#too much trouble. and ultimately it's not That bad of a bite.

[orcelito]

Very definitely have Bite Shape on my leg now :/

[missqhughes]

IS SHE REALLY YOURS? | Q. HUGHES43

-> quinn x jacksgf!reader

-> contains: mentions of sex and sexual acts, verbal fights, cheating, teasing, ocs created for the plot, use of y/n, lowercase intended

-> IN WHICH: y/n swears to herself and quinn that jack will never know what happened between them. however, as jack’s actions become even more questionable, quinn starts to drop hints about what he did to his girlfriend the night before, showing him two can play at the same game.

-> the HIGHLY requested pt 2 to can he get you like this! god i love this plot soooo much. don’t know if i would hate to be in this situation or adore it 🫥 anyway, hope you love it as much as i do!

18+ CONTENT BELOW THE CUT

y/n knew it was wrong.

that she fucked her boyfriends older brother. how much she enjoyed it, how good he made her feel. that she loved how it sounded when he moaned her name. that she slept in quinn’s bed in his boxers, she felt a comfort in him holding her close in his unconscious state.

y/n attempted to reach over quinn to grab his phone, afraid that she had woken up too late and leaving quinn’s room would mean certain, immediate trouble.

quinn shifted, waking up and witnessing her crawling on top of him, reaching for the side table, and ultimately failing to do so.

“well, good morning to you too, what are you doing?”

quinn’s sleepy voice was like music to her ears, “sorry, i just wanted to see what time it is,” she said, backing up to lay on her side, partly embarrassed that quinn caught her in the act.

quinn let out a chuckle, brushing the hair away from her face, then holding the nape of her neck to bring her into a sweet kiss.

he inhaled with satisfaction, “you don’t need to know what time it is,” he mumbled against her lips, breaking away to place a kiss on her jawline.

“i do, it’s going to look pretty bad if jack is awake and i come out of your room. especially looking… like this.” y/n remarked, her chest branded with quinn’s mark.

quinn briefly looked at his phone screen, “it’s 7:50, still pretty early. you should be good,”

y/n felt a relief, thinking the worst, that it was later in the morning and everyone else was already awake and that she would have to bring the million dollar excuse to the table of why she was coming out of quinn’s room instead of her own, or jacks.

y/n got up off the bed to look for her shirt and shorts, only to realize that her shirt was still splayed over the kitchen counter.

“fuck”, she whispered to herself, cursing at her forgetfulness.

“can you go get my shirt from the kitchen? i don’t want to walk out there in just a bra and shorts.”

got up and ruffled his hair, his broad shoulders displaying just noticeable scratch marks down them. instead of leaving the room, he went into his closet.

“just wear one of mine,” he said casually,

y/n knew he wasn’t going to get it, and she sure as hell wasn’t either. no one was going to see her in it, so who cares?

quinn tossed her an oversized shirt, a grey one with the classic canucks logo on it. she shot him a look,

“seriously? quinn i cant wear this. what am i going to say to jack if he sees this in my room?” she held the t-shirt in her hands, flustered just at the thought of wearing quinn’s shirt.

“you’ll be fine, you worry too much,” quinn was so casual in his demeanor, some may say it was off putting, but that’s just how he was.

y/n slipped the shirt over her head, engulfed by quinn’s familiar and newly intoxicating scent.

“see you for breakfast then?” she said, standing by the door, holding out the boxers he lent her the night before.

“always,” he said, taking the boxers from her hand before biting his lip and slapping her ass as she left his room.

“quinn!”

“sorry, just had to,” quinn laughed, then closed the door behind her.

was any of this real? she thought to herself.

y/n quietly shuffled into the kitchen, grabbing her shirt that was, in fact, splayed over the kitchen counter. she hurried back to her room in a quiet run, softly closing the door and finally letting out the breath she was holding in.

she took off quinn’s shirt and replaced it with her own, his scent still lingering on her. y/n’s mind went blank, wondering how everything was going to be from now on. sure, jack didn’t know. he will never know. but now that she had done this with quinn, what does that mean for them?

she knew she couldn’t have them both, that she couldn’t just end things with jack just to move on to his older brother.

y/n snapped out of it, shoving quinn’s shirt deep into her dresser, where hopefully no one would find it.

——————————————————————————

10:23am

y/n thought this was a safe enough time to leave her room, this being the hour she usually emerges to the living room. but this time she had been up for hours before hand, laying down, a million thoughts firing at once.

she walked down to the kitchen, no quinn or jack, or alana in sight, just april and luke.

“morning guys, the others aren’t up yet?”

luke yawned, “morning, quinn isn’t up but alana and jack are.”

y/n tried her best to keep a poker face, but she felt her heart sink at hearing that they were up but no where in sight.

“oh. where’s jack then?”

she didn’t give a shit about where alana was, as long as it wasn’t with jack.

“he took her out on the jetski, they left like 10 minutes ago,” april let out quickly, avoiding eye contact with y/n.

great.

in almost weird, perfect timing, both quinn came out of his room as alana and jack came up from the dock.

a few good mornings were shared, jack walking over to y/n sitting at the kitchen barstool, placing a quick soft kiss on her cheek. quinn smirked while watching, her head dipping down slightly to hide the pink hue dressed on her face.

jack, for once in his life it seemed like, noticed, and he gave quinn a weird look.

“what’s up with you bud?” he smiled, passing his older brother in the kitchen.

quinn poured himself coffee, back to his brother, covering the devilish smile he had on his face.

“nothing, just slept really good last night, ya know? bed felt extra comfortable,” he said casually, sipping his coffee then facing jack with a nonchalant look.

y/n held her breath, thinking she was going to pass out either from lack of air or whatever the fuck game quinn was playing.

she was so focused on the interaction playing out in front of them, she didn’t notice the other three leaving, april tugging her friend into luke’s room, and him by the door listening to their conversation.

thankfully jack thought nothing of quinn’s remark, and he chuckled at his brother, “yeah i get you. all of us should get down to the water, it’s a super nice day out.”

he would know that. he’s already been out with alana today.

but she couldn’t go out today. not with the situation going on with her chest.

“i’ll probably just stay in-”

“-how about a boat day? i’ll come with this time. all of us.” quinn was quick to cut her off, and she couldn’t control the eye roll that came after.

jack nodded in agreement, “i’ll go tell the others,”

god, what did she get herself in to?

——————————————————————————

the weather was perfect, a calm summer day to pair with the pure anxiety she had on this boat ride. a secret under her shirt, and thankfully, quinn had his on too.

everything was fine for the most part, she was sitting next to jack, legs resting on his lap, and his arm gently draped over them.

the only thing that wasn’t fine, was that alana was still wearing his fucking hat. that she was taking pictures in it, and that they just could not stop talking to each other.

y/n looked at quinn’s focused expression steering the boat, and he looked back at her, then glancing at jack and alana. he slowed the boat, until it came to a complete stop.

“we should anchor here, too nice to not swim,”

she held her breath, again.

and to her horror, quinn peeled his shirt off, scratch marks in full visibility across his back.

luke was the first to notice, “dude, did you fuck someone last night?” after luke’s comment, the rest of them all turned their heads to see what he was talking about.

“damn Q, you’re an animal,” jack followed, “when did you leave the house to smash?”

“i didn’t, she came to ours.”

y/n’s heart stopped.

“who?” april asked, everyone curious about quinn’s secret woman of the night.

“yeah quinn, who?” y/n asked, gaze not leaving him, clenching her thumbs in her hands to prevent anyone seeing them from shaking.

“not telling. wanna see where it goes. but she lives really close,” he dived into the water, luke and april following after.

god what was he doing? does he think this is funny?

jack tapped her legs, signaling her to move, and she did. he walked towards the edge of the boat, noticing y/n didn’t soon follow after.

“you’re not going to get in? you love swimming,”

guilt hit her like a truck.

“i really dont feel well, i think swimming will just make me feel sicker,” she lied through her teeth, wrapping her arms around her body to sweeten the lie.

“don’t worry, i’ll swim with you jack!” a piercing voice said, y/n scoffed as alana skipped to where jack was, pushing him in.

she looked back at y/n, the two holding eye contact for just a moment before jack grabbed alana’s arm and pulled her into the water.

whatever.

the guilt was fading away, and as y/n looked out into the water, she didn’t notice april looking at her with a face of concern.

——————————————————————————

the ride back to the house brought familiar feelings back to her.

quinn decided to keep his shirt off, which she knew was 100%, undeniably, intentional. her evidence on him was on display for everyone, and her mind faded in a daydream of clawing into his back, pornographic moans emitting from her lips, all while he fucked her senselessly.

she needed to be alone.

y/n didn’t wait for anyone, instead booking it straight back into the house. she threw herself onto her bed, groaning into the plush pillows as she gripped her hair so tight she thought she might rip it out.

in her tantrum of panic, there was a knock at her door.

she didn’t know who she was hoping it was. jack? quinn? both?

neither.

it was april.

“hey,” she smiled softly at y/n before speaking again, “can we talk?”

“yeah, of course,” y/n held open the door to let april in to her room, the girl sitting on the edge of the bed, tensed up.

she never hated april. she actually found her really nice, thought she was a good fit for luke. they’d always gotten along, even going on double dates with her and jack.

“are you okay? what’s up?” she sat next to her, crossing her legs on the bed.

april inhaled deeply, in contemplation of her words.

“y/n, there’s something you should know.”

her heart stopped.

“what is it?”

“jack… and alana. i know she’s my friend but you deserve to know this. i mean you’ve seen it yourself she’s been throwing herself at jack this whole time. i keep telling her to stop but she just won’t, and i think they might have kissed on the dock.”

she felt like she was going to pass out, her throat burning with heartache. it hurt extra because she had no right to feel this way. she was the one who cheated on him first. or did she even? it was an impossible situation.

“how do you know?”

y/n could tell april was trying not to cry, her own personal guilt coming out, “the other day, when you went to your room after dinner, alana and jack went down to the dock, just the two of them. i could see through the windows he was leaned over her, and she had her hand on his chest. that’s why i don’t know if they did for sure, and alana refuses to tell me.”

any guilt, all guilt she had in her situation was gone. at least she had the reservations to cheat on the low, and not be so embarrassingly blatant about it.

she hated it. she hated him.

y/n contemplated in this moment what she should do. should she tell april what her and quinn did? that they were both just another chain in the link of cheaters?

she was going to fake sadness, but the tears flew out unconsciously.

“thank you for telling me. i appreciate it.”

april nodded, and the two held a long, comforting hug.

“you’re welcome, and i’m sorry. i don’t know what you want to do but she’ll be gone in a few days, if you wanted to confront jack then.”

“yeah, good idea,” april gave her one last smile before getting up,

“i’ll be down by the water if you need anything, you know where to find me.”

y/n gave her a thumbs up, and with a gentle click of the lock, april left.

she waited a couple minutes, enough time for her to be gone, then shuffled over to quinn’s room. his door was shut and there was no noise to be heard, but she prayed he would answer when she knocked.

and he did.

“hey, hey, what happened?” his look softened, instinctively holding her face in hands, wiping her tear ridden face.

“jack cheated. he fucking cheated before we even did anything quinn. that night… the night i went to my room, he kissed her, he kissed alana on the dock. he was almost on top of her and she had her hand on his chest.”

her voice trembled, she held up her hands to hold quinn’s arms to keep her standing, feeling that if she didn’t, she would come crumbling to the floor.

quinn’s soft expression quickly morphed into a look of anger,

“how do you know that?”

“april told me,” y/n sobbed.

“oh, y/n,” he pulled her into his room, engulfing her in a hug, resting his face on the top of her head as he rubbed gentle circles on her back.

“everything’s going to be fine, okay? it’s gonna be just fine. do you trust me?”

she looked up at him with glossy eyes, not a hint of deceit in his face.

“yes, i trust you quinn.”

he kissed the tip of her nose, her tear stained cheeks, then her puffy red lips.

“good. lay down with me for now, i don’t want you upset all alone,”

she nodded, taking quinn’s hand and following to his bed, where he wrapped the blanket and himself around her, soothing the hiccuping sobs while massaging her body, and whispering that she was okay, and he was here.

——————————————————————————

y/n woke up in quinn’s bed.

but he was nowhere to be found.

stretching and rubbing her puffy eyes, she got up from the warm comfort of quinn’s bed. creaking open the door to see if anyone was up. when the coast was clear, y/n slipped out of quinn’s room and down to the main level.

she was greeted with everyone else, luke and quinn in the kitchen cooking dinner, and the others resting around the living room.

quinn looked over at y/n, waving her over to the kitchen.

“quite the napper recently aren’t you?” he joked, leaning his body slightly towards her, “you okay?” he whispered.

“i’m fine,” she said back, quinn holding her waist for just a few seconds then back to the cutting board before anyone could notice.

“go relax, dinner will be ready soon,”

she jokingly saluted him, taking the empty seat next to april on the couch, luke and jack occupying the chairs whilst they played video games.

she gave her a side hug, and y/n rested her head softly on april’s shoulder. her eyes glanced to alana, who was already looking at her, jaw tight and a deep look of annoyance on her face.

cant wait for a great family dinner.

——————————————————————————

y/n actually felt okay enough to talk.

it felt like everything was back to the way it was before, everyone was in the conversation. laughing, joking, enjoying it all together.

“so Q, you gotta tell us, who’s the chick you hooked up with?” jack asked, still rolling in curiously over who his older brother secretly had in his bed.

aaaaand there it was. back to reality.

quinn wiped his mouth and looked at jack coldly, “why do you want to know so bad?”

everyone looked taken aback at quinn’s defensive reaction,

“chill, i was just wondering. we all were trying to think of who it could be but came up blank.”

luke chimed in, “is she hot?”

“very.”

she could hear her heart beat pounding into her ears.

“how did you meet?”

“through someone else.”

“was it good?”

“even better than i imagined in my head.”

y/n’s chest felt like that of a hummingbird, unable to slow the pulse of her heart.

quinn crossed his arms on the table, “actually, i have a question for you jack.”

god, why was he doing this now? couldn’t he wait a few days?

“yeah?”

“what were you doing at the dock with alana the other night?”

here we fucking go.

jack stared blankly at quinn, the whole table fell into silence. his brother stared back, his expression unwavering.

“what are you talking about?”

“you two were there. her hand was on your chest, you were all over her. what’s up with that?”

jack stared at his brother blankly, placing his hand on y/n’s thigh with a soft squeeze.

“baby it’s not true, i promise. he’s lying,”

“i saw it for myself. alana?” quinn shifted the conversation to her, clearly annoyed that jack disregarded his question.

alana said nothing, jacks head whipping around to look at her, pleading blue eyes filled with nothing but guilt. she took her head in her hands, and just barely nodded in confession.

jack begun to panic, moving his hand up to caress y/n’s face, anything to save himself.

“baby i promise it’s not what you think. you’re all mine, i-”

“is she though?” quinn stood, leaning over the table slightly, a dark sound in his voice.

“what the hell are you talking about quinn?”

“you know… last night, she cried to me. cried to me about how shitty you were being, how little love you were giving her, how little attention gave to her. so i did.”

if looks could kill, jack and quinn would have matching wounds.

“what are you getting at?”

“i fucked her. in my bed. yeah, she was so fucking sexy moaning my name, i even made her cum. hard. ever get her like that jack? hm?”

no one else could say a word. luke’s mouth was hung open in shock, april’s covered by two hands, and alana with an unreadable expression.

y/n turned away, unable to look him in the eye,

“is all this true? look at me.”

she refused, instead nodding with a quivering lip, tears coating her closed lashes.

jack scoffed, “unbelievable, you are fucking unbelievable,” he was stood up now too, a hand gripped through his hair.

that’s when her emotions turned into a complete 180, appalled at his words,

“me? i’m unbelievable? you just spent the past couple days flirting with alana, come to find out you kissed her, and you think you get the only right to be mad? you need to fucking leave.”

“leave, you know this is also my house right?”

“jack…” luke’s voice trailed off, disappointment lingering, “you should go.”

“you’re kidding?”

“no. go to your apartment in jersey, go to mom and dads, anywhere, but you can’t be here for the rest of the summer.”

jack rubbed a hand on his mouth before slamming his fists on the table, grabbing alana’s hand, and ascending up to his room, likely to pack all their things.

y/n’s silent tears now turned into loud sobs, paining her each time she took a breath. quinn held her first, april and luke soon to wrap their arms around the pair too.

——————————————————————————

cleaning up after dinner was silent.

no one dared to speak, the loudest noise in the room being the familiar soft hum of the refrigerator.

they had all made their way to the living room after, y/n with her legs pulled up to her chest, leaned on quinn, the well known crumbling feeling just around the corner from her.

about an hour had passed since jack and alana went up, and now footsteps trailed down, them both emerging with packed suit cases.

together? who knows.

who cares.

the silence was still kept when they stepped towards the door, y/n only standing up when jack looked at her.

“hope you realize he just used you. used you because you were vulnerable, and easy. don’t forget that.”

the door slammed shut.

“you two definitely need some time alone,” april said softly, fiddling with the fingers in her lap.

“agreed, we’re gonna go to my room, you all got the floor, Q” luke chimed, putting an arm around april. as he tapped quinn’s shoulder and lovingly messed up y/n’s hair, they went to luke’s room, leaving just quinn and her left.

“and then there were two.” quinn said lightheartedly, his laugh fixing the dark aura that surrounded them previously.

“yeah, just us.”

“i always wanted it to be just us.”

she was in shock, especially considering her and jack dated for almost two years, and she knew the hughes family even longer before.

“quinn,” she began,

“i promise. i’ve wanted to give you everything for so long. i was crushed when jack told me he had feelings for you, but i pushed mine aside because i wanted him to be happy. but i knew i could be better for you,”

she wrap her arms around his neck, eyes going over all his gorgeous features, lip slightly quivering at his resemblance to jack.

“i had no idea quinn, if i knew… things could’ve been so different. but right now, i do want you. but i need time, it’s so fresh,” she almost framed it as a question, nervously awaiting what quinn was going to say.

“that’s okay, i’ll wait forever if i have to. right now, let’s just enjoy the rest of the summer yeah, how’s that sound?”

she smiled, bringing her head down to fully hug him,

“that sounds really good, but what about you and jack?” quinn’s face was unwavering, not a hint of worry or fear present.

“me and jack can figure our shit out later. it’ll all be okay,” he turned his head to kiss her temple reassuringly. y/n knew he was being truthful, every time quinn said something would be okay, it would be.

with his sweet words, she was ready to soak all of him into her. she was really all his.

——————————————————————————

© missqhughes

xoxo, kaia

[hearts4renaa]

DON’T BE A STRANGER.

summary: seeing him for the first time after the breakup. featuring kaeya and xiao. (separately)

contains: angst, post-breakup, one mention of the holiday season, gender neutral reader with the use of “you” as a pronoun

a/n: did you miss me? happy holidays from rena 🫶 listen to scott street by phoebe bridgers while reading

Nothing screamed holiday celebrations more than a couple drinks with friends at Angel’s Share, and that’s exactly what Kaeya did. Unfortunately, you had the same idea, sitting at the bar and sipping on a drink. The breakup was still fresh in your mind, and you just needed someone to talk to. Was your ex’s brother the best therapist? Probably not, but Diluc was the closest thing you had to a friend right now.

��It’s just…bad timing, you know?” You rant off to Diluc, who patiently listens as he polishes the plethora of cups in front of him. “I shouldn’t be this upset, I know, but-“ The bell above the door rings from behind you, and chatter of the new customers fills your ears. One of them chuckles, and you feel your shoulder tense at the familiar voice. It was Kaeya. Diluc shoots you a sympathetic look as Kaeya and his friends stride right by your seat to a table in the corner. You go silent as your eyes direct themselves to your cup, but in your peripheries, you can see the silhouette of the man you once called yours.

Even seeing someone who looks remote similar to him makes your heart ache, so actually seeing him brought upon a different kind of pain. You know it wasn’t anyone’s fault and that sometimes things just aren’t meant to be, but you’re confident that you’ll never love someone the way you loved him. You know you’ll look for him in everyone you meet, and that’s what really hurts. Most of all, you know that the two of you will probably never get back together; but a small part of you can’t help but hope. You shake your head to get out of your thoughts.

You down the rest of your drink, tapping the glass back down onto the bar. “I’m gonna head out.” You mutter to Diluc. He nods in understanding.

Diluc calls to you on the way out. “Y/N.” You turn back to listen to him. “Don’t be a stranger, okay?” Your throat tightens up, and you can’t conjure up a response. You nod, giving him a sad smile. Your eyes automatically drift to Kaeya’s table, and you find that he was already looking at you. He swirls around the drink in his left hand, not paying attention to the conversation of this colleagues.

He nods his head and gives you a small smile, and that’s how you know it’s really over.

—

The storms in Liyue haven’t been very kind to you lately. The thunder claps are booming, and the rain never seems to stop. You find yourself walking into Wangshu Inn, dripping from the rain. Verr Goldet waves cheerfully as you walk in. “Y/N!” She greets. “Here’s a towel. It’s pouring out there.” She tosses a plush white towel your way. You nod gratefully, placing the towel over your shoulders. “Head on upstairs,” She tells you. “Xiao might be up there.” You feel your stomach twist into knots. He didn’t tell her?

The two of you had been broken up for two weeks now, and almost every night, you tear up just thinking about it. He pushed you away, claimed he did it to protect you. That he was too dangerous, too troubled, too much of all the wrong things to be deserving of your affection. Xiao’s head told him it was for the better, but his heart was screaming for him to never let you go. You ultimately accepted his decision, and with a heavy heart, you said goodbye. You simply nod at the inn owner’s words, biting your tongue and heading upstairs. You weren’t really going all the way up to where Xiao normally was - instead, you figured you’d just find a table and sit until the storm passed. You found a little nook against a window and let your shoulders ease as you relished in the shelter from the storm. Your mind wanders as the rhythmic “pitter-patter” of the rain lulls you. I wonder if Xiao’s really here-

“What are you doing here?”

The voice makes you jump. You whip your head around, and you’re met with Xiao’s face. Your eyes widen, and your mind frantically searches for something to say, but you aren’t fast enough. Xiao keeps talking. “Didn’t I tell you that it was dangerous being around me?”

You swallow thickly and stand up from your seat. “It’s pouring out there.” You tell him matter-of-factly. “I’m waiting for the storm to pass.” Xiao’s face is emotionless as his eyes simply scan over your face. You notice the grip on his polearm get tighter. What you don’t know is the way Xiao bit the inside of his cheek. He was foolish for even hoping that you might have come back to him.

His heart takes control of him and he feels himself spewing words he doesn’t mean. “Good.” He spits out. “Mortals have no business being around an adepti. If it were a perfect world, we would have never met in the first place.” His words sting a little more than you’d like to admit. Xiao regrets the words as soon as they leave him mouth, and it felts painful for him to see the pain flash across your face. There is so much he wishes he could say to you. He turns away to leave, and you have to physically stop yourself from grabbing ahold of his cape.

“Xiao-“ His name falls from your lips before you can stop yourself. He doesn’t turn around, but he stops in his tracks. “Don’t be a stranger.” You whisper. He says nothing back. You blink, and he vanishes in an instant.

Only until after he leaves is when it really hits you: You will never say his name again.

[mcbride]

Daryl Dixon Rewatch S1E06 - Coming Home

it's the first ep with an English title and the last of the season. overall, i wanna say i was actually surprised how much i did enjoy watching. the complete focus on Daryl without all the background noise/storylines/characters, the way he still means what he says, but he's actually using his words and lots of sass instead of the typical nodding and grunting. good job!

but i gotta confess that if i hadn't known beforehand that Carol was going to be a part of this show, i probably wouldn't have bothered 🤷‍♀️. the fact Carol's not only back on screen, but she is such a great part of the whole vibe of the show, was actually unexpected. this show is straight up showing us Carol is the driving force in Daryl's relentless journey to get back home.

whoever tries to convince you Daryl is conflicted about where he belongs and where he wants to be is lying to you (pointing at you, Z!!). he literally spends 6 whole episodes reminding everybody he's got a home, people who love him waiting, a promise to keep, and a need to get back asap.

it doesn't mean Daryl does not form connections while on that journey. because he does - the strongest with Laurent, obviously, however, none strong enough to hold him back from his ultimate goal, which is going home to keep his promise to CAROL!

anyways, let's get to the season 1 finale:

the super!walkers fighting scene in the arena is pretty epic: from Daryl's super cool kill with the French flag to that Daryl/Quinn team up! the cherry on top being Daryl throwing that walker head at Genet. Loved IT!

Quinn eventually does help Daryl escape, and later, unfortunately, almost kills Isa, who is once again totally helpless against any kind of threat (killer nun, my ass!). in a scene eerie similar to the one in Daryl's underwater premonition a couple of eps ago, Daryl prompts Laurent to kill walker!Quinn with a "God will forgive you."

Laurent says something that sounds like it will be the whole point of Caryl's French adventure. "Sometimes you have to do horrible things, and no matter how bad you feel, if there is no other choice, God will forgive you." this feels like the key to breaking out of the cycle Carol has been stuck to since she was banished by Rick. (i'll probably post my s2 spec and theories next week!)

next, we see Daryl watching lovebirds Sylvie and Emile saying goodbye, they have to separate (i see what you did there, Z!), and reassures Sylvie that Emile will be alright before she asks him if he's ever been in love. BOY, has he ever!! Daryl's non response is quite telling. he knows what it feels like to say goodbye to the one you love without knowing if you'll ever see them again. and he's not alright, he's all the way in a whole different continent, separated by the Atlantic ffs.

we get some new insight into Daryl's origins when he and Isa share stories about their fathers. Daryl believes that his grandpa never returning home from war ruined their family for future generations and worries the cycle might repeat itself. has Daryl been reading about generational trauma? sharing this with her will bite him in the ass, later!

Isa's confession of her lie about the drawing gets absolutely no reaction from Daryl because it had zero influence on what happened next. Daryl didn't stay cause he believed in a new Messiah, he stayed because the kid was about to get in trouble, when Codron attacked his home; he stayed because it was a way of finding help getting him closer to a radio or boat to actually get him home; he stayed so he could take the kid to a place where he would be safe, and Daryl could finally leave without feeling guilty.

the great Daryl and Isa exchange looks compilation is trying too hard to show us, yes, Daryl has made a connection to these people, and is fairly content at the Nest with Laurent and the most mundane activities like peeling potatoes. they are showing us Daryl could stay here, make this his new home. why not? HE MADE A PROMISE! no matter what he could never be happy here, this is not his HOME.

Losang gives him a way out, but also tries to convince him to stay. "Sometimes, when a person leaves home, he comes to find he belongs someplace else." and it's true, if Daryl didn't know where, with whom he belonged. and it's not with Laurent and Isa.

it's really embarrassing how Isa tries to manipulate and guilt trip Daryl into staying with them using Laurent and Daryl's history. it has been like 2 months tops, and they acting like Daryl himself gave birth to Laurent, and wants to abandon his kid. bitch please, he has kids he actually raised and a wife back home!!

Daryl resents his grandpa for abandoning the family to fight in someone else’s war, and that's exactly what he would be doing if he chose to stay in France. that's what Isa will never understand - he had a whole full life with people who looked up to him, relied on him, loved him, before he even met her and Laurent. he wasn't lost. the connection he found with the people there isn't new to him, he has Judith and RJ, he has Connie and Zeke. but most importantly, he has a HOME (Carol!!!).

there's this beautiful emotional moment of Daryl quietly saying goodbye to a sleeping Laurent, and it's clear this kid means a lot to him. however, not nearly enough to make him stay. he still chooses to LEAVE. so many people trying to convince him he belongs with them, and he is still 10000000% sure he has to go back. there truly is ZERO hesitation.

i lost count how many times Daryl actually tried to leave, but it was always the kid's safety that kept him around again and again. he is so close to getting on that boat, literally fiercely fighting walkers to get to the beach, to get closer to HOME, and the same happens AGAIN. biggest FML moment for Daryl. Laurent, who is surrounded by walkers, is calling his name! FUCK ME!

and finally, we get to the highlight of this finale, Carol's badass entry. the way she's so absolutely calm with a big dude pointing a gun at her, PLEASE. she knows he's fucked around and is about to find out. no one takes Daryl's belongings and gets away with it.

"if you're lying, i won't be back." and she rides off on Daryl's bike. ICONIC. LEGENDARY. EPIC.

21 days left until the premiere of THE BOOK OF CAROL!!!!!

[fluxweeed]

Hii, I just discovered your fics and am reading my way through them. Love, love, love the ones I’ve read so far.😊 I was just wondering what your favourite Draco is you’ve written, and what your fave Draco is in fics written by others? ☺️

ACK thank you!! what a question!! i've considered this v carefully and it turns out i have………a lot of thoughts. i will keep them under a cut so nobody is accosted with a full 700 words of my Draco Opinions 😂 so my quick answer is:

my fave draco i've written: the taste of țuică my fave draco ever: rookie moves by peu_a_peu

draco is an interesting one for me bc i don't really LIKE him? but i have sooo many feelings about him. really not sure i could summon the same fervour for harry, for example, who is my number one boy forever and always.

(i saw a thing once that said a pairing becomes ur otp when u relate to one of the characters and want to fuck the other one, and 🙈 i mean, i think you're supposed to relate to the gryffindor, aren't you. whoops.)

OKAY SO HERE'S THE UNHINGED DRACO MALFOY ESSAY BY FLUX W. EED.

listen. i love and respect people who are Refined Draco enjoyers. connoisseurs of redemption arcs. appreciators of majestic malfoy bone structure and ethereal grey eyes and soft windswept hair. fans of dracos who insult harry (with hidden affection) and who are a bit snobbish (in a rich, sexy way) but ultimately have realised the error of their teenage years and have become a better person. perhaps this draco has built a potions business and helps the aurors. perhaps he IS an auror. either way, he has a biting sense of humour, maybe, but he's a good guy.

unfortunately, the draco of my heart is a horrid mean little rat man.

i've never actually managed to write him the way i love him. i tried to aim for immoral bastardy in what's mine is yours but i got so caught up in trying to nail the feelsforbreakfast-style humour in the narrative that i ended up focusing much more on that and much less on writing genuine bastardhood.

i've written him as reserved and clever (in the four doors – this draco was written entirely for @jovialobservationanchor, who had a weak spot for closed-off academics with soft centres) and as a traumatised self-loathing mess (in two to lie and to some extent for lack of wanting and say no to this) and hopelessly sexually/emotionally horny for one harry james potter (in, um, most things) but i've never managed to capture the genuine cruel streak and flawed personality that is sooo so important to me.

WHICH IS WHY i picked țuică!draco for my favourite of the ones i've written. he's still a bit too emotionally intelligent to be Just Right, imo, but i think he's maybe the closest? he's unrepentantly rude to people. he's not attractive. and he has a streak of self-destructive fucked-upedness that is some form of wartime guilt, but certainly not a pretty one.

HOWEVER. rookie moves?? NAILED it. i adooored how genuinely fuckin MEAN he is, even tho he's an auror. i love love LOVED that he's kind of bad at his job in a way that's in complete opposition to how drarry!draco is often written these days:

The look on Malfoy’s face was not only troubling, Harry realized, but familiar. At once activated and dead behind the eyes, like an invasive species in an ecosystem that could not check it. It was the look of the meanest fucking teenager Harry had ever known, giving in to his urge to bully.

-

What Malfoy wasn’t good with was people. Despite his repeated insistences that his upbringing had equipped him with impeccable manners and a facility with society intrigue, the truth was that he rubbed almost everyone the wrong way. He was, undeniably, annoying. Witnesses were put off by his snide, dismissive tone, and he didn’t know how to coax out information with curiosity, warmth, or strategic silence.

that's not to say unrepentant cunt draco is the only one for me!! i DO enjoy the classic redeemed drarry draco!! i love a quirky draco, à la wwpwcs or maya's drop dead gorgeous. gallaplacidia's draco is sooo painful for me to read (complimentary) that even though i adore her fics, i still haven't read them all bc i have to space them out, for my health. and i'm sure there are dozens more dracos that i'm forgetting how much i like – basically, as long as he isn't super suave, absolutely gorgeous and/or obviously tom felton, i'm on board.

[teaberrii]

Relief

You get much more than you bargained for when you visit the newest doctor in town.

Baizhu/You

Warnings: Smut

Notes: Cross-posted on Ao3

This idea came to me so suddenly and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. So... HERE IT IS.

You are never a fan of visiting the doctor.

But after telling your friend about how bad your insomnia is getting, she “strongly recommends” you see the newest and, apparently, hottest doctor in town. You’ve heard about him. Tall. Mysterious. Handsome. Skilled. You raise an eyebrow at how she described him. He sounds like a male lead who walked out of a romance or erotic novel... and you cannot deny your curiosity. So, even though you always dread visiting the doctor’s office because of past experiences, you ultimately decide to try and see if this doctor is really as good and hot as everyone says.

As soon as you walk inside the clinic for your appointment, something about it already makes you feel at ease. Perhaps it’s the cool, calm colours of the wall. Or the soft hum of the music. Whatever it is, you’re not regretting it… so far.

“Hello.” A woman around your height walks up to you. “Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes.” Then, you give her your name.

She smiles. “Right this way.”

You follow the woman to a room at the back. She opens the door, and you see a man sitting at a desk. When he spins around, you meet a pair of snake-like eyes. He has a relaxed demeanour, something not too different from what you're expecting. Yet, despite his kind smile that unexpectedly makes your heart race, something about him feels off, and you don’t know why.

“Hello,” he says. Great. Even his voice is dripping like honey. He gestures for you to sit on the patient's bed. “Take a seat.”

As you do, the woman closes the door, and your hands start fiddling with each other. “Are you nervous?” he asks, eyes on your hands.

“Oh, um”—you stop fidgeting—“it’s a habit,” you say quietly.

“Don’t be nervous,” he chuckles. Then, he looks you in the eyes. “I won’t bite.”

His eyes are so entrancing that you forget to speak.

“So, what seems to be the problem today?”

His voice snaps you back, and you say, “I’m having trouble sleeping at night.”

“Is it stress, perhaps?”

“Well…” Your eyes land on a corner of the room.

“There are many reasons for insomnia, my dear.”

That’s a nickname you never imagined he would say.

“Stress… a poor environment… depression… have you talked to anyone else before me?”

You slowly look back and see him staring at you with that gentle smile. “No,” you say quietly. “But I’ve been looking things up online and trying different remedies, but nothing seems to work.”

“I see… What have you tried?”

So, you tell him about making tea, switching sleeping environments, changing your sleep schedule, and drinking less. But nothing has worked.

“Would you mind telling me when and how long your insomnia has been happening?”

You aren't surprised he asked this, but you wish he didn't. Well, at least you came prepared to answer the question.

"Um, well… I've been stressed lately. Both in my personal and professional life. And, I think it started when"—your face turns slightly red—"when I can't find pleasure in sex anymore." You're relieved when his expression doesn't change. Rather, he looks even more focused than before. "That has always relieved my stress and helped me sleep. But now it's just… frustrating."

“Did you have a partner?”

“My ex-boyfriend,” you say quietly.

“...I’d like to try something if you don’t mind.” You look at him curiously. “It’s a type of sensual massage.”

Did he just say… sensual massage? This is not what you signed up for. Rather, you’re expecting a doctor’s note for some medicine you probably never heard of.

“You… aren’t going to give me some weird medicine?”

He chuckles softly. “I could if that’s what you want. But my medicine tends to be quite bitter. Bitter than most. And”—he steps toward you and slightly leans forward—“I’d rather try something sweet on you.”

His low voice sends a delicious shiver down your spine. Good Lord. It’s only been fifteen minutes, and you’ve told this man more than you told your friend in weeks. You swallow thickly, your curiosity once again getting the best of you.

Then, before you can stop yourself, you say, “...Okay.”

"Of course, you're free to stop me whenever you feel uncomfortable," he reassures.

He grabs another pillow and gestures for you to lie on the bed. Once your head hits the pillow, you have one underneath your back. He puts one hand beside your head, and with that gentle, charming smile, he says, “Bend your knees, my dear.” You do so. Then, in a low whisper, “Now… open your legs for me.”

You can hear your heart hammering in your chest. Is it fear? Excitement? You can’t tell anymore. Your emotions are spinning round and round as he dims the lights. You hear his quiet footsteps approach you and feel the gentle touch of his hand brush your hair out of your face.

He moves behind you, and you close your eyes and hear him softly say, “Breathe in…” You do. “And out…” You do. "Now... close your eyes"—he once again watches you do as you're told—"and just feel."

His hands start warming up your shoulders and up to your neck. Your body is already relaxing despite the absurdity of the situation. It doesn't take long for him to move down, and you hear his footsteps beside you. You open your eyes and see he's looking at you, but his eyes are surprisingly… dark compared to the gold rim of his glasses. When his hand finds a clothed breast, you arch into his touch, getting lost in the way his fingers dance, knead, and pressure your bosom. The soft, breathy moan you let escape from those soft lips is everything he needs to hear.

You feel his other hand slide underneath your shirt. Slowly, he moves his hand up, the cool touch of his fingers sending a tingling shockwave throughout your hot body. He brings your shirt along until your bra is fully exposed in front of him. Your face grows warm, but the dark look in his eyes doesn’t change.

Instead, he leans over and asks, "May I, my dear?" As soon as you nod, he unclasps your bra from the front and puts it aside. Then, in a low voice, “You look absolutely beautiful.”

Your blush worsens when he cups your breasts in his hands and slowly moves his thumbs in opposite directions… until one of his hands gently squeezes a nipple while the other continues its gentle caress.

“Ah…” you sigh.

As he uses the pad of his thumb to circle a hardened nipple, he leans forward.

“How do you usually like it, my dear?” he asks lowly. “Soft? Or…” One hand suddenly gets needy… rough… as he squeezes…

“O-oh!”

…and fondles…

“Nngh…A-ah…!”

…like no one has before.

You feel something wet and see his tongue has replaced one of his hands. He looks up at you, his gaze almost daring you to tell him to stop. But that lustful look in your eyes is everything he needs to know. Your body arches as his tongue work wonders on your bosom.

Then, your eyes widen when you feel his hand massaging your inner thigh. A squeeze... and another... until he uses the heel of his hand to gently apply light, smooth strokes toward your pelvis. He stands upright and smiles at you as if admiring your flushed face.

As soon as you feel the pad of his thumb encircling your clothed sex, you gasp. He leans closer and closer until his face is inches from yours.

“I want you to do me a favour, my dear,” he says quietly. You allow him to take one of your hands and put it over a breast. “Touch yourself as I kiss you.”

It's then your lips are no longer yours. One kiss after another leaves you craving more… and more. You're glad you're lying down as you're sure your knees would give from the greedy, hungry kisses that show you're a woman to be desired, something your ex-boyfriend has never shown you before. As you fondle yourself while feeling the warm caress of his tongue, your other hand weaves its way into his hair, holding him in place. He gradually applies pressure on your sex, and you instinctively roll your hips into his touch.

More. You need more.

He stops kissing you as if reading your mind, and his lips curve into a slight smirk. You watch him move to stand in front of your open legs. He pulls off your bottoms, including your underwear. You hold your breath as he slowly massages your stomach and moves down until he's about to reach your sex.

You watch him oil his hands. Then, he starts with the outer lips, squeezing them gently with his thumb and index finger. You sigh in satisfaction when he moves to the inner lips and rubs them with his fingers.

As soon as he looks at you, you know he's taking it a step further.

“How do you want to be touched, my dear?” he asks. “Directly…?”

"Mmpth…" you sigh as he gently holds your clit. Then, he gives it a gentle tug, and you gasp.

“Or… indirectly?”

When you feel the tip of his finger circling your clit, your breathing turns heavy.

Clockwise.

“Ah…”

Counterclockwise.

You exhale deeply.

He goes harder.

“O-oh… yes…”

Slower.

“M-more,” you whimper.

He chuckles. “My… my dear. You’re so wet.” His dark gaze flashes toward you. “That’s a good sign.”

Slowly, he slides his middle finger inside and lightly pressures your walls at different points. As it gradually increases, you bite your bottom lip.

He smiles. “You’re too quiet. Should we fix that?”

He gently slides in his index finger and moves them in a come-hither motion at the top of your walls. Then, he applies more and more pressure until he moves his hand and arm up and down.

You've never been stimulated like this before. This feeling is as if your entire body is on fire. Then, feeling his lips on your inner thigh, you gasp and arch your body off the bed once more.

"Relax," he says softly, using his other hand to guide your body back down. "Just listen to my voice…." He flashes you a heated look as he continues working his fingers on your G-spot. "Do you know how hot you look right now, my dear? Face red… mouth open… eyes in a trance…" He slowly kisses further up your thigh. "It makes me want you… so. Fucking. Bad."

He suddenly applies so much pressure that you come on the spot. A long, loud moan leaves your lips as your sex releases the pent-up pleasure that almost feels foreign. Your body is still coming down from the high when he leans over and puts his hand over your heart.

“How do you feel now, my dear?”

You can’t find the words. You can only look at him as realization dawns upon you what had just happened. “I…”

He puts his finger on your lips. "Would you like me to show you how you made me feel?"

You allow his mouth to take you. Slow. Sensual. All those emotions you felt a moment ago come flooding back from this one kiss that feels so right that it proves every other kiss you had is wrong.

Then, he breaks away too fast, too soon. His gentle smile returns. “I hope you sleep better now, love.”

As he fully leans upright, you’re still lost in your emotions on how one visit to the doctor’s office has made you feel so wrong, so right all at once.

Tag list: @lxry-chxn @lordbugs @suoshiii @seirenspinel

[pianokantzart]

💪🏽 Platonic :)

💪🏽 Bridal carry Even though Princess Peach walked ahead of Luigi she kept close tabs on him, taking care that he didn't get left behind in his distracted state or side-tracked by anything dangerous. All the while, she took silent notes, trying to determine what his physical capabilities were without the help of the super star. She discovered that he was a lot like Mario. His jump height was more impressive, and he had a poorer sense of balance, but otherwise they were very similar.

No doubt the two would be an even match in terms of fighting prowess– not that they would ever fight each other willingly. But while Mario was bold... even audacious at times... Luigi was skittish and gentle as a little green bird.

She could see why Mario had been so worried about him when they were separated, and she knew it was no small show of trust to let him venture out into the wilds alone with her for so long. Even though this was just a day trip to collect some fire flowers, this was a responsibility she would not take lightly.

The journey was quiet, but ultimately pleasant. Whenever they did speak, they mostly talked about Mario, Luigi asking about his adventures when they first arrived, and Peach asking about their life back in Brooklyn.

Halfway home, Princess Peach noticed something was wrong. Luigi was slowing down, biting back little squeaks of pain and leaning against whatever rock or tree was nearby. She slowed her pace to give him time to recover, but it eventually reached a point that she couldn't help but ask what was wrong.

"It's nothing," Luigi sighed, setting himself down on a large mushroom and rubbing at the legs of his overalls, "just my knees acting up.

Hands crossed daintily in front of her skirt, Princess Peach turned back, expression soft with concern. "Your knees?" Luigi nodded. He seemed embarrassed, and did his best to shrug it off with a reassuring smile and a wave of his hand. "An old work injury. Flares up from time to time. I just need to take an ibuprofen and ice it up when I get home."

The Princess responded with silence. Just as Luigi was beginning to worry that she was regretting her choice of company, he felt himself lifted into the air.

He blinked as he found him held in a bridal carry. As thin and dainty as Peach's arms appeared, she was surprisingly strong, carrying him down the hill back toward the Mushroom Kingdom as though he was nothing but a limp dishrag.

"P-Princess?" Luigi said, red with embarrassment. "Don't worry, this isn't necessary!"

"It will take longer for you to recover if you overexert yourself" the princess insisted gently, "don't worry, it's no trouble at all."

Luigi recognized that tone. The voice was gentler and the verbiage was more regal, but that tone was unmistakable. Without thinking, he muttered under his breath, "Man, no wonder Mario likes you so much."

"What did you say?" Princess Peach asked, head cocked in innocent curiosity. Luigi stammered.

"I said... uh... I said 'thank you very much'! You're... you're really nice."

Peach giggled. Luigi couldn't tell if the amusement was from the compliment itself, or how bad he was at lying, but either way she showed no sign of pressing the matter.

"Thank you, Luigi." She wore a gentle smile as she held him a little closer, and continued down the path toward home. "I think you're really nice too."

[walmartbrandwhatever]

Cherrycola hunger games au

okay so I got sick and haven't been able to sit down and write all of this down BUT here's the basic ideas I have jumping in my head🙏. I am still very much working everything out and nothing is 100% soild yet

So basically, Soda would be in the role of Peeta, but would do katniss' volunteer thing. On reaping day, Ponyboy's name would be called, and Soda, not wanting his brother to go into the games, immediately calls out that he would take Ponyboy's place in the games. Ponyboy starts screaming, telling Soda not to go, pleading to pick anyone but him. It was bad enough that Darry had to rush over, grabbing Pony so he didn't run up and get himself in trouble. there parents still dead.

With Cherry as katniss but no one called out for her. no one cried and called out her name. Her father was drunk and not fully there, while her mother silently cried. She had tried to see Bob's reaction, but he was too covered within the crowd. (I'm still deciding where I even want bob in this, same with all the other socs and greasers 😔)

Soda and Cherry somewhat know each other. with the flashback scene for them, Cherry, who had just gotten into a fight with her parents and had just that day broken it off with Bob because he was trying to make it to the capital(idk I'm still working it out but it would be interesting if he wanted to become a peacemaker. is that even possible? Who knows, he has connections ig) she was sitting underneath a old tree in the pouring rain, starving because she hadn't eaten in days since there was "not enough to go around" but she wasn't sure how true that had been. Soda on his way home from working(idk where yet) spots her sitting underneath a tree and her eyes closed. him thinking she was dying/dead rushes over because the least he could do for the pretty girl he had always seen in class was check if she was okay.

He gave her the thin jacket off his back and what would have been his portion of food for that night. Through the rain he walked her back to her own house, and they didn't talk much after that both too caught up in their own world until they were staring at each other on reaping day. Cherry was glad he didn't bring it up that the good girl in school who's life looked perfect even through the hardships of what they lived in.

the train scene relatively stays the same, Cherry biting back at their mentor still happens which shocks Soda because he has never once seen Cherry angry but here she was nearly stabbing their mentor because they were refusing to help.

okay hear me out. I think it would be interesting to have Marcia be Cherry's cinna or at least on the team and that's how they get close. For Soda I'm not quite sure who to put as his so if anyone has any ideas please lmk.

during interviews Soda drops the same bomb Peeta does but Cherry reacts a bit different than katniss. Cherry isn't a violent person, she hates violence so I feel like she would more likely distance herself, maybe get a bit annoyed but ultimately is completely thrown off because they barely knew each so why the he'll would a boy like soda like her of all people?

other than that everything's pretty much the same up until the games honestly(this might change but as of rn I'm sticking with this). With the Games soda knows they want to get to cherry, within the practice period she made a lot of them look dumb, tricking them into failing things they're good at etc. also quick off thing I think soda would know how to somewhat hunt and would be okay at shooting definitely not katniss level but more than everyone else there. Cherry is surprisingly good at throwing knifes, and that's her main weapon.

anyways Soda like peeta joins the career tributes in hopes of protecting Cherry. She wasn't told about this, she went into the games thinking they were going to be partners in this but running towards him she sees him gather with the careers and she freezes for a moment. she quickly starts moving because someone throws some sort of weapon at her and she starts running because she will not die.

The scene where katniss is in the tree definitely still happens. Cherry in the tree after being chased out of her previous spot and up a tree. she's practically falling asleep but is fighting against it SO hard. Soda is watching her with such a soft and sad look of his face because he doesn't want to hurt her. he never wanted her to look at him with such betrayal in her eyes. the bee bit still happens and I'm in between either having Johnny be rue or foxface because both would be so interesting. I'm unfortunately leaning towards rue.

WAIT imagine Cherry waking up so disoriented from the tracker jackers and just sees some blurted face over her. She starts freaking an accidentally like kicks Johnny and he's just desperately trying to get her to calm down. when she does calm down he explains what exactly happened. He keeps his distant and he has a real nasty cut lining his cheek. with what little supplies she has she helps patch him up just like he had and they start trusting each other more and more.

Johnny's death isn't because he got caught in a fight he couldn't win. He died taking a hit that was fully meant for Cherry. He did it willingly, knowing that even if he survived, he wouldn't make it. Cherry had a chance, and he knew he didn't, and he was fine with that. Cherry is sobbing desperately trying to keep the blood flowing out of his open wound, but they know it's both a lost cause. He tells Cherry to win for him, tells her to live knowing she is a good person, and he thanks her before he falls silent.

the games I haven't fully worked out but I want to to be slightly different than the books (at least slightly I'm still keeping like the whole cave thing and stuff like that) so when I figure it out I definitely will add to this post. the games definitely end the same as katniss and peetas games.

this post is really long so I'll repost add on my catching fire and mockingjay stuff later.

[666writingcafe]

The Dining Car

"So, according to the pamphlet, we'll be on the train all night before arriving at the station closest to Lake Io Lanthe in the morning. Once we get off the train, we'll be walking the rest of the way."

Once I'm done talking, Mammon rolls his eyes at me. I understand not wanting to share a room with Luke, but that doesn't completely explain the bad attitude he's had all day, nor does it excuse it.

"You need to take this seriously," Luke chides Mammon. "What if we get lost?" Another eye roll.

"At least I'm not bouncin' up and down like a kid in a candy store."

"That's not how you behaved in the kitchen," MC retorts, glancing up from their copy from the pamphlet to glare at him. Mammon merely returns to picking at his food, which suggests to me that he's too scared to talk back to them. It's interesting, the idea of him fearing them. I don't think he feels that way about anyone else, not even Lucifer--and I've heard some rather loud yelps from him when he's caught red-handed by his brother.

But he has been known to argue with Lucifer, and he's not even attempting to do anything like that with MC.

"Apparently, each of the cars on this train is named after an angel," MC reads out loud.

"Lemme see!" Luke exclaims. Once MC hands him the pamphlet and points to where the information is located, his face lights up.

"That's so cool! It shows just how much they love angels here in the human world." A brief pause, followed by a gasp. "And the first car is named after Michael himself!"

I take a sip from my beverage in order to stop myself from sighing. I really wish Luke didn't hold Michael on this high pedestal. It's only going to hurt him in the long run when he discovers that the seraph is far from perfect.

Don't get me wrong; Michael is ultimately a good person. He just has a lot of issues, his obsession with Lucifer being one of them. I'm honestly surprised he hasn't gotten in trouble for his shrine. The mere possibility of the de-facto man in charge worshiping the Avatar of Pride rather than devoting himself to God--I mean, Father--would bring about an amount of chaos that hasn't been seen since the Great War.

It would certainly make my situation seem far tamer in comparison.

"I mean, when it comes down to it, are angels really that great? I don't see what's so special about 'em."

"How dare you!" Great. Luke and Mammon are arguing.

"Take a deep breath, Luke," MC instructs.

"You're right," he replies once he's calmed down. "I can't let Mammon's stupid attempts at provoking me succeed."

"You know I'm sitting right here, don't ya?"

"Oh, look; dessert's here." The words sound incredibly hollow coming out of my mouth. I just want to eat in peace. The food's not great enough to warrant enjoying it per say, but it's at least edible.

Luke immediately digs into his dessert, offering some to MC in the process.

"Yo, Luke, gimme a bite of that dessert of yours!"

"Eww, no! Why should I give you any of my dessert?!"

"There ya go, actin' like a brat again. Like, take it easy. It's just dessert."

"Look who's talking! You're the one who's insisting on having part of someone else's dessert. That's way more childish!"

I'm getting a headache. This isn't good. It always starts with a headache. Maybe if I can sneak away and decompress--

I feel something grab my hand and squeeze it. Glancing underneath the table reveals it to be MC's hand, although you'd never tell by the look on their face that that's what they did.

I appreciate them trying to comfort me. I really do. This isn't the sort of thing I want them brought into, though. As it is, I've already revealed too much to them about it.

"We'll flip a coin. If I win, I get your dessert."

"No thanks. I don't even want your dessert."

"What, afraid you're gonna lose, are ya? Luke the loser is scared, is that it?"

Tight muscles. That's phase two. Phase three is the internal screaming.

Except everything feels more intense this time. Yes, I'm upset at Mammon for bullying Luke for no apparent reason, but it shouldn't be enough for me to feel like chewing his head off. Besides, I'm usually able to calm down before it gets this far, and yet none of my techniques are working.

"That's impossible! You cheated, didn't you?!"

Another squeeze.

The hand.

"MC, let go," I hiss.

"I can't." I try to myself, but I fail as well. "I'm sorry, Simeon."

I feel bad. I really do. Everyone in this dining car is about to see a nasty side to me. The only thing I can do is hope that no one gets hurt.

"You're Michael's little puppy. You sit in his lap and sniff him and snuggle up against him all day long, doncha?"

There it is. The final straw that broke the camel's back.

"That's enough!" I snarl. Instantly, all eyes are on our table. I'm sure a few other cars heard me as well. I can get rather loud when I'm in this state.

Dinner's officially over.

[livegastrodonreaction]

looks at you.. what are your headcanons for that fucking penguin (affectionate)

also mai :3

my Mai hcs can be found here :3

THE DASTARDLY BLUE THANG!!!!!

-some flavor of nb

-pretty varied expression and sometimes will wear a binder. recently has been playing around with more alt fashion and *Minori passing out sfx*

-hugeeee shell collector and will spend streams talking about shell identification

-it's not just a penguin spintrest now!!! it's marine life in general :3 she especially loves the deep sea and somewhere along the way her brain connected it to her ideals. something something even in the most inhospitable conditions hope persists without reason and drives the pursuit of survival

-speaking of penguins, she heavily associates Minori with Gentoo penguins. their LINE messages are filled with links to videos of Gentoo penguins being silly.

-haruka will penguin pebble so much, and not just in a romantic context. She will regularly bring in little gifts for her friends and for people she is trying to approach and silently drop them on their desks with a little note. It helps her get a better grade in social interaction too (which is a perfectly normal and healthy thing to want to achieve)

-VERY stimmy. Hums, drums her fingers, plays with her hair, bites on the sleeves of her clothes and her pens. Not nearly as bitey as Minori, though (that girl is like if a puppy made a wish to be human). An has a running bet with Airi about who, between Minori and Haruka, would have the most chewed-up pens in their possession by the end of every month.

-has trouble falling asleep. They are not sure if it's bad enough to be considered clinical insomnia, but it's sure there. she has bouts of trying to push through it, failing to sleep and then doing work instead of sleeping, and then her lack of sleep ultimately biting her in the ass.

-can go nonverbal if they are stressed and overstimulated enough, and it often combines with anxiety attacks. touch is a very good way to ground them though (in general Haruka is surprisingly clingy when she gets comfortable with someone).

[rawrsatthetree]

Idk how people can make dedicated content for their tav. I have a new Tav every month that I focus on and make a whole story for and ultimately drop for the next Tav to infect my mind.

Anyways my current Tav of the month is a human oath of devotion Paladin with an urchin background who’s an AU version of my dark urge where they aren’t a Bhaalspawn and got to grow up with their foster family instead.

Ala'onna (An Elven name that means keeper of harmony). 26 years old.

They were adopted by their dads, a 300 year old retired paladin dwarf and a 650 year old retired ranger elf, who run a bakery on the outskirts of Riften. They always dreamed of growing up to be an adventurer like their dads, inspired by their many bedtime tales. They spent their childhood running around the lower city and exploring the sewers getting into trouble while their Vul (dwarf dad) would sell baked goods from his cart. They got mixed up with some ruff kids and learned how to swindle and steal. One day a strange pale girl with even paler eyes joined their little group of would be thieves. Everything was fun and games until this strange girl killed one of their friends, pushing him from one of the high city walls and watching with glee as he splattered on the cobblestone below. They watched in anger as flaming fists just shrugged it off and refused to even acknowledge those most in need of protection. They vowed to work hard to become a real hero that would protect everyone who was in need, even those others deem unworthy of protection.

They were on their way back to the city after an adventure to check on their Vul and Ada when they got snatched up by the mindflayers.

When the party got to Baldur’s Gate they were super excited to introduce all the companions to their fathers however they had both decided come out of retirement and went off to fight the Absolute’s army.

They don’t recognize that the pale girl from their childhood was Orin but they do admit she seems hauntingly familiar. They were a bit too young to run around in the same circle as Karlach and a little too low-class to play with Wyll. They had bumped into Astarion before, on a night they were out far later than they were supposed to be, they were dared to pick pocket him since he looked wealthy and stupid. He frightened them off flashing his fangs and glowing red eyes threatening to drain them dry if they didn’t piss off. They refused to sleep alone for the next month waking up from nightmares of a vampire trying to bite them in their sleep. Astarion doesn't remember, but they do. They don't just recognize he's a vampire that night when he tried to bite them, but specifically the vampire that haunted their nightmares as a child.

They think they tread the line of an oath breaker but, for all their grey morality, they always stand up to evil. Even if their definition of evil is a little more fluid and grey. They try not to judge creatures based on what they are or people based on their background. "Stealing is ok, the real evil is the rich that let you starve"; "maybe goblins wouldn't be like that if people treated them with kindness and respect" that sort of thing. This does make them very naive, they're open mind getting in the way when they really shouldn't trust or give people a chance. They fight with themselves to see the good in the world, for them it's a choice they make, in spite of everything. They tend to shoulder too much, when bad things happen it's their fault. They should have been stronger, they should have been quicker, they should have known better.

They actually have a really low constitution for a paladin, it's only 11. Yes they still always use compel duel, yes they go down every other fight, yes Astarion is loosing his mind over his knight in shining armor with a death wish. They also have laughably low wisdom (8) and intelligence (9).

Growing up everyone thought they were actually half dwarf because they're 5'3" and kind of stocky. They're not really self conscious or anything, they know they're muscular (18 strength) and their chubbiness is just proof of being raised in a loving home with good food and lots of bread (their Vul taught them this).

They're Ada was a little more distant from them than their Vul that dotted on them constantly. Not that he didn't love them as much, but being 660 years old will make you a little distant or so their Vul told them. They wouldn't say they have daddy issues since their Vul is also their dad, more specifically they Elf daddy issues. They are embarrassingly desperate for attention and validation from specifically Elven men. Astarion is blissfully unaware of this, of course they want his approval that's what he's manipulating them for. Halsin however knows.

They're not fluent but they can speak and understand a bit of Elvish and Dwarfish as well as some thieves chant.

Their second highest stat is charisma and they love to sing. They swear they should have been a Bard but the schooling is much more expensive than some starter armor, a sword, and an oath.

[wellthebardsdead]

Clockwork heart pt6

Part 5 here

———

Wyrm: *dragging his feet up the stairs and into the arcanum, the lessons of Vivec now safely back in his possession and Ancanos questions answered for today* I’m back…

Urag: *looks up from his desk* I?! Where have you been?! Have you been collecting that book this whole time?

Wyrm: *worried he might get in trouble and have to give the gauntlets back if he tells the truth* I-u-um I sat in the dorms and read it while Ogmund and J’zargo practiced their homework.

Urag: *sighs with mild annoyance, believing him knowing his relationship with the students around his mental and emotional age group* You know I don’t like you hanging around that Khajiit. He’s one step away from burning this whole place to the ground. And that Onmund never returns his books on time!

Wyrm: *relieved his fib was convincing enough* b-but they’re my friends papa… *sheepishly walks over and signs the return and borrow paperwork*

Urag: I know son, it’s rare you get any friends you fit with coming through these doors just… I don’t want them getting you into trouble. Or hurt. You know you’re dangerous when even Faralda is too afraid to teach you.

Wyrm: *giggles* her eyebrows only just grew back in didnt they. Well at least J’Zargo isn’t as bad as those mages down in the midden who nearly levelled the tunnels entirely with that ritual they were attempting.

Urag: and you’ll be smart not to speak of that to anybody while that ancano is around.

Wyrm: Yes papa. And to never go into the midden. Or to go into the village after dark. Or to run across the bridge in case I slip and fall. Or to-

Urag: *taps him on the head with a roll of paper gently making the dunmer giggle and scurry by* Cheeky.

Wyrm: *giggling as he walks to his door* I’ll keep it secret papa, I promise.

Urag: *shakes his head chuckling* I’ll bring dinner in shortly pup. Go have a bath before you throw yourself into your projects again alright?

Wyrm: *groans rolling his eye dramatically just wanting to finally read his book* yeeees papa. *walks into his room, closing the door with a smile hearing Urag laugh at his playful mood… so happy to hear his father laugh… and feeling terrible for lying* … *sighs and sets the book down before stripping off his robe and removing his arm, sitting it by the book as he kicks off the rest of his clothes making his way to the small washroom ensuite*

“Why did he ask me so many strange questions? Can’t everybody make a spectral version of themselves? Why did he care about my childhood so much?… does he really think I’m that pretty?… have I been too mean to him?…”

Wyrm: *sighs thinking to himself as he sinks into the tub of hot water, remembering the conversation and how it seemed to go on for forever, and how distracted he was by the thalmor agents hands all over him* …is… is this what love feels like?…………… I don’t… think I like it…

*a few hours later*

Wyrm: *finally ate a full meal after missing breakfast and only getting a few bites out of his lunch, now sitting on his bed reading and scribing notes from his childhood book with amazement as it finally reveals its secrets to him* “If you find yourself reading this story, know that I am sorry. For I have failed in my ultimate task and I now burden it to you. I know not what name you will take, what face you will bare, or what race you will be born of, but you will be born of my hands as a fragment of me. You may walk your own path in life if you so choose, but I ask now for you to read this if you can, my plea to you. To me… Don’t let our mistakes be in vain… Follow the doom drum… put him back together… complete my work… come find me. You. Us… Sotha Sil” *Sits back in surprise and reads it again* Sotha Sil… wrote this?…

“I wrote this.”

Wyrm: *blinks and shakes his head* malacaths mercy I’m tired, what time is it? *yawns looking at the clock he’d built on his bedside table to see 2am staring back at him as the hands tick slowly* …Aw biscuits I did it again… *sighs and looks back at his book, Pearl eyeball nearly popping out of his head in shock to see the page now completely blank, and the notes he’d written in his note pad utterly illegible* what?! No no no no!! That’s not fair!! *flips through his notes frantically to see the same scribbles all through his book except the now blank page* What about the poisoned robes being a lie?! The foul murder! Something about a waterfall and stars?! *flips through all his notes before dropping the pad and frantically putting on the gauntlets again* no no come on come back! Come back please! *grabs the book and notes getting no reaction* take me back to the vision! Anything plea- *face going pale seeing the notes he’d written literally disappear turning the notepad into a blank page, as if the knowledge could never be shared ever again* … n-no *tears up and chokes out a pained sob dropping back into the large pillows of his bed as he just breaks into a full meltdown* wh-what did I do wrong? I- is it because I lied to papa?…

*a few hours later*

???: s-…seht… why?…

Wyrm: *blinks open his eyes and screams seeing a handsome mers face inches from his own, beautiful golden skin now red and bleeding as another golden skinned mer guides his hand with a blade, slicing off their face* I- I’m sorry! I’m sorry! *blinks realising it’s a dream and he’s seeing through the eyes of somebody else*

???: Ayem! His feet! Cut off his feet!

Wyrm: *looks to his side to see the two masked figures from his vision, now realising them to be Vivec and Almalexia, and himself seeing through the eyes of sotha sil* No don’t! Please we can stop this! It’s not too la- *looks down at the handsome mer beneath him as he screams in agony as his feet are severed*

???: *screaming and writhing in pain looking up at him with pleading eyes* s-seht- m-my friend- p-please

Wyrm: *wanting to look away but unable to, forced to watch the scene before him as the knife slices through the flesh of his face, and Vivec’s hands grasp sotha sils, forcing him to peel the mers face from his flesh* please forgive me nerevar!!

Nerevar: *screaming in agony as he stares up at him in horror* PLEASE NO-

Wyrm: *suddenly shoots up in his bed, tears pouring down his cheek from his one eye as he fumbles across the covers. Just sobbing as he pulls the gauntlets from his hands, throwing his books to the side as he falls from his bed and onto the floor before running out of his room and to Urags* p-papa! Papa! *sobs opening the door and running inside climbing into his bed*

Urag: *jolts awake to find his son crawling into bed with him like he used to when he was very little* pup?

Wyrm: *incoherent through his sobs as he clings to him* I don’t want to know what’s in my book anymore! I don’t want to! I watched sotha sil skin nerevar alive! I watched vivec stab him! I saw Almalexia cut off his feet! It felt so real! It felt real!

Urag: shhhh… *gently hugs him close tucking him under the blanket* it was just a nightmare pup… it wasn’t real… *furrows his brow deciding it’s best to not press him for details while he’s like this but knowing this isn’t normal even for him* it can’t hurt you son… *gently strokes his face before removing his sons Pearl eye and his mechanical arm, placing both on his nightstand so Wyrm can sleep comfortably beside him, safe and sound*

Wyrm: *let’s his father remove them before resuming nuzzling into him for safety as if he were still a child* he kept begging me to stop, he kept calling me Seht, he spoke to me like I was sotha sil, like I was him, I didn’t want to do it, I didn’t!

Urag: *heart breaking seeing his son so distressed, wondering what could have possibly triggered this* shhh Wyrm, it’s okay son, it’s alright… *pats his hair and hugs him close, not knowing how to help the situation beyond just being present* nothing can hurt you while I’m here…

*Meanwhile*

Ancano: *quietly enters the Arcanum, unable to sleep and deciding to make it Wyrms problem… only to see his bedroom door wide open* hm?… *walks to it and peers in to see his bed a mess, and covered in notes and several books, with no little Pearl in sight* ……… *walks in and inspects the room quietly before looking at the blank notepad, then at the books* why was he so desperate to read this drivel? *picks up the 36 lessons of vivec before tossing it to the side and picking up Wyrms book* hm?… *opens it only to see what everyone else did, utterly intangible notes and writings in a language nobody can understand. And several blank pages at the front of the book* … *slides it into his robe and walks out quietly as if he was never there*

[thishasgonehorribly]

Bunch of things happened in a row, in game time, but also, I got into Tears of the Kingdom and took sort of a long break in real life time.

Our first forgotten beast, Bomrek, was a giant salamander.

It had poison gas, but I don't think I saw any effects from it.

It was scary, and skulked around our cavern lakes for a long time, but ultimately not too bad.

Uzol FIghtsteel got to finish him off. I gave here the nickname "beast basher" (that's who has a bunch of family heirlooms, I'm still not sure why exactly)

Some other stuff happened, made deals with Elves, Humans and Dwarfs.

Finally starting to get down to dry stone. I'm still struggling to get things built and equipment crafted.

I think here is when we got our first hostile goblins

I don't remember, I think we had one or two waves of sad little thieves, and at least one got got by the swarm of dogs I have out front.

Next forgotten beast was a terrible shrew.

This one gave us some trouble.

We bruised the hell out of it, but just weren't getting enough damage.

Two things that didn't work out,

1 is, I had an idea to have my two were-ape citizens tucked away in a little hideaway personal tavern, and then send 'em out

Timing didn't work out at all, we engaged way sooner than I expected.

Azstrog ate a recruit I'd lost track of, pretty much everyone rushed in haphazardly. Cranky with no equipment, just biting and clawing. Valiant effort, did not survive.

2, then This guy

intelligent undead, monster hunter, talented mace dwarf, visiting my fort,

start heading down towards the fight, gets my hopes up

but no,

he's just he's just leaving. Walks right past the commotion, exiting through the caverns.

Multiple casualties, I sorta lost track of some things.

Numbers' memorial slab says he bled to death, but I'm pretty sure what actually happened was he got beast sickness, and then later fell out of a tree and drowned. I forgot to take screenshots.

We also lost Carpenter, and I don't remember which forgotten beast took off a chunk of FishEater's leg.

Then,

Rodent Mans

These dweebs had Steel Weapons

They charged in from caverns, and decapitated some chickens

then some stuff didn't happen*

I don't think we lost anyone there, but we took some hits. Rith, our baroness, in particular had it pretty rough.

She hasn't let it slow her down. She was pretty quickly up, drinking wine, instead of getting the bronze spear** lodged in her chest diagnosed in the hospital.

Then, up on the surface,

A goblin siege.

It was only a small number of goblins, but they had cross bows, which they could actually use as ranged weapons, and it's not fair.

The got Rith's poor husband, Aban

Also two humans that I felt bad for sending to their deaths, but they were cranky and kind of bringing down the mood of the fort.

*the rodent mans didn't cut both hands off my expedition leader, and then they didn't interrupt a strange mood making me have to send a squad to murder a citizen.

**I might have messed things up for a moment by forbidding the spear... I do not remembered why that seemed like a thing to do.

[mamamittens]

I'm contemplating what to do for Hancock's jewelry and bouncing ideas in my head for the two new Oh Sweet Child requests.

Pending thoughts for jewelry

I'm thinking something like a choker but it's a snake that gently bites the end of its tail. I've long had a motif that folks connected to the RA have a pearl somewhere in their jewelry so maybe the eyes?

Perhaps some scales are gemstones depending on what kinda snake I do though keeping it mostly gold would match with her usual tastes ngl.

Considered a hanging chain from the fangs to a teardrop ruby that is meant to hang between or just under her breasts. I forget if there's a specific name for this but it's usually only done to compliment a plunge neckline or draw the eye to the breasts in general for women--I've never seen this in men's jewelry fashion unless you count dog tags or a ring that is meant to hide under a shirt when desired. Maaayybe 'drops' of rubies down the chain as a sexy intrigue piece that also hunts at how damn dangerous this woman is to get close to.

Okay, so thoughts for Whitebeard's platonic end

I'm not entirely sure on what I'll have for his. Maybe reader has a bad dream (cliche I know lol) and ends up talking to him in a little heart to heart.

Oh! Or maybe reader sneaks out when everyone has passed tf out during a party to try and either escape or get fresh air without being hounded. Idk. Depends on when this takes place cause at the end of Sweet Child they've pretty well resigned to sticking around.

Anyway, party walk, the reader thinks everyone is asleep but as it turns out, Whitebeard tends to be a very light sleeper when on deck and it leads to a soft conversation.

I've tried very hard to not have too much detail in reader's past so it's not specific to anyone--no mention of family or friends--but I have mentioned some vague nothings about "shit choices" implying the marine enlisting wasn't entirely by choice. I didn't have any specific plans for that or secret btw, I just needed something to give the reader a reason to not fold immediately into Whitebeard's crew.

Anyway, I thought it'd be sweet if part of this heart to heart is a conversation about wanting to have a choice in a world that very much doesn't really let you have that. Not knowing what they want to do with their life because they haven't had the ability to put much stock into the future--which is ultimately why they're so passive about their fate despite having a desire to leave.

Which naturally leads to Whitebeard talking about the different reasons he "adopts" his children. The one relevant to the reader is protection and a desire to see them flourish. He didn't seem them out but he knew when they arrived that he wanted them to be apart of his family.

Maybe he suggests they start writing about the many dangerous animals they seem to have a natural ability to charm. At the very least, it gives them an excuse to go after them and well... It's hardly the most dangerous hobby any of his children have picked up Whitebeard adopts feral pirates almost daily he feels kinship at how much reader loves things that could and would rip them to shreds.

And finally Izo.

Izo gives me the most trouble because as far as I'm aware of he's a fan of his guns and he likes cross dressing--if only just in cosmetics and performing traditional Japanese activities that are usually reserved for women like dancing.

I'd need to double check that last part honestly but that's where I'm at right now for understanding his character.

And he hasn't really shown up so I don't have any real basis for his stance on the reader--nor do I have any direction for the request. But I feel like he'd admire the reader not caving into the crew quickly given that it shows they do have dedication and standards.

But I'm pretty lost in bonding for either romantic or platonic senses. At least without getting into conversations about gender which would be difficult to dance around without assigning the reader a specific gender outright.

I know from comments most assume the reader is female and in rather hoping that's because the readers are mostly female as opposed to me missing glaring red "THIS IS NOT A MAN" flags... Which would make me sad cause y'all it's really hard to write some of this stuff without committing to a sex or gender 🥲

But! The point is that from the sounds of it so far, at the very least the reader doesn't typically do any of the cosmetics associated with feminine presenting fashion. So I'd need to be very careful in phrasing to avoid breaking this without talking about "well I'm a dude and dudes don't usually wear lipstick where I'm from" or "I was never a girly girl growing up" cause of the obvious reasons (at least I hope it's obvious).

I'm just not sure what kind of common ground they'd bond over so there's a strong chance it'll be a bit before Izo's comes out, unfortunately.

Perhaps a conversation about duty? And growing last what you'd previously assumed would be your entire life??? That'd be interesting and a unique point only the marine!reader could come from given the drastic difference from marine to full on pirate.

Anyway, I need to sleep now before I completely fuck myself up for work Monday lol

Btw, Melody hasn't been forgotten I just set it down for a moment while I consider how/if I'll drag out the next part before I move Koala into the story.

[a-song-for-ages]

(Left out Daemon and the kid's because the app didn't let me put in more than 10 pics oops)

From top to bottom, right to left:

1. Joffrey Velaryon

The youngest of the velaryon/targaryen group, who would follow Mats around and usually get him in trouble because - "yOu tOoK a bAbe tO a wHoReHoUse??!?!??!?!?!"

Mats learned how to be a loving dad mainly by watching (and understanding - now that he was old enough to understand that little Joff's head was nOT hard as a dragon's egg) Laenor interact with Joff - in fact, Mats was the first Velaryon/Targaryen to hold Joff. (I lied, it was actually Luke because he really wanted to hold Joff and Rhaenyra couldn't say no to him. But according to Laenor, it was Mats who held him first.)

2. Lucera Velaryon

Sweet little Luke's not so sweet (albeit little) sister. A terror. Lives for getting into trouble. Main instigator (after Aegon) for bullying Aemond - but it wasnt personal, seeing as Luce was the only daughter and bullied everyone around her. (All the boys are scared of her.)

Luce was a little more receptive to what she should and should not be doing - say, like, following Mats in the middle of the night to go to a whorehouse. That doesn't mean she didn't follow him. She just went in knowing what the repercussions of her getting caught would be.

She and Mats are - not mirrors, but they have that wild streak that Daemon has. Though, Luce loses a bit of that wild streak when she grows up - and she ultimately becomes a little more, lady like (Rhaena's influence - and also because she burned off that extra fire and urge for destruction when she'd climb her dragon and set him off on a hunt for food.)

3. Lucerys Targaryen

The youngest of the OG trio (Jace, Mats, Luke). He's the little brother who Mats just knows has potential - and like Jace, he tends to be just a little more nurturing to Luke (talking about that swordfighting scene), and not because he knows Lucera will come after and gut him, but because he honestly finds Luke's gentleness and softness (minus that part where Luke stole Aemond's eye) endearing.

Luke, to Mats, is the best of all of the Velaryon/Targaryen children.

But that doesn't mean Mats coddles him. Oh no. Mats shirks all of his duties and hands it to Luke, stating, "You may feel honoured, little brother."

Luke and Mats' relationship is a further - "if you were dying, and if it was because of something that you did... then I would wait until the last possible minute to save you. And if you were dying, and if it was because of something that you didn't do... then I would have Auraxes chase after you for your stupidity."

4. Rhaenyra Targaryen

So. You know how Daemon and Rhaenyra were like, Viserys's bIGGEST (political) headaches?

Yeah, Matarys Velaryon is karma coming to bite Rhaenyra (and only Rhaenyra's) ass.

Because here he is - her second son, set to inherit Driftmark and set to marry Rhaena. And he just goes, "No. I don't want or need any of that. In fact, what I need is to explore Dorne and Essos and Asshai. So, bye!"

Like this little fucker just does what he wants and Rhaenyra just. Cannot. Discipline him. No matter how much she tries. And Viserys is off in the side giggling because - he's just like you. (A bit like Aegon too - "I've no taste for duty! I'm not suited!" Except he looks hot as hell doing his duty. Which he believes is to be the Menace to the Realm - "kind of like how Daemon is to Grandfather!")

But boy does Rhaenyra love her son - even if he is too much like (the bad parts of) her. He is still her son, and she sees his loyalty to his blood and family - and she just. She sees him. And Mats knows this and he - sees - her. (And Harwin lol).

5. Jacaerys Velaryon

Fucking hell have you ever seen two sons, born close together interact?

They're a mess.

Mats is always down for doing the dishonorable, aesthetic thing, like burning an abandoned tower, "Just to see how long it'll burn!" while Jace is just like, "STOP! DES-TROYING! THINGS!"

Jace honestly hopes that Mats will one day grow up. And Mats is just like, "hmm, no thank you, dear brother of mine." And then Jace just explodes and turns red because "why is it that I must be cursed with you?" and Mats is just "because if you were not cursed with me then I fear your life would be oh so terribly boring."

But ultimately - these two boys... with Jace's anger and sensitivity to being called bastard, and Mats' eagerness for a fight/anything to get his blood pumping... you can sense that some real shit's about to go down between them and the Green Boys. (Not Mats giggling at calling the opposition "greens" because "they're green boys who know nothing of war!" and Daemon laughs at that but no one else because Mats, while a little rogue-like, is greener than them.)

[iimeris]

3, 30, 33

ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘᴍᴇɴᴛ Qᴜᴇꜱᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ( no longer accepting )

3. what is/was your character’s relationship with their father like?

we don't learn anything much of shionne's family one way or another ; but , while its suggested that they are likely still around and alive , its pretty clear that shionne doesn't have a relationship with her parents . at least not a meaningful one

there is likely a lot of trauma between shionne and her father due to her thorns . he could never soothe her when she cried , feed her when she was hungry , change her when she needed . it was not unlike being rejected , both as a father and as a child .

in their culture , you don't question things . you're supposed to follow the rhythm around you , and so when offered " treatment " for his daughter , shionne's father probably didn't question what that meant , making him ignorantly complicit in shionne's torture at the research facility that she considers her home on lenegis . its not likely that she blames him for it . . . but it surely hangs in the background of their non-relationship .

realistically , she must have very little if any relationship with her father , and likely any semblance of a relationship was utterly destroyed once shionne set out to enact treason against their kind -- if he was aware at all . her culture is rather unforgiving . likely , she has always been completely avoidant of him . he's not a reason to return to lenegis , nor a reason to stay alive .

2. what does your character find repulsive or disgusting?

oh man shionne absolutely hates insects . i don't think lenegis has insects , so imagine landing on another planet and finding small , fast moving creatures that flock to you as if you were a bug light ?? ew . on one hand , there is a disgust of their uncleanliness , but mostly she has a very classic " bugs are creepy looking " fear of them . their fearlessness regarding landing on her just gives her the ick . they land on her , trigger her thorns , die . . . and she's left feeling anxious . its just a bad cycle .

she's been known to fire her gun at bugs she sees flying around .

3. in the face of criticism, is your character defensive, self-deprecating, or willing to improve?

actually , she's more used to criticism than praise . praise is reserved for those who have earned it from their might and prowess . although she participated very little in renan society , she's ultimately fits in and is the sort to take criticism as just that -- the opinion of another , not to be taken too far . her people value power and skill and generally possess blunt tongues , so taking criticism as something constructive is an important quality to have in her world .

her defensiveness comes from a desire to purposefully reject others and isn't reflective of her actual self . even if she comes across as rejectory and biting , she quietly considers what others have to say and actively makes judgements on whether or not she should adjust accordingly . the trouble is that shionne is trying to block out other people in favor of her own self -- which is not naturally who she is as a person . as a result , she tries to be more confrontational than she otherwise is compelled to be .