#fuck! and true and the magic kingdom

[pcktknife]

hi i saw ur tags about pj masks and i just wanted to say that i liked it too when i used to watch it with my baby brother :] my faves were gecko and luna girl! do you have a favorite episode/character or has it been too long to remember lol T__T

its been a while since ive watched it too so no fave episode luna girl and owlette were probably my fave characters though and later the wolfies when they showed up. my sisters 5 and we used to share a living space so anything she watched i was subjected to so same boat lol

#asks #anon #oo another kids cartoon i saw recently i actually cant remember the name of but its super hero kids in training #its p cute the designs are really good #the kids names are trina(treena??) wren clay and i cant remember the white kids name im sorry lmao #flash?? watts??? something electricity based #also the monster preschool show on netflix is also cute #fuck! and true and the magic kingdom #i love kids cartoons theyre always really good and simple and nice to look at

[holleighgram]

Keyblade Camp

I have this AU I've been too busy to write where all of the Guardians of Light are found/saved/recovered BEFORE the final battle and Yen Sid declares that they are all to train together in preparation for the battle.

Yen Sid puts Aqua and Riku in charge of training everyone.

It's 2 boys per dorm room, and the girls get a master suite dorm for themselves

From there, it is essentially a sleepaway camp AU except it ends in a keyblade war..... but hey! There's a prom!

#kingdom hearts #KH au #Kingdom hearts au #Keyblade Camp #Roxas and Axel sneak out after curfew to eat shredded cheese out of the fridge with their hands #The girls have a seance #The “adults” (Terra Aqua Axel and Riku) get wasted by the campfire #Aqua offers to put a protection charm on a token from each of them #And Sora finds out his necklace is already enchanted with the most powerful magic there is #True love #but he doesn know how that happened cause hes had that necklace his whole life but that explains how hes always made it out of tough spots #Nobody fucking Tell him #The kids play truth or dare!

[wordsinhaled]

remember in the SECOND EPISODE of merlin when gaius was all, "merlin, i’m sorry but your word counts for nothing because you’re a servant and no one will care what you have to say"

and then merlin came to arthur and arthur was all SWEAR TO ME THAT WHAT YOU SAY IS TRUE and THEN I BELIEVE YOU and then he went to his father and assembled the whole court so that merlin's concerns would be heard, because he shared them

remember when even after not being able to substantiate the claim and firing merlin he still believed that what merlin said was the truth. remember when even after being sacked and sent away merlin came back to warn arthur

remember when arthur was all “my father will never apologize to me for being wrong” and then turned right around and APOLOGIZED TO MERLIN (his manservant!) and ADMITTED HE WAS WRONG. remember when uther was all, you care about some manservant's opinion??? and arthur was all, well yes, obviously, because merlin's a fucking person. remember when arthur saw merlin as a person when all his life merlin has felt different and other and confused about who he is and what he is

and also, again, all of this was in the SECOND EPISODE

remember when in the second episode arthur already showed he'd be a better ruler for albion than uther ever was, even back then when arthur was still so young at heart and had so much learning and growing still to do

remember when this all foreshadowed how he would take (and even ask for) merlin's perspective and advice later, during crucial moments for the kingdom

okay. and also since i'm here

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT YOU, MERLIN in the first episode (the first episode!!!)

and

the way merlin is all "you have the wrong person" this and "arthur's an idiot" that but as soon as he hears confirmation that arthur is his destiny he's THROWING himself in harm's way (literally) for arthur, he's cheering for arthur in tournaments, he's worrying about him

arthur is the one who started a second confrontation at the marketplace - not merlin. because he was curious about him. because he wanted him in his life and didn't even understand why yet

because he can feel it; they can both feel it

THEY'RE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN!!!! soulmates!!!!!!

okay, and listen. listen

thinking about arthur's journey from anger to acceptance to gratitude once he learns about merlin's magic, and how on some level you'd think that would change their dynamic forever because arthur would feel he could never make it up to merlin for all the ways he'd saved and supported arthur and the kingdom. and maybe arthur might feel that way for a while. but the fact of the matter is that arthur has always treated merlin as more than his manservant. from day one. FROM DAY ONE

merlin would have served arthur for the rest of his life!!! he would have been his court sorcerer!!! okay! he was ready for that! he was ready to see arthur white-haired and wise in his old age and he would have been at his side then still helping him dress even though he doesn't need to anymore, arthur's got other servants for that, and merlin's got other duties now, and arthur would say, shouldn't you be in your tower, dollophead? even while shrugging into the jacket merlin holds out for him, and merlin would respond i should, my lord even while fastening the clasps of arthur's cloak and it would be everything and nothing like old times

god, do you ever just think about THEM and have a whole Situation because... THEY

#bbc merlin #merthur #I'M NORMAL #can you tell i'm rewatching #god GEDREF IS COMING i'm so normal

[kingcrow01]

DC x Marvel Fic Recs

@jas-per11 @letthedeadghostrest

Hello! I saw your post, and I've been meaning to rec some DC x Marvel fics anyways, so I'll do that here. I don't know what you've read, so I'll start with

Peter Parker / DC Series:

The Dark Matter Multiverse Series by @mysterycyclone

Dark Matter is the blueprint for most Peter Parker / DC fics, and it's also fucking fantastic. If you're reading a crossover and don't understand why, without explanation, Peter is talking to ghosts? Why he by default ends up living in a firehouse? Read Dark Matter.

Spider and Bat Friends Series by @emmacortana

So far, 12 well written and hilarious works from my all-time favorite author, Miss emmacortana. This, coming from someone with over 1,500 bookmarks. She's that good.

Bitsy and The Bats Series Series by @wibbwoby

Haven't read this one in a while, so I don't have much to say, but Rated T for Traumatized is an absolute classic.

Pizzaverse Series by Irisen

A heavier read, wherein Peter tries to keep his job, make rent, and has a lot of unfortunate run-ins with Gotham's rogues.

Peter & The BatBoys (Doctor AU) Series by @thepoppypress

Peter is the Wayne family's doctor. He has a... chaotic time. I've only read Part 1, but I am still including this here because it's a series.

Peter Parker needs a hug (From the BatFamily) Series by @true-blue-fool

Shorter fics about Peter bonding with the Batfamily. Part 3 is especially cute.

Spider and Bats Series by @superklutzkent

Peter Parker whump, featuring the Batfam. All of the whump.

Let's take a break and look at some DC x Marvel fics that DON'T feature Peter:

Steve Rogers: Man out of Time and Place Series by RavenclawAngel

After Civil War, Steve gets exiled to DCs earth and builds a new team.

from the nucleus flight Series by @blackkatmagic

Khonshu whisks (Comic) Moon Knight away to DC. Very well written and passionate. If it's not your thing, don't let the Bruce Wayne/Marc Spector tag dissuade you from reading; since it's unfinished, the ship hasn't happened yet, and it's too good of a fic to miss out on.

The Devil's in Gotham (Remastered) by @prince-link13

Matt Murdock moves to Gotham and befriends Jason Todd, his neighbor. Bruce Wayne/Matt Murdock

Marvel/DC Crossovers Series by @bamboozled-and-alone

What it says on the tin. My favorite, part 2, is Matt Murdock taking care of Damian Wayne.

Echolocation Series by Firecat23

Matt Murdock and the bats; though, part 6 does have Team Red, meaning Peter.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming:

Peter Parker slash fics:

Cassandra Cain/Peter Parker

Along Came a Spider Series by @rags-n-bones

Quiet Respite by @faeriekit

I'm not too far in this one yet, but it's Faeriekit, so it's bound to be good.

Peter Parker/Tim Drake, affectionately called redspider

a shining spider web by Selador

Needling by LaughingFreak

How dimension travel can lead to love. Series by Psychic_Queen05

My current Favorite Ongoing Peter Parker / DC Crossovers:

The Ones Burnt by This_is_lovin

After the events of No Way Home, Dr. Strange's magic sends Peter to Gotham. He wakes up in another boy's body, and has to deal with the consequences. Part one just ended with a bang, you all should be there for part two, it's gonna be awesome.

Arachnomaly by @songue85

The (Comic) Amazing Spider-Man, being neighborly in Gotham. Plus some sick art from the author.

time flies by (bye) by WHYISEVERYNAMETAKEN

Two difficult years after No Way Home, Peter ends up in Gotham, but with a whole lot of introspection. One chapter left; you better be there.

All of the rest, that didn't fit in the prior categories:

Unforeseen Consequences by @mysterycyclone

Gotta Get to Rock Bottom! by @emmacortana

Read the initial notes first.

Set Naked on Your Kingdom by sassydandelion

Peter's Gotham Debut by BlankGeode, Leeavy

This Was Home by @emmacortana

The Peter Parker Theory by nicfics

and even though we are strange and exquisitely scarred by Wingfeather6913

What happens in New York by @violent138

A Long Way From Home (And No Way Back) by Vivia_wants_boba

Ignorance is Death by No_idea_what_Im_doing_lmaooo

One Dead Spider by Miellonek

If you do check out any of these fics, always leave a comment. Authors love those, it’s like catnip to them.

#dc #marvel #dc x marvel #fic rec #spiderman #spider man #peter parker #ao3

[shanastoryteller]

Hayppy Valentines day you ingenious lady! Three faced goddess continuation? Maybe specifically about Tonys star-heart? ✨💖

a continuations of 1 2 3

Rhodey is going to kill him.

His grandfather outlawed necromancy in the kingdom, but Pepper's going to find someone break that law specifically to bring him back just so she can kill him again.

Tony's dirty and bruised and he probably has a concussion from his head wound and he really doesn't even want to think about the stitches in his side from the shrapnel that was pulled out of him.

He grew up in the palace. There were always magical healers around for anything serious. He's never had stitches before. He's known there was a certain amount of risk posing as Edward and working at the edges of the war, but he'd never expected them to go to this much effort to kidnap a damn alchemist!

"They're going to kill you."

He glances at his fellow captive and quirks his lips up. Yinsen doesn't have any talent with magic, but he does have exceptionally steady hands, which is almost as good. "Probably."

Yinsen sits on the opposite side of the cell from him, his hands hanging between his knees and still stained with Tony's blood. "The kingdom will fall."

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far," he says with forced casualness, even though it's absolutely true. He has no heir. "I'm good at my job, but I'm hardly the only alchemist and armorer in the country."

Yinsen tilts his head to look at him over the edge of his glasses. "We've met before, you know. It was at one of those hideously boring balls at the palace - you were deep enough in your cups that I'm not surprised you don't remember."

Well, fuck.

"I know that the king won't come for you," he continues, voice heavy. "Could you do what they're asking?"

"I'm not a god," he says tiredly. "To harness the power of a star - I don't know how they even got it down here, or got it that that size! You'd need," he pauses, then admits, "you'd need to ingest a fuck ton of mercury, and gold, and have a binding spell with some serious power behind it, and if that doesn't kill you, maybe it would work. But you'd need a lot luck to keep it from just consuming you anyway. Which is apparently what's happened to everyone else."

"A lot of luck," Yinsen repeats, "or the Goddess's blessing."

Tony snorts.

The Starks being Goddess blessed is just propaganda, something one of his ancestors thought up to keep their family in power.

If it were true, he wouldn't be the last Stark left.

#prompt answers #prompts are closed #asks #anon #avengers

[y-rhywbeth2]

Gods and Clergy: Bane

Link: Disclaimer regarding D&D "canon" & Index [tldr: D&D lore is a giant conflicting mess. Larian's lore is also a conflicting mess. You learn to take what you want and leave the rest]

Religion | Gods | Shar | Selûne | Bhaal #1 | Bhaal #2 | Mystra | Jergal | Bane #1 | Bane #2 | Bane #3 | Myrkul | Lathander | Kelemvor | Tyr | Helm | Ilmater | Mielikki | Oghma | Gond | Tempus | Silvanus | Talos | Umberlee | Corellon | Moradin | Yondalla | Garl Glittergold | Eilistraee | Lolth | Laduguer | Gruumsh | Bahamut | Tiamat | Amodeus | The rest of the Faerûnian Pantheon --WIP

Well, I did the murderhobos, might as well cover the deity and daily business of our favourite hot-topic-shopping dictator and co. now? Ahahahahaaaaa There is too much goddamn material on Bane, I'm going to kill Ed Greenwood-

Intro: If you're not consumed with fear and hatred while trying to take over a city which you intend to rule with cruelty and an iron fist then this is not the religion/political party for you. If this is not the religion/party for you, please lower your neck so that I can attach this slave collar to it.

Banites: The hierarchy and rituals and stupid toys of the church of Bane is what you get when Lawful Evil and Lawful Stupid have a horrible, overcomplicated offspring called Lawful Sadistic. Bring me the avatar of Bane I'm going to stab this fucker Also, being goth is mandatory.

Dreadmasters: More teleporting! Bossy, immune to fear and fond of magic rods. Also, do you remember that "divine oath" Durge and Gortash swore...?

The Chosen: Should be way more impressive than what we saw in game. Forging unbreakable oaths! Pet beholders! Detachable shadow spies! Etcetera!

Bane: Boy, the world (and my sanity) would've been a much better off if this dude had gotten intensive therapy instead of divine power!

(This thing is too fucking long and should perhaps be split into two posts but ooooh my god am I not editing this anymore.)

---

Bane's clergy often hear their god whispering his dogma in their dreams:

"Serve no one but me. Fear me always - and make others fear me even more than you do. The Black Hand always strikes down on those who stand against it in the end. Defy me and die - or in your death find loyalty, for I shall compel it. Submit to my will, [as uttered by my ranking clergy] since true power can only be gained through service to me. [Spread the dark fear of Bane.] It is the doom of those unguided by me to let power spill through their hands. [Those who cross the Black Hand meet their dooms earlier and more harshly than those who worship other deities.]" - Bane's Dogma [with 14th century addendums in brackets]

Bane is basically the quintessential villain of the Realms. When a person pictures the face of evil, they picture this god and his followers.

The most important thing to know about Bane and his religion, in my opinion, is summed up here:

"The summons [from Ao] had come wearing the face and form of that which each of the gods feared most. [...] To the Black Lord, Bane, the summons came in the guise of absolute love and understanding, its light searing his essence as it carried him from his kingdom." - Shadowdale

You want to give one of the most evil bastard in the pantheon a panic attack? Give him a hug.

Following a brief version of a backstory that has been given for him; the mortal who would be Bane was born on Abeir, Toril's linked twin planet/parallel universe. There he was a nameless battle slave to Maram of the Great Spear - an ancient primordial being of absolute evil whom the Netherese had summoned into the world, where it broke free and started inflicting horrors upon the world. While in the service of said horrifying evil, the young slave nurtured ambitions of having absolute power for himself.

While on Toril he teamed up with his two future frenemies, Bhaal and Myrkul, and they killed (or possibly subjugated) his master and took his power for themselves, before heading off to nag Jergal for his job. After bickering, the ex-slave known only as "the Bane of the Ancients" wins the draw and gets to be what he always wanted - the epitome of tyranny with godlike power. The next step for him is to conquer the mortal world and destroy all the other gods so that none have power and control over him.

Banite religion is founded on the principle of making Bane's dream of global domination possible. Every Banite is a link in the chains of Bane's power. What they rule, he rules. All Banites strive to take over something (village, city, kingdom, army, whatever). All Banites are expected to aid and obey their superiors in this domination.

When in control, a Banite is to use their power to "further the cause of hate, fear, destruction and strife." Doing so within the control of the law is preferable, but chaos is tolerated as long as that chaos is wielded as a tool with perfect control. You can get voted into power by stirring up people's fears of minorities, or start the apocalypse and present yourself as the saviour - but you must not be overwhelmed, or you have failed.

The world is divided into slaves who have no power and exist to serve, and the powerful who command them. Bane is the rightful master of all and all are to serve him, and by extension his followers (those with the strength to seek, take and hold power), willingly or by force. Control is the key virtue in the eyes of the faith. Always be in control and/or be controlled by somebody more capable/deserving of power than you. As their lessers are expected to obey every order perfectly, the superiors are expected to be competent in their leadership and wield perfect command.

Banites pride themselves on being cold and decisive in all that they say and do. They also enjoy cutting sarcasm. It's vital to appear in command of yourself and the world around you - shouting, loss of temper and other outbursts of behaviour that suggest a lack of control/power are avoided like the plague. Two Banites on the brink of killing each other may appear to be in the midst of only a polite, but insistent disagreement.

Bane used to enjoy watching his power hungry idiots backstabbing each other to climb the ranks while overzealous worshippers splintered into factions and started killing each other (most notably a divide between the divine-magic based orthodoxy and the arcane-magic based reformers/"Transformers".) Then Mystra technically killed him during a fight with Torm in the Time of Troubles, and Cyric took over his church. When Bane made a comeback in the 14th century he immediately decided they wouldn't be doing that anymore. Now it's an united rigid hierarchy from top to bottom, and Banites are a well organised, well equipped unit.

The laws of the heathens are irrelevant, but a Banite who gets caught breaking those law trying to achieve their goals is expected to suck it up and do the time for failure - unless they've been doing such a good job that everybody's too far under their control to try and punish them for it, in which case great job. A+ in Bane worship.

Banites typically establish themselves in an area by finding a location out of sight of a civilisation and building a fortress, where they build their power until they are too strong a force to drive off. Taking over an existing fort is also a possibility. The temple is run like a military base: spartan, with only tapestries showing Bane's symbol and religious texts on it for decoration. The courtyard is meant for military drills and rituals, and there's a mass hall for dining and holding prayer. They like pointy architecture. And black. Oh, and the torture basements! Can't forget those. It's also where they keep a variety of trained monsters in pens. You may end up sharing your cell with a displacer beast or something, but don't worry about it.

Banites have a secret network of teleporting spells. The actual "portals" will be any space of stone big enough to stand on, which are magically connected to other points (also stone). If you stand on one and speak the correct password, then it will teleport you to the destination designated by that password. There are no spells or barriers that can prevent the teleporter from arriving at their destination. Banites can bring others along with them if they are physically connected when the password is said. They can't bring more than 100lbs of inanimate matter with them.

All are welcome to convert to Bane. There will be an interview where your intentions are checked, although if it turns out you're not actually evil-aligned you can still join. There's a good chance that they'll use magic to turn you into an "incorruptible champion of evil and uncompromising disciple of order" anyway; "for Bane recognizes the value of those who have seen the lure of good and turned away from it to serve evil."

Or just use dark magic to twist you from a person into a weapon/guard/servant bound to the service of Bane anyway.

Banites are also able to ensure loyalty with a magically binding divine oath called the Dark Promise, cast by his favoured priests (Dreadmasters). It's an old spell, back from the early days when Bane was a new god and his followers were vulnerable, and is not used as often. When the spell is cast and the oath is made, a set of circumstances are set into motion that targets of the spell must follow to the letter. The promise must have Bane's interests at heart and the conditions and stipulations cannot be endanger the individuals' lives. If the oath is violated, it drains the oath breaker's life force. The damage done by this spell cannot be healed, and if the oath breaking does not cease then they will die.

Bane is one of the few exceptions amongst the gods in that his worshippers are all henotheistic rather than polytheistic. Banites consider worship of other deities "foolish," Bane is the only master you should truly serve. All under Banite rule will be forced to convert to the worship of Bane. They are however willing to cooperate with the followers of Loviatar (pain), Talona (disease), Malar (predation), and Mask (thievery) as Bane has terrified these gods into allying with him. From a certain school of Banite thought, this means that they and their followers are part of the chains of Bane's will (the gods/faithful in question probably wouldn't agree). Bhaal was, or perhaps still is, a servant of Bane and he and Myrkul have also been counted amongst Bane's allies in the past, despite their tendency to squabble, so cooperation with Bhaalists and Myrkulites is not unimaginable when it serves both their deities.

Banites do not get on so well with... anybody, but they particularly hate worshippers of Ilmater (compassion), Tyr (justice), Helm (non-Banite order), Lathander (optimism/renewal), Torm (champion of the innocent), Oghma (knowledge) and Mystra. If they get their hands on one they'll usually torture them and leave their mutilated bodies somewhere for the distressed public to find. Bane and Cyric are still at war, both due to humiliation and the fact that they're still fighting over areas of divine power that the other has stolen/reclaimed from the other, and the corpses of Cyricists that fall into Banite hands are usually found with "heretic" branded on their foreheads as a warning to others who worship the usurper.

Banite clergy are expected to always be armed, and it is mandatory that you at least wear something black at all times. For ceremonial purposes, Banites wear black armour or robes with a blood-red cape. Wizards like to enchant their robes so that they swirl and give off illusions of glittering with "black stars" and have blood dripping off the hem. The higher in the ranks you go, the fancier the clothes get. Banites used to have facial tattooing, although this made them rather easy to identify and kill off when Cyric took over and some purges took place. The highest ranking Banites can be identified by a gem that they wear on their forehead. Banites are not expected to wear anything that would identify their religious affiliations if it would get them persecuted, but they do like decorating their clothes with spikes and are are expected to dress in a certain specific colour that I'm getting sick of typing out. When Bane rules the world we will all be dressing as goths under threat of execution...

Each priest has a ceremonial staff denoting their rank, which they will have at these rituals. When a Banite dies they are buried with it. They are unenchanted and purely for ceremony, at most being used to light braziers. It starts with a simple black wood staff [level 1], which at higher ranks has an ivory skull at the top [lvl 2-4]. Higher yet they add silver plating, and the skull is the size of a fist [lvl 5], and the even higher level priests that skull has ram horns [lvl 6]. After that you get real human skulls! [at lvl 7+]! They're allowed to decorate theirs how they like, as well as adding enchantments. So gemstones, magic runes, etc.

Bane's holy symbol is the Black Hand, a symbol of terror recognisable to the entire Realms. Versions include a black handprint, a black claw or a metal gauntlet embedded with jewels. Priests usually wear a replica of the hand as a carved pendant of black stone. There is another Black Hand seen on his high-ranking priests: elbow-length gloves crafted of flexible metal mesh or chainmail, usually worn on the left hand. It emits an eerie dark radiance, i's supposed to be black, and a non-Banite found wearing one can expect every Banite on the planet to hunt them to the ends of the world for this blasphemy (also it's about 50,000gp in value jfc). The gauntlet cannot be damaged by force and absorbs all spells of third level or less. Area of effect spells are not negated, but cannot affect the wearer. It can drain magic out of items, should the wearer touch them with intent to do so. The wearer can then discharge all of the absorbed magic into the body of another by touching them, causing them damage. They can also paralyze undead and living beings via touch.

To question or disobey a superior is to question or disobey Bane himself, and is answered by torture, disfigurement and/or death. The word of a Banite of superior rank is law, and you will do literally anything they ask you to do.

Banites have invented a magic whip (a mystic lash) that does all sorts of fun nonsense in case that happens. It's made of glowing red energy. If the priest needs their hands free then the whip can actually wield itself (need to scourge that annoying initiate, but you don't want to look up from your book? Then good news!) If the wielder choses, a lash of the whip may cause one of the following; paralysis, memory loss, seizures, extra damage plus the disintegration of equipment, or electrocution.

One is expected to greet those of higher rank by kneeling in front of them and kissing their boots

At the bottom of the hierarchy are the novices, who are addressed by the title of "slave." If they're good enough, Bane will send them a dream vision or manifest as a voice speaking from one of his altars - he will name them, and they are allowed to enter the first rank of the priesthood… of which there are 12 ranks with their own unique addresses, which everybody is expected to memorise. Disrespect to a higher rank will, as mentioned, involve insulting Bane and lead to torture, disfigurement and potential death.

The only time you're not expected to use the titles is when in the presence of heathens, Banites will address each other as Brother/Sister Faithful (when speaking to an equal/lesser) or Dread Brother/Sister (when addressing a superior).

Banites do not refer to each other by name, only by the name of their rank (unless there are too many individuals of the same rank. In the case you had a room full of Black Fangs, you would address them individually as Black Fang [Surname].) It's generally impossible for eavesdroppers to learn the names or personal details of a Banite.

The rankings are determined by character level, and are as follows:

Watchful Brother/Sister/Sibling

Deadly Adept

Trusted Servant

Willing Whip

Hooded Menace

Black Fang

Striking Hand

Vigilant Talon

Masked Death

Dark Doom

Higher Doom

Deep Mystery

The Deep Mysteries include the Deeper Mysteries… which have their own ranks! Secret, higher levels which are unknown to those of the first 11 levels who must address all higher ranking Banites as "Deep Mystery." There is no official means by which a Banite is bestowed this title, they bestow them upon themselves if they believe they should have the rank. The test lies in the fact that in order to keep the title their fellow Banites must also begin using them - in other words if you are not a pretender and truly have the power and authority to hold this title, then your siblings in the faith will follow.

The ranks of the Deep Mysteries, in order of authority, from lowest to highest:

Vigilator

Lord/Lady of Mysteries

Lord/Lady of the Hand

Imperceptor

Dark Imperceptor

Grand Bloodletter

High Inquisitor

The High Imperceptor is the Banite of highest rank of the Deep Mysteries, supreme living servant of Bane, and unlike the prior titles this one cannot be self-bestowed. I haven't seen any explanation for how it is bestowed, but I imagine Bane decides.

Banites don't bother with set holy days. We will have a holy day whenever the leading priest decides we're having one, and it will be called whatever they decide it is. This usually means a) somebody fucked up, time for a public punishment; or b) we've got an enemy/traitor, time for human sacrifice.

Rituals are to be held in as close to pitch darkness as is possible, gathered around the Black Altar (a wood table covered in a black cloth, a block of black stone - whatever, just so long as it's black so we can give it an ominous name). The Black Altar is to be made holy by having a replica of the Holy Hand of Bane floating above it (this too has to be black in colour). This is a levitating 6 foot tall stone hand that can sense alignments within a 60 foot radius, and it will attack good-aligned people on encountering them. When not in use it patrols Banite locations, seeking out spies and intruders and killing them.

And that the Seat of Bane will be placed in front of the Black Altar. The chair is black, its back is carved into the shape of a hand. Senior clergy sit in the throne when acting as Bane's voice for the rest of the congregation. So the leader of the area's Banites sits in the chair, and that means Bane is sitting in the chair. While sitting in it, the seated can read the thoughts of all beings within 90 yards. it can project a forcefield around the chair; can nullify magic in the area; allows the seated to see through illusions and invisibility; know the alignment of everyone present; allow the seated to speak with dead; and also conjure walls of fire. If the chair is knocked over, it causes a massive explosion of fire that kills everyone around it.

Then the party. With minimum partying and maximum solemn, ominous chanting and deep, heavy drum beats. Those guilty of disobedience or other failures will be chained to the altar and whipped in front of the congregation. And then there's the human sacrifice: "Sacrifices had to be humiliated, tortured, and made to show fear before dying to be acceptable to Bane, and they usually met their deaths through slashing, flogging, or being crushed by the Hand of Bane."

The traditional power base of the Banite faith was Zhentil Keep, the base of operations for the Zhentarim. The Black Network has once again been taken from Bane by Cyricists however, after the death of Fzoul Chembryl a few decades back - Fzoul was a Chosen of Bane and basically his favourite servant (who has since been made into a quasi-deity bearing some of Bane's divine power, that he may continue to serve) and Zhentil Keep is currently in ruins. The loss of the Keep (for a second time) destroyed Zhentarim power, and now they're mostly just a bunch of mercenaries with good connections on the black market trade routes (slaves, drugs, weapons, etc) as far as I can find.

-

The Dreadmasters are Bane's specialty priests, making up 10% of all Banites. Dreadmaster is a unisex title. They spend their time doing all the spellwork and making all the delightful inventions that have been giving me a headache. They have a stupid number of spells given to them. Nobody else's specialty priests have this many fucking spells.

They cannot feel fear from sources other than Bane

They can, however, project the feeling of absolute terror into every being within 10 feet of them, usually causing everyone to run screaming.

They can completely destroy the souls of the dying

Create extra evil undead

Create powerful, still sapient undead servants from dead Banites (from ghouls up to vampires)

Create animated suits of armour that serve the Banites, powered by people's souls

Make a warding symbol drawn with a mixture containing three drops of blood from a collection made by sacrificing 30 people. The ward is invisible and cannot be detected, and when activated it drains the life out of everyone present.

They have a supernatural knack for reading other's true moods and intentions They have a supernatural level of charisma and authority over their servants, who cannot help but be fanatically loyal

They are exceptionally skilled in the artificing of magical wands, rods and staves. When they use them the magic of the items is increased.

They're the ones who cast the stonewalk spells that make the teleport network run.

They're also the priests responsible for binding the Dark Promise.

-

"The Chosen of Bane are tyrants in every sense of the word, consumed with the quest for absolute power. Hand-picked by the deity of tyranny and fear, [they] are both charismatic and filled with hate [...] They seek only to rule with absolute, unchallenged authority over every living and undead create across the world."

They are unbothered by temperature, both hot and cold, as well as resistant to being burned or electrocuted.

They do not age, though they will still die at an age where they would've died if they did age.

Supernatural insight into motives and emotions, and a massive boost to their charisma.

They can mind control people, are immune to fear, can share this immunity with others or increase the fear they feel.

They can also cast gaes, which is basically exactly the same as the Dark Promise, but doesn't necessarily have to benefit Bane (blasphemous as that sounds).

They can summon undead beholders to serve them

They can grant their own shadows independence as an undead creature of the same name (shadows), While separate the shadow is free-willed, though the two remain telepathically linked.

They are served by a retinue of their own master's servants including: doppelgangers; helmed horrors; beholders; undead Banites; hell hounds; imps; displacer beasts; Banelar nagas (evil snake things with human faces)

-

Bane doesn't like using avatars, if he needs to manifest on Toril he just possesses people in positions of wealth and power who transform into handsome, yet "oily" looking black haired men as long as he's inhabiting them. The souls of these people are forced to watch as the god does what he wants. Once the body is "worn out" from all the punishment he puts them through (mortal shells, so fragile) he'll move to another evil or neutral mortal via touch.

If he strikes out with his gauntleted hand, then there is a good chance that the person stuck will drop dead.

In combat he warps the face into a more beastial visage. His hands become talons capable of "rending flesh and bone" and in the Time of Troubles when he was first forced to manifest as a normal human he immediately started editing the body into a more demonic visage although that might've been because he'd just crash landed in his own temple and destroyed it, and only had a few moments until his torture happy zealots turned up to find what seemed to be some random dude standing in the wreckage. He was in kind of a panic trying to make sure they saw Bane, God of Tyranny not... that.

His other manifestations as a pair of blazing red eyes staring out from the darkness, and a black, taloned hand which was the temperature of ice to the touch. They work exactly like his other manifestation.

Bane sometimes announces his presence, and that he is paying attention to you, with the sudden manifestation of the giant footprint of a boot, scorched into the earth. He shows his approval of his followers through their sudden discovery of a black sapphire. His disapproval is shown through the sudden appearance of red carnelian, ground into dust.

He is served by various devils, beholders, death tyrants (the undead remains of beholders that failed him), black dragons, banelar nagas and pride incarnates

Bane can cast any spell at will, save those that heal or create.

Bane was slain in the Time of Troubles. After his death his followers had an even bigger row between those who were loyal to Bane (orthodoxy) and those who worshipped his portfolio instead of the god himself and switched to Cyric. Many of the Orthodoxy began worshipping Iyachtu Xvim the Godson, son of Bane (whose mother was either a fiend or a fallen human paladin, nobody's sure).

Xvim was doing a pretty ok job in his nascent godhood up until 1372 DR, when Bane hijacked the essence of himself he'd left in his son and destroyed him - being reborn within his body and immediately regaining the rank of Greater Deity. About a few years following the Bhaalspawn Crisis, the year where Bhaal was supposed to be reborn from the death of his kids but failed.

Bane went on to continue being one of the most infamous, powerful and dangerous gods on Faerûn up until the Second Sundering, when suddenly we've got confusion.

In BG3 canon, the Dead Three are clearly greater than quasi-deity status. Due to new rules that WotC pulled out of their ass, gods of lesser deity status or higher cannot manifest avatars. Bane can still empower clerics and have Chosen, so he's most likely still a Greater Deity in BG3.

In Descent into Avernus, the Dead Three are apparently quasi-deities now, forced to exist in permanent avatars on Toril and unable to grant spells of have Chosen.

I think this nicely explains what I mean when I say D&D has no fucking "real" canon, it's all just a mountain of everyone's headcanons.

#Bane doesn't need to torture people; having to learn all the stupid details in his religion is already hell #enver gortash #long post #baldurs gate 3 #bg3

[littlestpersimmon]

my wip rn:

a lonely, trans, autistic and ocd prince doing his darndest to keep his ramshackle kingdom from falling apart

medieval in vibes and aesthetic only

all the world's countries and kingdoms have fallen into a single point in spacetime and have all congealed into an enormous country-sized fortress

the Prince lives on one of the smallest complex of the fortress, but at an advantageous location- the outside world is haunted by a cancer-like force that warps everything it passes by- called the sorrowing

the warping waves of magic comes by in storms, that the prince, so mathematically inclined, lives in a tower calculating both his taxes and the next storm of warping magic

the Prince is skilled at what he does, but he is a bit of an eccentric and a contradiction as he aligns himself with anarchy and socialism.. while being a prince

eitherway. the prince loves paperwork, working in the fields, working on farmers rights and maintaining his duck pond

one day, he finds a stranger in a landfill he's trying to get rid of

he nurses the stranger back to health

finds out that the stranger was the honest to fuck knight who, a thousand years ago, caused the world to fall apart

the knight was born to a dynasty of magical queens who could contain the world's grief in their hearts- so long as they remain women.

the knight could not control his true identity (he wanted to be a boy) and set out the world trying to see if he could find some way to continue his ancestors' work, without losing himself in the process

it does not work

the world falls to ruin over one boy's wish

the knight wanted to face the dragon of grief that leapt out his own heart

the dragon consumes him and spits him out 1,000 years later like Aku chucking Samurai Jack into the future

the Prince now has the literal cursebearer and the reason transphobia exists under his wing

everything is high stakes, but the story focuses on the prince and the knight falling in love and running the kingdom lovingly with gluestick and Candlewax

dark souls meets parks and rec: the anarchist bl edition

#prince joyful and knight wayward

[laststandx3]

There are many bad things about wish, but one of the most annoying is how it fails to pay off its own set ups.

It's established Asha's father believes in the magic from the stars. He died of an illness (never specified), that Asha's grandfather (her father's father) never got his wish granted in YEARS, well now to me this feels targeted.

Follow my thoughts for a minute, how easy would have been with this already established set up to add the part where it's Magnifico who killed Asha's dad because he was promoting a different kind of magic that would undermine Magnifico's power? This would've established Magnifico as an actual villain from the start, manipulating people's perception of him with magic and the lengths he would go to keep his power and crown.

This would have impacted Asha's journey as well,instead of asking Magnifico to grant her grandfather's wish immediately (which imo is a good reason for him not to hire her, she literally asks for favoritism the moment she arrives), let her instead be perfect for the position, not clumsy and awkward but make her qualified and respectful of the king's secrecy about the wishes. And still she's still not hired. And then she starts questioning him, she's studied, she's ready and it's not enough and the king seemed to like her until she mentioned her father.

And then she talks with the people of rosa about the king, if that was unfair of him maybe , but the answer is that the king is good and kind and doesn't he grants everyone's wishes, isn't that so wonderful of him? (and maybe this can be a song) and at first it sounds like she just doesn't want to accept that she wasn't chosen but after the forth person answers the same exact thing, well then this starts to feel more like a script than an original thought. Just then she looks at all the wishes Magnifico's granted so far and they're all material, it's all about people owning bigger houses, better clothes, riches, nothing is about community, knowledge, about people becoming something(musicians, teachers, scientists, artists...) . The guy that got his wish granted last year also got it granted a few years ago too, Isn't that weird? Some people never get their wishes and this guy twice? And also his wish was so selfish? He wanted a swimming pool! How in the best kingdom, with the best king, nobody wishes nice things for others? And isn't that weird that she and her friends used to make graffitis and jokes on the guards but when Sleepy gave away his wish at 18 suddenly he doesn't make jokes about Magnifico's beard anymore? He's so respectful of the rules now.

And idk maybe Asha doesn't just wish upon a star and everything is given to her. Maybe Magnifico's source of magic is Star and she frees it and that's why Star tags along. The magic of the starts was real, her father was right! Star knew her dad, he tried to save the magical pet but he was killed instead! Now it's not just about freedom and justice she wants revenge. And this is maybe when she fucks up because she was too reckless, she got discovered. Her friends/family are watching how she's getting arrested/executed for treason and that's SO UNFAIR such a cognitive dissonance it breaks Magnifico's brainwash spell.

Now a song about revolution makes sense. But singing about revolution bc they want to be able to wish? Are you kidding me? Not only the movie established that you can have new wishes and that they make you whole again, but also girl, you all read the terms of services when giving Magnifico your wish. You give it to him and if he finds it worth it, it'll be granted. Making questions about the king choices is the opposite of living under a monarchy.

Ultimately I agree with everyone who says this movie feels empty, because it's true, it's a bunch of disney trope stitched together with easter eggs that don't makes us feel anything and that contradicts its own message. The fact that disney doesn't want to make grey characters anymore it's felt. And it mirrors the way people have started to see enjoying stories as media consumption, everything that alludes to people being flawed is an endorsement of abuse. So disney's characters have all turned is these empty shells of heroine tropes. They're always bubbly, their worst flaw is being clumsy, but the worst is that they're always right. Asha's quest to free the wishes is based only on her conviction that the king is wrong in not granting everyone's wish. It's never even hinted in the movie that the subjects of rosa lack something. It's a fairy-tale kingdom in every aspect (maybe the king is a bit egocentric but that hasn't hurt anyone so far), except that her grandpa's wish wasn't granted and so the king must be wrong. If it wasn't for Magnifico's long exposition of I don't accept criticism she wouldn't have questioned him. And even then, that's what living in a kingdom means, that you follow the king's rules. I'm sorry but singing about revolution and then ending the movie still under a monarchy is just contradictory with the whole premise.

#wish spoilers #disney wish #Wish 2023 #Wish rewrite #Asha #Magnifico #Grey characters? Not in disney anymore #Where is the flynn Ryder type? Starts selfish becomes a better person #Elsa's self discovery? Anna growing out of idealized people #Moana tries to live on land to make her parents proud! It's only when her grandma gives her the heart that she leaves #Mulan disappoints her parents and leaves to save her dad #Not every plot has to involve the fate of a kingdom. Sometimes it can just be one person #Mulan pretending to be a man is still seen as a terrible thing by the society she lives she doesn't change everyone's mind just the people #She actually interacted with. Yeah and the emperor but she literally saved his life. He'd better be forgiving

[lloydfrontera]

You know, regarding Lloyd's achievement in history and whether ordinary citizens know him or not made me crave post canon modern au.

Imagine seeing an in universe fanfic authors notes in ao3 or twitter crying about how they simply wanted to write a story set in Lloys time but they just keep diving into rabbit holes.

Kinda like

"So i was writing an historical au set in Alician era where the MC had a detour in Cremo and he was admiring a statue by the sea with a local explaining its history. Of course, I needed to do some research only to found out that Lloyd Frontera, YES, THAT Lloyd Frontera who made the Pantara railroad defeated some sea monster, nearly died and got statue for it"

Maybe someone from Beneto Kingdom being so confused because all he learned from history in school (Beneto history) is that Lloyd is just some brilliant engineer so he got specially confused on why in the movie he was watching set in Alician era is Lloyd fighting a goddamn bone dragon.

I'm interested on how scholars and political figures bemoan and analyse Lloyd's action and achievement but ordinary people's Internet discourse could be so much fun as well.

Javier and Lloyd getting the Alexander and Haphaestion treatment on whether they were lovers or not. The discourse would be so toxic lol.

oh my god forget changing the history of civil engineering forever, sparking the nastiest discourse ever on history/fandom internet forums is lloyd's true greatest achievement akshfksdg

he's the go to historical domain character used to set the time period for a historical movie/book/series. he's the guy writers insert to give their work a more period accurate vibe. everyone knows just enough about him to make really passionate history nerds very angry about all the inaccuracies and made up facts that are taken as common knowledge.

i'm thinking people of completely different online circles all knowing about lloyd in some capacity but regarding completely separate facets of his life and work and being so surprised when they accidentally find yet another whole field lloyd revolutionized. like.

a sword nerd who's really into the concept of the asrahan core technique and knows perfectly well that lloyd helped invent it getting gobsmacked about the fact that's the same guy that laid the ground for modern sewer systems.

a fan of historical romance stories who is used to seeing lloyd as a fun cameo in the background of stories set in the alician period being really confused when they open their book on thermodynamics and see there's a whole chapter dedicated to a method lloyd figured out to create ice without the need of magic.

a train enthusiast who is really fascinated by the rudimentary switchback system lloyd frontera implemented when the concept of a train wasn't even known in the empire being completely dumbfounded when their friends invite them to see a movie about that one time lloyd frontera and his knight defeated a knight of hell in namaran.

i think it's definitely a meme to post "so i was doing research for my asfahan au and went on a rabbit hole and guess who fucking built the qanat that's widely regarded as the only reason the kingdom didn't fall into civil war. take a wild fucking guess" "was it lloyd frontera" "IT WAS FUCKING LLOYD FRONTERA OF COURSE IT WAS"

i'm also certain there would be some guys who think he's overrated and people should really stop talking so much about him when there's so many other historical figures who are just as interesting and not as recognized 🙄. to which people immediately go "mad cause your history blorbo didn't defeat a bone dragon aren't you" at them

Javier and Lloyd getting the Alexander and Haphaestion treatment on whether they were lovers or not. The discourse would be so toxic lol.

they definitely get the alexander and hephaestion treatment you are so correct. they're also the achilles and patroclus of the modern magentano girlies. there's a bunch of 'queer retellings' of their lives. they're the go to example for homoerotic friendships. there's a bunch of edits that mix historical paintings of them with ship fanart with that 'history hates lovers' song playing over them. dudebros get really angry about it. llojavi truthers pull out their 20 pages long annotations that start with "they fucking slept in the same bedroom for years" and it only gets worse.

there's one poor person online who just really fucking wants to know how and why lloyd frontera changed faces one day out of the blue with no one ever explaining it. there's no official records. no member of the royal family ever made a statement about it. why is everyone acting like the frontera family didn't have one eldest son for 25-29 years and one day suddenly had a completely different one. what the fuck is going on.

so. yeah. i'm a little obsessed with this concept actually ajkshdksa

#hey i got an ask #myfracturedlife #tged #the greatest estate developer #lloyd frontera #llojavi #<- i guess??

[safely-in-vhagars-belly]

''Fight and Die'' PART TWO Slightly darkAemond x AFAB Reader

Aemond x fem oc/reader

Tags: Show setting, abusive brother (but its not aemond) mentioned of forced marriages and duels, mentions of parental loss.

🔷Summary: Your ancestors once betrayed the Targaryens and paid a high price. Now you are back at court with your brother, who hopes to sell you in exchange for his freedom.

🔷Author's note: It might still be a little darkish but not as dark as usual. I think this is the closest to show aemond I ever got. So he still is not a unicorn yall but he is at least imo he is decent and nice.

🔷Wordcount 6803

Warnings: Violence and smut but its consensual!:) fucking, smut, p in v, titty sucking, titty play, mentioned abuse (but aemond is not the abuser) stalkerish behaviour (imo)

---

The words that your brother spoke to you, haunt you like a pestering ghost, a memory of a life long forgotten, yet it is everything but a memory. It became reality the moment Prince Jacaerys suggested to marry you, Lady Revaera of House Marthyralys. 

There has never been a formal wedding between a Targaryen and a Marthyralys. Your houses both survived the doom, yes. But your house understood something that House Targaryen has trouble understanding: The Iron Throne itself is no magical artifact. It does not grant you power. Not really. True power, especially the fickle love of the people, is won through actions, gold, and loyalty. 

You quietly wonder how afraid your ancestor Daeyor was before they burned him alive at the stake after King Maegor had died. Loyalty, gold and actions could not save him then. 

Who is to say it can save you, now? You no longer are the loyal servants of the Targaryens. Your family tried to kill King Viserys and had Rhaenyra killed as well. His precious daughter, their ‘Realm’s delight’. You no longer have the luxury of loyalty. Gold is empty, mostly earned by sacking of villages and towns you do not want to learn the names of, afraid the souls of its inhabitants will find you this way, bound their tormented soul to your own and lead you to your doom. Actions…..

What is one girl compared to Seven Kingdoms? Especially if she has no power. For she is not allowed to pick her own husband, or anything else for that matter. 

Your feet quickly pace as you make your way from the dungeons to the courtyard, gasping for air when you leave the dusty dungeons behind at long last. You take a moment to breathe, to think and to worry silently against the cold stone walls of the castle. 

For a moment, your world spins around you and the castle walls seem almost as liquid, threatening to swallow you whole and to merge you with the souls who died here so long ago.  A sharp yet gentle voice calls out to you, and you are shocked to see someone so nearby, almost jumping away from him.

‘’Lady Revaera. We were just waiting for you. The Duel is about to start.’’

There is something about him that does not sit quite right with you. The way an unfinished painting tries to light up a grand hall it obviously does not belong in. He is leaning on a crane, and one look at his feet and you know who he is exactly. This can be no one else but Lord Larys Strong, the man who currently holds the cursed castle of Harrenhall.

Larys is known to you and your spies as a clever, dangerous spider that spins his lies easily as his webs. You were warned multiple times to treat carefully around him, or you would become webbed.

‘’O, do I know you?’’ You ask.

He does not seem to notice your lie, or he does not care about the lie. ‘’Larys Strong, my Lady.’’ You have it confirmed, at the very least. You doubt anyone would lie about being him, and his nickname adds up. Despite your trust in this man does not exist, you avoid looking at his feet at all costs. ‘’The Queen’s personal hand.’’ 

Larys leads you a bit further into the courtyard, where a beautiful black haired man is preparing two swords by cleaning and cutting them sharp. He wears the familiar armor of the King’s guard. 

You turn your head and notice King Viserys sitting in a luxurious armchair with a blanket over his shaking legs. Next to him stands Queen Alicent with her hands folded in front of her green silk gown. Their son, Prince Aegon is close to them and is occupied cleaning his nails until he sees you, quickly giving you a crooked, dangerous smile.

The Princess and her party approaches as well, fashionably late. Rhaenyra is the first person to enter the courtyard, as she will one day sit the Iron throne. She is closely followed by her husband, Prince Daemon, also once heir to the throne. Jacaerys walks behind them, wearing an impressive seahorse embroidered tunic with long pants. You can make out the chainmail underneath it from afar. 

Not a word is spoken to you by them. Nor does the Queen receive any hello. Only Viserys is greeted by the Princess with a kiss on his cheeks, and a faithful smile before she tucks the blankets tighter around his shaking body. Alicent glares as if she disagrees with the Princess, but lets her do her thing. 

Prince Jacaerys approaches you, a soft dreamy smile on his lips unbefitting of a prince. Unbefitting of this world, truly. He bows his brown haired head to you. ‘’My Lady. You are beautiful.’’ He says, as if that is a proper greeting. 

Rhaenyra’s scowl, what you assumed was one, is truly just her lips hanging in worry, not anger. The scowl softens when watching you make a small curtsy to Prince Jacaerys, your lips closing and opening when you praise the prince for his kindness. ‘’You honor me enough for a thousand lifetimes, my Prince. It is truly just a simple gown-’’ You feel a bit underdressed in the present of the Queen and the Princess respectively. Even Princess Helaena is dressed far better than you. 

Jace leans in a little closer, keeping his distance but still close enough for his hot breath to dance on your lips and to be able to see the light shining brightly into his eyes. ‘’I was not referring to your gown.’’ 

You feel the heat rise to your cheeks at that compliment, briefly turning your head just in time to see Prince Aemond approach the courtyard at long last. Together, bound in chains is your brother. Fyrand gives you a final glare. A warning to not mess this up.

The Prince ignores his sister, his nephew, you, almost everyone and goes to his father instantly. You watch as he too greets his king. His greeting is stiff, short, one-sided and rushed.

Prince Aemond does not wear his heart upon his sleeve, and you have trouble making sense of what goes on inside his head. But there is a brief crack that allows you just a glimpse of the man behind the beast when he greets his mother, and he holds her hands for a brief moment when she likely begs him to not participate in the duel to come.

‘’He is interesting, isn’t he, little sister?’’ Fyrand mutters next to you. You feel another load of blood rush to your cheeks, and you quickly look away from the prince. Your brother chuckles. ‘’He rides the biggest dragon in the world. Soon, he will ride you too.’’ He whispers.

You hear Viserys cough and Queen Alicent opens the duel now that everyone is present. Jacaerys is helped into his armor, when Aemond does his armor on himself, only allowing Cole to tighten it at the end of it. Jacaerys keeps conversing with his family, but Aemond does not utter a word to his side of the family. Judging by the hatred in his eye, he is already in battle against Jacaerys. Perhaps he truly never left that battle to begin with. The swords are handed to both, and you can instantly tell who of the two had the proper training by the way Aemond yields the blade all too familiar, too smoothly, too fast and too deadly. You gulp.

Your brother is led to the circle where both men have gathered. He stands in the middle between both, his hands still in chains but you could not tell by his victorious smirk. He acts as a free man. “Welcome, both of you. Today you shall fight until the other man yields. You fight for my sister, Lady Revaera of House Marthyralys. A fine reward, if I say so myself.” As on cue, you walk into the circle as well, your eyes lowered at the ground. ‘’That is close enough, dear sister. Go stand with the Queen and the Princess.’’ He tells you, worried of his greatest investment getting hurt. Or worse yet: Injured, ugly, defiled. You obey, walking back to the Princess and it takes place beside Helaena and Aegon.

Prince Aemond positions himself with his sword in hand, ready to deal the first blow. ‘’One of you shall marry Revaera after this day. One of you shall write history and unite the houses Targaryen and Marthyralys in blood.’’ You become a little annoyed at Fyrand’s needless monologue and just want to know who won already. Finally, Fyrand looks up to the sky, before cutting his own hand, dripping the blood in the circle. Jacaerys looks at his parents, confused and worried when Aemond does not even bat an eye at the sight, likely familiar with the offer for the gods. One shout causes the courtyard to fill with a silence that is yet louder than any scream anyone could have produced, their dragons included. ‘’Begin!’’

Prince Aemond approaches, his slender feet tapping lightly against the stones, as if dancing. His eye is on Jacaerys and for a moment you see the younger prince gulp at his uncle. But that moment passes quickly as you see that Jace reminds himself of something and takes a defensive stance too, rushing at his uncle in a surprise attack.

You thought Aemond meant to attack, but instead of that, he easily raises the blade and blocks Jace’s attack, smirking and likely taunting him with insults you can’t hear from here. Jace quickly jumps back, his sword now lowered. Instead of going in for a quick and easy victory, Aemond steps back, waiting for Jace to regain his strength and ego to attack him again. ‘’It is like watching a cat toy with a mouse.’’ Fyrand comments next to you, grinning as Jacaerys rushes at Aemond, before the latter steps aside, causing Jace to stumble out of the circle instead. 

Prince Jace returns with fire and blood and you can see a true Targaryen in him when he tries to attack his uncle once more, this time surprising him by faking right and going left near his face, causing the older prince to briefly, if just a moment, freeze up. 

Aemond does not back down however, forcing his sword up and blocks Jace’s easily, before pushing him to the ground with his strength, disarming him. “Jace!” His mother shouts, worried. Aemond nor Jace pay her any mind. Jace tries to get his sword by crawling away, but Aemond simply stands on his tunic with his boots, blocking his way with a sickened grin on his pink lips.

The king rises too, shouting as well. “Get up, my boy!” Aemond briefly scowls in his direction, hurt and betrayal written in his eye. The sword in his hands is pressed closer to Jace’s throat. “Do you yield?” Aemond asks.

Jace only has one response. Perhaps only one way of living. “Never!” You worry that although it might not be to the death officially, it might become that way if things do not slow down.

Aemond grins, forcing the blade tighter against Jace’s throat. “Yield, you bas-” This time Aemond is surprised as Jace hooks him on the nose, sending him flying backwards on the cold stones. Jace reaches for his sword, rushing at Aemond as if to slay him. Aemond rolls away from the blade, hissing like a hurt wildcat and likely muttering insults to Jace. 

Jace grins cockily as Aemond has lost his sword now too, and he holds his firmly in his hands. ‘’Let’s see how well you fight without your fancy sword.’’ Jace remarks. You see Aemond briefly look around, scanning the crowd for any other weapon. Jace knows he is disarmed. 

He looks at his mother and his stepfather. They tell him one with their eyes. ‘’Finish him!’’ And so Jace does his best. Jace rushes at Aemond with his sword drawn. Aemond listens. Aemond waits. And Aemond strikes. It becomes really clear to you that Aemond Targaryen does not care about a fair fight, and neither does Jacaerys. Where Jace took Aemond’s weapon, Aemond is one step ahead of him. You watch as the young prince is hooked in his gut instead, the sword missing Aemond’s head by an inch. Queen Alicent rushes to her husband at this sight. ‘’You told me there would be no death!”

Aemond easily steps around Jacaerys, avoiding the blade when tugging at his cape. Before you realize why or what has happened, Aemond pulls the cloak over Jace’s head, blinding him. An audible gasp can be heard from the audience as Aemond pushes Jacaerys on the ground, running back to pick his sword back up.

Jace growls in anger like a trapped cat, kicking the cloak off him and in the ground. You watch as the Targaryen dragon and the Velyaron seahorse end up in literal dust because of your house. Aemond swings his sword in response, before taking another stance. As if it says: Come and get me.

Jace charges with all his might and strength and while he truly tries his best, he is no match for Aemond. Not really. Instead of sidestepping, blocking, or blinding him, Aemond now simply has enough of the fight and hooks his legs around Jace’s feet, tripping him and bringing him down. He drops himself atop of Jace and levels the sword at his throat.

“Yield!” He shouts. Jacaerys weakly groans, feeling the back of his head. There is blood on his fingers. Aemond does not care. If anything, seeing blood makes him more eager. ‘’Yield!’’ He repeats.

You see Jacaerys look at his mother and father, his head hung in shame. “I Yield…” He feels bad about letting them down. You just know so. 

Aemond spits at the ground but you know he wanted to spit at Jace's face instead. 

Aemond grins at his audience, his eyes searching for you. You gulp when he blinks at you, at least you assume that is his intention.  ‘’What if I rather marry Prince Jacaerys instead? He seems kind and gentle.’’ You whisper to Fyrand when the crowd applause for the Prince's victory and Prince Jacaerys is helped up.

‘’You do not know what you need, I do, sweet sister. Kindness and gentleness will only take you so far. You need a husband not afraid to put you in your place, who won’t fall for your tears and won’t listen to your pleas. Aemond Targaryen is that man.’’ He whispers as Aemond is congratulated by the King’s guard.

‘’Your reward.’’ He pushes you to Aemond who barely glances at your trembling body. You do not feel as a human being.

Aemond does not say a single thing to you.

‘’When will the wedding occur? A week from today sounds reasonable.’’ Fyrand needs the wedding to happen fast.

A small condescending smirk grows on the lips of the prince. ‘’You insult me and my knowledge of my bride’s House. I know these marriages happen the same night the duels are fought, to prevent another challenger from rising up.’’ That is true. It is the reason why Grysalda the Bold was married to so many men. When Prince Car had defeated one, another challenger had appeared. 

But there is an issue. As any husband taking a wife, Aemond is entitled to your dowry. You asked for a loan but that loan has not yet been delivered. Your brother knows so. And that loan would be Aemond’s well earned compensation for taking you as his wife.

‘’I-I don’t have her dowry on hand.’’ Your brother fakes a small smile, laughing through his pain.

Aemond steps closer, sizing your brother up and down before speaking. ‘’Do I look like I need her dowry? I am a Prince of the Seven Kingdoms, of House Targaryen. And I can assure you, your pathetic amount of gold is not my motivation to marry your sister, you can rest assured of that.’’ 

“And you," he adds, staring at you for the first time. Your lips open but not a word comes out. Aemond steps within your reach, the leather of his boots cracking. Your chin is grabbed and you feel his warm bloodied hands caress your face, likely leaving prints of Jace's blood. ‘’You must prepare yourself. I wish to marry you before nightfall.’’ That is sooner than you anticipated. 

—

The duel is the discussion among the servants who help you prepare for your wedding day. It is odd, seeing how two people can differently recall events and leave out details to make their chosen one seem favored by the gods themselves. Both Queen Alicent and Princess Rhaenyra had sended you a lady to help you prepare. 

While Rhaenyra’s lady, Anya braids and brushes your hair, Alicent’s lady, Dyra puts your feet in soft silk slippers that feel softer than any bed you ever laid on. ‘’I can’t believe that Prince Aemond shunned dignity and blinded Prince Jacaerys. That was unbefitting of him.’’ You do not know how to respond to that, so you remain quiet. 

‘’Prince Jacaerys started it with disarming the Prince.’’ Dyra says, defending Prince Aemond as if he rescued her.

For some reason, Anya takes offense to that comment, and great offense at that. ‘’Prince Aemond did the exact same thing!’’ That is true, you saw it happen. But Jace didn’t allow Aemond to pick his sword back up. Aemond did allow that for Jace. But perhaps only because Aemond was toying with Jace.

‘’Should you two gossip about the princes? Won’t you two get in trouble?’’ You ask, becoming a little annoyed with their fighting. And they suddenly decide that maybe it doesn't matter who blinded who and who took who’s weapon away. They now have a far greater enemy.

It’s you.

For the remainder of the time you are not spoken to anymore and they are deadly silent. You are annoyed and worried and nervous for later. 

The gown they eventually pick out is an ivory color and has an open back with small dragon scales to honor your new husband’s house. There are black and red ones, as well as green and white ones. It is a colorful gown. Your hair is braided in traditional Targaryen fashion, and a small tiara piece, more a diadem, is placed on your head. 

The moment you are done you are escorted back to the throne room, where servants are rushing and running into each other, over each other and aside each other to arrange the wedding as soon as possible. You look up to see your house banner hanging next to the Targaryen one. You wonder if your ancestors would agree with what you have done.

You do not have long to think, for Princess Rhaenyra approaches you, this time without her son or husband. You quickly sweep in a curtsy, your eyes leveled at the floor. ‘’You look absolutely stunning.’’ Princess Rhaenyra says. You give her a thankful smile. The princess leans in a bit closer. ‘’Such a shame it won’t be for my son, however.’’ 

You remain silent on that matter. She smiles, kindly but you can tell her heart is not into it. ‘’Aemond will try to breed you tonight.’’ She says, and you are not sure why she would bother to remind you of that fact. You avoid her once more. ‘’Come to me if you wish to avoid his seed taking root. I have my own Maester at this castle. The Greens will never know.’’ She leaves before you respond to that, leaving you conflicted.

Soon it is time for the ceremony.

Your husband will be the last to arrive. Finally you and him stand in front of the Septon. He does not speak. Not a word. You become uncomfortable. ‘’You may cloak your bride, and bring her under your protection.’’ The Septon speaks. You feel Aemond cloak you with a smooth movement, placing the heavy cloak on your shaking shoulders. The septon smiles gently at both of you. ‘’One flesh, one heart, one soul.’’ He announces. Aemond bends his head gently, reaching your lips and briefly leaving a soft peck. You do the same, worried as you never kissed anyone before.

The rest of the ceremony feels nice as people congratulate you but you can’t help but feel that you are facing your execution. You know what will happen after this. You dread it. He will consummate the marriage. And you? You doubt you’ll survive it.

—---

The feast ends, and Aemond and you are now in his bedrooms. It is a big room full of books and a luxurious bed that reminds you both that you are not finished with your duties just yet. Aemond has taken a spot by the fireplace and has lit it, watching the flames consume the wood as you silently pull your nails, the final ones on your right hand. You aren’t sure you are allowed to speak, so you remain quiet. You aren’t sure you are allowed to sit, so you remain standing. 

Prince Aemond finally rises from his chair, his scent entering your nose as you quickly stop pulling your nails. His hands slowly go up to your throat, to where the pins keep the cloak he cloaked you with up. He works very smoothly yet carefully. It is dark in the room, said for the candles and the fireplace that make the room seem eerie and scary to you. The shadows that are casted by the fire are like a beast, devouring the room until only the dark remains.

The cloak drops to the floor with a dry thud. All that remains is your dress. Aemond takes a sharp breath, folding his hands on his back and making a quick circle around you, inspecting you as you look at your slippers, afraid of what he might think or say. 

It is tradition for the bride to have a dagger during her wedding night in your house. But for obvious reasons, you were denied one. So you may not stop what comes next.

A soft kiss is left on your forehead, before Aemond leaves a one sided but gentle kiss on your lips. You hear him take a deep breath once more.

You are turned around by him, your back facing his front. And his hands rest on the corset of your dress, that he begins to unlace. The moment he tugs at the strings, you feel a burden fall off your chest and yet you know this is not the end. This is only the beginning.

One by one, layers of your clothing fall to the floor. He takes a step back, his breath clearly roused by the sight of your naked breasts. You attempt to cover them, blood rushing to your cheeks. Instead of telling you to lower your arms or to smack you for blocking his view, he breaks into a precious small smile. ‘’My wife. My lady. My Revaera.’’ He tells you to disarm you with words instead of rough actions. He speaks with pride and possessiveness. 

Slowly you lower your arms, your nippels poking. He steps closer and his warm breath is upon your face once more as his fingers gently reach out to touch your breasts, giving you enough time to pull away or to put your arms back up. You don't. 

Perhaps you understand that you are his now. Perhaps you are scared. Or perhaps both are lies to deny that you are curious about this. You are curious to see what happens between a husband and a wife. He softly rubs your nippels, testing how sensitive you are to his touch before grabbing both breasts and firmly kneading it under his fingers. You gasp slightly confused as he pushes gently against your body, steering you to the direction of his bed with a lusty glance in his only good eye.

You stumble backward on the bed, falling on the sheets, your skirt all that covers you. Prince Aemond takes off his coat as well, unlaced his boots and pulls down his pants. You watch fascinated to see what he has between his legs. You never saw a cock before and somehow it looks yet alien and familiar.

He approaches you and climbs on the bed as well, towering over you. He takes your skirt off for you, as well as your shoes before he bends your feet, kissing your heels when making eye contact. You weakly moan as he begins to rub your irritated feet. ‘’You endure so much torture for me.’’ He teases, grinning.

You try to sit back up, to respond but he easily tops you, pinning you down with a smirk. He gives another soft kiss this time between your breasts and the leather of his eyepatch pokes you. And just like that, you feel the sliding of one of his hands down your belly, to your small clothes and finally inside of that too.  He gives you a fair bit of space and time to push him away again but the thing is, you don't want to push him away.

Your body reacts to this handsome prince and a pleasant warmth spreads from within your belly to the parts between your legs. And finally, Prince Aemonds fingers softly pet and feel what no one besides yourself felt before.

You didn't even realize you were holding your breath until the prince told you to release it. ‘’Keep breathing. If it becomes too much just say so and we'll stop.’’ He says, but you do not believe him that he would.

‘’So wet for me.’’ He murmurs against your neck. ‘’I know you are a maiden. I can tell. Tell me, my little maiden…’’ his fingers softly poke your wet folds. ‘’How shall I break you in, hm?’’

‘’I don't know…’’ You confess, as you try to make sense of his question. Break you in? How does that even work? It sounds painful. ‘’I'm sorry.’’ You add quickly afraid to anger him. 

Yet he does not move a finger. Not until you have answered his question. ‘’The least painful way, please.’’ You know he will do as he wishes. You are the wife so you must obey your husband. If he wishes to fuck you bloody no one can truly stop him from it.

Aemond's other hand softly cups your chin before he caresses your face gently, tracing lines only he can see. ‘’You worry for it?’’ He asks.

He must think you are a craven and a coward for being afraid of a little pain. Of doing duties you swore to do, of obeying a man that owes you. ‘’Yes, I know it makes me a craven and a bad wife but...I am so frightened of the pain.’’ You can't help the few lose tears escaping your eyes as you likely understand that the prince is disappointed and angry with you for this childish display. He had an eye taken from him. He claimed a dragon. He does not fear pain.

Instead he affectionately gives your forehead another soft kiss and you cannot read a single negative emotion on his face. ‘’My little maiden…’’ He murmurs again. ‘’Pain and pleasure are very close to one another. Closer than you might think.’’ You give a nod as if you understand his cryptic words. You do not. ‘’Kneel for me, please. On all fours.’’ He says, giving you an order for the first time since your marriage.

You feel a bit silly he asked this, yet you do your best to please him. So you kneel, on all fours. ‘’Like this, my prince?’’ You ask, your voice is a bit insecure.

He chuckles. A warm pleasant sound to match the warm pleasant wetness growing between your legs.

‘’We are married. I want you to call me by my name.’’He says, and you can tell by his tone he is used to ordering people around.

For reasons unknown to you, you want to obey him, yet mess up even this smallest request by accident.

‘’Yes, husband.’’ He psychically is displeased.

‘’My name, little cheeky brat.’’ You like the way your heart briefly rushes at his so-called angry voice. It was just him teasing you but you liked it.

‘’Aemond.’’ You say, obediently and full of admiration, turning your head so you can look at him. He blushes, keeping his eyes leveled at the floor like you often do too.

‘’Excellent. Very good.’’ He mumbles, avoiding your glance quickly. To prove his appreciation his fingers are gently pushed inside of you causing you to gasp. It does not hurt but the idea that man is touching you so intimately is shocking to you.

‘’Such a good responsive girl.’’ He whispers in his husky low lovely voice.  You shudder and moan quietly at the compliment, the soft touches and the building pleasure.

He chuckles. ‘’O, we like praise don't we?’’ You suppose. You never reacted this way to anything. You feel so small and powerless and yet curious and stronger than you ever felt.

‘’I am not used to a man's gentle tongue. I've only known their sharp hatred.’’ You explain to him.

Aemond nods, as if understanding that a bit too well himself. ‘’I thought you'd prefer it kneeling, as you might be frightened by the sight of it." It. You think for a while before it hits you what he means. 

‘’Yes,’’ You mutter, almost whispering. ‘’I apologize.’’ You add quickly. This likely is not what he signed up for when he fought Jace.

Another soft chuckle. ‘’What are you apologizing for?’’

‘’That I'm so wet and so confused and silly. I do not know what happens and how and what I am supposed to do.’’ You wish anyone had prepared you for this moment.

‘’Let me educate you then. Let me take care of you, as is a husband's duty.’’ You like hearing those words. All your life you had to take care of yourself. And now you have someone to watch your back. Someone who truly cares about you. Unlike Fyrand.

‘’You just focus on breathing and what feels good." Aemond tells you.’’

‘’What if I don't like it?’’

Instead of groaning or hitting you he softens his gaze. ‘’Your hands will be free. You may raise your left hand if I do anything that hurts or offends you. We shall stop the moment you do.’’

‘’My precious lady. My Valyrian little maiden.’’ He mutters when touching your chin, his mouth slowly sliding from your lips to your chin, to your neck, to your breasts…

And next is a moan close to a word that sounds Valyrian to you.

You communicated with your brother but only practiced sentences. Only words he used and whenever you asked he would deny you any further education.

‘’What was that, Aemond?’’ You ask, a little worried.

He breaks free from kissing and sucking your nipples, looking at you as if you confuse him.

‘’I said you were beautiful.’’ You suppose that is what would make sense. ‘’Don't you know Valyrian? The tongue of our ancestors?’’ 

You learned basic commands, basic survival words so you and your brother could communicate in secret should it be needed. But it took you months to master the easiest phrases. It's an elegant but tricky language, almost the way a snake would wrap itself around your tongue when you would speak it.

That is the physical part.

The emotional part is that your mother spoke it fluently. Your father was said to not even have learned a single word. Every word your brother had learned, came from the lips of the mother you shared and loved.

The mother that died birthing you. And you are sure your brother hasn't forgiven you for that crime. 

The words sound elegant yet thick and heavy, warm as a soft fire and his eye never leaves your face when he slowly speaks the words, kissing away your tears.

You try to understand what he said to you, in that moment. You try so very hard to remember every single command and word you learned....

But this one seems to be missing from your memory. This one seems to be absent.

‘’No, please forgive me.’’ You know it was likely high on his wishlist. It would be romantic to communicate with one another in a language that is almost forgotten by most.

‘’There is nothing to forgive. However, would you like to? Would you like to learn it?’’ He tilts his head, still rubbing your nipples and your entrance making it difficult for you to think.

You worry. That is not an easy tongue and you worry no one would have patience to stick with you.

‘’Who would even teach me?’’ You ask, laughing.

He stops sucking your tit, his tongue licking his lips as if to remember the taste of your body when his good eye slightly narrows in darkness and hunger you are unfamiliar with. ‘’I would.’’ He responds, in a heartbeat.

You blink. ‘’Do you even have time for that?’’ It sounds so draining and long. He is a prince. His schedule is packed as it is, you imagine.

He sits a little straighter, brushing his fingers against your face, kissing your cheeks. ‘’I'd make time for that.’’ He reveals. ‘’My wife should learn whatever she wants.’’

You think back of all the times you begged Fyrand to teach you. And of all the times he said no. To think you are finally going to learn the tongue of your mother, it means more than he could ever know. Tears break free. ‘’I'm sorry it's just I wanted that for years and Fyrand denied it so many times.’’

He briefly groans as if annoyed you mention him. ‘’You do no longer belong to that donkey. You belong with me now.’’ With. Not to. With. Equals. Not property. ‘’And I decided it's time you start living your life. Not just enduring it.’’

Aemond waits a moment after saying that, avoiding your eyes, clearly embarrassed by what he chooses to say. Instead of mocking him you touch his scarred cheek. At first he flinches but he trusts you soon after looking in your eyes. ‘’My brother said you were a monster. A beast who missed an eye with a horrible temper who would rape me every night for the rest of my life.’’

He raises a brow, insulted.

‘’Charming description.’’

‘’Yet you might be the kindest, most considerate man I ever met. And I met so many.’’ You tell him.

He thinks. ‘’I imagine you met hungry and desperate men. Men become monsters when they want to gain something. Just look back at how I beat Jace this afternoon.’’

You feel pride grow at this accomplishment. ‘’You wanted me then?’’ You ask.

He rolls his good eye, and grins. ‘’Yes.’’

‘’What for?’’ You ask, shyly touching his chest and drawing circles over his abs, watching his chest raise with every breath he takes.

‘’Can't you tell?’’

‘’My beauty.’’ You assume that would be it.

He shakes his head, touching your chin. ‘’You are beautiful, but it's not just that. Beauty does much for the male eye but for the brain to take interest there must be something there. Interest. Curiosity. Beauty alone is a horrible foundation. Beauty fades, beauty changes.’’ You, unknown to you, have leaned in closer and are staring at his lips.

He simply nods, confirming to you that he saw it and approves of it. You sit a little straighter, leaning in closer to his face and leave a soft kiss on his lips. You are gently touched by your hairs, touched as if you were made of glass and a single movement could shatter you. 

You expected him to perhaps dominate the kiss or to flip you on your back and to start fucking a child inside of you but none of that happens as the two of you just kiss.

Until you both do more.

You turn around, kneeling and he takes that a sigh of consent. It is. Your hips are grabbed gently and Aemond murmurs in your ear that you are perfect. Your cunt is touched one final time by him, just to feel what he did with you. He enjoys being inside of you with his fingers, feeling the wetness he created.

And after a much too long time, he finally sinks himself deep inside of you and gives the first shattering thrust that causes you to cry out.

Your head lowers as you become used to his soft thrusts that feel good and warm. ‘’So wet and tight for me.’’ He groans between the thrusts. You can only nod, driven speechless by how good and how fast the pleasure is building. Never in a million years you assumed you would enjoy your consummation and now you are. You are enjoying it, living for it and thank the gods for it. 

Aemond’s cock takes you deeper and rougher as the minutes pass by, his breath fast and yours a soft squeaky whimper almost befitting an old door. He feels harder than he did a few moments ago, and takes you when clearly hatching something. And finally he begins to grab your hips, fucking you now fully and as fast as his body allows him to fuck you. You never knew you would enjoy it rough, dark and fast but right now it is all that exists to you. He is all that exists to you. 

Your husband grins, madly before groaning and likely coming inside of you, before taking you another sharper and harder time. Your nails dig into the sheets of the bed, your cries echo and your body locks as Aemond encourages you to come as well. And you faithfully do what every good wife would.

You obey your husband and soak his cock when you shatter around him in dozens of pieces with a heart wrenching cry. ‘’Gods.’’ You murmur, catching your breath. Aemond leans back on the pillows too, your head warmly nestled on his chest. 

‘’No, just me, ‘I'm afraid.’ he answers in his mocking smirk. You roll your eyes smiling. ‘’I think you should get some rest.’’ ‘’It’s been a long day for you.’’ He adds, tucking the blanket of his bed around your body. Aemond picks up a book close to his bed and starts reading the pages, but he soon joins you in bed, sleeping too with his arms wrapped around your belly. And for the first time in a long time, Aemond Targaryen slept without nightmares, early wake-ups and in the arms of someone who at least tolerated him.

You wake up at Aemond’s clearly hushed voice, yet he sounds angry. He is by the door, covered in a robe and is trying to keep someone out of the room. You overhear their conversation. ‘’No. You can’t see her. She is resting.’’ You instantly know who is on the other side. Fyrand.

You feel uneasy and dread fill your chest as well as your heart is beating faster. Your brother laughs. ‘’You will let me pass, Aemond. She is my sister.’’ He says. ‘’I only need her for a moment, you can have her for the rest of the night.’’ Disgusted, Aemond blocks his way in once more. 

‘’She is my wife now, before she is your sister.’’ He steps a bit closer, making his voice softer but you can hear what Aemond has to say perfectly. ‘’I do not care that you convinced my father that you are no threat. Your sister belongs to me now. She will soon become a child, if the gods allow it.’’ He steps a bit closer. ‘’I have seen the bruises on her body. You will never torment her again.’’

‘’My sister is loyal to me.’’ Fyrand nearly shouts but you do not believe his words. You aren’t sure. 

Aemond shrugs. ‘’I will just have to keep my eyes on both of you, if that’s the case.’’

Fyrand grins. ‘’Good luck, since you only have one.’’

At that point, Aemond slams the door shut.

You quickly pretend to sleep, hearing Aemond join you soon after that. Your body is lifted and put back against his chest, his arms wrapped back around you. You do not know if he knows you are awake. ‘’No one, not your brother, not my sister, not the seven fucking gods themselves will take you from me.’’ He murmurs, causing you to blink uneasily. He does not see, however and drifts off to sleep.

You, however…..

You are awake for a very long time.

--

thank you so much for reading!

Hopefully it was fun

let me know what you think

#tags #hotd #hotd fanfiction #hotd fanfic #aemond targaryen #aemond #aemond one eye #hotd x reader #hotd x you #aemond x reader #aemond x you #aemond smut #aemond fic #aemond fanfiction #hotd x oc #aemond x oc #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen x oc #Smut #violence #blood #smut #murder #gore #classicalgotviolence #dark!aemond!

[lemonmaid]

I'm liking having a mental breakdown and stuffing my fatass with popeyes anyways here is...

Chick Flicks that I think the Dorm Leaders have a guilty pleasure for.

Do to that this a different world everything that is popular reference is going to be different! I don't think TWST world has guns or bombs?? So Legally Blonds JFK reference could refer to a King in Port o' Bliss (since Sam is from there, which is a reference to New Orleans). Heather's reference to the Vietnam War could be an overbolt war between kingdoms (obviously for the very very wrong reasons) and JD could've overbolted and Veronica had to kill him.

And I think TWST do have its own fairytale, Enchanted is one of them like "omg what if magic doesn't exists and someone from our world goes there!"

Riddle Rosehearts : Legally Blonde

I feel like he was forced to 'catch up' on pop culture, Cater showed him ( this world's equivalent movie). Out of all the movies he was shown, he liked this one the most.

"So what what's you're favorite part?"

"I loved the fact she proved to everyone that she wasn't a bimbo. Like, seriously? Fashion merchandising is a business school, she wasn't taken seriously because of her greek fraternity? I'm sorry that pink is "too girly" to be taken seriously".

Leona Kingscholar : Heather's

He only watched it because he crashed moive night at Ramshackle. He actually stayed awake for the musical.

"I didn't take you for someone who liked musicals"

"I don't but this moive was enjoyable. You're not supposed to cheer for the cast but to see their flaws which I understand wanting to fit in"

"So you wanna see the live performance?"

"This is on Broadway?".

Azul Ashengrotto : Mean Girls

Azul wanted more guest to come into the lounge so he opened a moive night, Mean Girls was a popular request so popular it is played every Wednesday.

"You know what Azul, you remind me of the mean girls group"

"How so?"

"Well, you're not a fashion statement but you, Jada, and Floyd are kinda of the "It" group. As in "don't fuck with us".

Kalim Al-Asim : Enchanted

Kalim has forced everyone who befriends him to watch this movie, he is obsessed with this type of romance, the very naive and the smitten serious type.

"Oh Yuu! My favorite scene is obviously the dancing in the city!"

"Aww that's so cute Kalim!"

"Yeah! I love this moive! My parents funded the company to make a second one!"

"Oh... Kalim that's .. precious"

Vil Schoenheit : Crazy Rich Asains

This is definitely Vil's favorite moive, like, we've both cried to it. Because for real best romance movie in decades.

"Vil why are you crying?"

"Shut up, you're crying too! I wished I had someone who didn't care about my appearance or my background. I wish I had someone who stood by my side untill the curtain fell"

"STOPPPP YOU'RE MAKING ME CRY MORE".

Idia Shroud : A Slient Voice

I couldn't think of a live-action Idia would genuinely liked, but this counts. Anyways, we had to show him this movie.

"Idia STOP CRYING ON ME!"

"but he... and she....AHHH"

"You know this is rumored to be based off a true story but the guy actually died"

"ahhHHHHHH"

Malleus Draconia : Twilight

You wanted to try and binge watch this entire franchise with the gang one night for a goof, you happened to see Malleus outside and invited him to watch with the gang. To say he was very very interested in this series was a understatement.

"Child of man, explain to me this. Why is she choose the guy who wants nothing to do with her but stalks her?"

"Malleus, I couldn't tell you but don't be an obsessive dick who tries to have an off and on relationship. That's toxic".

"I think I see, but can you explain why the grown man imprints on a literal baby?"

"I cannot tell you".

#twisted wonderland #twst headcanons #leona kingscholar #twisted wonderland x reader #twst leona #twst vil #disney twisted wonderland #malleus draconia #twst malleus #twst kalim #twst crack #twst #twst wonderland #vil schoenheit #azul ashengrotto #twst azul #kalim al asim #twst kamil #idia shroud #twst idia #riddle rosehearts #twst riddle #twised wonderland #twisted wonderland yuu #twst yuu

[ghanjrho]

A:TLA; how it should have ended.

Recently, I've been on a deep dive into the A:tLA fandom, specifically the Zutara sphere. And that means I've found a lot of long-form meta on the show, it's ending, LoK, script final drafts, you name it. That's all gone in the brain blender, and here's what came out the other side.

Sozin's Comet honestly doesn't change that much; only two real differences.

The magic rock is gone. Instead, we get a flashback to Guru Pathik, and Aang realizes that he has to let go of his attachment to Katara.

The Maiko/Kataang victory laps in the last 5 minutes are gone. Mai and Zuko get a scene where they wish each other well, but acknowledge that they're over. Katara and Aang have a nice moment where they choose friendship. There's love there, but it's Philia, not Eros.

@burst-of-iridescent has a delightful essay series on Zutara, and the part that sticks in my head is that in the run-up to the finale, Aang and Katara are at their least unified. To wit:

In "The Southern Raiders" Aang is preachy, condescending, and more than a little hypocritical about Katara's plan to take vengeance for her mother. The episode ends with Katara explicitly rejecting Aang's belief that Yon Rha was forgiven.

In "The Ember Island Players" Aang is distraught at the idea that EIP!Katara's statements, namely that Aang is like her brother and she's attracted to Zuko, are true. When he questions Real!Katara about this, he responds to her statement that she's confused about her feelings by kissing her. The kiss is not returned. Again, no resolution is had.

Finally, in "Sozin's Comet Part 1" Katara is part of the chorus condemning Aang for refusing to even consider killing Ozai, no matter how many people are at stake. He runs off from the group, and from there disappears into the Spirit World to get Lion-Turtled. Yet again, no resolution, and the two don't reunite until the tea shop.

Now speaking of the Lion Turtles, I'm actually not opposed to them. Yes, they come out of nowhere to deliver an 11th Hour Superpower that handily spares Aang from having to actually make a choice he disagrees with, but at the end of the day it is a kid's show. Nickelodeon was never going to approve a script where Aang killed Ozai. Throw in a little bit of foreshadowing, and I'm good. It's worth noting here that the story of Avatar Wan was supposed to be covered in A:tLA, which would handily cover that requirement.

Now, for the post-canon. We'll start with Fire.

Zuko is NOT left alone in the Fire Nation. Similarly, Iroh does NOT fuck off back to Ba Sing Se.

Toph and Suki stick around. Suki in her canon role as commander of Zuko's Kyoshi Warrior bodyguard, while Toph and Mai use Toph's lie-detection and Mai's insider knowledge to purge threats to the new peace.

Toph eventually goes back to the Earth Kingdom to start a metalbending academy, but first she needs to make sure that her Sparky lives to be the grumpy old man he was born to be.

While Iroh is correct that for political and diplomatic reasons Zuko needs to be Fire Lord, he also bows to the reality that Zuko is plain and simply not ready to be the Fire Lord.

Zuko went from 4th in line to 1st in line basically overnight, and the 5-ish years he spent as Crown Prince were clearly not spent preparing him to succeed Ozai.

So a teenager with a fairly surface-level understanding of "how to monarch" has to self-Reconstruction the Fire Nation, while paying reparations, without having been militarily conquered.

This is how idealists get assassinated. New Plan!

Zuko is crowned Fire Lord. Iroh is his Prince Regent. It's very clear to all involved that Zuko is the one charting the course forward for the Fire Nation, while Iroh is there to convert intent to action, while teaching Zuko how it's done.

It doesn't hurt that Iroh is one of the Fire Nation's most successful military commanders, so the civil war route is a lot riskier for anyone to attempt.

Next, Sokka

Sokka honestly has a pretty good arc in the post-canon. Nothing I really feel the need to correct.

Eventually, Suki is able to hand off her duties in the Fire Nation to someone else and goes home to Kyoshi Island

It’s still home, but it isn’t the same. Or rather, she isn’t the same.

She never leaves the island behind, but it’s usually a stop on the journey from Wolf Cove to Republic City.

Then, Aang

Aang divides his time between Avatar duties and Last Airbender duties.

Avatar duties involve a lot of sitting in on meetings and reminding people that the ultimate goal is peace.

Last Airbender duties involve a lot of teaching Air Acolytes everything he remembers from his childhood. He gets lucky here, though.

The Airbender Genocide wasn't complete. More than a few Air Nomads escaped the Genocide, and hid themselves away. Some in small villages built in remote mountain valleys, others blended into Earth Kingdom settlements.

Plenty of quarter- or eighth-Air Nomad kids running around with airbending potential they never had the knowledge to develop. Think very early Book 1 Katara here.

The result is that a resurgent Air Nation is being formed, with a culture woven from the threads that survived through relics, the refugees, and Aang himself.

Airbenders are still rare, and it's over a decade before another airbender earns their mastery, but it's not his son and his grandkids when Korra comes around.

Finally, Katara

Katara spends a lot of time traveling. She spends time in the South Pole, helping to rebuild and learning Southern Style Waterbending from the released waterbenders. She also travels the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, doing what she can to solve problems.

There are a lot of problems to solve.

Her travels in the Fire Nation are particularly fruitful; word of the Last Agni Kai has spread, so she is known to be the one that the Fire Lord sacrificed himself for, and who healed his wound.

She and Zuko stay in contact, allowing themselves to have a slow-burn courtship.

After a couple of years she moves to Caldera City and starts getting down to seriously courting Zuko, preparing herself for Fire Ladydom.

The year before Iroh is set to retire as Regent, she and Zuko start thinking about the wedding.

There are a lot of potential traditions to uphold, even just between the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation

This goes double for the daughter of the head chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe, and the Fire Lord himself.

They decide to have fun with it and do everything.

Aang presides over a private ceremony, family/close friends only, that is really just a mutual declaration of love and friendship.

Then come the Southern Water traditions. It's the full gamut, with ice-dodging, sacred hunts and more. In the end, Zuko is an honorary member of the Southern Water Tribe, and he and Katara are wed (again).

There's a diplomatic tour through the Earth Kingdom, stopping at Kyoshi, Gaoling, Omashu, Ba Sing Se, the Foggy Swamp the former Fire Colonies, and ending at the Northern Water Tribe. The language used artfully slides over whether the couple is newly married or about to be married, but overall it works well for the Fire Nation's reputation abroad.

The final act is in the Fire Nation. A full Royal Wedding, a grand affair of state, held at high noon on the day of the summer solstice. When all is said and done, Zuko and Katara now rule alone as Fire Lord and Fire Lady.

Alright, I have more, but I'm tired. Tune in next time for the Fire Nation (extended) Royal Family! featuring Steambabies (Found here)

#atla #zutara #fixit #fire nation politics #all the weddings #zuko definitely has the mark of the too stubborn to die #its not called that #but still #avatar the last airbender

[15-lizards]

GENDER SWAP RENLY AND STANNIS OUTFITS PLEASSSS. And maybe Robert too

SISTERLY DYSFUNCTION WE LOVEEEEE even tho the character of Robert is kinda tricky bc his character is rooted in his manhood but fuck it we ball maybe we can just make Westeros a matriarchy #Feminism

Fem Roberta (definitely named Roberta) (also the middle Katie McGrath pic is the fc) is the kinda the biggest lesbian bait ever. Non-dutiful eldest daughter set to inherit storms end but she does NAWT give a shit she wants to go play around in the Vale with fem Ned and drink and whore etc etc. Rides and fights like a man and even wears men’s armor but still dresses and (sometimes) acts like a noble lady when the situation calls for it. She’s not a tomboy who chafes at nobility she’s a rowdy noble girl who LOVES her status she loves excess. Charismatic girl who managed to get men to follow her into war to get back Fem Ned’s little brother even though she loves him like a prize. And she loves the idea of being connected to Ned more than that. But other than her homoerotic obsession with her best friend and she is totally and completely heterosexual 👍🏻

Fem Stannis (Stana? Castana?) is kinda so Eva Green do we see the vision people. She’s a flop daughter who dresses like a utilitarian, very little room in her looks for comfort. Internalized misogyny for days bc she thinks if she were a son she could be so much better than her sister is. She’s kinda like if Cersei slayed a little less. When Roberta dies she can’t garner any support bc even though they were both women, her elder sister was always more persuasive and well liked, which is half the reason she became queen. So now she’s behind her bastard nephew and nieces who aren’t even related to her in the line of succession (let’s pretend masc Cersei and fem Jamie swapped the kids or smthn idk 😭). And her new red witch is not doing favors for the people who think magic = dark and womanly and evil. She’s such a flop and gay for the older pirate lady who saved her life and she can never do anything right ily girl

And Fem Renly/Rena/Renia is kinda the baddest bitch in the seven kingdoms. She’s even prettier than Roberta was at her age, and just as charismatic, and far more agreeable, acting more like a “proper” lady. Though she rides as well as her eldest sister, and even took up the sword too, wanting to be a warrior queen when she was little. Her fits always go crazy, a fourth of the treasury at storms end is set aside for her favorite green enameling and gold accessories. She’s kinda the star of court and thinks Roberta has gotten lazy and Stana has too much of a stick up her ass to be a good queen. Ofc in true Baratheon fashion she has a gay who worships her like a god, her trusted lady-knight Lora Tyrell, who gives her the support of her house before she unfortunately gets merked. Rip queen I wish you could’ve been mean on the internet

#asoiaf #lesbian Baratheons my beloved #Stannis was already a lesbian without gender bending him but that’s neither here nor there

[undreaming-fanfiction]

A Spark of Magic

Continuing the cursed Steve train because I just love it too much. But with a twist. Fairytale/fantasy setting. Not a full drabble, more of a collection of ideas.

The old king finally decided to fuck off, that's what the kingdom called it. The old king Richard of Harrington was a piece of shit, cold, uncaring, asking for more and providing less. He only had one son, Steven, but he was rumored to be a disappointment - so much so that he hadn't been seen in public for years. Yet another rumor was that the boy was cursed by a witch as a way to punish his father. Maybe he was in a castle guarded by a dragon. Or perhaps he was in deep sleep after pricking his finger on a hedgehog. There was probably something about the witch thing though...especially because the former king Richard, may he rest in pieces after he went to hunt a wyvern, the old snobbish idiot, banished all witches, druids, wizards and sorcerers from the kingdom.

Life without magic hadn't been easy. Sickness was rampant because witches no longer provided herbal remedies, a lot of wildlife migrated to the neighboring kingdoms along with the banished druids, crops were at the mercy of turbulent weather because sorcerers and wizard could not regulate temperatures on the fields. Still, the king wouldn't budge, he punished every attempt at re-introducing magic to his land.

Lo and behold, the old king disappeared in the woods and the captain of the guard only delivered his bloodied helmet to the grieving widow. Well, not so grieving, there wasn't any love between her and her husband, but she nodded at Captain Hopper and to the surprise of everyone in the throne room said: "Fetch my son, please."

The kingdom gradually learns quite a few things, mostly because the head of the kitchen, Murray, is a terrible gossip.

The son was a huge disappointment to his father for many a reason, but the main one was - when he was ten years old, he begged a local with to turn him into a cat because he really, really liked cats, but they were scared of him, and he loved witches in all the stories he read. She obliged and added the usual "true love's kiss" formula to her curse, just to give him the full cursed experience. Young Steven had a blast running around, napping in the sun and all, and when it was time to turn back, he didn't wait for the witch. He ran to his mother and asked her for a kiss because surely she loved him, surely her kiss would break the curse. Except her kiss did nothing - while the queen wasn't an evil woman, she had little love to give after years in an arranged marriage.

And to make things worse, before the king could call for the witch to lift the curse, another boy, a nephew of the town's blacksmith, wandered in and kissed Steve's furry head, turning him back to normal. So not only did the queen not love her son enough, but a boy from the common folk loved the young prince enough to break a curse. All that shame just because of one spell. In his rage, the king banished all those who practiced magic and made sure his son would not be seen in the public again. The story was that he was sent to the neighboring kingdom for his education.

When the queen asked Captain Hopper to bring her son, the nobles perhaps expected a messenger, a letter or something. Instead, Hopper returned shortly after with one of his guardsmen...a young man named Steve. Steve who herded the local children and made sure they'd make it home safely before the sun went down. Steve who sang in pubs in a booming voice and made friends easily. Steve who had been living in the barracks for at least ten years.

And so King Steven started his reign and things were...different.

Steve - as his subjects kept calling him - fired most of his father's advisors and disregarded the whispers of nobles in his ears. A few assassination attempts had been made, of course, but that very quickly ended when a) the assassins found out that literally the entire royal guard decided to ensure the young king's safety, b) Steve was trained well by Captain Hopper and one of the assailants was hit over the head with a mace the king kept under his bed and tossed out the palace window (the king made sure to apologize to the servants for the broken window and the blood they had to clean, he asked Murray to prepare a few of his famous dishes as a compensation).

To add insult to the injury, five new faces found their way into the castle.

The sorceress Nancy who practiced her art in secret and sent a fireball after a noble who insulted her. King Steven didn't move a muscle and simply added that such a language had no place in his court.

The scholar Jonathan who was tasked by Steve to create educational system for the kingdom's children, renewing both public education and identifying potential magic wielders. He and Nancy would make sure the new generation would know how to use their gifts safely and for the public good.

The herbalist Argyle who took it upon himself to provide healing herbs to whoever needed them, at least until Steve managed to fix the small problem with magic they had.

The royal advisor and spokeswoman Robin who had a bit of a tendency to ramble, but her language skills brought much embarrassment and hilarity when she loudly commented on foreign diplomats shit talking Steve in their own languages.

And finally, the bard Eddie, the same boy who kissed Steve and turned him back from a cat. Eddie who always lounged at Steve's side, quietly strumming and observing any danger to his king with sharp eyes and even sharper blade hidden in his tall boots.

It takes over a year, but gradually King Steven manages to persuade most of the magic users to return. He offers a sincere apology, presents his vision for the kingdom and even offers a small petty revenge on him as a price of their return, magic wielders have their pride and not all of them can be swayed by words. However, being allowed to turn the son of the man who banished them into a broom for a week, well. That's something else.

Robin takes care of the negotiations. "My apologies, King Steven has already made a promise to spend the next three days as a dragonfly, then he has a meeting with King Thomas, but next Sunday should work for him. What form do you intend for him? A wooden stool? Very poetic, he will definitely agree to spending two days like that. Please make sure to include the true love's kiss in your curse, thank you kindly. We shall see you next week then, thank you for your time!"

Steve is a man of his word, but of course he wants to prove his good intentions to his new allies. And so when those two days are up, the witch visits again and watches as the bard hops down from the hand rest of the throne and gently smooches the stool/dragonfly/curtain/whatever form Steve agreed to. Gradually magic returns to the kingdom and with it, prosperity.

And if there was someone who couldn't look past the wrongdoings of the previous king? Then Steve invited them to a private room with a golden cage where a very old and pouty parrot stared at them, glaring daggers. "Would you like to say something, Richie?" smiled Steve and tossed some bird seed into the cage.

The bird scoffed. "Stop this foolishness now, Steven!" and oh, okay. The voice was very familiar. The old king Richard was dead, long live the parrot Richie.

King Steven kept his wide smile and gave Richie a fresh slice of fruit before covering his cage.

As another vindicated wizard left the castle, Steve caught Eddie's eyes and blew him a kiss.

Eddie returned the gesture, his fingers sparkling with magic as he played his lute.

(if you're wondering, yes. Guardsman Steve and his lover Eddie were getting sick of the magical oppression. It was actually Nancy being found practicing magic that spurred them into action, they waited for King Richard during his hunt and Eddie, a bard who learned to control his powers with Nancy, turned him into a parrot. Murray provided some blood from the kitchen, Hopper stepped on the helmet several times and then presented it to the queen who decided not to ask any questions because the less you know, the less time you have to spend with your parrot husband.)

#steddie #steddie drabble #steve harrington #eddie munson #fantasy steddie #nancy wheeler #robin buckley #argyle #jonathan byers #stranger things #stranger things drabble #not proofread I just wanted to write everything down before it disappeared from my head

[ali1552]

Honestly, I want to make an Ode to Madoc.

As an editor, I think he really sums up a lot of the reasons why I love Holly’s writing so much.

(I’m going to yap for a while, but he deserves it.)

We’ve got the classical folklore call-to-arms: an ogre breaks into your home and slaughter your parents. What’s left for you, if not revenge?

Then realism, even in a folk world: you’re five, how the fuck are you supposed to avenge them?

- Then, a personal touch to make it even more scary: he’s not an ogre, but a redcap. He bathes his cap into his enemies’s blood. That’s how scary he is. Thanks to Shrek and other tales, Ogres aren’t that scary in the mind of a reader. But a redcap? Yeah, that’s creepy.

But redcap, or ogre, Madoc is the masculine traditional man, with it’s pros and cons. (I really don’t want to make this political, but he kinda is?)

If he were more logical, less violent, he wouldn’t have killed their parents. At the same time, was he a little less honorable, he would have left the twins there. They were toddlers, they would have died somehow.

Bringing them to Elfhame and glamouring them would have been a sign of weakness, because they’re not his problem, but he couldn’t kill children (I’m kinda sure he would, at least before becoming a dad).

Raising them himself is the true show of his character. He thinks of it as a punishment for himself, to pay back for his crime, but in reality it is just a second crime. Not only I’m sure he enjoyed it, but the ones who actually suffer from it are the twins, again.

Was he a little less self-centered, less focused on a world made of honor and punishments, he would have found them an accommodation in the mortal world. Or at least care enough to notice what they were going through.

But he didn’t.

And in the end, the murder wasn’t Jude’s inciting incident, but Madoc’s.

For Jude, it’s her childhood. And even if she spent her childhood in the magical kingdom of Elfhame, having a fucked up childhood is so much more relatable and realistic than avenge-your-parents kind of motive.

Back to Madoc, his “punishment” is simple: he will see his children amount to everything he dreamed for himself, basically every parent’s dream.

But since he is a very fucked up parent, he hates it.

—

To sum up my yapping, Holly manages to mix enough fantasy elements to make us dream, with enough realistic elements to make us see and feel them.

An ogre breaks into your home, slaughtering your parents. How does he feel about it? Will he be a better parent?

But there is no such thing as the better parent. Parents are by definition the most morally grey characters: if they’re good, they’ll do their best.

But that isn’t always the best.

So Madoc, the murderer, the ogre, becoming the parent is absolutely genius.

And it’s also why I’d dying to see Jude as a parent!

#madoc #the cruel prince #jude x cardan #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #the wicked king #queen of nothing #the prisoners throne #the stolen heir #father #father and daughter #fantasy #bookblr #writing #creative writing #holly black

[theroundbartable]

What do you think are Merlin and Arthur’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic?

OOoh... interesting question.

Arthur Pendragon:

Arthur's positive traits, his strengths, are also his weaknesses. He questions everything. He tries to see the good in people and tries to do right by them. It is kind of why he's such a resetting character. Because every time he reaches out to something, like magic, he gets proven otherwise. Yet, he can't NOT question it. He's trusting and forgiving and yet, he's the character who has most often been deceived, lied to and actively betrayed. In a strange way, this behavior makes him extraordinary. He has trust issues, in the end, but he still offers his trust to his knights and especially to Merlin. In a way, he tends to overlook the bad things people did because he values their positive traits more (like with Agravaine).

And of course, he cares more about his kingdom than himself. His kingdom is even more important to him than his father or any of the people who's love he craves.

Other weaknesses of his are obviously that he can't do basic stuff like brush his hair or cook. And I'm pretty sure he's somehow cursed that all these magic events happen around him.

Another is his self worth. He sees worth in everyone else but never in himself. His life is important only to protect Camelot. His life belongs to his people and he really does believe that. It's not that he thinks he's worthless, it's that he misinterprets it and lives as a breathing sacrifice.

Merlin:

Merlin's strength is his confidence and his faith. From the moment we first see him, he's able to face one of the most powerful people in the world and not back down, even though he knows he has to hide his magic.

He is brave and selfless. In the sense that he doesn't care about his own feelings and life as much as about others, especially Arthur. And of course, he hates conflict.

Merlin is NOT trusting. Not the way Arthur is. Merlin trusts people he has seen do good in action. He does NOT trust people he doesn't know, and in some cases, even his friends. Best example for this part is Lancelot's shade, whom Merlin almost immediately suspected. I think, in a way, he seems more naive and trusting to us because for us this is fiction and just a show. But to Merlin, it is significant that some stuck up noble saves his life without question, or that someone is willing to keep his magic secret for Merlin's sake, or that the dragon helps him find his purpose and helps him to better Camelot. That is why Merlin's trust is RELIABLE, while Arthur's is not. And that is why Arthur trusts Merlin's instincts. I think Arthur knows that Merlin has a better hunch for people's true intentions than he does. It is just that after a while, he thinks he's learned from previous mistakes and he doesn't want to be so bad at it, when HE'S the one who should know, after being betrayed so many times, while Merlin is JUST a servant with no such history (that he knows of).

Their dynamic:

How could I start this part other than with 'they are two sides of the same coin'. And I think it's really fucked up because imagine a coin with a person on each side. They would NEVER be able to ever fully see each other.

Imagine that. I think, Arthur's side is the one with the number on it that tells him exactly what his worth is, where he's supposed to be, supposed to go, what he can be exchanged for.

On the other side is Merlin who is the side that talks about where he's from, what his traditions are, etc.

Merlin has to learn his self worth through the storyline, Arthur needs to learn the traditions and where he is from and what he is truly fighting for. That's kind of why I love the metaphor.

It also means that Arthur can never truly know who Merlin is unless Merlin tells him. Can't know magic, can't know his own background and the circumstances of his birth.

And Merlin can never truly see how important he is to the kingdom. He only knows he's tied to Arthur and that SOMEDAY it will be better. That he's already reached his destiny doesn't even occurr to him.

It makes me wonder what it means when Arthur dies, in relation to this metaphor. Is the side blank now? Has the coin simply been flipped and now Merlin is at the front? What does it mean???

Anyway. What else I love about their dynamic is how intimate it is. I'll say it as I always do, I think Gwen is the better queen and makes more sense to marry Arthur since they both see only the future of the kingdom. But that is the point. Their relationship is public and a symbol of peace. Merlin's and Arthur's shared destiny is always private, always hidden behind layers of lies. Even when they finally share their true feelings, it remains intimate and private. When they are together, they are focused on themselves and their soulbond.

Where Gwen and Arthur discuss the future of the kingdom and what to do with their people, Merlin is personal reassurance for Arthur.

Here are two example scenes that shall make this more clear.

In the episode where Arthur is meant to marry Elena, he asks Merlin what he thinks about the arranged marriage. And Merlin goes on a rant to tell Arthur that his feelings matter. That being emotionally available, by choosing himself and who he loves, he WILL be a better king. In Merlin's rant, Arthur's happiness comes fist. The kingdom, second. Even though they are clearly interconnected.

Arthur had a conversation with Gwen about the marriage beforehand and Gwen accepted his responsibility to marry for the better of the kingdom, putting CAMELOT first. While promising him that he can be happy with his wife too. Even if she's not what he wants at first, he can grow to love her.

Neither of those are bad things. As I said before, Arwen makes sense and MORE sense for the kingdom. But Arthur and Merlin are more private and intimate and basically soulmates. Romance aside, this is what I think makes their dynamic so fascinating to me. It is friendship, a deep emotional bond that often times goes beyond normal friendship. (Not necessarily romantic, but definitely deeper than best friends.)

There is more I love but I don't want to spam the tumblr. Lol. Thank you for the question, anon :)

#bbc merlin #merlin #merthur #merlin bbc #faq #ask #answer