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daydreaming-nerd · 2 months

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The Bonds That Break Us (Rhysand x Female! Reader) Part 6

Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Final Part

Request: "Would you do a Rhysand x fem!reader series? Maybe fem!reader is Rhysand's mate and Tamlin's sister? So secret love?"

AN: Took a wild leap with this one...

Summary: It was almost as if the cauldron liked to play games, as if it had sensed years of boredom and predictability and begged to be entertained. Its method of absolving its melancholy? Mate the High Lord of the Night Court to the younger sister of the High Lord of Spring.

Warnings (so far): mentions of physical abuse, mentions of SA, major sexisim, SMUT, dirty talk, angst.

Word count: 3557

(all photos are from pinterest)

“And if they win? If my brother and Beron get their way?” I ask Rhysand who is clearly lost in thought, but it’s Mor who answers.

“Then you would be forced to marry Eris. As fucked up and sexist as it is, they’re going to call into question who had claim of you first Eris or Rhys.” Mor answered clearly, hating the words coming out of her own mouth.

“Oh,” I murmured, it was all I could say, the thought that all of this could have been for nothing. Those days spent in a cell, weeks keeping Rhysand and I a secret it didn’t change the outcome of my life.

“I won’t let it come to that,” Rhys said, walling over to me and pressing his forehead to mine. “I won’t let them take you from me.”

“You’re right I’m sure we can figure this out,” I reply, not trusting my own words.

“Let’s go shopping girl, it will give brooding old Rhys here time to think of a plan.” Mor said, trying to lighten the mood. “You can borrow something of mine while we shop.”

“Mor’s right we should get me some clothes,” I giggle looking down at the too big shirt of Rhysand’s that I was wearing. I press a chaste kiss to his lips trying to bring a smile to his face but it doesn’t work. I move towards Mor but I feel Rhy’s hand pull me back.

“Not without one of these,” he says, pressing his lips to mine passionately. I nearly moan at the way he is always able to kiss me into submission. I swear I’d do anything he asked me if he just kissed me like this.

“I love you,” I smile, pulling away from the kiss.

“I love you too,” he smiles, running his thumb over my lips. “Take care of her Mor.”

“Like she was my own mate,” Mor smiled before leading me to her bedroom.

“This wasn’t just a shopping trip you know?” Mor says, holding up her glass of wine to her lip. “I wanted to thank you.”

She had insisted that we go out for a drink and for dinner before turning in for the night and given the long day we had I was more than willing to do just that.

“Thank me for what? I hardly think I’ve done anything but cause problems for your cousin and your court,” I sigh popping another grape into my mouth.

“Yet I’ve never seen him so happy,” she sent me a knowing smile. “I’ve known Rhys my whole life, never have I seen him so at peace, so willing to live. When his parents and his sister died he was given the title of High Lord, one he never felt like he was ready for. It made him unhappy, but all that has changed because of you.”

“How did Rhys’ family die?” I ask sipping my own glass of wine. All of the color drained from Mor’s face.

“You don’t know?” she asks bewildered.

“No he never told me,” I answered, afraid of whatever answer she might tell me.

“I shouldn’t tell you this,” she said, trying to resume sipping her wine.

“Mor please, tell me.” I beg her.

“Okay but don’t let Rhys kill me,” she starts. “200 years ago Rhys and your brother were friends, but your father figured out that Rhysand would be the most powerful High Lord and sought to bring him down a peg. So one night he and Tamlin as well as your brothers went to the Illyrian Camps and slaughtered his mother and sister in cold blood. When Rhysand’s father found out both went to the Spring Court only leaving you and Tamlin alive.”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing Tamlin had always told me that the agents of the night court had killed our family for stealing their wings, that they were to be an enemy of our court. If I ever asked him to tell me more he would refuse. “But why would Rhys and his father leave us alive?”

Mor let out another sigh, “Rhys was supposed to kill you. That night he stood over your bed with a dagger, the mating bond snapped into place. He told me that he fell to his knees before you. It was too late for him to rectify what he had done to your family, but when he found his father holding a dagger to Tamlin’s throat Rhys begged for him to live and he did. But Tamlin took Rhysand’s fathers own dagger and drove it through his heart anyways.”

I nearly felt my knees give out, he had known for 200 years and said nothing. I couldn’t stop myself from reeling. My heart rate began to pick up and suddenly this dress was too tight, this room was too hot and the walls were closing in.

“I need…I need some air,” I gasped. It was all I could say before taking off.

I heard Mor calling for me inside the tavern but I couldn’t stop, not for anything. The chill of the night air did little to calm my heart rate down. I wove through a sea of people, all of them balking at the unfamiliar face. I even heard murmurs of ‘that’s Tamlin’s sister’ and my gut churned. All that was going through my head was he knew, he knew, he knew.

So I ran, and I ran, and I tried to outrun the feeling but it didn’t matter how far I went, I couldn’t escape the shocking truth I had just heard.

I found myself sitting by the edge of the river about a mile outside of town. Something about the sound of the water flowing by and the crickets chirping gave me time to think. It wasn’t agents of the night court that killed my family, it was the High Lord, and Rhys. I supposed I should be mad, but given the events of the last few days, what Tamlin did to me, what he’s still trying to do? I’m almost glad Rhys nearly put an end to it all. But it doesn’t change one thing. He knew we were mates for almost 200 years and didn’t tell me. I had heard him calling down the bond for an hour now, but I shut him out. I needed time to process this.

Behind me I heard the flap of massive wings and then a thud, I turned to find Azriel standing behind me. His face was kind. Not angry or upset like I thought it would be. He looked friendly.

“It’s a bit cold out tonight, mind if I join you?” he asked, gesturing to the spot beside me.

“I’m afraid I’m not the best company, but be my guest.” I reply, patting the spot next to me. His massive frame came to sit beside me and as the breeze floated in from my right he curled a wing around me shielding me from it.

“So you found out how to shut Rhys out of the bond?” he smirked.

“I guess so,” I shrugged, not taking my eyes off the river before me.

“Nice,” he smiled like he was proud of me for doing so.

“Is he mad?” I ask, cringing slightly.

“No, but he is worried. The second Mor came back and told him what happened and he sent all of us out to find you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has the whole of Velaris doing search and rescue by now.” Azriel explained casually.

“I’m sorry. I just needed time.” I said picking at the rocks on the ground.

“Don’t be. It was a big blow,” he started. “Are you mad at Rhys?”

“I know I should be, but I’m not. I just wish he had told me.” I sigh.

“You know I was there that night. I was at the townhouse when he returned from the spring court. He was a wreck, an honest to gods wreck. He was so stricken with grief over what he had done that he disappeared to the Illyrian mountains for a week.” he explained.

“But why didn’t he tell me?” I plead.

“I don’t know. I think he wanted to, but the timing was never right. He spent nearly 200 years loving you from afar and then you finally felt the bond snap. I think he was so happy that he was scared he would lose you. That you would reject the bond.” he said.

“I suppose I don’t know what I’d do in that situation either,” I sigh.

“One thing you can be sure of is that he does love you. I’ve never seen a person love another person more. Hell he’s trying to claw into my mind as we speak but I’m not letting him,” Azriel chuckles.

“I suppose I should go back then,” I laugh beginning to stand up.

“I’ll take you. Do you want me to winnow you there or do you want to go the fun way?” he says, cocking an eyebrow.

“What’s the fun way?” I ask nervously, dusting the dirt off my dress.

He snapped his wings out in answer.

“Oh definitely the fun way,” I smile. “I’ve never flown before.”

“Rhys will be pissed that I’m taking your flying virginity but he’ll get over it eventually.” Azriel smiles before scooping me up. “You ready?”

“Yes!” I squeal in anticipation and excitement.

“Hold on tight princess,” Azriel laughs, launching off the ground into the sky.

My stomach bottoms out and my grip on his neck tightens as the river below us gets smaller and smaller. All the air leaves my lungs as we continue to ascend and then we’re soaring through the sky.

“Oh my gods this is amazing!” I shout with joy into the night and I feel Azriel’s chuckle reverberate through my body.

“Do you trust me?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” I smile, still unable to hide the joy I feel.

“Let go of my neck, I'm going to let you free fall,” he instructs me.

“But you’re going to catch me right?” I ask just to be sure.

“You’re going to be my High Lady one day, I will always catch you,” he says nonchalantly.

“Okay let’s do it,” I say, removing my hands from his neck.

“See you in a second!” he laughs before letting go.

I feel myself falling through the sky and it’s the most freeing feeling ever. I can’t help but let an excited whoop out as the wind whips my hair about. I have never felt more powerful, more invincible than in this moment. Every worry about my brother, about Beron and the council are gone, for once my mind is clear.

I see Azriel tucking his wings in above me diving down to meet me and in mere seconds I feel him scooping me up again.

“That was so fun!” I shout.

“Don’t ever tell Rhys we did that he will have my head,” Azriel laughed and I could see the townhouse below us.

We land on the terrace and the sound of our laughter brings Rhys out to meet us.

“Thank gods I was scared something had happened to you,” he said, rushing over to press a kiss to my forehead.

“I’m fine you overbearing mother hen,” I laugh putting my hands on his forearms.

“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Azriel said backing away.

“Wait!” I shout before running over to throw my arms around him giving the biggest hug I possibly could. For a second he doesn’t hug me back, in shock from my sudden action but then I feel two arms wrap around me. “Thank you for everything, for the talk, for the ride. All of it.”

“Of course y/n any time.” he smiled. I backed away and took Rhys’ hand as he began to lead me inside.

“Oh and Azriel!” Rhys called making Azriel turn around. “I saw that,” he smirked and I know he meant the free fall.

“Damn,” Azriel cursed before taking off into the night.

Rhys turned to me, mood more somber now. “I think we need to talk,” he said quietly, like the words would hurt him if he spoke them too loud.

“I think we do too,” I replied.

We walked upstairs to the bedroom, everything was just as we left it this morning. Bed unmade, sheets thrown everywhere. The only noticeable difference was my new trove of dresses hanging in Rhys’ closet. My heart warmed at the sight of it. Something so small yet so meaningful at the same time, so domestic. Something I had unknowingly wanted for a long time.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask turning around to meet his violet eyes.

“Please believe me when I say I wanted to tell you. I never planned on keeping you in the dark about it. That night I went to kill you I had such hatred in my heart, I had lost my mother and my sister and I wanted revenge. I was young and stupid and following my father blindly. But when I saw you the bond clicked and I had never known such love. I remember it all. I fell to my knees before you and I realized what I had done. I had killed my mate's family. When I saw my father and Tamlin fighting I begged them to stop, begged my father to let him live. I couldn’t tell them why for fear that Tamlin would kill you just to hurt me. But eventually my father gave in, but Tamlin still stuck a dagger in his heart. When I got back to Velaris I had become High Lord and I couldn’t cope.” he explained, stepping closer to me to cup my cheek. “I have spent the last 200 years in agony knowing what I did to you.”

He paused taking in my face like he might never see me again, like I might reject the mating bond, and his eyes started to glass over.

“The day the bond snapped for you was one of the happiest days of my life. But you were already so hesitant to let me in, you wouldn’t even let my name pass your lips. I knew I couldn’t tell you then for fear of losing you forever. I had to make you see that I wasn’t the monster Prythian paints me to be. Even though I acted like one that night. I was selfish in not telling you. You deserved to know the truth. But please forgive me, and I will spend the rest of my life making up for it in every way I know how. They might seem like empty words, but I love you so much, I don’t think I can live without you.” he finished and I saw a tear slip from his eye.

“Rhys, I’ve already forgiven you.” I say wiping the tear from his face. “And maybe that makes me a terrible person, forgiving and loving the man who killed my family. But look at what they would’ve done, what they stood for. Tamlin locked me in a cell and was ready to sell me off to be Eris’ breeding vessel. The way my brothers and father always treated me they would’ve done the same, maybe worse. Who knows what miserable fate you might’ve saved me from. Your true character is reflected in people like Azriel and Cassian, in this beautiful city you’ve kept secret and protected for years. I see all of you Rhysand and there is not a part of you that I don’t love with all that I am.”

Rhys lets out a sigh of relief before smashing our lips together. I can taste the salt of his tears and the salt of my own. I throw my arms around his neck pulling him impossibly close

“I love you so much,” he cries between kisses.

“I love you too,” I say back smiling. I sit down on the bed and pull him down with me.

“Wait we can’t your still hurt,” he protests.

“Rhysand, if you don’t get on this bed and fuck me right now I swear on my life I will get myself off.” I gripe at him.

“While I would love nothing more than to watch you play with your pretty pussy. I think I’d rather do it myself tonight. But you need to tell me if you’re hurting at all okay?” he fusses.

“I will, I promise! Now please touch me!” I whine taking his hand and placing it on my breast.

“With pleasure mate,” he says, squeezing my breast. He snaps his fingers and our clothes are gone.

“That’s a fun little trick,” I laugh pulling him down, needing to feel his skin on mine.

“Only used for times where I desperately need to be inside you,” he purrs and chills coat my body.

I kiss him hard letting my hands caress his shoulders and arms, all of him pure muscle, lethal and totally at my mercy. He pulls my hair back to give himself access to my neck and I feel a wave of arousal flow through me as he finds that sweet spot that drives me wild.

My hand drifts down his front grazing every muscle on it’s way until I find his cock already hard and dripping with precum. I wrap my fingers around it and begin stroking it. My hand feeling incredibly small compared to the size of him. His hips buck fucking himself into my hand at the contact.

“Fuck mate,” he lets out a low groan in my ear. “How is it that even your hands feel perfect around my cock?”

“It’s because I was made for you,” I muse nibbling his ear.

“Hmm,” he hums in delight. “You know what was really made for me?”

“What?” I ask as he pulls his cock from my hand.

“This,” he smirks before plunging himself inside of me. I arch my back off the mattress in pleasure as he lets out a guttural moan. “Gods your so fucking tight!”

“Oh fuck Rhys!” I moan, scratching my nails down his back.

He starts fucking me hard, the mating bond glowing brightly between us. If this is how badly we need one another before the mating ceremony I shudder to think what will happen after. If he thinks a few weeks will be enough he’s dead wrong, I could do this for the rest of my life.

He snaps his hips at an angle that hits a particularly sensitive spot and I can’t help but moan even louder.

“Gods I love the sounds you make when I fuck you,” he says with a feral grin before sinking his teeth into my neck.

“Oh gods Rhys I’m close!” I groan, running my hands through his hair.

“I’m right behind you mate, make a mess on my cock,” he grunts and it’s enough to send me over the edge with his name on my lips.

“Fuck y/n!” he screams, spilling his seed inside me.

As I feel his warm cum coat my walls he collapses on top of me and though he’s crushing me it’s an welcome weight. His skin on mine is the best feeling I’ve ever known. His shallow breaths coat my neck as I rub soothing circles on his back. We spend a few minutes catching our breath as I continue to hold him close to me.

“Did you talk to Cassian and Az about Beron?” I ask.

“I did and I think we have a solution.” he answers without moving his head from my chest.

“What is it?” I inquire further, dying to know.

“We toyed with the idea of having the mating ceremony early but with the meeting so soon it wouldn’t be safe. If we were to walk in there as a newly mated pair I would have Beron’s head ripped off within moments of him talking about you like you’re an object. It’s too dangerous,” Rhys said.

“Agreed,” I chuckle nervously. “But if we can’t mate officially then what do we do?”

Rhys rolls over from his spot on top of me so that he can see my face, no doubt wanting to gage my reaction to his proposed solution.

“I make you my High Lady,” he says with pride in his voice.

I knew that Azriel had said it earlier but at the time I didn’t believe him. It didn’t seem possible. I bore no real powers besides winnowing, I had no political knowledge. How could I possibly be High Lady.

“But do you really want that?” I ask. “I mean you’re not just doing it to make sure Beron and Tamlin don’t win right?”

“I’ve always known you were going to be my High Lady y/n. But I knew that the title came with responsibilities. I didn’t want to pressure you into it.” he explains. “But to answer your question more directly, yes, I want it. I want you to be my equal in every way possible. Why do you think I brought up Kallias and Viviane when we were on the Summer Court terrace?”

I smile remembering the interaction.

“Then I guess I’m High Lady of the Night Court now.” I smile triumphantly.

(I was debating wether or not to put this sort of plot twist in here so please leave some feedback because it helps me to know what you guys like and how I can write better for all you beautiful stars!)

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#rhys acotar #rhysand #rhysand x reader #rhysand angst #rhysand fluff #rhysand smut #rhysand acotar #rhysand x reader smut

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penny00dreadful · 5 months

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Okay, okay, okay listen.

Remember when we were all obsessed with Steddie Legally Blonde a while back? Yes, I’m still thinking about it, leave me alone. And I adore everything I’ve read. It’s all so fantastic.

But I had a thought because what if we switched it up a little? I’m going mainly off of the musical here, so bear with.

So what if instead of having Steddie as Elle and Emmett, we instead have them as Paulette and UPS Guy/Kyle??? Like??? It fits, right???

But then, but THEN who do we have as Elle/Emmett?

Buckingham.

No, but just think of it!

Or I guess you don’t really need to because I’ve thought of it enough for all of us and it goes like this:

(OMG you guys I blacked out and when I woke up this thing was 3.1k long written over a few hours. I haven't edited this at all so please be gentle about typos/tense changes etc. The fever just took me.)

Chrissy is your quintessential girly girl. She is Elle Woods. She’s blonde, pretty, cheerleader, very feminine and happy where she is in life, President of her Sorority with her besties by her side and her guy who is… well he’s as good as any guy could be, right?

Jason is handsome, rich, well connected, he treats her with affection and he humours her when she has some pretty wild, out there ideas.

But then it happens and they break up because apparently having a girly girl for a wife just wouldn’t look good if he’s gonna live his life the way he wants to. Lawyer, his own practice, running for office.

Apparently her blonde hair and boobs would hold him back which, what the fuck???

What does that have to do with anything?

They love each other, right? That surface stuff isn’t supposed to matter. At all! They’re supposed to be together no matter what because they… they love each other?

Well fuck that noise, no one tells Chrissy Cunningham she’s too fucking blonde to do anything which is a hypocritical ass thing to say because has Jason looked in the fucking mirror recently?

Different fucking rules, apaprently.

Well, no more.

She’s gonna fuck up law school right along side him and she’s gonna wear fucking pink while doing it too!

And like, everything is going fine.

Chrissy’s not stupid, she knows how she’s perceived by people before they get to know her.

Vapid, bimbo, perky, blonde.

Like that’s an insult.

It’s just harder now that she’s away from her girls, gays and theys back home. And everyone here seems to think that the best way to live their lives is to look boring as shit while doing it along with tearing each other down.

She fucking hates it, but she’s determined to see it through.

It helps that she seems to have found the one person on the whole of the fucking east coast who actually listens to what’s coming out of her mouth rather than just paying attention to the hair on her head or staring at her tits.

Robin is so strange.

She’s different in such a refreshing way, it’s like being able to breathe clean air for the first time in years.

And she’s fucking sharp. And sweet. And so, so comforting.

Chrissy would have never managed to survive the depression of those first few weeks without her.

And like, she’s not ignorant to the fact that Robin sometimes does look at her boobs but at the same time it just feels different coming from a woman than it does a man. It doesn’t feel so objectifying.

Instead of putting Chrissy on edge it makes her feel a little smug. A little proud of herself, it makes her feel attractive and desired in a way she hasn’t felt in a very long time.

Is that sexist? To prefer the attentions of a woman over a man when both do it just fine for her?

Chrissy’s not exactly sure, but she knows she enjoys it when it’s coming from Robin.

So maybe it’s a Robin thing.

Chrissy honestly thinks things are looking up for her.

Until Jason introduces Nicole.

His fucking fiancee???

It’s been, like, four months since they broke up.

Nicole hates her guts, she can tell. She thinks she’s some two braincelled idiot who got into Harvard on daddy’s dime and needs to be babied through the simplest of tasks while not understanding how condescending everyone’s been the whole time.

Chrissy fucking understands. She’s been through it all before, but back then she had people by her side. It’s all so fucking childish. The world already hates women enough, Chrissy desperately doesn’t want to be at another womans throat, over a man no less, but Nicole doesn’t seem to feel the same way.

She’s ambitious and cut-throat and dedicated and a little bit terrifying.

Apart from Robin, she’s on her fucking own out here.

And she needs something.

Something of home to bring some light back into her life.

So she gets in her car and just drives around the streets hoping something will catch her eye.

And it does.

Some tiny little hole in the wall salon with a pride flag out the front that she’s immediately drawn to because god damn it she misses her friends. The girls, the gays, the theys.

As soon as she pulls over she feels both simultaneously like she’s come home and she definitely won’t fit in here, but she’s so emotionally raw at this stage it all kinda ends up converging on her and now she’s standing in front of a mostly empty salon and there’s a guy looking at her and she’s just fucking crying.

Through her blurry vision she can see the guy approaching and she really fucking hopes this isn’t gonna turn into a thing because she just does not have any spoons left to deal with some creep right now.

But he seems to sense how he’s coming off because he becomes a little more effeminate from one step to the next.

“You okay, honey?” He asks, big brown eyes wide with concern and a hand covered in rings hovering over her shoulder, not touching. He has a cigarette in the other hand, held away to keep the smoke from reaching her, his arms covered in ink but Chrissy wants nothing more than a cigarette right now.

Or, that’s kind of a lie, but she’d love one in all honesty. She hasn’t smoked in so long.

The guy spots her eyeing it, sticking the cigarette back between his plush lips and needing to use both hands to pull his carton from his pants considering they’re so tight.

“Bad day?” He hands her one and Chrissy ends up breaking down all over again.

She tells him that it hasn’t just been a bad day, but a bad half a year, really. She tells him all about Harvard and Jason and her professors and Robin and by the end of her ranting they’re sitting back in the breakroom of the salon. They guy’s name is Eddie, she learns and despite his mean and scary exterior Chrissy thinks he might be the gentles person she’s met in this whole god forsaken city.

He holds her hands between his and listens to her. Actually hears her talk and pays attention and is concerned and attentive and she loves him for it.

He helps her find her confidence again, at least for the rest of the day. They commiserate about how they both stick out like sore thumbs in their communities and how people need to just kinda get over it.

He encourages her not to let the normies win, do go hang out with Robin, to go kick ass and she’s just wondering how on earth she can ever repay the favour when they hear

“Knock, knock.”

Coming from the front of the salon.

Eddie’s whole face drains of colour before immediately turning red and he bolts up from his chair, stumbling out of the staffroom and moving back behind the receptionists desk.

Chrissy gets to watch in real time as all of Eddie’s incredible confidence and easy lightheartedness disappears into a vat of nerves mostly hidden by cheeky flirtation as he twirls a lock of hair around his finger and bats his eyelashes at the Hot UPS Guy who looks equally as charmed.

When the guy, Steve, has to get back to his route, Eddie practically melts against the desk as soon as he’s out of sight.

“Looks like I’m not the only one who needs help.”

Eddie rolls his eyes at her but smiles anyway. “I had that handled just fine.”

Over the next few months, she and Eddie get closer, Eddie and Steve stay exactly where they were that first day and she and Robin are quickly approaching best friends level.

But Chrissy is starting to come to terms with the fact that maybe she wants a little more than to be best girly-girl friends with Robin and maybe she wants to stick her tongue down her throat about it.

The two of them are practically attached at the hip, spending all day at classes together, alternating between their respective rooms to study late into the night, ending up in the same bed together and waking up together in the morning.

Chrissy is almost, completely, entirely sure that this is all very not platonic but it’s so difficult to tell.

She’d be constantly sleeping over with her friends back home, hugging, kisses on cheeks, cuddling in bed or when watching movies, just girly things.

But this feels different. Is it different?? Or is this just how Robin is with all her female friends, the same way it’s always been how Chrissy was with her friends back home. How can she tell if it’s going from platonic to romantic??

And all of that needs to go on the backburner anyway because they’re being put on a real life, for realsies you guys case. And if they fuck up this case they could be at fault for someone spending the rest of their fucking life in prison for something they didn’t do??

Unacceptable.

And after Chrissy finds out their client used to be on the same cheer team as her? It was all over. No way was she gonna let her go to prison just because everyone thinks a pretty young woman couldn’t possibly love someone a little older than her.

Not on Chrissy’s watch.

But first she has to deal with Robin’s wardrobe because they professor is insistent that all the women wear skirts and tights and Robin is not having it.

Neither is Chrissy to be fair, so she takes Robin out to the most lavish place she can, decks them both out in the fiercest looking pantsuits they can get their hands on, refusing to back down.

It comes as a surprise to both of them when Nicole stands with them in solidarity as well and now their professor is both outnumbered and losing his arguments with only Jason on his side about this and they fucking win.

It’s only a small win but it still feels fantastic.

Riding her high of winning that small fight, she bursts into the salon and informs Eddie that he is going to either kiss or ask out Steve the next time he sees him and when Eddie reacts like she just said she was going to shave all of his hair off she refuses to hear it.

Because the thing is Eddie is pretty, really pretty and she knows that Steve knows it, but she doesn’t think that Eddie himself is really aware of it. And despite his prettiness, he’s all awkward elbows and knees.

So she gives him some tips and shows him how to highlight certain things about himself, the long legs, the tattooed arms, the hip bones. Even his cute little bum. She teaches him how to subtly pull at his clothes in conversation so some skin is exposed or his tiny little waist is highlighted. She teaches him how to use his eyes to go in for the kill.

He doesn’t seem to think it’ll work but she is almost certain it will.

And it’s confirmed for her when she gets a call later that night from Eddie who sounds fucking over the moon and completely bewildered by the fact that Steve likes him back??? Has done for months?? And they had some incredible dirty nasty sex in the salon after it closed for the night and how they’re going to the movies tomorrow??

Eddie swears he’s gonna send her the biggest fuck off fruit basket he can find.

Everything is looking up for her, especially after she has such a major win in court, figuring out one of the prosecutors witnesses had perjured himself on the stand (without outing him to the whole damn court, thankfully).

Or at least everything was looking up for her until she found herself alone in a room with her professor and she felt the energy in the room shift before it happened.

His hands were on her before she could do anything about it and she cracked him across the face for it before she could even think about what this could do to her legal career going forward.

Because that was the reality of it, wasn’t it?

Either allow herself to get assaulted or destroy her career before it even started.

She didn’t know when her priority had shifted from getting Jason back to actually pursuing this as a future career. But she had found to her own surprise she loved it. She adored it actually.

And now…

Now it would all be gone.

Jason had seen, of course he had and he was less than kind about it because apparently it made more sense that she had fucked her way into Harvard than had actually been smart enough to get there on her own.

She couldn’t stomach anything Nicole could possibly have to say to her but if the way she was glaring at Jason with barely concealed rage after that comment was anything to go by, Chrissy didn’t need to worry too much about that.

She just wanted to go. To get out. She needed to get out. And she would have gotten away scott free if Robin hadn’t been hanging around waiting for her.

Robin’s face broke into a bright smile but that quickly slipped away when she saw the state Chrissy was in. She was all sweet concern and care and affection but Chrissy couldn’t fucking deal with it at that moment, she couldn’t face her.

She couldn’t face Robin who would find out what a fool of herself she’d made believing in Chrissy, when Chrissy had thrown all of their hard work away.

Because no one would ever fucking see her as a person. She was just a piece of ass.

So she ran.

She didn’t even realise where she was running to until she was standing outside the salon doors again.

It was late, they were closed, of course they were, why was she here?

She was standing outside the door crying again like she had been the first time and it was all just so fucking stupid-

“Chrissycakes?”

She was enveloped in Eddie’s arms before she could even blink, being ushered inside and steered back to the staffroom, same as that first time.

There were beer bottles and take out containers over the table and Steve sitting at the table and oh, she’d interrupted something hadn’t she?

What a fucking way to officially meet one of her best friends new boyfriend right?

But they were so sweet.

They sat and listened while she spilled the whole thing, offering at different points to hunt down her professor for her or slash his tires or lose all of his mail or whatever and she was forced to giggle through the tears.

But she shook her head in the end. She was tired. She was sick of having to defend herself constantly.

She needed… she needed to go back to where she belonged.

And she was about to.

She was about to leave the salon, swear to keep in contact with Eddie because god damn it she loved him now and she was ready to run.

But then there was a hammering at the door and Chrissy poked her head out to see Nicole standing there looking like she was on a fucking crusade.

And… was that…?

Robin was standing behind her, looking like she was just trying not to get in Nicole’s way.

Eddie grumbled to himself about changing the damn salons opening hours if this was to continue but he unlocked the door anyway.

Nicole burst in all fire and determination, shoving her finger directly in Chrissy’s face.

“I hated you. But god fucking damn it if you didn’t prove to me that this is the career you belong in. And I refuse to stand by and see an admirable woman of your smarts and calibre get run over by some small dicked professor with a receding hairline. You’re so much more than that. So c’mon. We’re breaking through that fucking glass ceiling if it kills us.”

Holy shit.

Robin pulled her into a tight hug, warm and comforting and a little too long to be platonic, running a hand through her hair.

“We’ll do whatever you’re comfortable with Chris, but… you deserve to be in that courtroom.” She muttered into her ear and Chrissy could do nothing but nod into Robin’s neck.

She heard Eddie sigh behind her. “Okay if we’re doing this then… I need to make a few calls.”

A few days later Chrissy made her triumphant return to the courtroom. Everyone was there to support her. Eddie, Steve, her besties from back home that Eddie had called, telling them it was a friend emergency and so of course they all came right away along with Robin and Nicole bracketing her on each side.

And while she could tell the court wasn’t taking her rants on hair care very seriously, when she finally came out with the verbal crackdown, proving the witness was actually the murderer, the gasps from the gallery were enough to feed her for years to come.

When all was said and done at the celebration later that night, she found herself being approached by Jason.

He told her it was a mistake to let her go, to discard her the way he had and she agreed that yes it was. But his mistakes weren’t her problem anymore. And from the look of it they weren’t Nicole’s problem either.

Jason surprisingly took it well enough, mentioning that he never really felt the same passion for law that she so clearly possessed.

She wished him luck with finding what he wanted to do.

But now.

Now she needed to find Robin.

Chrissy couldn’t take it anymore.

So weaving through the people around her, she grabbed at Robin’s hand, dragging her away from Steve who she had become inseparable with and pushing her into the hallway.

Robin didn’t even have a chance to ask what was happening before Chrissy was on her, pressing her into a wall, holding her close with her hands on either side of her face, kissing her with so much longing and elation and joy and happiness that when she pulled away Robin looked completely dazed.

Robin blinked slowly a few times before her face broke into a wide grin.

“Me too.”

#buckingham #robin buckley #chrissy cunningham #robin x chrissy #buckingham fic #legally blonde au #buckingham legally blonde au #chrissy x robin #steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #penny00dreadful #i dont know what happened #it just appeared #wild huh?

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comradekatara · 3 months

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specifically asking why *zuko* is sexist is WILD because i can’t think of a single ATLA character that does not at some point say something that reveals how deeply they have gender roles ingrained into them. even aang is not exempt (see: ember island players). anyway i don’t even have a question i’m just baffled. do people think feminism is just “girls are strong like boys”

RIGHT. ive seen people say that zuko “has no frame of reference for sexism,” that zuko “doesn’t know what gender roles are/what misogyny is,” that zuko “is a feminist (????????),” that zuko “would be appalled by sokka’s sexism,” that zuko “respects katara and would do chores with her while aang and sokka lounge around like the lazy entitled dudebros they are,” that zuko “comes from a feminist society and thus wouldn’t understand sokka’s misogyny,” etc etc. like, the fire nation is literally a fascist nation. their patriarchy is overt and unsubtle. what is ozai if not the ultimate patriarch. as i’ve already established earlier today, zuko is far more sexist than sokka in far more insidious ways. zuko has never witnessed any examples of sokka’s sexism and never will, because sokka unlearned his bioessentialist logic in episode four. sokka has witnessed plenty examples of zuko’s sexism, including the time he suggested that sokka (a kyoshi warrior) was a little girl incapable of saving aang, and that time he referred to katara as “your sister” because he never even bothered to remember her name. zuko was raised in a palace and cannot even hammer a nail into a roof without breaking his thumb, while sokka hunted and provided for his entire village by himself for years and aang was raised in a communal society where everyone did their fair share of labor to maintain their temple because there was no class hierarchy. zuko internalized extremely rigid gender roles and attempted to embody the violent masculinity of fascism his entire adolescence. just because he is aware that azula and her friends could kill him doesn’t mean that he respects them as human beings. and just because he’s never called out for the way he patronizes, infantilizes, insults, demeans, belittles, and trivializes women doesn’t mean it isn’t present in his actions throughout the entire show. and yes even aang is kind of sexist. the way katara is framed through his pov sometimes is not great, and the way he objects to being feminized in the play is understandable (bc it’s a piece of colonial propaganda that is intentionally degrading him thru misogynistic logic) but also sort of betrays that he isn’t the perfectly enlightened being he makes himself out to be. i’m pretty sure the only character who doesn’t behave sexistly or accept a sexist status quo at some point is suki, and that’s only because she grew up on the isle of lesbos and also happens to only have an total of 5 seconds of screentime. zuko is one of the principal players in the show and also the most deeply flawed. so like, of course he is sexist as well as subscribing to imperialist, hierarchical logic in other ways. it’s soooo evident throughout his entire character arc. i mean, it’s the entire point of his character arc. but this is the “lestat is woman coded” website so idk why im even surprised at this point.

#unreachedgalaxy #asks #zuko #aang #sokka #suki #hot takes #analysis #also im sorry but bringing up lestat …. we don’t need to bring iwtv discourse into this …..

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esther-dot · 5 months

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Hi! I hope you're having a great day!

I have seen so many posts of who Jon will end up with and it's so funny that Sansa is always not on the list. Arya, Val, and Dany are all top picks! Like Arya! Imagine thinking Jon would marry Arya but not considering Sansa because she is not his "type". It's not even about the incest of it all the hypocrites! She's out of the race because of that goddmann willowy creature line. Jon Targaryen would marry anyone else except Sansa Stark, his eldest living female cousin just because she's not supposedly his type.

Imagine hating Sansa so much you do my boy dirty like that and ignore things like this:

in order to argue he doesn’t like people who need a defender. He acted to save the direwolf pups too so you might even say this is an essential character trait we’ve seen in him since the beginning.

Jon is a guy who instinctively protects the vulnerable. He isn’t repulsed by it. He’s playing the knight to Sam above, but the same attitude comes up when interacting with women where you get the sense, Jon is a chivalrous guy who takes action to protect and help those who need it.

Furthermore, if you read his interactions with Alys and that convo with Ygritte about her potentially being abused by a man, that tells us, this isn’t a guy who is insensible to the power dynamics (physical or legal) that specifically victimize women, so it’s wild to me the fandom keeps trotting that line out like we didn’t read everything else about Jon that disproves their hope that Jon is a sexist ass.

And if we’re talking about “type” (which that line isn’t about in the first place!), Jon wasn’t attracted to Ygritte’s violence. Actually, that disturbed him. No, he was attracted to Ygritte’s smile and her singing. He admired Val’s stoicism. That, not a woman killing a man, but her strength of character, is what made him say, women are the strong ones:

Oh look, saving a baby, there goes Jon hating losers that need saving again! I think the reasonable conclusion to make is that he will have compassion and respect for Sansa withstanding everything she’s had to live through since leaving Winterfell. I understand that everyone says he likes warrior women, but the things we’re told attract him, aren’t that. What we do know is that he wanted Winterfell, a lady wife, kids, and wants to give said lady wife flowers. Hold on a sec, hold on, singing, flowers, wanting to live in Winterfell and have children like the siblings he lost, that reminds me of someone…

Also, I made a post about the fandom’s weird use of that line years ago:

(link)

Even if Jon was having a moment of disliking a certain type of girl (which he wasn’t), all you have to do is think of Lyanna in her bed of blood screaming for her brother to come to the conclusion that the author doesn’t want you to mock or despise someone in need of rescuing. And if you read a few Jon chapters, we can also come to the conclusion, Jon doesn’t shrink from playing the hero. It’s a tendency with him. One might even imagine when face to face with a “princess” in need of one, who had a romanticized view of the black knights of the wall, it will be particularly fulfilling experience.

#jonsa #book jon #dot chat #anti asoiaf fandom

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radsplain · 1 year

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This could be me nitpicking, but here we go:

I keep seeing a lot of women online (specifically when responding to videos/tiktoks of trans women spouting wild, uneducated, uninformed, unscientific, outlandish, sexist shit about real women and the struggles we face in all areas of life), who agree that trans identified males have gone too far with their erasure and degradation of women to uplift themselves, say things like, “We accepted them with open arms and this is how they’ve treated us in return? All we asked for is respect. They can have a seat at the table, but just don’t push me out of my seat.”

But I’m here to say no, actually. You cannot have a seat at the table. If you are male, you cannot sit next to us when it comes to any discussion surrounding feminism or our fight for liberation. You’re literally womens’ direct oppressors and our biggest threat. No, you are not welcome in our spaces. No, you do not have a say in the things that concern women all across the globe, because you are not a woman. Fuck out of here. I’m tired of this forced inclusion bullshit. The only thing feminists who are committed to women’s rights and liberation should be inclusive of is women from all different intersections of life. We are not obligated to include males, in any way shape or form. They are not entitled to an opinion on our fight against patriarchy and the havoc it causes to women’s lives because they decided to self-exclude themselves from their own sex. We do not need to be inclusive to men who think being a woman is an imitation, an idea, a superficial concoction of clothing, makeup, hair, and feminine demeanor and presentation. We do not need to be inclusive to men who think “feeling” like a woman makes you one, and that just because you identify with stereotypes of womanhood, that grants you access and power in women’s hard fought safe spaces, organizations, sports, and more. This is how liberal feminism got us here in the first place. We gave delusional, entitled, misogynistic males an inch and they took a fucking mile. So no more. Get the fuck out. You are not welcome here.

#radical feminism #radfem #radfems do touch #radfems please touch #inclusion #intersectional feminism #radsplain.txt

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highfantasy-soul · 2 months

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Ok, here's my breakdown of Jessie Gender's video on NATLA. I decided not to post this as a comment on the video because I just don't feel like it would be productive, but I needed to refute the points she was making as she's a quite respected (at least, I really respect her opinions on things) video essayist and I felt like this video was...wild.

So, I guess it's best to just watch along with her video and read my commentary side-by-side because I don't give much context for my points, this is just a stream-of-consciousness style response.

To be perfectly clear - this is not intended to be a 'hate post' about her, this is just me feeling very strongly that the interpretations of things she had in her video needed to be talked about and another perspective given.

I shift from saying 'you' to 'Jessie' like halfway through (when I decided not to post this as a comment) but I don't feel like going through and changing all those, so yeah, just ignore it.

1) you insulted a martial arts kata as 'a mildly choreographed dance' - it shows a complete lack of understanding of other cultures and a desire to take a quick dig at something you didn't like in a way that insults a cultural practice. I really didn't expect to hear that sort of comment from you so it was pretty jarring when you said it. Ironically, you say that Sokka was wrong to assume the Kyoshi warrior's kata was a 'dance' because that's 'a girl's place' when...you literally made the same insult with not a hint of recognition just a few minutes earlier about a movie you didn't like…

2) I felt that the live-action really deepened a lot of the themes from the OG - take Iroh's storyline for example, fleshing out Suki's character so she's...you know, her own character and not just there to teach Sokka a lesson, and delving into how hard of decisions you have to make during a century long war. Idk, I'm just really curious as to how you felt quite literally the polar opposite of me

3) Sokka's sexism: the animated show handled it one way, but Sokka's treating women as 'less than' wasn't a core part of his character - in all honesty, it doesn't actually make any sense as he was raised by Hakoda (who we never see being sexist), Gran Gran (who left the NWT due to its sexism), and was surrounded mostly by older women. The sexism storyline in the cartoon was to teach a very blatant lesson to kids "don't be sexist, boys!" while the live-action made Sokka's struggles much more realistic and in line with the world building: he struggled with non-traditional masculinity and if he was 'allowed' to be that way while they were at war. For me, it's a much more important message for young men today than the very dated 'women can fight, too!' message that was needed in the early 2000s. It's very odd to me how you claim that Sokka always taking charge isn't ever challenged when...in literally the scene you're showing when you say that, Katara challenges him.

4) I'm sorry, but I cannot possibly see how Suki is her own person more in the animated version than in the live-action. She was literally created solely to teach Sokka a lesson and have no character traits other than 'I'm a strong woman warrior' where 'woman' means 'I like romance' rather than...I'm a whole person with my own wants and desires and fears that have nothing to do with a love interest as is shown in the live-action. You keep comparing the animated and live action as though they were trying to tell the same story about Sokka's journey with his role in the world, but they weren't. Of course Suki's attitude toward him is going to be different, of course he's not going to need to tell her 'you're right, I'm a dumb, terrible man, pretty please could you teach me', because it's a different dynamic they're going for in the live-action.

5) When Sokka pinned her in their lesson in the live-action idk how you got that she was 'demuring herself' to Sokka? Just as in the cartoon, he managed to get the upper hand - which she promptly took back, teaching a lesson along the way. She didn't make herself less so Sokka could feel secure in his masculinity - it's a bit odd you feel that showing respect to someone and helping them learn is 'demuring yourself'. I much prefer them respecting each other than the animated version of them seeing each other as less than and then...her giving him a kiss to prove 'see, I'm a romance-loving girl, too'.

5) To me, Suki beating Sokka in the live-action when the first sparred wasn't her being mean, it was her not understanding how much less experience Sokka had fighting - she genuinely thought he would be able to hold his own against her because he had told her he was the best warrior in his tribe. Her face clearly shows 'I have no idea what I did wrong - I thought that type of sparring is what everyone did for fun, why was he uncomfortable with it?' Not really sure why you made the connection that us seeing Sokka's abs was meant to indicate that his insecurities are unfounded when...literally the whole season shows us that Sokka's struggles aren't "end goal = big strong warrior" but rather "you don't have to be a big strong warrior to help, you are allowed to delve into other aspects of who you are and those are just as important". Just because he has muscles, also doesn't mean he's a competent fighter - those two things aren't the same.

6) It feels like you took certain scenes and made wildly left-field interpretations of them and then claimed that that's what the show was intending you to take from it. It's like saying that the scene that cuts from Sokka saying he bets Momo tastes like chicken and cutting to the scene that shows people cooking meat actually means the showrunners are saying Sokka is going to cook and eat Momo this season and that will then give him the powers of the Avatar. It's very clearly not what the showrunners were saying, but if you interpret it in the least forgiving way and then make a wild leap off that, then yeah, you might get upset with that made-up interpretation. Same with the reasons they didn't put Sokka in the Kyoshi outfit - there is 0 evidence of them nixing that part due to transphobia. I didn't see it as any malicious intent, just a streamline of the plot so Sokka doesn't have to go change before running away on Appa.

7) I feel that the live-action DOES challenge the Fire Bender's colonialist rhetoric in the Kyoshi Island episode, but the animated...doesn't? At all? It's solely about girl power - and as we see with Azula and all the women fire nation soldiers, the fire nation doesn't seem too caught up in sexism. You know what they are caught up in? Which you mention? Bender supremacy. And that's what the live-action directly addresses with Sokka being so surprised that Suki is able to hold her own so well even though she isn't a bender. He's seen just how powerful benders are (they destroyed his home, killed his mom, and beat his ass last episode) and it's in line with the worldbuilding that he feels like he's already several steps behind in being a good enough warrior because he doesn't have bending (a storyline that isn't brought up until an episode in season 3 of the animated show). To me, the live-action Kyoshi storyline refutes the Fire Nation's imperialistic themes much better than the animated show does.

8) The live-action's lesson wasn't that might makes right - Suki never did any strength training exercises with Sokka, she taught him how to control his body and use his opponent's strength against them. Fight smarter, not harder. Know what you're fighting for, not just that you want to fight. Even if you don't have the resources of your opponent, it doesn't mean you're doomed from the start. That last one is particularly poignant when we look at how much stronger the Fire Nation is than the other nations they're subjugating: it's the classic 'oppressed rising up against their oppressors and not winning because they just punched harder, but because they used what they had to fight for a righteous cause and didn't just give up because the other side was more powerful'. That's quite directly what the live-action was saying - the exact lesson you thought it should be saying. You have to do some serious extrapolating from the animated episode to get to those themes while the live-action drew that concept up to the forefront immediately.

9) Aang's journey to accept his Avatar responsibility and the previous Avatar's enforcing this is directly from the animated series. Like, directly. It's not the live-action show saying 'colonialism good'. Showing the Avatar power wasn't the showrunners saying 'see, this OP is good and cool', it was to show the magnitude of it - something the animated show does too. The live-action does talk about how terrifying and damaging that power is - literally the previous episode has Aang almost toss Katara and Sokka off the mountain and they mention it. Just earlier in that episode, Sokka talks about Aang almost killing them and Aangs major hang up about embracing it is that he might hurt someone. Kyoshi argues that not learning to control it will hurt more people and - y'all, individuals are allowed to have their own views of the power that everyone doesn't have to agree with. What happened to 'make strong characters with flaws in their world view?' did you all of a sudden decide that's NOT actually good writing? So having the Avatar who used her powers liberally, and as the video states, used them maybe too much, telling Aang that he needs to use his own powers a lot is…consistent characterization? Which is then challenged by Roku later as he tells Aang that all the Avatars are different and have different views on the power of the Avatar. Why is Kyoshi's opinions suddenly taken as wholly accurate in representing what the show overall is trying to say? She's giving her opinion to Aang - an opinion that has some truth to it, but also some flaws that Aang will need to navigate on his own journey. Kyoshi and Roku's stories are not compressed all into Kyoshi - only the aspect of Roku taking control of Aang and using his body to fuck shit up in the Avatar state is compressed - not the ideological aspects of it

10) Sokka supporting Katara's fight against Pakku is a culmination of his arc to let go of obsessively protecting her and actually letting her decide her course of action herself - because his arc was different in the show than in the animated series. Trying to say that the reason he told her to kick Pakku's ass didn't fit because he was never sexist wasn't the reason - it WAS a culmination of his arc, you just refused to see it by clinging to the old one.

11) The whole argument as to 'why show genocide' I already made a post about, but to condemn the depiction based on the way you interpret the showrunner's quote is disingenuous. Again, it's taking something and making up a narrative around it so you can feel justified in hating it. It's important to show a culture before they are killed because they deserve to be seen as people, not just martyrs. They had lives. They lived and were happy and had a rich culture. They were not just 'fated to die and be told of in history books'. Genocide is disgusting and hard to watch - it's calculated and brutal. Showing that drives home just how awful the actions of the fire nation are in practice rather than just theory. Yes, the airbenders fighting was 'cool' to see - in the way that all action is 'cool' to see. But no, the genocide wasn't played as 'look at neat fighting!' in the live-action. It was shown as brutal and terrible, horrifying and surprising, and the airbenders didn't deserve what happened to them. It also gives you a direct view of what the fire nation is capable of when they come to the south pole and the northern water tribe: you've SEEN the devastation first hand and you DON'T want to see it again. The threat isn't theoretical, it's very real.

11.5) To take a CHILD'S quote about the sequence being 'so cool' is absolutely WILD to me. GORDON IS A CHILD! No, he's not going to have the most sophisticated and politically nuanced sound bite to say about the action sequence in an interview. HE'S A CHILD! Holy mother of god. To use that to bolster your point that 'that's the way it was intended to be viewed and how everyone is going to view it!' is just…..holy shit. You're taking media interpretation from A CHILD??????? Do you think, if we interviewed a child about the OG show, they'd talk about the fucking colonialism??? How Azula was abused too and didn't deserve her fate?? Or do you think they'd say "The fight between the Fire Lord and Aang at the end was so cool!" Honestly thought Jessie Gender wouldn't try to bolster her interpretation with a quote from A CHILD, but I guess here we are…

12) It's wild that she makes the point that conservatives are incapable of reading deeper than just the surface-level visuals of a story while…she's doing literally the same thing just in the opposite way. The live-action depicted the genocide, therefore they MUST just want to 'cool' visual of firebenders fighting airbenders! There can't be any other things at play here! No story being told whatsoever because all it is is spectacle! That's all I see! Ironically, she's falling into the same trap of not looking deeper at why one might depict the horrors of genocide and the battle against people with no army.

13) Aang actually treats the genocide as more immediate in the live-action than he does the animated show. Most animated episodes, you can forget that it even happened, while in the animated show, it pops up a lot in some unexpected ways like when he's uncomfortable waterbending because Gyatzo had always been his teacher, when he yells at Bumi for making light of the genocide, his desire to get to the north to keep it from happening again, when Zhao proclaims that he can wipe out an entire race of benders and Aang says he knows exactly what that's like, when he constantly stays to help people because 'I couldn’t help my own people, but I can help them'. Not only through Aang, but also through every child in the series - like with the animated show, the live-action shows how kids are shaped by the generational trauma of the war plus the immediate effects of it: Teo ready to fight, Jet making compromises to fight back, Sokka shouldering too much responsibility so young, Katara's trauma around her mother's death and her waterbending, Bumi losing his faith, Zuko and Azula being shaped by their father to be the perfect weapons to continue the war.

14) Interpreting Zuko's comment of 'sometimes the weak can become strong' right after his father mutilated him for showing compassion is not meant to be taken as a thesis that 'Zuko just needs to get better at fighting, this is what the story is saying, I am very smart'. It's showing HIS CURRENT view of the world - the idea that his father has taught him that he needs to be strong and Zuko has bought that and wants desperately to earn his father's love. Zuko's story through the series is showing that 'strength' isn't what his father defines it as (or what Jessie defines it as in her video) but rather it's strength of character - compassion is not weakness, it's strength, and no, that doesn't mean if you have compassion you punch harder.

15) The live-action show makes the Fire Nation MUCH more nuanced than the animated show - we see how Ozai and Azula aren't just maniacal villains, but we see the pain and torment their upbringings deal out to them, and in turn, deal to others. It shows the cycle much more clearly and showing fire nation citizens who disagree fleshes out the culture even more.

16) Jet was much more nuanced in the live-action as he's RIGHT about the mechanist being a spy and the king being lax in his duties. He's created a community of people to try to heal from the harm the fire nation has caused them and he gives actual good advice to Katara, helping her emotionally heal and remember the good aspects of her mother.

17) The argument that 'the live action is trying to ignore the past' is a massively simplified narrative. The live-action is showing Aang stuck in the past, unable to take large steps into the future. Pain, trauma and loss can anchor us in the past - it's HEALTHY to keep moving forward rather than only thinking about the pain in the past (ie Jet's advice to Katara). Aang was continually trying to avoid the genocide happening again while simultaneously trying to get past Avatars to do the big hard work for him. His lesson is not to 'forget the past just live in the now' but rather, don't let fear of what has happened in the past stop you from making a difference in the future. Yes, war is loss and suffering, but if you get paralyzed by not being able to prevent that, the fire nation will just keep marching across the world. It's about not letting the past immobilize you to the point where you stop fighting back against oppression - or getting together with a community to help you fight for fear they'll die just like those in the past did.

17.5) Letting go of the past is a buddhist philosophy that is a lot more complicated than Jessie is making it out to be here. Just as in the animated series, characters can come to realizations about lessons they need to learn while still taking seasons to fully learn the lesson - just because Aang said he's ready to let go of the past doesn't mean he's now ignoring it and all will be smooth sailing. It means he's ready to start taking steps to do that and approach life in a healthier way. It's wild that Jessie took the direct quote "I need to let go of the past to focus on my future" and then states that the show is saying "the character's aren't seeing future possibilities and hope, they're focused on the now" when, quite literally, the quote she just referenced….is talking about building a better future.

18) Then, she references later seasons (Aang in the fire nation school) a lot to indicate that the live-action is ignoring those concepts from the OG when….we're talking about season 1 here - not season 3. Why is the world not allowed to organically grow? Why would you make the argument that 'season 1 didn’t explicitly deal with these concepts that aren't brought up until season 3, so therefore they are ignoring them'?

19) Jessie uses a lot of clips from a Daily Wire (conservative talkshow) guy as if that has anything at all to do with the live-action ATLA. She's trying to draw a line between that ideology and the ideology of the show and I feel like she had to bastardize the NATLA show in order to do that so horribly, her interpretation of the story and themes is completely unrecognizable to what is actually shown on screen.

I usually agree with her takes on media, but this video was not it. Every interpretation she had, I interpreted the scenes/lessons in the exact opposite way and, I believe, I interpreted it closer to what the showrunners intended.

Oh no, i just had a thought: this is The Last Jedi all over again! I saw so many negative interpretations of that movie that I just sat and scratched my head over like "How in the WORLD did you get to that conclusion??" when I thought my own interpretation was just...the obvious way to view the movie. I had no idea my views on it would be so controversial. Here we are again. Time is a flat circle. Life is a meaningless cycle of disappointment and confusion, neverending.

#natla #natla positivity #netflix avatar #netflix atla #this isn't intended as hate to Jessie Gender - only a response to her publicly posted video

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c-rowlesdraws · 8 months

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final very superficial appraisal of the live action one piece show:

👍:

-the set design was wonderful and had a cool sense of unreality to it (as in, the environments feel like built sets and it’s part of the fun), it was colorful and theatrical and captured the manga’s blend of piratey genre aesthetics (wooden boards, sailing ships, rolled-up old maps) and “modern” elements like t-shirts and neon signs in a really pleasing way

-the show clicks to the top of the first rollercoaster hill at the end of episode 3 and then goes at the start of ep 4 and it’s just one breathless ride to the finish. I didn’t want the show to end. I do not care about one piece and started watching kind of for the bit but now I’ll actually be really upset if it doesn’t get a second season. That’s how good the second half of this show is.

-I love how all of the characters with colorful hair have clearly-dyed hair where their roots are showing (as opposed to wigs), and in flashbacks to a few of them as children the child actors have the exact same sort of imperfect dye job. It’s wonderful. It adds to the theatrical energy of everything, like “we know you know this is artificial, but we trust you to suspend your disbelief and enjoy this fiction with us”.

-with very few exceptions, all of the actors’ performances are great. They are all cool and fun to watch and there are lots of sweet and funny and emotional moments that work because the writing is sincere. Nobody rolls their eyes for the audience’s benefit at how weeeeird their world is— they live here! I love that.

-the trap beat they did for Arlong’s theme music rules

-this story with its global ocean and seafaring/island-based societies is kind of like “what if Waterworld was like a big colorful carnival” and I love that

-the Snail Phones 🐌

Things I liked less below the cut - 👎:

-Zoro’s backstory bff being depressed because “a girl can beat a boy, but no woman can beat a man [in a swordfight]” was a disappointing line to hear two characters just… play straight in a world that up to that point had seemed pretty non-sexist? But this girl sincerely believes that, and this boy doesn’t push back at all. In this world of self-dismembering clowns and people with axes for arms, you’re telling me that there are no champion swordswomen for little kids to admire? Not one?? From skimming the wiki, it seems like in the manga Kuina’s views are influenced by her sexiest dad, but the show doesn’t include that context.

-Kuina dying offscreen in “an accident” was the only tragic thing in the show that didn’t land for me. It’s just so blatant and funny. You’ve got to get rid of her so she can motivate Zoro, because she’s dead in the manga and that’s how you motivate male main characters, with dead women, but… how? Doesn’t matter! There’s been an accident. Typical backstory girl bff behavior. Call that Fridge To Terabithia.

-Iñaki’s energy as Luffy didn’t always work for me. Some character behavior works in manga and anime, but seems awkward and jarring in real life. It’s very difficult to pull off wild limb-flailing anime exuberance in live-action— live-action Cowboy Bebop’s glimpse of Ed comes to mind. But also, I never really liked Luffy in the parts of the manga I read, either, so maybe I’m just not the target audience for a Luffy in any medium. Iñaki seems like a friendly and chill dude and he certainly gave this role 100%— and also Oda himself loved him for the role, so that says a lot.

-the whole thing with Arlong and his Fishman crew where they’re part of an oppressed and formerly-enslaved minority, so of course they have beef with humans (“but slavery’s been abolished!” shouts a human character), but they’re taking things too far and not just fighting for equality, but domination, which includes extorting, killing, and enslaving humans, starting with this poor little girl here. And since this group are clearly evil and have these big evil plans, it’s cool and great actually for the heroes, who are all humans/members of the majority, to kick their asses and kill a bunch of them. Like… I get there’s a whole thing here with Arlong being twisted by hatred into the very thing he says hates, and maybe we’ll meet more Fishmen later in the story who are just people and not bloodthirsty evildoers, but it’s not a great fictional look?

It takes me back to hbomberguy’s critique of RWBY’s portrayal of the Faunus, and the problems with making your bad guys out of an oppressed ethnic group who, the story says, might have a point, if they went about things peacefully, but are just taking things too far with this domestic terrorism stuff. The Faunus and Arlong should really be writing to their congresspeople instead!

#catie talks #one piece #netflix one piece #some more thoughts the morning after

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bittersweetarts · 2 years

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Little Lamb - Aemond Targaryen x Reader (Chapter 2)

Aemond Targaryen x You – Chapter 1

Word count: 6608 words

Summary: As a maiden of a noble house, it is your duty to wed well. But how will you manage to, with a curious and possessive Prince in the picture?

WARNINGS: Explicit violence, misogynistic behaviour (borderline sexist), dubious consent, no smut

Spotify Playlist – AO3 Page

Chapter 2: Jealousy

It has been little over a month since your settlement at the Red Keep, and thankfully, you have seen little of the wayward Prince.

Aemond had been away at Driftmark, or at least that is what you think Helaena told you. To be frank, you really did not care. He was away somewhere, wherever that was, to quell some resistance (because unsurprisingly, not all are content with being oath breakers and/or serving cruel tyrants). In a way, you wish you had been brave and refused Queen Alicent’s request, as some others are refusing to pledge loyalty to the current monarchs, because you could not say that you were happy being at King’s Landing. You did feel almost at ease, but you could not help but dread whatever misfortune that is heading your way, and you had no doubt that something bad was going to happen to you. Worst of all, you knew that now, you do not have your family to protect you.

The capitol lacked the beauty and charm of your ancestral home, and you missed the wild sea, which you loved to frequent whenever you could. Contrastingly, the water at Blackwater Bay was rank, and the weather was perpetually humid. Your father’s parting words also permanently echo in your inner dialogue, especially before bed every night.

“Secure a marriage with anyone suitable as soon as possible and leave King’s Landing. There is little I can do for you now, my child.”

The remainder of the Summer Solstice Festival was uneventful, and oddly, you could not help but notice that no one would approach you at all during the final events. You opted to miss as many of the events as you could, feigning illness from the unaccustomed weather. To be fair though, you did feel sick at many of these events. Just a glimpse of the one-eyed Prince or his brothers made you feel violently ill, and you remained glued to your brother’s side, successfully deterring unwanted attention. Mostly, you kept your eyes down to your feet and remained silent. Often, you felt paranoid, as it constantly felt like you were being watched. That could not be true, could it?

Little known to you, you were garnered little physical attention during the remainder of the Festival, not because you were unnoticeable. On the contrary, after the Ball, you had become the main topic of conversation for many at the Keep. Though no one seemingly observed your interaction with the Prince on the balcony, you were seen being carried off unconscious on the arms of a Prince known for violence, and predictably, many gossiped about the events in closed quarters.

Though the Prince did not bother himself with idle tongues, he did come up with some meager excuse for his family for the event, which they accepted prima facie, because why would they not? It was none of their concern and they had many more pressing matters. Also, the Queen had become almost fond of you, well enough to turn a blind eye to any indiscretions that may or may not have occurred; and more likely, nothing had happened, because her darling Aemond would never commit any such depravity, for he has never been anything like Aegon.

Any potential suitors which your mother had entertained suddenly gone taciturn, and with your impending relocation, you chaperones chose to ignore the obvious and begin to dote on you, giving you more attention than ever had in your life. What everyone, except you, knew is that there was a silent figure behind the scenes which intimidated all noblemen at the Keep from even starting a conversation in public regarding you. Having no one to talk to, except your mother and Steffan, you felt isolated, which was not unusual, but you knew that this time, it was not you who decided these terms. You had even hoped that perhaps, an opportunity to interact with Queen Helaena would present itself. However, she was constantly busy, and you rarely got to talk to her.

Thankfully, the Festival ended quickly. At the blink of an eye, you were home at Storm’s End, packing your belongings and saying goodbye to your family. It was particularly difficult saying goodbye to your youngest siblings, who you helped raise, and they had barely reached the middle of their childhoods. They were so young and could not understand why you were leaving. You were not being wed, so why should you leave their family?

More painful however, were the despairing looks your elder siblings and parents gave you. No one uttered a word about your time at King’s Landing, for what could they say?

And so, you found yourself soon back at the capitol, alone now. The kind Queen Helaena however, tried so very hard to make you feel otherwise, and as did the lovely Queen Alicent.

Following your arduous journey, you were greeted by the female members of the Royal Family and settled into your new quarters, which though smaller, was significantly more lavish than your previous accommodations at the Keep. You also could not help but notice the stocked shelves near the wooden desk in your room, filled with countless titles which caught your eye. The title that immediately caught you eye was ‘Ruined Cities, Stolen Gods’ by a man named Vaggoro.

You were also introduced to Helaena’s children – Jaehaera, Jaehaerys and Maelor. Each was as lovely as their mother, and though they did not resemble your siblings, you could not help but feel affection towards them just the same. During the day, you found yourself spending time with Helaena and her children. Some afternoons you would be at the Gardens, playing hide and seek with the children, and on more warmer days, you would be at their chambers, sat on a daybed, reading to them about Targaryen history. Occasionally, Helaena’s brother-husband, Aegon would hastily greet you whilst visiting his children and sister-wife, but mostly, he ignored you.

It is common fact throughout Westeros that Aegon II has been different since his capture by his uncle, the now deceased Prince Daemon Targaryen. The stories about what had happened during his capture remains mystery, but what everyone accepts is that the King has become an empty shell of who he used to be. Whether that was so terrible, you could not say, as his childhood depravity was infamous throughout the Kingdom.

More often though, you would find Prince Daeron with the children and Helaena. As expected from a young Prince, he frequently skived training and history classes, spending time with the children. He would tell them lively stories of his adventures riding the she-dragon, Tessarion, and would often casually flirt with you. You did not mind it, and in a way, the young Prince reminded you of Steffon, who was similarly charismatic, frequently flirtatious, and rarely failed to lift the spirits of those he was around.

You also knew that Prince Daeron’s flirting was harmless. He was more than almost a decade younger than you, and you soon saw that he flirted not only with you and almost every lady at the Keep, but even with some boys, and rather shamelessly so. Not that it is any of your business.

And so, time gently glided by. Slowly, you started feeling at peace at King’s Landing. In a way perhaps, complacent, as you did not heed your father’s parting advice. You did not try to entertain suitors, and during the evenings (your only free time), you chose to confine yourself in your chambers, reading one of the many books in your new collection. You did not even have to bring yourself to visit the Keep’s Library, as you were satisfied with the options in your chambers. Also, you still felt uneasy about being out alone after dark, memories of the last time you had done so flooding in like a heavy current.

You found that your sweet tooth at the capitol was best satisfied by plum cakes, and you always stopped by the Royal Kitchens every morning to bashfully grab some for breakfast. You could not stomach properly eating in front of anyone except family, so you always broke your fast alone before joining the Royal Family for breakfast.

Slowly, your daily routine transpired. Although there were many other ladies-in-waiting, maids and servants at the Keep, you and Helaena’s family soon became absorbed in your own world, with its little routines. Part of your morning tasks included being the only person to set out breakfast for the Royal Family. This was so out of security precautions; Helaena did not trust anyone being left alone with you in a room filled with items that could be weaponized, and you did not mind being alone. The idle work helped keep your mind off anxious thoughts, and you let yourself get absorbed in the mundane tasks.

Perhaps that is why you did not realise that the wayward Prince was back. When you entered the dining room, expecting it to be empty, it was still dawn. The room was dim, lit by candlelight, and you had only started preparing the table. As you set down the cutlery, a clinking sound echoed throughout the room. Once done, you turned around to head back to the Kitchens, but froze at the sight of Prince Aemond, dressed casually in a billowy white blouse and black riding trousers. It had been a long while since you had seem him last.

The one-eyed Prince was leaning against the wall next to the exit, observing you with a smirk. You were dressed in a short-sleeved light blue gown, and the Prince found the contrast against your tan skin appealing, the vision intoxicating his judgment.

“Please, do not stop upon my accord.”

The Prince was in a good mood, you noted, which was unlike your first solitary encounter, and you preferred this attitude much more. Opting to maintain this mood, you forced a small smile and bowed, briskly heading towards the exit, whilst keeping your hands tightly together in front of you. You had almost managed to leave the room, but foreseeably, Prince Aemond stopped you, gently grabbing your left arm.

“What, no good morning? Am I still to receive your silent treatment?” He spoke lightheartedly with a smile. You bit your tongue, halting any haughty reply. You understood that this is simply a game for the Prince, and you decided that it was best to bore him.

“Good morning, my Prince. Welcome back,” you say in a monotonous voice, devoid of any affection.

You still keep your gaze down to your hands, which slightly irritated the Prince. As alluring you are in that position, the wayward Prince wanted you look back at him, with your memorably defiant stare.

“ ‘My Prince’ – I like that,” Aemond spoke lowly, lifting your chin to face him. “I can think of a few ways you can truly welcome me back,”

You knew that it was too early for anyone to stumble upon you, but the walls have eyes and ears here, and you knew that this would not bode well for you. The Prince, on the other hand, would be left unscathed, even if he were not royalty.

Ignoring his comment and trying to pull away, you looked back at the Prince, endeavouring to change the topic.

“I must finish setting the table before the rest of your family wake. May I request anything from the Kitchens for your breakfast?” Though you attempt to pull away, Prince Aemond still firmly holds your jaw, staring back at you with his violet eye. Ignoring your question, he responds.

“You are not as amusing so early the morning.”

“And you are not amusing to me generally,” you say defiantly, irritated with his attitude now.

Contrastingly, Aemond remained smiling, and opted to amuse himself since you were ceasing to do so. Dragging his fingers smoothly from your jaw, the Prince proceeded to trace your collarbones, which were exposed by your dress. The Prince could not help but notice how bare your chest was. You, on the other hand, had never have you regretted your choice of attire as much as you had then. But what were you to do? If you even raised your voice and someone intervened, you would be found by in a compromising position. Would it even help if you asked him to stop?

So, you chose to do nothing, letting your nerves get the better of you. You closed your eyes, hoping that by some miracle, you would be left alone, or for this moment to pass quickly.

Aemond continued to trace your collarbones, and then your chest, slowly. He was enjoying watching you squirm, and relished the moment. To say you felt helpless was an understatement. Without realising, tears escaped your eyes, which slid down your face and onto your chest.

“Has anyone told you how pretty you are when you cry?”

Opening your eyes, you see him staring at your mouth, which vexed you.

“No, but then again, most do not find arousal in the sorrow of others.”

Smiling, Aemond collected remnants of your tears with his forefinger, and tasted it, maintaining eye contact with you. Letting go of your arm, he ran his hand through your hair, softly, as he did before. Though it felt pleasant physically, the circumstances only fueled your indignation.

“I shall let you return to your duties, my lady. The children are to wake soon and will be hungry. If you think me a monster, you must yet have to see them famished.” Chuckling, he resigned to himself.

The moment he let you go, you fled, wiping your face with your sleeve, feeling slightly robbed of your dignity.

The morning quickly drifted by. The wayward Prince was absent at breakfast, much to the dismay of Queen Alicent, who had dearly missed her son. You, however, could not even remotely share the same sentiment. It was here you found out that he had only arrived shortly before meeting you, and was now asleep in his chambers.

The children bickered between themselves, Helaena ranted about her dreams, and the remaining Princes spoke amongst themselves. At one point, Prince Daeron complimented your dress, which would normally flatter you, but not today. At this point, you were ready to burn the dress.

It was an otherwise uneventful morning, and the afternoon similarly drifted by. The twins were off with Queen Helaena, having their portraits painted, and you found yourself alone entertaining young Prince Maelor.

He was a lovely, but mischievous child, and enjoyed causing harmless trouble throughout the Keep. By late afternoon, you found yourself carrying the young Prince to his chambers. After you finally caught the young boy sprinting away from a Ser Osgrey, who he had thrown mud at, exhaustion swept over him, and you decided to carry him off to his chambers and read to him before supper.

Setting the tired child down onto one edge of the emerald-toned day bed, you went off and picked up the thick brown book laying at the windowsill. The heavy book, filled with illustrations, depicted Targaryen history, and it was the unspoken responsibility of every member of the Royal Family to be well acquainted with it.

As you read aloud, Prince Maelor laid his head on your thighs and listened to you read until drifting off to sleep.

“… A modest feast followed the ceremony, and many toasts were drunk to the health of the boy king and his new queen. Afterward Jaehaerys and Alyssane retired to –”

“You have a lovely voice.”

You slightly jump, startled by the new voice. For a moment, you expect King Aegon, or even Prince Daeron, as they are the only ones aside from Queen Helaena who are permitted to enter the children’s chambers without permission. That is, apart from Prince Aemond, who now stood at the closed doorway of the room. You gently rocked the boy Prince, who began to tumble in his sleep due to your startled movement.

“Thank you, my Prince,” you softly respond, glancing at him momentarily before returning your attention to the book in your hands, although you have now stopped reading aloud.

There is a small gap on the daybed to your left, and you suddenly feel it dip. All of the sudden, you feel very warm and your cheeks flush, which the Prince immediately notices, and his lip quirks into a side smile.

“Though it flatters me, you do not have to lose your voice every time I enter the room, my lady.” The wayward Prince smoothly speaks into your ear. At this, your breath hitches. Flustered, you stare at the sleeping Prince.

“So, you are teaching our future Kings and Queen our history. Please do continue, I am sure my beloved nephew still can hear your lovely voice in his sleep. I certainly do.”

For a moment, you contemplate your potential courses of action. You could wake the boy Prince to move away, but that would not help you escape Prince Aemond, and may distress the child. You do not feel obligated to follow the one-eyed Prince’s ridiculous decree, but you also do not fancy hearing his indignant voice anymore, so you decide to read aloud anyways.

Taking in a breath, you glance down at the book again, and continue reading. At one point, you feel Prince Aemond lean his cheek against your shoulder and neck lightly, which momentarily paralyses you. But as you glance at him, you realise that he is simply staring at the book, trying to get a better view. Or at least, that is what you convince yourself, which in actuality, is untrue.

You had been reading for a long while now, and the sun is beginning to set. Though your mind drifts to wondering when the twins and Helaena would return, you knew that portrait painting was a lengthy affair, and that they would be busy probably until supper.

“… The year continued without further crisis or test as Jaehaerys and Alyssane settled in to rule. If certain members of the small council were taken aback when the Queen began to attend their meetings, they voiced their objections only to one another, and soon not even that, for the young Queen proved to be wise, well-read and clever.”

“Reminds me of someone I know,” Prince Aemond interrupted, leaning more onto you. You were now very close, and oddly, an unexplainable feeling coursed through you. Without meaning to, you looked at him, and saw a sincere expression in his face, which felt uncharacteristic. Though the comment was vague, Aemond did truly mean it, based on all of the probing he had done into your life since your arrival.

Aemond proceeded to physically detach himself from you. Facing you, he moved some of the wavy hair that had collected against your slightly damp neck, inching increasingly closer to your face.

You were about to respond, but the sleeping Prince decided to wake at that point. Feeling his stirring, you moved away from the one-eyed Prince, picking the small boy up and hugging him. You knew that Prince Aemond was closely observing you, but found yourself unphased by his stare now. In a way, you have become almost accustomed to his presence. You gently rocked the boy Prince, as he slowly woke.

“Uncle?” He voice spoke groggily first, before repeating in a more excited tone. “Uncle? You have returned!” Prince Maelor almost entirely jumped from you onto Price Aemond, which the latter embraced delightfully, picking the young boy up and spinning him around the room whilst greeting him.

If you were being honest, the sight of the long-haired blonde Prince spinning his nephew around as the warm sunset light drifted in through the window, was beautiful, and it became a memory you would truly cherish.

You had felt content for the following weeks to come. Your duties made time fly by, but as the weather slightly cooled, you started to feel better, and less overwhelmed by the foreign city.

The days passed as they always did, the only difference being the ever-needy presence of Prince Aemond. As a trusted confidant of the King, Prince Aemond was constantly busy, yet he always made time to be around Helaena and the children, and by extension, you. And this was an arrangement to the Prince’s liking, not that he was surprised, as his plans rarely go astray.

However, the cruel Prince did not anticipate one unwelcomed factor in his plan: Jayse Wylde, one of the eldest of the Jasper Wylde’s many children.

Jasper Wylde is the master of laws in his elder brother's small council, and for some odd reason, this made his heir, Jayse, feel immune to the callousness of the one-eyed Prince.

It was known throughout the Keep that you were off bounds, practically prohibited. It was clear as day that the Queens cherished your presence, trusting you with the children, and the attention Prince Aemond had bestowed upon you was unlike his public character, and many whispered behind closed doors that you were his paramour.

Unbeknownst to you, during one of the nights of the Festival, a nobleman from some northern house spoke crudely about your figure that evening, not realising that the one-eyed Prince was nearby, and to this day, no one knows where this minor nobleman is. Most speculate that he was fed to the she-dragon, Vaghar, and the Prince has not tried to dispel with these rumours in the slightest.

That is why the one-eyed Prince did not even anticipate that the cocksure Jayse Wylde, who doesn’t even reside in King’s Landing, would try to garner your attention, because surely his father would knock some sense into him, would he not?

Yet, Jayse still tried.

He first stumbled upon you on a holy day, as you left the Great Sept of Baelor alone, following morning congregation. You wore a blue dress with a black cape, and Jayse did not recognise you at first. He felt compelled to introduce himself. Though you were initially startled, Jayse was charismatic and traditionally attractive, with a tall build and dark hair. As he introduced himself, you felt at ease.

He was charming and confident, and seemed similarly pious. You discovered that he was visiting his father at King’s Landing, and was recently anointed as the new Lord of Rain House, located in the stormlands, fairly close to Storm’s End. Hearing this, a surge of longing struck you. Immediately, you practically begged him to tell you all about his life there, and soon found yourself spending the day strolling with him through the nicer parts of the capitol, pleasantly conversing. Though it could have been deemed improper for a maiden like yourself to be alone with a lord in public, he kept a respectful distance and you felt like you could trust him.

Though you are beautiful, Jayse was most attracted when you introduced yourself. The nobleman recognised your good name immediately and decided to pursue. Based on word of mouth, he knew that the Targaryens valued you immensely, but have only known you for a brief amount of time. You leaving the Red Keep should not be a difficult, given that you are a noblewoman after all, and all expect you to wed. Having you as a lady wife for himself, or even his any of his brothers, would serve immense political utility. Yes, you would be a very useful piece in this game of thrones, and your presence alone would be good protection for the House of Wylde.

And slowly, the young Wylde began courting you, not discretely, but not publicly either, which suited you well, as you did not crave unwanted attention.

He felt familiar and being with him was a promise of being closer to home and family, something you valued vastly. Conversations with him flowed easily, and he never overstepped or disrespected you. He made his intentions towards you clear, or so you believed, and you began imagining a life with him. You both came from large families, and whilst the prospect of birthing many children frightened you, the potential joy that could arise filled you with hope. As much as you loved your siblings, you felt like you lost much of your childhood raising them.

Motherhood had always seemed like a distant prospect for you, but having recently spent so much time caring for the twins and Maelor, the idea of having offspring of your own in your homeland was something you began praying for before bed.

Given your age, position, and that you lacked any guardians or wards, Jayse proceeded to court you rapidly and untraditionally. In the matter of days, you formally met his father during evening tea, and it was this meeting that alerted the one-eyed Prince.

Aemond Targaryen had become accustomed to your presence in his life, and he began looking forward to your meetings. While he found your looks and intellect attractive, he most coveted your physical presence, for it had a soothing quality. You also almost always knew when to speak and when to remain silent, and with you, the mood of the room was constantly cheerful.

Prior to your arrival, his mother was frequently anxious, and almost always in a foul mood, and his sister Helaena persistently avoided her children, leaving them to some nameless maids whilst sinking into a slow depression. With your arrival, life slowly returned back into the Targaryen family. You brought a constant stream of interesting conversation, and when silence was needed, you provided a comforting presence.

That is why your absence at just one family supper had alarmed Prince Aemond. As usual, he strolled in after everyone had begun dining, and had immediately notice a vacant seat directly across the table from him, where you normally sat. The room was duller than normal, the children bickering among themselves, and no one aside from his mother greeted him. As he sat, he could not help but notice his sister’s gloomy silence.

“Where is your Lady? I did not peg her as one who abandons her duties,” Aemond spoke in a chagrin tone.

As if snapped from a trance, Helaena glanced at her brother.

“Oh. She had kindly asked if she could miss supper today, and I did not have the heart to decline her request. She never asks for anything.”

His younger brother, Daeron, oblivious as ever, had been stuffing his face, and managed to speak before Aemond could, his mouth still full.

“Ah! I was wondering where your fair lady was. Did she say what her plans were?”

“To meet the master of the laws. One of his sons is visiting, and he wanted to introduce her before he left,” Helaena responded wistfully, pushing her plate away. The Queen Alicent was silently observed the conversation and felt dread wash over her. Aegon on the other hand, remained absently aloof, slowly eating his meal. As Helaena spoke, the children were taken out of the room by some trusted maids, sensing the rigid atmosphere.

Suddenly, Aemond’s blood began pulsing rapidly. His face would not betray his anger, if not for the flaring of his nostrils.

The Prince had been in a good mood prior to this, and to say that he felt angry was an understatement. Though he had been busy this past week, preoccupied with stragetising the quashing some stupid resistance, he truly did not anticipate that you would organise a marriage on your own so quickly. He now realises that this was never something you were incapable of.

He also did not anticipate that anyone would be foolish enough to go against him again, especially not so soon after the war.

You were quite nervous when you met the master of the laws, but Jayse continuously reassured you that you had nothing to worry about. He told you that you were intelligent, pretty and his father would be a fool to expect anything more.

What you avoided telling the young Wylde was that you worried not of bad impressions, but that his father would strike down your courting immediately, by virtue of your identity. You were not a fool, and you realised that your lack of suitors was not due to your plain appearance or your house’s lack of influence, but due to certain dragons behind the scene. This was exactly what your father discretely warned you about, you felt silly for failing to realise it for so long.

Though you felt comfortable at King’s Landing now, for how long would it last? You were not blind, and you knew that the wayward Prince had at least a remote interest in you. Even he was not in the picture, what of the possessiveness of the Queens? Though you previously fantasised living an independent life, being away from your home and family made you detest yourself for being so ungrateful and ignorant. The life of being a spinster maid now felt like an awful fate, as did becoming a mistress to Prince Aemond. It would not be possible for him to wed someone of such little affluence like yourself, not that it mattered as you knew that you were merely a temporary folly to him, and nothing more. You might as well have been a human attraction in a visiting spectacle to him.

Thankfully though, evening tea went well. The well-spoken Jasper Wylde, though incredibly misogynistic, never ceased to be polite and understanding, and conversation was as pleasant as it could be, though you definitely restrained your tongue many times. The elder Wylde asked about your father, as they knew each other. You proceeded to tell him about some of your father’s exploits, such as his recent trade deal with a Dornish merchant family. This arrangement had introduced the steady import of lavish textiles, a prospect which relieved you immensely, as it has brought in a much-needed income for the household, whose debts seemed ever growing. You also assured the patriarch that a letter has been sent to her parents, informing them of the serious courting currently occurring.

Though untraditional, Jasper accepted this. Like his son, he knew the value of having you in the family, and this process needed to be expediated as quick as possible, so as to avoid the repercussions from the Royal Family. Though Jasper is not one to take such risks, his favoured son had already started, and this was not something that could be easily returned from.

As the evening came to its decline, the council member excused himself, stating that he went to bed early. You felt satisfied with how the introduction went. As you said your goodbyes, Jayse offered to escort to your bedroom. Naturally, you accepted, and the two of you set off. As you walked, the two of you remained in comfortable silence, at least until you neared your chambers. The hall was empty, which was not abnormal as fewer noblewomen have been serving the Queens as of late, resulting in this area of the Keep’s solitude.

“Why don’t you leave with me?” Jayse’s deep voice through the hallway.

You halted, turning to look at him, wide-eyed. Though you have been an active participant, you did not have any expectations for how this courting process would proceed. You have never done anything like this, and truthfully, it still felt like a fantasy.

At the very least, your parents needed to know of this courting, and Jayse had yet to propose your engagement. However, the young Wylde would still be staying for another week, and perhaps, with at their current rate, the prospect is realistic. Surely the Queens would understand your departure. Queen Helaena’s earlier compassion came to memory, and you felt hopeful.

That is, only for a brief moment.

As you opened your mouth to respond, you were suddenly pushed aside, though not harshly. Whilst you did not fall, you felt your soul leave your body. Because in the blink of an eye, you saw a familiar long-haired blonde, pouncing on the young Wylde with no difficulty at all.

For a brief period of time, you were in disbelief of what was happening. You have read stories about violence and bloodshed daily since childhood, but this was the first time you truly witnessed it directly.

In front of you was Prince Aemond, savagely striking your suitor repeatedly, with no difficulty. Whether Jayse put up a fight, you could not say, because when you came to your senses, his face was bloody and unrecognisable. He was unconscious by the time you found your voice, and Aemond showed no indication of stopping. Though his back was facing you, the only sound in the empty hallways was his heavy breathing and a horrid cracking sound. It was this sound that snapped you into your senses.

“Aemond, please, please, stop this!” You yelled through your sobs. You did not even realise that you were crying. But the Prince did not stop, and you proceeded to repeat yourself, again and again. He would not stop however, and you did not know what to do.

You tried to wrap your arms around his waist, but instead, you were mistakenly knocked away. Aemond, blinded by his violent rage, did not even realise. But you were not one to be easily dismayed, and tried again, until you managed to wrap your arms around him. His movements were vicious, and you knew that you would be bruised, at the very least, as collateral damage. Yet you remained, hugging him tighter and begging him until he finally stopped.

You do not know when it was that he halted, but it felt like forever. As you held him tightly, he continued shaking, and you along with him. You were still sobbing, and whether the back of his shirt was damp from sweat or your tears, you could not say. But you remained that way, terrified that if you let him go, he would continue until he murdered Jayse. That is, if he survived this beating.

As the Prince’s breathing slowed, he placed his hands on yours, and unclasped you from himself, turning around to face you. You kept your eyes shut however, afraid to see the damage. You could feel the sleek wetness of the Prince’s hands, and you knew that it was Jayse’s blood, now coating your own hands.

With vehemence, Aemond grabbed hold of your jaw, and the rigid action and the coldness of his damp hands made you open your eyes in surprised. Your eyes were bloodshot, and you were still crying, but that only seemed to satisfy Aemond. Cruelly, the Prince spoke.

“Is not clear to you? How can someone so clever act so dim? What else must I do for you to understand?” Harshly pulling your face to his, Aemond continued, almost spitting his words. “Your place is here with us now. With me.”

Grabbing hold of your waist, the Prince pulled you closer, and you tried shaking your head in defiance, but failed, as Aemond tightened his grip. Moving aside, the Prince pulled on your chin, making face Jayse. The sight made you physically ill, and you immediately shut your eyes.

What you saw was no longer Jayse, but a remnant of who he physically was. Pulling you face back to his, the Prince continued, though you truly wish he had not.

“You do not belong to some fucking insolent lord of nowhere. You belong to me. What must I do for you to understand, to behave?” His words reminded you to those from the first night, and you start shaking even more profusely.

“Let it be clear without any doubt.” You suddenly felt his harsh grip on your face release, and suddenly, a soft hand caressed gently caressed your cheeks, and he changed his tone of speech into something soft, as if he were a lover whispering sweet words into your ear.

“Open your eyes, my lamb.” That stupid nickname only made you shut your eyes more tightly.

Suddenly, the Prince screamed: “Open your eyes, woman! Or perhaps I should finish what I started.”

With this threat, you opened your eyes and grasped hold of his waist again, incredibly tightly. You did this to hopefully stop him, but the Prince interpreted your actions differently. Smiling for the first time since seeing you, he hugged you, and proceeded to stroke your hair gently. The thought of Jayse’s blood in your hair made you feel even more ill, but you swallowed down anything that threatened to escape. The only thing that calmed you down was the fact that you could now hear laboured breathing coming from Jayse. He seems to be unconscious, but alive, and that is all that mattered to you at that point.

Though he still firmly held your waist, you let go of the Prince, and reached up to gently grab his face, cupping it. Aemond was surprised by this, not expecting you to calm down, but here you were, directing his attention and speaking in an even tone.

“I will do whatever you want, whatever it is that you ask for. I will not try to leave, you have my word.” Aemond truly felt like he was in heaven, hearing those words leave your mouth. Though you were sobbing no more, a tear escaped your eye. “But please, my Prince. I beg of you, please, help me bring him to the infirmary.”

Ignoring the last part of your request, Aemond stared at you with his dilated eye, and smiled sincerely, before responding.

“Anything?”

“Anything. I promise.”

The Prince proceed to bring his face to yours, nestling his nose near your left ear, while whispering.

“Tell me that you are mine.”

Swallowing your pride, you comply.

“I am yours.”

“Say it again.”

He reminded you of a child, in need of constant reassurance. You wished you could just slap him, but you were desperate, and you knew that Jayse’s life was in your hands now. You do the only thing you could think of. Tilting your head to your left, you lean forward and chastely press your lips against the Prince’s, hoping that this satisfies him. Pulling away, you feel your lips tingle, and realise that his lip was bloody. It was his own, the fresh copper taste stinging in your mouth. So Jayse did put up a fight. I’m glad.

Aemond remained silent, staring at you wide-eyed and now breathing rabidly. You feel at a loss, so you try again. This time, pressing your lips against his more harshly, you kiss him for a moment longer, before pulling away and cupping his face in your hands.

“Please, Aemond.”

Your voice was dripping with desperation, and the Prince could almost convince himself that you were begging for something else. It took significant will power to ground himself, and with a sigh, he untangled himself from you, and turned around, kneeling down to pick up the unconscious man.

“Your room is close. Leave. Have a bath. I have seen many dead men, he will be fine.”

You try to protest, adamant to go to the infirmary as well, to ensure that Jayse is treated, but the Prince quickly silences you with a harsh stare. He looked like he was about to drop the injured man, and the prospect terrified you.

In a low, warning tone, the Prince spoke.

“You promised.”

Feeling defeated, you turned and hastily leave. Before turning the corner, you glance back, and see the one-eyed Prince still watching you. All you could do now, was to trust him and hope he is being truthful. You turn, and head to your chambers, preparing yourself for a long, sleepless night.

I felt feral today and chose to neglect my responsibilities in order to draft this chapter. Hope you enjoyed! I make no promises about when the next chapter will be written, although it may be done before the season finale releases ;)

In case you also want to listen to the songs I had on repeat for the entire day today, here is my playlist for the fic! I have also posted this on AO3, incase you prefer that platform

– Chapter 3

#aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen #aemond x reader #aemond image #aemond targeryen imagine #imagine #house of the dragon #hotd #aemondtargaryen!thots #aemon targaryen x you #aemond targaryen fanfiction #aemond fanfiction #prince aemond #aemond the kinslayer #aemond x oc

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controversial-blorbo-bracket · 6 months

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Controversial Character Tournament Round 2: Light Yagami from Death Note vs Edelgard von Hresvelg from Fire Emblem: Three Houses

(remember that these characters are fictional and your fellow tumblr users are real. please be normal in the notes, i will not hesitate to block if you harass people)

Propaganda under the cut, may contain spoilers:

Light Yagami:

LOVE: - "He does some messed up things but have you considered: fucked up protagonists rock :)" HATE: - "this man makes me sick. ive genuinely had manic episodes over hating him. i have trauma from his existence in general. not even because of the murder. because hes a sexist cheater :(" - "My cousin and I frequently debate this. I think despite his 'intentions' he's ultimately a despicable character who cares for nobody but himself. She disagrees and says that he is just trying to do the right thing and making a difference in the world (she still thinks his actions are wrong, but she doesn't think he himself is despicable)" BOTH: - "I mean cmon man"

Edelgard Von Hresvelg:

LOVE: "People either claim she's the hero or the irredeemable villain with no in between. She's also my lovely wife who has never done anything wrong in her life." "I never even finished her route and remember nothing of what happens in that game but I DO remember the absolute warzone the fandom turned into because of her. She staged a coup and overthrew the head of the government/church and I think that's pretty cool of her. "But she committed war crimes!" God forbid women do anything." "I lied in the previous question. I don't hate her or love her in fact I have never even played this game. But I keep finding people making up Discourse™ featuring wild accusations of bigotry towards both Edelgard fans and Edelgard haters so I feel that she belongs here. (Also my friend hates her. but HER friend loves Edelgard. So even in my small social circle there is a clear polarization.)" "ok I don't have any solid propaganda because my opinion of her is more positive-neutral, but. she fits the spirit of this poll. trust me." "[three houses spoilers] Yes she started a war but it was the only apparent way to break the chokehold the church had over everyone in Fodlan. Also she’s the only lord you can gay marry so I’m hopelessly biased" "every time i go into the tag its either "edelgard is perfect no notes!!" or "edelgard is literally a fascist!!!". ive never seen someone with a neutral opinion of her. i yearn for battle." "I know very little about her to be quite honest! But good god. As a fire emblem fan for the GBA and engage. I have NEVER seen such a decisive character like Edelgard. Jesus Christ. I still find stuff in those tags. What the hell!!!" "I don’t even go to Fire Emblem but even I know that Edelgard has never done anything wrong, ever, in her entire life, and that if she did any war crimes they were a SUPER effective use of girl power. source: I am a lesbian. (realtalk I genuinely love a noble-minded extremist revolutionary and think Edelgard is a great character, so it’s kind of a shame that opinion on her seems to simply split down the line of “whether the person wants to kiss Edelgard or Dimitri more.”)"

HATE: "So on the one hand, she's fully willing to kill and burn and murder her way to a "better future" at the expense of the present, but on the other hand she's pretty cool and #girlboss. She's also a canon gay romance option, but idk if that makes her more or less problematic." "I just. I understand why people like her. I really do. And I don't have anything new to say for why I dislike her. Edelgard fans and stans have heard everything. She has great points and motivation, but her methods are wrong. She hitches her ideals to the first good opportunity and never reconsiders her allegiance when things go off the rails. She hates the church for "lying to people" and proceeds to lie to her own populace herself in her own route. She gives Claude an opportunity to live because she knows he believes in her goals. But Dimitri and his Kingdom are too beholden to the church to ever be offered such mercy. She herself acknowledges that the change she wants to see is more quickly enacted through war than subtle and slow societal change. She recognizes the human toll of her actions, but she justifies it through flowery language and an insistence that the change needs to happen now or it never will. I honestly find her so interesting, and I agree with a lot of her thoughts about the need for societal change in the world of FE:3H. But people latched onto her and propped her up as someone who can do no wrong. And that just never sat right with me. I just think she’s a hypocrite who got put in front of a shiny means to her end and was immediately blind to every other opportunity around her." BOTH: - "I dont even play fire emblem but I cant escape people not shutting up about how much they love or hate her" - "You said there were no hate answers for her...and I don't really hate her so it wouldn't be right but I wanted to balance things out some. She's the perfect storm of a character who sounds right and progressive and has a route all to herself that doesn't contradict that...but once you play other routes, it becomes clear she's kind of. full of misinformation. And attacking people who don't deserve it. Also a LOT of the divisiveness I'm willing to blame on the writers rather than her, for having her both be Evil Tyrant we NEED to take down and Sad Uwu Baby who just wants to eat cake and laze around and loves You the Player SO MUCH."

#poll #4 submissions #12 submissions #round 2 #yagami light #light death note #light yagami #death note #edelgard von hresvelg #fe3h edelgard #edelgard fire emblem #fe3h #fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem 3 houses

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procrastinatingsoicanreadfanfics · 10 months

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Vikings and their eras

Summary: what era would vikigns be in if they weren't in their own

Notes: I did a lot of text for this one, bc I loved thinking about this!! There are some pretty popular characters missing (Ragnar, Sigurd, Athelstan) where I just couldn’t imagine a certain era for them. Thank you so much for your request :)))))) Some of these eras aren’t wonderful or filled with positivity but that doesn’t mean these characters wouldn’t thrive.

tagged: @majesticwren @obsessiveformiyatwins @leithdragon @demon-of-the-ancient-world @alicedopey, @ivarlover @levithestripper @batmandallyboy @akayxo09 @vrtualfairy (hmu to be added!)

based on this request | masterlist | requests are OPEN!

Lagertha

Lagertha would thrive well in times of crises and war (lmao). The black death, WW1 or 2, or long periods of war/famine/sickness is where Lagertha does well. Think about her what you will, but she brings people together, manages them, and takes care of them. She’s a natural leader, and a fighter, so she’s able to protect her community.

We’ve seen examples of this in the series, think during the sickness in Kattegat, or when she takes over and completely builds up Hedeby. People tend to trust her, and especially women look up to/feel safe around her. When disaster strikes, she would be able to save/take care of them.

Aslaug

I had to think about this for a really long time because I think that Aslaug fits so well into the era the show is set in, however, I finally decided on the 1920s. Even as a feminine woman in Viking Scandinavia, she had a lot of authority over herself and knew how to grow a business (Kattegat) when Hirst wasn’t feeling sexist.

In the 1920s, she’d live in a big city, maybe Berlin or New York, and she’d own some sort of speakeasy. I’d love to think that her speakeasy would be a place for the very few pagans of the city to meet up in secret, and she herself would still be a norse pagan, völva, etc. Also, she’d dip her toes into wild jewellery design (think Schiaparelli). Definitely someone who attracts artists and would be considered a muse.

Rollo

Middle Medieval Ages for sure. He thrives being a knight because he’s a manipulative little hoe that I can’t stand. Gets to do his performative heroism during tourneys and woo women only to leave them all alone.

Rollo is not a good person, esp. towards women. He constantly gets into trouble with the church and with fathers whose daughters he ‘dishonors’. Definitely needs a wife like Gisla to slap some sense into him. I think that eventually (mid forties) he’d start to mature. Also, having children would help him become a better person (I think they should have put that into a show).

Bjorn

Bjorn thrives well in the late 2000s to early 2010s, when travel blogs were on the rise. He’s one of the early influencers, and travels the world together with Halfdan. This only works bc cancel culture isn’t real yet. Bjorn would say some stupid shit and get hounded for it let’s be real. Nonetheless, there is always some rumour about him and Halfdan being a thing (they would be if they both didn’t constantly say ‘that’s gay’).

Alternatively, Bjorn might make a good colonizer (can I say that?), but it’s not like he isn’t that already.

Ubbe

Ubbe would thrive during the late medieval ages (defo not the Renaissance though). He’s the type of man who would enjoy the idea of the charming knight. I think Ubbe would definitely enjoy the idea of quests/saving damsels in distress/having the arranged-marriage-turned-lovestory (he’s a booktok girly tbh).

This doesn’t mean that all of this is totally pure. Ubbe gets some shit twisted in canon as well (ESPECIALLY concerning Margrethe). Maybe his first war was something crusade-like, and he went into it thinking of heroic acts and blabla and then got fucked up by battle and gore. Also has a religion and Madonna/whore complex problem.

Hvitserk

In the show, Hvitserk was always seeking sense/purpose while also struggling with balance, which is why I think he would thrive in the 1970s. This is THE era for protests and social change. Climate change, feminism and sexuality all became important topics. Going to protests would be able to give him a sense of change, and I think it would be liberating for him as well, to be able to free himself of his restraints by changing something.

I’ll go into communes a little more for Helga, but I think Hvitserk would thrive in an early commune a lot. He needs to have people around him taking care of his mental health, and this would be great for his mental health. Yes, therapy helps a lot of people, but I think if Hvitserk lived in our time, he would think that talk therapy is stupid, and completely close himself off to it. This guy just needs a lot of love, okay?

Also, he needs to smoke some 70s weed every once in a while.

Ivar

Just like Hvitserk, Ivar would thrive during the 1970s. However, this is for completely different reasons and also means that no one else gets to thrive. I chose the 1970s because it’s THE serial killer decade.

That honestly sounds terrible but we all know it’s true.

Ivar would be bitter about being discriminated/not being able to fully take part in society/not getting any women and that would turn him homicidal. He definitely overcomplicated his killings and does shitty bloodeagles to get some cool name but all he gets is like “the Viking killer” or something and he’s so mad about that he reveals himself on his deathbed to change his title. It doesn’t work.

Floki

Floki just wants to be where Helga is, but he would not thrive in the 2020s. I think he’d get in arguments with Helga about vaccinations. However, I want Floki to be in the 2010s/2020s with Helga. He definitely has some kind of hallucination-related mental illness at the least. I think that especially the season where he acted out against Helga (season 4?) shows that his mental health was making him harmful towards others and probably towards himself.

I can’t diagnose Floki, but I think we can all see that he might have some kind of bipolar disorder/mania disorder on top of a schizophrenia. He needs some kind of meds, and he needs someone to help him taking them.

Helga

This is very specific, but Helga would do AMAZING during the early era of Covid (like March 2020). Yes, she’s a very social person, but I do believe that Helga would be part of a quite isolated commune if she lived during modern times, and even during that time be isolated with Floki.

I would like to think that the commune could be self-sufficient and Helga just gets to go ham making banana bread and care packages. She thrives in this time where she doesn’t really have to go to work (even though she loves being a kindergartener too) and gets to take care of the people in her commune, and even further than that from the comfort of her own home.

Astrid

This woman thrives where no one else does, and that is toxic 2020s twitter. All she does is tweet, get cancelled, tweet, get popular, repeat. She’s so so annoying and bullies a bunch of people who don’t deserve to be bullied. Is most definitely blocked by trump, hailey Bieber and the Kardashians at least.

Makes a living by selling feetpics.

Ecbert

Ecbert thrives in the 1980s. Now. Hear me out. Ecbert in neon Zumba clothes. There, that’s my reason.

I’m just kidding, there’s more. I’m not old enough to fully understand most of the decades I’m talking about in here but the 1980s, it seems, were this extremely colorful and wild decade. Literally everywhere, color just kind of seemed to explode, and I think Ecbert would thrive in this kind of chaotic atmosphere.

(are there people in their forties or older on this post that can verify?)

Aelswith

I’m really sad that we didn’t go into Aelswith more in the show, but I firmly believe that Aelswith would make an amazing Sufragette. Thinking back to her time on the show, she was always very firm in standing her ground, more so than Judith or even Lagertha in some ways (especially in the sense that she was SO YOUNG). She directed and strengthened Alfred, and I think during season 6, she used a beartrap to defend her baby?

Anyway, I imagine her as a rich/aristocratic lady in London who definitely steers the household while Alfred brings the money in (he likes art) and she decides that, if she puts in the work in the house, she should be able to decide over the country that house is in as well.

#history vikings #request #vikings #ivar #hvitserk #ivar x reader #ivar the boneless #ubbe #lagertha x reader #ubbe x reader #hvitserk x reader #aelswith #rollo #aslaug #floki #vikings ivar #ivar ragnarsson x reader #rollo x reader

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narrativelysignificantturtleduck · 7 months

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ok i know the sex ed post was ages ago but I saw it in your most liked tab and it got me thinking, particularly with zukka, that even though they had sex ed they wouldn't have had gay sex ed. zuko grew up with sailors + the royal family in homophobic fire nation, and sokka got probably taught by gran gran about having babies. so all i can think is that if they decided to take that step when older, they are gonna have no clue what to do. queue sokka very very awkwardly shuffling up to bato who he knows is in a relationship with his dad and saying can I ask a question. promise not to laugh at me. except bato is less amused and more mildly horrified that sokka has chosen him to answer these questions

oh my god yeah. like, i'm not sure gran-gran's sex ed would've been heteronormative - depends on what you think the southern water tribe's attitudes are - but there's a very strong possibility that sokka, as a sexist teenage boy who thought he was straight, may have been like GRAN-GRAN EWWW STOP LALALA I'M NOT LISTENING

like the convo went: here's how babies happen -> sometimes grown-ups do this without the intent to make babies -> people can also do it with people of the same physical sex -> sokka running away screaming

he now regrets that.

for zuko, i think he might have. um. hands-on experience. y'know. on the ferry. with jet. does that prepare him for being in an actual relationship? probably not.

i'm not sure either of them would want to ask for guidance tbh. both of them canonically have experience with women (azula saying "mai seems to be in a good mood lately" had an undertone to it, sokka and suki in "the southern raiders") and zuko has some experience with men, so they'd probably just assume it's fine. figure it out as they go. it can't be that hard, right?

that said the image of sokka asking bato for advice on having gay sex is SO funny. bato knew he was signing up to be a dad when he started dating hakoda but he didn't think he'd have to give The Talk. also he has to be really careful about what examples he uses since his current gay sex partner is sokka's dad. (i imagine bato had some other relationships, but they all ended bc they realized he'd never value them above hakoda.) also sokka is asking specifically because he wants to have sex with the fire lord and like bato knew they were dating but he's never gonna get over how weird his life is now. "my stepson is asking me advice on gay sex so he can fuck the fire lord". truly wild.

meanwhile zuko has started spending time at piandao's bc he needs a father figure since iroh fucked off to ba sing se (plus piandao knows fire nation politics & can help him navigate being the fire lord) so he walks in one day and is like "yeah i have a question. not about politics but uhh. personal stuff" and piandao's like "oh what is it" and zuko tells him and piandao is like "i'm so honored you're asking me" and goes to his library and finds him a guide to gay sex that got banned in the fire nation but piandao managed to find a copy (he has a lot of illegal gay lit) and hands it to him like. go have fun kiddo. i'm rooting for you guys.

the other possibility is that suki (who is still dating sokka, they have an open relationship) finds out they want to have sex and knowing the state of their sex ed decides that they need a Lesson. it's a very good lesson because kyoshi island has very good queer positive sex ed but sokka has some interesting feelings about his girlfriend teaching him how to have sex with his boyfriend. not bad feelings. just interesting

ANYWAYS this is a fun topic and thank you for the mental image of sokka asking bato about gay sex

#ask #nina's personal log #sokka #zukka

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dykefaggotry · 7 months

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What do you think lesbians are attracted to in women that lesbians can’t be attracted to in men?

It can’t be anything about femininity or masculinity obviously. That’s both sexist, and cultural so can’t be what drives woman-only attraction.

It can’t be anything about stated identity because someone could lie just as easily as they could tell the truth in such a statement, and it makes no sense because homosexuality and heterosexuality exists in other species with no stated identities. It’s not like other animals without gender are all pan.

Saying idk it’s the vibes or some indescribable trait women have that men can’t but “I can’t explain” is a nonanswer.

Soooooooo what is it? Or do you think any sexuality but bi/pan is just cultural performance or an identity rather than an inborn orientation?

this is soooo not asked in good faith lol i know ur baiting babe but fine i'll go ahead and answer here <3

first of all idk where u got the idea that i think bi/pan is inborn orientation. ur mistaking me for a gender/sexuality essentialist rather than a bio essentialist and baby i am neither

second of all ur operating under the assumption that i am bi/pan and would fuck all genders and/or sexes. false! i do not care for dick i have never cared for dick i shall never care for dick and funnily enough i am capable of navigating my personal relationships on my own terms without imposing those terms on everyone else or making trans women feel like dogshit just for existing. if someone with a dick ever asked me out and i turned them down i wouldn't have to say "sorry it's because you have a yucky disgusting penis you fucking disgusting human" as so many of y'all love to do when confronted w trans humans, i would simply say "sorry, i'm not interested." and if they decided to keep pressing it or assault me that would be on them being a sexual predator, not them being transgender.

but okay. several things here. first off in the history of sexuality u have two views: essentialism and costructionism. innate vs socially created. in most cases of history, i take the constructionist point of view. with sexuality/gender it is way way more nuanced and complicated than that. i believe the Feelings we have about gender and sexuality are innate (and unique to every individual) but the labels we put on them change constantly over time. you can find this all throughout history and arguing that this isn't the case would be ahistorical and ridiculous. if you think the word "lesbian" existed 300 years ago and ppl you would deem lesbians would call themselves lesbians or conceptualize their sexualities in the same way as you do, you are dead wrong. they probably had very similar feelings, but they were framing it around their cultural frameworks they had at the time. as we are doing today.

the thing about social constructs is that they change. go back to the 1500s europe and it was widely believed that men and women shared one body type that was, essentially, sexless and the same, and that this body grew out of the body women have into the body men had. essentially, men were the more "progressed" body of humanity, but men and women shared the same sex. this... obviously was incorrect and changed. but so is our binary conception of "sex".

which brings me to ur point about animals.... heterosexuality and homosexuality as Acts certainly exist in animals but animals don't have social constructs to give them identities lmfao. and while these acts exist, they often do so in ways we as humans would consider "bisexual" although that's fucking ridiculous because they are animals. for example, often in the wild you will see "lesbian" lions that choose to mate with other female lions only and raise their young with them. wait- how's that work? their young? if animals with no social conceptions can somehow be "pure lesbians" would they not balk at the idea of procreating with a male lion? no, because that's not how it works in the animal kingdom. they procreate with the male lion and raise the young w the female lion and we slap the label "homosexual" on this or "bisexual" on it when neither is correct bc they're fucking lions, not human beings living in a society. similarly a female lion mating with a male lion is not a "heterosexual" lion, it's a fucking lion. we can't ask it "hey, miss lion, if you had the choice, would you solely prefer male lions? or do you like female lions as well? or are you just mating with this male lion for protection?" because it's a lion. ur comparison is outlandish, frankly. we are not animals in that way. the lion is not heterosexual or homosexual, it's a fucking lion that has sex.

anyway... not what you asked and i can hear u now going off abt how none of this answered ur question. ur right! before i could answer ur baiting question i had to clear up some bold assumptions you were making, define some terms and history, and debunk whatever bullshit you wanted to spew about animals for a second there

but to answer your question: sexuality and gender are unique to every single individual on this planet and structured around the society that individual lives in. sorry to tell you that, but it is. so, too, is the term lesbian. even within t//erf circles. "that's not true!" i can hear you shout, "every t//erf defines lesbian the same!" wrong! i have seen: lesbian means only liking people with vaginas but that can't be right because some trans women have vaginas, lesbian means only liking people with vaginas but that can't be right because some trans Men have vaginas and many of you would Not be attracted to them on the street bc many of them do pass as cis men indistinguishably, lesbian means only CHOOSING to date people with vaginas so this includes political lesbians who are attracted to men and bisexual or heterosexual but are politically lesbian, but wait no lesbian doesn't mean that bc i've also seen t//erfs saying any lesbian who makes a joke abt having a celebrity crush on a man is clearly a bisexual in denial sooooo that would preclude political lesbians too, oh okay so maybe lesbian means only liking people BORN with vaginas- oh shit nope that includes many intersex individuals you would not fuck and many trans men you would not fuck as they've gotten bottom surgery.... hm okay i've seen it mean you only like women BORN with a uterus/able to reproduce except oh whoops not all cis women can do that...... uh well it means anyone you can identify as a woman bc you're so good at clocking except- oh no you can't bc there are many CIS butches and CIS masculine women you all constantly mistake as trans women and harass or butches you straight up just think are men (hi! i am a butch read as a cis male in public!) and do not approach on that basis..... erm..... uh oh looks like your definitions suck too, sorry

so... what does that leave us with? if defining sexuality by sex is harder than it looks and defining it by gender is harder than it looks, what do we have?

well, like i said, it's an individual experience. most of the time, people are going to choose words and communities that resonate with them for whatever reason. for some people it might be bc they have grown up not liking penises in a world where they were expected to. for others it might mean growing up liking just Women in a world where they weren't expected to. for others it's liking non men. some others just like how "lesbian" feels on them and nothing else fits right. "lesbian" communicates something to people and it communicates a community that they feel a part of.

your conception of your sexuality and gender is not the same as anyone else on earth now or anyone in the past. and that is okay. communities and labels ARE human constructs. that doesn't mean they are unimportant and it doesn't mean humans are "innately" bi/pan (i sure as fuck am not lol i've never "innately" wanted to suck a dick and it's felt very "innately" bad when men have been interested in me). but what it does mean is that if you ask any lesbian what being lesbian means to them, you are going to get a different answer. even within your strict community where you think you have one definitive answer, you will have people that disagree with that.

there is no "indescribable trait" women have over men. but neither is there some concrete "yes THIS is the ultimate way to describe (human feeling)". human feelings are infamously hard to describe and label and we do our best with social constructs and human made terms, but we are always always going to fall short. you can do the same with race and wealth and ability and ethnicity and history and and and- something being a social construct doesn't make it not real. it just makes it complicated and messy and not so easily defined. and that is perfectly okay and if you are going to dwell on this planet with other human beings you're going to have to get used to that, sorry to say

so what is a lesbian? a lesbian is someone that tells you they're a lesbian and you say "okay" and don't ask for their life fucking story about why they call themselves a lesbian or how. it's none of your fucking business. whether they agree with you or they don't, it is way easier to just move on and keep defining yourself how YOU want and letting others define themselves how THEY want

#this got long and since ur not asking in good faith i have no doubts ur not gonna absorb literally any of this but uuuuh try #and also if anyone is abt to fall down any t//erf rabbit holes maybe this will resonate w some others as well

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