which sounds insane because aerion is awful. he should be awful.

but he’s also, at least, funny. like when he just met Dunk he is not just mean to him, he roasts him, and it’s a good roast.

he’s arrogant, petty, dramatic, making terrible decisions, and somehow still managing to be entertaining.

and i think sometimes fandom sands him down into “beautiful asshole” and then just stops there.

but i’m reading a fic. i can’t see him.

you can tell me he’s gorgeous fifty times, but that doesn’t actually make him attractive. i need the other stuff. make him funny. make him pathetic. make him vulnerable. people love vulnerable.

on the other hand, i don’t really want the opposite either.

sometimes people soften him so much that i genuinely forget i’m reading aerion. he’s reasonable. he’s emotionally mature. he’s considerate. he’s communicating. he’s making good choices.

who is this man.

if he isn’t at least a little bit insufferable, theatrical, selfish, reckless, and convinced he’s the smartest person in the room while actively proving otherwise, i start losing the character.

obviously every fic deserves to exist and nobody is obligated to write characters the way i personally enjoy them. this is entirely a me problem. but if i’m reading a pairing fic, i want to understand why both people are there. and for me, “he’s hot” is not enough.

anyway.

please send me your favourite dunkaerion fics.

"I think you're losing there."

"Nah, he's playing right into my hands."

"... you have one rook, a bishop, and seven pawns. He's lost one knight. What are you gonna do? Charge and turn 'em all into queens?"

"Let him whittle down the king's defences, republicanize the pawns, overthrow the monarchy, negotiate peace with this packet of smoky bacon crisps, and begin a glorious age of democratic rule by will of the common people."

"That's not how it works."