#“so my grand-nephews & nieces where they at?”

[redhead-reporter]

reminder that aunt may is, was, and always will be the ultimate petemj STAN !

#listen she ISN'T WRONG #i mean just look at the kids they DO have :''''') #i love how they're fully broken up here and she's just like “lol you're funny” #“so my grand-nephews & nieces where they at?” #º ✧ 。 if it takes my heart and soul you know i'd pay the price mj && peter #º ✧ 。not the girl i was or used to be insomniac verse

[augustinewrites]

ayoo... mayhaps we get a moment when Kaeya finally realizes he's ready for kids??

i have been hoarding this ask for way too long and i know in my heart of hearts that kaeya would want to adopt a child

every saturday afternoon, on what’s meant to be your day off, you and kaeya teach a swordsmanship seminar. 

when kaeya had first been given the responsibility by the acting grand master, you’d only tagged along to watch. you handed out water and pretended not to swoon whenever the sun reached its peak and your husband undid a few more buttons of his shirt. 

you’d only started helping out after the incident where bennett had somehow cut mika’s finger off. the seminar had grown so popular that it was hard for him to keep track of all the attendees and all their limbs, apparently. not just amongst the knights and the members of the adventurer’s guild. 

“captain kaeya!” the kids shout, almost trampling over bennett as they rush over to their favourite knight. he greets each one of them by name, patting their heads and ruffling their hair as they gaze up at him, excited for today’s lesson.

he outfits each of them with a wooden training sword, making sure they’re all arms-length apart before beginning. like always, he starts with leading them in a battle cry. 

“knights use battle cries to rally their spirits and remind themselves what they’re fighting for before a battle,” he explains, pointing his sword up high, prompting the children to do the same. “what are you guys passionate about? what are we fighting for today?”

“for sticky honey roast!” a girl with twin pigtails cries out with a passion you think might rival jean’s.

“alright,” he laughs, flashing you a smile when you giggle from the sidelines. “today we learn to fight in the name of sticky honey roast.”

each stance and swing of his sword, the children copy. their footwork is a little wobbly and their sword swings a touch hesitant, but it’s nothing that kaeya can’t fix, squatting down to adjust their footing or their grip. he always seems to know what each child needs, offering gentle words of encouragement and always praising them for a job well done. 

the children look at him like he hung the moon and stars, and kaeya, of course, preens at their attention. they crowd him when they’re done with their lesson, when he rewards them with candies and little trinkets.

“thank you, papa!” the girl with the pigtails exclaims, throwing herself into his arms. the look on kaeya’s face is priceless. 

the sun is setting by the time he’s finished, his arm slung around your shoulder as you walk to angel’s share. 

you glance up at him, nothing the soft remnants of a smile still gracing his face. “you’re in a good mood.”

“of course i am. i have a good life,” he answers, pulling you closer. “and i had a good day, hanging out with those kids.” 

“you’re really good with them,” you nod. “they really love you.”

you’re not surprised, because kaeya is good with everyone. all of mondstadt adores the calvary captain. 

“after i walked them back to the orphanage the headmaster said—” he pauses, seeming uncharacteristically hesitant. “she said i’d be a good father someday.”

“you’d be a great dad,” you murmur, reaching up to pat his hand. 

“do you think about stuff like that? with me, i mean.” 

“no, with huffman,” you tease, causing him to scoff and turn away. you simply laugh, resting your head on his shoulder. “kaeya, of course i’ve thought about starting a family with you someday.”

he perks up a little, pausing mid-stride in front of the tavern. “why don’t we start now, then?” 

you gaze flicks toward the door. “is diluc’s future niece or nephew about to be conceived in the back room of his tavern?”

he rubs the back of his neck a little sheepishly. “i mean they could be…but - only if it’s alright with you - i’d actually like to go back to the orphanage. there are a lot of kids here who need parents. and when i think about what crep— about what my father did for me, i want to do that.” 

_____

on sundays, everyone gathers at the alberich household for dinner (where the main course is always a sticky honey roast, as per a special someone’s request.)

kaeya’s gaze is pulled in your direction when he hears you laugh, conversing with diluc as you weave twin plaits into your daughter’s hair. 

the little boy in his arms (with your eyes and his nose) is restless, eager to be let down to play. so kaeya sets him on the floor, pressing a kiss atop the crown of his head and making sure he’s steady before letting him toddle towards his sister. you coo when she pulls him into her lap, hugging him tightly. 

kaeya leans back in his chair, watching the scene before him unfold with a quiet smile on his face. he’s always felt a little split on the inside, unsure of his place in the world. 

but now he knows that it’s most certainly right here.

#kaeya x reader #genshin x reader #kaeya alberich x reader #kaeya x you #genshin fluff #genshin drabbles

[pinkydevil16]

Aemond Targaryen x reader

"If you step a mere inch closer to me Uncle i shall run you through and take that pretty Jewel for a necklace." Y/n spoke as she removed her riding gloves, having only dismounted from her dragon a few minutes prior ready to stand beside her Mother and defend her younger brother.

"Your tongue is sharper than your sword Niece and we both know which one you wield better so i suggest you quiet that tone." Y/n turned slowly, her eyebrow raised and gloves in one hand as she surveyed her Uncle, his long white hair tied away from his face which was half covered by the eye patch he wore.

"Did you come here to exchange remarks or do you have a reason for bothering me after my long journey?" Aemond smirked as he stepped closer, Y/n's hand dropping to her sword as she steadied her stance, the one eyed Targaryen not heading her warning as he tilted his head to look down upon his Niece. 

"Soon the realm will rejoice as your bastard brothers are shown for who they really are and shipped to the wall...or maybe i will let them be cupbearers and take them on a hunt for target practice." Y/n could only smirk as she removed her hand from her sword and crossed her arms, looking up at Aemond with a smug look.

"If i were you Uncle i would keep such usurper comments to myself, i'm sure the King would not like the same accusations you made when you lost your eye to be mentioned again. Some might fear you would be sharply questioned as to where you heard such rumours. Perhaps your right eye would make a good starting point, but then you would not be able to look upon my Mother as she ascends the iron throne." Y/n placed her hand on his shoulder as she spoke, wiping away dust before sighing and removing her hands.

"Now if you are done Uncle, i have important business to attend to, some of us are missed by the court in our absence." Y/n turned and began walking away before turning and grinning at Aemond.

"You suit green, the colour of envy seems almost perfect for the second son." Y/n let out a laugh as she continued walking away, throwing her gloves to her personal guard as they followed after her, Aemond stood gripping his sword with a grimace before turning and shouting at a nearby guard to move. 

Y/n stood next to her Mother as Vaemond spoke, her teeth grinding together before placing a hand on Luce's shoulder to show her silent support, her eyes casting to where Aemond stood, a smirk on his face. Her head snapping back as Otto stood, her eyebrows furrowing as he went to speak, 'the hand of king' and the father of the Queen who despised the Heir was not going to be good. Before he could speak the grand doors opened, Rhaenyra letting out a small gasp as Viserys walked through the doors, his broken and feeble body barely standing as he leaned heavily on his cane. Gold covering his half disfigured face as he looked towards his daughter and her children, Otto moving quickly as the King approached the iron throne, Daemon moving to assist his brother as Y/n stared forward. 

"He is staring at you." Jacaerys whispered to his sister, their grandfather talking as he concealed his voice, Y/n letting out a small huff before rolling her shoulders and standing straight.

"He is looking at us all, jealousy is a worse beast than any dragon and it claws at him with every whisper of our names through out the keep. When he looks you should not think about his gaze only acknowledge with each glance that he is being torn apart and the pieces poisoned until they rot and fall apart." Jacaerys rolled his eyes at his sister's words, instead concentrating on Vaemond as he began speaking, a newfound anger in his voice as he ranted. 

"That is no true Valaryon! And certainly no nephew of mine." Rhaenyra moved her sons behind her as Y/n took a step forward, her hand on her sword as Vaemond pointed at Luce, her step father glaring him down as Viserys spoke. 

"Say it." Daemon whispered, Vaemond goated by the Targaryen as he sucked in a breath.

"Her children are bastards! And she is a whore!" Vaemond shouted as he pointed at Rhaenyra, Aemond turning to stare directly at Y/n as Viserys stood.

"I shall have your tongue for that." Before Viserys could descend the iron throne Y/n sword was drawn and Vaemond's head sliced through, Daemon putting out his hand to take the blade from his step daughter, cleaning it as she sneered at the body of Vaemond.

"He can keep his tongue." Y/n almost spat before raising her eyes to stare at Aemond, his face barely showing the shock that shined in his eye, Halaena holding her ears as she hid in Alicent's arms. Y/n turning to look at the King before bowing, dropping her eyes and looking up at him as he looked down at her with pride. 

"Grandfather, My King, i apologise for the bloodshed." Y/n turned as Daemon handed her the sword, a smirk on his face as she sheathed it onto her side and exited the throne room. Rhaenyra moving to assist her father and Alicent ran towards the ailed old King playing the perfect wife. 

"You are too impulsive Niece, many wars have been fought and lost by those such as yourself." Y/n rolled her eyes as she placed down her glass of wine, her handmaid pulling apart the intricate braids atop her head before Y/n raised a hand and dismissed her. Her hair now loosely flowing as she turned her head and gestured to the seat near the fire, Aemond humming as he took the seat, Y/n standing and pouring him a glass of wine as he studied her.

"Do you always seek out the company of those you despise or do you just enjoy gracing me with your arrogance?" Y/n sat back down as she picked up her glass and swirled the wine, looking at Aemond over the glass as she took a small sip, his hand hovering over the glass as he continued to watch her. Y/n hummed as she drank the sweet wine, taking her thumb and wiping her mouth before placing the glass back down and lounging into the chair, lazily looking over at Aemond as she sighed and closed her eyes. 

"Aemond, i do not understand why you burden yourself with my presence, i do not enjoy yours and it is common knowledge that you do not enjoy mine, so why play these games?" Y/n ran her hands down her face and stood, turning away from Aemond as she collected her glass and downed it, running a hand through her hair. Hearing Aemond stand, her body on alert as he grew closer before wrapping his hand in her hair, pulling her head back to look up at him as he stared down at her. Bent to his will as she stoned her face, his nails lightly scratching her head as he felt her soft hair against his coarse hand. 

"Your presence is a burden and yet i desire it, to see you control your impulses and act so mature and yet deep down i can see that scared little girl holding the knife that cut my eye out." Y/n glared at Aemond as he loosened his grip, pulling her head to rest against his shoulder so he could bring his mouth to her ear.

"One day i shall pluck your eye from your socket and feed it to my dragon along side your bastard brothers bodies." Aemond let go of Y/n's hair as he stepped back, her head dropping forward as she clenched her fists, knowing he wished for a fight, something to quench the blood thirst he'd held against her since that night. 

This was just something i wrote cos i kept thinking about it, i'm not quite sure if i should continue writing this or what? I'm trying to get out of this rut 

Hope people don't mind being tagged i know it's been a long time

Hotd Taglist:

@smileykiddie08 @hannaeditzs @stuckinaf4nfiction @verybluntstoner @moonmaiden1996 @vaemmasworld @eonnyx @whitejuliana1204 @missusnora @applepyesworld @mingiholic @crownofdecit @destroyingdestiny @alexisabirdie @dudfahsn @littlebatsimagines @bloode-money @mooonlight-and-stars @xcharlottemikaelsonx @onemillionpeopleinone @random-human02 @hi-im-fan-trash @meilikki @sonnensplitter @jugheadisaweirdo @lomllino @celibacy-or-death @crazylokonugget @natashaxhellenic @here4thefanfic @bubblebuttwade @disturbing-love666 @sha-aesthic @solace-inu @rntrsna @jeyramarie @apollonshootafar @holb32 @pancakefancake@claudiajacobs @maeverae006 @stargaryenx @mirandastuckinthe80s @mingiholic @sarah-l-whiteman @miraclealignertlsp369 @hc-geralt-23 @rosaryos @pearlstiare @kpoploverxx-12@m00n5t0n3 @multifndom @pofties @thirsty4nonlivingmen @yor72 @savagejane1 @mxacegrey@its-halleys-comet @literishdegree99 @zillahvathek @remuslupinwifee @vainillasmil157@sophiexoxsblog @nupppuff @sophiexoxsblog @softtina @wallace02sblog @hotd-fanfic @priyajoyy

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#house of the dragon #aemond targaryen x reader #prince aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen #aemond one eye #hotd aemond

[sisididis]

The parallels between Anne Sallow - Ariana Dumbledore, Sebastian Sallow - Albus Dumbledore and Solomon Sallow - Aberforth Dumbledore 

I’ll preface this deep dive into the Sallow family’s tragic fate by asking if anyone else found it oddly…familiar? I’ll admit that re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows right before becoming invested in Hogwarts Legacy made uncovering the “strange likenesses” between the Sallow family and the Dumbledore family considerably easier. 

The fate of the Sallows is reminiscent of the Dumbledores’ in more ways than I can articulate — from the untimely deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Sallow, and Percival and Kendra Dumbledore, to the tensions between the new and reluctant patres familias, Solomon and Albus, and their resentful charges, Sebastian and Aberforth, and the tragic killing of their family members. 

Let’s start with the history of the families, whose first common element is their short-lived wholeness. Albus, Aberforth and Ariana became orphaned in the aftermath of two tragic events — first, their father’s imprisonment and later death in Azkaban, due to his assault on the Muggles who had tortured his daughter, and, second, the killing of their mother during one of Ariana’s fits of uncontrollable magic. 

According to Ominis, Mr. and Mrs. Sallow too had untimely deaths, caused by an undetectable toxin emitted by their faulty cellar lamp. At that time, Sebastian and Anne “had no magic yet." We suspect that means the children were younger than 11 years old, the age when signs of magical ability should already manifest. 

Another common element is the reluctant take-over of the two new patres familias, Albus and Uncle Solomon, after the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Dumbledore, and Mr. and Mrs. Sallow. Fans of the books will remember the reason why Albus was reluctant to assume his new role in the first place — the long-awaited Grand Tour. Albus and his close friend, Elphias Doge, were planning on going on a Grand Tour after their graduation, but the sudden death of his mother right before he was meant to leave forced Albus to stay behind and provide for his siblings. In Chapter 35, King’s Cross, Albus claims that he loved his family, but upon his return to Godric’s Hollow, he felt “trapped and wasted.” 

Aberforth recalled that moment, too:

“So that put paid to Albus's trip round the world with little Doge. The pair of 'em came home for my mother's funeral and then Doge went off on his own, and Albus settled down as head of the family. Ha!” (P. 435, Chapter 28, The Missing Mirror, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

We are not sure where Uncle Solomon’s reluctance to care for his nephew and niece comes from, aside from the obvious disruption of his quiet retirement, but while his anger at this unexpected responsibility is justified and should be directed towards his late brother, it backfires on Sebastian instead:

“I know what's best for Anne – and Sebastian. They are my stubborn brother's children. Especially Sebastian.”

Sebastian himself comments that his uncle often compares him to his father:

“After Anne was hurt, he only grew worse. It's as though he blames me somehow. Always calling me 'my father's son.' As if that's an insult.”

Here’s where the interesting switch happens. The new guardians’ resentment at these unexpected burdens does not go unnoticed. Both Aberforth and Sebastian saw the new patres familias’ reluctance to assume their new role and thought that they would have been a better fit for it. Much like Aberforth and Ariana, Sebastian and Anne were infinitely closer to each other than to the rest of their family:

“Anne won’t survive this. She’s withering away - inside and out. Solomon’s never been there for us. Not really. He gave up on Anne. I’ll never give up on her."

Aberforth echoed this sentiment: 

"He didn't want to be bothered with her. She liked me best. I could get her to eat when she wouldn't do it for my mother, I could calm her down, when she was in one of her rages, and when she was quiet, she used to help me feed the goats.” (P. 434, Chapter 28, The Missing Mirror, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) "I'd have looked after her, I told him so, I didn't care about school, I'd have stayed home and done it." (P. 435, Chapter 28, The Missing Mirror, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

The way I see it, both Albus / Sebastian and Aberforth / Solomon thought that they had Ariana’s / Anne’s best interest at heart. While Solomon thought that making Anne “comfortable” was the best path of action, Sebastian saw this as resigning themselves to Anne’s sure death. “There is no cure! When will you accept that?” asks Uncle Solomon, to which Sebastian replies adamantly, “Never! I can never accept it.” The same stubborn conviction is exhibited by Aberforth after he uncovers Albus and Gellert’s plans. 

"I told him, you'd better give it up now. You can't move her, she's in no fit state, you can't take her with you, wherever it is you're planning to go, when you're making your clever speeches, trying to whip yourselves up a following. He didn't like that.” (P. 435, Chapter 28, The Missing Mirror, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) “You may mean well, but I know what's best for Anne – and Sebastian. They are my stubborn brother's children. Especially Sebastian.”

The pairs’ irreconcilable differences did not stop there. In Sebastian’s efforts to heal Anne and Albus’ efforts to create a better world for wizard kind, the pair aspired to leave no depth of magic unplumbed, dark or otherwise, an issue which often sparked conflict with their family. Aberforth did not agree with teenage Albus’ plans “for the greater good”, because he did not prioritize their sister’s safety.

Sebastian’s own stance on using Dark magic to save his sister is in perfect antithesis with his uncle’s aversion to the Dark Arts. Unfortunately, in both cases, the tensions between the brothers and nephew and uncle culminated in the death of their family:

“And then . . . you know what happened. Reality returned in the form of my rough, unlettered, and infinitely more admirable brother. I did not want to hear the truths he shouted at me. I did not want to hear that I could not set forth and seek Hallows with a fragile and unstable sister in tow. (…) The argument became a fight. Grindelwald lost control. That which I had always sensed in him, though I pretended not to, now sprang into terrible being. And Ariana . . . after all my mother’s care and caution . . . lay dead upon the floor.” (P. 549, Chapter 35, King’s Cross, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) 

Sounds awfully familiar to the scene in the catacomb, doesn’t it? Not only did uncle and nephew turn their wands against each other, but Anne had to bury their uncle alone, much like Albus had to bury Ariana alone after Gellert fled Godric’s Hollow. After Solomon and Ariana’s deaths, all that the Dumbledore and Sallow siblings had were each other. Unfortunately, the death of their family did not inspire a renewed sense of closeness. On the contrary, Solomon and Ariana’s deaths caused an irreparable rift between the siblings. 

“To add to his misery, the loss of Ariana had led, not to a renewed closeness between Albus and Aberforth, but to an estrangement.” (P. 20, Chapter 2, In Memorandum, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

The breakdown of the Sallow twins’ relationship is reflected in Anne’s letter to Sebastian:

“Sebastian,  Too much has happened. I needed to get away from here for a while. I miss Uncle Solomon. I need time. I will always love you, but I don't know if I can ever forgive you.  Anne”

What do you think?

#i know i’m nitpicking #but this is the only kind of mental maths that i’ve excelled at since 8th grade #i love the twins i love them so much #please let me know what you think! #sebastian sallow #anne sallow #solomon sallow #albus dumbledore #ariana dumbledore #aberforth dumbledore #harry potter and the deathly hallows #hogwarts legacy #my entries

[gaybananabread]

How about Day 30 with Lee!Mystery Twins and Ler!Stan Twins (gravity falls) as a game of hide and seek! I think it’d be super cute!

TickleTober Day 30 - Caught

AAAAA I’M DONE WITH TICKLETOBER!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! This was a fun way to cap off the event, tapping into my roots! I’m so tired, and it’s definitely gonna be nice to not write over 1k word fics daily. I absolutely adored the event though, it really challenged me as a writer! ANYways, sorry for blabbing on, and I hope everyone stays safe tonight and that you Enjoy!

Lees: Mabel, Dipper

Lers: Stan, Ford

Summary: The Pines family are having an "intense" game of Hide-and-Seek to determine who gets to decorate the Mystery Shack for Halloween. There's an interesting set of rules, with a ticklish twist for whoever gets caught.

Warnings: none! This is a tickle fic, so if you don’t like that, scroll away!!

"Dipper, be quiet!"

Mabel whisper-shouted at her brother, sinking further into the pile of stuffed animals. It was the fiercest competition of the century, and she intended to win it.

What had her so determined, you ask? The annual Pines Hide-and-Seek Championship. Well, it was the first year they were doing it, but the technically-teen was going to make sure it carried on.

Downstairs, her Grunkles combed through the house, searching for their great-grand niece and nephew. The Grunkles had half an hour to find them. There was a twist the older men had added, just to make the game more fun. If caught, the kids would be tickled. They didn't really specify a time, figuring it would be best to play things by ear. 

The mystery twins gave no argument. They were determined to win, though the sweater-loving girl was definitely taking things more seriously. For Mabel, that's saying something.

Mabel, being serious? What was so great that she would forgo her usual silliness? Well, something she greatly desired; the winner, whoever they may be, got to dictate the Halloween decorations for the whole Mystery Shack. As long as it was within the budget, anything went.

She was determined to make it the most sparkly, retro, in-your-face crazy Halloween party ever. That meant she had to win. 

Stan rooted through cabinets, looked in couch cushions, even went as far as looking in the outskirts of the woods. He was putting off checking the attic, figuring the kids would be smarter than that. Mabel was always goofy, it wasn’t hard to think her hiding spot would be as well.

Using a gadget, Ford scanned the first floor of the Shack. It was supposed to detect the joy and wonder a child gave off, though he was pretty sure he calibrated something wrong. Still, he searched, hoping it would at least give him some edge. He didn’t want his home covered in glitter, or so scary that even the goat would have nightmares. If Dipper won…well, he wouldn’t actually mind that, but it was the principle of it.

Dipper was hiding up in the rafters, having used Mabel’s grappling hook to secure the spot. They hid together, figuring whoever got caught first could fend for themself. Mabel was rather proud of hers; it was simple enough that they probably wouldn’t look, yet small enough to where she could barely fit, to dissuade her Grunkles. It was pretty perfect.

After twenty minutes of fruitless searching, both old men went up the creaky attic stairs. The twins held their breath, knowing it would be moments before one of them was caught. The door opened, painfully slow, as the pair entered the make-shift bedroom. They could hear the end of Stan’s conversation as he peeked in the closet. “...it’s one of the only spots we haven’t checked, Sixer. One of them’s gotta be here.”

Ford entered a second later, checking under their beds. He was so close that Mabel went completely stiff, refusing to even blink before he stood up. “Those kids are good, I’ll give ‘em that. They’ve got your sneaky skills.” He got a pillow thrown at his head by a chuckling Stan. “Sure, sure. But they’ve got your smarts. I would’ve hid in a closet or somethin’.”

They were so nonchalant about the way they searched for the younger twins. It was like they thought it was a game. Well, everybody but Mabel thought it was.

Dipper looked at Stan, noticing how close he was getting to finding Mabel. He really didn't wanna be the first one caught, but he knew how badly his sister wanted to win. Sighing, he faked a cough, calling the attention of his Grunkles up. The things he did for her…

In seconds, two rough hands wrapped around his waist, yanking him down from his hiding place. “Gotcha!” Dipper barely had enough time to register that he was in Stan’s lap before five clawing fingers dug into his stomach. “G-GRUHUNKLE STAHAHAN!”

Ford chuckled, getting his fun in as well. He scribbled on and under the boy’s knees, all six digits doing something to get him laughing. It was unfairly ticklish. He almost regretted taking the L for Mabel. Almost.

“Hey Dippy, I got a deal for ya. If you tell us where your sister is, we’ll stop.” Oh, those cheaters! Mabel watched with wide eyes and Stan vibrated his clawing fingers into Dipper’s tum, keeping his arms above his head. She knew her brother had thrown his chance for her, but he still had to outlast the old men.

He wriggled and twisted in their arms, refusing to give in so easily; he wasn’t about to lose for nothing. “I- IHI CAHAHAN’T!” Ford snickered, squeezing his knees a bit more vigorously for emphasis. “Oh, but you can. Just say, ‘Oh, Mabel is hiding…’ and then you say it. It’s just that easy.”

So unfair… Dipper whined through his laughter, kicking as much as he could. Maybe a time limit on the tickles would have been a good idea… His Grunkles were obviously enjoying themselves, matching smirks on each of their faces. He didn’t hate it, per say, but it was much harder to stay sane when all three of them could see his reactions. 

It was…actually really nice of him to do that for her. Mabel would have to let Dipper DJ for the party. Waddles might be a little upset, but she was sure her pink companion would prefer snack table duty. 

Stan got a little impatient, deciding to be evil. He moved his bony fingers up to the boy’s armpit, digging into his hollows. Dipper let out a squeal that would put Waddles to shame. “NYAAAAHAHA! STAHAN! NOHO- *snrk* NOHOT THEHEHERE!”

Oooh, he went for Dipper’s bad spot. Mabel bit her lip as she watched her brother’s destruction: Ford teasing his knees while Stan went to town on his pits. She wouldn’t blame him if he gave her up, but dang it, she really wanted to win.

Right as Dipper was about to crack, the Nyan Cat theme song went off. Ford’s phone buzzed in his pocket, signaling that their half-hour was up. Mabel had won!

The girl sprung up from her mound of stuffed animals, startling both of her Grunkles. “HA! I won! Stan, go grab the basement key, I’m gonna make it rain glitter and gummy bears!”

Ford laughed, releasing Dipper’s legs as he watched his grand-niece celebrate. Stan sighed, setting the boy down on the carpet to curl into himself. “Okay, okay, ya won! Don’t need to rub it in, ya snot.”

 She chuckled, moving to hug her giggling brother. “Thanks for taking the loss, bro-bro. I officially crown you Head DJ.” He pumped a weak fist into the air, still giggling away the phantom sensations. Stan shooed her away, placing Dipper in his brother’s arms.

“You go get the dork some water. I’ll handle our winner.” Ford nodded, carrying the exhausted Dipper down the attic stairs. Stan cracked his knuckles before scooping Mabel up in his arms, holding her against his chest. “Congrats, ya snot. Here’s my favorite part of your reward…” 

He squeezed her side, making the sweater lover burst into bubbly giggles. She twisted and squirmed, eyes growing wide. “B-buhut Gruhuhunkle Stahan! Ihi wohohohon!”

He snorted, moving up to tease her ribs. “You did, yeah. Your brother got the worst of it; I’ll go a bit easier on ya. Congrats, you goober.” She whined, protests already forming on her tongue. “Thahat ihisn’t fahair! Sohore loser!”

Stan scratched and scribbled between each bone, acting as if it was just a normal conversation. “It’s totally fair. I don’t remember there being a rule against tickling the winner.” She scrunched up her nose, mock-glaring at him. “Thahat- youhu- uhuhugh!”  

It was adorable to see his relatives’ reactions. He loved to hear their laughs, see them smile, make them forget about the crazy lives they’d led for just a second. The whole “Weirdmageddon” fiasco had done a bit of damage. Stan took any chance he could get to make them feel like regular kids again. Dipper had already gotten his go; now it was Mabel’s turn.

“B-buhuhut- HEHEHEY! NOHOT THE PIHIHIHITS!” He poked her armpit, making the girl squeal. “It’s cute how you two share everything. Makes tickling the snot out of ya a whole lot easier.” It was gonna be a long day…

#Happy Halloween! #gf tickle #lee!dipper #lee!mabel #ler!stan #ler!ford #ticklish!dipper #ticklish!mabel #sfw tickling community #augtickletober2023 #tickle fic #tickle #gravity falls tickle #gravity falls #ler!stanford #ler!stanley #tickletober #augtickletober #hide and tickle #gf dipper #gf mabel #gf ford #gf stan

[x-liv25-jamieswife]

cute little rec on Grayson being good with kids?

grayson being good with kids

of course! i have made a hcs post about gray being a girl dad. i'm not sure whether you're talking about him as a father or just being good with kids in general, but, since i made one about him being a girl dad, i'll just do in general. if this isn't what you wanted though, feel free to drop another request. hope you like them<3. @catapparently helped with this one.

i know i said i wouldn't do hcs about his own kid, but my friend brought this up and i found it too cute to not include; if grayson has a son, he'd buy matching suits with him.

once, their grand father hosted a gathering with other important families at hawthorne house. the families brought their kids, and grayson took care of all of them. he took them to the bowling alley; grayson was terrified that the kids would squash their little fingers under the bowling balls.

grayson doesn't really like signing autographs, but if a little kid comes up to him and asks him for one, he does it with no hesitation and adds a little heart after his name.

he once went on a humanitarian trip to a poorer country and made everyone food. he would personally go up to the little kids and give them plates. his hear would melt when the kids beamed up at him.

grayson gossips with his nieces and nephews when he drives them to school.

grayson has an obsession with the way babies smell. whenever influential families attend events with their newborns, grayson is the first to offer to hold them just so he can smell them.

speaking of holding kids, he loves stroking their head. he finds their hair so soft and fuzzy. it's an addiction.

on his humanitarian trip, he would buy supplies to make care packages for the little kids.

speaking of buying gifts for kids, he would most definitely buy gifts for his nieces and nephews like every week. he would go out and buy one this for each of them and put them in gift bags.

kids come over during balls and events so often that grayson bought tons of toys and things to entertain them. he has a basket in his room filled with toys and gadgets he worked on with xander.

he used to work as a tutor for free for people who didn't have the means to pay for a tutor. he had a website and all where people could book appointments.

he sometimes heads to those libraries where you read books to little kids to do just that, read to them. he'd add a lot of emotion into his voice and would just be really dramatic (like "aNd LuCy jUmPeD oFF oF ThE cLiFf InTo ThE WaTeR, JusT LiKe My Ex GiRlfRiEnD (but she died)" the kids: :o))

he brings his old kids books to those street libraries.

he's an amazing painter, and sometimes paints commissions for free. he specifically paints paintings for little kids.

when kids come over during galas and events, he'll bring them to the piano room (cause the most definitely have that) and performs songs for them.

when he does this, he takes pictures of the kids laughing and having fun and gives them to the parents.

he loves giving little kids piggy back rides and throwing them into the air. he loves hearing their laughs.

he visits hospitals often to give the little kids gifts and stuff and keep them company.

he literally lets kids do anything to him. he lets them do his makeup, will eat anything they make, etc.

he's very talented when it comes to calming kids down. he can literally get a kid to stop crying in the blink of an eye.

whenever he's out and sees a mother/father struggling with their kid while putting the groceries in their car or smth. he jumps out of his car and offers to take care of the kid (people trust him bc of how famous he is)

when he sees them struggling, he literally gives them all of the paper money in their wallet bc he hates seeing little kids and their parents struggling

he somehow helps get kids orphanages gets adopted. idk how but he does.

he learned to sew just so he could make little outfits for kids.

he adores playing peek a boo with little newborns cause he loves to see the expressions they make.

he has a really nice singing voice and can sing beautiful lullabies. kids fall asleep in a matter of seconds when he sings them to sleep.

he wrote a kids book when he was 16.

he makes audiobooks for kids books.

#the inheritance games #grayson hawthorne #jameson hawthorne #avery grambs #the grandest game #lyra kane #xander hawthorne #nash hawthorne

[misguidedasgardian]

The White Dragon (18)

18. Second sons

MASTERLIST

Summary: The heir to the Driftwood throne and the one-eye prince perspective on things

Pairings: main Harwin Strong x Fem!Targaryen reader

Warnings: cursing, medieval and A song of ice and Fire AU customs, someone getting unceremoniously beheaded, use of the word bastard, Aemond’s thoughts on things, talks about underage marriage and customs, insults, canon level violence. AEMOND BEING JEALOUS AND A LITTLE PETTY (A warning on itself, and a little OOC) MIght miss some.

+18, MINORS DNI

Wordcount: 4.1k

Notes: After the last chapter where we saw the new dynamic between the two families, now we crash it with Rhaenyra’s, more Targaryens more drama I’d believe 

You and a great part of the court waited for your sister and her family in the courtyard. You had made sure to make it grand, she was the heir to the throne. Banners were being lifted, and with your own father’s blessing, a tourney was being organized. Your father is so happy to have Rhaenyra back.

He had regained his spirits, he had risen from his bed, ready to receive her. 

So when her carriage arrived, you, and Aemma were ready to receive them alongside other members of the court. And beyond that, you were to escort them to see the King in his private chambers

“It’s been a while”, you mock, as she walk up the stairs 

“It has”, and you took the liberty to hug her against your chest.

“Welcome cousins”, Aemma greeted Jacaerys and Lucerys, “it’s been a long time since we have seen each other”

“Since you visited Dragonstone and took a dragon”, said Jacaerys and Aemma couldn’t figure out if he was bitter about that or that is just what he looked like regularly.

“You have grown!”, said Lucerys, who was just one year older

“And you as well cousin”, she giggled. And then she looked upon Bhaela and Raena, and greeted them as well

“Uncle!”, you hugged Daemon too

“Dear niece”, he greeted, and as you greeted your cousins and nephews, “it’s good to be home”

“Is good to have you, I hope this is a lengthy visit”, you whispered back.

You let all of your children disperse into the Red Keep, as you led Daemon and Rhaenyra towards your fathers chambers. 

“I must warn you, father is not the same he has been six years ago”, you whispered, “he is very sick, he does not even attend small council meetings”, the sickness has taken half of his face

“I see”, Rhaenyra nodded at you as the guards announced you and you entered the King’s privy chambers 

“My daughter!”, your father was seated by the fire, he couldn’t stand up but Rhaenyra hastily trotted to his side, “it's so good to see you and have you here, my daughter!”, he repeated 

“Father��, she answered with a shy smile. 

My daughter, that kind of burned inside of you, as you shared strange looks with Daemon

“It's so good to have you here, my heir, I've missed you”. It was RHaenyra who had expelled herself from court and left in your father’s hour of greatest need, but as soon as she is here all is forgotten.  

You shook your head

You couldn’t think like that, she is your sister, all of this you are doing is for her

Well, exactly, you are doing it, you are the one doing the work

You excuse yourself from the reunion and leave your father’s chambers. They need to catch up, the three of them, together. 

When you found your children, they were gathering in the courtyard. You entered by the terrace, from where your father used to watch the boys practice 

Rhaegar was training with Steffon, Aemond with Arryk, and then… your eyes drifted to the corner of the courtyard, where Jacaerys and Lucerys stood, watching with wide mouths at the two young men’s skill. 

Harwin, who was supposed to be in shift with the City Watch walked inside the courtyard, dismissing Rhaegar, who had begged him to watch him in his latest training since he had managed to best Ser Steffon, and yet he had never showed up. Harwin kept walking until he greeted Jacaerys, hugging him tightly. 

Rhaegar got distracted and Steffon managed to scratch his arm, making him whine. But not even then Harwin looked at him, instead keeping his undivided attention in his first son. 

Rhaegar was fine, but after he was distracted, he lost his temple and strength, so bad Steffon made him stop.

Meanwhile Harwin had encouraged Jacaerys and Lucerys to grab their own blades to spar, their abilities truly lacking, while Aemond and Rhaegar were managing to fight alongside members of the Kingsguard. 

You shook your head again, not wanting to compare. Trying to make the dark thoughts flee your head. 

But Jacaerys was the heir to the throne

You saw from the gallery how Aemond grabbed Rhaegar’s shoulder, and walked with him to a corner, they seemed to talk, the older Prince seemed to speak words of comfort as Rhaegar only nodded. agreeing on whatever he was seeing. And then, they both walked with purpose back to their teachers, ready to spar again. And what you saw in your son’s eye was determination. And then both boys started some sort of deadly dance. Rhaegar was moving with a fluency that amazed you. Like a dancer, moving the swords in each of his hands with a skill you had never seen before. Steffon was trying hard to keep up, wielding the same two blades as his young opponent. 

With a loud sound he managed to disarm one of Steffon’s blades, the sound making everyone look at them, even Harwin, and then, Rhaegar kept going at him, making him lose ground, making him fall back, until he blocked a desperate blow with one sword and threatened Steffon’s neck with the other, making him yield and declare him a victor. 

A huge emotion flooded you, making you clap your hands desperately, wanting to communicate how proud you were of him. And then you saw it, Rhaegar heard you, looking up at you and smiling

“You saw that mama?”, he asked, making everyone laugh, including you. He was still a child in a deadly young man’s body. 

The hearing was held after noon. The air became tense when Vaemond entered the courtyard surrounded by Velaryon’s soldiers and banners. Interrupting your son’s practice, they decided to get immediately to the hearing.

He was a petulant little man. Blinded by greed

And you were all made to stand there as he laid claim to a seat he had no chance of getting. It was bitter, it was true, but Lord Corlys has his wife, Princess Rhaenys, still alive, and grandsons and granddaughters.

Your father listened intently, more bored than everything else.

Your father had risen from his dying bed to be here today for Rhaenyra, the Greens plans were stumped as they barely hatched. 

“I don’t understand Lord Vaemond, the only person in this room that could say, openly, what are the true desires of Lord Corlys regarding his succession, is Princess Rhaenys”. The Queen who never was, stood forward. You had always had deep admiration from her, sadly your own lives would keep you apart.

“He had express deeply that Lucerys, his oldest grandson, is to be the heir to the driftwood throne, and it pleases me to announce, that Rhaenyra has express her desire to wed Lucerys to my granddaughter Rhaena, and Jacaerys to Baela, and I agree”

“Is settled, then”, your father sentenced, “once again”

But Vaemond wouldn’t take it, and as the most incapable person you ever met to read a room, he stood in front of the entire court and royal family dn questioned your father

“That is not true Velaryon!”, he screamed, pointing at the pale skin of Lucerys, “her children are bastards!”, you opened your eyes widely, and wondered if this was all a plot with the greens. And you guessed it truly was. “And she is a whore!” he sentenced, and you saw it happened, Daemon looked at Rhaenyra and she nodded slightly, and then he sneaked in behind Vaemond and…

“I’ll have your tongue for this!”

His head rolled

“He can keep his tongue”

It was so fast you guessed he barely felt it, one second he was screaming profanities and the next his body was in one palace and the upper part of his head was in another. 

You stared at the body in the ground… a pond of blood growing around it.

As Otto Hightower demanded your uncle to be surrounded and disarmed and the court fell into chaos… You just stared at that body. And when you looked up you found Rhaenys staring back at you, and you didn’t know why. 

You looked at your own family, Rhaegar had hugged Aemma to hide her face in his chest, Maekar was solemnly standing, looking away. And when you looked at the other side of the hall was Aemond, in a clear defensive position, Alicent was guarding Helaena, and Aegon even seemed amused by the scene unfolding in front of him. 

Harwin, by your side, chuckled darkly

“That is what you get to mess with the true line of succession”, he whispered. And you found his words truly surprising. He seemed pleased.

Your eyes found Vaemond’s Velaryons body again .

This is what happens when you fuck with the true line of succession.

Your father didn’t even seemed fazed, looking at the scene unfold in front of him

He didn’t understand

He didn’t understand why he had to break bread with his half-sister’s family. With Rhaenyra’s family.

He was conflicted about what he was feeling at the moment. His eye trailed all the members of his family that were attending the feast. There was Helaena, Aegon, Maekar, Rhaegar, Aemma, Jacaerys, Baela, Rhaena, Lucerys at his other end, Harwin Strong, his uncle Daemon and then his half sisters, and then the King, Queen, his grandfather. and then him again. And bitter as sweet thoughts roamed his mind depending on who he was looking at. He felt good, he felt appreciated, and he even felt loved when he looked at the Strongs, but when he looked at the false Velaryons he felt bitter, he felt angry. He didn’t want them there. 

He was accustomed to living with the family of the Princess, he enjoyed it too. They had become his family, they had a dynamic, a routine, they fit perfectly in it. They helped him grow, he believed he himself had helped them grow in turn.

When she arrived six years ago she insisted they ate together every night.

Before this, his mother would feed them in their own chambers, only in the company of his siblings and then each went their separate ways. But when you arrived you made sure you dined together at least four times a week. Rhaenyra had left the Keep, so it was only your family and his… And it was better because of it, no tension, no angry looks or resentment. And he would rather be caught dead than to admit how much he enjoyed those nights.

Rhaegar, of course, was always the center of attention, because he was such a good narrator, he would talk about his day in such detail and gravitas that caught everyone's attention, and even though if he had been there himself, he would always enjoy the tales of the youngest twin. And he would include him in his tales as well, always with great praise especially in their training sessions

Viserys seemed to enjoy those tales, even his grandfather Otto seemed to chuckle and toast to the young man. He even made his mother giggle.

Maekar was a little more quiet, but seeing both twins interact with each other was even more entertaining. He was more the reader, like he, they would often entertain each other with questions and discussions about philosophy and history, their favorite subjects. 

Ser Harwin always had a nice remark to make about his sons, and even about Aemond, praises about their training. 

His beautiful Aemma would giggle, always at his sister's side. Oh, his sister, she seemed so happy with her niece, even if Helaena was six years older than her, they were always seen together, talking, or even not talking at all but keeping each other's company. In their dinners they would always sit together and chat and giggle between them. Helaena would often reject any touching from a person, even her mother, but Aemma would often hug her and lay her head in her shoulder or vice versa and she would be content 

Aegon was drunk most of those dinners, he had stopped attending training lessons on pathetic excuses and he was neglecting his studies. You tried to keep him close, he tried, Maekar tried, but nothing ever worked. He was harming Helaena, the two children they had, and himself. At least he had the decency to appear to the dinners, even if shortly after he disappeared from the Keep and let himself get lost in the streets of King’s Landing.

He enjoys their training with Rhaegar, he enjoyed learning with Maekar, he enjoyed having Aemma by his side and hear her sweet voice and teach her High Valyrian and discuss history and geography with her. He enjoyed reading tales in High Valyrian out loud while his sister and betrothed sewed in the same room, and Vaegor, Jaehaerys and Jahaera played, all of them enjoying the sound of his voice, and asking him how to pronounce certain words. He enjoyed meeting with his half-sister to talk about politics, play chess while you both discussed matters of war and supposed sceneries 

Yes, Aemond enjoyed his life with his extended family. 

His mother, Alicent, absolutely loaded Ser Harwin Strong years ago, and when he was young, he understood why, he had fathered Jacaerys and then he married the other princess and gave her sons too. He had horrible morals and he was compensated, endangering Rhaenyra, and her sons. He mocked Jacaerys and also Lucerys because of this, they were bastards and everyone should know, even though the youngest didn’t look like the strongest knight in the seven Kingdoms. 

But six years ago, when Harwin and the Princess’ family came to live here, he started seeing things differently. He saw the man almost every day, Harwin started training him, and of course alongside his sons, and he was a good person, a decent man, and an even more amazing Knight, and above all, he was a great father and husband. 

He watched with envy the interactions between him and his sons, and he wished he had a similar bond with his own father.

But Viserys was old and sickly

So he started to take what he could. He started to relate more to his nephews, to the husband of his half-sister, and even, Ser Steffon, his mentor and trainer. 

So he sat in the corner of the table, brooding, when he had to share the table and break bed with the Velaryon bastards and their horrid mother. Who came for the first time in six years and thought they owned the place

They had taken his eye, they had mistreated him, mocked him, all of his youth for not having a dragon, and Aegon helped too. He looked at Aemma at the other side of the table. They would have mocked her too if it weren’t for her being raised in Harrenhal and then because of her brothers that always defended her so fiercely. 

His eye trailed her face to find that white line in the top of her upper lip. Her lips had recovered beautifully, but the white line was still there, taunting him. She found him staring and gave him a warm smile like she used to

She never resented him for hurting her, it was an accident, and either way, she had made a full recovery, unlike him. His eye were never coming back.

And it was because of Jacaerys 

And now he was there, laughing and chatting with Rhaegar. Well he did believe that the Strong could even strike a conversation with one of the silent sisters if given the chance 

His nephew, his friend, someone that he considered and held more dear to him than his own brother.

Perhaps what he was feeling that night was jealousy 

Especially since Jacaerys was leaning over his Aemma to talk to Rhaegar, making the girl blush by his closeness. He growled, unpleased, capturing the attention of his brother Aegon, who following his angry gaze found exactly the source of his brother’s bitterness and chuckled darkly 

“Seems Jacaerys won’t ever tire of taking things from you brother”, he mocked 

“He will never have Aemma”, he said back 

“Yes I might train with two swords but Aemond is the real star”, he heard the dark haired young man said, and both looked in his direction, “he could totally beat my ass”, he chuckled

“I would like to spar with you, uncle” muttered Jace, with both of you

“Oh we don’t fight each other”, said Rhaegar, “is Ser Steffon’s rule, he never pins us against each other, we are always together against him, Ser Arryk or Cole or anyone else” 

Oh but he wouldn’t mind spar against Jacaerys and teach him a thing or two, after all, he wasn’t his training partner, he was nothing to him… Perhaps maybe he could truly injure him and pretend it was an accident, those do happen, after all. 

“But we can make an exception with you nephew”, he said darkly 

His mother said his life could be forfeit when Rhaenyra took the throne. So he looked at his half-sister and he imagined bending the knee to her instead of Rhaenyra. She was somebody he could trust. She would never hurt him or Helaena. She was Strong enough to stake her claim with other contenders for the throne. Nobody would blink an eye, nobody would even look at Aegon with her on the throne. 

He would marry his sweet Aemma and live a life here at his family’s side, perhaps Aegon could fuck off to the other side of the Narrow sea, but Helaena would stay here, he would make sure of it, and the children. Aegon didn’t deserve them. 

A life in the Keep at Aemma and Helaena’s side seemed heavenly, something out of his best dreams. Perhaps one day, the princess now queen would name him hand of the Queen, since they both enjoyed their chats about politics all to much

But his fleeting hopes were drowned out by the toasts of Rhaenyra, in honor of his mother, and the toast of his own mother, regarding Rhaenyra. His mother was bowing her head towards the Black Princess. And he found himself growing more angry. Aegon was not fit to be King, but Rhaenyra wasn’t either.

Yes she was firm, and joust, but… he looked right in front where her bastards were dining and drinking. Pathetic.

“To Prince Aegon and Prince Aemond, we have not seen each other in years but I have fond memories of our shared youth, so as men, I hope we may yet be friends and allies, to you and your families’ good health, uncles!”, greeted Jacaerys

“The only fond memories I have of our shared youth are the ones where my dear Aemma is in”, he said, hiding his mouth in his cup of wine

“You too”, answered Aegon to Jacaerys. 

You sat there, in the middle of Harwin and Rhaenyra, who were talking over you like you weren't there. He had praised Jacaerys’ swordsmanship, he had complimented Lucerys in his new position to inherit the Driftwood throne, and he had praised her and how beautiful she had  become in the last years. And how eloquently she had defended Lucerys today in the hearing

Even your father had talk highly of his eldest daughter and heir

And you wondered

Why? For what? What have you been doing the last six years?

Putting your life on hold to keep the place warm for your sister. Sacrificing yours and your children's safety in her service. Who had attended all the small council meetings and lost sleep thinking of ways to passively fight those who would oppose your sister’s reign? Who had abandoned the peacefulness and safety of her home to lock herself in the Red Keep?

Not even a word of praise

Not even a fucking thank you 

Second place is all you were going to get. 

You wanted to cry.

You wanted to tell Harwin to shut up

You didn’t do it for the praise, you did it because you wanted to, to keep your family together and not in the hands of the High Towers. But you were tired, you weren’t cut for it, or perhaps, you were cut too perfectly for a job that was never going to be truly yours.

You wanted to take your children and go back to White Hall, with your tree and your tower and the growing library, dragon rides and Valyrian lessons. No septas and schemes, and vile tongues and plots, no political neusenses. Where your children could be free, and your dragons could be free. 

“Another tribute”, Aemond demanded, as he rose from his seat catching everyone’s attention., raising his cup, “To my dear half sister…”, and just when you thought he was looking at Rhaenyra, he turned to you, “sitting by my mother’s side, helping to rule this kingdom, the true unifier of our family”, he continued, “You give our family an stellar training partner, a insatiable scholar, and most importantly, you gave us sweet Aemma… to you and your family’s health, good sister”. And to your surprise, many shared the sentiment. And you smiled warmly.  

“To our family, together and united”, you chanted, and again they all followed, “thank you for your kind words dear brother”. You looked at Aemma that was smiling warmly at Aemond, but Jacaerys whispered something near her ear that made her turn to him, looking at him surprised

“I’m perfectly happy with this arrangement”, you heard her whispered, so close to Jacaerys that was almost improper

“They make a handsome couple”, Viserys whispered to you, and you looked with emergency when you realized he was referring to Jacaerys and Aemma 

“They are both already betrothed father”, you whispered back over Rhaenyra

“But they are still so young, and nothing is set in stone, look at them”. In some dark corner of his fragile mind, he wanted Aemma ruling alongside Rhaenyra’s successor. That would be the ultimate match. Rhaenyra’s blood and his sweet Aemma incarnated 

“Jacaerys can marry Aemma, and Bhaela can marry Aemond, that is what will truly unite our houses”, he sentenced

“But father”, you argued, the table silent in one second. Harwin grabbed your hand and squeezed. And you looked at him with urgency. Your father stood up, with Alicent’s help, and guards led him out of the table and the chamber. He had beginning coughing and needed to rest, and let the family in an unsavory discussion 

“It should have been done from the beginning”, he said, “Our daughter and Jacaerys in the Iron Throne”, and you couldn’t believe his words. His two children in the Iron Throne more like it. 

Was he also blinded by greed like Vaemond? Was this his plan all along? You looked into your husband’s eyes and decided that no, he hadn't planned this from the beginning, he wasn’t like that. But the chance was right there, perhaps something had made him think Jacaerys was more suited to marry Aemma than the one-eyed Prince. But you didn't think so.

“We gave our word”, you whispered back

“Is what the King wants”, he said

“Is not what I want”, you fought 

“You are refusing the heir to the Iron Throne?”, your sister asked out loud. Your eyes found your daughter’s and she looked at you worried, and then she looked at Aemond. 

“Daemon say something”, you demanded, “I’m sure you feel offended, Baela should marry Jacaerys as agreed upon”

“Yes, I’m with you”, he said, drowning his worry in the cup of wine in his hand. 

Aemond, who had clearly heard the conversation, stood up violently, catching the attention of everyone at the table. What you missed is that Lucerys had been giggling at his expense too. He stormed out of the room 

You followed discreetly, when all the conversations resumed. You found him in the Godswood, looking at the heart tree. You got close to him, letting your presence be known, but slowly like he was a wild animal. 

“Did the news of the new betrothal upset you?”, you asked

“You are a second son, just like me…”, he continued, “you should know what it feels like to have things taken away from you to be given to those born naturally before you, even if they don’t deserve it”, you kept quiet 

“It’s a difficult place, the one we occupy”, you agreed, “why are you so intent on marrying Aemma?”, you asked then. And he seemed to ponder, but didn’t say anything, “You better have a good reason. Because I’m not marrying Aemma to Jacaerys”, you told him, he looked over at you with his eye, sharply, “and that is the hill I’m willing to die on”

More notes: just second sons…. the princess, Aemond, Daemon, Veamond. I decided to give the family a couple more years for their dramas before everything goes to crap again 😂

You have no idea how I deleted and wrote again some parts... we still have some family events ahead of us before the dance starts... and next chapter, we have a special guest joining the game... because I'm a pleaser and it also makes sense... we have a tournament with a very special northener guest 😂😂

taglist! ❤️@tearsarcane @integra1127 @aestmilky @thanyatargaryen @tythaitie @lostinworldofdarkness @voodoogoul @wildmindedbeauty32 @lil-pudd @alicattx @electric-bloo @astaaan-lol @stargaryenx @kaitieskidmore1 @bregarc @lilpnd @jcpenneyyy @janelei @fexibau @ladyoakenshield157 @danielle-leah1997 @lady-ragnvindr @cecilyjmorgenstern @omgsuperstarg @bugheadskid @batprincess1013 @her-fandom-sanctum @holb32 @blue1006 @stargaryenx @grippleback-galaxy

#harwin strong x reader #harwin strong x targaryen reader #harwin strong #ser harwin strong #ser harwin x reader #harwin breakbones #house targaryen #targaryen!oc #targaryen!reader #hbo house of the dragon #house of the dragon #misguidedhotd #rhaenyra targaryen

[ronsenthal]

Part five and final of Jess Reads Fierce Valor as we reached his post WWII military career, his retirement and last years of his life

Notes: Please read the book and take your own conclusions if you can, this is my view and my own clonclusion from my experience reading it

okay now really not much happens, he got married for a second time, stayed in the army, got divorced again

he came to the veterans reunion in 1947 and then never showed up again until some 50 years later

he made his final combat jumps in Korea, he had like 4 which was like a LOT

btw do you guys remember Albert Blithe from the series right? Right! the guy lived after recovering from his wounds and actually served in the 187th Infantry Regiment, guess who was the company commander? thats right! our very own bald man

ok so he worked and had time studied Russian and became the governor os Spandau, at this time there was already some cold war shit going on

speaking of shit, his german was shitty (so is mine!!!) so he couldn't quite undestand the prisioners but played chess with one of them??

Ah yes got married and divorced again

trained and organized some stuff for the the Royal Lao Army and some more army duty??? but nothing interesting is said really

he was then Lieutenant Colonel and worked with the Pentagon, it says that his army duty came to an end in 1964 but his name came up in army records in 1965 at a special division, so he had some function? was he a spy? we will never know for sure

okay now he is retired, married again (the man was a machine), had some health related problems and had to do some heart surgeries, like 5 of them or even more

at this point he was really introspective over his life, then the Ambrose book came and old man was PISSED because guess what??? Ambrose didn't even bothered to actual fact check his book and Speirs felt that he did dirty to his first ex-wife and even to himself

Dick became his biggest advocate and tried so many times to reunited him to the last members of Easy but he couldn't, he even begged Speirs but remember he is a Taurus so he said no again and again

toward his late years and after the release of the book he was afraid some n30-naz1s would come after him for some kind of vengeance so he asked for his name adress and personal info to be removed so Dick was the only one who knew hot to contact him

then there was the reunion for the screening of Band of Brothers and he finally showed up after his last wife made him show up and it was really emotional, Matthew Settle just watched the real Speirs and Dick watching the first ep and then Matthew showed up on his door and asked him to sing his cast, cause he got hurt his feet somehow

oh right forgot to mention that he loved his poodles, he was really into square dance (I don't know what the hell this is don't ask me), had some weird hobbies like pan for gold on rivers??? also normal ones like playing golf and he was also a nice elderly to his grand-sons and great-grand-sons, nephews, nieces and stuff

he had really bad PTSD specially while sleeping ans even after being retired he couldn't relax while sleeping and always eat his food fast.

he wouldn't let people kill spiders, like black widow spiders because of the William Wallace story and because he served in a company that the symbol and nickname was one

also he didn't talked about his army life like AT ALL, he said it was harder for him to remember things since he spent great part of his life om the army while the other guys served like with one company and that was it, for me it's clear it was bullshit he was so hard on himself and self critical on the basic stuff he didn't so one can only imagine how he dealt with the heavy stuff

his final years he was losing his strength, already loss great part of his hearing and was so ashamed of it and was really frustrated and miserable

after his death this one person of his family took his ashes and spread somewhere in a beautiful lake near the Canadian border where he rests today, quite emotional really

Okay so overall this was such a great reading, it's really a testament to how complex, mysterious and sometimes twisted his character really was.

I loved how the authors didn't pushed any agenda or narratives, I feel like they did a good job because they didn't tried to justify any of his actions, they just wanted to bring as many facts to the table as they could so we, as readers, could come up with our own conclusions

Mine is: He was crazy indeed, he did some questionable stuff and it took it's toll on him during and after the war, but also really cared for the man on his side, he sure could be cruel, flawed, cold blooded, impetuous and a true killer, but at the same time protective, respectful, really smart and incredible skilled as a leader, so much that everyone respected him for it, some loved the man dearly, some despised and that it was what truly amazed me by

A big thank you to everyone who followed my dumb takes during this reading, it was really fun to do!!!

taglist: @mads-weasley, @mutantmanifesto, @love--persevering, @gorgeousundertow, @grumpy-liebgott, @wexhappyxfew, @latibvles, @1waveshortofashipwreck and @executethyself35

#ronald speirs #band of brothers #dick winters #jess reads fierce valor #mw*

[its-elvie-innit]

Far far far in the depths of the federation, where they keep their prisoners in dust and drab. I know in my heart baghera sits on the floor awaiting what is next. I know in my heart she is surrounded by silence and an overwhelming feeling of dread, of knowing that she escaped once and they brought her back. Even if she gets off the island, they will always bring her back.

I know in my heart that she has her head settled against the stone walls as she stops straining her ears for noise because there is none. Her mind has decided to stop for a minute in this place. It could have been one day, it could have been twenty. She is sad and alone and her wings are dirty, dragging against the unclean surfaces, and all she will know for however long she is in here is uncertainty doubt and dread.

A step. A noise. She lifts her head.

There are footsteps, coming down the corridor leading to the long line of prison cells she is in. A big white metal door obscures whatever would be in her view. It doesn't block out the noise.

She scrambles for a second, towards the bars, away from them, before reaching an unhappy medium between crouched and raised in a dark corner close to her cell door. If they grab her, she can run for it. She's stronger than them. She hopes she is.

The footsteps are closer now.

They halt quietly in front of the door, but there are still little sounds, like shuffling and scuffing feet against the floor. There are more of them, then.

The single keypad on the big metal door clicks.

On her haunches, baghera prepares herself for whatever is to come. The door swings open-

Cucurucho.

He doesn't look at her.

Instead, the bear pivots to blow bubbles where she can't see, the wall she is pressed against blocking most of her view. She listens.

Softly, the shuffling starts up again where she hadn't noticed it stopping, and cucurucho turns to continue. He passes Bagheras cell, completely, not even sparing her a head turn to acknowledge. She waits for a moment in anticipation of another bear, and gets... not that.

Instead she sees the bright yellow of richarlysons tennis shoes.

Baghera leaps forwards, terrified. That is her nephew, behind a set of bars she cannot get out of. He is here, in a place he should not be, should never be, and his fathers must be terrified she is so scared for him, she is asking him why he is here in a language he doesn't even speak-

Richas looks at her, and with the speed of a Grand Prix Formula 4, Baghera realizes that this little child, with his tiny hands and tinier eyes, has a massive crack running up the full length of his torso.

And he is not alone.

A better angle lets Baghera see not only Richas, but Chayanne behind him, and Tallulah, where they are connected by holding hands. She cannot see the others behind the door, but it is more than just them.

"Mon dieu.." it is hard to get the English words out so they can all understand, "What.. has happened?"

Richas is dirty. As is Chayanne, and Tallulah. They each get progressively worse, with the older siblings cracks spreading further even than they did when she saw them last. Every one of them have wide eyes and their little hands grasp hers, trying to make words with their faces, trying to make her understand because they don't have signs, they have no where to place them if they did, they don't have the time-

Cucurucho has pulled an egg gently from her hands.

He is not a gentle creature. She yells at him, and tries to reach for the other two through the cage, gets to her elbows before she is screaming as they too are pulled from her grasp. These are her kids, they are her family, they are her nephews and nieces-

They are her kids.

"Dapper!" She half-yells, half-screams, and she calls his name first because she will not believe her littlest egg is here. She has only seen three, so maybe none of them are in this wretched place, and she can know they are safe at home in bed. "Dapper!" She yells again, and leonarda hears her voice and sees her siblings being ushered forwards in the narrowing corridor. Running for her Tia, they hold hands through the bars, and Leo nearly slips on the damp floor- she is trying to mouth the syllables she needs; Baghera would call her smart, would praise what she learned in school if they had time at all. There is a crack running from her jaw up to her eye, and a matted patch of hair by her ear; and baghera holds onto her trying to lip read. The other kids are struggling, but cucurucho only has a few arms so he continues forward with the first three and leaves Leo to desperately attempt to communicate. Baghera says any word she understands.

"Foolish, taken, us, sleeping, Tia- get AWAY from her!" There were words in between but she couldn't catch them, and Leo is lifted screaming into the air, arm clutched by baghera until she's too scared of hurting her to keep holding on. All she knows is that the eggs behind Leo have started to rush in. Ramón is next, and behind him an egg already reaching out to hold, skin the same as pitch, and his white eyes open and scared like she's only seen once. Baghera holds onto both of them before being lifted, but this time she does not let go. Dapper won't either. Her arm is being squeezed between the bars and she can feel her shoulder being lifted almost out of her skin, but she will not let go. Ramon slips away from her, barely keeping grip on her non-dominant hand, so screaming, she latches onto Dapper.

She is in a tug-of-war with the bear over her son. Baghera is a mother, and she will not lose.

Cucurucho gives up attempting to handle all three for the moment. Ramòn and leonarda are both biting its arms, fractures running through Ramòns lips where his mustache used to be- they are fighting the good fight, and filled with fear, they are still little monsters.

Dapper holds her as she runs fingers through his dirty black hair and pushes palms against his face that come away wet. She is worried, and he cannot talk, but they press foreheads together anyway and Baghera tries to understand him just through skin.

"Dapper, Dapper, mon puce, what happ- where, where is your sister, are you all alright, are you okay?" She cradles his face in her hand and speaks so fast she would doubt him understanding her if she didn't know better. "You are okay. We are okay, my baby, look what they did to your face"

Dapper leans in closer and tugs on her hair urgently. There is focus in his eyes, like there always is, despite the noise and clamor and stress she knows he is under. His top-hat is gone, and that is all she can think as he starts to pull off a shoelace from his patent leather shoes and knots it between them quick as a whip, tied to the swinging door on both sides with tight knots. Then, he leans down and struggles for a second with his second one.

A tinier hand reaches down and pulls it loose for him.

Pomme.

Baghera loses it. Her child.

Squeezing past the door and grabbing at the bars as dapper starts to twist the second shoelace. Her little girl.

There is a crack, but calling it a crack would be..

There is a split. A split in her child, running from her neck down across her upper arms, and, she assumes, the rest of her too. It gapes at her, like a void. Her perfect, untouched child, with both lives and a million safehouses and every tool she could ask for to help her stay alive and safe and.

Baghera reaches her fingers, wrist tied to the bars, up to the shaky scratches on Pommes face. Animal marks.

It does not make her love this child any less. Pommes eyes are strong and hard like her brothers. She is not shaken, even though she is shaking. She is still her pomme.

It does make her want to burn something down, though.

Cucurucho appears then, and tries to lift her children away from her. There is nothing she can do but yell, scream, and angle her foot out into the gap of the walkway to try and kick this fucking bear over. Dapper and pomme, both with only one arm free appear to be trying to twist its arm off. When it sees the shoelaces keeping her children tied down to her, one last tether to earth, Baghera thinks it is over, reaching out with its surprisingly chainsaw-like claws to snap the threads in two and take away her children, but when it does, the black strings do not cut.

It hesitates, and tries again, but all the laces do is bend a little. Pomme and Dapper nearly kick a dent into its shiny white stomach before Cucuruchos eyes flash with something like defeat and Bagheras door opens. The eggs are pushed through by the very edges of their laces and cucurucho pulls the door shut.

"Enjoy the Island"

It cut half of its platitudes. The bear is probably losing its mind with them right now, but the trio don't even register its exit. Instead they are staring at each other, and then Baghera is trying to reach out and tear the shoelaces off her hands. She is tied down absolutely to the bars, though, and dapper hurries to untie the impossible knot he has around his wrist one handed. Pomme does the same but is notably worse at it, and Baghera starts to take a moment to process the last few minutes. The last few days.

The eggs are in here with her. She has no idea to get out. She doesn't even know why she's here.

Baghera realizes this, and looks at her kids, in shock. They're both untied now and rush forwards to bury themselves under her looped arms. She can smell them through her own dirt, filth built up under their skin, even, and tucks her elbows closer so she can hug them tighter. Baghera thinks, and looks at her eggs, and wants to be strong, but really, really can't. The tears start coming.

When they do, Dapper and pomme start too. She can't stop any of them now and figures there's no point even really trying.

They'll be good for cleaning their faces, at least. The tears might get some grime off. She buries her face further into her children's hair. Something terrible hits her though, and it's not the reality of their situation for the first time in the last ten minutes.

"Dappy, we will have to wash your head tomorrow. Have you ever taken a bath without your hat on? Your hair is terrible"

Dapper kicks her in the knee with a smile on his face and pomme starts to giggle and she can tell all of this with her eyes half covered by her kids because they are family, and then Dapper starts to laugh, and so does she, and soon they are all laughing through their tears and grime because they are family. Baghera chokes a laugh between them and decides she will not think about where they are again until she is certain she can think rationally. She pulls back and gives each of her eggs a kiss to the forehead before doing so.

"Can you get me out of these shoelaces now? I want to give you hugs properly"

Both kids start to pull away from her with big grins on their faces. She can tell she will not be moving from this spot until they choose. They are stubborn, like her.

They are strong. Like her.

#hiiiii take my fic i meant to make one paragraph of and then was way more than that because i couldnt stop writing #man its 4:20 am i started this AT 3:19....SHUT UPPPPPPP #maybe i will clean this up and fix it to post on ao3. maybe i will. good night #qsmp #etxt #qsmp baghera #qsmp pomme #qsmp dapper #qsmp fic #writing

[plentyoffandoms]

The Sweetest Gift (Part 2)

Main Masterlist ♡ Actors Masterlist ♡ Pedro Pascal Masterlist

Just like all my other stories, this has not been proofread, but please enjoy.

Warnings: Some swearing.

Gifs & photos do not belong to me. 1st gif @bring-me-in-warm 2nd gif @pascalsky 3rd gif @pajamasecrets 4th gif @300mirrors

WC: 2025

Summary: Pedro runs into an old girlfriend, who has kept a secret from him.

Part 1 can be found here

PEDRO PASCAL'S POV

I had my phone out, ready to call my sister, but she beat me to it.

I barely was able to get out "hello" before she started to go at me about the photos that have shown up online.

"Lux, calm down."

"Do not tell me too calm down. Who is he, and why does he look so much like you?"

"Remember YN?"

"Of course. The love of your life. The one who you let go. Why?:

"I didn't know this, but she was pregnant."

Silence, which is never good with Lux.

"Lux?"

"She had your son."

"And daughter." There was choking on her side of the phone.

"Oh my goodness. We have to meet them. We have to tell everyone."

"It will be me telling them. Not you, Lux."

"Tell me everything. How long have you known? Have you known this whole time, and you didn't bother to tell us?"

I was about to tell her when I realised that maybe I should save the story and tell everyone at once.

It will save me from repeating myself constantly.

I told Lux that idea, and I knew she wasn't happy with my decision, but she understood. Now, I just have to find time to tell them.

Lux, after we hung up, called everyone and made arrangements for us all to meet at our sister's place.

When I told Lux I didn't have time, she told me to make time as this is a family meeting.

So, days later, I found myself sitting in Javiera's living room, surrounded by the most important people in my life.

"Lux says you have something to tell us."

"Is that so Nicolás?" I was trying to play it cool. I'm trying to get them worked up because, well, I know once I tell everyone, they are going to be shocked.

"Do you guys remember YN?"

My siblings looked at one another and said, "Yes, Lux already knows where this is going, but the only two do not.

"She found out a bit after we broke up that she was pregnant, and well, I am a Dad."

The whole room was quiet, and then it was like a bomb went off. Every single person started to throw question after question at me.

"Okay, okay, everyone, quiet down, and I will answer your questions."

Once everyone settled down, I told them story how I found out, and I began to tell them about their niece and nephew.

"Their names are Jose Lucas, but he goes by Lucas, and her name is Verónica Emilia, and she goes by Emilia. Lucas is older by 8 minutes. Born in New York City, but grew up in a small town in Nevada. Their birthday is March 17th, 2000. He is a lawyer, and she is a wedding coordinator."

"And they are here?"

"Yeah, he works for Cravath, Swaine & Moore."

Nicolás let out a whistle at that, then saying that is one of the most prestigious law firms in all of New York.

"Anything else you want to tell us?" Javiera asked, knowing from the look on my face that I have more news to tell.

"Emilia is pregnant. I am going to be a grandfather."

YN'S POV

My children told me they had lunch with their Dad after Lucas ran into him on the street.

I am happy they are getting to know him. I mean, truly know him. Not just from the interviews and articles they read about him.

Emilia has seen him a bit more than Lucas, but I know once he has time, him and Pedro will make time to meet up.

My days usually involve me keeping busy doing the odd errands here and there, but lately, I have been staying home. Enjoying the quiet until my grand baby arrives.

I was watching one of the many new TV series that I have been meaning to watch but never got a chance to, when I heard a knock on my door.

I stood up, confused about who the hell could be knocking on my door. Brandon usually walks in, and he also has a key. I looked through the peephole, and I saw a woman standing there, looking around.

I opened the door just a bit and said, "Yes?" The woman looked at me and smiled.

"Are you YN LN?"

"Yes." Still confused as this woman looks very familiar, but I just can't place from where I know her.

"It has been a long time since we have seen one another. I would have been about 8 or so since the last time we saw one another."

It dawned on me, and I opened the door a bit more. "I am sorry, I don't want to call you the wrong name, but,"

"Yes, YN, it is me. My name is Lux now."

Lux. It suits her.

"Please come in. My goodness, Lux. May I give you a hug?"

The question was barely out of my mouth, and I was hugging her. I never thought I would ever get to see any of his family again.

"You started without me?" A new voice startled us. I almost jumped out of skin when I saw Javiera standing there.

"Javiera, you took too long, and I couldn't wait anymore." Lux said as she took a step back to allow Javiera and I to hug.

"Please come in. Can I get you two anything?" I stepped aside and let them come into my house.

~

The three of us spent hours talking. Catching up on the time that we have missed.

I listened as they talked about their lives and the rest of their family, and I have so dearly missed them. They, like myself, thought that Pedro and I would get married.

The sound of the front door and a male voice calling out my name had the two of them quiet down. "In the dining room, Brandon." I called out, and not even second later, there in the doorway, was my future son-in-law. "I hope I am not interrupting anything?" He asked as he smiled politely at Javiera and Lux.

"No, not at all. I would like you to meet Lux and Javiera." They all said hi to one another.

"Lucas will be here soon for dinner."

I looked at the time, and I noticed the day had gotten away on me. "I will order some pizza. I got a bit preoccupied." I smiled at the two women. "Come and have a seat. I will order from our favourite place and it will be here by the time Emilia and Lucas get home."

~

Emilia and Lucas showed up at the same time. He carried in her shopping bags for her and already placed them in the baby's nursery before coming into the dining room.

"Why is everyone so quiet in here?" He asked, and then he noticed the two new faces.

"Lucas, Emilia, I would like for you to meet your aunts, Javiera and Lux."

I watched as Emilia sat down, stunned at finally meeting two out of three siblings of their Dads.

"Nice to meet you two as well." Lucas said, the one who comes around to things more quickly out of the two.

Brandon was looking at the four of them, his mouth slightly gapped in awe. "Close your mouth, sweetie." I said to him.

~

The six of us finished dinner, and I was cleaning up, wanting them to have time with their aunts.

"So when is the wedding?" Lux asked Brandon and Lucas. "In about 4 and half months now." Lux clapped her hands in excitement. I can already tell by the way Brandon and Lucas are looking at one another that they are going to invite all of Pedro's family.

"And you, Emilia. Your mother told us that you are having a baby shower."

"It is in two weeks. I just found out my Mom made a baby registry so we don't get too many duplicates of stuff."

"If you two are available, I am sure we would love to have you." I called out. Wanting my children to spend as much as they can with their family.

"I will have to look at my schedule, but I am sure I can make it." Javiera said, and Lux said the same thing. I gave them the information.

PEDRO PASCAL'S POV

I was out grabbing some coffee when the paparazzi came swarming. They started to fire off the normal questions. Am I seeing anyone. What are my upcoming plans, but then one had me pause mid-step. 

"Pedro, there have been reports that you have been seen with a young male who looks an awful lot like you and a female." I didn't answer as we have not discussed what I should say.

"Do you have children, Pedro? Have you been lying to us this whole time?"

I ignored them as I got to my car and drove off. I did something stupid and drove to the address that Lux gave me after she informed me that Javiera and her went to YN's house to meet my children.

I already messaged YN that I was on my way to talk. That we need to talk with Lucas and Emilia.

With traffic, it took me a bit too long to get to her place. I knocked on the door, and Lucas answered.

"Dad," He pointed behind me, and I saw the cars stopping and the paparazzi getting out.

"Fuck." Was all I said before I walked into the house, closing and locking the door behind me.

"Close the blinds. Make sure the windows are all shut and locked and any doors as well. Some of them do not understand personal space and will do anything to get a photo of you."

Lucas, Brandon, and YN went around, making sure to do as I asked.

"We need to talk. They are starting to ask questions, and I stupidly brought them right to you."

"You can tell them about us." Emilia said.

"Are you sure? They will hound you until they get what they want."

"Pedro," I looked at YN, and she was calm, and she grabbed my hand and held it in hers.

"We knew this day may come if they ever met you."

"I just want to keep them safe, and that is including Brandon." I told her.

"I know, but they have made up their minds."

"And what about you, YN? They are going to come after you as well."

"Well, they can. I just won't answer them. What happened between us? Well, it happened. No one besides us needs to know what happened between us."

The five of us stayed at YN's place. I found myself not being able to sleep as I was worried about my family, so I started to look around the house.

I saw the photos of Emilia and Lucas all over the place, with YN thrown into the mix and a few newer ones with Brandon.

I heard footsteps, and I saw YN and the bottom of the stairs.

"Couldn't sleep?" I shook my head no.

The two of us sat on the couch that I had taken over for my bed.

"You did good with them." I said to her.

"They had their moments, but they were good kids."

"I am sorry, YN," I went to say more, but YN held up her hand.

"What happened happened, and we are here now together."

"But,"

"No buts, Pedro. We are here now, and we have two beautiful children and a granddaughter on the way. We have to look towards that and not what happened between us."

She was right. YN was usually right about these things. But I still love her, and that hasn't changed at all over decades.

YN went to bed, and I finally fell asleep, waking up only a few hours later to the sounds of YN cooking some breakfast.

And just for one brief moment, I imagined that this was my life as I ate with YN, my children, and my future son-in-law around the table with me.

#pedro pascal imagine #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfic #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal fluff #pedro pascal #female reader #reader imagine #reader insert #pedro pascal x female reader #pedro pascal x y/n #pedro pascal x you

[umgeorge]

We Sat Down With George Russell Ahead Of Grand Prix Weekend

Nothing beats the buzz you'll find in Melbourne ahead of Grand Prix weekend, but the energy in the room with George Russell-British racer who steers the mighty W15 for Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team-is nothing but relaxed. His green room is a cocoon of calm in an otherwise chaotic weekend of press, brand obligations, training, and, of course, actually driving the damn car come lights out on Sunday. Greeted with a cool fist bump ("You alright, mate?"), George parks himself across from me ahead of his appearance at the IWC Chadstone boutique that same evening. Smiles on, eyes attentive, and, of course, with his timepiece in full view of the cameras, we get straight into it with the man who's always on the clock, be it his own, the FIA's, or someone else's.

John McMahon: "George, give us your favourite moment from last season. If you had to pick just one." George: "Crossing the line in Abu Dhabi to secure P2 for the team in the championship, for sure. There was such a tight battle with Ferrari for a number of races and when we went into that race it was sort of me and Charles battling it out, then suddenly, Perez came through quick and he had the five second penalty and it went down to half a second. That was the difference between us finishing second in the championship or third in the championship, and that's 2,000 peoples' bonuses back at the factory, as well. So that was a relief to secure that result for the team."

JM: "What about the off-season? Favourite moment? Do you ever feel like you really switch off?" George: "I would say I managed to switch off for about a week during the off-season, which is pretty good, but I've always got racing on my mind and I'm always dropping my engineers messages and phone calls just with ideas I have of how we can improve. But I think my favourite moment was just seeing my niece and nephew. My sister had a child, as well, in the off-season, so that was a special moment. But just doing normal stuff, being a normal person is what I like the most."

JM: "So you wore a few different watches from IWC last year, but it looks like the one you wore the most was the Ceratanium Top Gun Double Chrono." George: "Yeah, that's my favourite by far. I love it because, when I joined Mercedes as a junior driver, that was the watch that I said I wanted, and when my first IWC arrived from the team it wasn't that watch. [laughs] And it was only three years later that I managed to actually get my hands on that watch when I could afford it and I was actually a part of the Mercedes team, so it means something to me. I think it just looks really, really cool, doesn't it? It's not too out there but it's got quite a sporty look to it, so you can wear it daily. It's my go-to."

JM: "If you had to pick a watch for traveling, a watch for the paddock, a watch for date night… where would you land?" George: "Hmm, for the paddock... Probably what I'm wearing currently, the new Mercedes team watch, the Performance Chronograph from IWC. It's similar to the Top Gun in terms of the colour and the style, but the Petronas green details add a layer of depth, so that would definitely be my paddock watch. Date night, probably the Portugieser Annual Calendar. Keep it classy." JM: "And travel?" George: "I really like the-I can never pronounce it as gracefully as the Swiss-Ingenieur. It's light, easy on the wrist, and fits under a cuff as well. For travelling you never want anything too bulky."

JM: "Last year you did probably one of my all-time bucket list experiences. You embraced the Top Gun ethos in a RAF Typhoon fighter jet. It's probably the only career that's faster than an F1 car. Did it ever appeal to you, that career?" George: "It never appealed to me, but since having the experience of… Well, firstly, I just thought I was going to be a passenger. I didn't know at the time they were going to let me fly, and getting the chance to actually fly it myself, I mean, experience of a lifetime, and would really love to get back up there, because it is like a Formula 1 car up in the skies." JM: "There are a lot of parallels, aren't there?" George: "It's so agile and quick. You've got the joystick in front of you, you just move it and the thing just rolls over instantly. It's the same with an F1 car, when you're traveling, you know, 330 km/h down the straight, you turn into the corner and you zoom immediately to the other side of the track. You're in the cockpit in both respects, but the team is like such a massive part of making that operation actually happen. There's so much camaraderie between everybody. It was like a family away from home as it is for us in Formula 1. Awesome experience, so yeah, a lot of respect for what they're doing."

JM: "The inverse of that: What's the most boring thing about being an F1 driver? You can say interviews like these, I won't be offended." George: "What do you think is the most boring thing about being an F1 driver?" JM: "Probably interviews like these, no? Being pulled left, right and centre the whole time. How about time on a plane?" George: "I want to do the numbers, but I reckon over the course of a year we would spend closing in on I'd go as far as almost a whole month on a plane. All of the flights within Europe alone, I'm doing probably five flights a week on average. There are 4,000 people who travel the world for Formula 1, and it's a very luxurious lifestyle on the face of it, but a lot of time away from home, away from loved ones, a lot of time zone shifts, brutal on the body, but you know we wouldn't change it for the world because we love what we do. It's the best job in the world."

JM: "Let's talk Vegas. It didn't go quite according to plan for you last year, but was such a momentous occasion for the sport and to be under the lights. Talk us through that first time you drove the car down that strip." George: "It was fast and bumpy, one hell of a ride. On the face of it the circuit seemed pretty underwhelming, but when we drove it, it had a huge amount of character. It was great for racing and it was very challenging to drive; really low grip. We were the only category racing, so the track was very green and dusty, so for drivers it was a unique challenge. I think in the race we were doing about 350 km/h. It was very difficult to spot the breaking points 120 metres out. When you're racing in the dark, you've got the buildings between you, all the lights at such wild speeds, it was surreal."

JM: "Aside from the obvious, do you have a personal goal for 2024 that gives us some sort of insight into the man that is George Russell? It could be getting better at Spanish on Duolingo…" George: [laughs] "My girlfriend would love that. No, just to enjoy the journey. I think it's so easy to get caught up in the competitive nature of the sport and the emotional rollercoaster that you go through, the highs and the lows. It's a psychological toll on the body, so you need to turn that into good energy and positivity, happiness, and that's what I'm gonna try and do a bit more of in 2024. We've all got this one life and you just need to maximise it and the days fly by."

JM: "On that same thought then, you've got the likes of Fernando, who we wouldn't be surprised if he's still racing when he’s fifty, and then you've got Nico, who's out on top after taking the championship. Are you a race until the body says no, kind of guy?" George: "I'll be here for a long time. I don't know what I'd do without it, to be honest. I'm not one of these guys who has all of these interests outside the sport. Some people need their passions outside to disconnect as a way of enhancing their performance on the track, and I respect that. For me, my life is racing. But I'm far from achieving what I set out to and believe I'm capable of. The seasons are becoming intense, very intense, and increasingly more challenging with the number of races. I'm fit and healthy and young at the moment, and I'm dealing with it absolutely fine, but I want to make sure that in ten years' time, when I'm 35, that I can deal with a 24 race calendar and I'm still fit and I'm still performing on the top of my game."

JM: "When you get off the plane here in Melbourne, what excites you most about the weekend ahead?" George: "Those first laps and the first practice. That's always a really exciting moment because you head into a race weekend with the unknown. We have an indication of what this weekend's going to bring. We're pretty confident a Red Bull is going to be at the sharp end of the grid. We don't know if we're going to be up there fighting with them, if we're going to be on the back foot, if the car's going to be performing well, if I'm going to be performing well, and those you get an indication after about three laps on track of how your weekend's gonna pan out and it's always a really exciting moment, the unknown. I just can't wait to jump into that car again."

#george russell #f1 #formula 1 #australian gp 2024 #fic ref #fic ref 2024 #australia #australia 2024 #australia 2024 wednesday #not a race #2024 not a race #between saudi arabia and australia 2024 #fernando alonso #tw nico

[russellius]

NOTHING beats the buzz you’ll find in Melbourne ahead of Grand Prix weekend. But the energy in the room with George Russell — British racer who steers the mighty W15 for Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team — is nothing but relaxed.

His green room is a cocoon of calm in an otherwise chaotic weekend of press, brand obligations, training, and of course — actually driving the damn car come lights out on Sunday.

Greeted with a cool fist bump (“You alright, mate?”) George parks himself across from me ahead of his appearance at the IWC Chadstone boutique that same evening. Smiles on, eyes attentive — and of course, with his timepiece in full view of the cameras — we get straight into it with the man who’s always on the clock; be it his own, the FIA’s, or someone else’s.

John McMahon: George, give us your favourite moment from last season. If you had to pick just one.

George Russell: Crossing the line in Abu Dhabi to secure P2 for the team in the championship, for sure. There was such a tight battle with Ferrari for a number of races and when we went into that race it was sort of me and Charles battling it out — then suddenly, Perez came through quick and he had the five second penalty and it went down to half a second. That was the difference between us finishing second in the championship or third in the championship, and that’s 2,000 people’s bonuses back at the factory as well. So that was a relief to secure that result for the team.

JM: What about the off-season? Favourite moment? Do you ever feel like you really switch off?

GR: I would say I managed to switch off for about a week during the off-season, which is pretty good. But I’ve always got racing on my mind and I’m always dropping my engineers messages and phone calls just with ideas I have of how we can improve. But I think my favourite moment was just seeing my niece and nephew. My sister had a child as well in the off season so that was a special moment. But just doing normal stuff, being a normal person is what I like the most.

JM: So you wore a few different watches from IWC last year, but it looks like the one you wore the most was the Ceratanium TOP GUN Double Chrono…

GR: Yeah that’s my favourite by far. I love it because when I joined Mercedes as a junior driver, that was the watch that I said I wanted. And when my first IWC arrived from the team it wasn’t that watch [laughs]. And it was only three years later that I managed to actually get my hands on that watch when I could afford it and I was actually a part of the Mercedes team. So it means something to me. I think it just looks really, really cool, doesn’t it? It’s not too out there but it’s got quite a sporty look to it, so you can wear it daily. It’s my go-to.

JM: If you had to pick a watch for traveling, a watch for the paddock, a watch for date night… where would you land?

GR: Hmm, for the paddock — probably what I’m wearing currently, the new Mercedes team watch, the Performance Chronograph from IWC. It’s similar to the TOP GUN in terms of the colour and the style, but the Petronas green details add a layer of depth. So that would definitely be my paddock watch. Date night, probably the Portugieser Annual Calendar. Keep it classy.

JM: And travel?

GR: I really like the — I can never pronounce it as gracefully as the Swiss — Ingenieur. It’s light, easy on the wrist, and fits under a cuff as well. For travelling you never want anything too bulky.

JM: Last year you did probably one of my all-time bucket list experiences. You embraced the Top Gun ethos in a RAF Typhoon fighter jet. It’s probably the only career that’s faster than an F1 car. Did it ever appeal to you, that career?

GR: It never appealed to me, but since having the experience of… Well, firstly, I just thought I was going to be a passenger. I didn’t know at the time they were going to let me fly. And getting the chance to actually fly it myself, I mean, experience of a lifetime, and would really love to get back up there, because it is like a Formula 1 car up in the skies.

JM: There are a lot of parallels, aren’t there?

GR: It’s so agile and quick. You’ve got the joystick in front of you, you just move it and the thing just rolls over instantly. It’s the same with an F1 car, when you’re traveling, you know, 330 km/h down the straight, you turn into the corner and you zoom immediately to the other side of the track.

You’re in the cockpit in both respects, but the team is like such a massive part of making that operation actually happen. There’s so much camaraderie between everybody. It was like a family away from home as it is for us in Formula 1. Awesome experience, so yeah, a lot of respect for what they’re doing.

JM: The inverse of that… what’s the most boring thing about being an F1 driver? You can say interviews like these, I won’t be offended.

GR: What do you think is the most boring thing about being an F1 driver?

JM: Probably interviews like these, no? Being pulled left, right and centre the whole time. How about time on a plane?

GR: I want to do the numbers but I reckon over the course of a year we would spend closing in on I’d go as far as almost a month a whole month on a plane. All of the flights within Europe alone, I’m doing probably five flights a week on average.

There are 4,000 people who travel the world for Formula 1, and it’s a very luxurious lifestyle on the face of it, but a lot of time away from home, away from loved ones, a lot of time zone shifts, brutal on the body, but you know we wouldn’t change it for the world because we love what we do. It’s the best job in the world.

JM: Let’s talk Vegas. It didn’t go quite according to plan for you last year, but was such a momentous occasion for the sport and to be under the lights. Talk us through that first time you drove the car down that strip.

GR: It was fast and bumpy, one hell of a ride. On the face of it, the circuit seemed pretty underwhelming, but when we drove it, it had a huge amount of character. It was great for racing and it was very challenging to drive — really low grip. We were the only category racing, so the track was very green and dusty, so for drivers it was a unique challenge.

I think in the race we were doing about 350 km/h, it was very difficult to spot the breaking points 120 metres out. When you’re racing in the dark, you’ve got the buildings between you, all the lights at such wild speeds, it was surreal.

JM: Aside from the obvious, do you have a personal goal for 2024 that gives us some sort of insight into the man that is George Russell? It could be getting better at Spanish on Duolingo…

GR: [Laughs] My girlfriend would love that. No, just to enjoy the journey. I think it’s so easy to get caught up in the competitive nature of the sport and the emotional rollercoaster that you go through, the highs and the lows. It’s a psychological toll on the body, so you need to turn that into good energy and positivity, happiness. And that’s what I’m gonna try and do a bit more of in 2024. We’ve all got this one life and you just need to maximise it and the days fly by.

JM: On that same thought then, you’ve got the likes of Fernando — who we wouldn’t be surprised if he’s still racing when he’s 50 — and then you’ve got Nico who’s out on top after taking the championship. Are you a race until the body says no, kind of guy?

GR: I’ll be here for a long time. I don’t know what I’d do without it, to be honest. I’m not one of these guys who has all of these interests outside the sport. Some people need their passions outside to disconnect as a way of enhancing their performance on the track, and I respect that. For me, my life is racing. But I’m far from achieving what I set out to and believe I’m capable of.

The seasons are becoming intense, very intense, and increasingly more challenging with the number of races. I’m fit and healthy and young at the moment, and I’m dealing with it absolutely fine, but I want to make sure that in 10 years’ time, when I’m 35 that I can deal with a 24 race calendar and I’m still fit and I’m still performing on the top of my game.

JM: When you get off the plane here in Melbourne, what excites you most about the weekend ahead?

GR: Those first laps and the first practice, that’s always a really exciting moment because you head into a race weekend with the unknown. We have an indication of what this weekend’s going to bring. We’re pretty confident a Red Bull is going to be at the sharp end of the grid.

We don’t know if we’re going to be up there fighting with them, if we’re going to be on the back foot, if the car’s going to be performing well, if I’m going to be performing well and those you get an indication after about three laps on track of how your weekend’s gonna pan out and it’s always a really exciting moment, the unknown. I just can’t wait to jump into that car again.

#george russell #f1 #*m #australian gp 2024 #aus24 #australia #24 #q #many good bits in here! :) #('being a normal person is what i like the most' ... ❤️‍🩹) #(the parallels in my head are growing)

[vstridb]

HSHQTASK059: FAREWELL !

when did you join ? what made you join ? what do you remember from the plotlines that were current at the time ? where were you in life when you joined and where are you now ?

i joined in early (?) 2017. i had a lucky blue smith fc but that lasted for a hot minute and i ghosted LMAO. then i reapplied with astrid and as a bernadotte, i had sooo much fun <3 i don't remember ANYTHING, i'm sorry i just don't. i think irenton was still in its slowburn era. i was still in high school, about to graduate. now i have a master's degree and i'm working, crazy stuff!!!!

which characters have you written over the years ?

astrid, uriah 1.0 and 2.0, vitaliya, verona, francisco / francois, arvid, a dudley o'shaughnessy fc ( for 1 sec before ghosting )... i think that's everyone ???

what is your favourite plotline that you've been part of ?

i had a lot of fun writing chimei. i think it was the height of hshq for me so it really sticks out to me. idk if the bernadottes as a whole count as a plotline ? i'm such a sucker for them. the NUMBER one plotline though would be the russian plots vitya was part of. i think it's a sign of a good plotline when a 60-year-old character's threads are interesting and have me logging in. i don't want to name every plot but i have to give a mention to italy's stuff. i picked up verona because there was a huge hole in the hshqverse since italy had no rep, and i figured i'd survive without any nephews and nieces but then you all came back and i was so overjoyed <3 verona's story became so much more fulfilling for me to write.

what about other people's plotlines ?

i know i was kinda involved but watching the basel thing evolve was super entertaining. i liked the whole thing from beginning to the end. as for smaller plots, i think the spanish fires fucking up first zhergi and the farnauld has to be my fave thing. it was so wild and i LOVED the fact that a 3 year-old-plotline still had an effect on current threads and in such a surprising way <3

who is your favourite character from the ones you've played ? why ? what made you love them ? what made them so fun to write ?

astrid.... of course it's astrid. she was my age so i mirrored a lot of problems from my own life and made them hers. obviously they were exaggerated problems and shit but through astrid i got to write about emotions that were current to me. it was therapeutic and fun. i've loved all of my characters a lot though. vitya was so special because she was a character like no other. i loved creating her backstory and i had so much fun working on her psyche. a former USSR with a modest background, now an extremely influential duchess ? i loveeed it. it was so different and writing her inner monologue was so satisfying.

if you could relive a plotline, which would it be ?

i think the beginning of chimei. there was something about it. it moved naturally. i really miss the time.

is there a plotline that you'd edit now if you could ?

i'd speed up ilstrid so that we would actually get to write them getting together. i'll take the blame for ilstrid never really taking off lmao sry about that evy. i also wanna say that ilstrid is one of my fave ships because it was so easy and not-at-all-stressful to develop. it may have not reached its end, we didn't get a satisfying ending but i think it was so much fun to portray that kind of a love story. i wasn't a fan of friends-to-lovers trope but ilstrid is still one of my fave ships <3

what's a plotline you wish you would have been able to finish before closing or just write more of ?

ilstrid akfndsjkgbsnjg but also i think i would have enjoyed writing verona as the grand duchess of austria too. i do regret never applying for an austrian. it was something that "i'll do later" and never did it. it was partly because i didn't have a plotline for an austrian and couldn't naturally come up with one :(

what is your favourite ooc memory ?

when we brought the zulus. i don't think anything topped it. we made some really fucking shady and weird online chatroom to figure out the zulus' backstory and it was so much fun. i hadn't been that excited for something in a long time!!! and i think i'll have to mention all of the late nights of chatting with people. it was a big part of the hshq experience. we were all actual friends and i loved joking around. and i'll say it here now because this is so embarrassing but honestly i've always felt so appreciated when people have used the term naomi'd. it felt like a nickname fkjsgnjkgn and i'm glad i never upset anyone with my pushiness skdgngj

where can others find you if they want to get in touch ?

i'll disappear, i'm sorry but i think it's inevitable. i've enjoyed the chats and like i said i've loved to joke around but i'm not a person who really does online relationships. hshq was an exception and it'll stay as one. if you guys ever start writing again, pls im me or @ me. if it's meant to be, i'll stumble upon the message at the right time <3

what else would you like to say ?

oh dear ! i have so much to say but not enough words to express my feelings ! seven years is a long time to be part of something and i never expected to remain here for such a long time. i've been allowed to write and plot and create complex and inspiring plotlines with you, and i think it's been exceptional. hshq was something else among rpgs. anyone who has been part of this, has to agree. i think it says a lot that even though the dash died, on the very day of closing, six or so members did the final task. and i have a feeling we'll see many 058 and 059 tasks this week. i've laughed a lot with you, i've stayed up until the little hours just to be part of the experience, i've cried at your writing... i think honesty hours will be the epitome of joy for me. they always made me laugh and the energy was unbeatable. hshq has given me so much joy and has taught me a lot ! about people, about writing, about the english language and photoshop !!! you guys have no fucking idea how grateful i am of this experience and i wish i could relive it --- and that's a really good sign. sometimes we are glad to reach the ending but i don't think that applies here. this spring will feel different and this week will feel horrible. i have to admit, i'm not exactly ready for this and it feels so silly because it was 'just rp' aksfdbjdsgs thank you everyone for these years, the late nights and the amazing experience <3

#i'm crying :(((( #hshqtask059 #59 tasks!!!! i'm so proud of us

[eretzyisrael]

Travels and travails of an Ottoman family

Edna Anzarut-Turner’s distinguished family has lived in Turkey, the UK, Lebanon and Egypt. From there they fled to England at the time of the Suez crisis. Today she lives in Montreal, Canada. Her memoirs are testament to a turn-of-the-century bygone age of comfort and prosperity, before Jews were swept up in currents of change and forced to flee.

Ezra Anzarut, the author’s great-grandfather

Leon David went to live in Beirut where he assisted his father Ezra in the running of the family firm Jacob Anzarut and Son.  They were very close.

He was my beloved grandfather and I called him Nonno.

I remember my grandfather to be an erudite, extremely interesting, multi-lingual warm and very kind man with a keen sense of humour.

He was known to be an extremely honourable man, and was highly regarded by everyone. Leon, was considered a “young prince” in his youth.

My grandfather prospered greatly, and life was good. He had initially trained as a physician. That truly was his first love. He was, however, obliged to give it up in order to assist his father Ezra with the important family business in the Middle East. He always deeply regretted not having been allowed to practice medicine.

Ruins of the Anzarut synagogue at Aley in Lebanon (photo: Nagi Zeidan)

I was sent a photo of my nonno on a visit to Edie Sellinger, a nephew (on my grandmother’s side) who had settled in “Palestine”.

My grandfather had travelled there with his valet, who made sure he was dressed to the nines, with a boutonnière in his lapel.

The bottom of his trouser cuffs were elegantly turned up so he would not get them soiled. He is holding a silver handled walking cane in his hand, and of course an elegant hat on his head.  Edie (the nephew) is holding a rope tethered to a cow that my grandfather had bought him.

Rokhama (Edie’s wife) told me that when Edie decided to go to Palestine, he went to my grandparents, and asked them whether they would pay for his fare. They did, and gave him enough for a “First class” boat fare, as they did not know that there were other classes. Thanks to that, Edie and eight of his friends were all able to go by travelling “steerage”.

Edie, who was an agronomist, ordered strawberry seeds from the U.S., and he and his friends started a moshav in Kfar Azar. He tested the soil in that area, and found that it was perfect for growing strawberries. Kfar Azar is famous in Israel for its delectable strawberries.

Leon and Caroline’s story: My grandmother Caroline, whom I  called Nonna, was a Viennese lady whose family had emigrated to Turkey for business reasons.  Leon was in Constantinople on a business trip for the family firm of Jacob Anzarut and Son. He was invited to dinner by a family called Mizrahi.  They had two daughters who were friends of my grandmother.

According to my grandmother’s niece Lydia Erdal (whose 102nd birthday was celebrated on 30th November 2016)  my grandmother’s siblings strongly urged my grandmother to drop by and visit at the Mizrahi house.

My grandmother was a bubbly, very lively young lady, who had a tremendous sense of humour, and was very attractive. My grandfather was very handsome extremely well-travelled and refined. According to Lydia, my grandparents fell in love at first sight.   This was not at all what the Mizrahi family had in mind .

They were married in Constantinople.

Leon and Caroline being driven away from their wedding ceremony in ‘a satanic metal monster’ – the first car in Turkey

A second cousin of mine found a photograph depicting my grandparents as bride and groom in Constantinople. They were sitting in an open car. At the wheel was one of my grandmother’s cousins Sigmund Weinberg (who owned the first two cinemas in Istanbul, and the first photography shop (this was something quite revolutionary in those days.) Next to him was another of my grandmother’s cousins, Carl Carlman (who owned one of the first department stores in Constantinople on the Grande Rue de Pera).

The photograph was taken during the time of Sultan Abdel Hamid who refused to allow cars to be on the streets in Turkey unless they had a horse harnessed to it. It is therefore a very special photograph as it shows the first car in Turkey. My grandparents, Sigmund and Carl are surrounded by Turks wearing a fez and gawking at the satanic metal monster that moved without a horse.

My grandparents went to live in Beirut, where Caroline adapted to the Anzarut Sephardi ways to which she added her own very elegant Viennese touch.  They built a beautifully decorated large villa and were extremely happy there.

Leon Anzarut, the author’s grandfather

My nonno used to tell me about his travels all over the world. How he contracted yellow fever in Tahiti and the natives looked after him and cured him. He would show me a yellow spot on his cheek which was the only sign left of this deadly disease. He spoke at length of the Boer War and his trip to South Africa, and the wonderful time he and my nonna and their children spent in Aley in Lebanon.

Edna’s Viennese grandma Caroline (in the white dress), with two of her siblings

My nonna’s family came from Vienna, and left Austria to reside in Constantinople. She too had fascinating stories to tell me about her childhood. During the holiday period the whole family would cross the Bosphorus by boatand go to an island called the Tchiflik Polonais. The Ottoman government allowed Polish expats to settle on this island as they had pig farms, and enjoyed eating pork which was a forbidden food in Muslim Turkey.

There were horses and donkeys waiting on the island for my nonnaand her older brothers and sisters. They rode into the forest, stopped by a waterfall and crystal clear brook, and alit in order to enjoy their picnic meal.

My nonna remembered the musical sound of the waterfall and the chirping of the birds in the trees. One of her brothers or a friend would play the harmonica, and everyone would sing along with it.

They would then hike in the forest, and then climb astride their horse or donkey, and journey on till they reached the village and the inn where they would be staying. They would then call the innkeeper “Gertrude…Gertrude” and Gertrude would pop her head out of the upstairs window and excitedly call in German “How wonderful..they have arrived, they have arrived”. She would gallop down the stairs and welcome them in.

After a delicious and lively supper everyone went to bed. The mattresses were filled with straw and leaves, and my nonna. told me that whenever she moved there was a sound of “shhhhhhhh shhhhhhh” made by the straw filling.

Everyone was so tired after the bracing fresh air, and the wonderful supper that they would all sleep very soundly.

At home in Constantinople, there was a grand piano. The family loved music and my nonna played beautifully. The house was always filled with extended family and friends. They played parlour games like musical chairs, or charades, and then would burst into song when someone played the pieces in vogue on the piano.

World War I and departure from Beirut:  Just before World War One was declared, Caroline and Leon held a lavish ball in their villa in Beirut. All the British diplomatic corps and Ambassador were invited. Leon asked the British Ambassador whether it would be wise for the Anzaruts (being British) to stay on in Beirut as this was part of the Ottoman Empire, and the Turks would be siding with Germany. They were assured that they would be perfectly safe.

In the wee hours of the morning, there was savage banging on the door of the villa.   Armed Turkish guards stood outside. They arrested my grandfather Leon who was taken away and interned by the Turks.  War had just been declared.

My grandmother Caroline dressed hurriedly, calmed my dad and my uncle who were little boys, and rushed to the British Embassy. There were Turkish guards everywhere.

The Embassy was completely deserted. The Ambassador and every single member of the British diplomatic corps had fled the country directly after attending the Anzarut ball.

Caroline, who spoke fluent Turkish bribed some officials who then released Leon but warned that my grandparents had to leave Beirut forthwith else they would all be imprisoned.

My grandparents returned to their villa, packed some belongings and left.  They said goodbye to their staff, who were all weeping and asked the wealthy Lebanese owners of a neighbouring villa to please keep an eye on their property while they were away. No sooner had my grandparents left, than those same neighbours went in and plundered the place.

After the war ended my grandparents returned to Beirut for a visit, and to check on their property. The villa had been looted. Their neighbours informed them that the Turks had taken everything. Upon visiting these neighbours who refused at first to let them in, they discovered that was not the case.  The neighbours had helped themselves to everything.

Read Edna’s memoirs in full

How Ezra the Great fell the poor of Aley

#Jews of Lebanon #Jews of Turkey

[tropicalfreckles]

Also I know we already knew from Together Again Finn has a pretty depressing and unhealthy coping mechanism for the rest of his life post Jake's death, but seeing it is so.

FINN DIDN'T DESERVE TO SUFFER AS MUCH AS HE DID IN THE SERIES. He's done some messed up things when he was a kid but he's done so much good too, like he's a good egg that's done dumb shit he felt bad about and apologized for when he grew and matured.

Then he goes on to never processing his grief until after he was dead and realized he needed to work things out by reincarnating again, to give life another go.

I am guessing they based this mentality off of the episode in earlier seasons of course where he spends that WHOLE episode trying to prevent Jake's croak dream they talked about. But still, damn sad.

edit: you know I'm sure Finn still had a lot of happiness in his life after Jake died, but Together Again just scratches at my head at how he was. (even if it's a coping mechanism, it's cool he still hung out with his nieces, nephews and grand niece. he wanted to do adventures with them! he loves his family, just jake was a big part of him)

#finn deserved to live a happier life #he did so much for ooo #since he was just a young kid too

[simplynotcapable]

I’m curious, in that “Baelon is Visenya’s uncle ‘verse”:

A) how does that change - *if* it does - the relationship(s) between Daemon, Baelon, and Visenya?

Is Daemon more protective/platonically possessive of Visenya in that ‘verse? (aka “that’s *my* firstborn daughter you’re eyeing, nephew”)

B) if so, is Viserys having a grand old time, sitting there laughing about uncles, nieces, and karma?

Tangent - I really love that we know the words for family in High Valyrian and what they might imply about about family structures in Valyrian culture (for example, “kepa” being used for both father and father’s brother - especially since mother’s brother is “iapa” or “qybor”- suggests that a father’s male siblings might be seen as additional/surrogate fathers whereas a mother’s male siblings would take more of an “uncle role”). If I’m right, It definitely makes the creep/cringe factor of Daemyra in canon even worse 😬😂🤦‍♀️

Hi!!!

The relationship between Baelon and Daemon would still be largely the same, if not a little closer considering they’d be spending more time together.

I don’t think Visenya and Daemon’s would be much different from dragonglass and gold either, since she largely sees him as her father there anyway, but if anything they’d be less tightknit. Part of the reason the twins cleave so close to Daemon is their bad relationship with Viserys, and Visenya’s driving force is very much entangled with the fact that Daemon’s the only male authority figure she has that didn’t a) kill her mother and therefore show he does not give a flying fuck about the women in his life’s agency, and b) spend all his time around her bemoaning how she looks like said dead wife. In a life where Viserys is just her weird grandpa and she has two parents with a relatively healthy (psa: grooming is bad and never healthy kids, every modern!Daemon au should put him in prison for statutory) marriage, she isn’t really seeking that same validation from him. She’s always had from Daemon what she was missing from her relationship with Viserys, so she doesn’t have to go through the whole “love me please i’ll be worth it i swear just look at me” sort of thing that she does when Viserys is her father.

Daemon’s just her dad. He’s annoying. Makes kind of gross jokes. Keeps knocking up her mom even though there’s so gods-damn many kids running around that she wants to yank out all of her hair.

Daemon is 100% the dad that sits on the porch cleaning a gun when his daughter has their first date, so Baelon and Visenya’s friendship makes him very erratic. Just frothing at the mouth “what do you mean they went on a 3am flight alone i’m going to eat his pancreas raw” and “WHY IS HIS HAND ON HER BACK RIGHT NOW RHAENYRA” even though Baelon and Visenya have a mostly pretty platonic relationship for most of their childhood.

Viserys thinks this is karmic justice from the gods, is absolutely no help whatsoever, and uses it to very cheerfully fuck with Daemon all the time.

(Daemon: get your SON

Viserys: it’s perfectly innocent. what kind of uncle would seduce their fifteen year old niece?

Daemon:

Viserys: it isn’t like he’s bringing her to brothels

Daemon:

Viserys: or stealing her from her wedding

Daemon:

Viserys: that’d be an example of a bad uncle

Daemon:

Viserys: I’m calling you a—

Daemon: no yeah I got the message thanks)

I’ve never thought about the significance of kepa being a word for uncle and father, but that’s a really interesting point. The age gap and how young Nyra is when Daemon is starting to show interest is weird enough. Thinking about it through the lens of Daemon having this cultural responsibility to act as a father figure and instead being like “familial power as a stepping stone to being a child predator, a 500 page guide by Daemon Targaryen” makes it 1000x worse and also just more fascinating a dynamic than it already was.

Thank you!! 🩵

#hotd #house of the dragon #ao3 works #dragonglassandgold #silverandmoonstone