rapping his knuckles against the door, Aemond couldn’t help but rest his hand on his sword’s hilt as restlessness gripped him. He despised having to extricate his brother from these sorts of escapades. If only Aemond could keep himself out of trouble for once. 

The peephole shifted, dark eyes sizing up Aemond and his companions before disappearing, the sound of locks being manipulated echoing from within. As the door creaked open, a somber-looking man of dark complexion stood before them. 

“We seek my brother,” Aemond’s voice was controlled, a barely veiled impatience running beneath it. He assumed the man recognized him, as most did in the city.

Guided by the dark-skinned man, they moved through the brothel’s opulent interior, a study in contrast. They passed a central courtyard adorned with a fountain where rose petals floated upon the water’s surface. The air carried the sounds of a band playing an overtly sensual tune, accompanied by lyrics that bore no subtlety.

Aemond’s slips twisted in disdain at the scene. 

They continued further, eventually reaching a secluded chamber concealed behind a billowing silk curtain. With a rudeness that seared into Aemond’s chest, he found Aegon balls deep in the mouth of a dark haired woman.

Aegon remained oblivious to his brother’s presence, engrossed in his own fleeting pleasure. A flagon of wine was tilted precariously, the liquid cascading down his throat like a reckless stream. The red rivulets painted a gruesome parallel to the streaks of blood on Daenera’s form – an image that ignited Aemond’s simmering anger. 

He wanted to be out on the streets hunting Daenera’s attackers, not forced to intervene in his brother’s vices. 

“Ah!” Aegon’s exuberant exclamation reverberated through the room, arms extended wide in a gesture of ostentatious welcome. “Brother! Have you finally deemed it necessary to extricate the stick from your ass and embrace a bit of revelry?”

Aemond’s jaw clenched, his annoyance underscored by the words flung carelessly. He gathered Aegon’s rumpled clothing, the fabric bearing the distinct odor of dirt. With a curt motion, he hurled the garments at his brother. “We’re leaving.”

Aegon’s laughter rippled like silk on the wind, his response teasingly melodious. He suppressed a grin, his lips forming an impish curve even as the whore continued her attentions. 

“Oh, come now,” he purred, his tone a dangerous mixture of playfulness and defiance. His teeth sunk into his lower lip, a fleeting reaction to the ministrations of the whore.”Surely we can find someone to your particular taste, dear brother.”

The flick of his fingers grazed the girl’s head, her mouth relinquishing the hold on his cock. She pivoted, her gaze now meeting Aemond’s own intense stare. Her features, youthful and innocent, seemed almost at odds with her chosen occupation – round cheeks, a pert button nose, and full lips. 

A storm of anger twisted within Aemond, its intensity coursing through his veins like liquid fire. It took immense self control to restrain himself.

As she reached for the fastening of his belt, his grip clamped down on her wrist, hoisting her upright. In a single motion, he propelled her towards the silk curtain that veiled the chamber, her collision with a stoic Ser Erryk punctuating her exit. The curtain fell back into place.

“Get dressed,” Aemond growled through gritted teeth, his patience hanging by a string. 

Aegon raised his hands in an exaggerated display of surrender, a grin twitching at the corner of his lips. He retreated a few steps, positioning himself nearer to a table, where he deposited the flagon before seizing another, pouring its contents into two glasses. 

“Still nursing the sting of hearing about your lover’s betrothal?” He quirked an eyebrow, sly amusement dancing in his eyes. “I’m certain we can locate a remedy for that.”

Aemond’s frustration simmered, urging him forward. He retrieved the clothes once more, purpose in every step as he approached his brother. He pressed the bundle firmly against Aegon’s chest, each word dripping with a quiet vehemence. “Put on your clothes, Aegon, or I shall have you escorted back to the Keep in nothing but your shame.”

Aegon’s eyes rolled, and instead of immediately taking the clothes, he drained both cups of wine. “Mother wouldn’t approve.”

“I find myself rather indifferent,” Aemond sneered, “Considering that a substantial portion of King’s Landing’s population has already been treated to the sight of your cock.”

Aegon begrudgingly accepted the clothes, tugging on his trousers and slipping into the shirt, a stain of blood smearing across the collar. His boots posed a challenge, an overt struggle with the right foot refusing to accommodate the left boot. The act held a tinge of deliberateness, a shade of defiance that Aemond could all too easily read. 

“Perhaps some gratitude would be in order,” Aegon muttered, annoyance evident as he wrestled with the wrong boot, his hair clinging in greasy strands to his face. “Had I not intervened, your precious little paramour might have met a less fortunate fate.”

“Aegon, I swear upon the gods, if those boots don’t find their proper place on your feet within your next breath, you’ll find yourself returning to the keep with nothing but bare soles. I haven’t the patience for your games,” Aemond snapped, his patient none existent at that point. 

“And would your devotion to the gods match your devotion to denying your dalliances with a certain prin–” Aegon’s words were abruptly halted as Aemond’s fist closed around his shirt, yanking him unceremoniously to his feet. Aegon’s laughter hung in the air for a brief moment before Aemond’s stern expression extinguished it. 

“Whatever fantasies you’ve concocted, I suggest you keep them to yourself,” Aemond warned, the weight of his threat underscoring his words. Aegon seemed to grasp the severity of the situation, his hands raised in a gesture of surrender. 

Aemond released him, exasperation tugging at his features as he watched Aegon easily slip into his boots. Without further delay, Aemond seized his brother’s arm, hauling him to his feet and dragging him towards the doorway. 

“Escort my brother back to the Keep and make sure he is well taken care of,” Aemond instructed Ser Erryk, his tone firm as he directed his gaze toward the knight. With a nod of understanding, Ser Erryk reached for Aegon’s arm, aiming to guide him out. Like a child, Aegon promptly withdrew his arm, leading the way himself in a show of stubborn independence. It did not stop him from stumbling on a crooked stone and almost colliding with the fountain.

“We should leave,” Ser Criston said, eyes running through the crowd in the brothel. “There are many eyes here, not all friendly.”

Aemond hummed in acknowledgment, his gaze shifting to take in the curious stares of the onlookers. 

His eye briefly caught a glimpse of a woman dressed in white, observing the unfolding spectacle from a balcony above. Aemond tore his eye away, landing on the girl who had been servicing his brother. He tossed a purse of coins at her feet before leaving the brothel. 

Navigating the bustling thoroughfare known as the street of silk, Aemond and Ser Criston found themselves in the company of the city's gold cloaks, the royal guards responsible for maintaining order amidst King's Landing's chaos. The street lived up to its reputation, teeming with life and intrigue that seemed to cling to every cobblestone and alleyway.

They wound their way through the city, combing through the street. Taking another turn, they ventured into a narrower alleyway, where the subdued moonlight struggled to breach the enveloping darkness. There, their gazes met the sight of a gold cloak, kneeling beside a lifeless figure. The soft flicker of torches ignited by the gold cloak illuminated the scene, the interplay of light and shadow dancing against the walls. 

The gold cloak lifted his gaze, the flickering flame casting a dance of orange across his somber features. “We found three men attempting to move the body.”

Aemond’s gaze followed the trajectory of the gold cloak’s eyes, tracing the direction to where three figures knelt, defeated and submissive, at the mouth of the alleyway. Yet, his attention soon reverted to the lifeless form before him. 

“It appears the princess put up quite a fight,” the gold cloak remarked, his words laden with an acknowledgement of Daenera’s resilience. 

“Indeed,” Aemond responded, with a sense of pride. 

The victim’s throat had been savagely slashed, the gaping wound snapping almost from ear to ear, the cruel cut severing both windpipe and jugular. A dark, viscous pool of blood marred the ground beneath the body, its inky hue contrasting starkly against the surroundings. The scene was a testament to the brutality of the attack.

Aemond’s emotions shifted, a complex mixture of grim satisfaction and a twisted sense of arousal at the evident ferocity with which Daenera had defended herself. It wasn’t just self defense, Daenera had been ruthless and brutal. Yet, he couldn’t erase the image of her disheveled appearance, bloodstained and seemingly disconnected from the world. He tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword. 

They had almost killed her. They had almost taken her from–

“And her guard?” Aemond inquired, his tone edged with an undercurrent of intensity.

“Alive,” the gold cloak replied, rising from his crouched position and motioning for Aemond to approach the row of subdued men. “He’s with the prisoners.”

Seated on the stone steps leading to a nearby house, Fenrick cradled his injured leg, leaning heavily against the intricately wrought iron railing. His appearance was a testament to the grueling struggle he had endured, with bloodied features, a broken nose, and a collection of bruises and lacerations that painted a portrait of what he had endured. Upon spotting the prince’s arrival, Fenrick laboriously pushed himself upright, relying on his uninjured leg and the railing for support. Despite the pain etched on his face, his greeting held a certain level of exasperation.

“Prince,” Fenrick acknowledged, the sentiment clearly less than enthusiastic.

The situation carried a tinge of irony that Aemond couldn’t help but find slightly amusing, were it not for the gravity of the circumstances. He turned his attention away from the battered guard, his interest waning. Meanwhile, the trio of captives on their knees cast furtive glances toward him – one tinged with fear, the others seemingly resigned to their fate.

“Is this the entirety of their group?” Aemond inquired, the question seemingly directed into the wind.

“No,” Fenrick grunted, adjusting his weight to approach the subdued trio. “There were more.”

Aemond’s gaze remained impassive, the scene before him underlining Fenrick’s limitations. “Were they all incapacitated, or did some escape?”

Fenrick’s scowl deepened, and a note of frustration laced his words. “I couldn't kill all of them.”

Aemond’s lips curved into a mirthless smile, a harsh observation poised on his tongue. 

“It appears that not only were you ineffective in thwarting the attack, but you also failed to eliminate the threat entirely. An interesting display of your capabilities as a sworn shield,” he remarked, with his words accompanied by the unsheathing of his sword. The mere movement made the captives instinctively recoil, granting the weapon a wide berth. Aemond’s gaze disregarded Fenrick – a man he now deemed incapable of fulfilling his duties as a sworn sword. 

“How many of you were there?” Aemond’s tone was unwavering, his scrutiny shifting to the trio before them. 

The captives exchanged wary glances, sealing their lips tightly. 

“Who gave the order?” 

A resolute silence met this inquiry. 

“My prince,” Ser Criston interjected, his voice measured and reasonable, “Perhaps it would be more prudent to transport them to the dungeons for more extensive interrogation.”

Aemond’s gaze held steady for a moment before he inclined his head, pursing his lips in thought. 

With unflinching coldness, he thrust his sword into the gut of the captive positioned at the center, the blade penetrating so forcefully that it emerged from the opposite side. The man’s eyes widened in sheer shock, his pained gasp cloaked by the rush of blood and agony. 

Blood spurted from the wound. A gurgled rasp escaped the man’s lips, the metallic scent mingling with the pungency of despair. Those wide eyes shifted, locking onto Aemond’s face as if seeking solace or understanding amidst the whirl of pain. 

In a swift motion, Aemond retracted his sword, the withdrawal accompanied by a torrent of viscera and gore that spewed forth, a gruesome offering to the ground. The dying captive clutched his own entrails for a moment, the gore slipping through his fingers as his body shuddered in its final throes. His breath grew increasingly ragged until they abruptly ceased, leaving behind only a vacant stare that seemed to look through Aemond. 

The macabre display seemed to unravel time itself, a grim spectacle that captured the horrified attention of all present. The remaining two prisoners recoiled in horror, their terror-stricken screams blending with the gruesome display before them. Yet, it wasn’t just the captives who stared in astonishment. 

Fenrick’s countenance twisted into an expression of disapproval, but he wisely shielded any retort, aware that this wasn't the time to voice his thoughts. Ser criston’s expression bore a heavy frown, a subtle shake of his head suggesting a belief that this method might have been better confined to the hidden depths of the dungeons, away from prying eyes. 

The gold cloaks – loyal, yet weary from the grim proceedings – maneuvered the surviving prisoners back into position, enforcing a relentless order amid the unsettling chaos that unfolded. 

Aemond regarded them with a flicker of amusement dancing in his eye. “If I were in your position, I would find my voice sooner rather than later.”

Tears mingled with dirt on the youngest captive’s cheeks as he pleaded for mercy, his desperation painting a pitiable image. His voice trembled as he spoke, pleading for his life. “Spare me, please! I have a family! They depend on me – Please .”

Aemond’s sword glistened with blood, its metallic sheen matching the intensity of his gaze as he pointed it at the trembling figure. “Talk.”

“I swear, I don’t know anything,” the young man blurted out, his words stumbling over each other in his haste. “I was just doing what I was told. He–” he nodded towards the lifeless body in the alley, “recruited us. Our job was to abduct the girl and return her to a ship. That’s all.”

Aemond’s single eye narrowed, the suspicion he felt echoing in his words. “That is all…?”

Contemplation danced in the depths of Aemond’s eyes as he absorbed the young man’s revelation. They intended to abduct Daenera, but why? The torn dress bore a tale of its own, evidence of a far darker plot. This wasn’t a simple abduction, there was more to it. 

His grip on the sword tightened, and he bore down on the blade, allowing it to cruelly dig into the young man’s flesh. Each flinch, each tremble, fueled Aemond’s anger and sense of justice. Was this a fraction of what they intended to inflict upon Daenera? The pool of blood around the lifeless body seemed a fitting reflection of the cruelty that had brought them to this grim scene. 

“Let us return to the Keep and continue this interrogation on the morrow,” Ser Criston’s voice broke through the charged atmosphere. “The gold cloaks can continue their search for the others.”

Aemond’s gaze shifted to the knight. 

“Agreed,” he purred, withdrawing the sword from the youth’s neck. He breathed a momentary sigh of relief. 

Aemond lifted his sword once more and slashed it across the young man’s throat, delivering a swift and decisive blow. Blood spurted in crimson arcs, and the young man gasped, his hand futilely clutching at the gaping wound. The light in his eyes dimmed rapidly, fading into the embrace of death. 

Turning his attention to the sole remainder of the attachers, Aemond’s voice carried an eerie coldness. “I only have need of one of you.”

With that declaration, he sheathed his blood-smeared sword, leaving the scene behind.

[lya-dustin]

All is Bliss

Chapter 19

Cw: childbirth, dark magic, death in childbirth, stillbirth, blood, murder

Gif by:@criston-cole

Taglist:@mercedesdecorazon @darylandbethfanforever9 @ewanmitchellcrumbs @sweethoneyblossom1

The moment Alicent cut her own palm and stained the feet of the Crone with her blood, Viserys’ heart stops and Alys begins a premature labor.

The queen tries to call for attendants and the maester for help, but something has her frozen to her spot as the Whore of Harrenhal braces herself at the foot of the Mother’s altar and calls for the Gods in the old Andal Tongue.

Hours pass or minutes, she cannot tell as tone feels as still as the statues encircling them.

Alys only grunts, as if used to the pain Alicent never got used to.

Aegon’s birth had been difficult, but quick, within the hour he had been expelled from her. Helaena’s had been easy compared to her brother’s even if she took half a day to come. Aemond’s had been long and painful, longer than his sister because of the scant ten moons between them.

And yet it did not compare to Daeron, Daeron who is her least troubled child and yet he nearly killed her as he came drenched in her blood and ruining her womb in his wake.

He had almost died with his cord around his little neck, the maester had even suggested they cut him out even when she was still alive.

It had been Rhaenyra who had stopped them.

Who ordered them to save her and let the baby die if they must.

She has three children already, they do not need another brother, they need their mother.

Somehow knowing she owed her for saving her made it all worse.

Alys Rivers births something that slithers in the shadows, like a snake or a worm.

Somehow, the Queen knows it has slithered into Rhaenyra’s rooms, into her womanhood and settled inside her as it consumed the life and soul of innocent babe within her.

When it ends both women are panting, cold with sweat and yet there is nothing except the cut on her palm to prove it was all real.

“They give life and take it; I am but their humble servant. With life comes death and with death comes life.” Alys says as she wipes away her sweat with her handkerchief. “If it makes you feel better, your grace, Princess Visenya would not have lived and her mother would have joined her in two years, you only hastened their reunion.”

Alicent pretends none of this happened as he kisses Rhaenyra’s cheek before they depart.

Had she lived, they would have been forced to kill her.

She never wanted this, but she needed to do it.

It is better this way.

A mercy, even.

Aemma was home a week when her grandmother came.

She had stayed behind for some matters regarding a potential betrothal between Joffrey and Lord Royce’s daughter, Rhea.

They had gotten along, with Joff wanting to write to little Rhea if mother permits it.

Aemma doesn’t know who hates it more, Lord Royce or Daemon.

This they laugh about when mother is abed because Gerardys fears all this stress has brought upon some minor pains for her.

When Meleys roars as she comes fast as fire. Mother disregards the twinges in her lower back to receive her.

If she is flying like that it means grandfather has died.

“I come will ill news.” The Red Queen said as she comes dressed in her bronze and steel armor with an old cloak about her shoulders.

“Princess Rhaenys, might we hope for news of Lord Corlys’ recovery?” mother asked demanding they attend to her at once and call for a meeting.

“The king is dead. I grieve your loss with you, Rhaenyra. My cousin was a good man.” Princess Rhaenys says as they wait for the lords to gather.

“When did he die?” mother asked heartbroken, looking paler as another contraction comes harder than before by the looks of it.

“A week or less, his death was hidden but the smell gave it away within the day.” Princess Rhaenys answered solemnly and knowing the words she says next will be the final nail on the coffin.

“There is more. Aegon has been crowned as his successor.”

Mother faints dead away and that is when they see the blood coming from her.

When the maesters tell her the baby is dead inside her, mother locks herself in the birthing room ignoring those who only wished to help her.

She rages, curses everyone including the dead babe inside her.

Syrax roars in an echo of her rider’s anguish as it drags on.

Sea Dragon Tower shakes with their screams and then it all stops.

They know what’s happened and yet no one speaks.

When Daemon breaks open the door, mother is dead with a monstrous thing filled with maggots in her arms.

“They killed her, they killed her and the babe. First Laena and now Rhaenyra.” Daemon says as he takes out his anger and grief on the nearest thing he could find. “The witch, they Rivers woman. I should have fucking known she was a shadow binder.”

Princess Rhaenyra was three and thirty when she died.

Syrax breaks out of her chains after the death of the woman who’s cradle, she once shared.

A week after her mother’s funeral, Aemma is crowned before the lords and smallfolk.

She wears white linen with no adornments whatsoever and no shoes to symbolize humility and purity of the soul as she walks from Dragonstone to the town and past it until they reach the black sand shores Daenys the Dreamer once kissed upon arrival.

She is cloaked in Targaryen colors as if she were a bride by her Lord Hand, the Sea Snake, while the Highest Septon in the Crownlands blesses her and anoints her with holy oils and denounces the High Septon for his corruption in the same breath.

He does not crown her, no, that honor belongs to the Queen Who Never Was and only her.

The crown is blessed as Helaena, flanked by Baela and Rhaena, carries a black velvet cushion where Queen Rhaenys’ Valyrian steel and ruby diadem rests.

“Long live Aemma the Great.” Her grandmother whispers as she crowns her with the Crown her father and Queen Alysanne had chosen for her.

Aemma Velaryon was seven and ten years old when she was crowned Aemma Targaryen, first of her name.

Or as history will know her: Aemma the Great.

Anyways here's a poll cuz I'm stuck on the next bit.

[smolwritingchick]

Forced To Believe Chapter 72- I Win (All Hell Breaks Loose)

Chapter Summary: All hell breaks loose as Morgan shocks the world when she watches Ambrose and Rollins go at it at SummerSlam.

Words: 5,000+

Author's Note: Relax....

---------

Backstage as Melanie and Milena walked together, the duo received a standing ovation from everyone which got them emotional. Their rivalry was over. And now those two were headed to different storylines after tonight. It was bittersweet as they were praised for their hard work despite the time cut on the match.

After numerous conversations with staff and their peers, Brie rushed over to them.

"Oh my God! You two scared the crap out of me, during that whole match!" Brie said to them. "How are you two still standing!?"

Melanie laughed and smiled at Milena. "We did good. If you excuse me, I seriously need a doctor to get rid of all these crazy thumbtacks. Thanks Milena."

"No problem!" Milena replied with a giggle.

"Grapes, that match was awesome." Randy hugged her.

"OW! OW!" She yelled.

"Aw crap! Sorry!" He pulled away and backed up, but showed a half smile when he saw her laughing.

"Joking! The look on your face was priceless. I'm okay. The pain isn't that bad anymore. And thanks."

"I hate it when you do that."

"I love you too, buddy!" She gave him a pat on the back and began walking around backstage, to the trainer's room.

Everywhere she went, her and Milena would receive compliments and praises for the match, despite how short it was. It made them smile at how much respect they were earning from the locker room.

SummerSlam continued to go off with a great start with WWE's favorite show off winning the intercontinental championship. Then they showed Paige going up against AJ for the Diva's Championship. Melanie watched as AJ started pulling Paige's hair out, from the diva's locker room.

She laughed when she heard Paige yell "What the hell!?"

Melanie had on skinny jeans, boots, and a Dean Ambrose Unstable shirt that was cropped and showed her right shoulder, along with her fingerless gloves. Luckily all the thumbtacks she had been pulled out and she took a shower to wash off the blood while placing ointment on her wounds. As she looked at the TV again, she saw that Paige won the championship again, and on her 22nd birthday.

She headed out of the locker room to meet up with Jon at the gorilla while Rusev had his match against Jack. She saw her Lunatic already in his wrestling attire, and a Dean Ambrose themed hoodie, checking himself out in a mirror.

"And...I look like crap." He rasped out.

"Haha! You look cute." She embraced him.

"Saw your match. Badass. Those thumbtacks made me think about Christina."

"I thought about her, too."

"You did great out there. I'm proud of you." He smiled at her.

"Thank you." She returned the smile and kissed him softly. "Now lemme do something about this." She tried to do something with his hair.

"It's already ruined; you're making it worse!"

"Aye! I'm making it better!"

"Lies..."

"Get a room!" Colby chuckled as he stood by them, with his briefcase.

"Shut up, Colby." Jon and Melanie simultaneously say.

-------

For one final Rosa segment, Rosa was getting treated in the trainer's room, clearly exhausted and defeated. The crowd cheered when Triple H came into the room. Triple H wasn't too pleased with her as he eyed her down, shaking his head.

"You're out," he declared, officially kicking her out of everything associated with The Authority.

Shocked at the sudden news, Rosa began to freak out as she begged him while he left the room. "W—wait! Wait, Hunter, please!"

As the screen transitioned back to the ring, the Lumberjacks surrounded the ring, and they were Big E, Bo Dallas, Cesaro, Curtis Axel, Ryback, Damien Sandow, Luke & Erick, Fandango, Goldust & Stardust, Heath, Jimmy & Jey, Kofi, RVD, Sin Cara, and Titus.

"Well, it looks like that is the last of Rosa Mendes associating herself with The Authority," Cole said as he shook his head.

"She couldn't get the job done. Morgan prevailed. The Authority saw her as a weak link. Gotta get rid of the dead weight," JBL bluntly said.

"Almost every one of these men were at sometime victims of the former Shield." Cole informed as the camera showed all of the lumberjacks.

"I'm not sure I want to be surrounded by the ring, with 20 people who don't like me." JBL stated as Seth's theme came on with him walking out with his briefcase.

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall, and it is the Lumberjack match! Introducing first, from Davenport, Iowa, weighing 217 pounds, Mister Money in The Bank, Seth Rollins!" Lilian announced.

Cole starts acknowledging some celebrities in the crowd, while Seth raises up his briefcase on the top rope, before jumping off. Dean's theme comes on, to a big pop.

"And his opponent, being accompanied by Morgan Lopez, from Cincinnati, Ohio, weighing in at 225 pounds, Dean Ambrose!" Lilian announced.

"The fact that Morgan is still walking around with her head up high after the most insane opening women's match is beyond me. She had thumbtacks all over her body earlier tonight and she is good as new. Talk about strength," King informed.

"Shades of Chyna flowing through her veins," Cole praised.

Morgan seriously did not want to see these two kill each other but it had to be done. Dean needed closure and wanted to get even with Seth, after what he did, these past months. And having a strong feeling Kane or even Triple H was going to come out and interrupt the match, made her blood boil. She just had to come out here and keep a close eye.

"Why is she here? She has no business out here!" JBL shouted as the couple held hands and walked down the ramp.

"Actually, she does have business out here. She's just as involved in this situation, as Dean. And Morgan isn't stupid. She knows The Authority is going to try something. So, why not be at ringside to keep a close eye." King countered.

"Here we go guys, this has been building, and building for months," Cole said.

Dean takes off his jacket and gives it to Morgan. The couple stop at the end of the ramp and she gives him a sweet kiss on the lips, before walking around ringside, placing his jacket near the timekeeper's area.

Ambrose gets in the ring and has a stare down with Rollins. Meanwhile, all the lumberjacks move out of Morgan's way, still acknowledging the match she just had. The men knew not to even think about putting their hands on her.

If there was one thing that Morgan was sure of, is that as soon as that bell rings, all hell was going to break loose. And boy was she ever right.

'Ding Ding Ding'

The Outspoken Diva heard the bell ring as she stood by, near the time keeper's area, leaning on the barricade.

"And here we go!" Cole shouted as Ambrose & Rollins started brawling back and forth. "These former best friends, buddies who grew up in this industry, together, now going after one another."

Dean catches Seth with an elbow, dropping him down.

"This may turn into a slug fest inside and outside the ring," King said. "I wonder what's going through the mind of Morgan as she watches these two go at it."

"Would you stop worrying about her? She's fine." JBL replied.

Dean starts stomping away at Seth, seated in a corner. He tosses Seth across the ring as Seth rolls over to the edge. Stardust, Goldust, and Titus shove him back instead, making Morgan laugh.

"Come on!" Seth shouted at the Lumberjacks.

He turns around to get blasted back down by Dean. Moments later, he clotheslines Seth out of the ring, and he gets shoved back inside by the Lumberjacks.

"So, far guys, Ambrose has gotta be liking this stipulation that he picked," Cole said as Dean stomped on Seth's stomach, making him yell out in pain. "Ambrose has gotta be loving this."

"This is exactly what Dean Ambrose wanted. Seth Rollins, in the ring, where he can get his hands on him. No place for Seth Rollins to go—oh the nose!" King shouted as he trapped Seth in a submission and gripped his nose back, making him yell out in pain.

Morgan looks on with an amused facial expression. This was priceless.

"Ambrose is gonna punish Rollins. He's gonna torture Rollins." Cole guaranteed.

Dean gives Seth a chop to the chest, as the crowd 'Woos' in response. He drags Seth's face into the ropes but gets kicked in the midsection and tossed out the ring.

"He built Dean Ambrose. Ambrose should thank him." JBL stated.

"Wait a minute, did you just say he built Dean Ambrose?" Cole asked.

"Yes."

"Oh, and now Ambrose tossed out." Cole looked on but then Dean punched Fandango and Damien before sliding back in the ring, unloading on Seth. "And Ambrose is not gonna go in quietly. That's one way to go about it. Now Ambrose taking down Rollins."

Seth manages to hit him with a reverse STO into the turnbuckle, gaining the upper hand. Seth runs to the ropes and dropkicks Ambrose out of the ring. Still holding a grudge, Bo Dallas, Fandango, and Damien begin stomping down on Dean.

"Oh and look out. The Lumberjacks." Cole pointed out.

"Aye! The heck are you doing!?" Morgan shouted as the heel Lumberjacks continued to beat down Ambrose.

The face Lumberjacks try to break it up while Dean gets thrown back into the ring. Seth gets on top of Ambrose and continues pummeling him down with punches.

"Rollins called Dean Ambrose a hellcat with rabies, and a bipolar nutjob." Cole quoted.

"I dunno if he has rabies but everything else is true." JBL agreed.

Seth hits Dean with a knee to the face, as he was laid out, on the mat, and goes for a pin.

"1!" The referee counted but Dean managed to kick out.

Dean begins fighting back with punches but gets irish whipped into a corner. Seth runs to attack but gets kicked back. Dean gets on the top rope, with his back to Rollins. Rollins takes advantage and catches Ambrose in the tree of woe. This catches Morgan's attention and she starts to look worried.

"Déjà vu. We saw Morgan in this position, earlier tonight." Cole recalled as Seth stomped away on Dean and then he fell off, clenching his stomach.

Seth puts Dean in an arm bar while the crowd begins to clap, to motivate him. Ambrose begins gaining more momentum and tries to go for a crossbody but Seth moves out the way. Dean gets on the apron and kicks Luke away, who was near him. Rollins tries to go for a suplex but Dean counters and hits Rollins with the suplex instead, onto the Lumberjacks.

"Whoa!" King shouted as Seth slammed his head on the announce table.

"Rollins! And Ambrose!" Cole shouted as the crowd cheered.

"Man, oh man!"

"Wow! Taking out the Lumberjacks. And this is a dangerous situation for both Rollins and Ambrose, out here." Cole said as the two continued fighting at ringside.

"As I feared." Morgan looked on, amused at the two.

She moves out of harms way as all the Lumberjacks get involved, trying to break the two up. As soon as they do, Dean jumps on top of Rollins and the group holding him back.

"And now Ambrose startin' to brawl. Ambrose brawling out here with the Lumberjacks, trying to get to Seth Rollins." Cole looked on as the Lumberjacks desperately tried to break them up.

"This is melee!" King exclaimed.

Dean and Seth finally get separated but start punching and elbowing the Lumberjacks away from them. Seth runs over to Dean but gets tossed up in the air, over the barricade as he holds his knee.

"Rollins sent over to the WWE fans!" Cole shouted.

Dean tries to get over the barricade but gets Ryback's arms wrapped around his waist, trying to pull him back, along with the other Lumberjacks.

"Just let them fight! It's no use." Morgan mentioned.

The crowd boos once Ambrose gets thrown back into the ring.

"Lumberjacks finally doing their job," JBL said.

"Ambrose now taking out more Lumberjacks!" Cole shouted as he hit them with a suicide dive. Dean got on top of the announce table. "Look��a—look at this! Look at it! Ambrose! Ambrose! Ambrose!"

"Look out!" King shouted in a high pitched voice as he jumped on top of Rollins, in the crowd, taking out Kofi and Bo as well.

"That's my lunatic." Morgan grinned and looked on, entertained.

The crowd cheers as Dean tosses Bo and Kofi back at ringside and goes right after Rollins. Rollins starts running away, through the crowd.

"He's a wild one, ain't he?" RVD grinned at her as the Outspoken Diva nodded in response and chuckled.

"Rollins is trying to escape in the Staples Center but Ambrose is huntin' him down!" Cole looked on while Dean hit Seth from behind.

"I love you, Dean! You're the best, Dean!" A male fan shouted.

Ambrose continues pummeling Seth through the crowd as they go up the steps.

"These Lumberjacks are at ringside, watching the fight!" JBL scolded.

While the two fight in the crowd, the crowd boos loudly when Kane walks out.

"Oh great..." Morgan retorted and rolled her eyes.

This was exactly why she came out here. She knew someone was going to come out and try to ruin the match.

Kane started yelling at the Lumberjacks. "Get them back in the ring! Do your job!"

Dean prepares for the dirty deeds in the crowd until some of the Lumberjacks go and separate the two, earning more boos. The Lumberjacks drag Dean back to the ring, while Rollins continues to escape. He punches Sin Cara and hits his head on the railing.

"Seth's leaving! Seth's leaving!" JBL shouted.

"Seth Rollins has had enough!" Cole said. "I think Rollins is taking off, guys."

"I don't blame him." King replied.

Seth sees the Usos, Big E, and Stardust in front of him. He tries to reason with them but then attempts to jump over them. He fails as he gets caught as the crowd cheers.

"Now they're doing their job!" King added.

"Seth Rollins gonna be dragged back down to the ring, by the Lumberjacks," Cole said.

Morgan starts cracking up as Rollins desperately tries to escape but gets lifted up in the air by the Lumberjacks, Adam Rose style.

"There you go, guys! Get him back in the ring!" JBL shouted.

Dean climbs on the top rope, as the crowd cheers loudly with anticipation.

"Ambrose!" Cole shouted as he leaped on top of Seth and all the Lumberjacks.

Dean sits up and widens his eyes, revealing a crazed look. Kane doesn't look too happy, as he begins to look worried.

"Kane's gonna blow! This is incredible!" Cole said in amazement.

Dean tosses Seth back in the ring as the crowd chants 'This is awesome!'.

Seth gets on his knees, looking groggy as Ambrose makes gun sign and shoots it to the back of Rollins' head.

"Ambrose gonna finish him off here! He's been waiting on this!" JBL said as Dean positioned Seth for the Dirty Deeds.

Seth counters and pushes him away. He kicks him from behind, making Dean lean back, between the ropes to come back with a vicious clothesline.

"Yeah!" Morgan cheered with the crowd.

"Ambrose explodes off the ropes!" Cole shouted.

"Ahh!" King screamed in a high pitched voice as Dean went for the pin.

"1!"

"2!"

"Kick out by Rollins!" Cole said with excitement.

Things were really starting to pick up as Kane looks relieved. Ambrose starts to show a cheeky grin.

"What a blast!" King said happily.

Dean begins to show a blank look before getting on his knees, and turning his attention to Rollins. Seth begins gripping his grey tank top, trying to get up. Ambrose stands up and grabs Seth's hair.

"I love you, brother." He kissed his head and ran to the ropes.

He lays Seth out with the curb stomp, making everyone 'Oh!'

Morgan puts her hands over her mouth in shock.

"Curb stomp!" Cole shouted as Dean started to get emotional. "That's Rollins' move!"

"He hit him with his own finish!" JBL shouted.

"Here's the cover and now wait a minute!" Cole shouted as Kane broke up the pin. "Kane!"

"Are you kidding me!?" Morgan shouted as the crowd booed.

They start to cheer once Goldust gets in the ring and gets in his face.

"Hey! What are you doing!? What are you doing, man!" Goldust shouted but Kane hit him in the face.

And that's when all the Lumberjacks get in the ring and start fighting, as Kane gets out of harms way. The crowd cheers loudly as the big brawl breaks out. Kane returns to ringside, adjusting his tie. Morgan glares at him and starts heading his way, shaking her head. It was not going to be like this. Not this way.

"And now Morgan!" Cole shouted as the crowd cheered.

"Hey, asshole!" She shouted.

Kane turns around only to get kicked in the groin. Face scrunched up in pain, he falls down.

"That's what you get!" She shouted and turned her attention back to the ring.

"Woo hoo! Low blow!" King cheered and turned his attention back to the ring. "Wait a minute! Wait a minute, look out!" He shouted as some of the Lumberjacks got thrown out of the ring. "What in the world!? What is happening here?"

"Kane was supposed to control things, and he set this thing into this!" Cole replied.

"Not to mention getting low blowed in the process," JBL recalled.

Dean and the Wyatts were the last ones in the ring. Luke tries to go after the Lunatic but gets tossed out the ring. Erick tries to clothesline him but gets clotheslined instead. Meanwhile, Seth manages to snatch his briefcase while Dean was distracted by the Wyatts. Morgan decides to take action by stepping on top of the apron, yanking the briefcase out of his hands, as the crowd cheers.

"The hell are you doing!?" Seth shouted.

"Look at Morgan!" Cole shouted.

"She has no business doing that!" JBL exclaimed.

"She's looking out for Dean! Seth was about to cheat! She had every right to do that!" King retorted to JBL.

"Give me my briefcase!" Seth got in her face.

The Outspoken Diva glared at him. "Forget it! You think you're gonna win, like that!? Hell no!" She turned around, about to jump off, but got yanked back, by her hair as she yelled out in shock.

"Oh, come on! Get off of her!" King shouted as she got forced into the ring, by Rollins.

"You think you are gonna ruin this for me!?" Seth shouted, backing her up into the corner.

"Seth! Stop it! Get off!" She shouted back.

"Rollins is putting her in her place! She shouldn't have messed with his briefcase." JBL shrugged.

"He doesn't have to do this! Just leave her alone, Seth!" King exclaimed, sounding concerned for Morgan's safety.

Seth can be dangerous when he wants to be. And having Morgan ruin his chance of stealing a win, made him irate.

"Always in the way!" He growled as she struggled to escape his grip.

"Enough!" She shouted back.

"This is uncalled for! Let her go!" King demanded.

"Always in the damn way! Just stay in your place!" He struck her in the face, making her fall down as the crowd looked on in surprise.

"Oh my God, is Morgan okay!?" Cole said with worry.

Morgan holds her face and rolls over to the apron. Seth kicks his briefcase over to its original spot in the corner and continues seething, trying to cool down after being so angry with the Outspoken Diva.

"Stay out of my business!" He shouted and ran his gloved hands through his hair.

"This is what happens when you stick your nose where it doesn't belong." JBL scolded as Morgan held the side of her face.

"How can you say that? Morgan saw that something was wrong, and tried to stop it." King exclaimed, getting fired up at JBL criticizing Morgan's actions.

"It was a stupid move."

"I wish you'd shut up. If you saw things in Morgan's point of view, you would have done the same thing. So, shut your trap."

Turning around after dealing with the Wyatts, Dean sees Morgan laid out, face first, holding her face in pain. Seeing red, Ambrose goes berserk and starts attacking Rollins, viciously unloading on him with punches.

"And now Dean Ambrose! Dean Ambrose getting fired up!" Cole shouted in anticipation as the crowd gave him a big pop.

Dean drops Rollins with DDT as the crowd gets hyped up. He waits for Rollins to get up, but then Kane gets on the ropes to distract the referee. Rollins rolls over to the corner, diagonal from where Morgan was recovering at the bottom turnbuckle. Ambrose starts yelling at Kane, while standing in the middle of the ring, between his former teammates.

"Can somebody get Kane out of here so he can stop distracting Ambrose? Ambrose had this match won!" King exclaimed.

"Lesson learned. You shouldn't get distracted in a match like this. This is chaos! What kind of Lumberjack match is this? First Rollins and Ambrose fight outside the ring, and into the crowd! Then Kane has to try to restore order, but caused a brawl with all the Lumberjacks. And now Morgan gets involved and gets hit in the face, for heaven's sake!" JBL rambled on. "And she's not even in the damn match! What is going on!?"

While Jerry and JBL continue to argue, Morgan begins standing up. Dean starts walking up to Rollins, who is still in the corner.

"And now Ambrose looks to finish Seth Rollins off," Cole said. "This may be it!"

"I think you're right!" King said in a high pitched voice.

Morgan narrows her eyes across the ring and walks up to Dean from behind. She drops down to her knees and gives him a low blow as the commotion from the crowd causes the arena to get loud at the sudden turn of events.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! What the hell!?" Cole shouted as the crowd got loud with cheers and boos.

Dean's face expression shows pain and discomfort as he drops to his knees, falling down, face first. The Outspoken Diva rises up and shoots Ambrose a blank look while Rollins looks on in shock. The Architect widens his eyes, processing what just happened in front of him.

"Oh my God! Morgan, what the hell are you doing!?" King screamed as she ran a hand through her hair.

"The hell is going on!?" JBL exclaimed.

"What about her face!?" King shouted as the crowd chanted 'Holy shit!'

Celeste tweets 'WHAT THE HELL!? What are you doing WWEMorgan101!?'

"Never trust a woman!" JBL stated.

Morgan looks at her hand and takes her ring off her ring finger. She examines it before putting it on her right index finger instead, showing power and Authority, instead of love.

"What is going on!?" King exclaimed. "And was that ring what I think it was!?"

Seth begins to grin, revealing that he was faking his shocked look and continues to watch on.

"L­—look at Rollins, grinning. He knew this was going to happen?!" Cole exclaimed. "Don't tell me Morgan just joined The Authority!"

"But he punched her in the face," JBL recalled.

"Morgan doesn't seemed to be hurt. I think they faked it."

"What are you doing!?" Fans shouted. "Why!? Why!?"

"I­—I can't believe Morgan just...she just low blowed Dean! Her boyfriend! Why? Why help Seth Rollins?" King asked, looking startled.

Ambrose starts to get on his hands and knees, while Morgan continues to stare at how helpless he looked. Seth grabs Ambrose and gives him to Morgan, putting him in the backfire position for her.

"W—­wait a minute! Wait! Morgan! Don't do it! It's not too late to reconsider! Don't do it!" King shouted.

"After what she just did? There's no turning back, now! This is a done deal!" JBL said as the crowd gave off mixed reactions.

"Oh no. You've gotta be kiddin' me!" Cole shouted as she slammed Ambrose down hard with the backfire.

Dean grunts as she sits down, next to his laid out body. Morgan begins to look uncharacteristically relaxed after what she's done. She glances at Dean and shakes her head, smirking as she gets helped up by Rollins.

"I don't believe this..." Cole grumbled.

The crowd boos as Seth and Morgan grin at each other and embrace.

"Morgan, what are you doing!? This isn't you!" King said in disbelief.

"Maybe this is the real Morgan," JBL replied.

"Man...the look on the face of Morgan! No regret. No remorse."

"I don't understand. What did we just see?!" Cole asked as the crowd chanted loudly, 'You sold out!'

Dean, who is struggling to get up, manages to grab Morgan's left boot, for support. With one of Rollins' arms around her waist, as she holds onto him, she and Seth look down at the beaten up Lunatic.

After getting released by Rollins, she kneels and lifts up Dean's chin. She roughly shoves his face away and gets up to hit him with a sickening heel kick to the face. The crowd 'Ohs' and continues to look shocked. She turned all those smiles into frowns after what she did. And there was not a sign of regret on her face.

She tosses Seth his briefcase and leans her back against the corner, crossing her arms. Dean begins to get back on his hands and knees, turning his head to his ex. She slowly shoots him a wicked smirk as he clenches his fists. Ambrose shot her a dangerous glare, but in his eyes, they showed the look of distress. Not phased by his look, she continued to look indifferent as she watched Seth lay him out with his briefcase.

"Rollins with the briefcase to the face!" Cole shouted as Kane let the referee go, and he started to count. "No! Not like this! Not this way!"

"1!"

"2!"

"3!"

"And Rollins takes advantage of this disarray out here,"

"Here is your winner! Seth Rollins!" Lilian announced.

"Guys, that was more action than my eyes could follow. I can't even speak after what Morgan just did." King said as they went to the highlights of the match.

"The Architect of The Shield, Seth Rollins, just beat Dean Ambrose." JBL proudly announced as Morgan helped Rollins up.

"What a disappointing night for Dean Ambrose," Cole added.

"For sure. He just lost Morgan. Got low blowed and hit with a backfire, and lost the match." JBL replied as Seth lifted up Morgan's chin and examined her face, amused that they fooled everyone. "She's not even hurt. I wonder how long these two planned this."

"I am even more excited for RAW, tomorrow. I cannot wait to hear Morgan's explanation for her actions." Cole said as Seth laughed and raised up his briefcase with Morgan.

"Wait a minute, look who it is." Cole pointed out as Triple H walked down the ramp, with a huge grin on his face.

He gets in the ring and embraces Morgan as the crowd boos, loudly. "For crying out loud...After all that she's done to The Authority? Why is she with Triple H and Seth Rollins?" King asked.

"Morgan has sold her soul to The Authority. I...I can't wrap my head around that." Cole murmured.

Triple H raises her hand and smirks at the crowd.

"I win. I finally got her." He proudly said.

"Triple H saying he won, he finally got Morgan. The question that is on everyone's mind, is how did The Authority get into the mind of the Outspoken Diva? After all, that she's done to fight against them? I just can't believe this is happening." Cole said.

Morgan, Seth and Triple H exit the ring. Triple H goes backstage after patting the two on the back. Morgan and Seth head up to stand in the middle of the ramp.

Rollins wraps his arms around her waist from behind, and rests his chin on her shoulder, laughing at Ambrose. Dean manages to get up on his knees, looking at his ex with sorrow and shock.

The shocking events played back in his mind.

She hit him with a low blow.

She hit him with the backfire.

And now she aligned herself with The Authority. With Seth. It was a slap in the face to the WWE Universe. And a dagger to his heart.

Morgan shrugs at Ambrose, giving him another smirk. It was absolutely hilarious to her, seeing the shocked crowd reactions and Dean's face. She could have sworn she saw his eyes getting watery.

"Hah, hah, hah. She's mine, Ambrose. She's where she belongs. Dark side called her home." Seth taunted, kissing her on the cheek.

"This has to be one of the most shocking scenes we've ever seen in WWE history. I can't..." Cole trailed off.

Fans tweet:

'Oh they pulled the trigger?! I didn't think they were gonna do it!'

'BOLD! They teased it but I didn't think they'd actually do it!'

'What the fuck they made her heel!?'

'That was a total #SlapInTheFace'

'WWEMorgan101 has lost yet another screw for betraying Ambrose #YouReallyDoneItNow'

'Just cleaned my glasses to make sure I was looking at what WWEMorgan101 did clearly. #IsThisReallyHappening?'

'It's about time! Finally, she's with The Authority! If you can't beat them, join them. And that's exactly what WWEMorgan101 did!'

'WWEMorgan101 must be really confident about her safety after attacking Dean Ambrose. Watch your back.'

'How dare you do that Dean Ambrose!? You are gonna get it WWEMorgan101! #WhyMorganWhy'

'Please just do not let Morgan explain anything tonight. Let this marinate. I'm loving this,'

'And just like that Morgan has become the most hated woman in WWE'

Celeste tweets 'I don't understand. Was this about power? Success? It's not worth it. #SoldYourSoulForWhat?'

Naomi tweets 'WWEMorgan101 just made the biggest mistake of her life! #DeanAmbroseAlwaysGetsEven'

Triple H tweets 'I finally got her. Welcome to The Authority WWEMorgan101. You won't regret it. #WelcomeToTheDarkSide'

Paul Heyman tweets 'WWEMorgan101 is a brilliant conniver! She fooled everyone.'

Seth Rollins tweets 'What can I say? I knew she'd give in to me. She deserves better. She's mine, now.'

AJ Lee tweets 'WWEMorgan101 Why? You just pissed off all your fans! What do you gain from this? You and I need to talk on Raw.'

--------

Natalya and Naomi angrily walk around backstage.

"Where is she? Where the hell is she? We are gonna find her little ass. She isn't going to be off the hook from this." Natalya looked around while walking with Naomi, in a hurry. "I can't believe her...What the hell was that!?"

"I know. I mean after all she's done to The Authority? Now she joins them? This is not right," Naomi said in disappointment.

"Did you see that engagement ring on her finger that Ambrose gave her? And how she took it off, like it was nothing to her? That is unforgivable! Dean loves her to death! He did everything for her! He sacrificed so much for her, and now she turns around and does this?"

"Yeah. Wonder why she didn't tell us about that, ring. There is no loyalty around here. How could she?"

"Guess there's no engagement now since she wants to take off the ring and sell out. It's a slap in the face—there she is. Morgan!"

The two divas walked up to her and Seth. "Why would you do that!? Why!?" Natalya shouted.

"How could you? Why would you do that to Dean?" Naomi asked, looking at her in disappointment.

Seth, who had his arm around Morgan, spoke up. "Ladies, can't you see that this doesn't concern you? Now move it, along. Morgan doesn't have to explain herself to you."

Natalya shook her head, shooting her an angry look. She firmly stated, "You...are such a hypocrite. You chose power. The Authority over a man who loves you? Who stood by you through everything? Dean deserves so much better."

"Correction. Morgan deserves so much better." Seth smirked and continued walking with the Outspoken Diva.

Natayla's words did not bother Morgan at all. She couldn't care less what she thought.

"After all you've done against The Authority...? For your family and friends? For the fans? For Jane? Your own mother?" Nattie asked.

"She did what was best for business," Seth stated.

"I'm pretty sure the OUTSPOKEN diva can speak for herself." she sharply replied to Rollins, giving him a dirty look, before turning her attention back to Morgan. "How could you? Why? We were all rooting for you and Dean. Ever since that last week before WrestleMania. And now you do this?"

Morgan looked at them up and down before smirking. She brushed past them and kept walking with her held up high.

"Instead of worrying about Morgan, worry about yourselves," Rollins glared at them and walked away to catch up with her.

The two continued to walk around backstage as everyone stared at them in shock.

"Morgan! Morgan." Renee rushed over to her. "Morgan, why did you attack Dean Ambrose and align yourself with Seth Rollins?"

All of a sudden, Morgan starts laughing. Getting Seth's arm wrapped around her, she sighed and left with him, leaving Renee confused.

----

"Damn it!"

The sounds of growls, thumps, kicks, and punches were heard backstage, as a vexed Lunatic paced around. He wanted to rip Seth Rollins' head off. He wanted to tear him apart. But most of all, he wanted to get his hands on the woman he envisioned to have a life together. He thought their relationship was going great. He gained her trust back after what he did back in January. He thought he was doing everything right, and nothing could stop them.

His mind went back to the day he asked her to marry him. He remembered the innocent gasp she made when he went down on one knee. Her angelic laugh she let out when he said cheesy things about how

much he loved her. Her emotional 'Yes!' and how she tackled him into a hug, letting out tears of joy.

How could all of that be an act? How couldn't he see right through her deceiving ways? She looked fine. Smiling, loving the crowd, and taking on Rosa and The Authority. What happened?

Ambrose ran his hands through his damp hair, which was covered with water and sweat. WWE Superstars, divas, and backstage workers looked on with sympathy, worry, and fear as Ambrose continued to assault everything in his path, from black storage boxes to walls, chairs, and tables. They kept their distance, letting him take all his anger out. They pondered if Morgan knew what she was doing. Dean can lose his cool, but no one saw him become this enraged. Not even when Seth betrayed The Shield.

"Dean." Eden's voice filled his ears as she cautiously walked up to him, for an interview.

His cool, blue eyes filled with sadness, rage, and disgust over the events that transpired, turned his attention to her.

"Morgan shocked the WWE Universe when she low blowed you­—" Her words got blocked away in his mind as he mentally cringed at the thought.

He begins to remember the events that happened in the ring, not too long ago. That uncharacteristic look she gave him when he was helpless in the ring.

"Dean, can you please give me your thoughts on what happened out there?"

Ambrose came back to reality and exhaled, letting the question sink in. He shook his head, trying to calm himself down. He then let out an unamused laugh.

"Oh, Morgan...she really done it, now. She really screwed up this time." He growled. "She broke my heart. She tore my heart into pieces. She stood there and watched me get beaten. No...that isn't going to happen again. It won't happen again." He looked at the camera, with a crazed look. "Harley...I want you to know that this isn't over. I'm going to get you. And I want my damn ring back. And if I have to rip or bite it off your finger, I will. You're going to pay for this." He stormed off.

[swampythesweetsketch]

Sorry I got Pink Ninja AU on the brain this evening and :]

Stuff under cut cause I am going to ramble

SO ACRONIX

I Have not said this officially in any post yet and since this au is gonna be retired sometime in the future I think it's only fair to give the full backstory to what the hell has been going on with the timeline.

So hear we go! The OG timeline.

Warning for mentions of abuse, murder, and essentially skybound 2.0(?)

In the timeline, the EMs had to deal with not just the Serpentine spurred by Chen, but with the royal ninjagen empire.

The Emperor wanted EMs to become private soldiers for their armies, but some of the EMs are from neighboring kingdoms so- no???

Anyways, Acronix wanted nothing more than to start figuring out what the hell to do with his life. With him and Krux the youngest EMs of the group, they were tasked with protecting the kin of the current EMs. Cue Lilly.

Lilly was old enough to inherent Earth but her dad sucks and is kind of sexist, but jokes on him. Lilly is his only child and he's too old by the time he tries looking for a successor.

Lilly and Aceonix train and hang out during their time waiting out the worst of the Serpentine War and fall in love.

Krux wasn't happy that his only family was starting to go off on their own, so Krux started causing issues and pushing for him and Acronix to have more power in the group.

Siding with Chen, Acronix finds his brother intentionally being evil and tries to talk him out of it. It doesn't work, Acronix then goes along with it to hopefully get his brother back.

Well you know how that goes. He can't convince Krux, suspects that the council will take away their powers somehow, and he'll have to be imprisoned.

HE WAS NOT EXPECTING A TIME VORTEX TO TRAP HIM FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

Before the vortex, he met with Lilly one night to talk things over. She knows what he's been up to and wants him to stop. But he can't, he has to convince Krux to stop. But if he keeps siding with Krux...

How will he ever be there for his child?

And there we have it folks. The big twist.

Acronix is Cole's father.

Lilly thought she had to raise Cole alone, but Lou was always there. Even if he was only Lilly's best friend, he loved her.

Cole never knew his bio dad, but he did know the man that actually raised him before his mother passed.

And as years passed, Cole grew up in a small town and eventually moved closer to the city when his mom became sick.

There he met Candyce. The two were set in the same class and became instant friends.

But Candyce's family were known to be low-level royals. A connection to one of the royal cousins through her father. But his dream was to bake, and that infuriated the wife he married. Who only married him for his status.

What Candyce didn't know was that on her mother's side, their family were the few of EMs to join the empire. Her family were known to hold the power of Fauna, to turn into animals.

Her oldest brother, Lillard, got the power. And her mom encouraged him to use it in the worst way possible. And he did.

Candyce and Cole ran away a bit after Lilly died, and things progressed further.

Lillard was caught doing horrific things, but falsely promising change from him- his mother sent him off to a school deeper in the city to keep him from serving any time in juvie and eventually prison.

At the school, his main goal was to party around, ruin more lives, and live long enough to get his mothers's spot back in the royal family.

Along his massive list of ruined lives, Jay was sadly in it. He got a scholarship to go, and as a freshman, barely 14- he met Lillard, 19, and turned 20 only a month in dating.

Lillard did unspeakable things to Jay, and Jay ran for it when worst came to shove. Lillard ran after him, tried to kill Jay, but several witnesses were starting to catch onto the scene and Lillard bolted, leaving Jay to die and Wu to discover them barely alive at the side of a sewer canal.

Jay lived, and terrified of Lillard getting ahold of him, agreed to join Wu.

Zane was a bit after, thankfully unharmed by anything, and the four (Candyce, Cole, Jay, and Zane) all lived in the Monastery with Wu training them.

Lillard eventually got what he wanted. But for him to secure a place back in the Emperor's rank, he was tasked to investigate rumors of a old enemy (Wu) recruiting new members for the Elemental Council.

Lillard tracks down the four, and finds Jay there. With Cole. He's not happy to know he had a EM in his grasp a year ago, but he figured capturing Jay and killing the rest would be enough.

He tries following them back to the Monastery, but found that he couldn't find the stair leading up the mountain. Like a mental fog over took him while he searched.

He then plotted to stake out the base of the mountain for some of the group to come back down.

And one day, he got them.

Cole and Candyce were lazing about when Wu chastised them, and for an idea- why not go hiking? The two were used to moving through thick forest terrain. And the two did kinda miss being free spirits.

They head down, they play and bicker, and eventually they get to a point where they feel they can sit down for water and snacks.

They hear rustling from the bushes.

They freeze up unsure of what's near them.

Something rushes from the bushes.

Candyce tries to shield herself.

Cole jumps in the way.

Lillard kills Cole. And Candyce watches in horror.

She pulls a blade she took in the case of cutting down blocking debris, but it was used to slash at Lillard's face. Cutting at his eyes and nose.

She didn't know it was him, as he was in the form of a beast.

As Lillard retreated, Candyce grabbed Cole and hurried back to the Monastery screaming for help. But it was far too late.

Wu blamed himself for the next few years, thinking if he hadn't sent the two down, then Cole would still be alive. That the odd beast that attacked them may of hunted for anything other than them.

Candyce shut herself off from the others, blaming herself for not reacting fast enough. If she did, then Cole wouldn't of jumped in front of her.

Jay and Zane mourned their friends and tried keeping spirits up, but they were broken. Jl

Jay loved Cole, but he never moved past the pain of his last relationship to confess. Zane loved Candyce, but she pushed him away and refused his comfort.

Two years later, and Kai joined. He wanted to rescue his sister and Nya was back in record time.

Jay tried moving on and took interest in Nya, but something felt off about her. He can't put his finger on it.

Lloyd joins, and Candyce is quick to take him in against the others' complaints. But Lloyd reminds her of when Cole was young and bratty, acting like he was the defacto leader of their adventures, and that helped cheer her up a bit.

The great battle happens. Without Cole, Lloyd's powers are not dulled enough to keep the golden power from consuming him and Garmadon. Both son and father die.

Then the Overlord returns, Zane sacrifices himself. And a year later, the lure to rescue him from Chen's Island is a total lie.

Wu goes to the Cursed Realm to stop Chen's Faux-Anacondrai war. Leaving Misako to soon abandon the rest of the surviving Ninja.

Nya and Kai decide to leave, and they take Jay with them. Jay, with no Cole to quarrel with, never broke up with Nya. And the three leave Candyce alone up on the mountain.

Candyce tries to pull help from previous allies, even the new EMs that have chosen to use their powers to help the public. But something is stirring, and the Empire once again are trying to hunt after the new EMs for their private armies.

Back with the three, Kai notices that Nya's anger has made her more and more unhinged. Spotting her destroying (Jay's) things, messing up (Jay's) things, blaming others for her problems. He catches on that Jay is terrified of Nya, and he already covers his face or covers when his sister is raging.

He pulls Jay aside when Nya goes off on her own mission as Samurai X, and Jay confesses that Nya is heavily reminding him of his abusive ex. And while she's only screamed and broken his things, at least she hasn't beaten him.

Kai is sickened, guilty that he's seen his sister effectively become a abuser in their own home. And he decides right there that it was for the best if Jay was removed from the house.

The two pack up and quickly leave in the night before Nya can wake, and they go back to the one spot they know they can safely rest. The Monastery.

Candyce is surprised to see them, but it happy they're back at all. She told what Nya has been doing and she agrees to let Jay stay. Kai wants to go back and talk to Nya.

But as he returns to Ignacia- the rice farmers and neighbors are telling him that his family home has burned to the ground, and Nya was nowhere to be found.

He goes back to Jay and Candyce to tell them what's up, but hears frightening news. Nya, in her worst rage yet, went and about destroyed the Junkyard to scare Ed and Edna into telling her where Jay and her brother were.

The three decide that they should rally the EMs and look to vacate asap. If Nya didn't find Jay and Kai at the Junkyard, then her next stop was most likely the Monastery.

Skylor agrees to let them hide on her father's old island, freed to the Kabuki Girls, who now run the place with Skylor's financial assistance. The EMs meet back to hear about Nya's rampage and the Empire's revived plan to capture them.

Meanwhile, Acronix has been released from the vortex and is tracked down by Krux. It's not long for him to realize his brother has not changed. At all. In fact, he's gotten worse.

Krux has taken pay from the Emperor to create and raise the Vermillion Army to strengthen the numbers against the new Elemental Alliance. And since he hasn't been around for about 20 years now, it's best if Acronix got the run down of what Krux has done in the short amount of time given.

He's tracked down and killed Arthur (the previous Ice EM), kidnapped and gifted Libby to King Vangelis to bear his only child, he's trapped Ray and Maya on the threat of killing their children! Oh- and the best part-

Krux had successfully worked with Vangelis alongside the Emperor to poison and slowly kill Lilly.

Acronix is... he's...

He asks where Ray and Maya are being kept. Krux says the small shed in the middle of the Vermillion Swamp.

Are they alive. Yes.

Was it worth it? Krux says it will be when they're the ones ruling Ninjago in the end.

Acronix waits for his brother to turn away. He cannot believe that he's been so foolish. All this time he was trying to steer away a fate he thought Krux was blind to.

But Krux knew all along what he wad doing.

So Acronix chews on his decision, asking Krux more questions. And Krux is happy that he has his dumb little twin listening to him like old times...

And time ran out for Krux. The second he had his back exposed, Acronix used a sharp metal strip he took earlier from Krux's workbench- and stabbed him dead.

He didn't know what to do with the body, but looking at it- all Acronix could see was a younger version of his brother bleeding out, gasping for air as the life seeped out of them. Like back in the war, before Krux went down this path.

Acronix somehow wishes he could've left his brother for dead back then, if he knew of the future. But now it's... it's too late. He can't save his love, his son is dead. God knows what was or is the fate to the remaining kids involved.

He frees Ray and Maya, and with the Vermillion under his control (as told by Krux), he chooses to use the snakes to seek out any EMs to make contact with.

But Ray and Maya are distraught, showing their powers are again working for them.

Which means-

Cut back to a month.

The EMs have been dealing with the Emperor sending waves of soldiers after them, and having to battle their own in some capacity. EMs that've long since deemed lost or missing due to them joining the royal ranks.

Nya is among them, as Lillard has tracked her down. Spilling lies to her angry heart that Wu was a villain, using her and her brother to usurp the Emperor as per his and Garmadon's ultimate plan made way long ago.

A final fight was pushed to the Emperor's palace where most EMs were captured, but the trio had evaded the royal army. As Candyce went to break them free, Kai and Jay confronted Nya.

Jay went down first, then Kai-

Then Candyce snuck up from behind and chopped Nya's head off.

The place was in flames, falling apart. And Candyce only raced back to her friends' side only to arrive too late. Even with Nya dead, she felt like no one was really saved in the end.

The palace was consumed by flames, she was trapped with nowhere to go. So she sat there, waiting for the flames to eat her.

Acronix, Ray and Maya, and the escaped EMs watched on with pain as the last of the Palace remains were picked though, bodies of royal and EMs were found.

The surviving retreated back to the island to talk about what to do. Even with Ray back, the other Elements of Creation were gone to the wind.

Machia, the commander at that point, spoke to Acronix of Krux's true plan. To go back to the past and change fate to where the Time Twins were the victors.

Acronix didn't doubt for a second that Krux never let their defeat leave his head. Hell- it what motivated the monster behind the scenes.

The time blades are brought back to focus, and the EMs agree to track them down. If not a full reset, then at least to a point where a majority of the Ninja could be saved.

Acronix pushes for him to be the only one to go back. As it was his failure to intervene that caused this massive domino effect. Maya and Ray are suspicious, yet quickly change their tune when reminded of Krux's body left rotting in the museum's hidden dungeon.

They get to Borg, pleading with him to make a machine to help Acronix go back. Pixal urges her father since Zane would then have a chance to live in the new timeline.

With the machine completed, Acronix goes back. A single memory in his head as time warps around him.

... It's a nice calm night, he's standing along a long stream. Stones tiny and circular are stacked in odd towers, and small stagnant pools are full of frogs. The crickets are chirping against the dead silence. Fireflies hug the wet grass and glow in uneven spurses. And not too far from him, a woman approaches.

She's crying, saying something that he can't hear. He tries to recall why his hearing is so bad. And then it comes back. The hours earlier, they had to fight the EM of sound. Their screaming rung his ears and he was uncertain if he was going deaf.

His eyes stay on her lips, reading her words as she tries to beg him. He knows but doesn't know what she's saying. She stops and stares at him, and turns to leave-

"Lilly. Lilly, please stop. Please." He hangs his head down. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Lilly."

He didn't look up to see if she stopped.

"I know. I know what I am doing is wrong. I never should have listened to him. I never should have believed I could change his mind."

Tear bleared his vision, the rocks under his feet meshed into one thick gray haze.

"Please. I don't want to do this. I don't."

His chin was lifted, and in the moonlight was her. Her own tears have dropped.

"Then stop," he barely heard her past the ringing in his ears. "Stop and come back home. Lou is worried about you. I'm worried about you."

He carefully reached out, placing a hand over hers. Squeezing it to make sure it was her and really her.

"I- I have to stop this. I can't let him destroy everything."

"We can stop him, togeth-"

"No. Krux has... I- I know. I know. He has to be stopped. He won't let anyone close to him besides me."

"... Nix..."

"... Go home, Lilly. By the end of this week, Krux will be taken care of. Until then, I want you... I want you to go home, be with him. Stay put, stay safe."

The end of the week came. Krux was ready to storm the Monastery with Acronix by his side.

He was at the doors when he felt a sharp sensation in his chest.

The doors swung open, and the alliance were ready to fight-

Krux staggered in, barely able to get a word out before he dropped to the ground. A sharp dagger lodged right in his back.

There Acronix stood, at the doorway, taking off the ridiculous helmet his brother made them wear to match.

He felt memories ebb away as he watched his brother bleeding out, gasping for air as the life seeped out of them.

He looked to the alliance and stood there as everyone inspected Krux's body and detained him for safety.

But Acronix sighed an air of relief as he saw his brother's body be covered by a sheet.

The timeline was fixed.

[plutonify]

My Ninjago Seasons Tier Lists

EXTREMELY GOOD

Secrets of Forbidden Spinjitzu Pt 2

Prime Empire, PRIME EMPIRE, PRIME EMPIRE. Just everything about this story is so so good. The way they showed the characters dynamics, my sweet baby boy Jay getting to live the celebrity lifestyle like his parents. The humor, the designs, the colors! I LOVE THIS SEASON.

Sons of Garmadon

There isn’t much to say about this season that hasn’t already been said. There’s a reason why this season is so loved by fandom. This season is filled with drama, and it’s so good! Harumi is an amazing character, and while I dislike how Ninjago keeps introducing new characters, she’s an exception(along with Pixal). THIS IS SUCH A GOOD SEASON!

Tournament of Elements

I know I just mentioned how I don’t like how they keep introducing characters, but this season does a good job at introducing characters without actually introducing characters. It’s such an interesting concept, this idea of all of the elements going up against each other and in a tournament none the less. Mmm tasty. I keep rewatching this season, it’s so captivating, there’s so much drama!

GOOD

Hands of Time

I really like Hands of Time. This season introduces a lot of interesting concepts, most of which are very hard to do and risky. Like time traveling, betrayal, and twists. This season does it all and I’d argue that they do it well(well somewhat). WE GOT MORE WU AND GARMADON AND PREVIOUS ELEMENTAL MASTERS, just a lot of stuff that was wished for but not expected.

Possession

HERE IT IS, THE ONE WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE, MORRO! I personally am not a fan of paranormal concepts but Ninjago does it so well and make it so interesting! I love flawed characters like Morro. Also, ghost Cole is so good, people might not agree with me on this but ghost Cole is one of the best things they’ve done in the entire show.

ISLANDS/SEABOUND

Tears, sobbing, crying. This season is an emotional roller coastal, first it makes you laugh, then terrified, and then sobbing on the floor. But I love it for that, it makes me feel, exactly what I want a show to do. I find the writing this season to be some of Ninjago’s best, especially the way they built up Jaya and Nya’s fate.

OK

HUNTED

This season is pretty meh for me, most of it is forgettable, the only reason why it’s not in the bottom row is because it’s really funny. Tons of comedic moments this season, thus I have some joy I can attribute to it.

RISE OF THE SERPENTINE

This was a typical first season. It did everything that a first attempt did but it was still somewhat enjoyable. Most of my gripes with this season came from the beginning. I’m REALLY not a fan of the first half of this season. The second half is okay. This season is tolerable.

BAD

SKYBOUND

I actually like Skybound. I find it more watchable then the first season, but while I find it watchable, there are some some really bad writing choices. Biggest flaw being the pacing. I also have a bias towards Jay and most of what I enjoy about this season was the potential it had, not what actually happened. So if I take away my “bias and potential goggles”, we have a not great season, thus it’s low ranking.

EXTREMELY BAD

CRYSTALLIZED

Awful, just awful. This season does not install joy in me. While I love that they brought Nya back, I can’t ignore the fact that she should’ve stayed dead and they didn’t do a good job at reviving her. This entire two part season did all of the characters bad, absolutely ruined them. I hate you Crystallized.

SECRETS OF FORBIDDEN SPIJITZU PT 1

Just as bad as Crystallized. Tons of wasted potential(haha). While Skybound was too fast, this season is too slow, this season is awful, I hate it. It’s funny how bad part one is compared to its second part.

[moonlightstar27]

The Cowboy Virus

Sombra x Cassidy

Contains: Smut, Death, Intoxication sex, cursing, rough sex, fluff near the end.

"Sombra where are you?! The target is getting away stupid girl!" Oh I don't think so, widow was always so mean to me during missions but it didn't matter we still get paid the same. "Already on the target widow, tell reaper to meet me on the east side of the building!" I was running so fast not even the cameras could catch me.

But then that's when it hit me. "OH FUCK!" A flashbang, but from where could have it come from- oh you have to be kidding me. It was none other then Cole Cassidy. That asshole, how dare he get in my way! That's when I threw my translocater and sprang back up just in time for reaper too show up.

"Sombra go get the target I'll take care of the cowboy." Nodding as I went along I found Alexander Turner, he had been an ex Talon scientist who was planning to sell out Talons sleeper agents. "It's over amigo, you know how this goes. You should've never turned on us." The door then busted open. "Oh no you don't, you're gon' leave him alone Pumpkin. I don't want Morrison on my ass."

I grabbed Alexander by his hair and twisted around and pointed my SMG to his head. "Mmmm, I don't think so and besides, I had two blood thirsty teammates who would kill me if i don't get this job done so....." Cassidy started chuckling then pointed his pistol at me. "I'm the fastest gun in the new west, what Makes you think you can beat me?" how foolish can this man be?

"See what happens when you try to play hero cowboy? People still die because you failed." Cole then fired off six shoots which only 2 of them managed to hit him. "Reaper, Sombra we must go now. They are ready for us." Reaper was the first one to leave. Making sure to take care of anyone else he saw on his way back.

"Oh cowboy don't look so down, you see me one day or another." I then booped his nose and left him there.

After that mission, I kept seeing him more and more. He was always there like he was tracking me down just so that he would be the one to take me out. But I always manage to slip away from him and laugh at him. But sometimes he dose cause me problems. I swear the last thing he did Moria nearly mademe her next test subject.

I spent most of the days trying to just rid of him, he's becoming a real pain to my fun. I don't like when people ruin my fun. "Aye dios mio, that man is gonna get my pay docked. I need a drink." I immediately went to my favorite bar in town where they make the best tequila shots ever.

I was on my fourth shot when the bartender yelled out "Cole Cassidy welcome back friend!" Cole.... Cassidy.... Well, this could be fun. Of course he took a sit right next to me, we locked eyes for a moment but only a moment. How does someone so annoy look at me with such eyes.

"Bartender the usually please." I continued to drink my shot and slammed it down on the table. "So, how many times did Morrison get on your ass for not catching me?" letting out a small chuckle I tilted my head into my hand which made a fist and looked at him.

"For the amount of shit you put me through, I reckon that you would make a nice cash reward." Nice huh? I thought my worth would've been more. I feel hurt. Cassidy then took a sip of his whiskey. He looked so somber. "Well, how bout I buy you a drink, one different from this?" for the first time tonight his brown eyes looked at me differently.

Loud laughter came from the both of us as the night came closer to the end. "Oh and then I shut the door on his face. Oh reaper was so mad!" Cassidy and I were at the point of tears, this night was one of the best I had since I joined Talon. "Okay guys you. I have to close up, don't worry about the tab Sombra. I'm too scared you might just empty my account if I even ask."

I just had to Boop his nose before cassidy pull me away. "To think a troublemaker like you would turn me on like this." Before I could say anything Cassidy turn my head and kissed me. It tasted fiery, guess it's from the whiskey, I could help but wrap my arms around his neck. It was like fire meeting Electricity.

Pulling away from the kiss he went straight to sucking and licking my neck, it felt so warm. "Mm wait, is this a trick to try and turn me. If so at least mm~ buy me dinner first cowboy." removing his self with a loud pop noise he looked up at me. "Now, if I wanted to that pumpkin. You would've beenbout the moment I step in. But no I want you doll. If you mind following me?" Wow this night just got interesting even more.

I found myself at the overwatch base, it turned me on that he was sneaking me in to a high level place like this. When got too his room. He immediately threw me to the bed. "I am going to show you things even you didn't know pumpkin."

Our lips intertwine once again that night, it felt so good. Cassidy then started kissing down my neck, stopping near my chest. Cassidy started fondling my chest. I started letting out soft moans. It didn't go unnoticed luckily.

"All those times you saw me, I wanted to be the one. I wouldn't let it be anyone else but me." That's when he started sucking on my titties, like he was hungry. It made me arch my back an make the loudest moan ever.

"Let me hear those beautiful moans pumpkin, let me be the one that makes you feel this good~" After he said that he switched tit and started rubbing my clit through my soaked panties. It felt like I was on fire at the moment.

The assault on my body didn't let up my legs started closing around his hands. "Oh come on, don't tell me you don't like this." He then moved down and pulled my legs open and started eating me out. He took his sweet time licking my clit. Giving it soft licks before he started eating it out like a hungry man.

My hands went straight to his hair pulling him closer to me, to feel it deeper within me. He wrapped his arms around my legs and lift me up. "Aw f-fuck. What are you that hungry. You about to... Shit- about to make me c-cum." He started sucking faster after I said that.

I was so lost in the feeling I nearly blacked out from the pleasure. After I few more sucks, I came all over his face, he had drunk every last drop. His beard was soaked in my juices. "You taste delicious doll~"

He then pulled me towards him and kissed me once more. His dick was pressed up against me, I started grinding on him and he started grunting and bucking his hips up towards me. "Woah there cowboy, at least let me take your pants off before you even cum."

He chuckled and let me down. I had unbuckled his pants and took his cock out. I gave it a few good rubs before popping it Into my mouth. "Yeah that's it, get it nice and wet for me. It's- fucking damn. It's so warm inside your mouth doll."

He grabbed the back if my head and thrusted into it roughly, then held it there for a moment. I felt like chocking cause of how deep it was in my mouth. He removed me from him and lifted me back on to the bed. He pumped himself before rubbing his tip against my pussy.

"You're such a fucking tease Sombra, but god do I love it so much." He pushed my legs up and plugged himself in me. His movements were slow, slowly pushing in and out, in and out, in and.... Out. He managed to drag out every moan from me. He grabbed the head board to giving him support.

I wanted him to go faster, I wanted him to pound me. "Hey, Cassidy. Oh~ G-go faster." He chuckled at my request. "Beg for it. Beg for me to go faster." He stopped waiting for me to beg. I rolled my ears and looked at him. "Please Cassidy, please pound in to me." That's all he needed before grabbing my sides and rammed into me.

He was fast and brutal with his onslaught oh my pussy. It was so intense I had wrapped my legs around him and clawed at his back. He then pull out all the way to his tip and slammed back down in me. His way of fucking me made me scream his name out loud.

At this point I was in tears, I felt close to cumming and it started to get really hot. "C-cassidy! I'm gonna cum!" He rammed deeper into me, I could feel he was close to. Cassidy then grabbed my face and kissed me, his paced quicken fast until he stopped.

He had still as he emptied his cum into my warm pussy. Cassidy then rolled over on the other side of the bed and pulled out. His cum poured out of me, I was tried and out of breath. Cassidy wrapped his arms and pulled his cover over us. "You're one bad cowboy." "You're one helluva good kisser." We bussed out laughing, till we cuddled and when I was just about to sleep.

"I love you Sombra."

[chryzuree]

nitw chrysijacks au!!! tell me more abt it im so invested i love nitw!! do they get to be animals too...if they were animals what would they be!!!

AAAAH, okay okay, so it’s still a work in progress bc i haven’t decided if i want to have chrysi be in mae’s position but with elements of bea, or if i want jacks to be in mae’s position and have chrysi be mostly bea with just a hint of cole (bc i think chrysi would’ve absolutely left town for a bit), but as of writing this.. i’m erring towards chrysi as mae, since she defs can perceive things that most ppl can’t, plus she’s charismatic and generally a mess.

i was thinking chrysi shows up a couple days before her bday & you know. dismembered arm is found as usual. YES, chrysi’s thrilled abt this!!! VERY important to know!!! honestly, it’s a relief for her to find that arm, bc the vibes in that diner were in SHAMBLES. she was rlly trying to avoid eye contact w jacks and jacks was staring her down w his laser eyes. put those things AWAY, it’s literally four in the afternoon…

the party scene happens on chrysi’s bday itself, and guess who FUCKING FORGOT IT WAS HER BDAY. when the rest of their friends arrive at the party later (bc unfortunately, chrysi had to drive jacks out. she’s going to scream. that’s the worst, most awkward car ride over ever) & wish her happy bday, jacks is like “😦 oh………. happy birthday……….” <- has been in the same space as her for the past two hours. like. damn.

JACKS is the one that gets drunk (saw an ex, to which chrysi says, “you can’t run away from the town’s population”, since jacks is a serial dater), so chrysi takes him home and it’s the worstttt. she should’ve stayed at college. ((actually, jacks asks why she came home.. he’s rlly glad but he’s worried for her. unfortunately for him, he does NOT phrase it like that and chrysi gets even angrier w him))

they start repairing their relationship right around the same time chrysi starts seeing cult members / having fucked up dreams. so mostly, jacks comments on how exhausted and ill she looks. you really know how to compliment a girl, don’t you??

on one of their outings, chrysi finds out that jacks hasn’t rlly dated anyone in a while (omg.. theyre both single at the same time again.. which hasn’t occurred since jacks ruined their makeout session in senior year of high school!!!! wrow!!!!!) but anyway. still have to unpack allllllll the drama of high school before it goes anywhere.

their halloween celebration is fun.. i think that jacks would jst tag along w chrysi…. she’d win at the water balloon toss & they’d both laugh at their fortunes being read & jacks suspiciously goes missing when chrysi’s asked to cover for the witch play the town’s putting on. i jst think they need to reminisce abt halloween celebrations past… they neeeeeeed to kiss abt this, but they will NOT!!! never ever!!!!

jacks is the first to agree to research ghosts w chrysi <333 ughhh, he wants her so bad. does he believe in ghosts?? well.

THE SCENE IN THE WOODS, WHEN SHE GETS SHOT AT??? JACKS HAS TO BE PHYSICALLY DRAGGED AWAY SO HE DOESN’T ALSO GET SHOT AT. he’s sick with worry the whole time chrysi’s in the hospital. who cares abt the cult member keeping an eye on the appt??? he only cares abt how chrysi’s holding up…

he is dragging chrysi into the appt & picking her up bridal style when she shows up!!! he is putting her on the couch and tucking her in and curling up beside her!!!! they actually have a heart to heart there + chrysi begins to forgive him… before she “falls asleep” against him and jacks falls asleep too.. then chrysi gets up and goes to the woods w/o telling anyone.

jokes on her, bc jacks wakes up within ten minutes of her leaving bc he misses the feeling of her curled up against him. can NOT stop his obsessive crush and hyper-awareness of her. it’s been on overdrive since, like, ninth grade.

he’s the one to yell at her when they show up in the woods. OMG, JACKS ALSO HAS A CROSSBOW!!!! he fucking sucks at shooting at the guy tbh, he’s jst glad he managed to hit him.. then he hands off the crossbow to hold chrysi the whole way into the mines.

i haven’t rlly decided what i wanted to do here, bc i kinda want to deviate & play w story stuff regarding castor’s death.. kinda want it to be the valors that are part of the cult + they’re trying to bring castor back… but i also kinda want to up the level of danger throughout this whole time, so maybe castor’s already been revived as a vampire, but he’s like… super fucked up and ghoulish and nothing like the castor they knew… what if the mines were castor’s living quarters & they were jst trying to protect him?? plus this could mean that jacks can finally choose chrysi over castor !!!!!!! ,,,,mmm, yeah, i’m going to do that.

anyway. chrysi does NOT feel bad abt caving in the mines behind them!!!!!!! bye bye, valors!!! die then!!!!! jacks is a little more like, well, that was maybe not the best course of action? WHO CARES MAN!!!!!!

chrysi defs passed out bc visions or w/e but it’s FINE!!!!

the story would end w chrysi wishing jacks happy bday (fucked up two and a half weeks there, huh?) + jacks giving chrysi her bday present, bc he felt like an asshole that he a) forgot it was chrysi’s bday, and b) got blackout drunk on it… then they kiss abt it <333 and now they’re a couple!!!!

i wasn’t rlly thinking they’d be OFFICIALLY animals, but i think they’d both have a cat / fox motif…. lots of shirts + trinkets to call to mind those animals for them!!!!!!!!!!!! they should kiss…

[romikawai]

Joel's Alpha

eleven

"I'm coming" says a voice

I knew it was a little early, not so much for the sun to rise but for the work schedule

When he opened the door, he thought it was someone from work. I don't expect it was his son Joel, seeing him embarrassed by the time it was

"Son…

"Hello mom" he smiles "I… I'm sorry about the time but I needed to talk to someone and…

"Yes, of course" he says "come in, I'll make coffee" he indicates

Cash knew that he had to go into mom mode because it was his son who needed him in those moments while he thought that he had motivated him to appear now.

He saw his son sit calmly in the chair while he thought for a few moments. But he was aware of how the water was heating up and preparing the coffee that they both liked

"You told him…

"I told Mitch, Chris's friend, that I was coming here" he looks at his father "I told him to say that you needed me for something and that's why I came"

"Which, you lied because you need me" says cash while serving

When he turns around with the cups, he notices that nervousness in his son as he looked at his hands and didn't look up. Putting Joel's cup down, I just looked at him to say thank you and then looked down again.

"Son, what's up" he takes his hand

"I…I'm in doubt" she looks at him "I know…Brad hurt me and he's not my alpha but…Chris is different and I'm scared"

"Afraid that" he doubts but understands

"What if it's all a mistake and I screw up and do something to make him go away…" He looks at the ground "I don't know how to behave with him and he makes my heart beat but I'm afraid of ruining everything"

"Hey" she calls him "I know this true love is scary"

"How do I know what that is?"

"First, you felt a nice smell coming from him" he raises an eyebrow

"Yeah"

"Your heart is beating fast and your cheeks turned red with his closeness or something I do to make you that way"

"Yeah"

"That's true love, it's not the same as first love" he clarifies "first love, it's what you felt for Brad and you knew you weren't going to be reciprocated because of many other things that happened but…" He takes a moment " True love, they are butterflies that fly inside you the moment you feel that smell that lets you know that your destiny is there…"

"But…

"True love takes its time to find itself because to keep it is to overcome every obstacle that appears to be that… While first love only lasts its moments, it doesn't always follow and hurt the ones you love the most along the way"

"So… Is that" she looks at him "that would be what I feel for Chris… True love and not first love like with Brad"

Cash knew his son's fear was there, he could see it in his eyes as he held back the tears that wanted to come out. This made him remember once that he knew who his partner was and that he had to shut him up because he didn't want to ruin his life but if Tango hadn't taken the first step, they wouldn't be where they are now.

"I'm like all the omegas but he's not like the alphas I met because he's sweet, attentive to something I need and there's always permission if he can kiss me or hold my hand" he blushes

"You're in love son" Cash smiles

"That would be" he looks at his cup "Chris asked me out on a date on Sunday and I…I…

"What do you think if you call me that day to help you choose what clothes you should wear, do you want" he caresses her hair "now, you better go back to the university or your father will give him something for not seeing you"

"Right" he blushes "you could take me, I came here in Cole"

"Sure, I'll wash the cups and let's go" he says and grabs Joel's cup

"Thanks mom" he smiles

"Always" she smiles and hugs him "I will never allow fear to attack you again, I will take care of you the same as your alpha and your father"

"I know" something separates "well, come on, I don't want to worry Chris about my absence either"

Cash nods to his words but his mind was on how his son, even though he wasn't born to him, was having the same character as both of them and that they hadn't known him for long but it made their lives happy

[lokiified]

rant piece

i made the wrong fucking choice i actually cant believe it, i was so focused on proving my parents wrong that i convinced myself it would never work with you and now im regretting so badly. i focused on the attention he was giving me but really he never did anything for me like you did, we went on three damn dates in a day, you flew across the country to come see me, you let me pick any book at coles as an early birthday present, you tried to give me everything but i wanted my parents to be wrong so badly that i ignored it for him and he was new and cute and he seemed to like me and you literally told me you didnt have feelings for me why did you do that i probably wouldve chosen you if i knew you felt the same way.

i found the pin i got at the museum with you. i found the pictures i took of you in the weird red room with all the lizards in it. ive been thinking about the used book store a lot lately. i was talking to a friend who i thought i had feelings for and we started talking about book stores and i was struck with an inconsolable sadness at the memories of being there with you for hours, trying to find the right books.

i found the videos and pictures from the mock prom, how well you got along with my friends and how you looked in your suit, how excited you were for that night

i remember how angry your mother was when i chose him over you and i thought she was crazy at the time but she was right, i made the stupidest decision of my life when i picked him.

you came to a baseball game with my family and you dont even like baseball for fucks sake, an hour ride 3 hour game and hour ride back who would do that if they didnt have fucking feelings for someone.

i had to spend an hour and a half sitting in a hotel hallway trying to calm down his anxiety about my relationship with you while you tried to give me everything and lied to my face that you had a girlfriend just to try and protect my feelings.

why did you have to go and say you didn't have any feelings for me when i told you that day.

and now youre in your 20s and you have a girlfriend and youre probably gonna get married and im gonna regret it for what feels like forever.

i made the wrong choice and i dont know what to do

i cant tell my parents and i cant tell you because youre probably gonna marry her and you talked to me about her like shes the best person in the whole world so yeah im definitely not, you live on the other side of the country so ill probably never see you again so yeah i blew it.

you made a playlist for me of all kinds of songs you liked and 80% of them were love songs and i thought it was nothing when EVERYTHING you were doing and saying pointed to having some kinds of feelings for me but i dumped it all for him because i was scared of my parents saying they told me so.

and i certainly cant tell him because what the hell is he gonna say, im sorry you decided to waste a year on me while your real love was off making a life for himself?

i dont even know if i love you i just know that i missed out on something good just because i was scared

i convinced myself you were too much like david, that you werent even cute, excuses upon excuses when really i was just scared and i felt like he was the safer choice because there would be so much less people disappointed if it went south

for gods sake he wouldnt even dance with me at prom and now all i can think about is dancing with you at that mock prom that i thought was so stupid, i ruined all my mom's planning and probably shattered all your hopes for the night, i wish id worn my prom dress and let it happen because obviously it was supposed to