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blooming-violets · 21 days

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Nicest Thing Peter x Reader for 11. In joy? I really like that fic. I reblogged it on my old account. I feel like thats an underrated fic of yours (maybe bc it came out in 2022? Idk). Would love to see what happened to them!

It's still one my favs because it is just so...me?? Like if I had to chose anything that represented my personality perfectly, it would be Nicest Thing. Just a depressed, sad bitch who loves angst and Peter Parker and enjoys Kate Nash. I feel like I need another Kate Nash song for this "sequel" fic. I'll base it off her song Trash because these two are trash for each other.

You can read this as a separate, on its own Peter x Reader thing if you'd like or you can read it as a future piece to Nicest Thing.

Warnings: Smoking a joint and getting stoned

If porn bots can over take all the tags then I better not get flagged for these gifs.

Peter looked at her through blazed out, squinting eyes. A haze of smoke filled their bathroom as they passed the joint back and forth between them. They were seated in the unfilled tub, fully clothed, and facing each other. She had made him take the spot next to the faucet under the claims that sitting over the drain made her feel “icky” like she might get sucked in. He didn’t mind. Even if their leaky faucet kept dripping cold water over his shoulder.

“Do you remember the Rugrats episode when Tommy and Chuckie are afraid of getting sucked down the bathtub drain because Angelica tells them a story of some other baby who died that way?” He asked, handing her off the joint.

She placed it between her lips and he watched with a slow blinking, admiration for her. He loved her. She had been with him through everything. He owed his entire life to her. Without her in his life, he would no longer be here. She was everything important in the world.

She smiled, remembering, and let out the most beautiful laugh. She always got extra giggly when they smoked. It was one of his favorite sounds.

“Don’t they fill the drain with play-doh and shit? It’s a weird reddish, pink color. Why do I remember that specific color so much?” She replied, mystified.

Peter chuckled, “Because old school Rugrats was filled with some crazy ass imagery. It sticks in your mind.”

“Yeah but I remember thinking that I specifically wanted to eat that color...like maybe it would taste nice…like the imaginary food from Hook.” She passed it back to him, letting the smoke exhale in a little, circular puffs from between her lips.

“Do you want to get into a pretend food fight with me and see if anything appears?” He grinned.

Her red rimmed eyes squinted back at him as she laughed, “With the way these munchies have been hitting me the past few minutes, I think it might actually happen. I could imagine food hard enough to make it show up.”

His mind started to wander as a hungry smile spread across his face, imagining all the food he could eat, and he spoke with a dreamy whisper, “Pizza bagels.”

“What?”

“Let’s make pizza bagels. ‘M hungry. Starvin’. Gonna die if I don’t get some food in me.”

Her eyes glowed with excitement at the idea, “Pizza bagels. Yes, you’re a genius!”

“I know,” he giggled, it bubbled out of him without any self control. It wasn’t the weed that did it. It was her. He felt free when he was with her. He flicked out the joint against the ashtray balancing on the edge of the tub. “I really am. Smartest man alive, probably.”

She snorted, “Okay, I wouldn’t go that far. Get your ego in check, Parker, before I have to slap some sense back into you.”

He beamed at her, his love consumed him, feeling it outshine every other emotion rattling around inside of him. She was beautiful. Stunning. Picture perfect. He wanted to hang her up on his wall like an expensive piece of art so he could admire every day of his life.

Her shoulders shrunk up to her ears under the intensity of his gaze.

“Stop that,” she whispered. “Don’t look at me with those eyes or I’ll kick you. I’ve got a perfect aim for your crotch in this position.”

Peter shook his head, “Nope, sorry, I refuse. I can’t help it. You look…perfect. The nicest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

“You’re stoned.”

“Yes. Doesn’t change the fact that your lips look very enticing.” He winked at her and tried to scoot forward to get a taste.

Her socked foot landed against his chest, pushing him back in place, “I thought we were making pizza bagels, not kissing. Weren’t you just starving a minute ago?”

“Starving for you, maybe.”

“Peter!” She let out a loud laugh, keeping him at bay with her outstretched leg.

He was so in love. Completely enamored. Whipped. Head over heels. Trash for her. Whatever he wanted to call it. He belonged to her so wholly. His bleeding heart was in her hand for the rest of his life. He would follow her to the ends of the earth and back again.

“If you don’t let me kiss you right this very second, I am going to turn this shower on.” His hand reached over his shoulder to grip onto the shower knob with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

She gave a sharp inhale, “You wouldn’t dare.”

His eyebrows raised, taking on that challenge, “Oh really?”

She knew she fucked up the second before the shower burst to life. From his position in the tub, it shot over his head to spray directly into her face. She shrieked and fell back, sliding down the sloped edge of the tub until she was nearly on her back.

It was all the opportunity he needed to pounce. He leapt on top of her to the sound of her laughter and blocked the shower stream from her face with his back. His arms wrapped protectively around her head as he laid over her. Water pooled around them, warming their bodies, and soaking through their clothes.

They didn’t feel it.

All he could feel was the devoted love burning a hole in his chest where his heart used to be.

She giggled up at him, blinking water droplets from her eyes, and whispered, “You’re an ass.”

He laughed in response and crashed his lips over hers, mumbling against them, “You love me.”

She sighed in content. Her arms snaked around his neck to draw him closer, melting happily into his kiss.

“I do.”

#i will take every opportunity to stick this man in a tub or shower #andrew garfield #tasm #tasm x reader #peter parker #peter parker x reader #tasm peter parker #tasm peter parker x reader #tasm peter #tasm peter x reader #tasm fic #tasm peter fic #tasm peter parker fic

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midnightwriter21 · 6 months

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Haunted ~ (Suguru Geto x Reader Angst)

characters: fem!reader x suguru, satoru (mentioned)

warnings: angst, mention of suguru offing the village and his parents rip, the kfc break up

inspo: Haunted by Taylor Swift

word count: 683

AN: this is the first song fic i’ve ever written sooo lemme know whatcha think!! <3

Birds chirping, children’s laughter, the joyful chatter of the people passing her on the street, the sun shining rays of golden warmth down on her skin...

But it all seems grey to her as she watches her best friend and boyfriend stare each other down. Her boyfriend’s face calm, her best friend’s twisted in anger and confusion, and her’s blank. The words flying between the two boys are a faint buzzing in her ears while her gaze is locked on the man in front of her. The man she thought she knew inside and out. They had hit a rough patch in their relationship after the star plasma vessel mission, but she figured that they would work everything out with a bit of time and communication.

“You and I walk a fragile line

I have known it all this time

But I never thought I’d live to see it break,”

Truthfully, she knew something had changed in him recently. The circles underneath his eyes a little darker and his smiles a little more forced. But she never thought he was capable of something like this. And she certainly never thought he would keep an idea of this magnitude from her either.

“It’s getting dark and it’s all too quiet

And I can’t trust anything now

And it’s coming over you like its all a big mistake,”

Suddenly the buzzing in her ears stops and her vision clears as she watches him turn his back, preparing to walk away from her and Satoru.

Calling out to him for the first time since she’d laid eyes on him, “Suguru, wait!”

He tenses at her voice, looking over his shoulder at her, “I think Satoru has said enough for the both of you… or do you have something to add?”

Her breath catches in her throat. His voice is cold. His gaze is like steel. She’s staring at a stranger. Still, her heart calls out to his and forces her mouth to open.

“Please… Suguru, stay.” She chokes out.

“Oh, I’m holding my breath

Won’t lose you again

Something’s made your eyes go cold,”

For a fraction of a second his expression softens before it becomes stone once more, and he says, “Stay? My immediate execution has already been ordered. I killed an entire village of people. I killed my parents. I could kill you.”

Each word that spills from his mouth makes her sick. Her mind scrambling for a way to convince him not to leave. To stay.

“Come on, come on, don’t leave me like this

I thought I had you figured out

Something’s gone terribly wrong

You’re all I wanted,”

“No! Stay... Stay with me! Suguru, stay with me. Don’t go, please,” with those words the tears overflow, running down her face, “Or I’ll go with you! I don’t care, but don’t you dare leave me behind!”

She can feel Satoru’s incredulous stare bore into the side of her head. Even Suguru has lost his calm facade, his eyes wide at her statement. Then… he laughs. And it’s the first time she’s heard him laugh, truly laugh, in weeks. It’s a beautiful sound, one full of joy and love. The sound that makes her world go round. It makes her believe that maybe she had somehow convinced him.

“Come on, come on, don’t leave me like this

I thought I had you figured out

Can’t breathe whenever you’re gone

Can’t turn back now, I’m haunted,”

When his laughter subsides, he turns to fully face her, and with a soft smile and eyes full of adoration he says, “To think that after everything I’ve done… you would choose to stay by my side. You are truly one of a kind, my love.”

“Suguru please, stay. I love you.” She begs once more.

“And I love you…” he takes a deep breath, “which is why I am going to create this new world. For you. For the both of us.”

She blinks.

“Stood there and watched you walk away

From everything we had

But I still mean every word I said to you,”

He’s gone.

"You and I walk a fragile line

I have known it all this time

Never ever thought I'd see it break

Never thought I'd see it."

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lcvernat · 1 year

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Smile for Me | Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Request: hello! it’s my first time requesting on your blog.. is it okay if I ask for nat with reader who hides their smile because their insecure of how it looks.

feel free to take your time writing this, I don’t mind waiting :)))

thank you, have a great day!! <3

Word Count: 1.4k

Content Warnings: fluff, talks of being insecure, like two swear words, probably bad writing cause i am a bit rusty

A/N: thank you for requesting anon! i am so, so sorry this took so long but i hope you like it <3 this might not be my best work because i am very rusty and haven't wrote anything in a bit but i hope you enjoy it either way

Smiling was natural, everyone done it, and usually no one really thought about it whilst they were doing it. You just lived in the moment, smiling at something that had brought you joy. It was whimsical, in a way. But it wasn't like that to you, though. No, it was actually the one thing you tried to avoid the most. Even in situations when you were at your most happiest, ranging from getting top grades in your exams to the day Natasha had asked you out on a date, a smile was rarely exchanged in those moments, or it was hidden behind your hand.

It was hard when something so simple was the root of your insecurities. Every time you caught yourself smiling, you covered your smile with your hand. It was an instinct at this point. Either that, or you would just avoid smiling altogether. It wasn’t as if you were trying to keep up some mysterious persona - you just really, really hated your smile. A lot.

Tiny remarks in middle school had started it. Words said by children that shouldn’t be that serious because you were all kids instead stuck with you for your entire life. Sticks and stones do break your bones, but words will still hurt. They still cause bleeding wounds, but because you can’t see them, society deems them unimportant. Which is why you’ve not told anyone about your insecurity, you just let them poke fun, because the logical part of you knows that it’s a stupid thing to be insecure about, but you can’t help it.

Natasha, of course, had noticed. But she’s never pried, thankfully. She understands having secrets that you keep under lock and key. She has them too. It’s a bit hard not to notice when someone hardly smiles, but somehow she notices that there’s something more to it. Having a spy as a girlfriend, one who is the best spy in the world no doubt, means that any of your secrets aren’t really secrets. You simultaneously love and hate it.

“Why do you never smile?”

“Why do you always pry into people’s business? And I do smile.”

Tony shrugs halfheartedly at your jab, a tiny smirk on his face as he takes a sip of his drink. You were thrown off guard by his unprompted question, not expecting it to happen when you were just sat eating dinner with the rest of the team. The rest of the team who had, unfortunately, went silent after the words left Tony’s mouth.

You took an awkward bite of your food, trying to focus on the taste instead of the eyes boring into your soul.

“Leave them alone,” Natasha snaps, but there’s no actual bite behind it yet.

“Hey now,” Tony raises a hand placatingly, “I’m not trying to be nosey, not at all. Well, actually, I kind of am, but for good reason. They rarely smile! Have you not noticed? And if they do, I always catch them covering their mouth! Have they ever fully smiled around you, Romanoff?” - The only response he gets is a glare - “No? Christ, they’re dating you! Don’t you think it’s a bit odd? I-”

You cut him off, “Just finish your food, Stark.”

Tony, seemingly unable to realize when you’re seriously not in the mood continues on undeterred, “Listen, I get if you’re trying to be all tough and that. But you can still smile! You’re still pretty intimidating anyway. To the newbies, obviously. Not me.”

“I just don’t smile that often, Stark. Got a problem with that?” You get out through gritted teeth, setting your knife and fork down on your half-eaten plate. You aren’t very hungry anymore. The ravaging appetite you felt before dinner had quickly dissipated, and it wasn’t because you were full.

Natasha sends you a concerned glance but you ignore it. You ignore everyone’s glances. For superheroes, they were horrifically bad at pretending they weren't staring at you.

“Oh, come on,” Tony leans back in his chair, clearly exasperated, “unless you look incredibly hideous, your teeth are falling out or you have a shit ton of cavities, which I doubt, I don’t get why you hardly smile! Just smile for us this once, and don't cover it!" He urged you on, and it was your final straw.

You abruptly stood up from the table, your chair making a harsh sound across the floor as it was pushed back. Once again ignoring Natasha's glance, you walk as fast as you can out of the room and making a beeline towards your shared room with Nat. You know she'll probably follow you soon after, but you'd take a minute alone if you could.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, you ran your hands across your face and let out a groan. You were being so stupid. Tony was right. It's not a big deal at all, you're the one making it a big deal. All over a couple comments a few kids carelessly threw your way years ago in middle school. Insecurities were so stupid, why couldn't you just stop being insecure? You were an Avenger, for Christ's sake, and the one thing that defeats you is your own goddamn smile.

After a couple of minutes had passed, there was a knock on the door. Unsurprisingly, Nat's voice filtered through, "Y/N? Can I come in?" Somehow, she managed to hear your barely coherent mumble of a response, and the door gently opened seconds later.

"Don't listen to Tony," the redhead spoke softly, "he doesn't know when to stop."

You let out a mirthless chuckle, "Yeah, I know."

Natasha didn't reply, instead slowly walking over to you and kneeling in front of you. You catch her eye before quickly glancing away.

"Look at me,"

You do, and she reaches out to take ahold of your hands that were previously lying limp in your lap, "Why do you always cover your beautiful smile?" It was a gentle question, the redhead treading lightly on what she knows is a sensitive topic for you.

"Because it's not beautiful," your voice is small. It's the first time you've ever actually spoken about your insecurity out loud.

"I bet it is. What makes you think it isn't?"

"People were saying shit 'bout it in middle school. Words hurt, you know." It sounded pathetic, you knew it did. You half expected Natasha to laugh at you, and anyone else probably would, because you were a grown adult, but of course Natasha didn't laugh. She never would.

"Well," she lets go of one of your hands to reach out and cup your cheek, her thumb brushing over your bottom lip, "those people can go fuck themselves."

A surprised giggle leaves you at the bluntness of her tone. She smirks before continuing, "My angel is gorgeous, and I know their smile is just as beautiful. Come on, you wanna let me see it? Smile for me."

Despite her words, a small part of you still didn't want to smile in front of her. Years of covering it and hiding it was obviously engrained into you, no matter how hard you wanted to try and stop it. So, you shake your head.

"Well," Natasha sighs, "I guess I'll just have to subject you to a month of Steve's cooking. Hopefully you won't die, but if you do, I'll make sure to make your funeral the best funeral ever."

That made you laugh then, and a smile made its way onto your face. The hand that Natasha wasn't holding instinctively raised to cover it, but the spy grabbed ahold of it before you could.

"See?" Natasha smiles then too, "beautiful."

That makes you smile more, and you don't move to cover it this time. You fight the insecurities that worm its way into your thoughts, you were done being insecure about your smile. You were fed up of hiding it. Natasha plants a soft kiss on your cheek then, before whispering into your ear, "If you gave me the names of those people..."

You let out a shocked laugh, hitting her arm playfully. "No. Murder is bad."

"I never said I would murder them!" She gasps, "Just a nice little talk. That's all."

Shaking your head in amusement, you pull Natasha into a hug, "I love you."

"I love you too."

God, what you would do for this woman. You would always smile for her from this day forward. No more hiding it, especially not from Natasha.

tags: @sheneonromanoff @olicity-boo @r4nd0mgir1 @tigerlillyruiz @dj-bynum3718 @lovelyy-moonlight

dm me, send me an ask or reply to be added to my taglist!

#natasha romanoff x reader #black widow x reader #natasha romanoff #black widow #natasha romanoff fanfiction #black widow fanfiction #natasha romanoff imagine #black widow imagine #natasha fanfic #natasha romanoff fanfic #natasha romanoff fluff #black widow fluff #black widow x you

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haenypages · 1 year

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A Heart Of Steel

Assassin! Lucerys Velaryon x Targaryen! Reader

Summary: Before the incident, Lucerys and the youngest daughter of Viserys & Alicent were secretly dating. Now he has come to seek revenge upon her, thinking she was the cause of his near death.

Wordcount: 2.5k

Warnings: blood, fluff, angst, minor spoilers of Aegon & Aemond in S2 based on the book

Reader's POV

It was all a misunderstanding. I did not expose nor betray Lucerys' location to Aemond. I have no notion of how he ended up alive and the fact that he joined an assassin guild to learn the ways of killing just to take avenge for himself.

I wept for him everyday thinking that he was dead in the hands of my brother, or rather his dragon until this very moment, after nearly one year in which The Dance of the Dragons has entered into an intense stage.

This is definitely not the Lucerys Velaryon I've known. The sweet dragon prince as if straight out of the folk tales was gone. It was the hour of the wolf. I'm heading back to my bedchamber in the Red Keep when I saw a figure in a shadowy corner, another figure that I reckoned a sentinel lying on the bloodstained floor, motionless. Dead.

The hooded figure slowly approached from the shadow and abruptly I gaped in disbelief, not trusting the face I saw under the hood. "Luke." I whispered, knowing him from his scent and form although his gait has changed from stiff to seemingly nonchalant.

I wanted to run to him, embrace him until I saw a glint of iron in one hand and an impassive face. "What are you doing here?" I involuntarily backed a step. Silence. No response. His slow creeping started to turn into a walk. That's when my mind tells me to flee, so I did what it's told.

"I'm going to kill you, dārilaros (princess)!" he said without preamble. He ran after me. "What why- I don't understand!" Panting heavily, trying to find anyone in the hallway for help while trying to further the gap between Luke. "You knew exactly why! You'd told Aemond that I'm at Storm's End."

Luke acquired a throwing knife from the inside of his boots. It whistled past me, making a gash at my arm, blood trickled from it. I resorted to yelling since there was no one I could see, my sprint slowed gradually and he was increasing.

He's closing our gap! I'm about to veer around another corridor until I feel a hand clasping around my wrist firmly and another clamping over my mouth. My screams were muffled. Without thinking, I bit into the hand that covers my mouth, drawing droplets of blood.

The hand let go, the dagger releasing an audible clunk when it hits the stone floor. Lucerys hissed in frustration. The sound has drawn its attention. Voices! Footsteps! Someone is coming this way!

"HEL-" Lucerys pushed me against the wall, causing me a concussion before I could fully utter the words. Stars were forming. My head, shoulders, and back were in agony. The knife was back in his hands and immediately at my throat, drawing a thin line of blood. I struggled feebly in his grip, feeling helpless. "Please Luke, this is a mistake." I looked into his eyes one last time before the world around me went black.

Luke's POV

She slumped into me after she passed out. I carried the unconscious y/n away with me before the night patrol could investigate what had happened. For the present, they had interrupted my attempt at assassination. I searched for her chamber that we had our fun times together in the past. Seven be damned! Stop dwelling on those memories!

Winding through the familiar corridors, I finally found the quarter I am looking for. I unlatched the door with my nimble fingers, hinges creaking. After I was certain that the door was shut securely, I placed her on the bed. Binding her wrists together at one of the bedposts with hempen ropes and gagging her mouth.

I have made the decision of interrogating her when she's awake, giving her a chance. My current self may be ruthless, but there is still a tidbit of kindness in me that has been cultivated by my family, the family that thought I was dead and mourned for me.

I went to her bookshelf straight away, knowing well this is where her mind often wanders into, as well as mine. She was always intrigued by the stories of the dragonlords of Valyria before the Doom.

She once requested that I read to her more frequently from books and scrolls because she enjoys my Valyrian accent, therefore I did mostly each day just to lull her to sleep with my soothing voice. Unfortunately, that is not happening again. She broke my heart.

I skimmed through the pages, missing the smell of papers and inks. Books are barely seen in the assassin guild since weapons were the only thing we would require. After some more skimming, the groaning from the bed eventually distracted my attention. Immediately, I put the book down on the table. Walking towards her, dagger poised.

She slowly opened her eyes, examining the wounds on her throat and arm as she attempted to break free of the binding before her eyes landed upon mine. For a moment she froze like a frightened animal. My tutor taught me not to trust anyone. Told me that expressions could be a farce for sympathy. So I did not fall for that. But her feelings somehow look true to me.

"Good, you're awake. And no screaming." I took the gag off her and then sat down on the bed beside her. Knife dangerously close to her cheeks, then tracing her cheekbones with an air of disinterest as possible. She gulped.

"So tell me, how does Aemond know of my whereabouts? You're the only Green who knew I'm heading for Storm's End trying to make an alliance on my mother's behalf." I intoned, eyebrows furrowed. She began stammering for a second and eventually calmed down a little. "It was Aemond. Before I had the opportunity to take the parchment from the raven, he took it first." I frowned at her, she averted her gaze, looking at her lap and fidgeting with her fingers. "I should have locked the door. I never thought he'd sneak into my room. I'm so sorry." My heart softened without my mind's consent.

I am still hesitating about the things she confessed to me. It was just words. How could I trust mere words? At the mention of Aemond, my uncertainty was briefly replaced by an inevitable rage. I'd heard that he's come back from the raids at the Riverlands to continue his rule as regent. It was said that after the battle of Rook's Rest, following Aegon's disappearance, Aemond was named as regent of the Seven Kingdoms.

"I'll deal with you later when I finish that kinslayer." I announced, walking to the door. At the same time, I unsheathed the sword at my hip, checking the sharpness. I nodded with satisfaction.

"You can't just leave me here being tied up! You can't find Aemond without my guidance anyways." She pleaded. I stopped abruptly, knowing it was true. I needed her guidance to seek Aemond before dawn. I rolled my eyes and went back to her, loosened the ropes to the bedpost, and gripped both of her wrists, pushing her along as a signal to stride in front of me. Then we were out of the chamber.

Reader's POV

Whenever I walked slowly, Lucerys would thrust the tip of his blade into my back. I winced, not believing he would truly do this to me. I did not hesitate to go to the throne room first. Aemond may be sleeping in his bedchamber at this hour, but he's infatuated with the Iron Throne lately. Luke would stay alert and call for a halt to hide whenever he senses someone was around.

I led him down a series of spiral stairs, out of the holdfast, through a bridge, walking by courtyards, and eventually reaching the building in which the throne room was situated. "There's two sentinels in there guarding the hallway, I hope you're ready." I turned to look at him, expecting to see an anxious face. But instead, he looks prepared for the upcoming predicament. The doors were ajar so we sneaked into it.

Before the guards could take out their swords from the scabbards, Luke hurled a throwing knife into one of them. Hitting him in the ribs. The other one rushed to Luke, their blades collided together making sparks. After a few more exchanges, Luke found a chink in his armour and strike hard and fast. The guard collapsed.

"What is all the commotion?" The double doors to the throne room flew open, revealing my uncle Gwayne Hightower and the other kingsguards. How can Lucerys defeat them! He's doomed. "Uncle!" Walking to him but Lucerys pulled me back, placing me right in front of him while the sword he was holding raised to my throat defensively making me his hostage. Swords were drawn out.

"Sheathe the steel or I'll kill her." Luke said. They all gave each other apprehensive glances before taking a few steps back. But not my uncle who stood at the doorway. "Ah, aren't you Rhaenyra's boy? This is hardly an act of reverence for the princess, lad." The two of them stare intensely at each other until Luke breaks the staring contest. "It would please me if I could see the regent." For my sake, my uncle moved from his spot at the doorway and led us into the room with a high ceiling.

Luke's POV

Aemond was sitting upon the throne, legs dangled from one of its arms. A few of the council members were there discussing important matters with him. The discussion stopped when we arrived. My presence seemed to leave Aemond totally dumbstruck. Good.

"Nephew, did the Seven send you back to me? You should put that pointy thing away from my sister by the way." y/n casted me a side eye. Aemond grinned a mirthless grin, there was no true joy in it. "The gods have sent me back for vengeance, uncle." I said with an emotionless mien. "Ah yes, I hope the skills you've been honing were worthy of a vengeance. How can I assist you, my dear nephew?" Obviously teasing about my skills in arms.

"I demand a court of swords. A fight to the death." Everybody in the room tensed. "What." Aemond's face twitched. y/n shifted in my grasp uncomfortably. "You and me. No one else. If I kill you, you'll die. If you kill me, you'll get y/n." Making my point clear. Aemond stood up from his seat and started pacing back and forth, pretending to be considering my request. He stopped his pacing. "Deal." His head snapped to me, giving me a murderous look.

While he slowly walks down from the dais, away from his precious throne, one of the kingsguard escorted y/n away from me. She gave me a tight squeeze of my hand before I let go of her wrists, unsure what it meant. Good luck? Aemond is too good for you? The others walked away from the center, making space for the fight. We came face to face at the center, staring at each other from opposite sides.

"Any last words?" The regent chuckled. "Go to seven hells." I replied. I heard y/n coughed. Within a dozen heartbeats, Aemond's sword came down from above. I blocked the overhead strike that will likely deeply injure me if I didn't deflect it. After a series of attacks, Aemond scowled. Not expecting that I'm still standing. Smiling, a new surge of energy coursed through my body. I fight my way for vengeance.

Reader's POV

I stand in one corner, witnessing the scene unfolding before me. One is my brother. One is my lover. I didn't want to lose either of them. Lucerys seems to be under control, attacking and counterattacking the whole time. He suddenly slipped into Aemond's guard and a thin line formed at my brother's thigh. Blood dripped from it.

Brother looked up from his injured thigh and started bombarding a whirlwind of attacks toward Luke. Anger rose within him. Luke tried to parry all the blows but one had slashed him across his shoulder, causing him to stagger. Aemond continued his furious assaults without giving Luke a moment of respite. I can see the energy that seems to course through him was gradually seeping away.

Before he can regain his previous confidence, Aemond sliced another cut at his sword arm. He swung his sword desperately at Aemond, trying to do some damage to my brother to no avail. His sword arm was injured. He can't fight. He's faltering. I need to do something.

My brother raised his sword, ready to strike diagonally at Luke. For a second, Luke gripped his sword two-handed, trying to heft it. It lifted, but I know that it won't make it in time to deflect the upcoming blow. I am aware of the amount of force Aemond is building up for that specific attack.

Before the sword landed upon Luke, I hurtled myself towards the fighting ground. I heard my uncle yelling. And then the kingsguards and councilors. My back facing Aemond, the blade came down from above and slashed a long cut across my back. I dropped to one knee and yelped.

Three wounds in one night. Given by two people I love. The boys' eyes widened at the sight. The fighting ceased, Aemond was transfixed by the affliction he caused upon me. "Please, I beg both of you to end this feud." I said. Elsewhere I heard my uncle ordering someone to summon a maester.

The once sweet boy came to me, swords trailing behind him. He dropped to the floor beside me, putting his sword down and arms wrapping around me. "Why?" He said, his eyes brimming with tears, but he forced it not to pour out. "Se ra gaoman syt jorrāelagon (The things I do for love)" I beamed weakly.

Then tears fell from his face, dropping into mine. He pressed his forehead against mine. His curly hair prickled me, but I didn't care much about that. I miss his hugs. I can feel the wetness soaking my back. I can get a whiff of the metallic tang of blood. I am exhausted. I fell asleep in the arms of Lucerys Velaryon.

Epilogue (Reader's POV)

I opened my eyes groggily, looking around my bedchamber. Sunlight filtered through the window filling the room with warmth. Luke sat on the bed. I used my elbow to raise myself into a sitting position, he gave me some assistance. I can feel the bandages wrapped around my torso, probably done by the maester.

We stared at each other for a long moment before he smiled. He smiled! Such a wondrous thing! After that, he gave me a gentle peck on the lips, which I did not expect. A faint blush materialized on my cheeks and he indulged in that.

He told me of Arrax's sacrifice, how he was rescued by a fisher family from the shore, his life after he joined the assassin guild, and how he didn't reacquaint himself with his family and watched them from afar whenever he was at Dragonstone. He does love his family. I listened to him intently.

He told me that he would leave me soon, that this is no place for an assassin. "We could fake my death. I want to be with you, away from war and court intrigues. Kill me." I demanded. Lucerys smirked.

#lucerys velaryon x reader #lucerys velaryon x y/n #lucerys velaryon #hotd fic #hotd x reader #lucerys velaryon one shot #hotd one shot #lucerys velaryon imagine

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bulkhummus · 1 year

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okay my main silly points are these:

1. Lubelle vagued carlos on public radio <3

2. i just know cecil is a horrible driver “yeaaah now we’re really cookin” hes so cute .. YES YELL .. the whole town looking around at one another like is he okay

3. Cecils quiet “its true” about the exotic birds at a jewish service? i hate him

My main serious points are these:

1. THE MURALS (its like they knew i was reading transcripts just moments before��.. ) very interested that they disappeared Jerrod. I do love the symbolism of trying to paint over something that is akin to a bleeding heart. Unable to cover up what makes up a living breathing town. Exposing a towns underbelly etc etc. the town is alive

2. ‘The words are still there but theres no power behind them’ — implications for one special radio host, i must say.

3. Absolutely entranced by the wording “the science of carlos” instead of saying ‘carlos’ science’ as if carlos himself, his way of being, his structure, is what is being emphasized. and its being labeled as good, kind, healing, love, humanity. That is who he is. Vs Lubelle, who is cold, dissected, conquering etc. it was just some fun wording

4. The idea of using good tools to do bad things is something i’ve talked about before in relation to lubelle, plus has been a debate in history throughout the century in regards to science. my mind keeps going back to the fact that carlos used to work with her, or in close proximity to her— and he called her frightening in her determination and drive. i love to speculate on why carlos left for night vale, how he heard of it, but now im wondering why lubelle is there (i mean aside from her mission). I keep thinking abt how she wants to explain everything away until there is not an ounce of poetry left — how do you keep wonder alive when all you do is search for explanation? When your occupation means whats discovered is then known? What was it about night vale that drew carlos in? Was there nothing left for lubelle where she was? Had she overturned every last stone where she was? A person who knows what theyre doing can still be lost. Its funny to see the similarities in her character in comparison to carlos— mainly because he could have been like her. Even his town meeting where he states “ive come to see just what is going on around here” is a lot softer version of lubelles plan. How much difference intention can make. I am reminded of what Cecil said shortly after, in episode 1, which is “I fear for Night Vale. I fear for anyone caught in between what they know and what they don’t yet know what they know.” <- gonna make a separate post about this

5. “We may never fully understand, or understand at all what it was and why it dumped a lot of dead animals on our community. But, and I’m going to get a little personal here, thats the essence of life, isn’t it? Sometimes you go through things that seem huge at the time, like a mysterious glowing cloud….. while they’re happening they feel like the only thing that matters, and you can hardly imagine that there’s a world out there that might have anything else going on. And then the glow cloud moves on. And you move on. And the event is behind you. And you may find that, as time passes, you remember it less and less. Or absolutely not at all, in my case. And you are left with nothing but a powerful wonder at the fleeting nature of even the most important things in life…” — episode 2, Glow Cloud. I’m very sad. It’s not about fully understanding something, sometimes.

#this is a mess but i wanted to get some of it out of my brain so i can sleep #p good episode #will check in tmrw to see what people are sayin #wtnv #wtnv spoilers #welcome to night vale #im so tired

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bluedalahorse · 5 months

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Hello @simonsapelsin! I’m ready to respond to the comment you left yesterday.

Within the parameters of canon—most likely no, but maybe? It would have to be backed up by a lot of plot and character developments in order for it to work.

This ended up being way too long, so more thoughts on sargust + thoughts on the potential created by AUs and canon divergences + thoughts on the idea of “healthy” relationships behind the cut…

So obviously season 2 ended in a really, really bad place for sargust. August refuses to embrace accountability and doubles down on his harmful behavior. Our last shot of Sara is her calling the police to report him, and in that moment she’s completely alone. They have that painful conversation about August buying Rousseau. That’s… that’s a lot for them to overcome, and season 3 doesn’t have enough episodes to get us there fully, unless the writing team are very, very clever and efficient.

There’s a popular fan interpretation of sargust that says that Sara and August both project identities onto one another and don’t see one another’s real selves. I understand and agree with that interpretation up to a point, but I don’t know if I necessarily agree with it 100%. In my mind they do see real things about one another (August sees Sara’s ambition and desire for independence, Sara sees August’s emotional vulnerability and need for help. And they do connect with one another in ways that others haven’t been able to connect with them. What August and Sara fail to predict about one another is the other’s choices. Sara assumed August would choose to be honest and August assumed Sara would choose to be queen. But I think the care they showed for one another earlier in the season was real, and the way they could hold space for one another was real. That’s really a meta I could write for another time, but a lot of it hinges on this line, which is not a line I am even remotely normal about:

(Note: I’ll probably write this meta eventually. The fact that these characters create a sort of home with one another! Also lol @ August looking like he is stoned out of his mind.)

So what would it look like for sargust to get a Second Chance Romance within the parameters of canon? I mean, first of all, they’d both have to mature independently for a while and work through a lot of the trauma they’re carrying.

For Sara, I want her to get away from home and have some distance from the place she grew up so she can put her childhood in perspective. Therapy would help. (I want that for Simon, too!) I’d also like to see Sara find some neurodivergent friends/community—I mean, we do tend to find one another and run in packs! And then some sort of career or life path that makes her happy. Maybe with horses, sure, but it’d also be interesting to see Sara keep horses as a beloved hobby while also finding a different career she’s passionate about.

For August, accountability and rehabilitation and understanding of the harm he did is incredibly important for his personal growth. Whether he faces that through the legal system or through some other process is something we have yet to see in the show. Then comes the long work of restitution and atonement, as well as the steps August needs to take to grapple with his various personal traumas. Like, please get this boy a place to process his grief over his father, treatment for his disordered eating, and rehab for his addiction to pills.

Now, Sara and August wouldn’t have to be 100% healed and self-actualized when they run across one another as adults—I don’t know if there’d be a story if they were, and this sort of stuff is lifelong work! But further along the paths above that I described—that could still be a good story.

Beyond growth and maturity, I think we’d have to see some sort of change in how August and Simon relate to one another, happening primarily on Simon’s terms because he was the one wronged, and that would need to be an important part of the story. This feels crucial. Now that Sara’s aware how much she hurt her brother, I don’t imagine she’d enter a relationship with August even if August is a super chill, okay person now. So I actually think a good Second Chance Romance story would have to heavily involve Simon in one way or another. But a fic where August and Simon interact more honestly with one another, and August has to face up to Simon’s personhood? That would definitely hold my attention. (I am kind of hoping they get more extended interaction in season 3, really. They have some sneaky but fascinating parallels as characters and I like watching the way Omar and Malte play off one another.)

Outside of canon… one thing I have considered is the potential to write a version of sargust in AUs that’s more tailored toward happy endings. Which doesn’t quite relate to your question but I do want to talk about it. As of now, AUs/Canon Divergence fics are a perfect place to make sargust actually work out. This fandom has a lot of imagination for AUs and canon divergences. And it’s no surprise—Young Royals is a rich, nuanced text that can be explored from many angles, so it only makes sense that we’d want to create a thousand alternate universe scenarios where canon could have gone differently. In my mind, if people can write “Erik lives” AUs, then “sargust is successful because August learns over time to be less shitty” AUs are also fair game.

The thing with writing an AU or canon divergence is that August’s complex brand of shittiness does not have to be inevitable or eternal. We’ve got creative freedom, baby! We can write any kind of arc for him that we want to and nudge him in all kinds of directions, and set him and Sara up for success! To me, part of the spirit of Young Royals is embracing the idea that everyone has choices, and that they are capable of growth that allows them to make better choices. I mean, sure, it’d be weird to find a version of August on page #1 of a fanfic who’s suddenly like, quoting bell hooks and pushing for an inclusive socialist utopia. I don’t know if I’d suspend my disbelief for that. But I also really struggle to suspend my disbelief for AU versions of August where he’s like… a straightforward flat villain solely out to cause trouble, which is something I have seen out there in the wild and clicked the “back” button over. I crave the nuance. The texture. The literary crunch of it all!

And I don’t think August has to be the center of a fic for that to happen, even. Like I think there’s ways to have him and Sara as a story’s Beta Couple or Gamma Couple and we’re rooting for them and you know what? It’s an AU where some of the characters are fae or 1980s punks or rival scholars of Cold War history so events are happening differently anyway. I’m sure there are ways to write August in character as his shitty self and have him eventually grow and change, without having August also ruin his chances with Sara because he does something that fucks Simon over so completely, you know?

Now, I know there’s fic writers out there who never under any circumstances want to write August’s character and can’t do so from a place of emotional safety. For some folks it is more comfortable to engage with him as a more straightforward villain. And that’s fair. Everyone should write what they feel comfortable writing! In this post, however, I’m thinking more about the people who want to include some kind of nuanced arc for August in their story, but also feel like no one will be interested in it, or like they’ll actually lose readers and engagement if they do write about him, even as a secondary character. Every once in a while I’ll see another fan allude to a really cool fic idea that involves August in some way or takes him in an interesting direction, and then they’ll be like, “oh, but why bother writing it, no one will read it anyway.” And… that makes me incredibly sad! Because I would happily read those fics. I know some other people who would happily read those fics! But I think we’ve normalized the idea that that’s just not how things are “done” in the Young Royals fandom. Which makes it very hard for people to take that risk. I think we’re missing out on some cool stories as a result, that could really be satisfying to read.

One final thought… I notice some fandoms use the word “healthy” when describing their OTPs/favorite pairings. I hope you’re okay with me unpacking that a bit? This is less a response to your comment in particular and more a response to fandom at large.

Honestly, “healthy” is a word that’s starting to feel pretty loaded for me, and can kind of rub me the wrong way. It seems that generally what people mean by it—when they apply it to a pairing—is that the pairing is good at communicating, respects one another’s boundaries, responds to one another’s needs, processes trauma, etc. And I do appreciate in a story when characters can do these things, to an extent.

But putting it under this umbrella label of “healthy” …well. Okay. “Healthy” is a word that society has added a moral dimension to, and it often gets weaponized against people with disabilities and mental illnesses and other chronic conditions. And health is not an indicator of personal worth. Holding people IRL to a standard of “healthy” kinda feels like you’re saying “it’s okay if you have these diagnoses, as long as you manage them in such a way that it seems like they don’t affect you or the people around you.” (And as someone who’s just recently begun managing a chronic condition, who’s struggling with how to tell my family members because of the way they’re going to moralize about my diet or my stress levels, and also struggling with the shit I’ve internalized over the years… well. I’m thinking about how we use the word “healthy” a lot.)

Bringing this back to the realm of fandoms (because, oof, TMI there blue!) holding a fictional character or pairing to the standard of “healthy” can kind of create some uncomfortable fandom dynamics—at least it can for me, personally. When I see fans take pride in the fact that they ship a “healthy” pairing, to the point where they frequently talk about how “healthy” their pairing is, it’s almost impossible for me not to read such comments as using a moralizing tone that implicitly puts others down for having “unhealthy” ships. Sometimes—generally I haven’t seen this as much in YR fandom—there are even people who will straight up write you off if they perceive your ship as “unhealthy” or “toxic.” And then suddenly all ships are either deemed healthy or unhealthy, and healthy ships are retroactively interpreted as doing everything right, while unhealthy ships can never do anything right, and there’s no hope for them. And that is… a bleak and boring landscape for shipping, if you ask me.

I want to read romances where writers are informed about how trauma can affect relationships and how one can learn to survive it, yes. But I feel iffy about the idea of a perfectly “healthy” romances for sargust or wilmon, seeing as they’re all characters with trauma and mental health struggles, and all of them have days that are Not So Good. They could all mature into adults who’ve learned from their past, but like, Wilhelm might still have panic attacks because anxiety is like that sometimes and it’s not a moral failing. August could go through rehab and be in a much better place and harm others less, and still might struggle with intense emotional disregulation or thoughts related to disordered eating, you know? I’d like reading trauma-informed stories where sargust can mature and heal. But they still might have bad days because that’s what being human is.

In addition, I also like tragic sargust where things just don’t work out between them and everything falls apart, because as I’ve said elsewhere on this blog, I’m a slut for tragedy.

So. Idk. I talk about all these things and all these possibilities in hopes that maybe someone in the fandom will get inspired by them. We’ll see if it does that! Ahaha. It’s worth a try.

ADDENDUM, since I didn’t talk about my own fic ideas here:

Heart and Homeland is an AU fic, and it’s tragic sargust for sure. And I’m proud of it, despite the part where their relationship is tragic! And I tried to work in little glimmers where you see how their relationship could have worked.

Now, my next fic idea, shared with @heliza24, is one set in a canon divergence universe where Sara goes to campus to look for Simon, on the night that Everything Is Fake But Wilhelm’s Love For Simon Is Real. As Sara walks around campus, trying to find her brother, she bumps into August, who is still high from the party and is just sort of… emotionally all over the place? In my head I think Sara and August actually trip over one another and he gets a skinned knee or something, so they have to break into some part of school late at night to get band-aids from a first aid kit, and they end up in a weird, late-night conversation and August actually ends up talking to Sara about his grief for Erik. Thus, he’s never at the window to film the video, and some weird door opens up in his brain about actually having someone he can open up to. He doesn’t change overnight, but his character—and everyone else’s characters—are butterfly effected in a totally different direction. That’s all I’m going to say for now! But gosh, I really hope I get the time and energy to write it.

#young royals #sara eriksson #august horn #sargust #this is a long post i am sorry #and also it veers into my thoughts about fandom stuff in general #but hopefully there are a few good ideas in there

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ghost-proofbaby · 2 months

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She’s said the wrong thing. She doesn’t fully understand how, but she can certainly feel Astarion bristle at those words. Nettie remains unaware of their internal conversation, digging around at her table full of alchemy sets and important looking herbs. If you think that, as a reward for simply existing, the world is going to hand you kindness, you are a bigger fool than I took you for. When Nettie turns around, finally having finished her piece, she holds a thorny branch. If I must be a fool, at least I am a kind one.

summary: the tadpoles prove to have some use, and aruna proves to be a bigger fool than astarion expected when she trusts the wrong person.

wc: 4k+

warnings: continued memory loss, being poisoned? just canon-adjacent violence and such. nothing crazy.

a/n: mom can you come pick me up i think i'm projecting too much onto one of my ocs again (also experimenting with placement of the read more this time don't mind me)

masterlist | previous chapter | next chapter

Was Aruna someone’s daughter once?

It’s the only thing she can think of after she speaks to Arabella’s parents. A young tiefling girl, currently being interrogated, her parents desperate and brimming with fury as they try to find a way to save their daughter.

Surely, Aruna was someone’s daughter once. And if she was the one in interrogation, life at risk, she’d want someone to offer to help her as well.

The druids that had been arguing with the tieflings let Aruna and Astarion through under the premise of Kagha wanting to speak with them. Which, in all honesty, doesn’t sound very promising. But Aruna is determined, mind rattling with thoughts of Arabella, someone’s daughter, and her singular goal of saving her.

“What in the Hells are they doing?” Astarion questions the center of the grove, several druids gathered around the center point that appears to be a small idol.

Aruna hadn’t even noticed the green flow of magic, had hardly heard the chanting, “Who knows?”

It’s a pathetic response. Hardly humoring him, falling terribly flat as she continues to take large steps in the direction of the stone door the druids had pointed out to them.

Was she someone’s daughter once? Did she have parents out there, just like Arabella’s, anxiously seeking her return?

“You’re telling me you’re not the least bit curious about that?” Astarion squints after her. When she doesn’t respond, he reaches out for her, fingers wrapping around her sleeve just as she had done to him by the ox. But his touch is a bit rougher, a bit more secure. Less instinctual. “I find that incredibly hard to believe. What’s wrong?”

She blinks rapidly at that, taken back by his sincerity, “Since when do you care about something being wrong with me?”

“Since you’re leading us, specifically me, into a possible fight while seeming impossibly distracted.”

Right. He didn’t want to be led astray, walked straight into danger, when she was in this state. It was nothing more than that. And that was reasonable.

But she can’t stop picturing it; was she something small once? Something impossibly delicate?

She sort of feels delicate now, void of memories and uncertain of just who she is.

“I can’t remember if I have parents,” she admits all in one breath, uncomfortably aware of both his eyes on her and his hand that had yet to leave her arm, “I can’t remember if I had a childhood.”

“That’s all?” he scoffs, hand finally dropping, “You’re worried about if you had a childhood after agreeing to free some foolish tiefling girl?”

His words are hard, but she can still see right through his mask – her words have given him something to think about as well. A kindred emotion, a flash of something lost, sparking behind his eyes for only a moment.

“Yes, that is all. You seem to forget while you all have your own personal journeys and motivations that I can as well.”

She doesn’t know herself. All she knows is this, whatever this journey of their group had become. All she knows is the tadpole, the beach, her companions. She just recently learned about her magic while it’s clear the rest of them have an entire artillery of memories in which they’ve perfected their crafts.

Of course Astarion is better with his daggers. He must have practiced wielding them for years, and remembers that practice. Aruna might have also, but she can’t recall it. The fact that she remembered how to even hold them properly is a miracle.

“It doesn’t matter,” she says just as she sees Astarion’s hard exterior beginning to soften. She doesn’t want pity, doesn’t want empathy. She just wants to help the girl, “Let’s just talk to this Kagha and help Arabella.”

Before she has the chance to turn, Astarion is speaking to her lowly, disregarding the way she clearly wanted to move on from the matter, “I do apologize. Your condition… does slip my mind. I forget myself.”

“It’s not a condition,” she snaps, “It’s… it’s temporary. Maybe once we get rid of our parasites, I’ll regain my memories. It’s fine.”

Parasites. That’s what these tadpoles must be, leeches that have taken home in all their minds, and Aruna is just the unluckiest of the bunch to be stuck with one with a craving for memories.

She’ll remember. She has to.

“For what it’s worth,” he takes a step closer, nearly whispering, as though he’d rather die than allow anyone to hear his next words, “I do believe you had a childhood. We all must have, even those of us who can’t recall them.”

If she had been a little less absorbed in all her own issues at the moment, she might have picked up on that little word: us.

She would have noticed Astarion’s grouping of himself in that category.

But she doesn’t. She only turns and continues onto their mission, to find Kagha and Arabella, completely unaware that Astarion has bared a vulnerable fragment of himself to her. The moment passes, and she never witnesses the fall of his face as he realizes that the thread of connection has gone entirely over her head.

—

Aruna doesn’t know what her experiences with snakes had been prior to all of this, but she’s starting to sense they were not good. That, or all her survival instincts that were a product of human evolution were far more overactive than everyone else’s.

Astarion doesn’t even flinch at the snake. In fact, he looks monumentally disappointed when Aruna manages to persuade Kagha to not kill Arabella by letting the bloodthirsty creature sink its fangs into her.

“What a waste of a perfectly good show,” he sighs wistfully, watching the girl run off and out of the underground room they were now standing in.

One sharp warning glance from Aruna, and he’s smart enough to not make another comment on it.

“You wanted to speak with us,” Aruna says as she approaches Kagha once the death viper has long since departed. If Astarion notices, he certainly keeps quiet with his teasing.

“Indeed,” Kagha looks up. She still wears a veil of authority, holding herself bigger than she is as if to prove herself, “You are the ones who fought at the gate against the goblins.”

Suddenly, Aruna feels a squirming in her mind, a sudden presence pressing against her tadpole. It’s unfamiliar, sharp, but not unbearable.

The same experience as when she had met each of her fellow ailed companions, but to a less intense degree.

Obviously.

Aruna is shocked when she swears she hears Astarion mutter the sarcastic reply as it echoes in her head. She turns to look at him, but his lips are sealed tightly, wearing a bored expression that morphs into offense when he catches her glance.

Why is she looking at me like that? I didn’t say that outloud, did I?

It’s nearly impossible to school her shocked expression, but Aruna manages.

Astarion certainly did think the sarcastic reply, but he didn’t say it outloud. Aruna shouldn’t have been able to hear that. And yet the squirming in her head increases, and she has the sinking suspicion of who the culprit behind the shared thoughts might be.

Interesting.

“We are,” she answers Kagha before the pause grows so long it becomes suspicious, “And the druids at the entrance said you wanted to speak to us. So, please, by all means…”

She trails off, but her eyes continue to flicker towards Astarion. He’s growing more antsy under her watchful gaze, but she’s not going to scold him for being a sarcastic ass in his mind.

Maybe she had imagined it. Maybe the tadpole is draining her of memories and sanity.

Imagined or not, tadpoles to be blamed or not, Aruna remains distracted for most of her conversation with Kagha. Her focus wanes, only leaving just enough sensibility to make out that Kagha wants their group to clear the way for the tieflings to leave the Grove. The ceremony that Astarion had questioned outside, was being executed with the intent of sealing the Grove off. No one leaves, no one enters.

It’s all a bit morbid. And it makes Aruna’s bleeding heart ache for the tieflings. Predictable, she swears she hears Astarion’s voice say as her face contorts at that shared information.

She feels the crashing waves of Astarion’s irritation over all else when Kagha finishes her short speech.

“I’m asking you to help them. Will you?”

He already knows her answer. And so does Aruna – there’s not a single way in which she’ll walk out of here without agreeing to do so.

But she does take pause, and she does consider her options. Astarion may be shocked at the fact that she takes his reaction into consideration during these decisions now, but she does. And for all he seemingly loathes helping others, he is concerned with the parasite – he’s concerned with finding a healer, just like everyone else in her party.

“I’ll help,” the quietest of groans are already escaping Astarion’s lips, but they grow quiet when she continues, “On one condition.”

“Offering conditional help?” he admonishes, “I didn’t think you had that in you.”

For once, please shut up.

She doesn’t say it outloud. She thinks it, shooting the thought like an arrow, straight for the pressure of the presence against her tadpole.

It wasn’t an imagined connection. It’s clear Astarion had heard her by the way he nearly staggers not even a second after the thought has passed.

Very interesting.

“What’s your condition?” Kagha demands, looking between the two with brewing suspicion.

If she knew about their tadpoles, she’d probably kill them. With that damn death viper, no less.

“There’s a healer here by the name of Nettie,” Aruna feels Astarion perk up, all his dissatisfaction with the idea of helping the tieflings quickly fading, “I’ll help them, if she helps us.”

“And what would you need a healer for?”

“None of your business.”

Even Astarion is shocked by the sharpness of Aruna’s words. But when she looks at Kagha, all she sees is a woman turning her back on the helpless. And it sparks a new anger inside of her, a sense of righteousness that had to have been ingrained in her at some point. Whether it be before all of this or if it is simply a pillar of who she was, who she is, doesn’t matter.

Kagha is someone cruel. And Aruna suddenly realizes that cruelty is not part of who she is, not at her core.

Kagha smiles, a forced diplomatic grin that reeks of ingenuity. “You’ll find Nettie somewhere around here, feel free to seek her out as you please. But after you’ve seen her, I do expect you to speak to Zevlor, and to keep up your end of the bargain.”

There’s no need for Aruna to bristle at the words or her condescending tone. Astarion does it for her, and without looking, she knows his hands twitch beside his daggers.

Her dagger-happy friend, her shadow. She was never worried about blindly walking into a fight when it was him at her side.

Nods are exchanged, and when Kagha turns her back, Aruna is quick to guide herself and her companion across the room, narrowly avoiding the abundance of mud.

He doesn’t say a word until they’ve walked through a second doorway, entering what almost resembles a library of some sort. She expects a comment on her lashing out.

He surprises her when he simply says, “We have to talk about it, you know.”

“Out of all our companions, you are the one I least expected a lecture from regarding being rude-”

“I couldn’t care less regarding your attitude with the druid,” he interrupts, stopping them just before they cross into what looks to be a living quarters. A hospital, of sorts, “I mean the tadpoles. You spoke to me, without uttering a single word aloud. How?”

He doesn’t know that he initiated that connection. “I- You’re serious, aren’t you?”

His lips curl, nose scrunching, “If you’re about to tell me I’m going insane, I might go find the nearest stake and put myself out of my own misery.”

Stake? How oddly specific.

“See?” he exclaims suddenly, pointing at her accusingly, “I heard that! And yes, death by stake is quite specific, but don’t read into it too much, darling.”

“Get out of my mind,” she hisses, more mindful of being quiet than he was being, “Gods, Astarion, I don’t know. Technically, you opened up that connection. I heard your thoughts first. Which, by the way – thank you for not being such a smartass out loud in front of Kagha.”

His eyes widen, “Oh. Oh, you… heard that?”

Instead of answering properly, she only puts on her worst impersonation of him, accent and all as she tries to perfectly mimic his “Obviously.”

“I do not sound like that.”

“You certainly did when you said it in my head.”

“No, I did not. My voice is far less nasally, far more refined-”

“Who cares?” she cuts him off, “The point is, we can use these parasites for our benefit until we rid ourselves of them. Imagine the potential of using those private… channels to speak to each other when we’re in front of an enemy.”

“I’d hardly call Kagha an enemy,” he snorts. But he doesn’t dismiss her idea, softening up in consideration, “I suppose you’re right. The only issue, of course, is how we opened up the connection to begin with.”

He’s right. Aruna isn’t so prideful as to fight him on that, nor is she idiotic enough to force the misfortune of figuring out the answer to that solely on him.

“Well, what were you feeling when you first thought that?” she asks carefully. She isn’t trying to pry, something she’s starting to figure out he’s not fond of, but to simply get answers, “I wasn’t hearing your every waking thought before then.”

He blinks rapidly, and she swears for a moment that he’ll take a step back. As though she’s gone too far. As though what he was feeling in the moment is private information that she hasn’t earned the knowledge of yet.

He doesn’t. “I… I suppose I just wanted to say that outloud, to you.”

That alone has a dozen implications.

“I need more than that,” she squints her eyes, “Especially considering it wasn’t something very important-”

“Making a sarcastic quip,” he looks pained as he elaborates, “Whenever I have something… particularly annoying to say, I enjoy watching your reaction to it. It’s fun to see you scramble when I run my mouth.”

She doesn’t know how to respond to that, but it does make sense. When she had sent her own message to him, she’d been feeling almost the exact same way – regarding wanting to talk to him, not so much as wanting to annoy him.

“I focused on the presence, or whatever it was, of your tadpole in my head,” she says, glancing over his shoulder as she catches sight of movement in the next room. A woman of shorter stature, hovering over something on one of the stone platforms, “So I suppose that’s the secret to it. Knowing us, another situation will arise soon enough for us to test our theory.”

He has more he wants to say. She can see it clearly in the press of his lips and the flare of his nostrils, but he doesn’t dare to speak whatever weighs on his mind, “Right. Of course. Knowing us.”

It was probably just another complaint of the way Aruna keeps getting them into trouble. He held his tongue, and she’s probably better for it.

Probably.

When they continue their exploration of the area, Aruna decides to take her time in surveying the new room rather than heading straight to the woman she had spied over Astarion’s shoulder. Tables of medicinal items, ranging from mugwort to jars of odd liquids, almost appearing to swirl with the night sky inside. The shelves of books, tomes, and slabs alike also pique Aruna’s interest. She wonders just how much trouble they might get into if she sent Astarion on a quick roundup of some of the interesting reads; his hands were far quicker and more adept for slipping them unnoticed into their packs. He’d proven such with the apple.

She doesn’t even notice that the thought has slipped down their tadpole connection until Astarion is shooting her an amused look, crossing his arms as he stares her down.

“And I thought you were against thievery,” he murmurs, voice low enough so that the woman on the other side of the room won’t hear them.

Aruna really has no defense. Besides, aside from his torment of teasing, Astarion doesn’t seem to actually judge her for having any slip-ups in morale, “I am. Hence why I didn’t ask that of you.”

“Say the word, and I’d do it,” he holds up a hand, wiggling the fingers for emphasis, “You could have your own precious library to rival the wizard’s – for a price, of course.”

“A price?”

Her grin is impossible to miss. Radiant, it’s golden cast reflecting right back at her off of Astarion’s own lips.

“You didn’t think I’d do that type of work for free, did you, darling?”

It’s a fun dance. A momentary distraction. For just a few brief seconds, they’re simply two people teasing one another, unbothered by their current circumstances or situations.

“Of course not. And, just out of curiosity,” she hums, well aware that in a few moments, they’ll need to approach that strange woman. They’ll have to drop the illusion and return to reality. But that specific warmth that only he seems capable of triggering has begun to burrow into her chest again, and she chases after the feeling, “What would your price be? If I did request that of you?”

He hesitates. She had expected a quick answer, a rapid-fire she’d struggle to keep up with. She hadn’t expected for a genuine look of contemplation to cross his face, as though he was struggling to even come up with a response for the hypothetical.

“Your daggers,” he says, although his tone isn’t quite as playful as it had been. His eyes flicker down at the blades tucked safely into each of her hips, and when they rise to meet her eyes again, it’s clear he’s somewhere far from her. Lost in thoughts, lost in his own mind, “You seemed quite defensive over them the other night. If they are special, and you’re hardly adept at wielding them, I might as well make use of them.”

“You’re not getting my daggers,” she shakes her head.

“Then I suppose you’re not getting your library.”

She laughs, and she prays he doesn’t hear any of the concern brewing beneath it. She prays that he’s still too far in his own head to recognize the way her attitude dips to meet his own deflation. Her laugh is as disingenuine as his forced smile he offers her, effectively ending the conversation.

He’s gone somewhere, somewhere so far that she couldn’t possibly follow, tadpole or not.

She finds herself hoping it isn’t quite as lonely as her own mind.

—

Nettie is… nice.

Or, rather, nice enough.

She’s fairly patient with Aruna and Astarion when they first approach, ignoring Astarion’s rude comeback to her requesting they give her just a second. She reacts kinder than necessary when Astarion prods the bird she had just healed as they pass by, prattling on about how the bird needs time to heal and how Astarion could benefit from exhibiting kindness to others.

At least his responsive scoff stays between Aruna and Astarion, echoing down the connection of their tadpoles.

She’s nice as she inquires what’s wrong with Aruna, she’s nice as Aruna explains the tadpole, and she’s nice as she offers to bring them back to her own private enclave for further examination. Hells, she’s even nice as she explains her entire experience with tadpoles thus far; a story involving another healer named Halsin, another unfortunate tadpole to be studied, and the dead drow on the table that Aruna tries to not stare at.

Something about the sight of the drow makes Aruna’s chest ache. An indescribable sorrow. A mourning she can’t recognize.

Halsin sounds more useful than this bore.

Astarion’s voice in her head cuts through all that odd grief, helping her shake it off easily.

Give her a chance.

I gave her a chance when I didn’t interrupt her ridiculous spiel regarding that damned bird and kindness.

And what makes that bird any less deserving of kindness than you or me?

If you think that, as a reward for simply existing, the world is going to hand you kindness, you are a bigger fool than I took you for.

When Nettie turns around, finally having finished her piece, she holds a thorny branch.

If I must be a fool, at least I am a kind one.

He doesn’t have a snarky response for that one. As a matter of fact, all that Aruna can feel through their connection is a resigned sadness. Something old, something yearning, something learned from a different lifetime. It makes no sense to Aruna. He doesn’t know her. Her being a fool shouldn’t affect him. Aruna’s own feet being set on the path of kindness has nothing to do with Astarion in the grand scheme of things beyond their journey to rid themselves of these worms. She’s the one with the ominous letter, she’s the one with debts to be paid regarding him once it’s all said and done. Her foolish kindness shouldn’t affect him.

And yet, it does. To a startling degree that Aruna can’t even offer proper focus to at the time being, because her focus must remain on the healer in front of her.

Because Nettie is nice enough, until she isn’t.

A series of questions, as if Aruna was on some impassable trial, is all it takes for the smaller woman to lose that nice exterior. And Aruna is unsure if maybe it was her tone to blame, being a bit too snippy with Astarion’s anxieties pounding at the back of her head. Or mayhaps if it is her memory loss to blame, making certain gaps impossible to fill and certain answers impossible to be honest. She doesn’t know where she went wrong, but she did – she’s gone terribly wrong the moment that Nettie’s face hardens in a flair of certain impassive determination, and she reaches out for Aruna’s hand.

Don’t.

Aruna can’t decipher if it was that knowing animal inside of her or Astarion that warns her so ferociously. Perhaps it had been the tadpole, a self-serving parasite that got them into this mess to begin with. She doesn’t know, she doesn’t know, she doesn’t know.

She only knows that the moment those thorns scratch her palm, it hurts like all Hells.

It burns. Terribly. And Aruna, for all her cluelessness, knows that healing shouldn’t burn.

She tugs her hand away from Nettie impossibly fast the moment the tips of the thorns have dug in, looking down at the angry pink scratches left behind. Only surface level, but they burn.

“What in the hells-” Astarion starts, taking a step forward as Aruna cradles her hand to her chest.

If I must be a fool, at least I am a kind one.

“Be careful – your legs will probably give out first.”

It’s not a cure. It’s not a plant of healing. It burns, its venom sinking its way into Aruna’s veins, spreading with a painful speed, her racing heart only quickening the process.

Aruna doesn’t have the chance to so much as blink before Astarion’s daggers are against Nettie’s neck.

Kind fool indeed.

TAGLIST: @emmaisgonnacry @writinginthetwilight @moonmunson

#ghost's stories #astarion #astarion ancunin #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #astarion x tav #astarion x oc #astarion fanfic #astarion fanfiction #the moon will sing #wahoo #aruna you absolute dumb ass you failed that perception check #every day i go through life whispering to myself 'if i must be fool at least i am kind' over and over and over and over #i would rather be foolish and kind than callous and heartless #the older i get the harder it is to maintain that #anyways #three cheers to finally getting to the tadpole connection establishment we're definitely going to misuse that for nefarious reasons later o

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imagines-to-quench-thirst · 1 year

Text

Stupid man

Word count: 1900

Pairing: Batman x fem!reader

Summary: Bruce uses 'code 4' while encountering the Scarecrow resulting in defining the next moments that would shake up his family and his future

Warning: brief depiction of the fight and sad Alfred and sad Dick

--------------------------------------------

"..."

"Batman."

"..."

"Batman!!!"

"...Code 4..."

"Bruce! Bruce, stay with me! Dick, Bruce needs help!"

"On it, Y/n."

Y/n examines the live cam seeing the infinite black ground covering it. Her hands quiver over the control, hoping her man will live to witness another day. Steps crumble toward Batman Y/n, sighing a breath of relief and sitting on the closet chair.

"Thank god you are here, Dick."

"What?! No, Batcomputer... I am 3 minutes ETA."

Fear poisons her veins as Y/n listens closely.

"What's wrong, Batman!? Scared?"

Y/n's eyes glaze on the computer screen, her voice letting out the villans name, her voice matching with Bruce's

"Scarecrow"

"Do not worry, Batman. You will not die...Not yet, but your veins will pollute themself with my fear of toxins. I cannot wait to see if this will break you or make you into my Scarecrow. "

Another pair of feet grumble down, rushing in while grunts cascade from Scarecrow.

"Move away from him, buttface!" Dick roared, smashing the straw-filled enemy, managing to cuff him down in 4 agonizing minutes for Y/n. The police sirens howled into the Gotham sky, taking the Scarecrow away.

"Batcomputer, we are coming back."

"Copy."

The Batmobile drove in as Y/n observed anxiously, already preparing an operating table for Bruce. The door opens with a swift movement, Y/n placing herself under Bruce's weight and Dick helping out. Placing the wounded brute on the table, Alfred comprehended what he had to do. His stoic face examined the patient's body, witnessing his sweating going faster, his face painting itself in a heartbreaking expression, eyebrows stitched together, mouth emitting pained groans and vocal no's, eyes rolling back the white canvas painted with tiny green veins.

To her, it all collided in her mind, he was wounded deeply, and he could die. He is human. He isn't indestructible like he vowed to her when she uncovered his secret. She could wake up tomorrow and find him 6 feet under. His hands could not hug her or console her. His smooth voice could not comfort or call her when she lost her way in the manor.

She was mad to think that there would be this his end. Dying of old age for the Batman?! She was mad to think that... and more so to believe that he would survive this so easily.

Her expression zoned out, looking at Bruce's hands. With an "I could have done what I could, now we wait for it to pass" from Alfred, Y/n walked over to Burce, clutching his hand and sitting next to him, her face blank as ever.

Alfred gave Dick a comforting hug wishing his son would survive this live nightmare. Alfred walked to Y/n as Dick stood at Bruce's other side while Alfred spoke softly to Y/n.

"Mistress Y/n, rest. I will mind him."

With no glance adverting towards the lovely father figure, Y/n spoke, "No. I will stay with him. You two go rest and...and I don't know."

Alfred and Dick exchanged glances between themself, knowing fully well there was no room for discussion, the ambiance feeling incredibly heavy by the moments that let up until now. Moving away from the couple, they let the bat calls echo on the stone walls, encapsulating the worst moment in their lives.

~~~~~

Trying to stay awake after almost 40 hours of torturous silence and stillness, Alfred put his foot down at the utterly tired woman.

"All right, Mistress Y/n. Sleep now...IN the Master Bedroom."

Y/n responds in a burb of words, "No... He...Wake...Want to see... Blue eyes... no sleep...coffee..."

"You already had your 10th cup, and I pledge that you now have coffee running through your veins. Go rest. Now!"

Alfred pulled her away, dragging her to the much-needed rest letting involuntary Alfred watch over his adoptive son.

~~~~~

Time passes as it does while Bruce feels the cold ambiance of the Batcave. His eyes open, noticing Alfred's dead pained gaze. Alfred spluttered some words that were more so sounds with no context as he looked at Bruce sitting on the table. Alfred steps in front of his family, hugging him, not feeling the weight that passed his heart, the deadly weight he would drag into the ground with him. Bruce jerks in the hug his cold skin touching against the warm cotton-laced fabric of his butler.

"How long was I out?"

Alfred brokenly whispers, "Too long. We already thought the worst, Master Bruce. Don't do that again."

Pulling back, Alfred sighed a breath of relief. His brain rolled back all of the fondest memories he had with Bruce, and it was most of his life, but now seeing his blue eyes blinking, his mouth moving with words but Alfred hearing not one, just feeling the alleviation in his heart.

"...Y/n?" The voices blur seemed to die down for Alfred, bringing him back, hearing Y/n's name.

"She is resting. She needs it. Mistress Y/n was by your side while you were at your most alarming. No sleep, food, just coffee, so many cups of coffee."

Alfred expressed in a tranquil tone seeing Bruce stand up on frail legs. Alfred stood in his spot, judging whether or not to speak and stop Bruce from walking, knowing full well where he was going. But Bruce was stubborn, not more than Y/n but more so than Alfred, leaving Alfred with a slight chuckle leave his lips.

"My goodness."

Bruce staggered step and step up the manor towards his master bedroom, not seeing much around himself, seeing solely stairs, his feet, and his left hand grabbing the rail for dear life. Bruce felt weak, he felt lost and shaken up, his mind filled with the remainder of nightmares, and he felt broken with all this unwanted movement in his body, mind, and soul. Bruce needed help, but he didn't want to ask. Bruce was ashamed to ask; he was a protector, yet there was no protector in him. One step more, he felt stronger, lighter, and more capable. As if...

"Need help, B-man?" Dick asked with a glint in his blue eye. The evident relief shows on the boy's face as he places himself under braces shoulder and puts Bruce's arm over his broad shoulders. Bruce let the grip of the handrail and leans on his son, letting him guide him up, feeling a tiny bit better now.

"You gave everyone a great scare. Don't do that again. Lost a lot of sleep."

Bruce croaked with a laugh. "And I'm guessing you replaced it with coffee."

"How did you know?" Dick questioned as they reached the top of the steps, a few efforts away from the bedroom.

"Had a hunch." Bruce responds. Standing tall, Bruce hugs Dick, with the utmost emotion in his heart, towards Dick, a young boy who he gave shelter when he lost his parents, finding a few golden threads that connected them. Giving Bruce a new way to look at life, a moment that told him he wasn't the only one in this position. There were always other people to help, and this small boy, now a proud man, was standing in front of him, proud of helping him grow up in a safe home and letting him define a new generation of justice.

Dick froze in this moment. He felt Bruce's arms around his body, noticing the familial warmth radiating from his father. Hugs weren't rare, and yet they weren't often as well. Well, they were starting to get more often lately, thanks to Y/n influence.

Communication is complex for Bruce, his primary source of love and communication was cut off a long time ago when he was eight, left only with his butler, who was also mourning, attempting to be a family figure for the boy. Life resumed, and Bruce continued to keep himself and others around him at arm's length, not comprehending what he was doing wrong. Only when he met Y/n. Who told him that communication would build him into a better person and father figure to Dick. Bruce preserved it in his mind, not acting much upon it until this moment, a moment where he felt that the right move would be a hug and the words...

"I love you..son." Bruce spoke clearly enough for Dick to pull back and look a second of puzzled look on his face before taking a chuckle out of it

"You still have a concussion."

Dick stepped away from him down the stairs, his steps seemingly crammed with joy, hearing the words he had heard from Bruce maybe a handful of times. Bruce limped gradually towards his bedroom, opening the heavy door with a slow swoosh, not wishing to wake up his girl. There she was. Sleeping on her side, her back facing him. Her curves were covered by the thick duvet cover that was dubbed an 'expensive heating blanket that could swallow me whole, and I wouldn't mind' by Y/n. His muscular weight dipped the bed slightly as he sat down, looking at Y/n shift towards him, her eyes still shut, laced with sleep.

"Poor thing... Why didn't you eat anything? Why didn't you drink water like you always tell me to? I feel so stupid to have to put you through this to know how much I love and need you. When I had nightmares, one of my nightmares was seeing you walk past me, not knowing me, not kissing my cheek or holding my hand—just passing me, not even looking at me. And when I wanted to reach your hand, you looked at me with disgust and kept moving. Only for me to yell for you and watch you walk...away. I would never have thought I would see another day where you are in my life, our house, and our future."

Bruce's hand reaches for Y/n kissing her knuckle lightly just enough to stir her awake. Her eyelashes fluttered open, her eyes catching Bruce's figure concealed in the night sky's color. Standing up slowly, Y/n looked at his hand holding hers, examining his hand carefully, caressing her palm, drawing little shapes, tiny invisible hearts, and stars. Y/n looks up into his blue eyes, expressing uncertainty.

"Please, tell me this is real."

Leaning down to her, Bruce kisses her lips softly, answering in a hushed tone.

"I am here, sweetheart."

Y/n eyes twinkle and shake with tears brimming over the edge of her waterline as they begin to cascade down her cheeks. Bruce kisses her cheeks, dabbing away her tears. Y/n drew Bruce to herself, hugging him for dear life, hearing his strong heartbeat beating in a serene rhythm.

"Don't do that ever again, stupid man. Stupid, stupid man." Y/n cried out to her man, feeling herself ache with the reality of his job and life purpose.

"I won't, darling. I will never leave you again.'" Bruce promised, caressing her back gently, soothing her as she cried out. Bruce knew what happened to him was life-changing in more ways than one, and it nearly broke his family apart. Bruce was definitely in his peak physical shape, but mentally, he still had to shape himself into a man worthy of being a good son, a great father, and a one-of-a-kind future husband.

But that will, for now wait, and so will the ring that was hidden in Bruce's drawer for another day.

Hope you liked it! Let me know what you think ❤️

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daphnedauphinoise · 1 year

Note

Daphne,

Please would you mind sharing your foot care routine, my winter feet are in a dire state

No problem :) I actually need to get back into this old routine. Here is the routine from my drafts:

1. Cutting your nails

I won't say I am a woman who get embarassed or can be embarrased but I don't think I can ever live down the humiliation of when I turned up to my podiatry appointment and my podratist took one look at my nails and say 'I think I will cut them for you'. She did explain to me that though I had cut them, I still left them too long and long toe nails is a bad foot practice but oh my god, never again! I know it sound wierd but there is a correct way to cut your toe-nails and it is straight across. Any fancy shapes might lead to ingrown nails and they are painful.

I find toenails to grow quite slowly so I cut my every two weeks but I tend to fully clean my toenails at least weekly. You should not be letting those black fuzz under your toenails grow. Letting your shower water run inbetwee you toes is not enough and you should be using soap and a nail brush whenever you shower to clean your feet.

2.Foot Soaks

Epsom salt

Vinegar

I try and do these foot soaks weekly as they are actually really good at relaxing you. I just get a bucket and put the same about of salt ratio as I do in pasta water and let my feet rest. You don't really need anything fancy as epsom salt works just fine, but it does have to be epsom salt. This is because epsom salt is a mixture of magneusim and sulfate so it will actually do something for you (relax your muscles and cramps etc). I also like to add one cup vinegar as well to my foot bath. Vinegar has anti-bacterial properties so adding this makes it hard for bacteria to grow on your feet.

3. Foot Exfoilation

Cheap face scrub

Pumic stone

Exfoilating foot mask

This is where we will get rid of the dead skin cells. There are two ways you can go around doing this: physical and chemical exfoliation.

I don't think you need to buy any designated foot srub because they all tend to work the same. Personally, I just buy the £2 St Ives face scrub but use it on my foot. After I have soaked my feet, I dry them just so they are damp and I scrub the hell out of my feet.

For chemical peels you can either use some sort of peeling acid or a exfoilaiting sheet mask. The common peeling acid that people use is the Ordinary acid one and I find to be good for the skin around your toenails.

I like using an exfoliating foot sheet mask as well but this is probably every 6 months at the earliest. A lot of these sheet masks get marked up and some sites and brands sell these for £20 and again, there is no need to pay this much. Your local saver beauty store or poundland/dollar tree should have them for around £1-£2 and that is the only amount anyone should be spending on these. Reminder, you really do not want to over-exfoliate your feet. Your feet is meant to have hard skin because it serves a purpose for your body and health.

4. Moisturising

I think you get the point by now but, you don't need anything fancy. I think of my massive tub of Vaseline as an equivalent to the Holy Trinity and I use that. At night, just before I am about to sleep I mix vaseline and a thicker moisturizer (body butter works amazing too) and I massage my feet with the mixture. Foot massages are actually very important for your overall health. Then, I pop on some fuzzy socks and I sleep.

5. Beautifying your feet

After you do all this your feet should look nice and pretty but if you want to take it a step further you can make sure your toe nails are nice too. I like taking off the hardened skined around my toe nails which one of the tools I mentioned in my nail routine post.

I would never suggest or encourage anyone to go get a pedicure so I myself, just do everything at home. For sanitaion reasons, I don't like using the same nail polish that I use on my hand nails on my toe nails and nail salons are just so so unhygenic.

I heard a feet pic seller once say (from an old magazine) that what earns her the most money is either a french manicure or soft pink nails. So that is what I do :)

I am really going to emphasize this here, you don't need anything buy anything. Literally, everything you need to make your own foot routine, you can find in your home already. Should you want to buy anything, there is no need to spend anything more than £5 per product ( though you still wouldn't see me do this) and buy something you can use for many other things eg. vaseline.

If you have any concerns regarding your feet, do go to a podraitist as they can help. Make sure you are always wearing comfortable shoes and that you are walking properly.

Anyway love,

Daphne xoxo

#you ask for daphne's answers #daphne’s beauty tips

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mistresslrigtar · 2 months

Text

Chapter Nineteen: Secret (written of @zelinktines24 day 19 prompt)

Read below or HERE

Star’s escape and Tulin’s sudden arrival curtail any further discussion regarding the secret stones for the immediate future. Zelda still isn’t sure what she’ll say to Link, and is happy for the reprieve, especially when a knock on the door, reveals Riju standing on the other side. Beyond them, Riju’s entourage is already erecting a large, colorful tent that will be their quarters while they are in Akkala. Her guard, Buliara stands by the front stoop, spear in hand observing the operation and barking commands when the workers aren’t doing something to her satisfaction.

Riju throws herself at Zelda, her anklets and bracelets jingling pleasantly when she pulls Zelda in for a firm hug. “It’s so good to see you! Thank you for inviting us.”

Zelda doesn’t bother to correct her that it was Link’s initial idea, and smiles warmly at her friend when they part. “Of course. Please, come in. You must be tired from traveling. I’ll brew us some tea.”

Riju makes herself at home on a cushion by the table and gazes out the panoramic windows. “I’ve never been this far from Gerudo before. It’s so different out here — it feels wild and uninhabited.”

Aside from the garrison that had been stationed at the Citadel, there weren’t very many people in the past who made the region their home. Zelda has noted that the trend seems to be changing as travelers visiting Tarrey Town discover the beautiful, lush green countryside.

“It’s a hidden gem.” Zelda sets the kettle over the cooking fire, and rifles in the cupboard for the tea tin and her delicate porcelain cherry blossom tea set she reserves for special occasions.

“Indeed.” Riju turns away from the windows to watch Zelda work. “Where’s Link?”

“Oh, Tulin arrived yesterday, so Link took him out to show him the surrounding area and hunt. I imagine they’ll be back shortly.” Setting the tea set on a tray, Zelda sprinkles tea into the pot before removing the kettle from the heat and adding water. She carries it to the table and sits down before serving the tea.

Riju accepts the cup Zelda offers and plops several sugar cubes from the bowl in until Zelda is certain the sugar to tea ratio has dipped strongly in favor of the sweetener. Stirring it with a spoon, Riju takes a sip, lightly smacking her lips and declaring it delicious, before folding her arms on the table and leaning toward Zelda. “I’ve got a secret!”

“Oh, what’s that?” Riju’s excitement is infectious and Zelda smiles as she pours a splash of milk in her tea, forgoing any sugar.

Red lips curving into a big smile, Riju’s eyes brighten. “I’ve found my true love. Of course, Buliara doesn’t approve,”—Riju rolls her eyes—“but I don’t care what she thinks. My love’s name is Alaura, and she’s intelligent, strong and gorgeous. I don’t know how I ever managed before without her.”

True love. The words tumble over in Zelda’s mind. Riju makes it sound so simple and easy to be with the person she loves. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

Eyes brightening, Riju’s smile widens. “She’s helping set up camp, but I’ll introduce you and Link to her later. Speaking of, how are you two doing?”

“We’re all right…” Her eyes flick to Riju’s earring and sees her amber stone sparkling innocuously in the sunlight streaming through the windows. Link said he wanted to speak to their friends about the stones, so… “Link has asked me to consider destroying the secret stones. He’s afraid of them falling into the wrong hands again.”

“Hmmm.” Riju sets down her cup, and rests her chin on a closed fist, a thoughtful look in her eyes. “That is a troubling possibility, but you seem to disagree with him.”

“I am hesitant to take such a drastic action,” Zelda agrees, glad she decided to bring up the subject with Riju, and garner a third, perhaps more unbiased opinion. “Don’t you need it to utilize your gift fully?”

“No.” Riju reaches a hand to lightly finger the stone dangling from her ear. “Link is the one who helped hone and harness my gift. The stone merely allowed him to call upon my power when he was searching for you, and I wasn’t able to physically be by his side.”

Riju leans back on her cushion, her eyes thoughtful as she studies Zelda. “If it’s validation you’re looking for to help make the final decision, I agree that the risks outweigh any further benefit they offer. We didn’t need them before, and in the end, they aren’t what helped us defeat Ganondorf and his forces. It was teamwork, and that we have in spades, no?”

Zelda nods, realizing what Riju is saying is what Link had been trying to articulate yesterday. “When he suggested it, I shut down. I keep hoping I’ll sense Rauru or Sonia through the stone.”

Frowning, Riju’s brows pull together. “We’re in the land of the living, Zelda. The ghosts of the sages, Rauru and Sonia have done what was needed and hopefully, have found peace in the spirit realm.”

Riju’s words make Zelda pause, the rim of the cup at her lips, warm steam misting the skin beneath her nose. Her heart clenches in her chest, recalling the hurt look in Link’s eyes when she’d said she would have to think about it. Her consummate love for Link had initially unlocked her power, and now she realizes it was her filial love for Rauru and Sonia that had helped her hone it, not the stone. Love has always been at the core of her power. How could Zelda have forgotten that?

#legend of zelda #zelink #the legend of zelda #zelinktines24 #daily prompt #zelda angst #totk riju #tears of the kingdom #breath of the wild #loz totk #loz botw

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kadextra · 5 months

Text

I couldn’t watch the q!Bad lore stream live today and don’t feel like putting a bunch of vodblogs in the main tag, so I’m gonna try something new and put it all in one massive post

so if you missed seeing me on the dash and wanna read about me maybe losing my mind (depending on what happens as I watch) here ya go :D

WAIT WHAT??? Q!BAD IN LIMBO DEATH LIMINAL SPACE AGAIN AT THE START OF STREAM?????

MY GUY THERE IS SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH YOU‼️‼️‼️

oh there’s a second him that’s so trippy. he doesn’t recognize himself again, they’re walking together.

THIS IS SO COOL OH MY GOD?!?!?!? now they are digging in the sand??

ah so the corpse of… also himself is still at the deserted village, but its decomposed into a skeleton now. interesting DONT DRINK THE POISONED WATER NOT AGAIN ok good phew. good confirmation this is not a loop, there is new stuff happening that didn’t last time

dude this is so awesome he is cooking so hard. I’m gonna rewatch this whole part again later, I really love surreal stuff like this

nevermind it might actually be a loop? we went back right to where we were at the start. why does he keep sitting outside of the temple, and doesn’t go inside?

TOP FUNNEL 🕺🕺🕺

and we’re back. he can’t remember how to use the warp stone again :( the memory book is not in his hotbar uh oh.

Hi Ben o/

he doesn’t know the eggxhibition… you built this man, I’m gonna cry. NOOO HE DOESNT KNOW BOBBY IS DEAD AGAINNNNN

POMME. “MY DAUGHTER” WAAAAAHHH

“too early to put this up” <- referring to the día de los muertos decor. dude what time and day are you in

he found the egg hospital!!! oh no now he’s looking around erratically. I think he’s panicking :(((( and once again picked some flowers to self-soothe :((( god the flowers are so special to him, they seem to be like his main grounding thing. q!forever doesn’t even know the impact he made

he’s home!!!

dark matter by the vulture lab door uh? a knight armor guy sweeping??? is that a ghost??? what just happened?

oh god the vulture lab

IT WAS A GHOST THE ARMOR IS THERE AND THE BROOM IS IN THE CHEST. possessed armor that’s fun! :D

DAPPERRRRRRRRRR DAPPER MY BABY IS AWAKE AND ALIVE

dapper looks so horrible omg also her name is lowercased?

vacation. sure

“I didn’t get to keep it (the eye guy) as a pet.” yeah that’s definitely dapper.

also he doesn’t want to wear armor like the new eggs that’s weird

T E A. and q!bad’s memory is still fudged.

dapper your dad is very sick….

he remembers its been 2 months dapper has been gone! :0 DAPPER WAS NOT IN PURGATORY THE WHOLE TIME??? JUST A FEW DAYS???? EXPLAIN WHY NOW

q!bad keeps forgetting what they’re doing, and then goes off and does something else….. I don’t know if dapper fully realizes what’s going on, maybe she’s just too tired themselves to pay close attention to her dad?

“Since when did we have a farm?” Buddy.

PHILZA IS SOOOOO HAPPY TO SEE DAPPER LETS GOOO

“we hid him (dapper) underground, we weren’t sure if the island was safe” We? you and…? cucurucho?

DAPPER GOT YEETED INTO THE BOAT AHAHAHA

oh they really did get launched by the nuke and hit the boat I knew it. also I see you…. zooming into the back wound when phil said “you made it in one piece”

PRIVILEGED LOBSTER IS BACK REJOICE

chayanne was who led the eggs to leave? huh. chayanne you’ve got some explaining to do

not them talking about the eye guy’s snatched waist 💀💀💀💀 tbh they did slay

philza wants to beat up the eye guy and elquackity I support him so much

dapper hitting his dad off the top of the wall we’re so back!!!

ETOILES SEEING DAPPER and then fell off the wall LMAOOO

q!bad forgot that he forgot his memory

(I am so engrossed in the conversations I am forgetting to write things here lol)

“can we teach etoiles to cope” (with losing to the code) then they make him break a sign with 1s and 0s on it and he logs LMAO

q!bad just mentally zoned out and stared once again at flowers….. oh. the coughing :(

pomme was the leader when the eggs went surviving in the wilderness :3 that’s my girl!!!!!!

everyone just bouncing on the trampoline and chit-chatting is so sweet, I missed this <3

dapper is so based all the time

roier seeing dapper again awwwww

ough I really really missed dapper’s out of pocket jokes :(((

“I’ll get cleaned up for tomorrow, I’m sure it’ll turn out fine!” *hits F5* “I need pomme and the rest of the eggs to wake up, and I’ll probably feel right as rain…” haha stop it q!bad I don’t like this!!!!! 😃

he just said he didnt know a church was built here. now they’re at the graveyard talking about how he saw the dead eggs at día de los muertos </3 sobs sobs

Q!MAX T-T I miss you king o7

“learning how to raise the dead might come in handy” “we will worry about that later” ??? Please Stop That!

CODEBREAKERS JUMPSCARE

“I kinda won in this whole situation!” (the eggs being back) Sure bud. You aren’t dying or anything. You definitely have not entered limbo twice.

DAPPER PUTTING FLOWERS BY EACH EGG IN THE HOSPITAL. THE CROWN BY CHAYANNE GAHHHH AUGHHH GGUGHHG 💥💥💥

honey for smelly richas :3

q!bad saying dapper will like bagi and that she’s a really good friend, and will be his aunt. cries and punches a hole into the wall

More Coughing 👁️ dapper please help your father he needs serious medical attention.

BAD FORGOT ABOUT THE GHOSTIES THIS WHOLE TIME. BUT WE ARE FREE ONCE MORE!!

quit saying things are going to be okay I know you are jinxing something and it’s scary. there is a giant hole in your head and your back is turning green.

they’re going to see the prison and courtroom!!

WHAT DID HE JUST SAY

“forever for the crime of looking too handsome I sentence you to 10 years in prison!” UNPROMPTED? I know what you are 🏳️‍🌈‼️

I CANT DO THIS

FINALLY THE BIRTHDAY PARTY CELEBRATION FOR DAPPER. so many nights. so many nights where we’d watch him sit awake, crying at that table. waiting, waiting for something that would never come. but now it’s here. I’m in anguish

“once the eggs wake up we’ll have a big birthday party! a big ol birthday party. yep. a party.” why did you say that with such a weird tone sir?

DAPPER BURYING THEMSELVES WHEN HE FOUND OUT ALL THE MACHINES BROKE KKKKKKK

he reintroduced skeppy to dapper…

he is explaining the great furniture stealing to dapper. who was there when it happened and already knows. “my memory hasn’t been very good lately, I think.” Yeah You Think? I wonder q!bad forgot he’s the one who stole it all?

DAPPER IS BACK TIME

the child is locked outside

PFFT HES CHAINSAWING THE DOOR <3333 AND HAS AN ELEPHANT

yes dapper be salty at your dad for accidentally locking you out

REAL DAPPER TIME!!!!!!!

the sunshine recording omg. he played it for company the entire time they were alone… AAAAAAAAAAAAAUGHH HGHGHGHHGHGHGHGHGHHHGHGHGHGGHHGHFHFHGGFHFGHHHGHHBSBENFMFKS

dapper doesn’t know why q!bad is blue 😀 he doesn’t know…….. haha head in hands

they are going to visit Niki :3

OHHH HER REACTION TO DAPPER <333 she’s such a sweetheart. have I ever said how much I love niki? she was so great in purgatory, and earlier today I got to watch her meet empanada and bond over baking and sweets <3

nice look at the head wound from the inside

q!bad’s been so insistent on dapper going to the eye doctor, I have heard him say this so much over the last several days. even in his memory lapses he remembers it. Why? mr. colorblind YOU need to go to the eye doctor. go hospital.

yeah the alien ships from the map do look like eyes don’t they

based niki her favorite animal is elephants :3 SHUT UP Q!BAD YOU DEMON don’t eat the elephants

the hungriest little guy on the island strikes again

I’m just chilling listening rn, bad dapper and niki are so late night podcast vibes

perry the schnabeltier

TREASURE PLANET >>>>

in the dark of the night is kind of a q!bad song ngl

let’s go a washing machine in dapper’s lab :D oh that was a weird pause in the middle of your sentence bad :D

dapper is running on the ceiling!! they are so talented!

OH MY GOD.

SUNSHINE

bawling my eyes out hold on

the 3 months where q!bad has been so depressed and suffering just went flashing through my mind. every time he had sang the song in a teary broken voice, with nobody across from him listening. in the graveyard as a rainstorm raged above. but now his sunshine is back… hit me like a truck

they are gonna sleep hugging together tonight :’3

“I know it seems I’ve been out of character (since the beginning of the stream) but trust me, I haven’t. I’ve been in character this whole time…”

“Goodbye, see you tomorrow ….I’m sure everything is going to be just fine. :)”

I’m scared

—

well I guess this is the end of my vodblogging lore post!!! I hope it was fun to read jfjdjshdh it was just the thoughts I Would have posted if I was liveblogging. my eyes are still watery :’)

see you all tomorrow for whatever horrors await

#qsmp #vodblogging #qsmp badboyhalo #qsmp dapper

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lady-of-the-spirit · 3 months

Note

So you have Sersi from the eternals as your dp. What do you like about her? Why do you think she is important? Just curious.

I waited to answer this so I could have time to collect my thoughts on Sersi and why's my fave.

I mean, the first time I saw the movie I was just. Drawn to her. I think from the moment she turned the stone dagger into gold, and then the timeskip and we saw her walking into work and talking to the statue of Charles Darwin I was like "Oh, she's gonna be my favourite, I can tell." And then I was right because every point after that I fell more in love with her and by the time the movie was over I was obsessed with her forever. So inexplicable attraction is the first reason.

One of the things I like about Sersi the most is that, for a movie that's about a team of aliens who have to live amongst humanity for thousands of years, Sersi is the one who fully embraces it, for good and bad. Phastos stopped, but came around again after making his own human family. Druig loves humanity, but his form of love is control - he would rather they not have any control over their lives if it meant they'd stop having conflict, because he knows better than them (I need Druig stans to stop acting like he loves humanity without acknowledging this, bc it's creepy and fucked up). But Sersi loves humanity, for good and for bad. Every time she's interacting with humans - back in Babylon, with the kids she teaches, in Druig's village, even the brief scene at Phastos's house - she's having a great time. She loves them. She more than anyone else has embraced this planet as her home, and these people as her own.

But that's also part of her internal conflict. the movie isn't as in depth with this unfortunately, but she's spent the last 7000 or however years thinking they'll all eventually return to Olympia, which is their 'real' home. So as much as she loves these people, however long she spends on Earth with them, she's going to have to leave eventually. She says it herself - they're just waiting for Arishem to tell them they can come home. And the Mission is what matters most, right? So she has to set up a barrier in her heart - Earth isn't her home, Olympia is. And that also is part of the conflict when they find out the truth about the convergence. Because it's throwing EVERYTHING she believed into question. because she spent forever loving these people, this planet, but also believing in the mission because why wouldn't she, she trusts Ajak, and now suddenly the mission has changed. and she has to choose between The Mission (even if the mission has changed) and everyone she loves dying. but she's still the first to say "We're not going to let everyone on earth die, right?!" like regardless of how much she struggles with making a choice on what to do, she knows there's only one right outcome, even if they don't know how to get there.

and like, as a story, narratively I wish Sersi had gotten to actually take charge of the group and make a clear decision without circumstances forcing her to do something she's still unsure about. but with her personality in mind, it makes sense to me. She's been thrust into leadership unexpectedly, not to mention it's made explicitly clear that her leadership isn't actually respected by the group (as a whole, individually it's different) because everyone thought it would be Ikaris instead and he's their de facto leader anyway. So her not having any idea what to do in this situation? Trying to decide, doubting herself, but still having to step up in the end - and STILL not sure she made the right choice? Makes so much sense to me. Very relatable. I felt that, I am her. Wish it had been different for the sake of her character arc, but I still get it.

I guess the final answer to your question of why I think she's important and what I like about her is that Sersi is that out of all of them, she fully steps into the life they have to lead. Sprite admits to being jealous of humans and sides with Ikaris, Ikaris is self explanatory, Gilgamesh and Thena both stepped away from human life, Ajak loves humanity and changes her mind but still is shown to be living a solitary life out in the middle of nowhere, Druig and Phastos I already talked about, Makkari hides away on the Domo for several centuries and besides curiosity about their artifacts doesn't seem interested in humans themselves, and Kingo does love the people of Earth but lives as a celebrity so not exactly one with the common man.

Sersi lives a normal life among the people she loves. Sersi is unsure about everything except that she won't let humanity die. Sersi is the one who wholeheartedly embraces Earth as her home the moment she's free to do so. Sersi is the one who loves them enough to do anything to save them, even when she doesn't believe she can. Sersi is the heart of the story, and the one who saves the day, even when she's scared and doesn't know if she's doing the right thing, because it's the only way to save everyone.

this whole thing got away from me I hope this makes sense I'm not going back to reread this and make it make sense or make it cohesive.

other random things I love about Sersi

she loves kids. every time she interacts with a kid she looks so happy. it's so cute.

green is my favourite colour so there was no way I wouldn't love her just because of that. and she looks so good in it too.

just watch her face when she, Ikaris and Sprite are watching Kingo's performance - she looks so delighted. Ikaris and Sprite are just like wtf but she looks so EXCITED!

she's 7000~ years old and she's still a terrible liar. Dane brings up her ex who's 7000 years old and can fly, and she says "he's a pilot".

her indecision is so relatable to me I said this already but it's true. Anyone would be struggling in her shoes.

she's GOOD and she's KIND. she tries her best.

her powers are so cool like. there's a boulder 3x her size flying her way, shot out of a volcanic eruption, and it takes one quick touch to turn it into a flock of birds. like if she were even a second off she'd die, but she doesn't even flinch.

people claim that druig doesn't care about anyone but Makkari and they're so wrong for that like he listens to Sersi, he does, in fact, care about her opinion and care about her. she doesn't demand his help or threaten him, she asks for his help and then tells him he's better than this, and he listens to her.

Ajak and Thena, obectively two of the coolest Eternals, are her biggest supporters so if you don't support Sersi they wouldn't support you, sorry.

in the comic on webtoon (which was not good but whatever) she collects trinkets and artifacts from everywhere they've been and it's filling the whole Domo, she's just like me fr (she and Makkari)

the way that when they're leaving Phastos's home, she reaches out to comort him as they're walking down the street. and when he's telling her (not Ikaris, he's only talking to Sersi even though Ikaris is also there) about losing his faith and getting it back with his family, she's listening with a sympathetic, understanding look. she gets it. she loves that he's found this family for himself. she's happy for him. they're best friends to me.

she's chronically late, talks to statues, is obsessed with her phone and apps, and forgets to silence her phone in the middle of important meetings. she's a dork. I love her so much.

hope this late, long rambling answer makes sense and answers your question!

#ask #toocalloustosee #sersi #eternals #i think this makes sense but i'm also tired so

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gay-destiel · 10 months

Text

mind games ~ tenrose

word count: 1,358

pairing: Tenth Doctor x Rose Tyler

summary: the Doctor and Rose are taken prisoner on an alien planet, and one of the aliens takes over the Doctor's mind. Rose doesn't believe the aliens can control him fully, but when they tell him to hurt her, she realizes how little like the Doctor he really is at the moment.

author's note: i wrote this at three am, so know that. it was originally meant to be a 200 word lil drabble but....... so enjoy :):)

warnings for violence, if you're not comfortable reading things such as the Doctor (actually someone mind controlling him) hurting Rose, please don't read this <3

moodboard by yours truly

not proofread

"Doctor?"

Rose's eyes are wide, fear pulling at her senses. The Doctor kneels on the other side of the room, body still. Eerie compared to his struggles earlier.

Behind him is Dreylan, a purple skinned alien, with a grin on her face. Her fingers are against the Doctor's temples, positioned carefully, and her eyes are narrowed.

"He won't answer you. I have him entirely under my control." Dreylan snorts, her hands falling from the Doctor's face, "The famed Doctor. Last of the Timelords. Mine."

Rose ignores her, staring at the Doctor,

"Can you hear me? Listen, you gotta fight her! Come back."

The purple skinned guards behind her are stout, their hands digging into her skin. Dreylan waves them off, and they move away, closer to the glass door on Rose's right. Her hopes flare as the Doctor shifts, but they plummet like stones as he says,

"What would you like him to tell you? I can make him say anything. It's alright, Rose. I'll get us out."

Dreylan moves backwards, her expression triumphant. A hot fury burns through Rose at the words coming out of his mouth, his voice.

"He will. You know why? Because he's the Doctor. You think you're being funny, but he's defeated thousands of people like you."

"Oh, darling. You just don't get it. He does what I want him to, and only that." At her expression, Dreylan shrugs, "You don't believe me? Doctor, choke her. Not to kill, but just show her what you can do."

Immediately, the Doctor stands, face blank as he moves towards Rose. A cold rush of dread runs down her spine, but she keeps her expression steady.

"Doctor. This isn't you. Come back. Just follow my voice. You can do it, I know you-"

Reaching her, he grabs her neck, and she lets out a cry, panic pulsing through her. As if she's a piece of paper, he lifts her up, slamming her against the wall. She scrabbles at his hands as the air is pushed out of her, and she chokes, kicking at the wall behind her.

He's strong, stronger than she'd realized, and as she gasps for air, Dreylan closes in, peering at Rose's red face. Her vision starts to dim as the aliens watch, but all she can see is the Doctor. His eyes are blank, flat. Still the same swirling chocolate brown, but missing the constant spark of life. The glimmer he gets turning to her to explain the next new thing. His eyes are dead.

Just as her vision flickers, Dreylan snaps her fingers, and the Doctor lets go, moving his hand away in a motion too quick for her to follow.

She sprawls on the floor, letting out a cry of pain as her ankle folds from under her. Gasping for air, she scrambles backward, hitting the corner far too soon. Her fingers probe her ankle, and though she sucks in a breath at the contact, it's not broken.

"See? I can make him do anything. And he can't do anything to stop himself. He's in there, watching. But he can't escape. The telepathy of my species far exceeds his own."

Lifting her head to the shining boots of the purple alien, Rose spits, a spark of satisfaction warming her at the sight. But Dreylan just shakes her head,

"Doctor? Slap her."

He moves closer, and she flinches, trying to stop a tremor as he reaches down to pull her up. She looks up into his emotionless face, silently pleading with him.

Slap.

Crying out at the contact, a wave of pain blinds her, and she's barely able to steady herself as he lets go, stepping back to Dreylan's side. The metallic tang of blood fills her mouth, and she can feel a trickle of it drip down her chin. As her eyes refocus, Dreylan brushes her hand against the Doctor's hand.

That means he's fighting. She needs to keep contact with him.

And if Rose can distract the purple skinned woman, maybe he stands a chance of getting free. And she's not letting Dreylan stay in his head.

When Dreylan steps forward, Rose pushes the pain away, biting her lip to clear her head.

And when she gets close enough, Rose brings her knee up, hitting her square in the gut before trapping her in a headlock.

Thankfully, she seems to be weaker than humans, or Rose wouldn't have any chance. But the guards finally stir, starting towards the three, before Rose pulls Dreylans hair back, scowling at them,

"Stay back."

They do just that, edging back to the doorway, and when Dreylan- coming out of the shock of being attacked- calls for the Doctor, she knocks her head on the wall, kicking her to the floor.

And she goes.

Not so imperious without your mind control.

Remembering the last thing she'd said, Rose turns back to the Doctor, tensing.

But he's already watching her, leaning against the wall. At her scared expression, he reaches out, and Rose can't help but flinch, remembering the strength in his hands. He stops, pulling his hands back with a pained look.

"Rose... I'm so sorry. I can't- I don't..."

He struggles to form a sentence, but his concern is palpable. And Rose wants to go to him. She wants to touch him, to hug him and bury herself in his embrace, but she can't. She can't stop from seeing him stalk towards her. From feeling his hands around her throat.

And she can see him realize. But before either of them can address the issue one of the guards pulls out a weapon- a gun of sorts, shouting at the two.

Immediately, the Doctor pulls out his sonic, pointing at them, and the gun falls to the ground with a clatter,

"How many times do I need to say it! I don't like guns. Rose, lets get back to the TARDIS."

She nods mutely, following him past the guards an a whirlwind. As they make their way through the maze of stark white hallways, she tries to discard the memories of pain. It wasn't the Doctor. It was Dreylan.

But her mind doesn't listen, so she focuses on running. On ignoring the pain in her ankle and keeping up with the Timelord.

As the Doctor opens the door to the TARDIS and starts flipping switches, Rose quietly closes the door, tracing her fingers along her walls. The ship sends a faint trail of reassurance, snd she smiles softly at her.

"Thanks, girl."

Her eyes close, and she leans her forehead against the dark wood, the cool paint soothing her face.

"I hurt you."

The Doctor is quiet, his voice barely carrying, and when Rose looks up at him, he looks miserable. He's standing six feet away, closer to the control panel. His face is set in a mask of blankness, but she knows him well enough to see through it.

"You didn't. It was Dreylan. She did it."

He looks down, scowling at himself,

"With my face. My hands."

She takes a tentative step forwards, a deep ache surfacing at the inability to comfort the Doctor.

"It wasn't you. She said- she said you couldn't do anything."

He meets her eyes, an earnest tone to his voice,

"I tried! I tried so hard, but I couldn't- I couldn't stop it. She had a grasp on my mind."

She gives him a small smile,

"That's what I was saying. You couldn't."

He nods, looking down again, and she does the same.

"Thank you. You saved me, knocked out Dreylan so I could escape her grasp." Letting out a shudder, his eyes go dark, and Rose makes a choice.

She's not going to let a purple alien ruin her relationship with the Doctor. Not if it kills her.

So she reaches out a hand, slowly taking one of the Doctor's in hers.

They flash to around her neck. Across her face.

But she focuses on his expression. He takes her hand carefully, softly. His eyes shine with a spark of hope, and she moves past him, walking backwards.

"Come watch a movie in the library with me..."

#tenrose #the doctor x rose tyler #doctor who #tenth doctor #the doctor #rose tyler #angst #angst with a happy ending #david tennant #billie piper

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vethbrenatto · 1 year

Text

TLOVM S2 E4: Thoughts

Trinket origins???

oh my god baby bear trinket I love you

oh my god the string the string of connection TAKE ME INSTEAD YOU RAVEN BITCH

she severed their connection?????

Percy’s guilt shining through we love to see it

oh they’re really going in on zahra’s villain era wow- did she summon a beholder???

Not sure if im loving the Vax visions they’re kind of disrupting the flow for me (the finale to it changed my mind pretty sick)

the pikelan handhold turn to stone I am hyperventilating

oh my god perc’ildan scene. this is what I wanted.

“I’ve got an ass that won’t stop” kash I love you

SO NO KASHLETH KISS. *throws phone and jumps on skateboard*

Best Characterization: Vax, Kash

TLOVM S2 E5: Thoughts

little baby keyleth you can’t do this to me. and I love vilya too much don’t take her away

poop song. of course poop song. very pleasant actually.

im both surprised and not to see an episode dedicated to pyrah . Necessary for Keyleths journey but also what I was worried with adaptation was too much of a meandering journey- jury’s still out there if the whole season will fee cohesive

KIMALLURA ALERT

I’m going to be saying “SHIT SHIT IM VERY FLAMMABLE” for a long time

okay looping back around to the connection point of Pyrah, the Thordak backstory from allura really makes it feel like there’s a larger point

this shot of keyleth in front of the flame is gorgeous

RED CLOTHES NOW SICK SICK

Vex is so mature now bestie I love her

Best Characterization: Keyleth, Vex

TLOVM S2 E6: Thoughts

his balls are ice CUBES. huh.

percy giving vex his jacket and being cold as hell I’m-

GROG BABY BJORNED SCANLAN THIS IS ACTUALLY SO FUNNY

vax got yeeted lol

brains over brawn let’s go scanlan

oh my god it’s a pop ballad. THE TRUE WAY TO PAIN IS A POP BALLAD. IM FUCKING OBSESSED.

Mythcarver shrank for scanlan it’s so cuuute

CAM NOOOOOOOOO

oh my god I was waiting for it and still the moment where grog stabs pike is making me go insane

DID THEY REALLY DIVIDE THEM INTO PERCY/VEX/VAX/KIKI AND GROG+GNOMES. WOWWWW

Best Characterization: SCANMAN

Favorite overall characterization: Even though I didn’t pick him for any of the three, I think Grog had the most solid and consistent characterization across the batch of episodes

Overall thoughts: After these three episodes I’m really seeing the vision- giving each character focal episodes I went from skeptical in E4 to fully onboard by E6. Vex will get The Echo Tree (2x8) (possibly also the Fey Realm (2x7) with Syldor- I assume we’ll get our Lady Vex’ahlia moment then), Grog will have a Test of Pride/(2x9/2x10) The Killbox probably with some Pike focus too because Westruun. And then 11-12 will be about defeating Umbrasyl. Considering Vax and Kiki already got their big moments- the only person who misses out is Percy, who was the literal focus of Season 1 and possibly Pike, who also had a major individual story in Season 1. VERY excited to see this all play out.

#tlovm thoughts #tlovm spoilers

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toomanyplotbunnies-sendhelp · 2 months

Text

Hello and welcome to Day 22 of "Let's Explore My Plot Bunnies"

Today, I am going to fry my brain trying to explain this mess of a plot bunny that, over time, turned into a full-blown series in my brain.

So I present to you:

"A Thousand Miles Journey begins with one step" - a Lout of the Count's Family and Genshin Impact crossover

Buckle up cause the synopsis is gonna be long:

(I will put a line break here because holy crap I was right - It IS LOOOOONG)

Cale Henituse (the original one here) is the oldest child of the Henituse family, a noble family from Mondstadt. His reputation, however, is not exactly stellar... which is exactly what Cale intended anyway.

After his mother suddenly died when he was 8 years old, his father remarried. As if that wasn't enough to cause a lot of rumors to appear from the other Noble families in Mondstadt, his new stepmother, Violan, already had a child. Wanting to protect the two (and his future new sibling), Cale diverted everyone’s attention to himself by destroying the picture of the perfect and well-mannered child he was. He acted out, slacked off, refused to continue his studies, and even started drinking alcohol early in his life. All to protect the new additions to his family who had no clue how damaging the words of the other noble families can be.

And Cale would have continued it if not for the illness that plagued him and the promise he made to his birth mother, Jour Thames.

"When you turn 16, you must leave Mondstadt, Cale. Promise me you will. You need to live."

Those words from his mother are still engraved in his mind, to the point where he can vividly remember even the tone of her voice when she said them.

Living with an illness that makes him cough up blood and that spikes whenever he is in emotional turmoil is not ideal. But Cale can, at least, be thankful that he is still alive. Something that was only possible because of the Anemo God's assistance in the first place. Barbatos - or as he so insist to be called, Venti - has helped him survive this strange illness ever since he was 10 years old. But even a god like him can't fully get rid of his pain for good.

Six years later, on the night of his 16th birthday, Cale makes good of his promise to his mother. With a simple message to the only friends he knows will not say anything and with a quick goodbye to Venti, Cale sets on his journey to Liyue, where he hopes to have an audience with Morax - the Geo Archon - during the upcoming Rite of Descension.

In order to avoid the Knights of Favonious who are patrolling the only safe way to Liyue, Cale chooses to go through Dragonspine, a mountain where the snow never melts and where living conditions for humans are nearly non-existent. It is a gamble, but Cale always believed in the gambles he took.

Unfortunately, during his traverse through the ice caves in the mountain, Cale encountered Abyss Mages, who seem to be searching for something in this icy cave. Everyone knows that the Abyss are deathly foes who wish to kill the people of Teyvat - the ones Cale meets are no exception.

The Abyss Mages' attacks make Cale fall through the ice into a pool of ice-cold water. Thinking that he is dead, the Abyss Mages leave, as empty-handed as they came to Dragonspine. What they don't know is that Cale found a little cavern below in the icy waters. Said cavern led to a chamber that has the symbol of the Thames Family on it - an oval object around which a snake is coiled, as if to embrace it.

Knowing that this has to do with his mother's family, Cale enters the chamber and is greeted by the sight of a Vision sitting in a pool of what can only be described as raw energy - the kind that hurts you if you try to touch it.

An inscribed stone tablet nearby states:

"Those of you whose blood is of this family

try your best to prevent calamity.

Your blood shall spill in rivers here,

but heed my words for they are sincere:

For you to claim what is yours by birth,

you must prove to me your worth."

Cale approaches the pool of raw energy where the Vision lies. The Vision is unlike any other in this world: a round gem, around which the long body of a dragon is coiled (not unlike the crest of the Thames family), and around the gem are tiny claw-like structures keeping the small gem within the golden casing. It really looks like none of Teyvat's Visions.

Taking the small knife he had on him, Cale slices his palm, letting his blood fall into the pool of raw energy. The pool emits some light before becoming somewhat close to a pool of water - not capable of injuring anyone that approaches anymore.

When Cale takes the Vision in his hands, it lights up with the power of Anemo, confirming that Cale is its master now. Cale is pleased by this, since his mother always said that "Thames children always get a Vision, one way or another and you will surely get one too." It seems another one of his mother's predictions has come true.

Finding his way out of the chamber is a lot easier, and once outside, Cale realizes he is very close to the region of Liyue.

Soon, he meets two hungry cats - or maybe they are foxes - on his way. One silver, the other a reddish color that resembles his own hair color. Cale gives them some food, thinking this would be the end of it, but the two creatures follow him around after that. Which is not that surprising, but Cale had hoped they would just take the food and leave him alone. (Hearing them talk is not that surprising either - they live in a world where a God can just enter a tavern and drink twice his own weight in alcohol, rare it is for Cale to be surprised by anything nowadays)

Due to a wrong turn, Cale and the creatures (Ohn and Hong, as they introduced themselves) end up going north towards Qingce Village instead of going south towards Liyue Harbor. And yet, this detour might be auspicious for a little black lizard(?) that Cale finds after somehow getting involved in a potential creature trafficking ring - trust me, if Cale knew this would be his life once he left Mondstadt, he would have prostated in front of his mother's grave and accepted a painful death from his illness.

(At the begging of Ohn and Hong) Cale takes the little black lizard (which apparently has wings so... Cale is at a loss about what this thing is) out of the traffickers hands and set it free... or it should have been that way had the little thing not decided to follow him as well. Ohn and Hong's smug little faces didn't make him feel better.

Finally, after a few more weeks of traveling , Cale and his three little followers (more like kids at this point, not that Cale would admit that) arrive in Liyue Harbor, right in time for the Rite of Descension - which turns out to be a disaster but Cale can deal with this, whether it is a Fatui Harbringer or an old angry God traying to stirr up troubles.

Once the problems die down (and after Cale wakes up from his illness-induced coma he fell into after the fight with Osial, Overlord of the Vortex) Cale is proposed by the Adepti - mainly Cloud Retainer - to train with them for a year in an attempt to learn how to fully control both the power of Anemo and his newly acquired Geo powers. Cale and the kids accept and spend 1 year with Cloud Retainer at her abode in Mt. Aocang - being visited by the other adepti, Xiao, and even Zhongli, who helped him with his training.

After his year of training, Cloud Retainer presents Cale with a hand-made Polearm as his reward for finishing his training. That will become the weapon Cale uses for the rest of his journey.

Cale noticed that the illness seemed to be affecting him less since he learned how to use the power of Geo. Going on a hunch, he decides that having a meeting and (hopefully) learning how to use the elements from the Archons of each region, and his next stop is Inazuma.

Inazuma becomes quite a dangerous place, what with the presence of the Fatui Harbingers, a civil war and also the Electro Archon seemingly vying for his head. (Cale isn't pleased that Raon - the little winged lizard, that Zhongli said is a dragon -, Ohn and Hong are put in danger because of his journey, but it's not like the kids listen to him when he tells them to stay back)

Once again, things take a turn for the worst for Cale, who, even though the civil war is pretty much over and the Fatui are out of Inazuma, nearly dies from a combination of his illness and the injuries sustained during his fights with the 8th Fatui Harbinger, La Seniora, and with the Electron Archon herself.

On the bright side, Cale acquires the power of Electro, and, as far as the Priestess Yae Miko can tell, his body has been cleansed of the miasma that was seemingly the cause of his illness. Still, Cale has many questions left unanswered after he goes into what people call Enkanomiya to help Sangonomiya Kokomi with a ritual. Most questions are about the Thames Family and, it appears that only Archons may be capable of answering his questions.

On the not so bright side, what he learns in Enkanomiya about Celestia, the place where Gods reside above humans, does not paint them in a good light to him. With each new day and each new book read, Cale feels like he understands more and more Kaeya's hesitance to believe and worship Gods.

Regardless of his personal thoughts, when Cale gets word that Mondstadt is in danger, he and the kids jump back to traveling and reach Mondstadt. On that same day, Cale discovers the reason his home is in danger - Dvalin, one of the Four Winds who fell prey to the Abyss's lies and was deceived.

Now, Cale must team up with old acquaintances and friends to put a stop to all this, while also trying to pay his debts to Venti for helping him in the past (if only Venti would let him help). Add to that seeing his family after 4 long years of being gone and, shortly after, meeting the mysterious Dainslief who seems to know way too much about everything that he did in the last regions he was in (which is not good and Cale is very weary, regardless if his gut tells him Dainslief can be trusted) and you get the headache of Cale's life.

Cale knew he should have just run away when he saw Amber again.

Details that I couldn't fit in the synopsis:

Cale is 16 when he leaves Mondstadt, and this happens like half a year before Crepus's death. So Kaeya is like one year older than Cale (so he is 17 when he leaves), and Diluc is around 1 year and a half older.

Cale's best friends are Kaeya and Albedo. Albedo came to Mondstadt when Cale was 15. Kaeya and Cale were in the same class as Knights-in-trainning, and Kaeya got curious about this "Oh so horrible child" and basically never left after.

Cale knows that Kaeya is from Khaenri'ah. Kaeya never said anything, Cale is just too observant and noticed some few little slips from Kaeya. Cale admitted he knew at one point to Kaeya and assured him he won't say anything since "it's not his secret to tell."

Kaeya, in turn, is the only one to (unknowingly) guess that Cale's bad behavior is both to protect his family and to distance himself from people because he is dying. Kaeya made a joke, really. He said: "Oh, come on, you can be a bit less mean sometimes can't you? It's not like you are dying from some illness, are you?" and upon seeing Cale's unimpressed face (which in reality was Cale panicking), Kaeya said: "Fine, fine. I won't make a joke like that again, so don't look at me like that." before going back to teasing Cale. So yeah, Kaeya hit the nail on the head with that one.

This is Og!Cale Henituse centric. So no Kim Rook Soo, as much as I love him. But we still have (some of) the other characters like: the Henituse Family, Raon, Ohn, Hong, Choi Han, Ron and Beacrox Molan, Rosalyn, Alberu and the Ancient Powers given human bodies. And I guess the White Star (read: Raddish) is there too. (I haven't decided on others that will appear)

Which brings me to where are the others in this world? Well, Choi Han is still the unlucky guy who was dragged into another world here. He appeared in Mondstadt during the years Cale was away and was taken in by the Henituse family. He became kinda like a bodyguard for them as thanks for helping him. When Cale comes back to Mondstadt, Deruth wants to have Choi Han with Cale cause he is worried. Unfortunately, rather than Choi Han protecting Cale, it is Cale that protects Choi Han. (They go through Razor's Story Quest together and it was literally Cale doing the fighting there)

I can't really explain Alberu and the Ancient Powers without giving a ton of spoilers for something, so all I can say is that: Alberu was born in Fontaine, is once again 5 years older than Cale (who is 20 when he returns to Mondstadt); the Ancient Powers met Cale through various means and will fight the Gods themselves for Cale's sake; Alberu appears during the Fontaine Archon Quest so we get some interesting things about his past and Cale's involvement there.

Cale basically takes the role of the Traveler but with no Paimon and without him being a star that crash-landed on Teyvat. Instead, he was born in Teyvat, but the Thames Family is very much intertwined with the lore of Teyvat. That goes for his "illness" too. Also, no, Ron and Beacrox didn't know about Cale being ill. Cale hid that from everyone. Kaeya just guessed it without even knowing/feeling anything is amiss.

Rosalyn will probably appear either during the Sumeru Archon Quest or during Natlan. Depends where I can put her so it makes more sense, probably Sumeru tho.

The White Raddish is, once again, creating problems, this time as the "Abyss Prince." And he still looks like Cale, which is really a red flag for our unlucky bastard. Also, he is kinda in his "Make Khaenri'ah Great Again" Era, which is heavily disapproved by Kaeya and Dainslief, btw.

The Abyss Mage that made Cale fall into the ice cold water in Dragonspine was reporting to Enjou and WS. Needless to say, Cale's meeting with Enjou in Enkanomiya ends badly for Enjou after this tidbit of information comes out.

"Adepti trained Cale, who uses a Spear as his main weapon despite being from Mondstadt," is probably my favorite Cale from all my fics that include him. Like holy shit, he is a noble from Mondstadt that just said "Fuck you nobility" and picked up a Polearm to fight with.

On that note, Genshin lore is IMPORTANT here. Any lore kinda fits in this story, be it because Cale learns about it, because I rewrite some of it to fit my narrative or because it's way too important to skip over. This means if I ever actually write this I am going over all Story Quests/World Quests/Events that have important lore in them. (This also includes Artifact Lore and some Weapon Lore too)

The Thames family is really important here, too. They have powers beyond what is normal, but all of them die young through mysterious means. Also, they have a motto: "A Thames should never fear the past or the future." This basically makes an allusion to the fact that they can see past and future events under special conditions. Because WS tried to get that power too (by killing most of the Thames left in the world) and only managed to damage the powers of the Thames family, Cale is not able to see the future, but he can see the past if he touches an object that is full of energy.

On the note of Cale's abilities, this Cale also has a perfect memory (similar to KRS's Record). So he has a lot of information and trauma stored in that head of his. It will be even more trauma after he gets to Sumeru and Fontaine's Archon Quests because omg, I fucking cried at them both and I was in shambles for days. Can't imagine LIVING through those.

The Thames family has also a bit of a thing that they do before they die. They infuse some object/place with their last remaining energy and leave a message for whoever (from their family) may find it: They introduce themselves, say where is their home and give some heads up about events they foresaw coming and want to prevent.

Because of this, Cale meets some of his ancestors from before Khaenri'ah fell actually. And in chronological order of meeting them, they are:

Wei Thames - his ancestor from Liyue. The message from him was found by Cale during the Quest "The Chi of Yore" after defeating that (accursed) timed trial.

Kannon Thames - his ancestor from Inazuma. Cale finds her remains and message during the Quest "Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual"; she was a good friend of Kitsune Saiguu and died during the Cataclysm 500 years ago.

Acacius Thames - ancestor from Enkanomiya. He lived in the time before Enkanomiya sank into the depths and Cale found his journal during his exploration of Enkanomiya. He had visions of the future catastrophe that will end with Enkanomiya in the depths. When he told the people that he was branded as a heretic and thrown into a prison cell where he met his death as Enkanomiya sank.

Elijah Thames - a wanderer that settled in Mondstadt during the reign of Decarabian and ended up helping with the revolution. Did not get along with Diluc's ancestor - which seems to be a theme between the 2 families. Also he was a dear friend to Venti who vouched for Venti to be the Anemo Archon since he will not abuse his power like Decarabian did. Cale meets him during the Mondstadt Archon Quest.

Isaiah Thames - ancestor from Sumeru. Cale meets him the first time when he connects with Irminsul and then again during the Subzerus Festival Samsara. Isaiah was Rukkhadevata's trusted helper who, feeling his death near, bound his remaining energy to the Irminsul so that he could attempt to help Rukkhadevata even after his death. He is very much disgusted and disappointed in the Academiya Sages and their treatment of Nahida - even states that he would "gladly bathe in their blood from head to the soles of his feet if he had a physical body".

Noah Thames - ancestor from Fonatine. Helped create the Fortress of Meropiede and left behind the papers that will be the foundation of "The Wingalet", Wriothesley's flying ship. Cale meets him first during "Cataclysm's Quickening" (aka Act IV of the Archon Quest) when he is staying in the Foretress of Meropiede and tries to find Childe. He feels his energy again while exploring the ruins that Arlechino pointed out to him and Navia during Act V and, once again and for the last time, after Cale battles the All-Devouring Narwal (basically Cale faints after the battle and speaks with Noah in a space made by his mind). Noah has his energy bound to the Primordial Sea and has been trying to keep it away from Fonatine for nearly 1000 years now.

Adam Thames - an orphan that wondered the Sumeru Desert for a long time. He stumbled upon Khaenri'ah and made a home for himself there. When the Cataclysm hit, he took Dainslief (his best friend) out of the way of destruction and returned to the Door (you know the door deep in the Tunigi Hollow) where, in order to contain the Abyss monsters, he sealed the door shut and left a message behind knowing he will not return. He perished in battle against the Abyss creatures. Cale finds the message and learns about Dainslief being his best friend when he finds the Door in "Khavarena of Good and Evil" Quest.

Another thing about the Thames is that names are very important to them. Their names spell their futures. You can see it in the naming scheme above: Wei means "to protect" which is what he did during his fight against the Chi; Kannon is the Japanese name for Guanyin, a Bodhisattva associated with compassion and is considered "The Goddess of Mercy" having saved a lot of people from extreme sufferings the same way Kannon does before she too falls during the Cataclysm; Acacius is another spelling for the word "Akakios" which translates from Greek to "innocent, not evil" which is want Acacius was really and this name was the name of some early saints who were martyred, which again is similar to Acacius from this story; Elijah is a Hebrew name and was a prophet in the Old Testament, who confronted the king and queen in the 9th Century BC over their idolatry of the Ba'al and other wicked deeds, which is pretty on point imo with the Revolution against Decarabian scenario; Isaiah is another Hebrew name and he was one of the 4 Major Prophets of the Old Testament and also (supposedly) the author of the Book of Isaiah, which has some paragraphs depicting trees on fire - aka just like the one Dottore looks at in the Winter Night's Lazzo; Noah is another Hebrew Name and I am pretty sure that everyone knows about Noah's Ark... only now, the boat was constructed 1000 years after he died; and, last but not least, Adam - another Hebrew name - the 1st human created by God, who, alongside Eve, ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil... here, this can translate to Adam (maybe) being too supportive of Khaenri'ah plans up until it blew up in everyone's face, and he had to run away to avoid death (aka he was casted out of the Garden of Eden) but returned later to stop the spreading of the Abyss monsters out of the Door to Khaenri'ah.

And because we (the travelers) give Scaramouche a new name, Cale here basically adopts Scara by giving him not only a new given name but also a family name (if he ever wishes to use it) alongside it. His name would be Cain Themes, again another Hebrew name but that makes sense since the story of Cain ends with him becoming a wanderer and becoming the founder of a city later, and Cale gives him this name while knowing the story of "Cain" from his mother and hoping that Scaramouche will avoid having another bad ending to his own story.

Cale's own name has a story, but, generally, children only hear the story of their name's from their Thames parents when they turn 10. Since Cale's mom died when he was 8 years old, he never found out the story of his own name - which is pretty common with most Thames children since they can live at maximum till 30 years old in the case of very lucky members of the family (mostly due to the illness they have).

The Thames family is also strongly tied to Dragons, something that was confirmed by Apep in Nahida's Second Story Quest, where Apep seems surprised that "the children of Nibelung still roam this land." Turns out, there were tribes of humans living with the Dragons before the First Who Came (Phanes?) appeared. The Thames family is the last remaining line of the so-called "Dragon Slayers" of old. They were mainly called Dragon Slayers because they could keep up or even slay other Dragons. As a result, Dragon King Nibelung was impressed and bestowed upon the Thames family, specifically, gifts of power (aka the old versions of Visions that looks similar to Cale's own Vision) and considered them his children. Most of those warriors perished in the fight against Phanes(?).

Because of his origins as a Dragon Slayer, it is not that unbelievable that Cale ends up taking care of a Dragon himself (Raon) since raising a small Dragon is like a Rite of Passage for the Dragon Slayers in this fic.

White Star, as stated before, killed most of the present time Thames in an attempt to get the power to see the future - an attempt that failed. He knows that Thames children don't live all that long, so he thinks that Cale's existence is insignificant and not a problem since he will die young too. (And he was not wrong technically - Cale was supposed to die before turning 20 if he never left on his journey and got better) This is mainly the reason why he let's Cale live after seeing him with Dainslief.

Since White Star is still in the body of a Thames, Cale can get some information from the things WS touches (kinda like how the Traveler has that flashback in the Chasm Quest with Dainslief).

And then there is the Caribert Quest where Cale basically takes the place of White Star in a memory from around 400 years ago when White Star was traveling with Dainslief and met Clothar and the whole Dark Crystal thing that calls itself a "Sinner".

Why was Dainslief traveling with White Star you ask? Because he was hurting from failing to protect Adam and wanted to, at least, try and protect his legacy - another member of his family Dainslief met by chance. Too bad he wasted his efforts on White Star. But he still got to know Cale and want to protect him so there is that.

Also, before I forget to mention, here Archons may be called "Gods" by humans but in reality they are more like "Protectors of a Land" who were gifted power by Gods after they won the Archon War - whether they were willing to accept the power or not. As such, when Khaenri'ah happened, most were given an ultimatum by the Gods in Celestia: "Either Khaenri'ah falls today or your regions fall." So, even if they were unwilling to help, they had to so they can avoid more human lives being lost. Pretty traumatic, don't you think? (Pretty sure that is what happened in the Genshin Impact canon too but we don't have explicit confirmation because all of them signed an NDA and Venti is still a little shit that has no part two to his Story Quest)

The Aranara call Cale "Crimson Nara", Raon "Blackie", Ohn and Hong "Kitties". Also, the Melusines see Cale in a very similar way to Neuvillette. In their eyes, both of them are large balls of energy (Cale's red; Neuvillette is blue) that have ribbons made of some other type of energy around them(both have gold colored ribbons). Because of these similarities, the Melusine are all "Monsieur Neuvillette will have a new friend" and "The two of them will get along well." Neuvillette likes Cale's (and his children's) company but he wishes he did not have to know the amount of problems they get into everyday.

Raon's first Growth Phase takes place during the Sumeru Archon Quest. It starts when Cale and Nahida run from the people ordered by Il Dottore to capture them (aka the scene where Khaterine is impaled) and it ends just before the battle with Mecha Scaramouche is over.

After Raon's 1st Growth Phase is over, he gets a new ability. As long as Raon remembers where said place is, he can teleport himself and others there. So basically, Raon = Automatic Teleport Point. Till then, they travel around like normal people would - which takes a while.

I can also say that Alberu has a Hydro Vision that he got in quite the hilarious way. Alberu had an argument with Cale over the fact that Cale constantly says he is not a good person (whether it is the original or KRS, they are both bad at admitting they can do good thing for people) and Alberu said: "If I have to make it my life's mission to make you see that you are a good person, then so be it." and a Hydro Vision appeared in front of him. Cale's response was: "Congratulations on your new Vision. My deepest condolences for the fact that you made an impossibility your life's mission." Alberu wanted to throw him out the window for that.

And for the last thing, I have a little project going on where I write voicelines for Cale (like characters have in Genshin). Currently, I am done with the Mondstadt ones (for the most part) and moving onto Liyue. Let me know if you are interested in seeing them.

And we are done. Holy hell this was longer than yesterday's post.

Well, it is very late for me (don't stay up late kids) so I have to end it here.

Hope you have a great day/night and take care!

See you tomorrow,

-TooManyPlotBunnies-Send Help

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