When you're looking to replace said, think about why. You'll generally want to do this when you need the following:
when the tone of the line needs more context.
when you want to show emotion instead of telling it.
when your character’s body language, action, or expression can do the talking instead.
Take a look at the scene you're writing, is the character saying their line? Or are they yelling it? Screaming it? Are they enraged, or perhaps is their voice a broken whisper from grief?
That being said, you shouldn't always avoid using 'said.' It's easy to read in long sentences, and it keeps the focus on the dialogue rather than the rest of the scenes. That may be beneficial and a key component to parts of your story.
I feel like what I'm about to say may not be taken the right way so just walk with me here. This isn't me trying to kink shame anyone at all, btw, it's just an observation that I've made and I really want to talk about and I'm interested in what you guys think.
In the past fandoms I've been apart of, and I can't count how many, that have involved a significantly incredibly beautiful older man, I have seen the term "age-gap" and the phrase "controversially young wife" grow rapidly over the years. Which I myself have participated in, and I've also dated older men before so I get it! I'm 25 and if I married a man in his mid-to-late 40s and 50s then I'd also be considered his controversially young wife. I get that.
But sometimes I can't help but think the obsession with being a man's young hot wife has become slightly ageist toward older women. And this is where it might become a stretch, but as a black woman we have we what we call in our community, the grown and sexy, referencing to people of ages late 30s and up who are still sexy or in my opinion embrace their sexuality. This is a certain culture that I don't see so often in white culture, which makes sense, since I see mainly white creators spamming age-gap/controversial young wife content.
When I imagine myself being with Wilson Bethel or Bertie Cervel, as the most recent examples, or literally any 40+ year old actor for that matter, I don't imagine being with them now at 25. Automatically, I always age myself up to their age, and I still picture myself being youthful, sexy, and having the fun/slutty sex, and I feel like white women (not all but some) think when they get a certain age that they have to be more conservative and they can't have sex anymore or be submissive and call a man daddy anymore. Or that once they've hit a certain age, they're not as spirited in bed as a younger woman would be. Which isn't true.
I think of women like Halle Berry, Tracee Elis Ross, or Regina Hall, women who are well into their 40s and 50s. They're radiant and sexy and are FUCKING. Even women in my own family still embrace their sexuality freely, regardless of age. And as black women, we're already over sexualized, but I also think we're more inclined to embrace our sexuality as we evolve. It's celebrated and getting older and experiencing more, and being with someone who is as experienced as you are is something to look forward too. So I guess the obsession of being someone's controversial young wife doesn't really excite me anymore, because being experienced and seasoned sounds more fun, and the sex would be just as good if not better.
The obsession with age-gap relationships can also be rooted in the fear of getting older, and the responsibility of that comes with age, and the negative context around age and sex. But you guys you can still be submissive and degraded/praised at any age! Even Lana Del Rey at 40 years old is calling her man Daddy. So when I think about Wilson Bethel and Bertie Cerval and the nasty/unspeakable things that I wont to do to them, I'm also met with the thought that their wives are probably thinking the same thing and are already doing it to them, and that they aren't some sexually repressed old hags, and are equally as freaked out as we are, which is painful to consider, but it's also kind of hot. Idk.
I think what prompted this post are the age-gap fics I've read recently, and I honestly hate how infantilized and inexperienced the x reader is portrayed as. You can write an age-gap relationship without it being so obvious that one of the two is much younger than the other. Degradation and mocking are hot, and being nurtured and taken care of is also great, but I'm not a fucking innocent naive baby. And I think if any of the men I've been with were to actually treat me as such, I'd immediately get the ick and think they were a pedo. I have a job and I pay my own bills, I am a woman. Like yes I'm younger than them but being young doesn't always mean being inexperienced. There's already so much confusion and messiness in an age-gap relationship outside of the bedroom, that being fucked like a woman might actually make up for it.
There's this scene in the Materialist, where Dakota Johnson's character is trying to set an older man up with another one of her clients whose also his age (40), and he's persistent on being with a 27 year old. He's also a dick, who lacks responsibility and the ability to commit. A grown man btw. Which brings me to my next point. I loose attraction to men who like younger women, and I find it sexier when men date women their age. Because most grown men who date younger women, again from my experience, suck. It sounds weird, but the moment I see my favorite celebrity, who could easily be my uncle, date someone my age, I get the ick immediately. Like there's something about them that they know older women wouldn't stand for, so they go after younger women instead. Which is understandable because older men are hot. When Chris Evans got engaged to his current wife, who's only like three years older than me, I immediately lost interest in him (this could also be due to jealousy). He's a more than good looking man, he has a great job, he's a family man and has his own house and car, did women his age just not like him? And Why is that? When I fantasized about being with him, I imagined an aged up version of myself. Would a 40 year old version of myself like Chris Evans?
Anyway I'm going to wrap this up. Again, this is NOT to kink shame or yuck your yum. I do encourage you all to invite the idea of what if the wife of your favorite 40+ year old actor is fucking them exactly how they like it. Just a thought. I know tumblr is the wrong place to express these kinds of things, and I already know I'm going to be met with immense backlash from the Lolita/unresolved daddy issues community, but this has just been on my mind lately, and I felt like expressing my thoughts here. I think I've just outgrown the age-gap tag, and people commenting "I need to be his controversially young wife" on every tiktok or fic like it's the most revolutionary sentence ever. And before you comment "you must be new here", no I am not.
I always picture Maekar as being so gentle when handling his children as newborns. His hands, rough from battle, softly picking the babe up from their cradle. Tucking them perfectly in the crook of his arm, and rocking them back and fourth. Or holding them up so their head is nuzzled into his neck, inhaling that sweet, newborn smell that he loves, but would never say out loud. He also secretly likes when they wrap their little fingers around his, squeezing it with their tiny might. I just know he melts ❤️
Courting and early marriage w/ Baelor Targaryen would include…
Summary: Baelor courts you as a potential suitor for his next wife. This is takes place before the events in AKOTSK. Baelor is not the hand of the king yet. If I’m not mistaking, Jena passed after the birth of Matarys, so this takes place a year or two after that.
Pairings: Baelor x black!fem!reader
Content: Young Baelor, political marriage, love match, some nsfw, medieval courting, slight age-gap but reader is 18+, highborn!reader, xblack!reader, headcannons, slow burn, mutual pining, fluff, some humor, this is really long there might be typos.
Courting
Spring had came early, and that meant many things — new life, a blooming garden and the season for courting.
You were a lady in waiting for Queen Myriah.
Baelor, currently residing on Dragon Stone, was only visiting Kings Landing at the request of his mother to get away from that “dreadful island” and maybe even find a potential second wife to share it with.
You two met briefly in the library, and he was immediately enamored by you.
Something about the gleam in your eyes and the passion in your tone when you spoke about your book of choice prompted him to ask his mother about you.
Not too long after that, a discussion was had with your parents and he had made the decision to pursue you as a potential bride. (He was going to do it anyway he just needed to go through the formalities first.)
Most lords court a lady with ribbons, or their favorite flowers. Baelor wrote you poems that made you swoon, and gifted you with rare books, that were exclusively pulled from the citadel, on your favorite interests.
He also gifted you with a horse so that the two of you could ride together in the Kingswood.
Chaperoned dates always felt awkward at first, but as soon as conversation picked up, it felt like it was only the two of you.
Baelor is definitely the type to talk someone’s ear off even when they aren’t interested or listening, so he found it exciting to finally meet someone who was as chatty as him.
He loved how you challenged him on his politics and his faith.
There were times where you might have crossed the line, but he could never reprimand you, not when you looked so good doing it.
He became obsessed with your fragrance, so much so that he knew when you were near just by it lingering in the air.
He yearned for you when you were absent.
No one could talk to him or gain his attention fully, for his heart and mind were with you.
He loved your laugh, and he loved making you laugh.
It was hearty and infectious, and you rarely covered your mouth when laughing especially when something was really funny.
You and those closest to him (mainly his family) are the only ones who know how truly funny Baelor can be.
He fell in love with your honesty and authenticity, like you had no other choice but to always be yourself.
You possessed this air of independence about you that made him want to cater to your ever need regardless if you needed him or not.
He also found your sweet wit and slight vulgarity refreshing
You fell in love with his humility. How he knew every servant by name, how he made time for his family, not as an obligation but because he wanted to.
He made you feel safe, like he was the only one you could truly run to for anything.
There were so many lords who talked a big talk about being noble, with very little to show for, but Baelor was different.
In the days before he was hand of the king, he dressed simply and had an ease about him while still possessing an aura of strength and power.
Even as crown prince, he still felt like he needed to impress you.
You heard the whispers about him throughout court. How he was “almost perfect” if not for his Dornish features and his twice broken nose.
But you already thought he was perfect and his broken nose made him devastatingly rugged and handsome.
You thought if only they knew the man that you had come to know, his appearance wouldn’t have mattered.
Baelor never shies away from eye contact, and that took you awhile to get used to.
He noticed how it made you flush when he looked at you for too long, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it.
But when you do dare to stare back, he stumbles on his words, and forgets all train of thought.
He loved the playful banter between the two of you, but he was also afraid to upset you.
Baelor absolutely HATED when other lords courted you.
Let one of them bring you the wrong flower, and he’d be more upset than you.
But he knew he wanted to marry you at that point.
He knew titles didn’t matter to you, and that character meant more.
Yes, he was a prince, but you could’ve very well excepted the hand of some lord if it meant they made you happy.
He moved swiftly to solidify an engagement, which you were very pleased with.
Engagement
Being engaged to Baelor was exhilarating.
Like there was a definite shift once you both knew you wanted each other equally as bad.
There might’ve been a slip up when you two snuck off to the dragon pit at your request.
Baelor MIGHT have pushed you up against a wall to indulge in a passionate kiss.
He MIGHT have slipped two fingers inside of you.
Who knows. We can never say for sure. It’s only speculation.
Regardless, moving forward, the two of you were never left unsupervised again in the days leading up to the wedding.
Marriage
You moved to Dragon Stone with Baelor.
There was so much love making, still is, but back then… wow.
You wanted each other all the time
It made people uncomfortable
Since it was your first time, he did all he could to learn about you and make each time an experience for you.
He went down on you for hours.
The sensation of his tongue on your sensitive nub, and his fingers curling in and out of you was deliciously foreign.
You palmed the back of his head and didn’t know whether to push him away or pull him closer.
That sensation crept closer and closer.
The same way it did in the dragon pit (allegedly!)
It came crashing over you, and your body convulsed as you clenched around and drenched his fingers that were still knuckle deep inside of you.
Baelor persisted with his mouth and fingers. Bringing you to your peak over and over until you were limp and practically begging him to stop.
He wanted you to feel good, to enjoy this act with him, and to know it didn’t always have to be out of duty.
He also wanted you ready for him.
He’s so big.
Taking all of him took time, but you really really wanted it, and you wanted to do your very best for him, especially when it meant hearing him tell you how good you’re doing.
When he first entered you, you whined and instinctively pushed back against his chest.
He looked deep into your eyes, and commanded in a soft tone for you to breathe and relax, until he was fully inside.
The pain was overwhelming, but that first stroke… yeah it changed your life.
The way his name fell from your lips felt like sin.
Baelor likes to fuck you slow and deep—looking into your eyes—whispering sweet Valyrian in your ear, until both of you are spent.
You liked it slow too, but as time progressed, you found that you preferred the coarser treatment better.
Something about the way your sweet Baelor gripped the back of your neck, your legs thrown over his shoulder, your knees pressed to your chest as he pounded you into the mattress drove you wild.
One night, you shyly asked him to take you from behind, and he kissed you deeply before flipping you over on your hands and knees, pressing a strong palm to the center of your back, then gripping your sides as he lined his girthy length with your entrance and slid inside of you.
You were already crumbling as he let you adjust to his size in this new position, before he finally railed the shit out of you.
Missionary was his favorite position. He wanted to be as close to you as possible. To worship the woman he had came to love and adore.
Doggy style was your favorite position, as you loved the absolute raw and primal side of Baelor you rarely got to see.
As a newly wedded couple, the two of you barely left your chambers.
You could go for rounds
If it weren’t for the fact that he was already a father to two toddler boys, and was very present in their lives, he would’ve never left your bed.
Speaking of his sons, getting them to warm up to you took time.
But you were patient and willing
You played with them, helped them with their lessons, held their hands as they traveled down the stairs, and went out of your way to learn all you could about them.
You always made sure they honored their mother and her memory, and made it clear you could never replace her.
You were married to their dad, so you couldn’t be like a sister to them, but you could be their friend, their mentor, and eventually a mother.
Matarys was the first to call you mother. He was the youngest, and though he looked every bit of Jena, he hardly remembered her, so it was easier for him to get attached to you.
Valarr was slow to warm up. He was so intelligent for his age, and he liked that you talked to him plainly and not in the baby voice that the maids did.
When he finally asked you if he could call you mother, you nearly broke out into tears.
Dragon Stone was bleak and gloomy, but you breathed new life into it as the new lady of the house.
Making sure each room with a window had its curtains drawn to let in the sunshine.
You advocated for evening walks on the beach or the hillside with Baelor and the children regularly.
You made sure they had enough vegetables in their diet.
You remembered each of your handmaids names.
They appreciated your kindness, your forgiving nature, and how you looked out for them.
Every morning when they dressed you, it felt like a small gathering of friends rather than work.
There is one young maid in particular, who has grown up with Baelor her whole life and she’s lowkey really jealous of you, because she's in love with him, and thinks Baelor should be with her instead, so watch out for that one.
Other than that, everyone else is pretty great.
The years before the Blackfyre Rebellion and before Baelor became hand of the king, were some of your most fondest memories.
Before he was pulled away in every direction but yours, before Valarr settled on Dragon Stone with Kiera, before the trial of seven, before the spring sickness.
If you could close your eyes and turn back time, you would relive those days forever.
Something people don’t tell you is that sex in fanfiction is so amazing that when you finally get laid in real life it is one of the most underwhelming things you could ever experience. Even the best, most jaw-dropping irl sex won’t compare to the average fanfiction sex-scene written by some college student running on five coffees at 1:37 a.m.
stormborns
titsay
jbbartram-illu
yousharknotpass
janainaart
