#Arthur's in the clear 100%

[badsalmonella]

You know like THEEE one people would make long angry rant posts about being like "you like this character??? Don't you know they did *grocery list of problematic traits* ???" The one deemed as """the true villain of Camelot""" in those bad take posts. Yes I encourage explanations in the tags.

[caprinekindness]

Nobody understands them like I do, actually

[littlecactiguy]

Tho I do enjoy the concept of Arthur and John being the type to repeatedly divorce, I feel like I vibe more with the idea that they declare they’re divorcing the other but hadn’t actually made it to tying the knot in the first place or just nowhere close to even asking each other

Or

Arthur and John agree to get married during the 5min they get along and consistently agree with each other

10min later they’re back to arguing and Arthur calls off the wedding. John protests until Arthur goes back on it/declares the wedding can still be on, and then John immediately calls it off himself.

No one can keep up with whether or not they’re actually engaged or not, only Kayne really tries, but he does his best to inject some conflict when things are starting to get too consistent cause that’s more entertaining.

So, Arthur and John, but as the engaged couple who constantly disagree during wedding planning, announce they’re breaking things off, but end up back together (at least for a while). The actual wedding date has been moved around more times than anyone can count.

[tigertrack]

waugh finished doing all the last debt collection and charlotte missions.. arthurrrr 🤧🤧🤧🤧

[duckduckngoose]

Dang I'm rll brainrotting this au huh

[freuleinanna]

I'm still confused about Verna.. I thought she was a demon?? Because why would Death be going around making a bunch of deals with people? After Verna told Pym she decided to go "topside" I thought she was some kind of crossroads demon since it implies she came from below (hell)

Oh! I feel you, and I struggled with that a lot too. She does seem a lot like a demon. I'm not saying I'm 100% correct in my thinking either, but here's why I personally think she's Death. Kind of a long post, sorry. I hope I make myself clear, but feel free to follow up!

So, Verna. An anagram for Raven, that much is established. Ravens are wonderful - symmetrical even - creatures. Bringers of death in a wide understanding. Bringers of good luck in many cultures. The duality is amazing. To me, that also leans majorly into the theme of death being a concept of duality: an enemy for some, a friend for others. Each greets her differently. I'm not talking about the characters here, but people in general.

There's a proverb I came across a while ago that reads 'Death is a great leveller'. Meaning, everyone's equal before her. You have no leverage or buffer against death, and it doesn't matter if you're poor or blindly, feverishly, grotesquely rich (like our folks here). Everyone pays the last bill. For everyone, there's a day of reckoning. It's a major theme with the show, at least. Verna also says 'Buy now, pay the bill later' - although it can still read very demonic, I agree.

She's obviously ancient, and I was leaning toward the demon theory based on all of her talking. Yet - she also keeps ranting about Egypt and pyramids and Cleopatras and such. What's the one thing with Egyptians everyone knows of? They honored death. Death may have been a bigger part of their lives than life itself. The Usher Twins' obssession with all things Egyptian, antiquities, jewelry, swords and such, plays a nice parallel here too, because they're just collectors. They have no grain of honor for the real thing, for what these things are tied to. Kind of a nice thought, I guess.

Anyway, back to Verna. She says on multiple occasions how intrigued she is with us, 'adorable little things'. She saw the pyramids, the expeditions, and she wanted to see what else we do, she wanted to see what Roderick and Madeline will do (in her own words). It's all an experiment to her. She makes an offer just to see what we, people, do.

Here's where my beef with a demon theory comes in. No demonic creature I could think of, be it an actual demon, a trickster, or something else, is that sincerely intrigued. Something something death loving life something something.

Demons, in my understanding, are most interested in winning the deal. They come up with incredible challenges, they enjoy torture, emotional or physical, they never let anyone win. Verna has never once expressed this. Quite the opposite. She gives everyone a chance to step back. Even when the ink has dried and everything's decided, each Usher sibling is conditioned to make a choice: push forward, or step back. Neither of them steps back. Neither of them takes a long hard look at themselves (except Tamerlane, both literally haha and figuratively, as she's the only one to have realized how lost she was in her way - just at the end, when it didn't really matter anymore, but still). Verna is kind to those she takes (sincere pet names, regrets of having to do it this way, making sure they know it's not personal, etc). She grieves with them, just before. Grieving - 'The Raven' being about an expression of grief and trauma - ravens as synonyms for death... you get the gist. Oh! Except Freddie - cause Freddie struck a cord. Infuriated her. So he doesn't get an expressed choice. And he would've blown it like coke anyway, so meh.

And then Arthur Pym. Oh, Arthur Pym. I honestly couldn't imagine a demon kneeling and thanking someone who's refused them.

About Arthur Pym, by the way. It's the one story I hadn't reread, and I should have, it turns out! haha Anyway, a few notes about his travels:

In the story, Arthur Pym is expressedly afraid of white color (North Pole, yada yada, white being the absense of colors/life, and the absense of life is death).

Verna enumerates the moments she witnessed of his travels. Someone getting left in Sahara. Someone getting shot in the Arctic. Something bad that was done to an Inuit woman. Why would she follow Arthur so closely? She didn't know him, he wasn't her favorite. I think it's because she came to collect those deaths. If she is death, she would've been exactly there, where people died. She would have also seen Arthur not partaking.

Aaaaaaaand it makes her 'You saw me' line sound better, because he had sure seen death along his travels.

I think the part about a place of out-of-time, out-of-space creatures and hollow Earth was a bit unnecessary, BUT I can try and tie it in this way:

It showed us how Arthur might have coped with what he saw, and he 'saw a lot', even in his 70s it's difficult for him to recall, and it made him think of humanity as a virus, literally;

He might have thought up that ethereal realm simply because he was in an expedition? Exhaustive conditions for both body and spirit? Traumatic experiences? If he saw Death, he might have cloaked it in his mind to cope with it, thus came his stories;

Verna going 'topside' may just mean that she had to go take a look herself, actually be willingly present for the events - to see the brave little humans conquer the earth. 'Topside', as in, 'visible, present, participating'. If Death exists, I doubt it bothers with our boring human realm but lives downunder, among all threads that weave the world.

So that's that on Arthur Pym.

A few other references my mind is too exhausted to tie in nicely:

Death takes Lenore. THE Lenore from 'The Raven' (mostly) and 'Lenore' (secondary). That happened. Also, death talking to a child of life? Regretting having to take her? Not very demonic of dear ol' Verna, in my opinion.

Her mourning veil, her last toasts to the Ushers at the cemetery? Demons don't tend to grieve their players. Demons don't respect and love them enough, and 'what is grief, if not love persevering'?

Death is the last threshold. Before death, we look upon our legacy (major theme with the show), we remember our losses and loves (Annabel Lee!!!!! love the poem, brilliantly done), we get heavy with regrets. We face death as an enemy & fight, like Madeline did. As a friend, like Arthur did. We confess, like Roderick did. All that is too significant to me overall.

And the last thing. It's Edgar Allan Poe. The whole Death tribute is a giant, incredible, thought-through-to-the-bits hommage to his literature where Death, figuratively and literally, takes the throne.

I hope I managed to express myself alright there. Thanks if you read it through, and as I said before, feel free to follow up or elaborate on some ideas. There are oceans to discuss. <3

[live-laugh-lenney]

Omg! I need your take on Arthur and y/n trying for a baby and y/n finally gets pregnant!!! This would be so cute!

oh my god, this is so cute :(((

"i really think it's happened this time."

arthur rolls onto his side to look at yn, propping his had up with his elbow and ruffling the sheets beneath him whilst giving the duvet a slight pull as he tried to keep himself covered up, their bodies naked and slightly sticky with sweat. his hair clung to his forehead, his eyes were full of love and hope as they had tried, yet again, to fall pregnant with a baby.

"arthur-"

"i just have that gut feeling. we've been trying to months and i just-"

"exactly, arthur. we've been trying for months. we've been on a tight schedule, for god sake, and nothing has happened. i thought i'd, at least, have had a scare," she sighs heavily and stares at the ceiling, "i don't want to keep getting my hopes up."

"it sounds like you want to give up," he admits and she turns her head to look at him, sadness in her eyes and she chews on her bottom lip to keep it from wobbling and giving away the emotions running wild in her mind, "lovie-"

"i don't want to give up. arthur, i want kids so badly. i want them with you but," she gulps back the thick lump in her throat that seemed to ache and make swallowing difficult, "i don't know. i feel like there may be something wrong. i should be pregnant right now."

he adjusts his weight on the bed and sits himself up, back leaning against the headboard and the pillows squashing in the space behind him, and the duvet falls from his chest and covers him from his hips down and yn can see the upset beginning to pinch at his features. his eyebrows were furrowed on his browline, his eyes were sunken and his lips no longer held that hopeful smile that he once had turning his mouth into a curve.

and she felt guilty.

she knew he was excited - from the moment they'd spoken about it, having seen all their friends going through major milestones and life changes, he was totally and 100% on board with taking the next step in their lives. and she was, too. feeling comfortable and happy with the knowledge that she had someone supportive and caring and so understanding of her that anything that scared her, he would be by her side.

"babe-"

"maybe we're just not doing it at the right time," he wonders softly, "i mean, we're both busy with work right now. we're stressing about so much. it can't be helping."

"i'm just- i honestly thought it was going to be so much easier than how it's actually been for us. people fall pregnant unexpectedly all the time," she follows in his motions and sits up on the bed, except she hugs the duvet to her chest to keep herself covered, "why is it, when we plan for this because we're ready, we get nothing yet other people fall pregnant with no preparation at all?"

"are we thinking too much into it?"

"i just don't want to follow a silly schedule anymore, arthur. i want to have sex with you whenever i want to," she frowns and he feels the tickle in his stomach because, of course, he'd love that too, "i don't want to wait till a certain day of the month or ovulation week."

"then we bin the schedule."

"but-"

"we just need to be patient, don't we? we want it so badly that we just get knocked back when we see a negative test. maybe, we just need to let life take over and stop hoping every time," he suggests and she frowns, her eyes stinging, "we know that we're ready, that we want it to happen, so we get on with life with no schedules and if it happens then it happens."

he wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her into his side, her head resting perfectly in the curve where his neck met his shoulder, his cheek pressed against the top of her head. her arms wrap around his waist and he pulls her close, a leg being placed over his as she just wanted to be held.

"i love you, yeah? whatever happens," he whispers, "so much."

"i love you too."

--

two lines.

bold and clear as day, bright red and hard to miss, in the tiny screen of the pregnancy test.

she couldn't stop her hands from shaking and she couldn't stop the nerves that bubbled in her gut, she couldn't wipe the shock written across her face as she remembered the night that it had happened, the smile on her lips almost face-splitting.

"so? can i come in?"

arthur's voice comes muffled from the other side of the bathroom door and her hand wraps around the handle, pulling the door open in a haste manner, with the test still gripped in her free hand.

"pregnant."

"no way?"

"two lines," she turns the test to face him and he stands from the bed and walks towards her, his eyes set on the tiny oval screen that gave them the news they'd been hoping and praying for for months, "i'm pregnant, arthur. pregnant."

"from that night?"

"that exact night," she cackles loudly and his cheeks blush a bright pink, "who knew kitchen sex would be the perfect way to become pregnant?"

it was a few nights after they'd decided to scrap their schedule.

a few nights after they came to the conclusion that if it happened, it happened.

he'd put together a small and rather romantic night at home, a little surprise for her to walk through the door and see after she finished work so they could spend some time together without their minds instantly going to how and when they were going to try for a baby, because that was all that occupied their minds.

he had her favourite dinner cooking in the oven, and accompanying veggies cooking on the hob, by the time she walked through the front door. candles lit around the living space, giving off a sunset hue with the additional sunset happening outside and filtering through the window, the dining table set for a dinner for two with the best plates and cutlery lied out. a bottle of her favourite rosé wine chilling in an ice bucket with the fancy wine glasses standing tall beside it.

it was perfect.

neither of them brought up the topic of having a family.

it never even crossed their minds.

they spoke about work; she spoke about the tea and the gossip from her workplace involving the girls she worked alongside, which she knew he would struggle to understand, and he listened to every word she spoke with no interruptions. he spoke about how he and george had been asked to be guest appearances on another sidemen sunday video shoot that he was super excited to be a part of and she couldn't hold back on how proud she was feeling for him.

they spoke about going on a holiday; simply taking a break from the real world and from their busy work schedules and disappearing onto an island off of the coast of mainland greece where they'd be alone, with nothing to distract them, where they had no interruptions and no fans to post their sightings and whereabouts.

she praised him for cooking such a delicious dinner and how she'd enjoyed every bite, for putting such a beautiful night together, for taking her mind off of everything and enjoying the time as just the two of them. because she'd missed him immensely, even though they lived together, and it was nice to be back down to earth.

it was her suggestive comments on her recommendations for what she wanted for dessert - him - that got the ball rolling.

washing up the dishes from dinner together once they'd finished, as he washed all the plates and the knives and the forks whilst she dried and put everything away in the cupboards and drawers, insisting that he was delightful and delicious... he was certain it was the wine that had gone straight to her head but he wasn't turning away from her advances.

"so, you're telling me that we made a baby... on the kitchen counter?"

she feels her cheeks pink up and her face feels hot and he can't help but laugh out loud at the events that had happened to get them to where they were now.

"yes," she murmurs and shakes her head in disbelief, "all it took was a spontaneous night that wasn't planned solely to make babies."

he wraps her up in his arms and she clings to him tightly, hiding her face in the t-shirt hanging down his body, gym shorts showing off his legs and he smelt like sweat from his session with george in the local gym, but she couldn't tear herself away from him once she felt a little nauseated at the scent.

"i'm genuinely in shock," he laughs, pressing a kiss to her head and squeezing her close, "kitchen sex equates to baby. we'll have to remember that for next time."

"shut up," she grumbles and rolls her eyes, "can we just enjoy this news without remembering how it happened?"

"it was great though, wasn't it?" he questions and she pulls away from his body so she could look at him with a frown, "sorry, i'm sorry. i'll just think about it silently."

the silence in the room swallowed them before she looked back up at him, "it was brilliant sex. definitely my favourite to remember."

"just don't mention it to anyone when we have them over for dinner, yeah?" arthur smirks cheekily, "don't need your mum to know i was balls deep in you where she prepares the salads."

"arthur!" xx

[hetagrammy]

I know it wasn't really popular until the 1870s, nor am I totally sure Arthur would go this far, but the idea of Arthur putting Molly on a "rest cure" to treat her "hysteria" around the 1840s before the Famine really kicked in is something that has been sticking in my brain. The idea of this woman going Yellow Wallpaper is something that just intrigues me. To be clear, either way, Arthur 100% referred to her as his "hysterical sister" and used that as an excuse to both keep her from going to Europe and making allies again.

[pianokantzart]

I posted something somewhere about Papa Mario’s “these are boys” line being wholesome (and made more so because of who voices the character!) and I got some comments from people who hated the line because it was clear Pio “didn’t give a shit” about either of his sons and only accepted them once they gave him something he could brag about. In other words, he only “cares” about them when they make him look good. I don’t think this is the case, and I get the feeling you don’t either. Can you do a brief analysis on the character given what little we’ve seen of him? :)

Yep, I 100% agree with you. Mario and Luigi's dad may have his flaws, but he definitely cares about his kids.

The thing about Pio is that he strikes me as the family patriarch? At least for as long as the grandpa has been in his twilight years. Not only does Pio appear a lot more emotionally restrained than Uncle Tony and Uncle Arthur, but he's bulkier and moves with a lot less pep. Either he's a good number of years older than either of them, works a far more physically demanding job, or both. Whatever the case, he takes matters with a lot more gravity, and his lapse of judgement at the dinner table seemed to be out of genuine worry rather than disdain or apathy. At first he did his best to talk about anything other than Mario's failing plumbing business, keeping his head down and eating his pasta while everyone else was either defending or teasing Mario and Luigi.

It's only when Mario directly asks his dad for his opinion that he gets right to the heart of the matter:

"I think you're nuts. You don't leave a steady job for some crazy dream. And the worst part? You're bringing your brother down with you."

It's harsh, but you can tell he means well. This is not the face of a man who "doesn't give a sh*t." This may be a big joke to Arthur and Tony, but to Pio it's dead serious. Mario's taking a huge gamble with his and his brother's financial stability. Yes, this is Mario AND Luigi's dream, and Luigi is perfectly capable of making his own decisions... but it's clear who's leading the charge and making a lot of questionable choices along the way. If Pio has a place of headship in the family like I suspect, then this statement has a lot more weight to it– he knows what it is to have other people's wellbeing rely on you. It's important Mario understands that if this longshot fails, he won't be going down alone.

Did Mario already know this? Yep. Was telling him he was bringing his brother down a step too far? Absolutely, but Pio was not trying to emotionally gut his son the way he did.

When Mario storms off, he looks blindsided by the reaction.

When everyone stares at him in surprise he asks "what did I say?" in a tone of genuine confusion. This was meant to be a wakeup call for Mario, not a slap in the face. Apparently, Luigi's inability to read a room is hereditary.

But Pio's not a man of pure stoicism, he's still a hot-blooded Italian at his core, so of course he gets so excited when his kids appear out of nowhere to decimate a giant turtle dragon and his invading army??? (Please note the way he's leaning way too far out of that window in his excitement. It's lucky he's got good core strength or he'd be falling right out of the third story into what is still an active war zone.)

When the smoke clears both Mia and Pio are climbing over wreckage to get to Mario and Luigi, well before a crowd has gathered to cheer. The "these are my boys!" was a continuation of the pride Mario's dad had already expressed before he realized anyone else was watching. He has absolutely no idea what just happened, but anyone with eyes can see that Mario and Luigi just did something fantastic! And as much as Pio sees Mario in the leading role– responsible for his and his brother's failures– he also sees him as responsible for their victories.

So yeah. Conclusion: Mario's Dad is a flawed guy who makes big mistakes, but there's no doubt in my mind that he cares a lot about his kids.

[livingdeadmlm]

Back from the dead

OKAY SO…Werewolf Arthur Morgan x reader ??

Probably just fluff and maybe an overprotective Arthur?

TEEEHEEE

-🌶️

Welcome back!!

He keeps his ears tucked away in his hat, he dosen’t want it too clear when he’s trying to hear what people are talking about around him

He comes back to the camp and tries his hardest to keep his tail from wagging like crazy when he finally catches a small smell of you throughout the camp leading back to your tent.

However he is always exposed when you peek around a corner and hear his name sung out to him, it does get some giggles from the women in the camp and the kids when big ol Arthur's stoic face and tail are going 100 miles a minute

Heading into town he makes sure to be half a step behind so he can make sure no one sneaks up on either of you and maybe take your or his wallets and run off.

He makes plenty sure that when talking to folk they don’t attempt to scam you out of any of your money

When taking jobs he tends to consider his safety more now yet still finds himself in the middle of the woods talking to strangers he’s never seen before.

He wont get jealous if people come up to talk to you but when its at the bar, and the other person is getting much to close his ears are pinned back under his hat

You don’t entertain the attention much but the other person tends to pick up on Arthur’s no longer wagging tail and the tension that could be cut with a knife

He’s never had to get loud unless someone grabs at you then he dives in and holds back no bite or punch

You’ve specially sown his pants in order to fit his tail through them, before he would just rip a line in the hem and fit is tail in it.

If you find a hat that accompanies his big wolf ears it exposes just how often he gets confused but plays it off like nothing

As a wolf I think he’d have a much bigger appetite and gets a little embarrassed when he’s downed his whole meal when you’ve just started eating

[thethirdromana]

Mina's class conundrum

For some of the characters in Dracula, it's very clear-cut which class they belong to - e.g. Arthur, who is 100% a member of the upper class. With Mina, however, it's less clear:

She was a childhood friend of Lucy, who is upper-class or upper-middle class (from a high enough class background to marry a nobleman).

She is engaged to marry Jonathan, a newly qualified solicitor (a middle-class profession) who was recently only a clerk (one of the worst-paid white-collar jobs in Victorian England).

Mina expects to be short of money in their married life, and "shall have to try to make both ends meet".

Lucy considers her to be a suitable match for Jack, a man who is "well off" and "of good birth".

She has to work for a living as an assistant schoolmistress.

She's a orphan who has never known her parents.

Some of this (the friendship with Lucy, the idea of marriage to Jack) points towards an upper-middle class background. But the rest (marrying Jonathan, working for a living) is less consistent with that.

So I thought it might be interesting to tease out what the options are. Dropping the rest of this under a cut because it's long.

Quick disclaimer: whatever the finer details of her background, Mina is still in the top 15% of 1890s society. She's not working-class; she's an educated professional who's probably earning 50% more than the average full-time salary.

But there's still a big gulf between the entry level of the Victorian middle class (household income around £150/year, employing one servant) and the top end of the upper-middle classes (four-figure household income, large numbers of servants, potentially enough passive income for no one to need to work).

Mina's job

I realised in writing this that we don't know a huge amount about what Mina's job actually is. She's an assistant schoolmistress, and she says:

you can't go on for some years teaching etiquette and decorum to other girls without the pedantry of it biting into yourself a bit

but that doesn't imply that etiquette is all she teaches. She could equally have said "you can't go on for some years teaching other girls to keep their shoes shiny and in good order without becoming self-conscious when your own shoes are scuffed", without it implying that her teaching career is all about shoes.

The Dracula Daily fandom has also generally assumed that Mina was a pupil of the school, before becoming a pupil-teacher, then a full-time teacher; I think that's a reasonable assumption from Mina teaching "for some years". We've also generally assumed that Mina and Lucy attended the same school where Mina then became a teacher. That's implied here:

It was my privilege to be your friend and guide when you came from the schoolroom to prepare for the world of life.

I think there could be other ways of interpreting that sentence, but most of them are a bit of a stretch.

There were a variety of different schools for girls in Victorian England: chiefly board schools, private schools, and a small number of academic schools that aimed to give girls an equal education to that received by boys, targeting university entrance. I'm going to leave out the latter, because I don't think Mina works for one of the academic schools; there just weren't that many of them.

Board schools were primary schools for the general population, run by the state though funded partly by fees. Working at a board school would be stressful, with huge class sizes. Board school teachers were generally middle-class: for instance, Margaret McCallum, the daughter of a shopkeeper (a lower-middle class occupation), who became a pupil-teacher at her local elementary school in her early teens, then went to college for further qualifications, eventually becoming a headteacher.

Board school teaching was promoted as a career for upper-class women, but very few of them did it: Eglantyne Jebb, who went on to found Save the Children and drafted the document that became the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, was a rare exception.

There's also no way that Lucy attended a board school. Her education was much more likely to have been at a private school, which were run by women from a genteel background. Fees for pupils ranged from £3 to over £150 (bearing in mind £56 as the average male full-time salary).

This made it a difficult way to earn a living: women who ran and taught at these schools had to keep up the appearance of a genteel lifestyle while not usually making enough profit to support it. They were often not well-qualified; their qualification was coming from the correct social background, which meant upper-middle class or upper-class ("gentlewomen", broadly), though by definition they were also poor enough to need to work for a living. (Source, p139-141)

Possible options for Mina's class

Putting my cards on the table, I would strongly prefer Mina to be of a distinctly lower class than Lucy (who is upper-class or upper-middle class). That would mean that the Crew of Light spans different genders, different ages, different faiths, different nationalities and different classes (rather than just upper-middle and upper, which is a difference, but a small one), which really appeals to me. Unfortunately, the evidence doesn't really go my way.

Mina as upper-middle class I think this has to be the more likely option, however much I don't like it.

Mina's parents could have been upper-middle class, potentially connections of the Westenras, but their untimely deaths meant that they didn't have as much by way of savings to pass on to their daughter as they would have liked. They might have left Mina enough to be educated at a good school (with Lucy) and to care for her needs as a child, but not so much that she could afford not to work as an adult. At the same time, being from established upper-middle class background would give Mina the standing that she would need to work as a teacher in a private girls' school.

This could suggest that Mina is marrying down, at least a little, in her engagement to Jonathan, leading to this line in Lucy's letter:

We met some time ago a man that would just do for you, if you were not already engaged to Jonathan.

I don't much like this reading. But it does seem to be the one that fits best with the facts we have.

Mina as lower-middle class OK, now let's see if I can make my preferred reading work.

This puts Mina in a class that would naturally marry a solicitor's clerk. She would work in a board school or potentially one of the cheapest private day schools. How she came to be childhood friends with Lucy is harder to figure out, but if Lucy is from new money (possible!) then the connection might go back to before the Westenras became wealthy.

Suggesting Jack as a match for Mina, "good birth" and all, could simply be the relatively innocent Lucy thinking that if Mina and Jack met, love would conquer all regardless of a class barrier. (Which is plausible given how much Jack admires Mina when they do meet).

This reading does fit better with Mina's dedication to autodidacticism and her interest in supporting Jonathan through his work, not just by being a better housewife. This would be consistent with coming from a background where women routinely worked before marriage, and I would guess might work alongside their husbands more as well (e.g. a shop-keeper's wife working in the shop).

As for being Lucy's "friend and guide" when she came from the schoolroom... well, being her teacher is the most logical way to read it, but she could arguably have been guided by an older friend, especially if the age gap between them is more like 3-5 years rather than 1-2 years.

Yeah, it's a stretch. But I think either option is possible, just about. I'd be keen to hear what other people think!

[adhd-merlin]

please share your arwen headcanons <3 can't stop thinking about arthur giving his queen everything she deserves. making everyone see what he sees

okay an arwen ask!! thank you!! I don't have many headcanons in general but here's some thoughts:

both virgin until marriage you won't convince me otherwise!!

they joked about merlin's crossdressing "habit" at least once. they both believe it's a thing merlin does I can't believe it never comes up at some point

that time they spent trying to keep their relationship a secret while uther was still alive? yeah they sucked at it. camelot's worst kept secret. everyone in the castle but uther knew

merlin being their super stressed-out wedding planner because everything needs to be perfect for their big day is canon to me. that man is not chill about ceremonies and is not chill about the two of them getting together you can imagine what kind of state he would be in

after arthur forgives gwen for "cheating" on him they never talk about lancelot again :(

they struggle to keep their eyes and hands off each other in public after getting married. nothing indecent, like. holding hands under the table at council meetings and missing 75% of what's being said. imagine how they were in S5 but ten times worse.

it's canon that they both care about camelot and her people and that's something they both admire about the other. I think gwen as queen would be loved by the people and it would make arthur love her even more

they talk about their future children, or at least they do until it becomes clear they might never come. I think arthur would love having a daughter, don't ask me why this is just one of my beliefs

at some point gwen absentmindedly lets slip that she kissed merlin once and arthur is like "haha sure :)" and gwen is like "no arthur I did. for real" after which arthur spends a day sulking and being mean(er) to merlin for no apparent reason

you know that intro to ep 5x01 where merlin is running around like a headless chicken looking for gwen and arthur is like "merlin where is she??" I like to think it's because after all the kidnappings they both panic if she "disappears" and they can't locate her immediately. "oh shit not again. I swear she was here a minute ago"

arthur hates his own birthday but he 100% makes a fuss about gwen's. it's a huge huge celebration

if gwen's dad had been alive when she got engaged, arthur would have done the asking-him-for-his-daughter's-hand thing. even though he was the king. I just think he's that kind of guy.

okay I've been sitting on this ask trying to think of more but I’ve got a headache so I'll stop here. maybe they’ll come to me later

[saurix5]

Why do some people think that Mordred would have gone straight to Morgana after escaping with Kara like it's a surefire thing? There's no guarantee that would happen. Because at that point, Mordred still had some faith in Arthur and heavily disagreed with Morgana (a point he made clear more than once). Based on Mordred's established character and the reason he switched teams, these are what I believe are the likely outcomes:

If Mordred & Kara left successfully, Mordred would have tried to have them go their own path. He might've tried to get Kara to heal and become less vengeful. After all, that's what he managed to do for himself after s2. He still had hope for his friend.

Let's say Kara is adamant about going to Morgana, and nothing Mordred says can change her mind. So Kara goes. Mordred might A) separate from her and either return to Camelot to face punishment and want to atone. Or he goes off somewhere else because he feels he fucked up his chances in Camelot too badly and is never seen again.

Or B) He does go with Kara to Morgana. But not out of revenge, only to keep an eye on Kara. Therefore, he doesn't reveal Emrys's identity. He'll obviously lie about why he changed sides, but Morgana doesn't trust him. At best, Mordred becomes a low-ranking soldier. At worst, he's imprisoned. Either way Morgana would not gift him with the magic dragon sword and someone else stabs Arthur.

(Tho that is unlikely since Mordred is highly skilled and Arthur hesitated. I don't think anyone else could've landed the blow. Arthur's only other equal is Morgana, but she was somewhere else in the battle)

The point is that a successful escape & no Kara execution most likely would have made a difference in preventing at least the "mordred is the killer" aspect of the prophecy. It's hard to say what would have happened next. But saying that Mordred would have 100% gone to Morgana to legit work with her doesn't seem correct.

[fang-and-feather]

CONGRATULATIONS FOR THE 100 FOLLOWERS! 🥳🎂🎉

For the celebration:

Arthur/reader/Isaac triad + handcuffs :3

Thank you, sweetie! 🥰❣️

This was even more fun than I expected and went on places I wasn't expecting either

Words: 3637

Summary: You should have known Arthur's surprise from the morning wasn't his only one. Neither was dinner. But this... was a little past your expectations. The trust and vulnerability of such an offering... But Isaac's reaction was the biggest surprise, and the promise of a night to remember

Tags: NSFW, Light Bondage, Very Light Dom/sub Play, Dom! Isaac/sub! Arthur, Use of Toys (besides the handcuffs), Teasing and Edging, Cockwarming, Double Penetration, Fluffy Ending, Modern Setting

Request from my 100 Followers Celebration. Prompts for it were from @anyfandomfluffbingo

I actually decided to pair this with my previous fic (post both together), because I think they make for a nice set.

Previous Fic / IkeVamp Masterlist / General Masterlist / AO3 Link

Even when you thought Arthur’s gift from earlier wasn’t his only surprise, this wasn’t what you expected him to have in mind.

But it made for such an erotic sight, to find him handcuffed to the bed like this, even when he was still dressed, that your surprise and confusion were quickly brushed away.

“Looks as good as you expected, luv?”

Arthur smiled seductively at you and you returned the smile. You would be somewhat nice to him because it was your anniversary, but he would still lose that smugness pretty soon. Especially after Isaac arrived.

He was still putting himself in your hands, after all.

“Well, I can’t see much with these clothes on the way.”

“Oh, I thought you would like to unwrap your present yourself.”

“Fair. I thought of offering you the same, but looks like you already have your hands full tonight.” you shrugged off your summer dress, revealing the lingerie you had bought, especially to surprise your boys tonight. Well, mostly Arthur.

A deep blue, mostly see-through negligee, adorned with black lace, and a pair of matching panties that were not transparent.

The sound that escaped Arthur sounded suspiciously like a whimper.

“I will have to wait for Isaac, then.” You added, slowly stepping closer to the bed, watching the way his eyes accompanied your movements. You grinned and Arthur pouted.

“Are you that intent on torturing me, luv? You know, I can barely resist how sexy you are when you’re not trying to seduce me.”

“Just seeing how committed you are to the game you started.” You crawled on top of him. Arthur gulped. “You admit defeat already?”

“You know I never do.” His smile turned confident again. “But don’t you think we should consult Newt before making this a game? Where is he, anyway?”

“He got a call. He’ll be here soon. And if you’re worried about this being too much for him… you remember why we bought these, don’t you?” You asked, tugging at the chain of the handcuffs.

Isaac had been oddly curious about the use of some toys during your last shopping spree, so you didn’t waste the opportunity. He rarely expressed any interest in anything without you proposing it first. Even if this turned out to be something you wouldn’t try again, it would be a good experience to all of you.

And speaking of Isaac…

“It was from work. There was a problem, so I get the day off tomorrow too. Maybe we…”

You turned to loot at the door as best as you could, watching as he stopped as soon as he noticed the position you were in. Embarrassment and desire clear on his face, battling for his focus.

“What do I do with you?” Isaac groaned and closed his eyes, his face burning red. “I turn around for a minute and you—”

“I was just waiting for you to unwrap our present. Will you help me or do you want to watch?”

Isaac sighed, but he stepped closer, eyes still closed and face still red.

“Is it too much, Isaac?” Arthur asked with a little of concern.

But that was because he had even less of a view of Isaac than you did, because to you, it looked like desire was winning and Isaac was actually trying to keep himself from pouncing on you.

The image that thought brought was quite tempting, although it would completely change your plans.

“You always are.” Isaac muttered, starting to unbutton his shirt as he approached you. “But I… It’s not your fault. I just don’t know how to deal with these new feelings sometimes.”

“If you want to change to something more comfortable, just say the word. But by the look of things, I would say that’s not what you want.” Arthur grinned.

“No. Only you two could ever make me feel such things, and I don’t hate it. Although…” Isaac leaned towards Arthur. “Why, even in this position, do you have to try to tease me?”

Before Arthur could answer, Isaac kissed him.

“You’re lucky it is our anniversary, because I don’t think Isaac would let this opportunity pass otherwise.” You chuckled, watching your boyfriends make out.

You shifted your body a little, the scene only making the ache within you stronger. Arthur moaned as your movements ended up brushing against him, and Isaac finally pulled away.

“It is our anniversary indeed. And Arthur said it wasn’t fair for us to be the only ones pampering him. I guess it is his turn to entertain us, don’t you think, darling?” Isaac kissed you this time, not giving you the opportunity to reply, either.

It almost didn’t sound or look like the Isaac you knew, both his words and the lustful glance he shot Arthur. It was so rare that you would wake this side of him, even between the three of you. Completely taken by lust that he lost most of his reservations.

Maybe he was more like that when he and Arthur were alone. You could imagine Arthur’s teasing getting to him like that without you to mediate or just catch their attention.

“I guess that’s what he had in mind when he started this.” You winked at Arthur as Isaac walked out of your view. “Wasn’t it, love?” you traced a path down his throat lightly with a nail, stopping at the first button of his shirt and toying with it.

“You know I belong to you. But I think I will need a drink for that.”

Isaac climbed behind you on the bed and nudged you a little forward. You shifted your position, and he kissed your back, humming in approval.

You turned to Arthur, hands returning to his shirt as you slowly finally opened a button.

“I would love to comply, but I think we should wait for Isaac to be ready.”

Isaac kissed your back, probably a sign he approved. You felt him unbuckling Arthur’s pants.

“I could always bite him too, just to...”

This time, you didn’t know what Isaac did, but Arthur’s words turned into a deep moan rather quickly. You chuckled.

“What Is the fun in rushing it? Why don’t I bite you instead for now?”

You bent forward and did just that, biting his neck just hard enough to leave a mark, then soothing the spot with your tongue. Arthur moaned and the handcuff’s chain rattled as he instinctively tried to reach out for you.

“You look so hot like this.” You whispered in his ear. “So helpless… Completely in our hands…”

“I… I always am…”

Behind you, Isaac groaned, and the sound was followed by a louder moan from Arthur.

“What is this?” Isaac asked, sounding more surprised than confused.

Arthur opened his mouth to answer, but what came out was an even louder moan and you felt him buck.

You could imagine what Isaac had found as he removed Arthur’s clothes. A butt plug Arthur had bought once, and at least between the two of you, it was usually his sign you could do anything you wanted to him.

Probably because that usually included you pegging him, but even when it didn’t, he would just keep wearing it.

“Do you want me to fill you up that much?” Isaac continued. Arthur gasped and moaned. “Or should she do it?”

You moaned too, grinding against Arthur. The way Isaac’s voice got when he got that much into the game. Low and sweet. So seductive.

“Or maybe I have different plans.”

But you were feeling a little lost between their exchange. What was the best way you could regain a little control?

Your thoughts were interrupted by the low cracking of the bed, as Isaac climbed off and you watched him go straight to the drawer you kept your “toy box”.

You moved to your previous position, lightly grinding against Arthur’s hardened cock, before resuming your work on his shirt, with a certain urgency this time.

You gently grazed your nails over his chest, earning a short gasp, then circled a nipple and his breath hitched.

“That sensitive already?” You ground your hips against his again. “I didn’t even start.”

You gave him a soft bite just below his collarbones, then again a little lower, leaving a trail of marks on your way to reach a nipple. You dragged your tongue over the tip, making him shudder, then gently dragged your teeth over it, feeling it harden as you did.

“You could try this,” Isaac offered you a small bottle. He had brought the whole box over and set it beside the bed.

“Good idea.” You smiled and knelt up, accepting what you realized to be a cooling gel.

“You really want to watch me squirm, don’t you?” If Arthur wanted it to sound like he was complaining, then it was failing.

“If I wanted to, I would turn this on maximum speed and leave you locked here.” Isaac replied, flushing to the tip of his ears, probably embarrassed at the image that thought must have brought up, as he showed Arthur what he had picked from the box.

“What about that talk about filling me up yourself?”

“If you’re still up for another round after we’re done, I might.” Isaac walked out of your view again.

“Buying this was your suggestion. Do you still want to try it?”

He basically told you there was no need to ask when he put himself in such a position, but you still liked to make sure. And to hear him admit it.

“Ready to try whatever you want, dear.”

Sometimes you wondered what it would take for him to regret these words, but you knew he only said that because he knew you wouldn’t even try.

“I will keep that in mind.”

You applied a little of the gel on the nipple you hadn’t touched yet, watching the way Arthur squirmed. You bent down and blew over it, making his back arch.

Then Isaac had him moaning and his hips bucking, almost throwing you off, so you readjusted your body over his, leaning your weight on one arm and pinching his nipple with your free hand, then pulling and lightly twisting it, making his back arch again.

You went back to rubbing, as you drew the other nipple in your mouth, sucking it.

But Arthur’s moans were cut by a groan that sounded quite dissatisfied, followed by a shift in the bed and soon you were being distracted from your assault by Isaac’s hands moving to your hips, making you moan this time.

“You chose this one for Arthur, didn’t you?” He asked, caressing your sides over the negligee.

“Jealous?” You asked playfully. “Don’t worry. I have something special in mind for our anniversary, too.”

“No-Not that I don’t like it!” Isaac added hurriedly, hands sliding down. “Just…” You knew it was a little more daring than he usually liked. “May I?” He asked, tracing the waistband of your underwear with light touches that made you shiver and squirm.

“As you wish.” You leaned your body weight on both arms and rested your forehead against Arthur’s chest, so you could move your legs to a position that allowed him to remove the piece of clothing.

And Isaac lingered, his hands sliding slowly and sensually over your skin, lips that trailed butterfly kisses after them. It was your turn to sigh and moan, and you couldn’t even get a little friction to calm your aching core.

Then, his hands guided you back to a kneeling position, caressing your hips over your negligee. One of them slid up and brushed your hair aside, then he kissed the back of your neck.

“I will come back for you in a moment, darling.”

“Can’t decide which one of us you want first, Newt?” Arthur teased. “Or is the problem how you want it?”

“I…”

Isaac didn’t finish or move for a moment. You could imagine him blushing even harder than before, and the way he probably was frowning as he mulled over his unspoken dilemma.

“If you want something, you know you can always ask.” Arthur told him.

“Don’t be ashamed of wanting to experiment. We won’t judge you, even if it’s something we’re not okay with.”

Isaac didn’t respond, but he moved. A bottle was unscrewed, and you felt his hands occasionally brushing you, accompanied by new, sweet moans from Arthur.

You joined him, reaching for the bottle you had set aside and resuming your work on his nipples.

“You are being so loud today.” Isaac told him.

“Whose… fault it… is.”

“Hope it’s ours.” You chuckled.

“In… indeed. And I… can’t take it… much longer…”

These words were Issac’s clue to stop what he was doing, causing Arthur to whimper.

“You’re being so mean today…”

“Sorry. Just a little longer.”

Isaac’s hands returned to your hips, this time slipping under your clothes, massaging the skin, then down your legs. One hand climbed the inside of your tight, until a couple of fingers were probing you, testing how ready you were. The other massaged your clit until you started trying to grind against him.

Then his hands returned to your hips, and he guided you back, until you found yourself sitting directly over Arthur.

He didn’t need to say anything. You lowered your body, letting him fill you. Both of you groaned, finally getting what you wanted.

But as soon as he was all the way in, Isaac kissed your neck, then nibbled at your ear.

“Stay still.” He whispered in that sweet, erotic tone you were so weak for.

“Newt…” Arthur complained.

Both of you knew he wasn’t that serious, but this time you felt like complaining, too. But the fact Isaac was finding the confidence to lead you like that was hot enough for you to let it pass.

Arthur’s complaint turned into a low moan and his body jerked again, making you bounce a little. There was a quiet moment, then it happened again.

All the while, the bed creaked as Isaac reached for where he left the rest of the toys, then extended a hand so you could see what he had.

“Do you mind?” He asked, with a certain hesitation, but not the usual shyness.

It was another pair of handcuffs. You had bought a set of toys that came with three.

But it took you a moment to respond, realizing Isaac had something else in hand that had gotten a reaction out of Arthur. The control for the vibrator from earlier. It was very quiet, so you hadn’t noticed, but now you could hear the low hum of each pulse from it, quickly covered by Arthur’s groans and whimpers.

You gulped, but nodded and put your arms back. Still, he caressed your skin without making any move to bind you.

“Are you sure?”

“Go ahead.”

He was gentle in making sure he had you in the most comfortable position possible before locking the cuffs. Then he caressed your arm and kissed your shoulder.

“We’ll get there soon.” His hands returned to caressing your body, this time up to your breasts. He circled both of your nipples from over your cloth. Such a different feeling from the contact of bare skins.

He gently tugged on the tips, while his mouth explored your neck, then his hands covered your breasts and kneaded the skin.

Arthur groaned, even before another pulse of the vibrator, watching Isaac touch you. He tried to buck his hips into you, but Isaac was probably holding him down. But the small movement was enough to make you whimper again.

Isaac licked and nibbled at your neck, his hands sliding down, back to your legs and your clothes, this time climbing your body from under them, then back down again, lightly squeezing your ass.

“Where do you want me?”

“Wherever you want, love.” It wouldn’t be the first time you had both of them in either way, and at this point you were beside the point of caring, as long as you got what you needed.

Both you and Arthur moaned as one of his fingers probed the place where both of you were joined.

This always took a little longer to prepare, but you were definitely ready.

But Isaac changed his mind, his hands sliding up back up to your ass and the tip of a finger teased your entrance.

“I think you’re at your limit.”

“Don’t mind… us.” Arthur told him breathlessly. “What… about you?”

With Arthur handcuffed from the beginning and the way he stayed before you, neither of you had the opportunity to touch Isaac all night.

“Watching you has been just enough to get me there, too. Can I continue?”

“Yes.” You and Arthur said in unison.

Isaac’s hands moved away for a moment, but returned shortly. The lube felt slightly cold, making you squirm a little, and that was enough to make him pause.

“Don’t stop.” Your tone was so pleading that you would be embarrassed if you weren’t so desperate.

Isaac kissed your shoulder again, and a finger pushed into you with ease.

“Almost there, darling.” A second finger joined the first. “You feel so ready already, but I just want to make sure.”

“We have… been ready for… a while, sweetie.”

“Aren’t you too, luv?”

Isaac groaned, pulling his hands away. You just felt him move in a certain hurry, then his hands returned to your hips and his lips were on your neck again, sucking sweetly, before his fangs grazed your skin.

“May I?”

“Do it.”

He gripped you tighter and adjusted himself, and his fangs pierced into you just as he did.

Both yours and Arthur’s cry of your boyfriend’s name resounded together, as well as Isaac’s groan as he drank from you.

No matter how many times you did this, the combined pleasure was still overwhelming and made your head spin.

“The two of you feel so good,” Isaac moaned as he pulled away, thrusting into you slow and hard, making you rock on Arthur, as he licked your neck off any spill of your blood.

“You’re… still holding back?” Arthur asked.

“Not… enough for you? Should I… turn the… vibrator back on?”

Arthur gave a dry laugh and shook his head.

But as Isaac’s thrusts turned shallower, and one of his hands pulled away, you thought he would do it anyway, only for that hand to return to you, fingers slick with lube that played with your clit.

When you thought it would finally push you past your limit, his hand was back on your hip, and Isaac started thrusting harder again. The lube easing the friction between your skin and Arthur’s, making this ride easier and more pleasurable.

This time he didn’t stay on that slow pace for long, building speed as his breathing grew heavier and he started kissing and nibbling your neck again.

Arthur came first, filling you up with such a loud moan you would later be thankful you didn’t live in an apartment anymore.

A couple more thrusts did you in right after, your body collapsing forward, but Isaac held you, gently stroking your skin and whispering sweetly praise to you.

You were barely aware that he had stopped, and of him removing the cuffs from you, but as your mind started to clear, he nudged you forward so your body was parallel to Arthur’s, and handed you the keys.

You released Arthur as Isaac started thrusting into you again. One of Arthur’s hands went immediately to the back of your head, pulling you closer, his lips on your neck, kissing it.

“Sorry if I can’t be gentler, luv.” He whispered right before sinking his fangs on you, right over where Isaac did.

This didn’t take long to pull another orgasm out of you, your mind going blank with pleasure, and Isaac soon followed. Arthur kept kissing your neck, one hand caressing your hair, the other rubbing your back.

Isaac pulled away as you let yourself lay on top of Arthur, connected as you were.

“Are you okay?” Isaac asked, sitting on the head of the bed by your side. “Did I go too far?”

“We are fine.” You smiled tiredly at him.

“And you did wonderfully, luv.” Arthur caressed his arm.

Isaac bent down and kissed both of you.

“Good.” Isaac said, flustered. “Your wrists okay?”

“Slightly sore, but we expected that.”

“Not something I would wear often, but not something that can hurt once in a while.” Arthur added.

“Should I get you cleaned, or are you joining me in the bath?”

“Can you get up?” Arthur asked you.

“I think so. Since you are taking one, another bath sounds nice.” you reached out and gently squeezed his leg. “But before that, did we sate your curiosity? Did you enjoy today?”

Isaac frowned, getting even redder, but you saw the silent determination in his eyes. He knew this feedback was important to you.

“I am satisfied with today. Although I prefer when we have equal freedom around each other, having both of you so vulnerable with me… Trusting me like that…”

“Hope that means you will be comfortable coming to us whenever you are curious about something else.” You sat up and hugged Issac. Arthur did the same.

“I love you.” Isaac whispered, his voice a little hoarse. He looked ready to cry.

Isaac being this overwhelmed by love and trust was becoming rarer, and you believed he would grow out of it. But while not, you would be there to support him.

“We love you too.”

And you stayed like that until Isaac calmed down, and even after getting cleaned up and ready to bed, that was how you went to sleep, with Isaac nested between you, showered in all your love and attention.

Tag List:

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@2-lines-and-a-circle, @eventinelysplayground

If you want to be tagged/untagged on future writings, even if it's in specific contents, you can reply to this post or send me a message

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[celestemagnoliathewriter]

Ok ok ok so this is something I have pondered for a bit now that I have re-entered the Remadora fandom again for the first time for probably almost 15 years. As you seem to be the de facto keeper of some of the deepest headcanons of this niche topic, I am curious what your take is.

Question: How many people do you think know, at least initially/when it happened, knew Remus left?

Hear me out here. Ok so the book isn’t remotely clear how long he was gone because we only get an update in like Feb/March when Ron returns but the Pottermore bio that he was actually gone for like 3 days, which is still absolutely a dick move, but significantly different than being gone for *months.*

Now, most fics I’ve read at any point have included him *saying* in some form that he’s leaving, either in the form of a letter of sorts, or I do really like TauraNorma’s whole scene in Flying Colours in which it’s an in-person conversation, but beyond dissociated from reality on his part.

But, if I were in her position, I don’t know how much I’d divulge to others? It would certainly be a difficult position. If she did stay with her parents for that period, or after, (I do love Remus saying she’d safe at her parents’ house as if they didn’t literally just get tortured. Bro. Really?) she *does* have some plausible deniability of “he had to go to some Order business” to them to have some shield for her own embarrassment.

Maybe to Molly and Arthur as a “hey if my husband lands at your house or something, wanna shoot me a message?” but past that I’m not 100% sure how I land with others knowing. It seems very possible to me that when Ron is with Billy and Fleur, Ron, while listening to Potterwatch or something, offhandedly asks them if he ever went back to Tonks and them being like sorry wat. And Ron having the unfortunate task of regaling what happened at Grimmauld Place in August. I could definitely see it spreading from there and more of their acquaintances finding out from that discussion but obviously Tonks is like 8 months pregnant and they’ve been living together seemingly the entire time.

Ok I’m sorry this ended up shockingly long. I may not have been entirely sober when furiously typing it out the first time.

Ahhhh what a compelling ask, @millennihilism!

I'm honored you consider me the de facto keeper of the HCs on this, but I'll also be the first to say that there are a LOT of differing opinions on this one because of the lack of canon data.

You're correct that Pottermore says that Remus was only gone about 3 days. We have no idea what circumstances he left Tonks in. Letter? In person? Dashing away in the night without a word? Who knows.

From a close reading of DH, there's no indication of how long Remus was gone. You could say 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months, 8 months ... technically all canon compliant if you're not using Pottermore as a source.

That being said, my personal HC is no more than a week, and again, I know that many people would disagree with this assessment of Remus's absence, but I believe it's a shorter absence for many reasons, including an answer to your question of how many people knew that he left her.

Remus is a dick, but he's not *THAT* much of a dick. He's a coward, but he's not *THAT* much of a coward. Remus does have a good bit of kindness in him, and he's brave enough to do the right thing when push comes to shove. Harry literally shoved him. I think that put Remus squarely in his place and shamed him enough to return to Tonks.

Remus's support system is down to almost nothing. He presumably has the following people outside of Tonks: Molly and Arthur, Bill and Fleur. That's it. He thought he had the trio, but that wasn't true, given Harry rebuking him.

We know from Remus that he's been tailed by a Death Eater for three days before he came to Grimmauld Place. If he's been tailed by a Death Eater, where could he have been? Certainly not the Burrow, where they'd find him. Certainly not Shell Cottage, as it's under the Fidelius Charm, presumably. So that gives us an idea that if he was tailed by a Death Eater for three days (curiously, the amount of time Pottermore tells us he was gone for), and just now got to GP to talk to the trio, he's been on the go for three days by the time he gets to the trio.

Because there is nowhere to go for Remus, that puts him in an awkward position. I don't think that anyone outside the Tonkses knew he left her. I think that Remus left, and Tonks vacillated between being sure he was coming back and being really terrified and scared that something would happen to him. Oh, and anger. Lots of righteous anger. I can imagine she told her parents by way of explaining that she was living with them now. It's possible she told him he was on a mission, but they didn't believe her.

Because of the 3 day ordeal of being tailed by a Death Eater, this is why I do NOT think that Remus went to the Burrow or Shell Cottage before he came to GP, or after, for that matter. While we know that Remus knows about Shell Cottage - when he announces Teddy's birth in the spring - we don't know when that information was given to him. I don't think Lupin could've been gone for months and months because we do know that Ron was at Shell Cottage, and he didn't mention Lupin being there. It's possible Lupin went to Shell Cottage for a few weeks, but I'm also not buying that for other reasons.

Bill is the most lenient and understanding of the brothers, but there's a huge difference to me between Ron leaving his friends when times got tough and Lupin leaving his pregnant wife in the middle of a war. Plus, think of Fleur. Do you really think Fleur would be okay with Lupin crashing at her house to avoid his responsibilities? She gushes about how brave her husband is in the hospital wing scene. She'd look at Lupin like the tiniest and most miserable snail in the world if he dared use her home as a hiding place from his wife.

I also don't think that Bill and Fleur would be on Remus's side over Tonks. Bill was two years ahead of Tonks in school. Bill might have kinship with Remus after being attacked by Fenrir Greenback, but that kinship, IMO, is not going to be enough to defend Lupin's actions on leaving his wife. I also believe Lupin knew this, which is why I staunchly believe that Lupin NEVER went to Shell Cottage in his time away from Tonks.

So at the end of the day, who knew that Lupin left Tonks? Initially, likely only the trio and the Tonkses. Remus returns fairly quickly. I can imagine Ron sharing Lupin's arrival at GP to Bill and Fleur, who probably had shock and disappointment at Lupin's actions. But by then Lupin's back home so it's in the past. I assume Molly and Arthur would've been told through the grapevine, possibly Kingsley too, and everyone just keeps it under wraps because it's Remus having a moment of panic.

And for how long was Remus gone? I take the 3 day to a week position because Lupin had no viable places to stay without endangering other people, which seems to be his number one fear. I also take that timeline because he's being tailed and he knows it. He returns to the safest place, his home with Tonks and her parents, where they can be in hiding (forever furious Ted couldn't have stayed with them?? why did he die??? it makes no earthly sense except to give Teddy Lupin his name and have another orphan raised by his grandmother??)

At the end of the day, I will never ever ever ever buy the idea that Remus was gone for a long time. He does the right thing when push comes to shove, and he was shoved by Harry. He is a coward, but when the time is right, he does the brave thing. He also loves Tonks, and Tonks is forgiving and kind. That's why they work.

I hope this answers your questions!!

[verdemoun]

does sean ever get to re-tell the stories of his da, except now he has the gang’s attention he doesnt need to overexaggerate? like he used to tell stories of his father holding a gun in the air righteously, yelling battle cries, or just saying really cool insults (which poor darragh probably wouldnt even know). but now he can properly say what happened without having worry about the gang thinking his da isnt cool or outlaw-y enough then discovers his da sounds way more realistic, normal and somehow more admirable this way? sorry if this is too random😭

c:< no this is the perfect amount of random

sean is telling one of his usual stories about his da, to a much more patient and understanding gang who have learned about darragh's legacy and genuinely enjoy how animated and proud and happy sean is to tell stories about his da, when sean says one of his dad's famous insults 'your ma's sucking cocks in hell!!'

and a few, namely arthur and lenny, give each other a glance. they don't interrupt, they let him finish, but lenny says later, in semi-private 'sean i'm pretty sure that quote's from a movie'

sean gets. weird. heated, obviously furious, but quiet. insists they must've got it from one of the articles about his da, because he remembers hearing it clear as day. could tell the exact same story again, word for word, that his da said it just before running the barn was set alight and the smoke created enough of a screen for him to slip away all while dodging enemy bullets. stole one of their horses and galloped off into the night

arthur doesn't say anything, but he knows that wasn't true. because that was him and sean that set the tobacco fields ablaze

separately, but almost at the same time, lenny and arthur remember sean was only 10 when he lost his da. 10 was a long time ago. hell, arthur was 14 when dutch and hosea picked him up but he has maybe half a dozen memories from his life before then

maybe there's an element of truth in the stories, maybe there's a distant memory, but sean's brain has been picking up little factoids and quotes and quips to fill in the blanks. he doesn't actually remember that much about his da's adventures in detail - but admitting it would absolutely kill sean

so they listen to stories, and sometimes notice things that couldn't be true like turns of phrase that weren't a thing in pre-1890s and stories that sound oddly like movie scenes or their own adventures but they don't say anything because remembering his da, even if the memories aren't entirely true, makes sean happy. and who are they to correct him?

one thing that sean does remember is perfect, second for second memory, was the first time he saw his da properly afraid. he remembered the wagon he was sleeping in jolting to a stop, when he was maybe 8 or 9, and when he poked his head out to ask what was going on darragh covered his mouth roughly and told him in lethal seriousness to be quiet

there, standing in the middle of the trail, was a bull moose. an absolutely stunning moose that stood taller than their dingy little wagon. just looking at them them. darragh was terrified, because nothing he had ever seen before prepared him for the sight of a living moose.

sean, equally terrified but in awe, crawled out onto wagon's bench seat beside his da, wincing as it creaked, and both watched and waited in terrified awe as this moose boredly chewed a few leaves off a tree, snorted a plume of steam in the cold air at them, but decided to trot away into the woods.

sean said something along the lines of what in the jesus christ was that. darragh collected himself in a second, scolded him for using the lord's name in vain, and told him to go back to sleep. moose are still his favorite animal, because every time he sees one, or even the antlers, he remembers his da as clearly as a photograph

it's lenny's favorite story to hear, because there is that unspoken affection for his da and confidence in sean's voice, because he knows that story is completely 100% true