#and platonic marriage is awesome I accept

[qu1cks1lversb1tch]

Having them as best friend's:

Multiple X Reader

Contains: Alastor, Angel Dust, Husk, Charlie, Lucifer, Vox, Velvette, Rosie, Adam, Lute, and Valentino

ALASTOR

You're gonna have to hear me out with this one: he's down for the gossip 24/7!!!

He will listen and talk shit with you 100% and I'm not arguing on the matter.

Someone says some wack ass shit to you in public? "I beg your fucking pardon?" With like the scariest grin that fucker can muster.

You start talking to someone? He interrogates them! If they're not strong enough to survive one little interrogation with THE Radio Demon, they're not good enough to date you. Sorry not sorry.

The friendship would be violent, but in almost a sibling type relationship. If he said something absolutely out of line, you'd smack him or kick him in the back of his knees. He'd always get payback, whether it was immediately or a few days/weeks later.

You called him a 'radio faced cunt' once in front of everyone and they all mentally started planning your funeral.

Until he clapped back with something equally as interesting.

He only accepted affection from you and Rosie. And Charlie that one time.

If you had a bad day, he'd know immediately by the look on your face and wouldn't let anyone talk to you until he knew exactly what had made one of his two favorite people upset.

He'd kill them if you told him to. Just supportive bestie shit!

Angel Dust

Let's be real, if you're best friends with Angel, you're probably equally as close with Cherri.

But just you and Angel Dust as best friend's? Shit, he's awesome.

Had a bad day? Go to his room and cuddle Fat Nuggets while you cry/rant about the days woes.

Spontaneous sleepovers BECAUSE YOU CAN!

Platonically flirting to the point that everyone thinks you're together. Neither of you deny the claims, just to keep everyone on their toes.

The words 'love you' followed by something like 'slut' or 'bitch' are common occurrences.

When it comes to dating, Angel just wants you to be happy.

But if someone breaks your heart? He'll come out with guns blazing with no hesitation. NO ONE hurts his bestie.

Platonic cuddles because you love his floof.

Would probably form some sort of marriage pact with you for fun one night when you're both wasted. "Yeah, I'd marry you if we're both still single in 100 years, Toots."

Husk

The banter would be unmatched. You call him a furry and he'll clap back with something that makes your jaw drop before you burst out into laughter.

He'd tell you how it is, regardless of whether you asked or not.

Sure, you're his best friend, and he cares about you. . . But it's because he cares about you that he won't sugarcoat something, even if it's not something you wanna hear.

He would listen to your problems, like any good friend.

He wouldn't trust anyone you had romantic interest in, especially since the ones you always went for had some serious issues.

He'd say something like: "Don't cry to me when that bastard breaks your heart."

And you wouldn't cry to him when it happened, but he'd make you a drink and silently take care of the problem once he had one of the other hotel residents hoist you up to your room.

The next morning you'd tell him he was right and he'd smirk as he wiped down the bar, but wouldn't say anything.

He was never good with affection, so he respects your space and you respect his.

He literally always has your back, even if you don't know it. You do.

Charlie

Honestly, you probably grew up together and that's how the two of you became best friends. (But even if you didn't, everything is still the same.)

She's the friend that's too trusting of everyone, so you easily filled the place of being the friend that questioned everyone's intentions.

You even heavily questioned Vaggie's intentions when Charlie insisted on bringing her around after finding her.

You only warmed up to Vaggie when Charlie admitted her feeling for her, to you one late evening. She was a nervous wreck, but you were always the level-headed friend.

Being best friends with the princess of Hell had some lesser known perks — invitations to high class parties, special access at LuLu World, and the most eventful sleepovers known to Hell.

Whenever you mentioned interest in someone, Charlie was the first to push you to go for it.

If it went wrong, she was always there first, telling you it would be completely fine. If it went good, she was the first to congratulate you.

She's 100% the mom friend. Thirsty? Here's something to drink. Cut your finger? "Here's a bandaid, be more careful."

A relationship similar to siblings, bit without any malice or envy. Just happy to be in each other's presence.

She literally documented everything the two of you did, since the very first time you called her your friend. She's not going anywhere.

Lucifer

Yeah, so, everyone thinks you're dating. Even Charlie is a bit suspicious. You're not, but you had been there by his side for as long as he could remember.

When Lilith left, you filled some part of the void, not allowing Lucifer to go hungry when he spent long days in his office.

On his good days, he's absolutely there for all the tea, especially if it's PIPING HOT. "That bitch said WHAT!?"

He has no filter and will unintentionally intentionally hurt someone's feelings when it comes to you.

He protects you as fiercely as he protects Charlie, despite knowing that you're capable of protecting yourself.

The two of you argue like an old married couple, which only fueled the dating rumors. . . Until you mentioned someone you had interest in.

Bro interrogated everyone you ever liked. Can't handle five minutes with the king of Hell? Not good enough for his bestie. Keep it movin' pal.

No one is allowed to call you a bitch, but him. Anyone else tries, they'll be met with absolute SASS.

Not even joking, Lucifer would be so sassy towards people, to the point that you picked it up.

So the two of you just went around unintentionally terrorizing demons!

Vox

You hate someone? Bet. He'll have someone spy on them and give you the real tea.

Brings you as the plus one for many major events, but bullies you the entire time. You thought you'd get five minutes of peace on your best friends arm? WRONG!

Literally throws toddler meltdown style temper tantrums when it comes to Alastor. You're usually the one who has to reboot him or just smack some sense into him.

You're both pretty level-headed most of the time, but one of you probably has a couple of screws loose. (It's definitely him.)

No one is good enough to date you. Not sorry.

If anyone looks at you wrong, they've signed their second death to double Hell.

You and Vox talk shit about everyone, especially if you've had a hard day.

If it was bad enough, he'd offer to kill the demon who dared make your day shit. He'd still listen to you though.

"Fuck that. You're not going alone." And then you have to wait 15 minutes for him to look 'good enough' to go out, even if you were powerful and just wanted to go on little walk down the street.

Body doubling. Different tasks, silence, but the comfort of having someone else in the room. Absolutely.

Velvette

She likes you slightly more than Vox and Valentino, which is fabulous.

Weekly designated sleepover nights where the both of you unload from the week.

Someone is rude to you? Cue Vel lecturing them on how they fucked up and their career is over, but make it musical.

You went on a date with someone and didn't tell her? "I want details, Lovey! Are they an overlord too? Tell. Me. Everything."

Prepare for Hell's greatest gossip sessions, especially around the topic of Hell's cutthroat fashion industry.

She might not seem like it, but she's a good listener.

You're leaving the tower to run a small errand? Surprise Surprise, she's coming with you and turning it into a whole day, complete with lunch and shopping!

She uses you as a model sometimes, purely because she can.

Will call you a sweet name and insult you in the same breath.

Gets worried if you don't text back within five minutes. She will literally show up to make sure you're alive. You're probably taking a nap.

Rosie

Literally the best to spend the day with. She loves walking with you or just having tea.

Much like Alastor, she would be down for the gossip, but she wouldn't go very far with it.

In terms of relationships, she'd want you to be happy, but would also threaten to eat your partner if they hurt you.

She'd be such a good listener when you came to talk about your day.

She'd even offer advice and just casually drop something like: "Listen to your intuition, darling. It'll tell you others intentions."

At some point or another, everyone questions whether you're dating or not, which both of you laugh at frequently.

She enjoys her privacy, but she also would love having you around more than others.

She would love giving platonic affection, just to make you feel loved.

Sometimes Alastor pops up and Rosie gushes about how the two of you would get along — and immediately you're just thinking how this trio would be iconic.

She doesn't care about your past, you don't care that she's a Cannibal. . . Well, she cares, but she would NEVER hold it against you!

Adam

He literally goes out of his way to piss you off.

There's a lot of threatening and him calling you stuff like 'Sugar Tits'.

Adam annoys you to the point of you WANTING to just jump to Hell, but you never do, because he's your best friend, and you wouldn't want to emotionally traumatize him by making him think that he lost his best friend to Lucifer, AFTER losing his wives to him.

He says "Suck my dick, Bitch" AT LEAST A DOZEN TIMES A DAY. It irritates you to no end.

The banter is unmatched. He wants to get sassy? You're the SASS MASTER.

You pushed him down the stairs for fun and he didn't talk to you for two days.

He doesn't give a fuck who you date, but if they hurt you, he's taking care of them and not telling you SHIT to avoid all of that mushy feelings crap.

The two of you argue too much for anyone to think you're together.

There's NEVER a moment of silence when you're out. He's always singing, talking, laughing, or mimicking the sound of some instrument.

Lute

She's annoyed 24/7 and you're one of the two main causes.

But she wouldn't replace you because who else would put up with her attitude and listen to her rants like you?

If you had a hard day, she'd probably make some offhand comment and then subtly try to make it better by like getting you ice cream with rainbow sprinkles or something.

She hates physical touch, so the only time she touches you is to smack you, probably for saying something very Adam-ish. "Say that shit again and it'll be worse."

She hates everyone you have romantic interest in, but let's you learn your own lessons the hard way.

Nobody could ever picture the two of you as friends, let alone dating.

She's like the sister that has it all but claims she's the black sheep of the family.

Her job comes before everything else in her life, that including you, but when she has time for you, there's usually food and shit talking involved.

She makes sure you drink water every day. She'd kick your ass if you passed out because of dehydration.

She'd give you the key to her place, but you'd never use it unless she told you to. (Like in the event she forgot her set or something)

(I've reached the 10 media limit, so just imagine a gif right here)

Valentino

He offers you a job almost weekly. You hold off on kicking his ass every single time because that's your best friend.

Derives great pleasure from pissing you off.

You don't agree with the manner he treats his employees, so you undermine him every chance you get, just to make sure they get the best treatment possible.

It pisses him off to no end, but he let's it go. He wouldn't hurt you. He couldn't, not without a whole bunch of backlash from quite literally everyone.

Whenever you start liking someone, he warns you to be careful because he knows the industry. He is the industry.

He's gossip central. Talks super exaggerated with his hands and his voice changes whenever he remembers another detail.

He's a touchy feller, that much is evident. He's always touching you in some way, but it's not sexual/romantic or violent, it's more reassurance for both of you. It's a safe middle ground.

You have to leave for some reason? "The limo will take you, but don't touch anything."

He throws tantrums on the regular and you've learned to just let them go on until he eventually shuts the fuck up and let's you speak.

He'll call you a slut and then ask if you want to get food. It's extremely clear that you're not dating lmao.

A/N: I hope this is okay! I've never written for a bunch of these characters, as I just stared writing Hazbin stuff last week, and even then, it was a small Vox one-shot and a Lucifer one-shot.

Requests are open, if anyone would wanna request something for one of these characters? I'd pull through to the best of my ability.

Part Two

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel x reader #alastor #angel dust #hazbin hotel husk #charlie morningstar #lucifer hazbin hotel #hazbin vox #hazbin hotel velvette #hazbin rosie #hazbin hotel adam #hazbin hotel lute #valentino hazbin hotel #x reader #hazbin hotel imagine

[dragondream-ing]

Isn’t it funny that so many people always seem to accept the least flattering/sympathetic rumors in F&B as pure truth?

Someone made the claim to me that Aenys was a bastard, and not in the “according to Westerosi norms Rhaenys was Aegon’s mistress” way. Not that I agree with that claim (hello, I’m a Targaryen fan) but at least that argument highlights the hypocrisy of the nobles and the Faith. Nope, this person believes Rhaenys (maliciously) passed off a minstrel’s son as Aegon’s.

Obviously I’ve heard many people discuss this rumor, and I never thought much of it because nothing in the book convinced me it was true. I’ve always thought Aenys was Aegon’s actual son (and also Maegor wasn’t a dark magic baby). Tbh though… I liked the idea of Rhaenys living her best life, Aegon being totally cool about his wife having lovers, and, as a fantasy enjoyer, magic babies sounds awesome. I just think there’s a more boring explanation.

So there are several reasons people question Aenys’ parentage. Rhaenys spending lots of time in the company of other men, the time it took for her to conceive (and Visenya, too, but I’ll get to her later). This, of course, also puts into question Aegon’s fertility (which is interesting, usually the women get blamed) but it could also put into question the legitimacy of their sons’ claim to the throne. At the time and with the dragons, that doesn’t really have an impact. Aenys was accepted as king, and even Maegor was accepted by far more of the lords than most fans credit (out of fear and self preservation, of course, but still).

Another thing that comes up is Aenys being weak af while Aegon wasn’t, so how could he be his son? I’m not going to spend time on that shitty argument when Viserys I was the son of Baelon and Alyssa lol

I don’t find the “better” reasons for this rumor that convincing either. As always, this is imo, so take it with a grain of salt.

As to Rhaenys keeping the “company of other males,” I like to keep in mind the F&B sources are pretty obviously condemning her for this based on their own morals. These aren’t exactly people inclined to think well of women that don’t behave “dutifully.”

Rhaenys could literally have enjoyed that company platonically. She liked frivolity, why wouldn’t she befriend entertaining people? She and Aegon and Visenya weren’t committed to all the same morals as their subjects (GRRM himself said the conquerors converted to the Faith of the Seven for political reasons), so they could just be… chill about things the rest of Westeros found strange or condemnable? That’s not to say Aegon would be cool with Rhaenys passing off someone else’s child as his own—I’m sorry, I don’t think even the Valyrians were that open-minded. But compared to the pious and judgmental dorks that wrote about him, Aegon could possibly… trust his sister-wives around other men? Shocking amirite.

I’m not sure why I should trust the sources on this rumor. Why would I assume they’d even be able to understand their rulers—in a realistic manner if not sympathetic one? And how could they understand the relationship the conquerors had? Ya know, plural marriage, women riding dragons and going to war, sitting the throne, ruling in Aegon’s stead. I have serious doubts they would be able to assess women of this caliber with much rationality tbh. It’s not that I think every single thing they say is false, but I do think they’d miss and misread things because of their biases and worldview. Like I’m pretty sure if Rhaenys smiled too long at a minstrel, they’d assume she banged him.

But it’s not actually that important if Rhaenys had lovers or not. If she did, it didn’t matter to the people she was in a relationship with, they never doubted Aenys’ parentage, so I’m on board whatever the truth may be.

However, I think the timeline for her conceiving Aenys is a shit reason to claim she “cuckolded” Aegon. I mean, sure, it took her a long time. And there could be no other reason for that but her infertility, or Aegon’s, and so she must’ve had another man’s child, right? Actually, there’s a pretty simple explanation imo.

I know this is going to sound crazy but… maybe they didn’t want heirs until the conquest was over lmao

This isn’t a “lord secures an heir before going to war” situation. This isn’t pregnant Catelyn safe in her father’s castle or Winterfell while Ned is at war. If the conquest failed, slim chance though that was, the Targaryen heirs would be slaughtered. They didn’t have a bunch of kin or hordes of blindly loyal bannermen. They wouldn’t have had dragons, either, unless they could claim their (in this scenario) dead parents’ dragons before they, too, were assassinated, and considering they’d be quite young, this seems incredibly unlikely.

People seem to forget Visenya, Aegon, and Rhaenys weren’t twiddling their thumbs before the conquest. They planned it for at least a few years, they knew exactly the danger they’d be in, let’s give them some credit here. Plus Aegon spent some time fighting in Essos at the end of the Century of Blood. Why wouldn’t they put heirs on pause for a bit?

It’s not like things were stable in year 1 AC lmao in 2 AC they were dealing with the Ironborn, 4 AC was Dorne etc. They were *busy* establishing a whole ass kingdom from a bunch of petty kingdoms that were used to warring with each other every year. I imagine it was a ton of work 😂

Then Aenys was born in 7 AC, likely conceived in 6 AC. Maybe Rhaenys struggled to get pregnant, maybe they waited, maybe a combination of both. It just doesn’t seem odd to me that heirs came post-conquest. In fact, it seems perfectly reasonable.

So why did Visenya wait to have Maegor until 12 AC? If I was a maester, I’d tell you the poor thing failed in her duty as a woman, that she desperately wanted children but couldn’t. To be fair, this could be the case (not the duty part, but maybe she did want a baby and struggled with infertility. We know she loved Maegor dearly after all).

But let me posit an alternative. This concept may be difficult for some, but… what if she didn’t actually want children? I know, another shocking interpretation lmao

Here’s a scenario I concocted that seems plausible. What if Visenya, Aegon, and Rhaenys agreed that Rhaenys would be the one to have children? What if—and I know this is a wild thought—they had some awareness of the potential dangers of having heirs from two wives, of essentially creating two lines that could come into conflict? Visenya did suggest a betrothal between Maegor and Rhaena after all. I’m sure she wanted her son to have the crown, and she definitely thought Aenys was a weakling, but she could’ve also wanted to unite hers and Rhaenys’ lines to avoid conflict. I think these are reasonable considerations.

I tend to view these characters as relatively rational actors. Their other actions add credence to this, like Rhaenys establishing the rule of six. Do I wish she outlawed wife beating? Yes. Do I think she chose a practical solution with a better chance of being accepted by the nobles that would offer women more protection than they had before? Also yes. What I’m saying is, instead of minstrel orgies and dark magic babies, I tend to lean toward practical explanations.

So back to why Visenya had Maegor so late… Rhaenys’ dies in 10 AC. Visenya and Aegon burn Dorne for 2 years in retaliation. Visenya gets pregnant with Maegor in 11 AC and has him in 12.

What if she was concerned that the dynasty had only a single sickly child to sustain it? Aenys could’ve died in his young age, his health only improved when he bonded with Quicksilver. The continuation of House Targaryen had to rely entirely upon *him.* It makes sense to me that *this* is when Visenya bit the bullet and had a child. It’s even possible Aegon was just as concerned. We can’t know for sure, but would it be surprising considering the circumstances?

At the very least, I find the timing of Maegor’s birth pretty convenient, and the best explanation for me is that after Rhaenys’ death, Visenya (and possibly Aegon) knew they needed a spare, and that spare would have to come from her.

Anyway, I’m completely aware that I’ve spent way too much time thinking about this 😂

#Targaryen thoughts #the conquerors were busy people! #they were also intelligent and capable #they had things to do and places to conquer #these things take time is all I’m saying #aenys was weak af but that’s aegon’s boy #and maegor would make a great dark magic baby but that’s also aegon’s boy #it’s not as fun but it makes sense 🤷🏻‍♀️

[bella-goths-wife]

awesome, thank you for letting me know!! 💗 could i please request yandere!colin bridgerton x reader headcanons? it can get as dark/nsfw as you are comfortable with! thank you so much! :)

Of course I can here you go! :)

Yandere Colin Bridgeton x fem reader

You had met during daphnes debut

More specifically after he had announced his engagement to marina Thompson

He saw you in the corner of the room talking to your mama and papa

You were absolutely gorgeous in his eyes but he averted his gaze when he was quickly reminded of his fiancée with her grabbing his arm in a affectionate manner

He tried to forget you by talking more with Marina about upcoming wedding plans

This may also contribute to his anxiousness to get married because he’s worried that if he doesn’t do it straight away he’ll back off and where would the honour be in that?

But when the truth comes out about the pregnancy most of his friends steer clear of him to avoid getting themselves mixed up into his scandal

But while you were visiting Eloise, you come across him clearly upset about something so you put an arm on his shoulder to get his attention not knowing the mistake you had made

When Colin turned around he swore he saw an angel and your touch fuelled his obsession towards you

It became a daily routine of him running into you when you were visiting the women of his family

He would love your comfort and would relish in your gentle touches

Those touches were what he thought about at night when he rubbed his cock raw

When it became time for you debut you were named diamond of the season because of your gentle looks and your publicity with the people of London

You were given many offers for your hand in marriage that were given to your papa

Colin was hellbent on becoming your husband

He proposed to you but was rejected by not only your father because of his past scandal but also by you because you thought marriage would ruin you friendship

You admitted to Colin that you had no romantic feelings for him and your love for him was purely platonic, you also admitted that you planned to accept the proposal of one of your many suitors, you even claimed to love him

Something broke in Colin after you said that

He pulled you into an empty office at a ball and pulled up your skirts of your elegant dress and began kissing your thighs

You tried to tell him no but after he began to eat you out like a man starved you slowly began to lose yourself to the pleasure that he was giving you

He took advantage of your lack of knowledge on reproduction and convinced you to join him in his chambers conveniently forgot to mention that you could fall pregnant from this activity

When you do fall pregnant he is delighted and once again proposes to you

You knew your predicament and, with the help of some manipulation from Colin, you knew you had to marry him

You beg your father, you convince him it’s true love and with Colin refusing your Dowry to prove to your father that you were both in love

Your father eventually agrees and you both marry after a few weeks

Colin got what he wanted, you as his wife and a child from you

Colin is still extremely jealous to the point that he restricted you to stay in the house with your child

Uses your child as a gambling chip with you

If you leave the house without his permission, guess who can’t see their baby for a month?

If your child is a boy, Colin will teach him to be like him and secretly he hopes that your son will inherit some of his sicker, twisted traits

If you have a daughter, especially one who looks almost identical to you, then he will restrict her just like he does to you

He will become just as overprotective as he is with you up her

Secretly you like this because it takes the attention away from you and gives you little bits of freedom at a time, but you would never admit this out loud

If you had a son you would possibly avoid him when he goes into his older teen years because of how much he is like Colin and how sickly obsessed he has become of a young debutant lately

If you have a daughter you will teach her about sex from a very young age, so she doesn’t end up in the same situation as you

You will be very protective of your child but a part of you will always resent them for being created

You sometimes see them as the thing that trapped you in your hopeless marriage

You would never say it because the last time you did, Colin overheard and locked you in a spare bedroom for days without food until you held your child and apologised over and over again

In marriage Colin isn’t any different and he still tries to make you fall in love with him but all you feel for him now is just cold resentment

He will force himself on you as a form of punishment

He will also want more children at some point and he won’t except no as an answer

Overall avoid this man if you don’t want to be stuck in an endless broken marriage with children you resent and a life you hate

Damn I’m depressed now. How about you?

#colin bridgerton #Colin bridgerton x fem reader #Colin bridgerton x reader #yandere Colin Bridgerton #yandere Colin bridgerton x fem reader #angst #yandere bridgerton

[kindaichiyu]

i will take any excuse to rec a fic so. here r some of my fave seijoh-centric fics that make me go batshit !!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33415123

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7453651

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25904797

hello!! thank u!! i actually wanted to read them first and have the opportunity to discuss lol

peer reviewed recommendations <3

talk shit, get hit, presentability, & dog days

talk shit get hit.

oh my god oh my god. ok. so the thing is, when a story is written in third person, i feel like it's rarely much more than a neutral perspective with additional insight into the character's thoughts. but this is, fully in oikawa's perspective, this was written by him, in the third person, for this reason alone i really really already like this fic.

it's also something that manages to be heartwarming and batshit insane. if you suspend the feelings from the narrative it's crazy. one thing that i love about haikyuu is its ability to be an exciting shounen with low stakes (no one dies) and lots of humor. this is is the culmination of seijoh shenanigans and whatever combination marriage and war that iwaoi have had going on in their heads the last fourteen years.

there's so much in here from both the writing, the plot, and the characterization. this is oikawa in his most hysterical and theatrical form. i can't recommend it enough.

presentability

this was actually a reread for me! i have scoured the kyouhaba tag for things short and sfw and this is such a good one. we see from kyoutani's point of view but it's very easy to imagine that yahaba is very aware of what he's doing and trying to play it off like this is casual, this is platonic, this is very normal. and it's nothing too crazy, but i don't think these are bro activities, to say the least. i love how kyoutani just rolls with it, a little confused and maybe concerned, but just like the wall scene he accepts his fate and lets yahaba do his thing. this is happening now, it seems.

dog days

every year i tell myself i'm not a summer person. but the truth is that i have been so miserable with this cold and i should try to get outside as much as i can come july.

this fic made me so nostalgic for sticky summer nights, fireflies and msoquito bites, the sounds of crickets and cicadas in the night. night swimming!! it's kind of ominious because all around you is dark and who knows what's out there, but it adds a layer of charm, somehow. this one was really gorgeously written and heavier on the show don't tell.

overall awesome short reads, thank u again @shoyou-kun for the recommendations :)

#fic rec #haikyuu!! #it is late when i am posting this im sorry if i do not make sense #but these were great!! #psa the author of dog days still seems to be active :) #talk shit get hit tho #rihuvrthoieegwefiu

[braindeadmaggot]

Hiya! For the OP ask: #3. Favorite romantic ship with Shanks? And Vivi? Hawkins too? #4. Favorite platonic ship with Usopp? And Robin?

I will be answering both of these from my pov as a writer. As a reader, I will read anything and will give you a 10 star rating no matter the pairing. Always. I found a random ZoroxBuggy knife kink PWP years ago (that is lost forever because I can't remember the name) and it was awesome. I recommend it.

3. Favorite romantic ship with Shanks? And Vivi? Hawkins too? I like to believe that Shanks had a preteen, puppy love romance with Buggy. While Buggy may have always had feelings for Shanks, he never acted on it until they were 13 and had their first pints of ale, got drunk and Shanks noticed how Buggy always looks at him with dreamy eyes. Since then Shanks instigated all their interactions and urged Buggy to open up and explore each other more. When the crew disbanded Shanks grew up and met new people, leaving Buggy behind to pine for him; begrudgingly so. It's one of the reasons why Buggy's so pissed off at Shanks now as adults. Of course Buggy got over it and no longer has feels for Shanks, not in the last decade or so, but getting over him was NOT easy especially when it wasn't even in his agenda to get under him, that was all Shanks' doing.

Shanks is now married to Makino and they have a baby boy together. I haven't seen Film Red yet, as it has not yet been released to the public, but whoever the fuck Uta is, she is not canon and I will be viewing this film as a very expensive fanfiction. Just like HP and the cursed child. She ain't real.

With Vivi, I do enjoy reading her shipped with Ace (there's this one fic I read ages ago that I can't find again, I thought it was Water Sector but alas I was wrong) but in my own writing Ace is with Smoker and only Smoker. Vivi: I don't mind her with Koza, I think she might actually marry him one day in canonverse... maybe. I like the idea of her with Nami, just not sure if i can write that. I mean literally I can, but I don't know if I can write it well. My heart's not in it just yet. I noticed when color coding names, Vivi's partners are all orange. It's fate

Hawkins... This is hard. When HAK (Hawkins/Apoo/Kid) alliance first came up, I immediately shipped him with Apoo. Why? Because rule 34 that's why. Like, I had it aaaall planned out. The meet cute, the debacles, the inconveniences, the second meet cute, all of it. It was like a Hallmark movie where Hawkins was a 30+ year old head strong business person that moved to a small town on a whim in the milk of autumn and met an eccentric local that pissed him off every which way and what, but they had exactly one, count it, ONE thing in common and now they're madly in love. Hawkins and Apoo..... Why did I do this? I don't even remember what it was anymore!! Wano arc came and *spoilers* the bitches were bitches and now I hate them Fuck their love, they can die alone.

That being said, ship Hawkins with his black cat mink crew member Faust because fuck it I don't care anymore. Joey Jordison looking bastard can go to hell (this makes me so sad because I fucking love Joey Jordison so fucking much. RIP #1)

4. Favorite platonic ship with Usopp? And Robin? Usopp is technically in a platonic relationship with everyone accept Kaya. But if we want to get into the could-have-been relationships, first off is Nami. I like to think she fell in love with the nerd some time after Little Garden or Drum but he shot her down and she was hurt for a while but got over it. I can kind of see her in a Shakky/Rayleigh type marriage with Luffy, but that's more like a "I'm your wife so you better listen to me" kinda thing because someone needs to be able to legally control the rubber idiot and also she gets 50% of everything he has so it's also an investment. But this isn't about Nami!!

Second chb is with Sanji. I love seeing SanUso art and they look so great together. In a perfect world I think SanUso could definitely be a strong and healthy thing, but this is One Piece and not a single thing is even remotely healthy about anything.

Third (and fourth) chb is if Usopp had stayed behind on Water 7. Franky joined Luffy and left, leaving Usopp all alone with no one on a completely new island. No friends, no Merry; nothing. He probably would have started working for Iceburg and became Paulie's apprentice. His ship designs would be highly sought for and he more than likely would have invented a lot of stuff of the yagara bulls and he also probably would have a Sogeking statue somewhere like how the dwarves have a Noland bust in Tontatta Kingdom. The entire island would be his friends but the two people that would love him the most, and he would love the most would be Kiwi and Mozu. They're just a couple of years older than him (Kiwi was 20, Mozu 19 when they met SHP), they're Franky's backup dancers/little sisters, they know the ins and outs of the underworld and black market, AND they look like Banchina. HIS MOTHER. He would have followed them around like a lost puppy calling them "Big Sisses Big Sisses". They don't know why he looks that them weird sometimes, why he always makes sure they're comfortable and makes them tea, like, ALWAYS, all the time. TEA. He even has extra blankets out in case they get cold because one, his mom, and two, they wear bikinis everywhere. They might get cold. He'd subconsciously revert back to his 10 year old self talking care of his sickly mom, K&M would more than likely get fed up because A) they're older than him and B) not in their own house you treat them like little kids. It would be very awkward but in the end I think Franky Family would have turned into Usopp Pirates 2.0.

Robin's got a major broship with Zoro.

#yeah #Robin's was really short #thanks for the ask #anon #i have very many opinions about Usopp #I have very many thoughts hidden in my tags about him and his childhood #Usopp is my favorite straw hat and I wish him so much happiness #I think he would have loved it on Water 7 but I wouldn't have accomplished his dreams #not unless he built his own his and set sail with a new crew as captain #Captain Usopp #Go D Usopp #ShanksxBuggy #aka #Shuggy #is one of my favorite ships #I love it so much because it hurts #it's all puppy love and first times and miscommunication and unintentional backstabbing #mostly shanks not reading the mood and buggy not being completely open about his feelings #they're teenagers in love what do you expect #their romance ends so badly buggy is never the same afterwards #shanks can suck a fucking egg. he just goes on with his life like nothing #gets married and has a kid. right in the same fucking ocean where his ex is hiding out in #really shanks? fucking really? Buggy is RIGHT FUCKING THERE #so many opinions on this #BrainDeadAsks #BrainDeadAnswers

[inlocusmads]

Happy Arospec Awareness Week, Mads! 💚

Can I ask you #6, #8, #11 and #15 for the Aro ask game?

Here is a little 🐸 for you! 😊

Happy Arospec week, Aallotar!! Thank you for sending this!

>> Aro Week Asks

6.What is your favourite part about being aromantic?

I literally have a list!

It feels liberating, honestly. A bit freeing. Away from the somewhat dangerous pincers that come with romance.

It also helps that the community is loving and accepting! And all the inside jokes - dragons, all things green, it is just wonderful.

It started out as a strange feeling at first, because while a significant portion of the people I know, had their romantic attractions and what attracts them gunned down to a T, I was just over to the side, as an observer. Soon enough, it became this really cool feeling where I could take comfort in not able to feel romance.

Dating culture is its own piranha-tank sometimes.

Being able to gain a newfound appreciation for platonic relationships. I'd always undermined friendships and thought they were just fleeting things because I was often told "friends are fleeting clouds" and now stepping into new environments, I've learned friends are really awesome. The kind of "bro-like" bond you share with one another person is almost next to kin and it feels so wonderful experiencing that.

The flag is top-tier. The flag deserves its own fanbase.

Being able to fulfill my long-term goal of moving to the middle of nowhere and grow a corn field. Serious! When I was a kid, I grew this general loathing for everyone (blame the pre-teen angst) and I had this vision to just go and do it. As time passed, I was afraid to realise that I'd have to commit to a relationship or something (marriage is serious business where I come from lol) and now I'm like, "What the heck, I can drop everything and farm corn if I want to!"

8.Do you associate anything with being ‘aromantic culture’?

I also have another list lmao:

Anything grass-green. I know, I know, but I remember this one moment where my Mom - out of the blue, like no strings attached and due to some pure coincidence, decided to get herself a purple/green necklace and the inner aro/ace me was squealing with delight. As a kid, I also owned a lot of purple-green pieces and looking back, I'm like, "Holy cheese. The math is very much math'ing."

Sci-fi books. Sometimes they're so devoid of romance, I'm so happy to pick it up off the shelves. Keyword: sometimes. There's always a haphazard romance triangle crammed at the very end, but I'm willing to look past it.

Sherlock Holmes. Okay, stick with me for one second here. I loved the shows, the adaptations, the original material and every time Holmes goes, "Romance is dead to me" or something along those lines, I find it very Aro- of him.

Panicking over this culture of developing crushes. I remember at school, I was just not a fan of these middle-school "shipping" games, all the love fortune telling and the relentless teasing. I hated it. It made me sick to my stomach. It's more of the panic over the culture than the by-product of the culture.

Cake. I know it is reserved for the Aspecs, but c'mon. Cake is better.

Planes. Okay, this might be another act of "Mads is slicing thin into the conspiratorial realm" but planes are peak aro-culture, solely for the "aero"dynamic puns. They're also "ace" culture, because you do have Flying Aces - a military aviator credited with 5+ "kills" or shoot-downs of enemy aircrafts. Now I'd really like a book on planes featuring an aro-ace pilot.

Writing ship-fanfictions but feeling extremely detached. Might be a sad one, but I'd literally have to Google "how to write romance" every single time a soul-y scene pops up. I don't know how to describe it! Like, wtf are these butterflies? And why are they in your stomach? How-- how is that supposed to even work??

Aro culture is also coding your characters as aromantic. Half of my fanfics are just two halves of a ship being complete crackheads and some attempt at novice romance.

Okay I could go on and on, but I need to stop before I become borderline insane.

11. What is one thing you wish people knew about being aro-spec?

It is not a "defect" or a "thing that has to be rectified". Seriously. For a long time, I went through this really horrible juncture where I was just convinced I'd "grow out of it". I didn't know what Aromantic/Asexuality meant a few years ago. The whole concept of romance and marriage was advertised as this rite of passage, especially in my family. And for women too. I remember my parents literally setting my cousin up with some person they knew, without actually asking my cousin or getting her perspective beforehand. Like they just want her to fit the mold, do the stuff and get it done.

It sucks and I highly doubt if I ever come out to them, they'll understand. But I hope things change in the coming years. With more aspec and aro- awareness, maybe they'll understand you don't need the integral factor of romance and marriage and the "Devil's Tango" so to speak, to pass off as a member of society, in a way.

15. What advice do you have for other aro-spec people (or those questioning being aro-spec)?

Honestly, I'd say just give it some time. Questioning is a tough time. For me, I had some sneaky suspicions back in middle school and elementary school. But I had no idea what LGBTQ+ was and the existence of aro/ace culture. I just knew that the thought of romance and sex repulsed me enough , so much that I skipped an entire unit in biology that dealt with reproduction in animals - where it went into some -- erm-- details and I wasn't comfortable with reading romance.

Giving it time helps because it gives you more time to understand what you are, what your preferences are, etc. I know it isn't the best advice, but it helped me the most.

__ Thank you so much once again!

#aromantic week #askboxed! #aallotarenunelma

[supernovafeather]

Dearest Super Nova, It's been a while, I thank u for being the most generous source when it comes to Leto's fanfics, even before the movie came out, U were there writing and writing and damn, You are so good at it. I have a request, U r free not to do it if U were uncomfortable. Letox readerx paul. Arranged marriage to leto, She tries to win him over but he is causal about their relationship, She finds friendship in paul, at first It's platonic but Would there be more?Would Leto notice? Dm 4 mor

Thank you for your compliments, for this interesting plot and sorry for the wait ! I hope you'll like it ! ☺️

New Home (18+)

Leto Atreides x F!Reader x Paul Atreides

Warning : smut (Leto x reader), arranged marriage, language, breeding kink, pregnancy, unprotected sex, husband/wife, jealousy, angst, fluff (lots of fluff).

4220 words

Family doesn't necessarily share the same blood as yours. This is how you feel everytime you get the opportunity to spend some of your free time with Paul.

Despite being Leto Atreides' wife - i.e as Duchess of Caladan - life has not been easy. After several months you had done everything you could to get your place in this high society where you didn't know anything. Many have envied your power, some have jealoused what they interpreted as love from Leto. But obviously for you, there is no love in your couple.

At first you tried to get his attention, to awaken this loving husband people wanted to see - and you too, after all eho wanted to spend the rest of their life with someone not reciprocating ? - but to no avail. However you couldn't complain about his behavior more than this. He respects you and other women, explains you important details with patience, is completely decent with you. You think he likes it when you entertwine your arms during some gala or when walking in the hallways. This man relaxes a bit more, lowers his guard imperceptibly, grins. He trusts you enough for this. And he is pretty handsome, which is nothing you would complain about. But your illusions of a loving relationship faded. He appreciates your company, and makes sure that passion between you is present during some nights. There are much worse situations.

This is why Paul brings you some comfort. Nothing much due to your schedules, but at least it changes from your usual work. The young man was among the ones opening up to you the most at your arrival, much to your surprise. You heard about his mother. An awesome woman from the Bene Gesserit as you soon learned with apprehension. Her shadow still lingers on this planet, as well as all over her son when the moment comes to talk about her. He misses her but does his best to move on without forgetting her existence. It fascinates you as much as it pains you. Technically you are his mother now, but you see him more like a man needing a confident.

You often walk in Paul's company like today, your hands clasped together in front of you as your dress keeps folding and unfolding under the soft rythm of your footsteps in the castle. He wears his uniform better and better, his stance getting more noble as time goes by. He learns fast. No wonder why his father feels so proud of his son. You only hope your husband shares his feelings with him openly, and unlike in many families you noticed this bound between them.

"So... Did you take any decision ?" You ask him before focusing on his hair still not tamed properly yet. "I thought it was an urgent matter."

The young Atreides scoffs, his jaws clenching shortly. There is some melancholy in his dark eyes, like all too often these days.

"I want to make her proud wherever she is, and I had no power to prevent the universe from bringing another woman to our House." He mumbles. "You already know I accepted you. There is no doubt to have about it."

"Then why this message ? You sounded worried ?"

"There is no emergency per say. I only need some reassurance."

It is pretty unlike him to share intimate fears in your presence. Casual subjects are common but you aspire to be the best person you can for him. This is when you notice his skin tone paler than usual and the way he swallows hard before finding the bravery necessary to look at you in the eyes.

"Do you think of me as worthy ?"

"Worthy ? As the Duke's son ?"

"Well... yes. But I meant it more... more like... through your eyes. I forgot what it does to be seen as a son by a mother. You adapted to your new life seemingly without any problem while I keep having to learn all the time." He breathes in once. "In a way you are an outsider - not that I consider you as one today but..."

He stops there and lowers his gaze as you start smiling to yourself. His sensitivity and will to evolve keeps impressing you. It's a great change from all the spoiled brats you got the disgrace to cross the path of. He got raised well.

"Paul. I am mature enough to understand that my presence is still something you didn't chose. I didn't chose either. And this same maturity makes me proud of you for the way you try your best. You need time. It's normal."

Leto and Paul are usually not tactile towards each other except for a pat on the shoulder or on the back from time to time. You don't have any idea of how it went between him and his mother, but the way he closes his eyes when you caress his cheek as a soothing gesture makes you melt. It works. Your attempts to relieve him from some fears are successful. Taking the opportunity to examine his face closer, you notice the dark bags, some parts of his hair slightly greasy where he got used to run his fingers during his lessons.

"Thank you for understanding." He says with a shy smile and emotional eyes as you start readjusting his collar. "Sorry about this outfit, I got up a bit late."

"Do you sleep well at night ?" You ask with a warning glare.

"Not so much," he admits. "You know I tend to overthink."

"Try to get to bed early. You need some rest. You're definitely following your father's path like this." You sigh before correcting a few rebellious strands of dark hair on his forehead. "Look at that, even your curls do as they wish "

Paul lets you do what needs to be done passively and once done you step back a bit, finally content with his appearance. His shoulders dropped a bit, translating some more relaxed mind, but the rest looks more professional. It's satisfying.

"I... as much as I respect my father... I do hope I won't end up being his clone." He says in a strangled voice as he tenses up back again. "I am flattered by your words but... I think this is what keeps me up at night. Among other things."

"Paul. You won't be his clone. You are not him. There are similarities but it's normal. Everyone shares traits with people they grew up with. They'll notice it one day. You are still learning. Experience comes with each day of our life. Responsibilities need to be taken. You can't leave them chasing after you like some sort of ghosts. You won't govern alone the day you get access to your duties."

Paul smiles enough for you to consider it as a victory.

"Thank you for your support. It means a lot to me. I hope Father is happy with my work."

"He is. And he loves you. But you already knows this, don't you ?"

He nods with a big smile and clasps his hands behind him as he keeps his hazel eyes turned to the ground.

"I know it, but I still want to make sure I don't commit any unfortunate mistake." He states with a voice swollen with pride.

Maybe it is the relief of talking to him - or anyone in this castle - with an open heart, or maybe the way his eyes shine with gratefulness, but you turn silent. It's difficult not to get attached to him. He does his best in everything, gets excellent results at it. House Atreides couldn't dream of a better heir and you are not convinced that you would one day give birth to any better potential successor for your husband. After all this is not even a possibility you discussed much despite your obvious role on Caladan. Leto loves his son, and doesn't feel the need to get another child. His love for Paul's mother was genuine, and visibly this attachment was compulsory for him.

What if ? Had life been different you would have had a different fate. An acquaintance, a friend, a lover, a confident. A stranger.

The night you are back in your quarters. It is late, Leto barely came back from a private dinner with some diplomat. You ate alone, your heart heavy with boredom amd regrets. You are cleaning your face with water in your bathroom sink, listening to your husband who stands behind you.

"I talked to Paul earlier today." He starts as you watch his reflection in the mirror to cross his tired eyes. "He came to me this evening. Apparently you manage to communicate with him pretty well."

His exhaustion is clear but this doesn't affect the genuine grateful grin that appears as he steps closer to you. Enjoyable goosebumps run down your spine at the way he eyes you up and down from behind. The lack of love never caused any absence of respectful interest.

"I do my best. I know it's not as easy as he tries to make me think."

"You do it well." He sighs before embracing you, his bearded chin resting on the top of your head. "Thank you for your patience."

"You are welcome my Lord." You reply before leaving some room for his kisses by tilting your head. "Is this your way of thanking me ?"

"I am a Duke. I have to find some balance between words and action." He whispers.

You gasp at the gentle hip thrust pressing you against the sink, your hands on the marble as his lips get more hungry for your skin. Caged by the piece of furniture and his arms, you let a shaky sigh out.

"And you do it perfectly my Lord. A true man of talent." You chuckle.

"Thank you for being so understanding with him." He whispers before turning you around to hold your gaze. "Please let me join actions to words more efficiently."

After a quick nod, you watch him getting on his knees, his beautiful hands lifting your nightgown to press his lips against your entrance.

The next morning you wake up with difficulty, for once still in your husband's grasp. It shouldn't lead your mind to get washed by this mix of positive and negative emotions. It feels like you belong to somewhere. But is it as good as it would be with someone you love ? Do you even still love him ? It never felt like more than a crush caused by your will to get a good life with an arranged marriage. Some mental conditioning. But at the same time your respect for this man had only grown. Your admiration as well. He protects his planet, his family. Takes care of everything he can. Never refuses to teach you anything from diplomacy to strategy, same about History or sex. You do your best. You get better at everything. There is this easiness to learn in his company, to feel safe as he obviously does in your presence.

And now you doubt as you feel this forgotten heat mount in your breast. It's coming back. You are falling hard again.

In a way this makes your role easier to define during your interactions with Paul. You are his new mother figure here. Advices and listening are an important part of your discussions. They last longer, not always enough to deepen the matters as you wish you could. A disturbing thought pierces its way through your skull. But it can't be true, right ?

Overreaction might be possible but you don't want to take any risk. With the combination of his thankful gazes, his sudden shyness from time to time or his moody frown when he acts more distant for no apparent reason... but after all this may be your imagination because you aren't the one who gave birth to him. Maybe you are growing utterly desperate for affection and due to some weird psychological explanation you never heard of this is what crosses your mind.

"Is everything alright with Paul ?" Leto asks as he gets closer to you in the bed. "You didn't talk much together during the dinner."

"I let him some space." You half lie as you act like looking for some knots in your hair. "I don't want to act like his best friend - a thing I am not."

His silence lasts for a while before he hums, his fingers now running through the strand of hair you were examining.

"You're beautiful." He says calmly.

Your heart skips a beat as your husband's thumb keeps on caressing your hair, his hand soon finding your neck to make you look at him. Seeing him during the day is reassuring thanks to his immaculate appearance anytime. But at night, with his curls freed from the substance he uses to maintain them in place, his features relaxed due to tiredness and his warm bare chest rising calmy under the blankets... it makes you feel lucky.

"What did I do to deserve such a praise ?" You chuckle a few seconds late.

"You have done so much." He whispers with this hint of lust in his gaze.

"Really ?" You ask. "Please tell me more."

"You were born to be beautiful my Lady." He says before getting closer, his body overheating yours as he lies down on top of you gently. "Not only in appearance. I recognize a beautiful soul when I see one."

Flabbergasted by his sudden behavior, you welcome the kisses peppered slowly on your throat, your heart pounding hard as you battle to breathe under this gentle siege. His beard feels good, his lips too, and what about the firm pressure he applies to your crotch as he manages to settle between your legs ?

"Leto." You chuckle louder as your face gets half hidden in his curled hair. "What are you doing ?"

The laugh dies in your throat the moment you cross his gaze. You are quick to succumb to this overwhelming shyness caused by your fresh feelings. He is handsome like this, a cheeky grin visible as a strand of greyish hair got out of place, his beautiful eyes staring down at you. You feel caged, protected at the center of attention of this man, his legs tangled with his, hips pressed against yours, arms around you and unwavering pupils.

"I'm trying to charm my wife." He mumbles with a voice too hot for your nerves. "Isn't it obvious ?"

"Leto." You chuckle with this schoolgirl pitch as you hide your face against his neck, butterflies erupting in your belly as he grinds once between your legs in a long and slow stroke. "Leto you're killing me."

"None of my goal my love." He whispers as he peppers kisses on your hairline. "I guess my plan is working."

"It is." You admit as you look away, your face burning and a guilty smile on your lips. "Is there anything you don't fail ?"

"I've failed to give my son a proper family balance for a while." He confesses sadly, getting your attention. "There is none in such House, but you gave him what he needed the most. A mother. Some to look after him and that teaches him as many things as me, Duncan or Gurney would. You are the most loveable person I've ever met."

This is certainly not the right time but nervousness makes you chuckles with that same immature tone and you hide your face again in the crook of his neck. Your need of proximity and sentimental connection to him makes you act childishly and you don't feel exactly sorry about it, you already are too busy trying to breathe.

"You are the most loveable person I've ever met Leto, and ever will." You finally articulate under your shaky beath, your lips offering him a taste of his skin as they brush it. "You're always too harsh on yourself. You are a wonderful Duke. The best one a planet could wish for."

"Is that so ?" He asks with another slow hip thrust. "And am I a good father ?"

"You should hear how proud of you Paul is. How hard he wants to be perfect to your eyes, good enough to get your whole attention. He wants to honor his family. You are a perfect father despite what you might think."

"Do you really think so my beautiful Lady ? Do you think I deserve all these praises from you ?"

"You do my Lord." You confirm as you see lust replacing his sadness in his eyes as your compliments keep flooding out of your mouth. "It is a honor to be married to you, to be able to tell you how good you are for this galaxy. I am sure many people even from other Houses envy you."

"They envy me for the wrong reasons my love, I'm pretty sure all they would like to get would be you, money and power." He groans as a hand disappears under him, his eyes closing as you guess he is stroking himself. "They would love to have you. Anyone would. Shit how much they'd love it. You should see their gazes when they see you in your dresses. How pathetic they look." He sighs as he keeps stroking himself, his listful gaze making you feel smaller than anytime before.

Maybe you just saw a tear or some perspiration on his cheek. Either way you don't have time to take a closer look at it, your eyes wide open as you stare at the ceiling, his heated breath and the tip of his cock rubbing the soiled fabrics of your panties before finding the wet spot between your lips as you spread your legs. He is quick to come back to you during the long thrust, kissing your forehead.

"I love you my Lady." He whispers against your forehead as his thick cock slides almost out of you. "So much." He adds as he's totally back inside. "Look at me please." His soaked shaft slide almost out of you as you cross his gaze, before sliding back in and out then in with hip thrusts he mastered a long time ago. "You are the perfect mother for him." He muffles his moan in your hair as you start responding to his ministrations. "You feel so good my Lady."

"I love you Leto." You articulate as your hips mirror his rythm, your hand grabbing the back of his head to keep him as close as he is. Then realization hits you, and a new wave of butterflies erupts in your belly, your lips opening in a shaky gasp. "Please give us your next heir tonight."

A louder moan leaces his mouth, his hips thrusts getting firmer.

"Please carry our future children my love." He sighs. "Please carry them from now on." He moans again before stopping to listen to your own desperate noises, pulling on your hair so you don't try to muffle them. "Like that my love, keep moaning like that my dear."

The bed creaks as your mutual motions get more impatient for your release, a new kind of raw desire obvious as he stares down at you, his jaws clenched, some longer curls sticking to the sweat appearing on his forehead. His muscles dance under his tan skin, his teeth biting on his bottom lips as he starts long and torturingly deep grinds. He looks regal the moment he closes his eyes as you caress his bearded cheek, a wonderful blend between control and pulsion as you notice the vein popping above his eyes. Your pleasure is getting wild and soon the only thing keeping your hands on his dkin is his own hand as he keeps thrusting deep inside you, taking his time to see your combustion, his free hand getting on your throat without pressing, just holding it down so he can watch you. The knock on the door doesn't interrupt you, no emergency important enough to make him stop pounding like you, the idea of impregnating you too good for his other responsibilities.

"Want my seed ?" He asks and you nod. "Cum then, make it loud. Make them hear what I'm doing to you."

They do hear your pleasure as he gets faster, your voice impossible to muffle as he holds you like that underneath him. The knocks stopped as pleasure washes all over your nerves, his name screamed in this delicious agony as he thrusts even harder, the wet sounds filling the room. Now he is getting wilder, rough as he kneels down between your spread legs, his eyes watching the way his cock splits you in two. He loves what he is seeing, your juices all over the both of you, his body shivering as his half-closed eyes stay directed on your entrance, still deep inside you as his seed got released in your warmth. He wants to watch it getting out of your pussy but he remains like that, looking at your exhausted face and rising and falling chest. The both of you remain in this position for a while, your loud breathing interrupted a few minutes later by other knocks. You are hotther than ever like this, your shy yet content face smiling up at him. He has to get up though, kissing your forehead and wrapping his hips in a towel before going to the door, opening to a blushing and embarrassed young soldier that doesn't dare to look at him, his useless and uninteresting request getting the door slammed at his face. Gurney can deal with it for today.

Your new bound is obvious to everyone, and the soldier certainly spread what he had interrupted. The way you keep your arm locked with your husband's whenever you are close enough makes it clear, and rumors start to get whispered in everyone's ears in the castle. You can feel this electric tension wherever you go, even maids get more involved if it was even possible. More smiling. Leto Atreides is known to have conceived Paul with love with this Lady Jessica. Everyone is expecting another heir to join the House in the following months. They certainly think the both of you already have a confirmation that brought you even closer.

"Paul, be more careful please." You sigh as you notice the collar of his uniform.

You were sure it was put correctly when you joined him earlier, but maybe you dreamed or it moved as Paul keeps fumbling nervously. At least he doesn't feel irritated as you reasjust his top, a smile even appearing as you battle with the collar.

"Now it's better, and..." but you stop as you notice him getting closer, cold goosebumps and a shot of adrenaline giving you the reflex to place your hand firmly on his lips. "What are you even thinking ?"

Offense is clear in your voice as the young man steps back, all signs of softness having abandoned his features. He is back at a pouting face, his hazel eyes looking away.

"I was giving you room." He lies.

"Paul. I am being serious." You warn him with anger clear in your voice. "Don't try to do inconsiderate things. Keep your mind clear."

He looks seriously hurt as he lowers his head, whispering a broken "I'm sorry. This won't happen again."

Maybe you should comfort him ? Leave him alone so he can think ? No. You have to make it clear.

"I am with your father, Paul. I've noticed the way you looked at me lately. I ignored you because I found it ridiculous and weird, thinking I was misinterpreting the signs. I won't engage in any kind of madness with you. Am I clear ?"

"Yes. " He squeals in a low voice. "I'm sorry I don't know what happened. I got confused I guess."

He's definitely hurt. This is going to need more than just words.

"Paul. Please. This is so absurd that I don't want to talk about it again. I won't tell your father about this. But keep in mind that if this happens again, I won't cover you this time. There is no place for such thoughts here. I understand that our proximity and lack of blood ties can confuse you but this has to stop right there. Do you understand ?"

"I do." He mumbles. "I'm sorry. This won't happen again. Thank you for helping me. I misunderstood a few things. And even if those same things were sincere it would have been stupid of me. Thank you again."

The tension doesn't disappear before a while as the both of you keep getting ready for the upcoming ceremony. This never gets discussed again, much to your relief. Instead, you get the opportunity during the dinner to announce the great news awaiting for your House, Leto's hand wrapped protectively around your hips all the evening, impatient to feel your belly getting swollen.

- - - - -

Thank you for reading please comment and reblog if you liked it ! ☺️

@salome-c @stevenngrant @amneris21 @lavenderluna10 @one-hell-of-a-disappointment @dailyreverie @anaaaispunk @beepboopyoda @general-latino @samsspade @ateliefloresdaprimavera

@thebitchywitchyone @thecursivej @focccus @lady-targaryen

#leto atreides #leto atreides x reader #leto atreides x you #duke leto x reader #duke leto x you #duke leto #paul atreides x you #paul atreides x reader

[tssidesfics]

TSSides Anti-Fairytale AU

I’m not coming for fairytales. They have their place, but as an aromantic person...I do not feel seen. And then I decided to re-watch Enchanted (pirated, of course, because fuck Disney). And then this idea happened. 

Patton was a child-king who married his best friend when forced to, and then she died in childbirth. He’s given Roman everything he could, but he’s lived his life dictated by the advisors who’ve used him as a puppet king his whole rule. He’s miserable because he doesn’t like how the system functions but he thinks he’s chained to tradition.

Roman copes with his complicated relationship with his father by questing and almost dying, like, every other week. Anxious attachment for days. Boy keeps trying very hard to find a princess and can’t seem to figure out why nothing will stick. To which Patton goes “oh. He got it from me. Oops.”

All I know is Remus is aromantic and aplatonic and exactly as chaotic as he should be.

Roman’s birthday. Ball. The classic. He greets all the noble families and he’s seen those losers a bunch before, but this time, he meets a new “girl” with a family he usually hates who intrigues him. He is not a girl and I will not be misgendering him because ew, but, gist: Virgil, transphobic rich parents forcing him to conform to gender roles, absolutely miserable, in Peak Bitch (gender-neutral) form. Roman mistakenly believes he’s cured and talks Virgil up a lot. Convinces himself he’s fallen madly in love.

Problem is, he tells Patton, who’s shocked he found a “girl” but absolutely is on-board, and then goes to the family to ask for Virgil’s hand and there’s no Virgil.

Thus begins the Mulan ripoff but openly trans where Virgil poses as a boy servant at the castle because his parents can’t get into the castle willy-nilly and it’s the safest place to be. Absolutely loathes Roman’s very existence because that dumb bitch flirted with him while he was a girl and therefore VIrgil thinks he is The WorstTM. Then Roman catches him grouching about and decides to solve this by teaching him sword-play, mostly to give him the excuse to beat on a dummy with a sword-shaped stick. 

Meanwhile Roman is just le sigh I did it again. I connected more with a boy than a girl. Why did she have to run away? Now I’m doomed to be weird.

Well then assassins break into the castle and Ever-Paranoid Virgil immediately susses them out as bad news and uses the remnants of the ball to absolutely wreck them when they try to kill Roman and his father while they’re taking a rare opportunity to chat and bond. Patton decides he is Adopting This Child, fuck you, advisors, he’s as thin as a stick, and Virgil now gets to eat with the royal family. 

It’s the first time Patton has ever actually told his advisors to go fuck themselves. It’s the first step toward a positive turnaround and it happened because Patton’s dad instincts took over and nothing in the world is more valid than that, fight me.

Enter genderqueer icon morally neutral witch, Janus, all pronouns, who’s trying to topple the monarchy to enact lasting change and didn’t want to dirty her hands right away, but honestly people are so unreliable. So he gets onto Patton’s crew as a handmaiden and excuse you who gave the king permission to be actually endearing?

Roman feels slightly weird because Patton’s calling Virgil “kiddo” and he’s not calling him his son but he also treats him very similarly as he does to Roman and Remus, which isn’t great but is significantly better than it could be, but Roman’s got a crush. 

Then Janus finds out Virgil’s trans and reveals this. Virgil thinks he’s about to get blackmailed into murdering the only people who have ever cared about him and then Janus just rolls their eyes like “excuse you I’m evil not psychopathic. I can give you a potion to make your body reflect your mind. You in?”

“Great, so my only cure to stop feeling like frozen trash reheated in a forest fire is to accept the highly dangerous bribe of a definitely evil witch! Thanks! I hate it!”

Yes Virgil memes even in a fantasy world where Tumblr doesn’t exist.

Also Virgil and Roman are bonding. A lot. They’re getting very close and Virgil even lets slip that he loves Roman and then tries to fling himself out a window. Roman gets touched, stops him, and tries to kiss him, but Virgil leans away. Roman expresses confusion.

“I...I love you, but I don’t want to kiss you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I don’t either. But I’ve...never wanted to kiss anyone. For any reason.”

“But...you still love me?”

“I do. I’m sorry.”

Roman...doesn’t feel as rejected as he thinks he maybe should? Honestly, it’s not totally a relief, but it’s just kinda...neutral. It’s not even a disappointment. 

Well, Janus is not evil and actually wants to run a kingdom (instating a committee mixed of educated rich fucks and working class receiving education) a whole lot more than Patton, who thinks she’s just...kinda awesome and very misunderstood. There’s a lot of hissing and grumbling that they’re not misunderstood, they’re evil, they don’t even have a tragic backstory, they just kill people to enact the change they want to see, just because they got ditched in a forest as a baby and was raised by a magic snake means nothing. The snake was a very loving and supportive parent.

Roman talks to Patton and Patton is like “fuck marriage rules. Fuck heteronormativity. Fuck my advisors. My kingdom is a haven for the gays. All the gays. Of every color. Come here and be merry and queer.”

Virgil’s just like “yo no reason but in this new world where it’s okay to love whatever gender is it maybe cool to be a boy when the world says you’re a girl?”

Janus draws a knife and glares at Patton and Patton’s just like “even if my partner wasn’t threatening to kill me I’d say it was fine why?”

“No reason.”

“Virgil.”

“What?”

“Is there something you want to share?”

“No.”

“Is there something you need to share?”

“Fuck you.”

“You’re being defensive again, Storm Grouch.”

Virgil sticks his tongue out. “Fine. People used to think I was a girl and I have a stupid body. Happy?”

And Patton learns from Janus the fine art of Validating The Fuck Out Of Gender.

The advisors stage a coop and lock Janus in an anti-magic cage, and then at the same time Virgil’s biological nightmares track him down and steal a spelled green apple from Janus’ shop they give Virgil. You know the drill. Deep sleep like death, yadda yadda.

Well, they immediately claim the body making a big dramatic deal about how they have to bury “her” and they’ll take “her” home to see her off and it’s so tragic, just as they were reunited, when the reality is they have the antidote back home, they’re just looking for control over his life again.

Except Roman goes off. “He is staying here where he--where he will be buried under the name Virgil dressed properly and if you came anywhere near his body I’ll kill you myself.”

Guess what constitutes a totally platonic, non-kiss related act of queerplatonic true love, bitch? Fighting your transphobic partner’s parents over their dead body.

Kingdom’s retaken, sweeping reform while Patton retires to be a stay at home dad to fix his relationship with his kids. Virgil gets formerly adopted. The stepparent is actually a morally neutral genderqueer witch who runs the kingdom fairly and justly, the central love story is trans and aromantic, and my queer ass is something resembling happy.

Logan is probably one of the advisors and the only one with sense who probably starts knocking off his coworkers after the coop because they’re all deeply, deeply stupid. Remus probably spends half the story making friends with a troll he brings in to save the day in the third act.

#anti-fairytale au #fairytale au #sanders sides #tssides #sanders sides fic #but it's not written but I want it to be but I have too many projects so have the idea fully realized mostly #prinxiety #moceit #aromantic virgil #whatever-the-fuck-romantic Roman #adoption #birth parents are not beautiful and flawless #adoption rules #stepparent Janus #morally neutral Janus #genderqueer janus #trans virgil #everybody's probably also neurodiverse #i just don't know who yet #ts janus #Janus Sanders #patton sanders #ts patton #ts roman #roman sanders #ts virgil #virgil sanders #child-king Patton

[the-kingshound]

Yo~ sorry if this come kinda of nowhere but an author i follow gave some notes in a poly ship( K & Noah) and like it got me thinking that i don't have a clue how one goes about seducing two people and you know..for the science how would it go in your game??? I know they all love each other already so thats no hard but like how one would insert(?)themself????hahaha is not really serious though so you can ignore it~

Another though~ how does mc thinks of the marriage???like did they plan to if say a) Arthur is a shitty person : kill him, poison the guards and run like hell, and such?? Or are all like acepting of the cards that they got??again i am just curious and with time in my hands(thats why i here bothering you, sorry!) So is no biggie if you don't wanna answer~

Well see ya~ tysm for your work!!take care❤❤❤

Hii! It's always a pleasure to see you in my inbox❤

I think you're referring to Novaturient by @kalorphic, shot out to Ella for creating such an awesome and tempting poly😍

In TKH, as you said, things will be a bit different since the ROs already care for eachother. Their bond, though, will always be only platonic unless MC shows interest in both of the ROs of a possible poly. Only then will the ROs relationship become romantic and they'll start to behave as such.

Basically the order is:

1) you select flirt/romantic options for two ROs of a poly

2) the two of them will also have dedicated scenes and will behave differently around eachother even if MC starts off as a reserved character and goes for the slow burn.

Hope it helps!

As for your second question: MC won't try to escape or go against Arthur because they know that they would eventually be married off and they accepted it long ago. They can, however, try to make the marriage work or start off as passive and mostly uninvolved in the whole thing (the marriage and their role at court).

#ask #Arthur #MC #game mechanics

[avani008]

Historical Make Me Choose! 2. Mughal or Maurya, 8. Religion or Art. Talk About: 3, 6, 9, 15

Make me choose between the Mughal and Maurya dynasties:

This is especially grueling, because--well, luck being on my side--I want to someday write origfic historical fantasy based on both of them. So, to start with, I will take the coward's way out and say both, because they're both entertaining in different ways.

The Mughal dynasty is well-documented, which is amazing for finding out hilarious anecdotes (Hamida Banu dissing Humayun! Akbar's cheetah obsession! Jahangir's hilariously honest autobiography) as well as--reading between the lines--some pretty amazing women. The Mauryas, in contrast, are so spottily documented, we can't even be entirely sure that the Buddhist and Greek/Macedonian sources are even talking about the same events/rulers, but assuming it is so--it's a wild ride, starting with a teenager overthrowing the dominant dynasty and his line conquering most of India within two generations. From a writing standpoint, having so much left empty is a gift, leaving so much available for the imagination. And yet, I wish we knew of more ladies from that history, because what little we do get is so fascinating (Durdhara's family connections and bizarre death! Dharma who sounds steely enough to be a second Kunti! Most of Ashoka's wives, who all seem super strong-minded in their own right.)

Make me choose between studying religion and art.

Oh, religion definitely. Not that art isn't great (it is!), but religion involves so much stories, and such insight into the psychology of any given culture. I had a college instructor who argued that religion and the afterlife told you more than anything about the general optimism/worldview of a culture (ie, Mesopatamia which had erratic floods and a harsh worldview had gods who really didn't care about them; whereas ancient Egypt, with regular floods and prosperity, had an afterlife that, assuming you could get in, was one big party.) Plus, religion affects passing references (how many casual Mahabharata and Ramayana references do you see in India media? Or just in conversation?) and swear words (such that an utterance as hilarious as the word "Zounds" could be an actual profanity. Amazing.)

A historical misconception that you hate.

AHHH there are so many--the inherent classism in deciding Shakespeare couldn't actually be a dude from Stratford, but a university-educated nobleman!--but at the moment, one of the most bemusing is the claim that Mughal princesses were forbidden from marrying. I keep on running into this as fact, and...don't actually see that it has any actual basis in fact, at least not during the reigns of the six major emperors. For evidence, I present the following deep dive:

(behind the cut due to length)

Most of the time I see this cited as "Akbar forbade princesses from marrying" so we'll start with him. Certainly Akbar's aunts and sisters were mostly married, so that's not an issue.

Of Akbar's daughters that I can find: Mahi Begum died young, so she doesn't count. Aram Banu Begum seems to have been --well, if we believe her brother Jahangir--kind of A Lot, despite being her father's favorite, so it seems likely marriage either wasn't her thing, or no one was agreeable to marry her. His other two daughters, Shakr-un-nissa and Khanum Sultan, were both recorded as having married, however, with their marriages arranged by Akbar himself.

But, hey, maybe he came to that decision later. So let's look at his granddaughters: Jahangir had plenty of daughters, and I can't find references to the marriages of all of them (or even how long they lived, for that matter)--at least one, Bahar Banu Begum was married to her cousin Tahmaras, and probably others too. Another of Akbar's granddaughters, Jahan Banu Begum (daughter of Murad) was also married to her cousin Parviz.

Of the generation following: let's put aside Shan Jahan's three daughters for now, since none of them married but i would argue they're a special case. Parviz, who I mentioned before, had one daughter Nadira Banu, who married her cousin Dara Shikoh; his brother Khusrau also had a single daughter Hoshmand, who married (you guessed it!) a cousin. The final granddaughter was Arzani begum, also granddaughter of the disgraced Nur Jahan, about whom I can't find a reputable death date, much less whether or not she was married. So--yes, for the most part, these women all ended up married cousins, but it's not strictly accurate to say they couldn't marry period.

A final note on Aurangazeb, who also gets accused of hte "prevented daughters from marrying" stance: yes, his most prominent daughter Zeb-un-nissa never married, but it certainly seems she had proposals aplenty and her father only vetoed the most prominent because he disapproved of the groom's father (who was his brother. the cousin thing, again.) Two of his other daughters did marry, with no objections recorded.

So honestly? It seems marriage wasn't forbidden by any means. And for those women who didn't--well, is it so impossible to believe that these princesses figured that a life in the imperial harem (which isn't the Orientalist boring fantasy most people imagine, but instead a city of women, with libraries! and schools! and markets! hunt! play chess and polo! From the harem, women could watch politics, or engage in trade, or create architecture, or participate in community service. By no means, it was great, but opportunities sucked all-around for anyone who wasn't a cis-male in that time, and this life must have seemed preferable....) with a loving father/brother was much better than being married to some rando. Plus, esp in the case of Shah Jahan's daughter, their mother died in childbirth, quite infamously--to me, it makes perfect psychological sense that they might all be leery of marriage/childbirth.

A historical figure you think is underrated.

Sadly, most figures from Indian history, but picking one at random: Razia Sultan! Not only awesome for being the first female Muslim ruler in Indian history, but also a really really good one--committed to public service, working for civil rights for the poor and those who didn't share her racial/religious/cultural background, and also open-minded/anti-racist enough to, at the very least, make a man of African descent her foremost advisor and friend. (I ship Razia/Yakut, and NOTP her relationship with Altunia pretty strongly, but even otherwise; she clearly respected Yakut as an equal, which says a lot about her. LOVE HER.

A historical myth/legend/rumour/story (flexible)

Oh, forget it, we're going to talk about Razia and Yakut, or at least the rumor they were romantically involved. A few words on Yakut: he was of Abyssinian ancestry, and actually came to her father's court as a slave, but was soon freed and allowed to rise up the ranks (this was very much a socially accepted Thing in the Mamluk court--more on this later--but he definitely had to face significant racism. Sure, there's no actual proof that he and Razia were involved, but--she made him her Master of the Horse (you know who else did? Elizabeth I for Robert Dudley. Just saying.); she never turned from him, even in the face of nasty rumors, and his loyalty to her meant he died in battle defending her throne; and fwiw, she didn't marry another as long as he lived. It's...questionable, too, how voluntary her marriage to Altunia was to me; certainly, being held hostage by the dude doesn't make for a great start. Now, again like Liz I/Robin Dudley, they could just have been BFFs/platonic soulmates, but if so I don't care--their dynamic is just A+ to me and I love it.

A historical headcanon that you have.

Akbar was dyslexic, and this was the reason behind his famous illiteracy.

#history #indian history #women in history #opinions avani has them #mughal history #maurya history #razia sultan #ty for the ask! this was super fun to answer

[girlboss-molina]

Be Who You Are (No Compromise)

A Julie and the Phantoms Modern Royalty AU

Chapter 1: Introductions

AO3 Link

Words: 5543

-----

Alex POV

...

Of course. 

Of fucking course.

He’d known it was coming, yeah, but that didn’t change the fact that, despite his friendship with Princess Julie, Alex had no desire to marry her. And now, after begging not to be married off, he was still stuck in this deal.

It had nothing to do with Julie herself, of course; Julie was a kind, loving, musical girl around his age. The issue was that he was gay. Marrying a girl was not something he was interested in. 

Julie knew Alex was gay; he’d come out to her after he was sure she would accept him, which he knew she would after she mentioned her best friend being a lesbian, and her being bisexual herself. Needless to say, neither of them had been thrilled by the announcement a couple years back that they would be getting married, for more reasons than the fact that nobody wants to be in an arranged marriage. 

And now, in three months time, he would be at the alter with a girl he wasn’t in love with. 

Alex knew it wouldn’t be that bad; in fact, he and Julie were quite close friends. Their kingdoms, Tambor and Dahlia respectively, were close allies. But for some godforsaken reason, their leaders had felt the need to strengthen their allyship by setting up their heirs in an arranged marriage. Had Alex been the oldest, this wouldn’t have been the case. However, it wouldn’t be him, but his older sister, Ava, taking the throne of Tambor. 

He, along with his guards, would be travelling to Dahlia this evening. He hated that it was so soon. Not that he wasn’t excited to see Julie, he was, but it was the reason that put a knot in his stomach.

Alex allowed himself one more panic attack before getting ready. As a treat.

The warm sun streaming into his room felt out of place with the dread settling in his stomach, and his breath choked, his heart racing, salty tears streaming down his face. He clenched his hands into fists and back out, trying to calm himself despite the emotional release. His nails dug into his palm, not hard enough to cut, but enough to leave little indents that he then ran his fingertips across. 

Trying to pull himself together, he stood - albeit shakily - and walked across the soft, carpeted floor to his full-length mirror, pleasantly surprised as he noted that he wasn’t as big of a mess as he’d expected, given his previous panic. 

A knock on his door alerted him that his head butler was there to help him get ready for the jet ride.

“Your highness, are you alright?”

Alex didn’t answer, grateful for Luke’s steady voice outside his door.

“He’s a little panicky at the moment. Maybe give him a few minutes to settle?” he suggested, and Alex hoped Luke was receiving the strong thank you vibes he was trying to transmit telepathically. 

Any time Alex had a panic attack, he was semi-verbal. He could speak if he really, really tried, but it generally took a great deal of effort. He and Luke had a system, though; if Alex needed support during a panic attack, he would fake-sneeze three times, and Luke would come in from his station outside Alex’s door. 

Alex allowed himself another minute to calm his breathing and wipe the tears from his face, practicing the grounding exercise Julie had taught him. 

Inhale- 1, 2, 3, 4

Hold- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Exhale- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

It helped a lot, and soon he was able to straighten his hair and begin changing into the suit his tailors had made just for this occasion. 

Another knock echoed from his door, and Alex took one final deep breath to compose himself. 

“Come in,” he said, proud of how steady his voice was. 

The butler entered; a kind man named Erik, who Alex had gotten to know over the past month or so. His olive skin shone in the afternoon light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. 

Alex dressed himself, for the most part; having butlers help him dress was never something he particularly enjoyed. He allowed Erik to smooth his white dress shirt, though; no matter how many times Alex had practiced tucking in his shirts, they always ended up wrinkled. 

He slid the navy suit vest over the shirt once it was nice and smooth, fastening the thick buttons over his stomach. Minimalistic gold embroidery on the vest sparkled in the light, and Alex couldn’t help but smile at the bit of flair. He’d been half-hoping that his matching navy pants would have a bit of sparkle as well, but to no avail. Probably for the best, he decided. Just a little touch was enough. 

He fixed the cuff of his sleeve, taking a breath as Erik reached up with a comb to fix his hair. It was simple but refined, how it always was. 

“Erik, you’ve outdone yourself with this one, bro!” Alex said excitedly. He might not be very pleased about being in an arranged marriage, but he could appreciate a good suit. “I love the details.”

“I’m glad you like it!” Erik beamed with the praise. “May I?” he asked, reaching for Alex’s shoulders. Alex nodded, and Erik smoothed the vest’s warm fabric, readjusting the hem until it was aligned perfectly. 

He might not have been the type of guy to always wear suits, unless necessary, but Alex had to admit it. He looked good. The slim fit outlined his muscles, and the deep blue of the vest and pants brought out the bluish tints in his blue-green-grey eyes. (nobody could seem to decide what color they actually were). The small touches of golden embroidery shone and somehow managed to accentuate the sun-born highlights in his hair. 

“You look wonderful, your highness.”

“Thanks, Erik. And you can call me Alex, we’re chill.” Alex had been insisting to Erik that he could be casual around him for months, but Erik still generally referred to him as “your highness.”

“Alex,” he corrected with a broad smile. “Well, Alex, you have a photoshoot for the press in ten minutes, so if there’s anything else I can do to get you ready, don’t hesitate to ask. Though I must say, you look awesome.” Alex let out a small laugh. 

“Thanks, dude. Oh, wait, before you go, could you tell me something?”

“Of course,” Erik replied. Alex put on his Serious Face.

“Do these pants make my butt look big?” Erik bust out laughing, and Alex couldn’t help but do the same. 

...

Three hours later, Alex was finally done with an exhaustive photoshoot. He hated having his picture taken; add that to the list of anxieties. He had to make sure he looked perfect, or everything could go wrong; that was what his parents had drilled into him from the moment he had his first real photoshoot. 

Of course, he still had to endure an interview with the Tambor Times Magazine, which he was dreading. Speaking to an overeager journalist with no respect for privacy was never something he looked forward to. 

“What are your thoughts on the marriage that has been arranged between you and Her Royal Highness, Princess Julie of Dahlia?” Alex cleared his throat.

“It’s definitely a unique situation,” he started. “I mean, not every nineteen-year-old is part of an arranged marriage.” He did his best to keep his voice light, and it must’ve worked, because the journalist gave a laugh and moved on. 

“If I may, what is your current relationship with her?”

“The princess and I share a close bond,” was the only answer he gave. “If you’ll excuse me, I must be going,” he added. “I have a flight to catch.” He grinned - He didn’t have to catch any flight. He would be on the royal family private jet. But the journalist smiled and shook his hand, instructing him to have a wonderful evening, and he did the same. 

The bit about catching a flight wasn’t entirely false, though; soon, he had wished his parents a good evening and boarded the jet with his suitcases, hoping to leave his anxiety in Tambor.

-----

Julie POV

...

So.

Here’s the thing. 

Julie liked Alex, she really did. He was one of her closest friends (princesses don’t get out much). But he was gay, And Julie was decidedly Not A Guy. Plus, they both knew their connection was strongest platonically, anyway. 

Of course, none of that matters in diplomacy. 

Julie had tried many, many times to get out of the arranged marriage. But she’d just turned eighteen, and Alex nineteen, and apparently their kingdoms had no such qualms about marrying off teenagers. 

At least her dad, King Ray, had tried to get her out of it. But even as king, there was only so much he could do; everybody except for him thought it was a grand idea, because Of Course They Did. And once the public had heard the news, when she was sixteen, Julie couldn’t look out her window without seeing photographers outside the palace gates for a week. 

She supposed there was nothing she could do about it now, though, no matter how much she wanted to, for her sake and Alex’s. 

At least he was someone she got along with well. She knew they would never be in love, for multiple reasons, but she wouldn’t be unhappy. Alex might, though. They’d stayed up late on many a night, him rambling about cute guys he’d seen amongst the palace staff or on his occasional trip to the city, her chatting about songs she’d been writing and the one guy she’d had a crush on, Nick. 

Nick was the son of a nobleman her dad was very close with, and they were good friends, but she’d never acted on her little crush. Her feelings for Nick hadn’t really gone anywhere, it was just a lingering crush she’d had for a few years, but one that had faded with time.

Julie sighed, smoothing out her dress. It was simple but elegant, with a little bit of Julie flair. The silky violet fabric was cut in a slim fit to her waist, before gently flaring outwards towards her ankles. Off-the-shoulder straps revealed the dark skin of her shoulders, and the pearly embroidery of dahlia flowers around her waist shone in the light, tapering off as she twirled, though as she practiced her camera smile, it didn’t reach her eyes. 

Alex was her friend, but neither of them wanted to get married. But she’d tried her hardest to get them out of it, to no avail. 

So, as she sat down at her vanity, Julie closed her eyes and reminded herself the words her mother used to tell her every time she was scared. 

It’ll all be okay, Jules. You’re strong, and you’re a diamond in the rough.

The words settled her stomach a little bit. 

Her lady-in-waiting, Mira, knocked on her door. 

“Come in,” Julie said. Mira bustled in, her flaming red hair pulled into a messy bun, her brown eyes sparkling. 

“Oh, Jules, you look lovely.” Julie smiled.

“Thanks, Mira. How’s my hair?” Julie reached up to smooth her curls, which had been combed back and woven into a thick, braided knot at the base of her neck.  

“Almost perfect, but it needs a little something,” Mira decided with a smirk. Julie had no idea what Mira had in mind, but she knew she would love it. 

Before either of them could say another word, Flynn walked into Julie’s room, followed by her girlfriend, Carrie. 

“Hey, underachiever,” Flynn greeted with a smile.

“Hey, disappointment!”

“Dude,” Flynn said, a serious look on her face. “That dress is the shit!” Carrie nodded enthusiastically. 

“A definite look.”

“Thanks guys,” Julie said with a grin. “I love it, too! Mira’s got some sort of magic in her hands, because this is one of my favorites for sure.” Mira blushed. 

“Well, I’m not quite done,” she admitted. “Jules, your color scheme is pink, purple, and blue, usually, right?”

“Yeah, usually! I can always get behind some other colors, though.”

“Of course. But I think for this dress, the pink-purple-blue scheme would fit the best.”

“Definitely,” Carrie jumped in. “The purple mediates the pink and blue, so those are like side accents.” 

“I like this one,” Mira decided, pointing at Carrie. Carrie flipped her hair and smiled. “But yes. So, I was thinking for your hair, we could weave in some thin ribbons in those colors? It would be super simple, wouldn’t even have to take it out and restyle it.”

“Work your magic,” Julie instructed. Mira grinned excitedly and set to work, sitting Julie down at the vanity.

“Okay, Jules,” Flynn sighed. “I know you don’t want me to ask this, but are you doing okay?” Carrie took Flynn’s arm and nodded. “I know this isn’t what you wanted. Either of you.”

“I’ll be fine,” Julie decided. She didn’t want to marry Alex, and she knew he felt the same way. “At least it’s not somebody I hate, though. Alex and I get along really well.”

“I know,” Carrie added. “But that doesn’t mean you have to be okay.” A single tear rolled down Julie’s cheek, and she was grateful she hadn’t done her makeup yet.

“Thanks. To be honest, I’m not really okay, but I’ll live. And besides, it’s not for another three months. And having another friend around for a few months will be nice. Before, you know, I have to marry him.” Flynn let out a sad laugh. 

“If I may add my input,” Mira began, “I’ve always hated the prospect of arranged marriages. At the very least, both people should have to agree with it.” Julie nodded, quickly stopping when she felt the ribbons Mira was weaving into her hair tug. “Sorry,” she added. “I’ll be done in just a moment.”

“I agree,” Carrie said. “It’s stupid. Dahlia and Tambor are already allies, so why are they even doing this?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest. My dad says it’s to ‘strengthen agreeability between our separate civilians.’ But at least tried to get me out of it,” she added. “King Xavier and Queen Claire both thought it was a great idea.” Julie had always held some bitterness towards Alex’s parents, given their closed-mindedness and apathy towards minorities and less fortunate people. Alex had always felt the same, and avoided coming out to them for those reasons. 

“Well, I personally think it’s homophobic that my best friend is being forced to be part of an arranged marriage,” Flynn decided, “because I’m gay and it annoys me. Plus, you know, she doesn’t want to be part of it.” Julie couldn’t help but laugh at that, as did Mira. 

“All done with the ribbons,” she said, handing Julie a mirror to see the back of her head. 

“Oh, Mira, I love it!” The ribbons were braided through her thick hair, swooping around the knot, twisting through her own curls and holding the hairstyle together perfectly. Both pretty and practical. 

“I’m glad!” Mira looked very proud of herself, for a good reason. Julie’s lady-in-waiting was definitely a woman to be admired (and feared - she’d taken down a full-grown man in a self defense class, while wearing heels). Julie could walk in heels, even run in them, but she’d tried fighting in them, and failed miserably. She might’ve been competent fighting in regular shoes, but heels were a different story. Mira, though, could do it all. 

Mira’s phone dinged. 

“Oh, Jules, it’s time for the pre-meetup photoshoot!”

“Got it. Thanks, Mira, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Forget about your photoshoots, probably.”

…

The photoshoot involved lots of candid shots of her in the garden, doing her best to look serene, and not show the anxiety bubbling in her stomach. But somehow, she actually managed to get through it without losing it. 

“Wonderful, miss. Turn towards me, look to your left- yes, perfect.” The photographer’s voice faded as she obeyed his instructions, a human robot running correctly but with wandering thoughts. 

“You look so natural, miss!” he complimented. Julie offered a smile, returning to her thoughts. There had to be a way to get her and Alex out of this. But she couldn’t think of any that wasn’t treasonous, illegal, or flat-out stupid. Of course, as a teenage girl, she felt she deserved to be a little stupid sometimes, but apparently that was “unbecoming of a princess” and “a bad influence.” Personally, she just thought that was biphobic.

-----

Luke POV

...

Luke hadn’t ever traveled much, let alone to a neighboring kingdom, so needless to say, he was pumped to get to visit Dahlia for three months at least. His hope was that, even though no one involved wanted the marriage to happen, they could find a bright side in him getting to stay with his best friend. 

Of course, that didn’t change the fact that he felt bad for his charge and best friend, Alex. He knew Alex was gay; in fact, they’d “dated” for a few weeks when they were fourteen. But even after deciding they were better as friends, they were close, maybe even closer afterwards. Luke told Alex everything; he didn’t know if he had a secret that Alex didn’t know. 

Everyone in the palace was used to seeing him and Alex wandering the grounds, goofing off, messing around in the music studio, what have you. Technically, Luke was a junior guardsman, and given his bond with the prince, had been assigned (along with an actual guard) to be his security detail. That had evolved into an even stronger friendship, though. Years passed, and soon they were inseparable. 

Luke had done his best to cheer up Alex; seeing his best friend that upset was heartbreaking. But there was nothing he could actually do to help, so he settled for laying next to Alex on the floor and staring at the high ceilings.

An hour passed, and soon the afternoon sun was streaming into Alex’s room. Luke saw Alex drag a hand down his face. 

“I guess you should start getting ready, then?” he asked.

“Probably.” Luke patted his shoulder. “Do you think it would be too drastic to fake my death?” Luke laughed, knowing Alex was joking, though it wouldn’t have actually surprised him. Alex and Julie were friends, but neither of them wanted to get married. Especially not the gay guy, very publicly, to a girl. 

Luke stood up, giving Alex a mock salute, and walked out the door, closing it behind him. 

He stood there for a few minutes, straightening his back as a senior guardsman passed him. He ducked his head in a nod, relaxing a moment later. As much as he might’ve come off as a chill guy, he was worried for Alex; even more so when he heard Alex’s breathing quicken from the other side of the wall, his footsteps pacing back and forth. 

The panic attack shouldn’t have surprised him. Alex had clinical anxiety, and this was probably one of the most stress-inducing times of his life. Being forced into an arranged marriage - even if you’re friends with the other person - is no fun for anybody. And today he would be going to the Dahlia palace to stay for three months before the ceremony.

Luke fiddled with the hem of his jacket; it was charcoal black, and thick and protective, with eight buttons on the wide front, crossing his chest. He’d gotten used to it, but despite that, he still started sweating in the warm weather of Tambor. The red sash crossing over the jacket had golden embroidery on the edges, and he quite enjoyed running his fingers over the textured thread. 

Luke could still hear Alex panicking, but there were no sets of three fake sneezes in between the rapid breaths, so he stayed. Alex was able to recognize when he needed support, and when he needed to be left alone. 

Luke spotted Erik nearing him. He couldn’t stop him, but Erik was aware of Alex’s anxiety, so Luke wasn’t concerned. He smiled at Erik, giving him a look, warning him that Alex was having a panic attack. Erik nodded, knocking gently on the door. 

“Your highness, are you alright?” When Alex didn’t respond, Luke jumped in. 

“He’s a little panicky at the moment. Maybe give him a few minutes to settle?” Erik nodded, and Luke gave a relieved smile. 

“You look nervous as well,” Erik noted. 

“Well, I am, a little bit,” Luke admitted. “I’ve never been to Dahlia, but I’m going with Alex since I’m his head guard and Royal Best Dude™.” Erik grinned. “I’m excited, though! I bet it’ll be a lot of fun.”

“I’m so jealous,” Erik told him. “I’ve never been outside of Tambor.”

“I’m worried for Alex, though. He’s really nervous.”

“Yeah,” Erik agreed, a flicker of understanding rushing across his face that made Luke smile despite himself. If he was being honest, Luke had a tiny crush on Erik, but nothing substantial. “I mean, it’s gotta suck being closeted to everyone but a few people, and having to marry a girl.” Luke nodded. 

“I wish there was something we could do about it.”

…

Luke stood guard off-camera while Alex had his pre-meetup photoshoot and interview. It was what he always did, though this time it felt different, like he was a silent supporter during a tough time, now more than ever. 

If nothing else, he could reassure Alex that he looked fabulous in his suit - it wasn’t a lie, either. The navy blue fabric complimented his eyes perfectly, and the golden details were a stunning addition. Tie that with his sharp jaw and awkward, endearing personality? Anybody would simp for him. He had a feeling that many people did, too; Some of Alex’s best photos from these shoots would be printed in the Tambor Times Magazine, and he would also post some - as well as his own selfies - on his instagram. Luke had seen the comments, and always smirked at Alex given the amount of heart-eyed emojis and key smashes there were. 

Luke stood behind the cameraman for the candid shots where they needed Alex to be smiling or laughing. No matter how much he practiced, Alex could never get a good candid smile, so Luke took it upon himself to stand behind the photographer making faces, or occasionally imitating their every move with mock seriousness. 

When Alex’s musical laugh rang through the air, Luke patted himself on the back. 

Worked every time. 

He worked his magic for a few more shots afterwards, doing his best to make Alex laugh. It wasn’t just for the photos, though, it was to help him settle down. Luke knew this was a horrible situation, but there was nothing he could do to stop it, so he’d have to try to make it more bearable. 

After Alex’s interview, Luke could tell that the reality of the situation was hitting him even more, as a flicker of fear shadowed his face, his hands clenched into fists. Luke walked towards him slowly, making sure Alex was okay with it, and when he didn’t retract, he put his hand on his shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze.

“It’ll be okay,” he promised. And as Alex seemed to relax, nodding and pulling Luke into a hug, that was when he knew.

Alex was his best friend, and didn’t deserve any of this pain or fear. He deserved for things to be okay.

Luke would keep that promise, no matter what.

-----

Reggie POV

...

Reggie knew he was Princess Julie’s honorary older brother; it had been that way for years, after he ran away from his own pathetic excuse for a home. He was lucky King Ray was a kind man; he could’ve just as easily left him there where he’d found him, a nine-year-old in the street of the raining Dahlia capital city. But he’d taken Reggie in, and soon, Reggie was part of the royal family, even if not by blood. 

Now, given that he was Julie’s honorary older brother, he hated that she was being put into an arranged marriage. She was eighteen, for God’s sake! Reggie was nineteen, and knew for a fact he wouldn’t have been able to handle it nearly as gracefully as she did. Then again, while she was young, playful, and vibrant, Julie was also the epitome of grace and poise; she’d grown up in a palace, after all. 

Needless to say, though, Reggie was sure he wouldn’t be able to not be protective of Julie when Prince Alexander came. He’d met him before, but only briefly; in passing after dinner during visits, mostly. It did help Reggie’s nerves to remember that Alexander was a very sweet, reserved person from his own interactions with the man. But that was his little sister, and while she wasn’t completely devastated, Reggie knew she didn’t want it to happen. 

He dragged a hand down his face, flopping down on his bed. He wanted so badly to help Julie out of this, but he couldn’t. 

Hey, at least he could cheer her up with his jokes! She always said they were awful, but Reggie knew better. Only the finest of jokes could make Her Royal Highness, Princess Julie Molina of Dahlia, laugh until her sides hurt, even coming from her honorary older brother, Sir Reginald Molina. 

He smiled to himself. He might not be able to stop this whole predicament, but he could help her through it.

Reggie hopped up, fixing his suit. The silky red fabric of the vest hadn’t creased at all, nor had his grey suit pants, and yet he still felt the need. He did, however, roll the sleeves of his black dress shirt to expose his forearms, because come on. Even with Dahlia’s cool climate, he still got hot, especially when the sun was streaming through his windows, and he had a few photos outside before Prince Alexander’s arrival. Plus, it didn’t hurt that, according to his Instagram followers, the rolled sleeves made him look “personable” and “hotter than the sun.” 

Reggie ran a finger over the shimmering black embroidery of the vest, then winking at the mirror and pulling his best finger guns. It was his god-given right as a fancy bisexual. 

He ran his hand through his expertly-styled hair, letting some of his waves free from their stiff hold. It wasn’t the perfect style it had been when his butler styled it a couple hours ago, but it was more of his own style, which he liked a bit better. Spinning on his heel and slipping a hand in his pocket, Reggie walked out his door and down the light-filled corridor, down to the front steps, waving to Mira along the way. As he stepped outside, he heard people outside of the palace gates start shouting. He gave a wink and playful salute, even daring to blow a kiss in the general direction of a cute girl. He noticed Julie rolling her eyes, the photographer seizing the moment to take some shots of him on the palace steps. 

He jogged over to Julie, wrapping his arm around her. 

“How are you doing, your highness?”

“I’m doing okay,” she said, though both of them knew it was a lie. “How about you, Reg?”

“I’m okay as well. Just popping in to see my fangirls-” he winked at the crowd behind the gate, and a chorus of teenage girls (and a few boys) all sighed dreamily- “and check on you. We both know you’re lying.” Julie groaned.

“This whole thing just sucks.”

“Tell me about it,” he agreed. “But I’ll be here for you every step of the way. You know that, right dude?”

“You’re such a sappy loser,” she told him, and he put her in a playful headlock, posing for the camera.

“I know.” Reggie might’ve been a “sappy loser” of a brother, but he knew that, in Julie’s book, he was a sappy loser (affectionate), and that she understood that he was there for her. 

Hopefully that would be enough. 

-----

Willie POV

...

Willie had never actually gotten to know Princess Julie, but he’d met her a couple times. He was a chef in the palace kitchens, and on occasion, Julie would come down to try to get to know people. He’d never truly had a long conversation with her, but in the interactions they’d had, she was kind, and had a musical air to her. 

He’d seen pictures of the prince she was set to marry, Prince Alexander of Tambor. If Willie was being honest, he was kind of cute.

Okay, really cute. 

He’d never actually met the guy, but he seemed nice. His photos on Instagram had good vibes, at least. Willie couldn’t help but hope he’d get to meet him when he came to visit. If it was just because his brain was screaming cute boy, that was nobody’s business but his. 

Willie sprinkled more flour on the dough he was kneading, folding it in some more. It was cathartic, this repetitive motion. It helped calm his ADHD sometimes. He kept going.

Sprinkle. Fold. Roll.

Sprinkle. Fold. Roll.

Kneading the dough until it wasn’t sticky, he listened to the head chef, Lilian, shout orders at the rest of them. She was a very intimidating woman, tall and muscular, with raven black hair in a sleek ponytail, and fair skin flecked with flour. But she was quite kind, Willie had come to learn over the years. She was just one of those people who scared you if you didn’t know them. 

He put the dough in a pan, setting it in the oven and flicking on the light so he could monitor its progress, as could anyone else walking by. Wiping the flour from his hands to his apron, he then put his dishes and utensils in the giant dishwasher, finally washing his hands and grabbing a new bowl. 

Tonight was the welcome feast for Prince Alexander. Willie and a few others were in charge of baking loaves of bread for the appetizers, as well as making the desserts; today, mini chocolate mousse cakes. 

Dessert was always Willie’s favorite course to prepare, and not just because he could steal bits of frosting from the spatulas after he was finished. It was also because of how making desserts seemed to put everyone in the kitchens in a good mood. Maybe it was the smell of rising sugar, or the bright colors of the tubs of sprinkles, but he adored it. 

He cracked the eggs into the mixture of butter and sugar, adding the milk and flour soon after. As he poured in the cocoa powder, a little bit poofed up, creating a chocolatey cloud. The noise of the mixture did nothing to silence his racing thoughts, though. 

Would he get to meet Prince Alexander?

Would he like him?

And most importantly, why did he want to so badly? 

Willie shook his head, doling the batter into mini cake pans and tapping them on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles, sticking them in an oven after it beeped to temperature. 

Another oven beeped.

“Hey, Alyssa?” he called to a plump woman a few meters away. “Could you check on the bread in that oven to your right?” She nodded and leaned down, giving him a thumbs up.

“Probably needs another minute or so, but it looks great.”

“Sick, thanks!” Alyssa nodded and smiled, her dyed-purple hair shimmering in its bun. 

Willie grabbed the ingredients he would need for the mousse, arranged them on the counter, then jogged over to the other oven and pulled out the bread - without putting on oven mitts.

He hissed in pain but didn’t let go, quickly putting it on the stovetop and running to a sink to run his fingers under cold water.

Willie already had tons of scars and calluses on his hands, both from cooking and skateboarding on his off-days, so the burn didn’t hurt nearly as bad as it would’ve a few years ago. And by some miracle, it didn’t blister - though it did swell and turn red. Willie cursed under his breath, heading to the first-aid kit and smearing some ointment on it and covering it with a bandage. 

“Let me guess,” said Lilian from behind him. “You forgot oven mitts again?”

“Guilty,” he said with a grin. Lilian sighed, but didn’t manage to hide her smile. 

“Willie, you need to be more careful. I know your brain always has, like twenty thoughts going at all times, but you could hurt yourself.”

“Twenty-three,” he corrected. “And I know, but you only live once, and I didn’t want the bread to burn.”

“Five seconds to grab a mitt wouldn’t burn the bread.”

“Hey, there’s a first time for everything.” Lilian rolled her eyes and gently swatted him on the shoulder. It wasn’t a mean move, of course, it was her saying she was exasperated but that she cared about you. Willie laughed and went back to his mixing bowl, getting ready to prepare the mousse.

This would be perfect.

#blue writes #be who you are (no compromise) #jatp #julie and the phantoms #juke #willex #flarrie #julie molina #alex mercer #willie nolastname #luke patterson #reggie peters #carrie wilson #flynn nolastname #royalty au #bwya tag

[cornerstonc]

Kung fu Panda? I bet you thought this was going to be the Cat Returns didn't you

o | Accepting

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

anyone who's known me for a while probably is Unsurprised by this but mr. ping is my absolute favorite kfp character laughs and he still is even now that shen has sorta Taken Over. i just love him a lot ;o;

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

i mean. that has to be the #1 baby in the series with baby po fjjfioea i die every time during that flashback scene with mr. ping in the second movie he's so. such a fluffy soft little ball of baby floof sobs

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

m. maybe shi long or mei mei... probably the latter especially bc she was created for an arranged marriage plotline in the third movie but when that plot was eventually shelved she kinda got sidelined, too, and it makes me sad that there wasn't more emphasis on her and po cultivating maybe more of a sibling or platonic bond, especially since it was supposed to be all about him learning what it is to be a panda laughs

for shi long, well, it just would have been nice to see more of her becoming the villain she was for most of canon and more interactions between her and the white bone demon thinking emoji

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

ok this is going to. uhhhh. be pretty obscure, but i really liked lu-shi from legends of awesomeness. she showed up in one episode to basically get married to po and make tigress jealous and that's a throwaway role for her but they made her so likable and she had legitimately cute chemistry with po, with both of them being kung fu enthusiasts (emphasis on the enthusiastic part of that)

they make a small thing of how she and po can still be friends at the end of the episode and i like to imagine Somewhere they still are sending letters back and forth and geeking out over action figures........

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

i think mei mei, again, counts, but she's gained more fans in the years since the third one came out. if we're going 'otherwise pathetic fave' then i feel like i need to put the croc bandits here, bc they were one of the best things to come out of loa and i'm forever sad that's probably where they're going to stay

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

i torment shen a lot, probably him lmao i love shen but god of all characters, he definitely deserves it. but my favorites also get the worst of me sometimes and i've definitely been mean to mr. ping on occasion

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

lbr shen probably got sent there already but he deserves it still

#;answered by masha #anonymous #;o; thank you anon! #tbh it was kinda fun talking about this fandom again aha #also yes fjjfioef i did assume any i got would be tcr

[streets-in-paradise]

The Bride’s Misery

Troy (2004) reader insert fanfiction - Part 1

Word count: 1.742

Characters: Helen, Mycenaean Princess Reader. Mentions of Menelaus, Agamemnon and Odysseus. 

Genre : Angst with a bit of comfort

Relationships: Platonic, fríendship, family.

Warnings: Sexism, forced marriage, mentions of adultery being punished by death. 

Summary: Setted during Helen and Melenaus' wedding party. Being fully aware of the horrible fate upon her, the reader approaches Helen trying to offer some comfort and opens up to her about her own fears for the future.

Disclaimers: This follows Troy's style, tone and approach of the characters. Since Clytemnestra is not in the movie i tried to adapt at least a bit the story to mention her somehow but the idea i used is far different from the source material. Here she and Helen are still sisters but they have very different ages and the story has a lot of changes fitting the vision of the movie and mine. 

Originally, i was going to write an oneshot vaguely inspired in the story of the sacrifice of Iphigenia but the concept kept growing in my mind even before i started writing it and my idea changed constantly over time. This is an introduction for a story that i will continue somehow.I also want to clarify that i changed a detail of the movie. There it is stated that Helen married Menelaus at 16 but since i’m too horrified and creeped by that i decided to change it and she is +18 because the forced marriage is enough creepyness. Also, as always, i want to say that this is a translation of a text i wrote in my native language, which isn’t english. I did it with the support of an online translator and i apologise for any mistakes. 

Special thanks to @yerevasunclair​ , who inspires me and encourages me all the time into sharing my writing and @hrisity12​ for all the appreciation to my Troy content and my ideas. You are awesome. 

Thanks for reading and i hope you ‘ll enjoy it. 

 The most influential people in Greece had gathered for the celebration of Menelaus and Helen's wedding. The King of Sparta was overflowing with pride at having obtained the hand of the universally proclaimed "most beautiful woman in the world". Naturally, among the most renowned guests were his brother, King Agamemnon of Mycenae, and his young daughter. Their presence, although absolutely expected, was somewhat controversial. The Greek king of kings had been married to the older sister of Helen, but the marriage did not have the best outcome.

Stories circulating about it said that after his daughter was born, Agamemnon was disappointed that his wife did not give him a first-born son and began to develop a gradual resentment towards her. Her husband's disdain caused the queen to become so spiteful that, after enduring it for a few years, she ended up committing infidelity. It was said that her lover was the son of an enemy of the king’s family and had seduced her as part of a conspiracy. Although it was not proven,the rumor implied that the queen had been executed by her husband’s orders after the infidelity was discovered. Supposedly, a punishment administrated in secret to avoid the shame of public exposure.Since he was a king particularly famous for his pride and cruelty, the story was questioned by very few people and implicitly accepted by most. For this reason, his open support for his brother's marriage was quite remarkable. The most daring people commented that Helen had been given to Menelaus in search of family redemption, to hush the stories and to strengthen ties with the most powerful family in Greece.

 The King of Mycenae seemed to share the groom's excitement while his daughter shared the bride's misery. She was lucky not to hear too many comments about the tragedy of her family's past, but she had enough to put up with her father. The little contact he had with her always ranged from flattery and ostentation in front of the public to cruel reproaches in private. Although he did not seem to have much affection for her, Agamemnon considered her a reflection of his power and demanded nothing less than perfection from her. From a very young age she had understood that she would never be able to fully please her father, so she was used to his horrendous treatment. She had grown up a prisoner of his ambition and was used to it, knowing that nothing would ever be enough for him. Even in the middle of the event, during a while beside him that felt eternal to her, the only thing he had said to her was a kind of joke criticizing her bad mood. According to him, there was no one who had better reason to be happy about Helen's wedding than she herself. His argument was that, after her uncle’s marriage she would not have to participate anymore in an impossible competition against a woman she would never be able to compare herself to. 

 She tried to ignore the comments and concentrate on something that would make her happy in some way, but she did not succeed until she saw King Odysseus of Ithaca among the crowd of nobles and her day seemed to light up a little. He was the only ally of her father whom she personally considered a friend, with the exception of Nestor who was already like family. He was very sweet to her and always gave her nice words of encouragement. On that occasion, as soon as she approached him, he commented that she looked very pretty and suggested her to have fun in spite of the difficulties. She happily thanked him for his advice, but there wasn't much she could do anyway. The fun was meant for men and there was nothing left for her to do but sit at the banquet table looking at Helen as if both of them were wondering what they were doing there.

 She did not know much about her mother's youngest sister, Agamemnon did not leave her much freedom around her maternal family. She was only aware that they were around the same age and yet Helen was already world famous for her beauty. She was very sorry for her situation, it sounded like a nightmare crowned by that horrendous forced marriage. She tried to reach out to comfort her. She was able to relate to her because oftenly she wondered if she would ever end up in the same way: tied to some unpleasant man whose only interest in her was to brag about her as a possession, changing her father's prison for her husband's

" It's going to get better. Once you give him his first son or at least a pretty daughter that will continue your legacy he will stop caring. Slave girls have it worse, they don't seem to want to let them be any soon" she said to the queen in the most friendly way she could for such a grimm statement. 

" The entire kingdom has commented about what your father did to my sister. Should I be afraid? "Helen asked, not caring enough to hide her panic and disgust. 

"My uncle is the nicer brother, you can feel a bit safer. I know of some versions claiming that Agamemnon killed his wife because she gave him a girl but the generally accepted motive was cheating. Menelaus will not kill you if your firstborn is a girl, he may do it if you cheat. " 

Helen realized that her question was  uncomfortable for both of them. 

" I'm so sorry, I was insensitive. I didn't mean it. It is a hurtful topic to discuss. She was my sister but she was your mother, it must be even harder  to you than what it is to me. Don't get me wrong, it hurts me as well, but i'm too scared right now and i'm not thinking right. " 

" I understand you, i would be worried and terrified if i were you. I'm getting older, I'm not a little kid anymore. Your concerns are also mine, my father will sell me for the highest price pretty soon... but I'm smarter than him. I'm already making my own plans," she told her in a friendly tone trying to deflect the topic of conversation into something happier.

" Lucky of you. Are you sure you will be able to trick your father into not ruining your life? " 

" My plan is so flawless that I doubt he would be able to ruin it. I had analyzed some of my posible prospects from a polítical and personal standpoint and i got a perfect match. I will marry a trojan prince because i heard that respect for women seems to be a cultural value there." 

" How many unmarried princes do the trojans have? "

" I already checked it. Prince Hector is the oldest and gossips say he is in love with a woman most people assume he will marry. He has a younger brother, Prince Paris. All the information I gathered on him presents him as a a handsome young man, lover of freedom and not very fond of traditionalism. Women seem to be his weakness so he is easy prey and my chance to escape the fate of most of the women in our family. "  she explained pridefully 

" That is a brilliant work of strategy but I fail to see how Agamemnon would consent on it. It's said that he craves to conquer them " 

" He will not do it at first, Menelaus will. He has been talking about the remote idea of making stable peace with the trojans for a while. My father hates it but if he takes that choice he would want and need to have the trojans bonded to him somehow. If he can't try to conquer them by force anymore having someone inside that he thinks he can control, like his daughter, it's the closest thing he can get. He will accept it because he will find it convenient. He would finally get rid of me and he would get a way to bond the trojans to him in the same operation" 

Helen was fascinated with her odd but pragmatic way of thinking.

" I'll admit it. I'm impressed. At first it sounds crazy but it's brilliant. " 

" I wish we would have met in better circumstances. I would had plotted a special exit plan for you against this. Of course, it would have been a different one because this is my own plan of salvation but we would have figured something out together. "  she assured her. 

" Your concern is more than what i could ask for." Helen replied and smiled briefly. 

" Welcome to the other side of the family. The only perk this situation has is that you will have plenty of time to spend with your new favourite niece. Menelaus will have to stand me here more often." the princess teased, trying to cheer her up. 

" The company would be great, thank you. " 

" You don’t need to, we are family. Let me give you some useful advice.If he gets too drunk try to get away. He is a cheerful, clingy, horny drunk. I know he is disgusting but at least he is not my father. My uncle acts fríendly most of the time and tends to be more relaxed than him. If he bothers you, make me a sign and I will help you out. " 

Helen seemed to be touched by her genuine concern. 

" You are very kind" 

" You don't need to go through all of this alone. Us women we have to help each other out because no one else will. " the princess stated " That is the biggest downside of my plan. If i succeed i will be far away but until then i will do my best. I have plenty of time yet to get my trojan prince." added, joking in the conclusion. 

" You are strongly determined. You speak as if you were already in love with him. I wish you good luck." 

" I don't have any idea of who he is but the descriptions sound like a husband that would not bother me. He travels all the time so,even if i don’t get to like him that much, he would be away having other women and I would be left alone. He is not the heir of the throne so no children required. If my father asks about it, Prince Paris of Troy is the love of my life. " 

Her joke made Helen laugh genuinely and hard for the first time in days. It was pretty contagious and both couldn't help to laugh harder than what they should.

#Troy 2004 #Troy 2004 fanfiction #Troy (2004) #Helen of Troy #reader insert #Troy #Diane Kruger #Brendan Gleeson #Brian Cox #Sean Bean #Troy Fanfiction

[lemystical-puffle]

My A3 Sexuality Headcanons that no one asked for!

[These won’t include Gender, only sexual orientation or lack thereof(is that a phrase?)]

Color coordination

Gay

Bi

Pan

Aro

Hetero

Sakuya Sakuma: Pansexual! He doesn’t have any preferences, honestly after his childhood he just wants someone who will love and accept him!

Masumi: Bisexual. I feel like he would love the director whether they be boy, girl, other, all, he just wants someone to give him attention, and that person just happened to be out beloved Izumi Tachibana.

Tsuzuru: okay this ones me projecting but whatever Aro/Ace Tsuzuru. He doesn’t feel romantic attraction, and instead just feels a family-brotherly kind of love towards his friends and fellow actors. He doesn’t really want to romantically be with someone, and yet instead just wants to be there for them when they need it and love them the same way he loves his family at home

Citron: Also pan!! But Pan-Romantic specifically. Citron literally just wants to love everyone ever because he’s just awesome like that, but won’t go pass kissing someone. It just makes him uncomfortable which is perfectly fine because he is Citron Lastname! But yeah, also no gender prefermance

Itaru: Bi with a male preference. I can’t really explain why I think this, I just do. Maybe because most of the woman he has ever shown interest in are his 2D anime waifus. Also I mean come on he totally had a whole thing for Lancelot he thinks knights are hot and that is so valid.

Chikage: he is a gay cabbage. Listen the only time he has said he liked a woman it was because he said they weren’t like his mom and I am just- I’m sorry I don’t trust that. This man is a gay, he is never had a boyfriend but he has definitely thought of hooking up with his boss for a raise, thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

Tenma: Also bi! Bi-Ace specifically. I wasn’t really sure where to put him because on one hand I feel like he has a lot of MLM energy but on the other hand his solo song so I just, bi. I feel like his gay awakening came when he played the token gay best friend in a romcom because gay actor erasure but Tenma didn’t really understand, but later he was in a scene where he was with his boyfriend who shows up for one second to remind the audience he’s a homosexual and Tenma was just: crap he’s not

Yuki: okay at first I didn’t know what to put for Yuki cause on one hand sexuality erasure Yuki has specifically said he likes girl and he defies stereotypes and stuff but on the other hand he never said he didn’t like boys so he’s bi with a female preference. I feel like Yuki is the kind of guy to just happen to fall in love with whoever and just go “oh crap did I just fall in love?” And while he likes girls more sometimes it just. Happens.

Muku: Surprise surprise he’s Pan! Muku totally reads shoujo manga with all sexualities and is very livid about good representation, will write a “negative review” (and in Muku terms that’s him being very polite, 4.5/5 stars and linking research resources) about how inaccurate a sexuality was portrayed. I feel like at first he just thought he was a very active ally and now he is just: “oh crap boys. And girls. And enbys. And genderfluids. And everyone.”

Misumi: Misumi is very homosexual, which at first he was sad about because homosexual has 2 o’s which are circles but then he realized he can just say gay but spell it like: G🔺Y so he got happy again. I feel like it was one of the reasons he was kicked out of his home, he just likes boys Jeez Ikaruga parents no rights. (I also Headcanon him as autistic but that’s not what this post is about).

Kazunari: In Kazunari Miyoshi’s world he never has to make a decision in his life and that includes sexuality. Show him a guy and a girl and tell him to pick one and he will simply overload until he picks the person who knows the most trivia on classical art or smthing. Kazunari just: adores everyone ever, and that’s okay! After a lot of internalized homophobia and fear, he was able to come out to first a small group of college friends and eventually felt comfortable with the label and was able to express it openly, now he wears it with pride!

Kumon: I really don’t have any explaining to go here, Kumon just feels gay to me. My head can’t wrap around him wanting to be intimate with a girl. I do think there was this big moment of him coming out to Juza and Juza just going “s’okay.” Then they hug and get ice cream

Banri: Banri is bisexual with a straight pride flag and a Juza Preference. Catch him at the straight pride parade telling “those Homo’s that they’re going to burn.” While making out with Juza against a wall. That’s canon I don’t take criticism

Juza: Also Gay, I feel like Kumon came out first and Juza did research and was like “oh me too.” And just thought about how he’s never actually liked a girl and thought boys were kinda pretty and oh crap Settsu slicked his hair back oh crap oh crap pretty men.

Taichi: Taichi is bisexual, with his preferences being as random as his hair. Except no weird 1/4 quarters going on. Idk where I was going with that analogy I’m sorry. Taichi just likes the humans and wants to go kiss kiss with them all, and then bring them along on his journey for fame and popularity!

Omi: Listen, Omi is the mother of Mankai, and as the mother he loves everyone unconditionally. He also totally wanted to kiss Nachi I’m sorry. I feel like Omi has a male preference, but only by a bit as he loves everyone! He is a good boy and brings all the snacks and water to the pride parades so his friends stay healthy :)

Sakyo: Sakyo is the straight~ supportive dad who doesn’t care if you’re gay straight bi pan anything as long as you pay your taxes. Was probably a little confused at first just because. Probably said “LGBT? Isn’t that a sandwich.” But he got informed did research and is now a huge ally! After more research he identifies specifically as graysexual/romantic as he feels rarely any romantic attraction at all unless under certain circumstances aka Izumi Tachibana. I akso think he suspected that Azami was LGBT for a bit before he came out so he wanted to do research so that Azami would feel comfortable coming out when he was ready. Also he can’t like, not support Sakoda (who I Headcanon as gay :) )

Azami: Azami is bi-aro. Sex? Nah he won’t even hold your hand before marriage, however he will love you no matter your gender. I also see him with a female preference just from his straight upbringing and it’s the title he feels most comfortable with after some internalized homophobia, especially with how his dad shamed him for liking makeup. He is still getting used to the LGBT community and I feel like he is still taking baby steps, learning about different identities and wanting to do all he can to support both himself and his fellow actors due to simply not knowing where to start. Don’t worry Azami take you’re time! There is no rush, you are trying to figure yourself out and we all love you so much for it, there is no shame in changing your mind later. We adore you all the same. (If you couldn’t tell, I wasn’t only talking to Azami. If you are still questioning yourself it is 100% okay, because honestly I am too. There is no rush to figure yourself out, and I hope you know that we are all here for you!)

Tsumugi: Tsumugi is gay, but I feel like he also had a lot of internalized homophobia. I feel like when he was younger he really liked Tasuku but didn’t really understand the difference between platonic and romantic, and it took some time before he was able to really discover himself and come to the identity he has currently.

Tasuku: Tasuku is gay and homophobic.

Hisoka: Hisoka is homo-demi-romantic asexual. I feel like it won’t want to date anyone without really earning their trust and feeling safe around them, and after that point he still will be pretty shy romantically, but it is very much understandable and we all still love Hisoka

Homare: Homare is pan. He doesn’t really care about gender, he just wants someone who will love him and his poetry without seeing him as broken. I feel like after his last relationship he was hesitant to date again, but after some time and help from the rest of winter troupe he was able to rediscover himself. (Also autistic Homare go brrrr)

Azuma: Azuma is an old gay man who just thinks boobs are neat. That’s it that’s the post sent tweet turn off replies.

Guy: New color who this? This is because I didn’t know what to put for Guy, so he simply doesn’t identify as anything. I don’t know a lot about Guy but I know enough to feel like relationships would be very awkward and touchy for him due to his problems with emotions and expression. He isn’t straight, but he doesn’t really identify as anything either. He’s just: Guy. Which is more than valid

[oh also all of winter is Poly and they’re boyfriends thanks for coming to my Ted talk]

Hope you all liked these! Of course they are all my own opinion and you don’t have to agree with all, they’re just how I feel!! Feel free to reply or reblog with your own opinions or Headcanons!!

#a3! #a3 #a3game #a3! act addict actors #sakuya sakuma #masumi usui #tsuzuru minagi #citron #itaru chigasaki #chikage utsuki #tenma sumeragi #yuki rurikawa #muku sakisaka #misumi ikagura #kazunari miyoshi #kumon hyodo #banri settsu #juza hyodo #taichi nanao #omi fushimi #sakyo furuichi #azami izumida #tsumugi tsukioka #tasuku takato #hisoka mikage #homare arisugawa #azuma yukishiro #guy #sexuality Headcanons

[theuntamednarrator]

Multishipper challenge — Jiang Yanli! Jiang Cheng!

Heck yes Jiang Sibs! Excellent choice, thank you. I'm going to start with Jiang Yanli, since it's her birthday.

Jiang Yanli

• Xuanli - what can I say? MXTX, Xuan Lu, and Cao Yuchen just did a great job of building that relationship for me. Who of us hasn't turned into an awkward fumbling idiot around a pretty girl? What I really like about them is that Jiang Yanli doesn't force him to change, and circumstances don't really either, all of the people involved (well that we care about, Jin Guangshan can die, again) have accepted the engagement being dissolved. Zixuan just grows up, realises Yanli's good qualities, values her, and decides he's going to treat her as she deserves and I just really love their story.

• Yangli - this is just mostly me deciding that Yanli and Mianmian both deserve good things, and what's a better thing than these queens? Nothing, that's what.

• Yangxuanli - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ look I am just a simple polyshipper okay? OT3(+) all the way. What I love about this one is it gives you the best of arranged marriage + childhood best friends + that one girl from lan camp who made you google "can girls marry girls" the second you got home. I think they would all balance each other really well, and shijie absoLUTEly deserves to have two badasses who would throw hands for her.

• Honourable mention - Sangli because I've read a couple of really good fics with this pairing recently and I really like the dynamic of the two underestimated political powerhouses just quietly arranging everyone around them with a smile.

Jiang Cheng

• Chengqing - again Meng Ziyi and Wang Zhoucheng (particularly WZC) just sold this so well. I love that they don't handwave away the inherent conflict and regrets between them in canon, and it's basically impossible to do anything canon-verse/divergent without digging into the debts and obligations between the Wen Siblings and the Twin Heroes, which is delicious. And then modern aus is just the awesomeness of 'two mean bisexuals who dress nicer than you' so what's not to like?

• Sangcheng - but only modern aus/non-canon. I don't think canon Jiang Cheng ever did or would have respected Huaisang enough for there to be any sort of genuine foundation there. I did read some fics that went the 'Huaisang manipulating Jiang Cheng through sex/romance' route early on and it put me off the whole dynamic, but then I had a few modern au fics recommended where the pressure is off them both a bit and those really worked for me.

• Chengyao/Chengsu/Suchengyao - hear me out I know this is a left field one but I'm just really fascinated by what the dynamic between Carp Tower and Lotus Pier is like during those 16 years and these three are at the middle of that. This is more a platonic ship rather than romantic for me (though I have read some really good fics which play with the romance angle too). Jin Guangyao is too smart not to try and get Jiang Cheng on side, especially once it becomes clear the next heir to Carp Tower is going to be spending a lot of time in Lotus Pier. Meanwhile Qin Su is the closest thing Jiang Cheng has now to a sister, and since I hc him as one of those people who gets on better with women than men I can totally see them becoming friends and trading parenting tips about Jin Ling and Rusong over tea in the gardens at Carp Tower.

• Honourable mention - Jiang Cheng, himself, and he. I do hc Jiang Cheng pretty firmly on the aro and ace spectrums (nobody is THAT purple without being at least a little bit ace and also all my faves are a little bit ace). I actually think in canon the ideal for Jiang Cheng is a reverse of the Wei Parents & Jiang Fengmian dynamic where a pair of wandering wlw cultivators somehow end up at Lotus Pier and then never leave, and two years in they're like 'hey please father our children' and he's like 'ugh fine but one of you has to be my heir then I'm sick of the nagging at conferences' and they're like 'ugh fine' but secretly everyone is quite pleased with the arrangement.

Question from here!

#other people's questions #theuntamednarration #woooooo sorry this got LONG haha #thanks for the question!

[revolutionary-demosthenes]

(I’m so sorry, I accidentally deleted this ask when I was trying to fix where I put the cut but here’s the image of it because I still had it open in another tab and I’ll just answer like normal. Sorry!!)

This is a great question! There are several reasons why some historians, most notably Gregory Massey, author of John Laurens and the American Revolution tend to paint the Laurens-Hamilton relationship in a more platonic light.

One of the main reasons is that in the 18th century, letters were simply much more romantic and poetic, even to close friends. Phrases and sentiments that now would be read as pretty darn romantic (Like “I love you”) were seen as acceptably platonic back then. So some of the letters between Laurens and Hamilton, particularly Laurens’s, would’ve been seen as acceptable and even normal for very close friends. 

HOWEVER, there is a big problem with this argument of “it was just the language of the time” when it comes to Laurens and Hamilton. 

While some of their correspondence would have been seen as reasonable for friends back then, some would NOT have been. And don’t just take that from me. Take it from John Church Hamilton. If you look at his biography of his father, you will see that much of the April 1779 letter is not included. Here’s a great rule of thumb: if someone from that time period saw it as sexual enough omit from a giant biography, that’s not “just how people wrote back then.”

The second main argument is an understandable one: Laurens had a wife when he met Hamilton, and Hamilton married Eliza while he and Laurens were still in their relationship. Which, if you don’t look closely at the circumstances around the marriages seems like a pretty good argument. 

But let’s take a look at those circumstances, shall we?

John Laurens received a letter from Francis Kinloch (a probable male lover) around early May 1776, which happens to be nearly nine months before John’s child, Frances, was born. So his relations with Martha Manning, John’s eventual wife, could have possibly been to make John feel better about the break-up. 

And it is extremely important to note the social pressure going on. Being openly gay was not an option. So courting Martha (they were friends/possibly courting before the baby,) could easily have been just trying to conform to social standards. 

The marriage was also not about love, really. And John pretty much admitted this in a letter to his uncle. He wrote, “Pity has obliged me to marry.” This was because Martha was pregnant, and having a baby out of wedlock was extremely taboo. (I mean look at Hamilton, he had to deal with that stigma his whole life.)

If John really did love his wife, I also would think that he would have wanted to stay for his daughter’s birth. He left shortly before she was born, and once he was in America, put them pretty much out of his mind. There were plans to bring them to America, but it never worked out. And John seemed pretty content to just have them be in England. “The wife and child left behind in England seemingly occupied little space in John’s thoughts.” says John Laurens and the American Revolution by Gregory Massey.

But what about Hamilton? Didn’t he love Eliza Schuyler?

Yes. But just because Hamilton loved Eliza does not mean he didn’t love Laurens as well. And this is because of the simple fact that gay and straight are not the only sexualities. Hamilton loved a woman. Using this to argue he couldn’t have loved and been in a relationship with a man is both offensive and illogical.

But a more solid argument that historians use is that Hamilton did marry Eliza during his ‘friendship’ with Laurens. Why would he pursue Eliza if he loved Laurens in the same way?

Why, I am delighted you asked!

Firstly, Hamilton was probably polyamorus, meaning that he wanted and had no trouble having relationships with multiple people. In other words, marrying Eliza did not mean that he would stop loving Laurens. He had room in his heart to love both in a romantic/sexual way.

The way Hamilton writes to Laurens about his engagement and marriage is also indicative of his trying to make clear to Laurens that even though he was getting married, he and Laurens could continue to be lovers. He told Laurens, “In spite of Schuyler’s black eyes, I have still a part for the public and another for you.” That Hamilton is stating that his love for his soon-to-be-wife would not interfere with the bond he and Laurens shared seems to be a pretty clear “I’m not going to break up with you because of my wife don’t worry.” He also talks of Eliza in a slightly cold way at first, saying that, “She is a good hearted girl who I am sure will never play the termagant; though not a genius she has good sense enough to be agreeable, and though not a beauty, she has fine black eyes—is rather handsome and has every other requisite of the exterior to make a lover happy. And believe me, I am lover in earnest, though I do not speak of the perfections of my Mistress in the enthusiasm of Chivalry.”

This is in quite a contrast to his gushy letter to Eliza about how “Neither time distance nor any other circumstance can abate that pure that holy that ardent flame which burns in my bosom for the best and sweetest of her sex.”

And then there is the next letter where Hamilton mentions his upcoming marriage.

The threesome letter.

So. Hamilton writes to Laurens on Sep. 16, 1780, “I would invite you after the fall to Albany to be witness to the final consummation. My Mistress is a good girl, and already loves you because I have told her you are a clever fellow and my friend; but mind, she loves you a l’americaine not a la françoise.”

The final consummation refers to the first time having sex after marriage. Hamilton is inviting Laurens to this event. 

Anyway, this again reads to me like Hamilton saying to Laurens that the two relationships, (him and Eliza, and him and Laurens) were not exclusive. Even maybe that he believed they would work together well. 

And then of course there is the truth that having a same-sex relationship in the 18th century was simply a very difficult thing to do. Hamilton and Laurens either had to keep it an absolute secret, or blindly trust that the people who did know would keep it secret. And it would have been emotionally tolling to keep this huge part of their lives a secret. 

And that is all true. But that also doesn’t erase the evidence of their romance.  It was hard to be in a same-sex relationship in the 18th century, but that doesn’t mean Hamilton didn’t write the April 1779 letter. That doesn’t mean Laurens didn’t tell Hamilton about his wife... ever! (Hamilton did find out, though. But not for more than a year.) That doesn’t mean that Hamilton didn’t invite Laurens to “the final consummation.”

Then there’s the problem that queer history just wasn’t written about in older biographies, which are sources usually used by current biographers. So you have to go to the primary sources, like the letters. And once you find the primary sources, you have to do extra analysis, because in the 18th century Hamilton couldn’t have just said, “John Laurens, I love you so much. I love you like I love my wife, and do you remember how awesome the nights we spent in the same bed were?” It was all carefully disguised, under the pretense of “brawdy humor” and “sentimental language.” Plus, letters that may have contained more explicit things are missing/destroyed. Many argue that “it was the language of the time” without considering that it was extremely dangerous to write things unacceptable for the language of the time.

But also there is a sort of double standard that is used. And I’m going to use the example of Angelica Schuyler and Hamilton here. Angelica and Hamilton definitely had a flirtatious relationship, but I find it hard to imagine Angelica seriously going after him, since she and her sister had a close bond. And yet many people accept that they loved each other romantically— emphasized in the musical Hamilton, wherein a lot of time is spent on an errant comma in a letter, and no time is spent on Hamilton bragging about his ‘nose’ in a letter to John Laurens. (I know I defend the musical a lot, but this is something that bugs me.) So the point is, it takes very little evidence to be able to claim “love” for possible straight relationships but takes nearly absolute confirmation for a queer relationship to be considered at all.

There’s also possible homophobia from the writer of the history. This isn’t to say everyone who thinks Hamilton/Laurens were straight is a homophobe, not at all. But if someone has prejudices against LGBTQ+ people, they might just not consider the the relationship could have been romantic... it might not be something they’re tuned into as a valid part of history.

There are others I’m probably forgetting so if anyone wants to add please do. But I think this covers most of the main reasons.

Thank you for the great question, it is always important to look at the other side of the issue! I hope this helped you.

(And no, no one’s asked this before!)

#ask #not anon #John Laurens #Alexander Hamilton #Martha Manning #Francis Kinloch #I guess I mention him #history #queer history #I'm sorry about accidentally deleting the ask #Angelica Schuyler #letters #Eliza Hamilton