#Cassandra giving me shit for giving them a chance like girl do you want the Seekers to have another chance or should I stamp them out

[midnightwind]

I'm fucking sorry, did they fully expect me to banish the Grey Wardens? after the entirety of Origins?? I spent that entire game scraping that order back into existence, no fucking way was I ditching them because one commander made a stupid ass decision

[sevikas-biceps]

[TLDR: me rationalising and then ranting about why Caitlyn and Cassandra are both in the wrong]

Y'all. We love Cait, and we do stan Cassandra in some regards—but be fucking for real. Think of them as real people, in the real world, doing real things. Y'all would hate them. I'm putting Cait's gay love and Cass' gay support aside—because I really do feel like a lot of people gloss over their flaws just because of the queer rep and allying.

Think of it. The Kiramman's ventilation system was the bare fucking minimum being done for the people of Zaun. Caitlyn weaponising it is literally a violation of human rights practices. We know how privileged Topside is, we know there are at least sympathetic characters out there—and both of these are true for the Kirammans. What does this imply? That the Kirammans were essentially one of those at the top of the hierarchy, and this put them in a complete position of ability to help.

But they didn't. That's the issue, people.

One of the previous matriarchs putting the vent system into place was to solve the matter of the air pollution, yes—but arguably, the people of the Undercity shouldn't have had to deal with that problem to begin with. Cassandra might've been aware it existed; she gave her daughter the key, after all. However, that does not mean she actively came to the aid of the people of Zaun. Hell, do you think she was even aware of Silco, for instance? At the beginning? Maybe she'd've heard whispers from informants, about some old peacekeeper people called the Hound, and then about some mysterious tycoon taking his place. Maybe Grayson said something about the Undercity's concerns in the past, during the time of the first insurrection, but the Council took no note of it. Maybe Cassandra had someone else in place to make her dealings, if ever she dabbled in that black market shit.

Whatever else you can think of with that line of thinking; at the end of the day, it just proves that Cassandra herself was only another person stuck in the cycle—she did her job, she was cunning and selfish, she played the game. It's just business. It's just politics. No more, no less. The original line-up on the Council had members that were either ignorant, negligent, or corrupt (and yes; that includes Heimerdinger, Mel, and Jayce you guys)—and Cassandra was no better. Again, they all were part of the same damn cycle to begin with.

What makes Cassandra remarkable as a character—to us, the audience—is that she's remembered as someone redeemable because of her love for her family, for Caitlyn; that she was willing to try for her daughter's sake and happiness. Caitlyn. Not the city, not her kid's new girlfriend, and most certainly not Zaun. Above all else, it boils down to her little girl. Her only child. Cassandra being on the Council meant that she could give that child the best life that she could; Cassandra being on the Council meant that the child has a future. It implies that peripherally, she was aware of the Undercity's issues—hence the little frustrations exchanged about Caitlyn becoming an officer and venturing into the Undercity in Season 1.

That's her redeeming quality. Duty for family.

[If you want a visualisation of her actual nature, I'd honestly recommend using Olenna Tyrell, Tywin Lannister, and Jon Arryn from ASoIaF/GoT as points of reference.]

Now, onto Caitlyn herself. Credit where credit is due; the girl is in the middle of grieving, and she's being denied the chance to have even that. She doesn't deserve that. No one does. It would be unfair to deal her an amount of resentment for going unstable, when we'd all been rooting for Jinx for half of the same reasons in Season 1. But that's the issue: half of the same reasons.

Let's be honest for a quick second here. Do we really think Caitlyn would've ever gone down to the Undercity had Jinx never attacked on Progress Day? With someone like Marcus hot on her trails, if he lives in this hypothetical alternate reality, I imagine she wouldn't even be placed near the bridge(s) to begin with. And if, in canon, he'd survived the explosion, I can also see Caitlyn being put on house arrest—because if Marcus himself is outed as working with Silco (similar to how Grayson did with Vander), then that's all the more reason to keep the Kiramman heiress away from danger, or worse, death. If things are so bad that the Sheriff, symbolically a paragon of justice and protection, resorted to consorting with the enemy...well, what then? What does that say about the system? What does that say about Piltovan society?

Back to Caitlyn. I'm a firm supporter of the idea that she never would've been put into a potential line of fire had life gone on normally. If Jinx never stole the hexcrystals, then Caitlyn would have no reason to snoop around; Vi is still in Stillwater, Silco is at large, and so on and so forth. Caitlyn remains largely ignorant of the world she lives in. It's noble that she genuinely wanted to help people. But in a place like Piltover? She'd be worse than Jayce when Season 1 began. I'm sure she'd no doubt notice the surrounding manipulations in her life, or how flawed their reality could be—but the point is, at the end of the day, it's still a privileged life that she leads.

Let that word sink in. Privileged. This isn't to disparage her original desire to make her society a better place—I do think that Caitlyn has the potential to do so if she exerted her efforts into long-term developments that could fulfil that vision. But this is where it gets tricky—especially in the context of Season 2. She had all of those resources at her disposal. She was aware of the consequences in using them—how it might affect civilians, innocents. And she still did so anyway. Strike one.

For all that she was a decorated officer, it's really the personal vendetta against Jinx that made her unfit to lead the strike team to begin with. I imagine Vi refused the enforcer position at first not just because of her and her people's history with the authority, but because it's so blatant that doing so enabled Caitlyn to act in her anger. By accepting the badge, Vi validated Caitlyn's need for vengeance. Not that Caitlyn is unreasonable in wanting such a thing, mind, but what is unreasonable was how tone-deaf she'd become in the process of grieving, forgetting that it's not just her own interests on the line, but others' too. Strike two.

There's nothing wrong with Caitlyn at the beginning—the girl just wanted so solve a crime. But then circumstances came up. And then, all of a sudden, she has to choose between duty or self-interest. What the show does is that it gives a convenient solution for Caitlyn to be able to serve both her duty and her own self-interest(s): invade/scour Zaun, she catches a criminal and delivers justice for the Council; find Jinx, Cassandra is avenged and Vi may find closure. The fight at Janna's temple is where it all indeed goes to shit, as we can see, and that's where Caitlyn really slips off in my opinion. She'd toed the line when she asked Vi to wear the badge—but it's really when Isha (a child) got involved and later on when she struck Vi herself (a betrayal), that her motives get warped. Strike three.

My main argument is that Cassandra and Caitlyn were both in the wrong, in one way or another, albeit for different and varied reasons. The former didn't do enough for the situation at hand, and the latter seems to be doing too much at once. Cassandra herself seemed to have enabled her daughter's worse traits, too, whether directly or indirectly; and this is what makes up much of the character that we see Caitlyn evolving into.

There are many aspects of both mother and daughter that have always been there, or, at least, have had the potential to be there, such as: the ruthlessness, the narrow focus, the determination, the strictness—and, most of all (and I have a feeling this is going to be controversial), the hypocrisy. We know, for a fact, that Caitlyn and Cassandra are at least self-aware. To merely label them as naïve or inexperienced (to life) is a gross disservice to their characters. On some level, they're cognisant of their status and ability in society (evidenced by baby!Cait's scepticism regarding Grayson's trophy, and Cass' agreement to support their case at the Council meeting)—and they both have exacted measures in the face of what is demanded of them.

This is the reason that Caitlyn weaponising the Grey, using the Kiramman's ventilation system, is more or less unforgivable. Just because it had Vi's hesitant approval, it didn't make it right. Vi counts as an unreliable narrator in this case—when we know that she, in multiple instances, easily caves when someone she's attached to doubles down on her.

We, as the audience, can at least agree on the moralities regarding the authorisation of the strike team; and that means that we, as people analysing the show, can also agree that the effects of an act such as using the Grey can be devastating. We see this in Viktor's chronic illness, we see this with Silco's asphyxiation trick on the Chembarons, we see this when Jinx knocks out Sevika, we see this in Cassandra's notes. Stop trying to downplay the Grey. Stop trying to justify a fucking war crime. 'Oh, but it's just knock-out gas'—baby, no it's not. It's really not. Smeech explicitly says this: factory smoke trapped underground. Smoke. It's still gas. There's no safe way of administering it in high doses. That's like smoking Marlboro Reds taken beyond the extreme, and fuelled by gasoline of all things.

I'm not villainising Caitlyn, but some of y'all also need to stop excusing what she did—and I'm saying this because a lot of you also did the same with Jinx in Season 1. For the lack of a better example; it's very much like excusing what serial killers of the past had done because they were 'interesting' or 'charming' or hell, relatable. Be Gay, Do Crime is most definitely not applicable here, you guys. Seriously.

That is literally the reason Vi snaps at Caitlyn after the fight with Jinx. Why are you the one acting like her? It's not just a comparison between Caitlyn and Jinx, it's not just vendetta against vendetta; in a broader context, Vi is asking: Why are you resorting to the same acts of terrorism? Why are you enforcing the same tactics your predecessors used? Why are you turning into what you once swore not to become? Why are you doing this? What are you turning into?

Vi asked Caitlyn to promise her not to change. But she did.

Why are you betraying yourself?

[icemorgan10]

I will personally be driving to the desert and letting the scarabs take me

Cause god the bad kids are good people like just so fucking good

Ruz legitimately just taking stress tokens for his friends to just help them out

Fabien going out of his way to clear the air with Gertie so her and Kristen could be happy together cause you know he couldn’t give less of a shit about this girl but is willing to set aside his pride to make his friend happy

Adaine not even having to think about it before going to save Ruben from grix even if he was trying to get them to do drugs and in turn get in massive trouble only a few hours earlier.

Fig offering to be a paladin of Cassandra not cause she find herself devoted to doubt but because she knows it’s important to Kristen and will do anything to help

Fabian opening up his house to everyone not just the cool or popular kids for all then events he has but to everyone even the unpopular freshman kids just so they can enjoy it too

Kristen helping buddy dawn t. Not hesitating to reach for her revivify gems to bring him back even though just like hes told her she’s going to hell and has been less the kind to her. But she shees herself in him in all the wrong and despite how annoying he is she want the best for him or at least for him to have a chance to get better.

Gorgug willing to let go his rage towards porter and trying to see the bright side of his teachings even when porter had been cruel him not just the whole school year, but since he started going to aguefort because yeah in the end it did work out and he grew from it. And just choosing to let it go in give him good rating in his teacher evaluation

Fig seeing a god of rage and conquest the monster Lydia fought to contain and the the supposed bbeg of the season not for what her worshipers have made her but who she was. Not even knowing if she could truely help fight still wrote a song for this forgotten version of the goddess of justice making her best song of all time. Seeing the conviction and protection behind the rage and corruption and going out of her way to always reach out to that version of Ankarna.

Kisten going out of her way to try to help Bobby dawn. Despite him being nothing but cruel to her, despite him trying to get her kicked out of the school and being a prejudice bastard you could tell she wanted to help him and all cause he was genuinely worried about his grandson.

And so so many more. like damn for “bad kids” they’re all so fucking sweet and kind hearted I wanna cry.

[highlifeboat]

I saw your post about Angel crippling their target cause they're older now, and for whatever reason I *immediately* got the image of Cassandra giving her shit for this. Like all "What, you too old to hunt *properly* anymore? Need a handicap to succeed, Granny?" Honestly Angel would probably smash a window to prove a point and just watch her struggle with the cold, doing nothing. Either taunting her or saying nothing at all, emotionless as they stare... maybe "save" her at the last minute (ie: Drag her from the window, but leave her to recover alone otherwise). Just to prove a point. (At least, that's what I could see happening.) (Granted, this would require 1) her knowing of Angel's serial killer tendencies and 2) Angel keeping it under wraps that they would happily kill the girls' LIs in a heartbeat, buuuut.... it would be a hell of a time lol)

Oh, do I have great news, because the daughters DO know about Angel's murderous tendencies! It's actually part of why they don't like them. Angel murders their food and then hides bodies, and most of the time they aren't found until they start rotting.

So Cassandra would absolutely give them shit for it. And I feel like Angel would 100% do that. Really they only have to keep their ideas of hurting the daughters under wraps around Alcina and Mia, and to some extent the daughters. Like I feel like they'll kind of mock or poke the bear, but the daughters don't believe they would actually do anything to them. Because that would be incredibly stupid. But they also don't understand how deep Angel's tendencies go.

So I can see a scene playing out like...

---

Cassandra approaches Angel, a smug look on her face. The two are alone, secluded in one of the hallways, so they can speak freely. She calls to the much shorter maid, stopping them in their track. They look back over their shoulder.

"Miss Cassandra..." They hum out, reluctantly turning to face the daughter. "Did you need something from me?"

"No. I just wanted to chat." Cassandra clicks her tongue, hands behind her back.

Angel looks her up and down. "What about?"

The brunette's smile widens, looking akin to the Cheshire Cat. She leans down to make direct eye contact with the maid, who scrunches their nose at the invasion of personal space. "I saw your little... fiasco with Roxanna the other day." She watches carefully for any shift in their expression.

"Oh?" Angel gets a smile of their own, equally as smug. "So sorry, Miss, did I take another meal from you? I would be happy to show you where some of the pieces are."

"Oh nooo." She waved a hand. "I actually meant before you chased her down." She watches as Angel's smile falters. "I wonder, when did you start having to cripple your prey, Angela?"

Angel didn't dignify the question with a response, and Cassandra found it hard to tell if the dig actually bothered them. She lets out the quiets growl.

"You jammed the knife into that wretch's thigh before you even gave her a chance to run." Cassandra straightens, somehow looking even more smug and cocky than she already had. "What's wrong? Getting to old to do a proper hunt anymore? Grandma needs a handica-"

The shattering of glass cuts off Cassandra's sentence, and it only takes a split second for the smug look to be wiped from her face. Freezing air, colder than anything Cassandra has experienced before, immediately starts to burn her skin and sends her to the floor in a screaming fit. This is followed rather quickly by a kick to her face, that sends her onto her side.

"What's wrong?" She barely hears the monotone voice over the ringing in her ears, and her own pained cries. "The big bad fly bitch can't handle a little cold air?" The taunt is void of emotion, and if Cassandra was able to see clearly she would register that Angel's face was as well.

Any attempts she made to move brought on unbearable pain, as if a million tiny burning needles were stuck in every inch of her body, along with the occasional kick to her body. If anyone could hear her screeches, nobody came to help. It makes her feel pathetic, as she goes from screaming to pain wheezes, to be so easily done in by a breeze and an old woman. It was only minutes, but they felt like the longest minutes of her life.

When her wheezes start to die down, Angel moves her. Taking Cassandra from under her arms and dragging her out of the cold wind before letting her drop back down to the floor with a harsh thud. She already feels better, but she continues to lay there, her body trying to fix itself now that it was safe from the freezing temperature. She looks at the ceiling only to see Angel's face staring down at her, and is hit with a sudden rush of anger.

"Y-You bi-itch...." She stutters. "When I t-te-ll M-Moth-er-"

Angel finally gives some semblance of emotion in the form of an amused smile, leaning down similarly to what Cassandra had done to hear earlier. "Tell her what, Cassandra?" They hummed. "How I saved your life after you so carelessly broke the window?" Angel stands straight again, putting their hands behind their back, and steps around Cassandra. "You really should be more careful, Miss... Wouldn't want anything to happen to you, or your beloved sisters...."

Cassandra growls, but can't find the strength to get up and chase after them. Instead, she moves herself even farther from the broken window, propping herself up against a wall with a grunt, and waits, mulling over what Angel had said.

There was no way Mother would take that maids story over hers.

Cassandra knew her mother would believe her.

Wouldn't she?

----

Or y'know something like that

[bewarethewolfarmy]

Pokemon actually only started the boy/girl in gen 2 but a) point stands and b) brings up an important reason why pronouns are important in video games and spoiler: it's not because of "wokeness" or "gender equality" as much as it is about how the video game industry treated specifically girls for the longest time.

Oh yes, I'm bringing sexy back by bringing back the oldie but goodie of old fashion Video Game Sexism.

I am a girl. I identify as a girl. I am also a gamer and have been since I was an itty bitty. And you know what one of my biggest pet peeves is, my dearies? When a game doesn't give the choice in a game that theoretically should; I'm talking your open worlds, your rpgs with character customization to some degree, your sims and what have you. Big difference between games that should have it and games that either don't need it (like a rhythm game) or a game that it wouldn't really be necessary in (dating sims of the otome variety for instance which are literally for girls; rants about the fact there are not enough lgbtqia+ dating sims will be saved for another day). But in a game like, oh, Starfield an open world, yeah it should have them.

Why? Because it's not once upon a fucking time yet; we still live in an age where if gender choice isn't given, the default is almost ALWAYS going to be male. You're going to be playing a boy, a male, XY, you has a penis or should at least. You got boy parts, 'arry, and don't matter if you actually would prefer to have girly parts (or no parts).

Does it matter to me? Yes it fucking does! Because being allowed to be the gender identify as is important to me (oops I did make it about gender equality, silly me) and for most of my life that hasn't been allowed. Because gen 1 pokemon automatically made me a boy and so did gen 2's silver and gold (in which baby me called a boy Sabrina and all was well in life). Because 'girls don't play video games so why should we give them the time of day?'. Because I'm a girl and only boys get to be assassins, warriors, sorcerers, heroes, gods, whatever they want.

Now do I abandon games just because they don't give the choice? Nah, because I'm a gamer and I love to game. So I'll play the boy trainer trying to catch em all, and I'll play the warrior who has to save his kingdom, and I'll play the assassin fighting a corrupt secret society, and I'll be the hero because it's all pretend. I have abandoned games for bait and switches (I'm looking at your ass Akiba's Trip you piece of shit game) but normally I just abandon games that didn't hold my interest or prove worth my time, and a lot of times I love playing as the male character (in Tales of Symphonia, a game with minor choice since you can choose which of the characters you control in battle, i prefer the male magical knights rather than the female healer, chakram user, ninja, or axe wielder).

But again at the end of the day, identifying as a gender that has historically been underrepresented by the industry, that still often gets underrepresented, the fact that pronouns exist means that I get the chance to actually be myself in a game. I get to be Crystal instead of Gold/Silver (ha pokemon manga jokes). I get to be Cassandra instead of Alexios. I get to be a kickass female high elf necromancer in Skyrim and I can be a female revived colonist from the lost Hope.

I get to be me. And that's what pronouns are for. Because they let us be us and that's what is important.

[rachelbethhines]

Tangled Salt Marathon - Plus Est En Vous Part 3

We did it y’all! We’ve finally made it to the end! This isn’t the last review for the marathon but it is the finale episode of the series. And if I’ve planned things out right, it’s also the anniversary of the series' end and this particular episode. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate.

Summary: As Zhan Tiri attacks the rest of Corona with the combined power of the Sundrop and Moonstone; Rapunzel and Cassandra must finally set their differences aside and work together to defeat her.

This Is A Downgrade

This is not a terrible design, per say, but it’s so less appealing than the black void of nothingness that was hinted at all series long.

This a much bolder, sharper, and crisper design. It stands out and is menacing. Giving Zhan Tiri more definition and rounded features weakens that impact.

Also, why did they bother hiring a new voice actor just for her adult/daemon form? She barely sounds any different.

Just Because A Character Says Something Doesn’t Make It True

Maybe Movie Rapunzel was all about making dreams come true, but Show Rapunzel couldn’t give two shits about what other people want unless it benefits herself somehow.

She neve cared about Cassandra’s dreams, despite being in a position to help her. She doesn’t even give a crap about Varian receiving basic needs, let along what he may actually desire out of life. And any villain who doesn’t bend the knee to her, like Lady Caine or The Saporians, is fresh out of luck, because Rapunzel doesn’t care enough to even ask them what they want nor offer them help.

I bring this up because such hypocrisy undermines the tension of the scene. I’m less likely to care about Rapunzel getting flatten to a pulp if the show reminds me before hand that she’s actually a horrible protagonist who has failed to learn anything.

Since When?

If Rapunzel, or any other character for that matter, had been granted an ounce of competence this season Zhan Tiri wouldn’t even be a threat right now. Rapunzel herself has had numerous chances to take the goat-girl out of commission and didn’t. Heck, she wouldn’t have even had to use her powers to do it. She could have tied ZT up with rope and arrested her then and there in the Spire.

This Doesn’t Explain Anything!!!

Yes, Cassandra’s biggest flaw is her selfish ego, but that has nothing to do with her being Gothel’s daughter. She’s egotistical because Chris thought for some ungoddly reason that would make her relatable. Because Chris has an inability to understand that not everyone is him, ironically because of his own ego.

In universe, you could associate Cassandra’s need for constant validation with Gothel’s previous abandonment if you wanted to, but that still wouldn’t explain why she’s willing to throw away her relationships, career, morals, and common sense for it. Especially when she kept achieving that desired validation every other episode during the previous seasons anyways.    

Said flaw also has nothing to do with any comeuppance here. She didn’t lose because she got cocky. She lost because of lazy writing that made her weakness ‘little girls jumping on top of her’ for no stated reason.

Then there’s the matter of Gothel’s biggest flaw being her control issues, not her ego. Sure, she’s confident in how she looks in the movie and the show flanderizes this into outright vanity, but it’s her pathological need to manipulate and control Rapunzel, born from her own fear of death, that motivates her through out the film.    

Nor was it her ‘ego’ that ‘felled’ her. She underestimated that a thief would perform a selfless sacrifice to save his beloved, because Gothel never understood what real love was; only possession and control. Rapunzel was an object that she prized dearly, but she didn’t really love her; not the way a parent should.

And finally, Zhan Tiri had nothing to do with Gothel’s demise. That was all on Eugene and Pascal. Zhan Tiri didn’t do shit. If the show is trying to imply that Zhan Tiri was manipulating Gothel all movie long, and perhaps even before that as a disciple, then the series is doing a bad job of it.

This is suppose to be the ‘pay off’ of the disciples plot, and it’s such a piss poor reveal that I wonder why the show even bothered to include that particular subplot at all. I still don’t know why any of the disciples followed Zhan Tiri, nor what their relationship to Demanitus was. I don’t know how their story is suppose to connect back to the current conflict. I don’t know the mechanics of the magic system for the world, nor why the Sundrop and Moonstone is so special. And I don’t know how Zhan Tiri is suppose to retroactively fit into the original film.

As I said before, none of this dialogue makes sense in context, and the Gothel subplot should have been dropped from the get go if this was all they were going to do with it.

This Moment Isn’t Earned

There’s absolutely no reason for anyone here to be shouting Rapunzel’s name. Them risking their lives for what is now a worthless hunk of rock populated by nothing but ruins is already very stupid, but at least you could claim that they have an emotional attachment to what was once their home. But Rapunzel?

Rapunzel isn’t Corona itself, nor has she done anything to protect it. Quite the opposite in fact. Corona, and by extension it’s citizenry, are being placed in danger directly due to her own selfishness and incompetence.

And going beyond even that, there’s not a single person here who Rapunzel hasn’t screwed over in some manner individually. Let alone even apologize for doing so.

She went back in time and brainwashed her own boyfriend, rather than admit she was wrong in an argument. And then proceeded to brow beat him into submission for the rest of the season into doing what she wants.

She bullied her own parents and denied them agency over their own lives, because she didn’t want to deal with them getting a divorce. A decision that was never her business.

She completely fucked over Varian’s life; endangering both him and his father, all because she didn’t want to face responsibility for her choices and deal with the emotional fallout from them.

She betrayed both Adira’s and Edmund’s trust in her when she failed to stop Cassandra from stealing the moonstone... something they both warned her about. She also still refuses to confront her bestie over it even now.

She failed to do anything to protect the Brotherhood once Cassandra and Zhan Tiri stole the mindtrap. Therefore the Dark Kingdom characters all got doubly screwed over.  Including Lance who cares about both Adira and Eugene.

She had plenty of time to warn the populace about the daemon that was planning on attacking their home and did nothing; Worse than nothing, she actively encouraged them to ignore it just so she could have some fun.  

She abandoned Red and Angry, two orphans, multiple times and then shouldered their emotional trauma onto each other rather act like a goddamn adult. Only to gaslight them both into thinking she was ‘helping them to come closer to each other’ or some such bullshit.

She lied to Monty and to this day they still fight over it, yet I’m suppose to believe that he cares about her sorry ass?

The only people who she may have not screwed over is the Pub Thugs; but her relationship with the Pub Thugs was established during the movie before the series degraded her character. She still is placing them in danger in this episode though.

This Isn’t An Apology

Remember way, way back when I wrote The Secret of the Sun Drop review? Remember how I tore apart King Frederic’s non-apology? Remember when I ripped Rapunzel a new one for her lame ass ‘reconciliation’ with Varian during Rapunzel’s Return? Remember?

Because this scene is the worst of both of those.

Let’s start here.

Cassandra isn’t even trying to apologize here. She’s just throwing a pity party.

A sincere apology isn’t about you. It’s about your victims. It’s about who you’ve hurt and how you want to fix things with them. All Cassandra is doing here is spiraling into self deprecation mode because her self-esteem took a hit when she lost to Zhan Tiri.

Now her feeling depressed, isn’t the issue here. She’s valid to feel this way. The problem is that it’s just not enough to make up for what she did. But just like with King Frederic’s ‘confession’ in season one, both Rapunzel and the audience are now primed to coddle her because she ‘feels bad’, and that’s not an actual redemption.

Now This An Actual Breakdown; And It’s Still Not An Excuse

Cassandra stans love to pull out the ‘she’s a having an mental breakdown; you just don’t understand!’ as an excuse for her actions, but it’s one that doesn’t hold any water because of this scene.

Cassandra wasn’t having a breakdown before when doing all of that bad stuff; because this is her breaking point! This the point where she reaches rock bottom; because it’s the story’s climax.

People like to conveniently forget that Cassandra has been running around with the moonstone while listening to Zhan Tiri for over a year now; possibly going on two years given the timeline fiasco. She’s had more than enough chances to come to her senses, and people dealing with actual mental illness don’t have ‘breakdowns’ that last for years.

Real relapses are just that, relapses. They fluctuate. You have good days, bad days, middling days; and sometimes you crack and do stupid shit that you regret afterwards, but that's only sometimes. Your body can’t physically maintain that high emotional state 24/7 for a year’s worth of time. It’s just can’t. Sooner or later you will snap out of it and come back down to earth. And then you might relapse again later, especially if you don't deal with the issue, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have the same reaction exactly the same way over the exact same issue later.      

Cassandra was fully in control of herself when she decided to steal, threaten, kidnap, drug, abuse, imprison, bully, assault, murder, and brainwash people. She just didn’t give a shit, and her crying now doesn’t solve anything. Low self-esteem isn’t an excuse for being a jerk and neither is mental illness.

Compare the above to this scene.

Once again, Bojack Horseman gets right what most series nowadays get wrong, and I’m not even an actual fan of this show. (I’m not one for satire usually) But dang has it not earned my respect.

Being Vague About Cassandra’s Pervious Actions Here Doesn’t Erase Them From The Audience's Minds

Let’s review the list again shall we.

Stole a priceless and world endangering artifact

Victim blamed a woman for being kidnapped as a baby

Attacked her own father

Publicly threatened to destroy a kingdom if she didn’t get what she wanted

Assaulted a minor

Kidnapped a minor

Drugged a minor while unconscious

Used coercion tactics on a minor in order to gain intel

Violently abused said minor while in her custody

Imprisoned said minor, possibly retraumatizing him    

Assaulted her former friends

Threatened to murder someone in front of their spouse

Attempted to murder her best friend on no less than three occasions

Assaulted, kidnaped, and attempted to murder an innocent woman just to blackmail said best friend

Stole another priceless and deadly artifact

Brainwashed four innocent people and forced them to fight their friends and family  

A least two instances of identity theft

Attacked a crowd of innocent people simply for daring to defend themselves from her

Destroyed an entire kingdom, displacing hundreds of people from their homes, and mostly likely causing several injures and probably even killing a few people while at.

And we still don’t know what the fuck she did to Faith and the Keeper to get them out of her way.

And let me make something very clear, I’m not shaming the character for being a villain and doing bad things. I’m shaming the series for trying to gaslight its own audience by suddenly pretending like these things didn’t happen.  

Admitting Fault Isn’t Enough. You Have To Take Actual Responsibility For Your Actions

The biggest complaint people have with Cassandra’s arc is the lack of true consequences. And keep in mind, consequences doesn’t automatically mean ’punishment’. It just means you need to deal with shit.

I don’t need Rapunzel refusing to forgive her or having her vindictively thrown in jail (though I wouldn’t blame the series if they went that route) but I do need to see Cassandra putting in the actual work that’s needed to make amends. Stuff that’s directly related to fixing what she broke.

Have her do community service. Give her over to the Brotherhood to deal with according to their laws, whatever those maybe. Have her placed on trail and let the people decide her fate. Maybe pay for property damage. Or heck a simple shunning from those she’s hurt. She can make up with Rapunzel, sure, but that doesn’t mean she can win over everybody’s forgiveness.

The Show Has A Real Problem With Nepotism and Hypocrisy

And yeah, we can’t talk about Cassandra’s lack of consequences with out talking about Varian’s, Caine’s, and just about every other villain's arc in the show as well.  

Varian was given overly harsh and abusive punishment for daring to fight back against relentless abuse from his oppressors. And even after being released from that and being brought back into the royals good graces again, for no other reason that to stroke Rapunzel’s ego, he still took flak for his actions by the populace at large for over a year.

And you can’t claim that Rapunzel learned from Varian not to do that with Cass when you still have Lady Caine and The Saporian arcs unresolved. Caine, a woman who was orphaned herself by the royals oppression of the poor, is still banished on that slave labor island. The Saporians, a race of displaced people left homeless by the royals for generations, are currently locked up in the dungeon bellow them right now.... and I very much doubt that Cassandra and Zhan Tiri has been brothering to even feed them while in charge.

Once again, the series is trying to gaslight the audience into thinking that Rapunzel is this kind and forgiving induvial for not holding Cassandra to account but the reality is, she’s just doesn't care about anyone who isn’t Cass. And her obsession with her ‘best friend’ is due to her own validation issues and not out of any real concern for Cassandra’s well being either.

This Line Doesn’t Make Sense In Context

Who’s this ‘everyone’? What did they think of you? What time frame are we even talking about here?

Cassandra’s villain arc doesn’t work because it was never set up properly. We have no idea what the wider populace actually thought about Cassandra. We’re never shown any real instances where she’s mistreated by anyone, other than Gothel, whom she didn’t even remember. The only time people turn on her is after she goes villain and starts threating them, and that’s her own damn fault.

This Is Manipulative

I mean it is more of the same ‘using self deprecation to deflect from real criticism’ tactics as above; but it’s also manipulating the audience with a wish fulfillment fantasy.  

I’m sorry, but Tangled the Series is lying to you. No one is going to come along and pat you on the head for being an asshole and say ‘There, there, It’s alright. Don't feel bad. You’re perfect just the way you are, flaws and all, and you need never change.’

Bullshit.

Relationships are a two way street. You both have to put in the work for bettering yourself. Otherwise you’ll either wind up alone, or trapped in a toxic relationship where one person gives and gives while other does nothing but takes.

This is my biggest issue with enemies to lovers within fandom, because 90% of the time it’s used as an excuse by the fans to never examine their own failings. They just want someone to validate them; not an actual loving relationship where you both have to compromise and work together.

Unconditional love doesn’t mean putting up with your constant bullshit and forgiveness doesn’t mean ignoring the problem. It means being open and willing to listen and to change, and that requires both of you putting in effort.

Saying Sorry To Rapunzel Isn’t A Redemption

I’ll give Cassandra this. At least she verbally says ‘sorry’ to someone. That’s more than what either Frederic or Rapunzel does. But it’s still not enough.

Steps that we’re still missing here are; verbal acknowledgement of how she precisely hurt Rapunzel, informing Rapunzel of how her behavior will change and how she means to make amends, and follow through on that promise.

What we have here is half of an apology. This might have still worked had we had time to see the other steps later, but we never do.

And of course this is all assuming Cassandra is being sincere here. What assurances do we have as the audience that Cassandra is being truthful? She has a past record of lying and manipulation, of making promises only to brake them later when it benefits her, and apologizing for this same offense over and over again.  

Cassandra is a vindictive and petty person, and she’s like that to everyone. Who’s to say she won’t start shit again later? How has she learned her lesson here, when she didn’t learn it three seasons ago in Challenge of the Brave? What’s actually different this time, other than the higher stakes? Especially since the inciting incident for this apology is her losing; not her coming to the realization that what she was doing was harming others.

Rapunzel Can’t Forgive Cassandra On Everybody Else’s Behalf

If Rapunzel wants to accept this halfway apology because it makes her feel better, than fine. That’s on her. But she can not forgive Cassandra in place of anybody else.

Cass hurt more than just Rapunzel. She has a whole host of people to beg forgiveness from and we never even see her put in the effort. And for many of those people she has even graver offenses to make up for. Yet, watch as the show treats this as the conclusion to her arc, because the show only cares about Rapunzel’s feelings and no one else’s.

I said it before and I’ll say it again; the series has out grown both Rapunzel and Cassandra. They are not the two most important people in the story anymore because their conflict has the lowest stakes. I can’t give a shit that they’re friends again when there are people outside fighting for their very lives.... and they’re only in danger because of these two bitches!

What’s The Point Of The Yellow Rocks?

All they do is is the exact same thing that the black rocks have been doing since the series started. At least the red rocks did something new, as little sense as that plot point made, but these are just a recolor and nothing special.

Which leads to the bigger question of; What is the point of the Sun Drop then?

Why did Zhan Tiri have to go through such convoluted methods to steal Rapunzel’s powers if she never uses them? The yellow rocks are the same as the black rocks. The only incantation she uses is the Decay, which should be the moonstone’s power to begin with. You could argue that having both stones allows her to grow into a daemon, but why does she even need a monster form if she could have done all of this with just the moonstone anyways?

Ugh! It’s all so pointless!

That’s the main problem here. There’s no logical reason for the conflicts to play out as they do on screen. The ‘payoffs’ just wind up undermining everything that’s come before till you no longer give crap.

Sure, I could theorize all day long and fill in the blanks myself, but I shouldn’t have to. That’s the job of the writers and they failed!

This Is Gay Bait

Yeeeaaaah, that’s not how ‘best friends’ talk to each other. That’s not even how sisters talk to one another. You might tell you’re bestie that you love them or hype them up when they feeling down, but no one just tells their BFF about the moment they fell in love with them like its a long held confession. Heck, I don’t even remember the moment I and my best friend became friends because it happened so gradually and was so long ago.

The entirely of Cassandra’s and Rapunzel’s relationship is written, not as sisters rediscovering one another, like with Anna and Elsa or Gamora and Nebula, but as star-crossed friends to enemies to lovers/soulmates deal. As if it was a diet Catradora or Reylo.

Keep in mind, I’m not criticizing any of the ships here. Enemies/rivals to lovers may not be my deal, but I understand why it’s such a popular trope and if you ship Casspunzel then more power to you.

What I’m criticizing is the obviously contradictory and manipulative writing that’s designed to appeal to a certain demographic in order to exploit them without ever giving them any real representation. And it’s not the ‘big bad corporation’ or ‘capitalism’ to blame here, but the personal shittiness of the shows writers.

They knew better than to do this. They knew this was a mid-queal with a predetermined outcome for the romantic relationships. They are the ones that choose to make Rapunzel and Cassandra ‘sisters’. And they still put this in here, and quite frankly if you are queer, you should be fucking pissed at being screwed over like this; not trying to start pointless ship wars.

Empty Validation Doesn’t Solve Anything!

Okay, so we’re still in clear ‘gay bait’ territory and having Rapunzel simp after her abuser that just tried to murder her only minutes ago is also gross, because an ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t magically erase that, but there’s an even larger problem with this scene....

This doesn’t resolve the conflict!

Nothing is being addressed here. Cassandra’s validation issues are deeper than just needing to hear a simple compliment. Epically such a vague meaningless one, like ‘I think you’re pretty’ and ‘You’re special just because’. It’s hollow and worthless.

This doesn’t tackle the actual issues with their relationship. It doesn’t acknowledge why they fell apart to begin with. It completely side steps what either girl has done wrong and therefore fails at being any sort of satisfying conclusion.

Also, Rapunzel conveniently avoids actual consequences by saying something ‘nice’ and ignoring the real problem, yet again, so she never, ever learns anything.

It’s also just pure cringe. Even ignoring the whole ‘they’re sisters’ subplot, this scene doesn’t even work as a romantic confession because nothing about it is real. It’s so fucking generic and could have been said by any two characters in any piece of media. Slap this on any toxic het couple in any bland romcom and you wouldn’t be able to tell it’s not from there. They don’t even bother explaining, let along showing, what it was that made Cassandra laugh. It’s so vague and uninteresting.  

To put it simply, the scene doesn’t work because nothing about it feels natural to the characters. It’s just as forced as the ‘break up’ that came before it.

Also, This Scene Just Looks Flat Out Ugly

I don’t know what the hell happened to the art direction in season three, but ugh!

Why do they look like fucking bobble heads? Why is Cass’s outfit that fugugly shade of brownish gray? Why is this scene awash with such atrocious lighting? Why is the background both too busy and crowded while simultaneously being too simple and flat?

This is suppose to be some heartfelt and tender moment but the colors are too harsh and the framing too uninspired to pull that sort emotion out of the scene. The lighting should have been either soft yellow, or cold black, with Rapunzel being the warm center... not this.

Who the fuck directed this scene?

You now what? Fuck it! Rapunzel should have had a yellow dress for season three if you were going this route. And Cassandra’s depowered suit should have been a darker gray/black or flat white/light gray to contrast with her. And get rid of that blasted red lighting! Make it blue, or green!

This Fight Is Boring Because It Refuses To Let The Characters Shine

It’s hard to convey with just screen shots alone, but the entire fight with Zhan Tiri is just the characters failing, one by one, to get a meaningful hit on the daemon as she just shrugs away their attacks.

Narratively speaking, the idea behind showcasing the battle this way is to build up Zhan Tiri as a credible threat while giving the side characters a final ‘hurrah’ before closing out the series. Unfortunately, the scene winds up being underwhelming and lacking in tension because it doesn’t effectively utilize the characters.

There’s no punch the air moments for the audience to cheer on. There’s nothing shocking here to fill us with dread and make us wonder fearfully what will happen to our favs. Then there’s the awful attempts at humor and bland dialogue that robs the story of any gravitas.  

Yet worse of all is that seeing characters that should be good fighters and formidable opponents not doing the things that we know they are capable of.

I, of course, signaled out Varian’s scene here, but you can pick anybody.

The Pub Thugs know how to fight. They're wanted criminals who took on the royal guards to save their friend. Yet they’re ineffective comedic relief. Red and Ruddiger are freaken mutant monsters capable of rendering a person in two and they do nothing. Angry just... throws rocks, I guess. The Brotherhood does nothing despite being the best fighters here. I don’t even see Lance, and of course poor Cap has disappeared into the void for most of the season. The only guards here are Stan and Pete who are the worst at their jobs, ect and so on.

Ironically, Varian and Eugene are the ones to make it out of this mess of a scene the best, by shear force of personality, but both still have been clearly nerfed by the plot.

Meanwhile, Zhan Tiri is still as lame as ever because the series just will not let her shut up! She’s a big bad daemon now! Why does she need to taunt? Why not just let her be this unstoppable force of nature who doesn’t need to overcompensate by protesting too much bout how she’s really going to destroy them all, no really... Any moment now...

Why Isn’t This Sung?

It’s the bloody climax! We’ve been building up to this scene since The Great Tree! Since Queen For A Day even! Why isn’t the decay incantation sung here like it was the last two times we saw it?

Not singing the incantations in the finale, when they should have the most plot importance, saps them of any tension the same way the hurt incantation saps the characters of their lives. It weakens the impact of the incantations narrative conclusions and undermines their previous set ups.  

Why Was This Cut?

https://kritterart.tumblr.com/post/611697079303192576

The original scene had Varian and Quirin reaching out to each other as they ‘died’ and, for reasons that I can’t even begin to fathom, it was cut and we just got a shot of Varian alone.

Why?

Just, why?

You can’t claim it was for time because the shots are roughly the same length and because you wasted three fucking minutes on the damn monkey scene earlier! You also can’t claim it was for narrative efficiency or because it made the scene read stronger either. To do so would just be stupid.

So that leaves us with only three options.

Censors

Budget

Chris is a dick

Some of the writers have gone on record saying that everyone was suppose to die this episode and have Rapunzel bring them back to life, only for the censors to step in and refuse to let them do that. Except... everyone dies this episode and is brought back by Rapunzel anyways.

Nothing narratively was actually removed and, to be frank, Chris was on his way out the door by this point. I very much doubted he gave a fuck what the higher ups said. Moreover, the censors never stepped in to stop Varian, a minor, from going through much, much worse in this show, so as to why they would object to him being held by his father for comfort during a the climax of the story is beyond me.

Then there’s budget reasons. It costs more to animated two characters onscreen as opposed to one. Except... its the fucking finale and the showrunners already wasted three goddamn minutes on stupid monkeys!!! Don’t tell me they didn’t have the money to animate this!!!

That leaves us just with option three. Now it’s no secret at this point that Chris Sonnenberg is an asshole to the fans of this show, particularly Varian fans. The drama has been immortalized on the internet forever and I won’t rehash it here again. There’s also the rumors hanging around the animation grapevine that he wasn’t that great of a boss, and we know for a fact that there was a mass resignation of crew members, most of whom were women, during the middle of production. We also know that he hasn’t been hired back for anything, by any studio, which lends credence to the rumors.    

However, I don’t know Chris personally. I’ve never met the man nor talked to him and I have very little desire to ever do so. I can’t say what he would or wouldn't do just to be petty, but boy does cutting this scene just feel like a final ‘fuck you’ to the fanbase that carried this show.

This Is An Ass Pull

First off, Cassandra didn’t give a crap about Rapunzel’s well being when she took the stone. They had the setup for that to be her motivation, but then backtracked on it when it came to the actual reveal. Trying to double back now in order to retroactively pretend that what Cass did was actually a good thing is pure BS at this point. Especially when her supposed goal was to murder Rapunzel for the past half of a season anyways.

But of course this exchange is here because it’s really setup/justification for how they’ll wind up defeating Zhan Tiri later. It’s more poorly laid out exposition that requires you remembering a bunch of other poorly laid expositions from season two; the dullest of seasons, so you probably don’t remember it. And it’s all undermined later anyways because Rapunzel bypasses any all consequences due to plot armor.

Not to mention that we still don’t get any explanation for what the two plot McGuffins are or how they work, so there’s no reason to believe that this is what would happen anyways. We don’t even know why they have to be reunited. I mean, we’re having to take the characters at their word and they don’t have the experience or knowledge to back those words up, so it’s a set up that’s already been sabotaged by the narrative.

This Isn’t A Satisfying Payoff Because The Focus Is Wrong

What the fuck does Cassandra have to do with Rapunzel’s journal?

That was a gift to Rapunzel from her mother. Those words of advice were for her, not Cass. A woman who has next to zero connection to Adrianna and hasn’t been involved in the journal plot at all, because why the fuck would she be?

I thought this was suppose to be ‘Rapunzel’s show’ Chris? I thought Rapunzel was suppose to be the one who has an actual arc and learns shit. Why would she, in her darkest hour, give the personal advice that was meant to encourage her to someone else? Especially when that character has already come through their emotional low point and been comforted by her in the previous scene.

There is no narrative reason to focus on Cassandra here. We’ve already resolved her validation issues, as gay baity and full of bullshit as that was. The only reason to keep harping on this still is to proclaim that Cassandra is real the focus of the story.

It’s here to make her the protagonist instead of Rapunzel!

Geez... No wonder Chris got fired. You had one fucking job. Make a spin off about Rapunzel, and you blew it.

BULLSHIT

This doesn’t make any sense!!!!

At this point the series is not only asking me to ignore natural human behavior, but to ignore basic physics as well. How did that tiny shard manage to stay lodged onto her suit after being blown away, flung around, and hit by magical sunbeams for half a season? Especially, when she can so easily remove it with her fingers here. Is it made of Velcro?

How!?

Cass has it on her person right now and it’s not doing shit for her other than to sparkle. What do you plan on doing with it? Why do you think this is enough power to defeat a fucking daemon!?  

Also ‘destiny’ still doesn’t mean anything. Neither of these two bitches have a destiny to fulfill. All of what is happing right now is either circumstantial, like being born with powers, or a direct consequence of their own failings, like the daemon being let lose.

Furthermore, this adds nothing to Cassandra’s arc because her motivations and goals were so clearly fucked over and mangled up for the past season and a half leading to this point. This can’t been seen as her relinquishing control and rectifying her past mistakes because we never found what this ‘destiny’ she’s been chasing after was nor what it meant to her.

Also why does this work!? How does it work!?

Why would the moonstone's powers manifest as Rapunzel’s glowy hair powers again? She’s not the sundrop anymore. That power is gone. She should logically have new powers that manifest differently without the influence of that previous power. Of course, that’s even assuming that touching the thing would give her powers at all, considering how Cass was wearing it this entire time and it didn’t work for her.

Why Won’t The Series Just Let Cassandra Be Cassandra?

Yeah, all through out this final episode the writers constantly have Cassandra steal Eugene’s lines and even straight up scenes from the Tangled movie.

I’ll get into why this so insulting to fans of the original later, but for now lets focus on why this diminishes Cassandra’s character specifically.

The Cassandra from season one and season two of the show, had like an actual unique purpose within the narrative and was a character in her own right with her own personality. She may have been clunkily intergraded into the cast, and in S2 denied any meaningful interactions with anyone other than Rapunzel, but she still was allowed to just exist as herself.

Then season three happens and suddenly Cassandra isn’t good enough for Chris. She can’t just be her own person anymore. Instead Chris has to force her to occupy everyone else’s stories as well instead of just giving her her own arc.

It isn’t enough for Cassandra to be the Captain’s beloved adopted daughter, now she has to steal Rapunzel’s backstory and be Gothel’s secret child who was also abused for no reason.

It’s not enough for Cassandra to have her own motivations for stealing the moonstone. She’s just evil because she’s now related to Gothel and she must now mimic the mother that she’s barely known for most of her life, cause reasons....

It isn’t enough that Cassandra is Rapunzel’s best friend. She now has to be Rapunzel’s star-crossed lover as well and up spur Eugene’s place as the most important person in Rapunzel’s life, despite the series also wanting to make them sisters.

It’s not enough for Cassandra to have a mind and will of her own and must therefore blindly follow another even bigger bad for zero stated reasons and must now ape Varian’s plans when scheming evilly.

Cassandra can’t have a goal nor purpose of her own outside of Rapunzel now. She must be after the protagonist's ‘destiny’ because deep down the creator wishes that she was the star of the show a not the character from a movie that he didn’t create and can therefore claim no ownership of.

Chris desperately wants to be recognized for creating an original character like Cassandra, but Cassandra just simply isn’t ‘original’. She’s not allowed to be original. Because Chris Sonnenburg has no faith in his creation. He doesn’t see Cassandra as an individual character but an extension of himself and his own ‘cleverness’. And his need to wedge her into everything is a reflection of how he feels like he needs to control everything and be made the center of attention even when what’s going on has nothing to do with him.

Why Should Rapunzel Care About This Explanation?

She has even less context for Zhan Tiri’s feud with Demanitus than we do. These lines mean nothing to her. Therefore they mean nothing to the audience. There’s no emotional investment for this conflict. So it remains uninteresting to till the last.  

This Fight Is Also Boring

There’s nothing new here. Rapunzel is just hitting the monster the same way she hits everything in this show. She’s been reduced to a generic action heroine and anything that originally made her clever, funny, or relatable in the movie is gone.

There’s no tension either as Rapunzel’s reaction to finding everyone she knows dying is hardily a concern to her. Yes, she responds to it happening, but the pacing is so off and the mood whiplash from the fight so quick that it barely registers in the audiences’ minds.

Meanwhile Zhan Tiri is as unimpressive and obnoxious as ever. She doesn’t even get the benefit of being indestructible as she did before, because we gotta show Raps and Cass being mega awesome super heroes, because ‘girl power’ or something...

This Is So Lame

Oh let me count the ways in which this is stupid.

Way to go series, you made your main villain even more unthreatening then before. All that pervious build up during the last fight was wasted.

Speaking of the last fight, why couldn’t anybody else get a hit on her? A vial of toxic chemicals to the face launched at rocket speed has far more impact than a bonk on the back of the head. I don’t like the term ‘Mary Sue’ because it’s lost all meaning over the years, but Cassandra sure does fit a lot of the over powered tropes often associated with the term.

Rather than making Cassandra seem cool, this scene has the opposite effect because it has nothing to do with her as a person. This isn’t particularly clever, lots of other characters have used frying pans in the franchise and she’s never been one them really, and also it’s a stupid frying pan. It’s a joke, that’s the point! Both Zhan Tiri and Cassandra are made into a joke so the end result is just cringey to watch.

It’s yet another call back to the film and another instance of trying to make Cassandra into a Eugene rip-off. It doesn’t work because it lacks the context and build up of the pervious line from the movie and comes across as tacky.

This Isn’t Particularly Clever Nor Unique

A satisfying climax is the conclusion of the important elements that you’ve built up over the course of the story. This includes both character resolutions and tying up the various plot points of your narrative.  

Tangled the Series lacks a satisfying ending because nothing here was set up enough to be impactful. Zhan Tiri is too lame. The Sundrop and Moonstone are too undefined. No one knows how magic works in this world. Most damaging of all, however, is the lack of character.

Vader turning on Palpatine works because redeeming his father has been Luke’s goal all movie long and desiring a relationship with his dad was a motivating factor for him since his introduction in the first movie.

Dr. Strange tricking the interdimensional monster with time travel, is the conclusion to him finding the time stone and using his greatest strength, his intelligence, to make an eternal sacrifice. Which brings his story arc full circle as he learns to be less selfish while still being uniquely and stubbornly himself.  

Even The Black Cauldron, a terrible movie by all accounts, still manages to have a kick ass climax because the villain is destroyed by the very thing he instigated the conflict with by trying to find it. He wanted a world conquering weapon and boy did he get it... right in the face as he disintegrated. Plus Zombies! 

Meanwhile, this ending doesn't tell me anything about the characters. The dialogue doesn’t harken back to anything rememberable. Zhan Tiri’s downfall has nothing to do with her own foibles. And the girls’ plan here is rather uninspired and honestly could have been done by anyone with a long enough rope. Rapunzel’s powers were not needed for this, and Cassandra adds nothing special to the proceedings either.

This Moment Lacks Emotional Impact

Rapunzel finally cutting her own hair should be this big, grand, and freeing moment. It should be the capstone to her story arc regarding agency and choice. But it fails to be that moment because the series has forgotten who and what should be the focus of the story.

Rapunzel cuts her hair here because it’s a practical solution to the problem at hand; defeating Zhan Tiri. It’s not a reflection of how she sees herself nor a deliberate decision to regain control over her life. Hell, it’s not even her own idea to do it. Cassandra has to be the one to think of it and hand her (or ‘kick’ in this case) the broken rock.

It also doesn’t ‘read’ well. I only just now noticed while typing this up that Rapunzel can only cut her hair now because of the stupid flickering light effect of her powers going in and out. That’s after watching the episode three times and slowly combing through it to analyze. How many casual watchers missed this on first watch?

This is almost as badly sign posted as the whole ‘Cassandra can only grab the moonstone cause of her burnt hand’ subplot.

The Final Fight Is Shorter Than The Monkey Scene

It’s precisely 30 seconds shorter. I counted. Heck, if you don’t count the shots of the rocks disappearing afterwards, it’s even less than that!

The climatic final battle between the main hero and the main villain is only two and half minutes long.

An hour and half three part finale to a three season, sixty episode show, has a climax of only two and half minutes.

Oh but it’s okay!  We had time for monkeys!  

Wait. What?

How did Cassandra die here? Both her and Rapunzel were caught in the explosion and Raps doesn’t have her shield powers anymore. It doesn’t make sense for one of them to die but not the other.

Well after combing this episode for screen shots, I and some of the other fans finally figured it out.

It’s really hard to see in the scene itself because of the lighting effects that cover everything, but Cassandra hits her head on the stairs supposedly. Even though she’s no where near those stairs when Rapunzel finds her. But like, it’s the only explanation that’s been offered up so far that makes sense.

Presentation matters. The audience has to be able to see what’s going on in order to follow along if we’re talking about a visual medium like television. Rather than being tragic, the following scene just winds up being confusing because we don’t know for sure how we got to that point.

Cassandra Dying Isn’t A Redemption

As I pointed out during the last review a redemption takes actual effort, and if you want a character to be redeemed through a noble sacrifice then the character has to make an actual sacrifice.

Let’s compare this to another redemption/sacrifice just show how hard this series fails.  

Now a lot of people have issues with the new Star Wars trilogy and with Kylo Ren’s arc especially. Some of these criticisms are valid and some of them not so much. However, Ben’s ending here still follows the basic steps of a redemption.

He acknowledges what he did wrong on the bridge. He tries his best to rectify his mistakes, even when he didn’t have to. He could have run away. He could have rejoined the emperor. He could have started another war against Palpatine for his own selfish desires and personal gain. But no, he goes back to fight the monster he helped create knowing that he might die for it. Then when Rey dies, he willingly gives up his own life to save hers.

That’s a redemption. That’s a permeant sacrifice. You could argue that it’s not enough. That he hurt more people then just Rey. You could argue that his relationship with her was toxic. Sure, but you could say the same thing about Darth Vader and Luke, and his noble sacrifice at the end of Return of the Jedi.

As basic as Star Wars is with it’s storytelling; and I do mean the whole of Star Wars, it’s not a particularly complex nor deep franchise as far as the main movies are concerned; it still gets the fundamentals right. Every trilogy has it’s detractors, but they also all have their hardcore fans for a reason.

Tangled on the other hand, can’t even get the basics right. Cassandra can’t even verbally acknowledge what she did wrong. Her fighting Zhan Tiri isn’t some grand and noble gesture meant to make up for her past wrongs, because what other choice does she have? She could coward and hide, or run away, but she wouldn’t make it far when the daemon can kill everything and everyone in her path with just a few spoken words. And of course her dying here isn’t a sacrifice because it’s random. She doesn’t fight knowing or expecting to die; it just happens, and it’s Rapunzel who has to save her.  

The series steals Cassandra's agency away from her until the very last. Had she actually knowingly died trying to save everyone first and then had Rapunzel save her; or have Rapunzel die and have Cassandra bring her and everyone else back, only to die afterwards because of it, then you might have had something here. But that’s not what happened and here we are over 60 salt reviews later.

This Is A Rip-Off Of The Movie And It’s Insulting To Everyone

This isn’t a homage or a fun call back to something you love. It’s a shot for shot recreation of the most important scene from the original film only with the showrunner’s precious OC shoved in place of the actual secondary character of the franchise, even as said character continues to die just a mere few feet away!

How fucking egotistical and petty can you get?

And trust me when I say, this is insulting to damn near everyone involved.

It’s insulting to Cass fans because it’s yet another instance of the show robbing her of agency and individuality.

It’s insulting to Casspunzel shippers and queer people watching because it’s yet more gay bait and not actual representation.

It’s insulting to Rapunzel fans because it once again makes her look like a self-absorbed asshole as she still continues to ignore everyone else but her ‘bestie’. Even though everyone else is dying too because of her obsession with being dumped.

And it is majorly insulting to fans of the original movie, Eugene fans, and New Dream shippers. This scene just pisses all over everything you may have hold dear about the original. It stands there and says that your favorite characters and relationships don’t matter. It says that the original messages of love, hope, acceptance, and yes, even redemption, does not matter. Only Chris and his ego matters.

What was originally a moving story about two people willing to change and sacrifice for the other because they accepted one another, and believed in one another, when neither had anyone else to turn to; is reduced to nothing more one man’s vanity project.

Fuck Chris Sonnenberg.

Meanwhile us Varian fans apparently are missing the point of the show, but hey, maybe that because ‘your point’ is fucking stupid Chris.  

This The Very Definition Of ‘Plot Armor’

There’s no logical reason for Rapunzel to be able to use the power of the moonstone and sundrop together. We spent two seasons instilling the idea that touching both together would be bad. We even just defeated the main baddie by creating an explosion with the two powers slamming together. But here she is, just able to grab it like it was next to nothing... because, why? She’s ‘special’? ‘The power of love’? She didn’t skip leg day? What is it?

We had such a tightly written and well defined magic system in the movie, one that turned the original fairy tale into something that made sense, but now it’s nothing but contrived mush because of the series.

And of course the plot armor protects Rapunzel from more than just the exploding glowing stone. If I was seriously injured and dying and my fiancé was ignoring me just to save her already dead best friend, who had been trying to murder us all only a few moments ago, well, I would be seriously reconsidering marriage right now.

The only internal reasoning I have for this is that Eugene is in so much pain and so close to death right now himself that he can’t fully hear nor comprehend what Rapunzel is saying/doing here. But of the course the real reason because the writers are full of shit.

That’s all the room I have for the first half of the review on this post. The second half will be attached sometime this week. Happy Tangled Month!

[infernalrevenge]

Hello, hello! I was wondering if I could possibly request your take on Reader and each of the Dimitrescu Daughters with how they show affection? Nuzzles, kisses, hugs/snuggles, terms of endearment, gifts, nsfw, etc. One big fluff-ball. Just bury me in the warm fuzzy. Thank you!

This is excellent timing, anon friendo because I had been thinking of making a Love Languages Headcanon List for some time now, so this is a great way to start on that! I hope this satisfies your mushy fluffy warm fuzzball desires (that I kept relatively PG) :P

------------

Bela Dimitrescu

Bela felt that she had a reputation to uphold as the eldest daughter of the Dimitrescu family, ever so meticulous yet also eager to please. But she does know her boundaries.

More often than not, she finds herself busy with her mother in helping run the business, hoping to one day become a proper heir. I mention all this so you know her situation -- she's a working gal and you gotta respect that.

However, she is not one to leave her loved ones hanging. The best way she shows her love is by spending quality time with you, doing things that you might enjoy. It gives her a chance to better get to know her love.

Of course she would have her way as well, doing activities she liked such as art, music, and more. You two might even try something new to the both of you, just for some added thrill.

It doesn't always have to be "something" to do though, she's more than happy to just simply be in the same space as you while you do your own thing. That counts as "doing something together", right?

You could be reading a book on one corner of the room and she could be reviewing some important notes on the bed, but you two are just so comfortable in the quiet space you've made for yourselves that it feels like you two are side-by-side.

She just likes to know you're there, your presence alone is a great source of comfort to her. She loves to see you happy and content, especially knowing it's because she's around. Once you get into it, there is no such thing as an awkward silence between the two of you.

I imagine she's not that big on initiating physical affection, but she would be hard pressed to deny you anything. From something as simple as holding her hand, to spooning and cuddling, to a full-on make out session -- all you have to do is ask. She's more than happy to deliver.

Her favorite position is being the big spoon in bed, finding a lot of comfort in knowing that you are in her grasp, safe and sound. She also enjoys planting a few kisses on your shoulder and neck in an attempt to rouse you from slumber.

While she was still courting you (because I like to imagine she's a bit of an old-fashioned romantic, but she would have courted you regardless of your gender), she would often bring you gifts. They weren't extravagant, but they were definitely meaningful, and often related to things you two had talked about in the past.

She didn't use pet names very often but she will call you "love" on occasion, especially if there was a chance you would call her that in return. She may not openly admit it but she just melts every time you call her that -- made it feel like having a crush on you all over again.

Even though she may seem distant on the outside, Bela is truly a woman who makes the most of her time with people she cares about. You are no exception to that, and she wants that to be known to you as much and as often as possible.

Cassandra Dimitrescu

Cassandra, much like her older sister, believes she too has a reputation to uphold within the family. Can't have her be seen going soft for just anyone.

But uh, plot twist: Girl just wants to be loved, and she doesn't even know it.

In private, she really really loves physical affection. She shows her love by clinging onto you as tightly as possible, melding so closely to you that it becomes hard to tell where her body ended and yours began.

She loves pressing her cheek and ear against your chest to hear the calming beat of your heart, the warmth of your skin just under her fingertips, and her head tucked right under your chin while you two lay in bed together.

Truthfully, she started doing this when you first got together because she enjoyed how flustered you seemed when she basically had herself wrapped around you. But over time, the both of you realized just how much she liked being this close to you too. You teased her for it once and she shut you out of your own room for a while. (She only let you back in because she suddenly missed cuddling you.)

This was a trait that kind of carried over from her hunting instincts, but she was very observant of others -- their tics, habits, routines, and all the like. She took notice of a lot of things other people did, didn't do, and couldn't do. It made her very attentive to her loved ones.

This manifested in the form of performing acts of service. Toward you, it ranged from simple things like keeping objects that were usually out of your reach to a more manageable height (either by her own action or an order to a servant) to helping you relax after a long and tiring day, to even performing your chores for you if she knew you were having a hard time with them.

Anything that she could help with to make herself useful, she would do. She wanted her loved ones to move around comfortably and without much worry, and she would take on that burden if that was what it took.

Granted it didn't necessarily mean she did well in these endeavors, but the effort did not go unnoticed. And you would never see the girl try to half-ass anything -- once she started on a task, you bet your sweet ass she was going to get it done too.

Her terms of "endearment" were very teasing and, out of context, could be downright insulting. You would never hear anything so generic as "baby" or "sweetie" (unless she was being condescending.) "Little shit" (affectionate) was more her speed.

If you also called her nicknames with a similar amount of creativity, she would return it with the same enthusiasm. She didn't take those things to heart anyway. If insults were a love language, this would be one of hers.

Cassandra is a little rough around the edges when it comes to love and intimacy, but she loves so fiercely. It's like a fire, raging on the more you feed its maw -- the only difference is that this fire would never die out.

Daniela Dimitrescu

Daniela is the most affectionate and most likely to be a hopeless romantic in the family. She always daydreamed of having a "knight in shining armor" of her own, but honestly she'll take anyone who would love her for herself.

Definitely the type to show off her wonderful significant other, either "subtly" through a bit of PDA, or more overtly through a lot of PDA and more grand gestures of love. Just let her do this, she has so much love to give and she needs that energy to go somewhere.

Even in private spaces, she would never let go of your hand if she had her way. Trying to separate from her when she wasn't in the mood would get you the "kicked puppy dog" treatment from her. It's not her fault you were so warm and nice to be around.

She loves being the little spoon in bed. There's just something reassuring about having a warm presence right behind her, your arms wrapped around her middle. You could even kick a leg on top of her waist -- all she wants is to get as close to you as she possibly can.

When you're working on a desk and sitting on a chair, she will inevitably sit on your lap and snuggle up against you while you try to do whatever it is you're doing. No matter how many times she promises that "you won't even know she's there", it's kind of hard to ignore the way she just buries her face into your neck and the little snores coming out of her if she falls asleep like this.

Calls you very cheesy and almost strange pet names like "honey pie" and "sweetie baby boo". You're never sure if she actually meant them or was messing with you because of her tone, but you can tell she was always amused by your reaction to them, which was part of the reason she kept saying them.

She did also have an inner poet though, so she may suddenly pull lines like "the moon to my night" that would make you stumble and wonder what had possessed your girlfriend. And then you would remember how much she enjoyed reading romance novels, so it made more sense.

Sometimes she'll pull them out early in the morning right as you two were just waking up, limbs entangled with the other's. Then you'd hear her call you "light of my life" in her deep sleepy voice, and you just have to hide the big goofy smile on your face behind a pillow or something.

She also loves to give you gifts, mostly because she liked how your face would light up whenever you received one. Oftentimes, they are little trinkets that remind her of you that she spotted one day and thought to give to you. Kind of like a cat presenting a dead mouse or bird to its owner, but not as gross.

She says "I love you" and any similar declarations pretty often, but the words never lose their meaning. Just know that she always says them with her whole heart, regardless of the tone she takes on when she does.

She also enjoys doing random acts of affection because she likes seeing how you react to them, whether you get all blushy and a little embarrassed, or you return them in kind. Either way, she is very happy and it gives her the warm fuzzies when you play along.

Like I said, Daniela just has so much love to give, and she would be so happy to see that energy enthusiastically returned. Just give her a chance and you'll never have to doubt her feelings for you.

[sylverstorms]

Cassandra x Maiden ----Anonymity Ch.10

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5 Ch.6 Ch.7 Ch.8 Ch.9

The day shift gives you ample time and opportunities to walk around the castle. Within a week, you come to know every chamber and pathway you hadn’t previously crossed, intimately.

At first, you pictured making your escape through a weak point in its fortification. The walls are ancient; You would have bet money on one of its parts having given out in the passing of centuries and gone unnoticed. Now, you know such a thing doesn’t exist. It doesn’t really surprise you that Alcina has made sure the exterior is in the same excellent condition as the interior.

But it is a problem.

The walls are too big for you to scale. If there are any stepping points, you can’t see them from within. You tried over and over to at least peak out into the back yard, but the shrieks and growls of monsters had you immediately changing course.

You don’t know what those things are and you’re not eager to find out. According to the older maids, there are more of them deep in the dungeons. It is only a rumor, of course, since nobody has ventured down there and returned to tell the tale.

Which, taking the window bars into account… leaves only one way out.

The front door.

You are aware that Lady Dimitrescu and the daughters all have a key on them. You know from Cassandra those are the only copies. Nothing enters or leaves unless one of them allows it.

There is not a snowflake’s chance in hell you’re getting Alcina’s key. She will murder you on sight. Bela won’t do anything to disappoint her mother, so that rules her out, as well. Daniela is the one most likely to misplace it or be persuaded to give it to you, but the girl is as unpredictable as she is sly and you won’t risk your wellbeing for a distant chance.

That means…

Cassandra is the only way out, isn’t she…

-

-

You lay low and await an afternoon where the cold is downright bone-piercing. As warm as the castle is, with fireplaces burning everywhere, you can still feel the stinging kiss of the outside frost every time you so much as go near a window.

And it all comes full circle right back to the start; You in front of Cassandra’s bedroom door, trembling with anxiety like the very first time. It is oddly fitting, in a way, that the story of the two of you ends where it began.

For a moment, you almost marvel at how long ago it feels, now. But there is no time nor space in your heart for sentimentality anymore. You stand at the point of no return.

And you cross it as soon as you turn the handle.

Cassandra’s bedroom is softly illuminated by the dying embers of the fireplace. You walk forward cautiously, slowly, almost as if you’re expecting a landmine to go off at a single misstep. Except –well. A mine would be far more merciful. Just an explosion and then nothing. If Cassandra wakes…

You try not to think about it, lest your muscles lock in place.

Underneath the heavy covers of the bed, you see her, cocooned, pale fingers clutching tight at the blankets. It is too early for her to wake. She is deeply asleep, you tell yourself, simultaneously praying she doesn’t open her eyes.

You make it to her vanity, soundless. Her amber-jeweled choker and the necklace she and her sisters wear are neatly arranged, yet the key you’re looking for isn’t with them.

Shit. You inwardly curse, your hand shaking from the nerves. It means she’s put it in the drawer of her bedside table. It means you have to go next to her, to literally put your fingers in the sleeping wolf’s parted jaws and hope they don’t clamp down.

Easy, right?

An unsteady exhale later, you move further in and carefully kneel by the small furniture. Keep your eyes on the prize. Keep—

But you make the mistake of looking to the side.

Cassandra’s expression is not relaxed in sleep like how you remember it from the time when you would wake her up. Instead, her brow is furrowed, the line of her mouth pressed thin. She’s shivering, you realize, either from the cold or a nightmare or both. Shadows dance across her beautiful face.

Your first instinct is still to reach over and soothe her. You hate it, but you’ve accepted you won’t be over whatever it is you feel for her in quite some time.

It is not your place anymore to touch her, you remind yourself. You cannot ease her through her fears now that she has become your own.

With a clenched jaw, you force your body through the motions of opening the drawer and taking the key within.

At last. Your freedom is in your grasp.

And yet.

Shouldn’t you be happier about it?

Cassandra’s voice nearly knocks the air out of your lungs when it reaches your ears, faint. “No… please…”

You forget how to breathe for a couple of seconds. When your wide eyes shift to her, though, you realize she’s merely talking in her sleep.

Leave. Leave while you can.

But your chest constricts when you hear her sob. “…don’t leave me here… please…”

And out of all the possible things she could say, she utters those words and smashes your glass heart with a sledgehammer into a trillion pieces. The shards cut into you and it hurts—

You pause at the door. The corners of your vision have started to blur.

And then the world snaps, sharply, back into focus when her tone changes;

“…Alexia…?”

Your eyes lock, hazel to amber-grey, for a split second.

You run.

-

-

You don’t think you have ever ran this fast in your entire life. But it’s different now that it is about your life.

Adrenaline rushes throughout your bloodstream. You’re not thinking, just acting. Just fleeing.

Death, in the form of a black swarm, closes in on you with every rapid heartbeat. Cassandra is faster –she can fly and you’re only human—and at this rate you won’t even escape the corridor, much less the castle.

Flies break ahead of the rest and attach themselves to you. The sting of their bite at your nape and arms nearly has you howling in agony. She meant it when she said she would kill you herself. Not that you doubted it. Not for a second.

Because if Cassandra can’t have you, she will make sure nobody will.

You didn’t want to hurt her back the first time, but the stakes are too high now. You grab the nearest solid antiquity in your panic and throw it with all your might against the nearest window.

Glass shatters and the temperature plummets with it. Over your shoulder, you hear her scream. More out of rage than pain.

The flies biting at you drop to the floor, grey and paralyzed. You hear her shout pierce through your eardrums like a gunshot as you dash towards the turn—

“You won’t ever get to that door, Alexia!”

From the corner of your eye, you notice a blur coming towards you and instinctively drop down. A heavy thump later, your frantic eyes fly to the wall to see her sickle embedded halfway through a painting. If you hadn’t reacted in time, that would have been you.

Still, she can’t cross the hallway now, so you scramble to your feet and run while she takes the long way around. Question is, will you make it to the front door before she does?

It becomes a race where the winner takes all.

You practically jump down entire sets of stairs in your struggle for survival and you have no clue how you do it. You just know you can’t slow down for even a second.

The castle feels ten times as large as it actually is. By the time you descend the last staircase and the sound of buzzing insects grows in volume, the entrance is within sight.

You reach for another decoration and smash another window. Cassandra slows down, forced to materialize out of the swarm before she can’t will her body back together at all.

You shove the key into the lock and turn it.

Cassandra fights through the rush of frozen air, taking step after weighted step towards you—

“I won’t…let you leave here…alive.” she hisses, her teeth bared at you, skin growing too pale yet eyes blazing.

“I’m done being your prisoner.” you say back, voice hoarse and raw…

And you open the door. Steps taken backwards carry you away from her faster than she can make it to you. You can see her pain and her frustration, but they cannot compare to your own.

Your wounds ache from the frost.

Cassandra seems just about ready to leap at you even if it will certainly mean something very bad for her—

Until a black blur shoves her a dozen meters back. Bela’s back stands between you and Cassandra’s cracking form. Daniela soon lands off to the side, looking between the two of them.

“Get out of the way, Bela!” Cassandra snaps.

“It’s over.” Bela replies, a grave finality to her voice.

Your breaths are coming out in harsh puffs of smoke. You still have trouble believing that you did it. That they can’t follow anymore. You did it.

“Nothing’s over!” Cassandra snarls and lunges for her elder sister.

The blonde, deadly calm, grabs her by the neck in a choke-hold and drags her closer to the nearly-extinguished warmth of the fireplace. The way Cassandra thrashes in her arms is downright heartbreaking.

Daniela looks at you, almost saddened, then back at her sisters.

“Shh. Calm down, Cassandra. Let go. Mother will be here soon. Don’t let her see you like this.” Bela says. “If you’ve any parting words to say to Alexia, say them now.”

You’re shivering. The cold nips through every layer of clothes you’re wearing to bite straight at your flushed skin. But you don’t move further away. You wait. Why am I even waiting, though?

Realization slowly sinks in, you can tell from Cassandra’s expression. Beyond the wounded pride of the apex predator losing a fight to a rabbit… she understands that she will never see you again.

Bela releases her and steps away, adjacent to Daniela.

“You’ve earned your freedom, Alexia.” Bela speaks under her hood. “Nobody’s ever managed to escape, before. Respect.” In another life, maybe her and you could have been friends. Maybe.

“So you’re really… leaving?” Daniela’s lower lip is slightly jutted into a little pout. “I… who will I use to get on Cassandra’s nerves, now?”

“I’d say it’s been nice, but.” you speak up between pants, birthing forth puffs of smoke. “I was taken from my home and sent here as a slave, so.” You can’t help the bitter grimace.

Cassandra’s chest is heaving, yet she isn’t looking at you. It doesn’t look like she has anything to say to you, either. But you have words for her, because you need to get this out at last, you need to be free of this weight or you will never really have escaped this nightmare.

“Even as your captive, you know what I fucking thought? You three can be so beautiful when you toy with the idea of basic human empathy. I don’t know what you saw our time as, Cassandra, but I was genuinely attracted to you. I wanted to be together with you. At some point, I was even happy!”

You’ve inhaled so much icy air your lungs probably won’t be doing great for very much longer but God, this is so cathartic. And so enraging that she’s not meeting your eyes now, at the very end of it all.

“Look at me! I care for you, deeply, but I can’t do this anymore! I don’t want to live in a cage as a pretty sacrifice, with you as my jailer. I can’t. You don’t know how psychologically destructive it is. You don’t know what it feels like!” you end with a hitched shout.

You hear the ominous sound of heavy heels hurriedly descending the staircase. “By Miranda! What is going on— Cassandra?!”

All three daughters freeze up for a moment.

Then Daniela touches her head as though she’s having a migraine and Bela shuts her eyes tightly, shoulders tensed. And Cassandra… drops on her knees to the floor, gasping for oxygen, clutching at her temples.

Bela shakes her head to snap out of it. Daniela still looks dazed and afraid… but Cassandra is nearly crying—

And then, in her panic attack, she whispers; “Don’t abandon me like they did, Alexia.”

You don’t know who she means or what you’re doing, until you’ve dashed back inside and gathered her chilled form into your arms, tight. You keep her there like you wish someone had held you during your storms. It doesn’t matter that you’re so much weaker than Cassandra, when what haunts her is too powerful even for her to face.

Alcina extends her claws as she advances on you.

You could probably still get away if you make a run for it, but where will you even go, when your heart is right here with the woman in your arms? The world beyond the village died for you a long time ago. The village died in a literal sense.

You wanted to be free. But freedom and being with her aren’t mutually exclusive. Why did it take me this long to figure it out…?

Alcina is too close now. You turn to kiss Cassandra’s hair for what may be the last time. You do not let go.

Bela and Daniela step in front of you.

Alcina gives them a warning, narrowed look.

“Uh— you know what, I just stepped forward because I saw Bela move. Haha, nevermind.” The redhead retreats once more. Maybe you’d roll your eyes at her if you weren’t bracing for your execution.

“Bela… step aside.” Lady Dimitrescu’s tone leaves no room for disobedience.

The eldest daughter lowers her head and hesitantly opens the path, as well.

Alcina casts a deep shadow over you in her massive height and giant claws. You lock eyes with her briefly, with the last, flickering cinders of your courage. Then you shift your face down into Cassandra’s shoulder and prepare to be skewered through. Her fingers clutch you almost painfully close to her.

“As for you…” there’s a growl in Alcina’s voice that makes you cower in terror.

Except...

The horrible pain you expected takes a little too long to come.

“…you have backbone, little human, I will admit.” Is that… is that a smirk you hear in her tone? “And my daughters do seem to want you around…”

���What?

Cassandra slowly pulls away from you to look up at her in disbelief and you dare to open your eyes. The claws are still uncomfortably close to your face.

“I will take responsibility for the damage, mother. Just, please, let her stay with me.” Cassandra says.

“…Hm. Very well. I expect the windows repaired by dinner.” Alcina gracefully pivots and just like that, takes her leave.

You and the sisters are left there, unbreathing, unmoving, wondering what just happened.

“Too cold. See you at dinner.” Daniela is the first to speak up. She rapidly waves and disappears like she’s being hunted by an army.

Bela glances at you, then at her middle sister. “We need to talk. But later. For now, defrost.” She, too, disperses in a swarm of flies.

Cassandra, uncharacteristically vulnerable, looks into your eyes and brings a crystalline hand to your cheek. The soft way she does it, it may as well be the apology she is too proud to voice. You both lean towards each other, resting your foreheads together.

You have a lot to talk about. But there is time.

[flashflashhundredyarddash]

batkids and their relationships with their siblings headcanons. under read more because this got fucking LONGGG

dick

dick is the eldest so he doesnt want to bog down his younger siblings with his problems, but if he DOES, he tends to talk to jason about it

dick and cass start to really begin to bond when Cass shows up to dicks gymnastics class for 3rd-6th graders and then cass shows up all the sixth graders and they get frozen yogurt after lmao

dick and tim are Very much thick as thieves. tim is very much like bruce on the Emotional Suppression scale, so dick just really wants to make sure his little brother is safe and happy ALL the time

Duke and Damian are the only two really permanently at the manor anymore, so when dick drops by he tries to do something with both of them. duke frantically zoom calls dick every other week to help him with his his trig homework. dick shows up to dukes high school graduation with literally the BIGGEST SIGN

everyone insists damian is dicks favorite but he does actually genuinely love all his siblings equally, his relationship with damian is just Very different from the others because of the age gap and being dami's primary caretaker for a year. dick babies dami every chance he gets

jason

would sell Dick to satan for One corn chip

him and cass don't have the greatest start to their relationship because cass is very much Against Killing so it takes a while for jason to warm up to her and earn her trust. now, though, jason is competing with steph by showing cass all the classic American Teenager things she missed out on. steph is currently winning but jason is like 98% positive a crunch wrap from taco bell is going to push him over the edge

tim and jason are currently competing over who can solve the most cases in a month. tim is winning. that won't last long.

jason Loves to Big Brother duke its so embarrassing. duke will get out of school and go to his car and jason is SITTING IN THE FRONT SEAT FRANTICALLY WAVING TO GET DUKES ATTENTION. JASON THAT IS MY CAR. signal has one (1) mission with arsenal and arsenal goes hey did you ask that girl to homecoming yet and duke is like I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU.

Damian is proof that Actually, Little Brothers are Pests. Jason fully believes that he was brought back from the dead PURELY to torment damian and he will fulfill this mission at any cost

cassandra

it actually really upset her when Dick didn't accept her at first. she knows her other siblings really adore dick so his lack of trust was really disheartening. it takes dick a while but once he Actually Accepts that cass is going to be a permanent part of their life and oh, wow, dick you really hurt her feelings he really hyperfocuses on bonding with cass for a couple of months which definitely improves their relationship

she really likes jason!! their relationship doesn't start well but because he's close with steph and tim who are cass's top two favorite people to exist ever, cass is like well i GUESS ill hang out with him more. jason is fun to talk to because he always tries his best to explain jokes and give context to what people are talking about (also tim took her to taco bell already but she didn't tell jason she just wanted to hang out)

cass LOVES tim. they just click okay. tim always seems to know when to give her space and when to push and come closer. Tim's "guest room" is just her room lets be real. tim and cass occasionally get mistaken for twins and Cass Loves it.

duke makes cass listen to metal once and cass loses. her. damn. mind. they bond over music a lot because they both Love Music to a degree the others in their family don't.

damian!! damian is her little brother!!! dami isn't As Hostile to cass at first because he is 100% aware cass has the edge in fighting and respects her. cass likes all of his instagram posts and they have a snapchat streak going

tim

tim Loves dick, dick was his first sibling!! he had Very strong hero worship when he first met dick but it mellowed out when tim got older because wow 17 is really not that cool and mature lol. tim has an open invitation to dick's apartment which he does occasionally take advantage of. tim has more than once scared the shit out of wally when wally comes over and wally is convinced they're being robbed (HA) for half a second. i mean. he's not wrong.

listen. tim understands that forgiving the guy who tried to kill you would be a Struggle for some people and it was! definitely! but also at least he can trust jason to, uh, be open about if he doesn't like tim. which is not an assurance he has with other people. so if the guy who tried to kill him tells him tim is cool now then like. maybe tim isn't that bad or annoying a person? also jason arrested a whole gang and won the cases competition but then it created a power vacuum that the whole batfam had to clean up the rest of the month. thanks, jason.

tim LOVES cass. you know how most of the time theres this empty feeling inside you and you just kind of ignore it because you don't know what will fix it or if you do, you know you can't fix it? cass makes that empty feeling feel a little less empty. they just click. tim always tries to travel with cass whenever she leaves gotham.

tim and duke. Tim is actually the sibling who duke goes to whenever he has questions he doesn't want to ask bruce or alfred about, like, life or vigilante-ing or school or college or whatever and Tim is always like yes!! i love Giving Advice and Solving Problems!! tim and duke and jason fill out their college applications together.

tim and damian. LMAO. ROUGH START THAT'S ALL ILL SAY. at some point alfred goes like fuck it. family therapy. and tim and dami are PISSED. tim and damian get along best when they have a common enemy to work against. their relationship gets much better when damian is older and they actually talk about their feelings like emotionally stunted bats. despite how bad their relationship was, tim will ALWAYS protect damian

duke

very much intimidated by dick at first. dick is so much older and has his own job and friends and life and is very much AN ADULT. dick likes to take duke out to do lots of cool stuff (paintball, lasertag, tech exhibitions, concerts, etc). also, dick PERSONALLY introduced duke to superman and is dating THE FLASH. 10/10 awesome big brother.

was intimidated by jason for 0.5 seconds before jason actually opened his mouth and started speaking. jason is literally. So Embarrassing. which is weird because nobody else really seems to feel that way about jason but duke knows he's 100% in the right here. like yeah jason is also An Adult and does Adult Stuff but he's also at the manor like every other weekend???? and he always complains about bruce but always seems to be in the same room bruce is in????? like okay jason. they bond over literature!! jason and duke and alfred will spend literal hours talking about books and duke loves it. duke is the only one who doesn't think jason is funny and jason gets so upset about it lmao.

cass has this one week where she gets really into photography and by virtue of being nearby (and also not nocturnal), duke becomes her victim subject. duke prints out all the pictures and hangs them up in his room (his favorite is one he took when he stole the camera and took a really bad selfie of them together).

tim is closest in age to duke so duke tends to hang around with him a lot. tim introduced duke to his young justice friends and duke is like yes!!! meta-friends!!!! tim really helps duke out with his powers because tim is always like wow i wonder if your powers would work if we did This? can you see farther than other people? is your visible spectrum of light different than other humans? Bruce does the same thing but bruce is boring about it lol.

damian and duke live in the same house and will be in the same room and just send each other social media posts back and forth. they follow each other on instagram and will, OCCASIONALLY, make tik toks together because they're tik tok fiends. each of his siblings have visited his parents once or twice but damian routinely comes with him.

damian

damian gets a special bullet point to say that it took him. forever to come around to the idea of having siblings. he very much believed that he was Bruce's Blood Son and everyone else were just tagalongs or allies. it took him ages to acknowledge that dick, jason, tim, and cass were his siblings, so when duke came and like a week later damian was like Ah, Yes, this is my brother Thomas everyone else was like dude wtf

listen. LISTEN. Obviously. Richard is very highly skilled. and also Father values him highly. and also Richard will listen to Damian complain about his schoolmates. and also Richard is much more patient with Damian than other members of his family. listen....,,, (all this to say damian kind of fucking adores dick lmaooooo this kid).

Todd is kind of unbearable but damian has been informed this is both a normal feeling when it comes to Todd and also big brothers. damian was an only child for ten years so yes, Father, if Todd attempts to tickle me I WILL break his fucking nose. yes i WILL put money in the swear jar but I want you to know i don't regret it. they always try to sneak up on each other but mostly fail.

DRAKE!!! but no lol once damian grows up and is like I Apologize for attempting to murder you it was wrong and you are just as much a son to Father as I am tim is like UGH i guess its cool since ur being so emotionally mature and all. also im 2 for 5 on siblings trying to murder me so im definitely going to win trauma bingo and damian is like i take it back you are insufferable. When Will My Older Siblings Stop Joking About Their Trauma.

CASS!!! listen. cass is cool. Cass Gets It. They have a special Bond. also damian really likes it whenever cass is home because 1) he gets to hang out and do something cool with cass and 2) he feels significantly safer with cass in the house because Nobody will be able to hurt any of their family if Cass is there. ALSO he tries to call her cain but everyone is like DONT DO THAT and he doesn't want to call her wayne bcus theyre ALL wayne (dick adds it on as a middle name but also Richard John Wayne West-Grayson is just. the lamest name ever so dick needs to reconsider it before his upcoming nuptials)((dick will not reconsider it except maybe whether grayson-west would work better)) and so he tries cassandra but cass is like :) call me cass and damian is like cassandra is more formal and respectful and cass is like :) and finally damian just has to give in.

Duke! him and duke actually live together so they get the Most Bonding Time and have a bunch of inside jokes as a result. (is it bad i wanted to laugh because inside jokes... joker... i'll see myself out). they're eating breakfast together (and also alfred sits with them IM NOT A MONSTER ALFIE'S LIKE 70 NOW OKAY) and duke laughs and bruce is like what are you laughing at, son? and duke is like oh damian just showed me this funny meme and then he shows the phone to bruce and bruce grabs it (both the boys groan) and after WAY TOO LONG is like "i don't get it" and so now duke and damian have to try and explain the comedic intricacy of bob's burgers

[foilfreak]

4 Lords Raise Rose AU Ideas

Not a single person asked for this, but that other post where I talk about the 4 lords adopting Rose but still technically being terrible people got way more popular than I expected it to, so, with about 6 shots of tequila in my system and a terrible urge to spit my thoughts out for all the internet to see and judge, I’ve decided to make a follow up post. Here’s how I think the 4 lords would take care of Rose in the event they rebelled against Mother Miranda and decided to raise Rose as their own instead, but like under the cut after a little bit cuz i accidentally went way too fucking hard with this and I don’t want ppl to get mad at me for making them scroll for an hour to get past this post:

First and foremost, I think they’d do it in stages, and what I mean by this is that Rose would essentially be given to a specific Lord for some period of her life, like a couple years, and then when she was deemed old or strong or annoying enough, she’d be moved to a different lord for some period of time and so on and so forth. They would do this because a) they all live in different areas and have shit to do so it’s easier to have Rose live with one lord at a time and then the other lords can just go visit her there from time to time, rather than try to work out a weekly custody schedule which we all know Alcina and Karl would NEVER be able to agree on so let’s not even bother, and b) because each lord would have either some skill or set of knowledge that would make them the best for caring for Rose at that specific point in her life. This way, all the lords have a (somewhat) equal chance to be a part of Rose’s life and teach her something while she’s with them. So with all that in mind now, let’s get down to who would have Rose and at what point in her life.

1. Starting off with infant Rose, I think she’d end up with the Dimitrescu’s for the first few years of her life, and the reason why I think this is because... well, Alcina IS already a mother to 3 girls, and while we don’t know a terrible amount about Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela’s “upbringing” under Alcina, we can gleam and theorize from her notes that, despite their fully grown bodies, the girls could very well have started out with the mental and physical capabilities of infants, and thus needed to be cared for and brought up in a similar manner as infants or children until they reached a certain point where they could officially be considered adults in mentality and ability, not just in physical appearance. So with this in mind, it’s entirely possible that Alcina could have at least some vague idea of how to care for an infant child through her experiences with the bug sisters; perhaps there’s some gaps in her knowledge, but if nothing else I imagine Alcina would be an infant Rose’s best shot at surviving infancy if only because the other 3 are so incompetent on how to care for a baby that Alcina looks like an expert in comparison. Not to mention that, of the possible locations for an infant to be raised, I do genuinely think that castle Dimitrescu would be the safest place for Rose to be kept during this vulnerable part of her life. Not only that but if Alcina has actually come to care for Rose as though she were one of her own daughters, then she would absolutely spoil Rose rotten with all the nicest clothes and fanciest toys, things that a small infant wouldnt be able to appreciate but would show that she’s loved and cared for nonetheless, and don’t even get me started on the bug sisters, I could see them fawning over Rose for hours on end, playing with her, singing to her, telling her stories of all the man-things they’ve gotten to play with today, and so much more. Overall, Rose would just be the most spoiled and pampered little baby with the Dimitrescus and there’s no changing my mind about this. The only thing I’m struggling to wrap my head around is how they’d feed her, since I doubt a small infant would take very well to blood wine and human flesh. I suppose it wouldn’t be terribly outrageous for them to hire a wet nurse/nanny to care for Rose during the day while the other Dimitrescus go about their daily duties, and when Rose is finally old enough to be introduced to solid food (I.e. fried human flesh cubes) they could do what they always do and turn the nurse into wine too, I guess. It’s not a solid idea but it’s more plausible than anything else I thought of so it’ll work!

2. After spending about 3 years with the Dimitrescus, Rose would then be moved to the Beneviento house. Now, If u don’t know anything about 3 year olds, then you’re probably ignorant to the fact that they are some of the craftiest, sneakiest, and most coniving groups of people to exist on this planet. 3 year olds are masters at getting into and touching just about anything and everything u don’t want them to touch, and worst of all, u won’t realize what they’re doing until they’ve already done it and left a huge mess behind, so while the Dimitrescus love and adore Rose dearly, they know it’s sadly time to hand her over when they find her sitting on top of a pile of dead bodies playing with a metal scythe in the dungeons. Once Rose is dropped off at the Beneviento house, I imagine Donna is her usual stoic self the first few weeks Rose is with her. She’s not cold or distant necessarily, in fact she’s quite happy that it’s finally her turn with precious baby Rose, but Donna isn’t exactly known for being outwardly expressive herself (and even Angie isn’t being quite as forward as she normally is), so things are quiet and peaceful for the first little while that Rose is under her care. It’s not until Rose takes an interest in her doll Angie, and more importantly the things that Donna can do with Angie, that things really start getting fun. By the end of Rose’s first month in the Beneviento house she and Donna are the best of friends and often spend their days either playing dress up and make pretend with Donna’s extensive doll collection, or playing elaborate games of cat and mouse, where Donna will set up lots of puzzles throughout the house for Rose to find and solve (I.e. rose has to match her dress to the doll with the same one as her to find a map telling her which kitchen cabinet Donna hid the chocolate in, or something like that), but be careful little Rose, Angie has been trying to get her hands on that chocolate all day, and if u take too long, she’ll find the map first and eat all the chocolate without saving you a single piece. Just silly little puzzles with enough at stake to engage the mind of a curious 3 year old, but never enough to put rose in any actual danger. Donna is nothing if not a watchful caretaker, so she makes sure she has sight of Rose at all times, occasionally giving her a hint if she’s struggling, and perhaps occasionally making things harder if that day’s puzzle is proving too easy for her. Overall, Rose’s time with Donna, while not as grand and luxurious as the Dimitrescus, was still a fun and enriching experience for the young girl, and there’s nobody in this world who thinks that Donna’s scar is cool more than Rose.

3. After another 3 years with Donna, Rose is now 6 years old and officially far too good at puzzle solving for Donna to keep up with. No matter what she tries or how hard she makes it, Rose just keeps blazing through the puzzles at an almost alarming rate, making it clear that Rose is desperately in need of not only a change in scenery, but also a change in education, and this is where Salvatore finally comes in. After leaving the Beneviento house, I think the next logical place for Rose to stay would be with Salvatore, who, with lore hinting at him perhaps being a scholarly man of some kind, would basically act as her elementary school teacher throughout the duration of her stay. Now, to be fair, Rose could have gone to Heisenburg’s factory, but Heisenberg outright refused to take her and the other 3 lords decide that the factory is simply too dangerous for Rose rn, who thus far hasn’t shown any signs of being anything other than a normal human girl with no noticeable abilities (save for a smart mouth and a terrifying habit of popping up when least expected, a habit she mostly uses to mess with Heisenberg, much to his disdain and Lady Dimitrescu’s delight), so it is to the mutant fish man’s unimaginable delight that he is unanimously voted Roses next caretaker, and the one responsible for her basic education. Despite his initial excitement however, when Rose is finally dropped off at the windmills by Donna, Salvatore realizes that he’s not 100% sure what to do with Rose now that he has her. He’d like to get started on her education right away but at the same time he’s so fearful of Rose hating him because of his disgusting appearance that he kind of just... avoids her entirely at first. He’s never far away from the little girl and is always ready to jump to her rescue should she need it, but other than that Salvatore seldom allows himself to be seen for the first month that Rose is with him, the only sign of him still being around being the platefuls of food that mysteriously appear in Rose’s room 3 times a day, as well as the occasional shiny trinket Salvatore found and thought Rose would like. At first, rose doesn’t seem to mind being left entirely to her own devices, but after every stone, log, and rotting fish corpse within 5 miles of the lake has been turned over and thoroughly examined, Rose decides she’s had quite enough of her Uncle Sal ignoring her, prompting the headstrong little girl to go looking for him herself. She finds Salvatore hiding underneath a patch of floating algae not far away from where she was playing and all but demands that the mutant man come out of the water and give her something to do or she’d tell Mother on him. Salvatore, shocked by the small child’s fearlessly blunt request, hesitates, not wanting to frighten Rose, but ultimately relents, crawling out of the water and timidly suggesting that he teach her how to read and write. Rose quickly agrees, seeming totally unbothered by Salvatore’s grotesque appearance, and the two quickly move to the schoolroom that had been set up specifically for Rose, where Salvatore spends hours upon hours a day teaching Rose everything he knows, filling the little girl’s head up first with the basics, letters and words, then numbers and simple equations, followed later by historical dates and time periods, algebraic formulas, and classic literature analysis, then biology, chemistry, physics, astrology, calculus, ecology, and so much more. Basically, anything there is to know, Salvatore knows at least something about it and he’ll make sure that Rose knows about it too. In the 3 years Rose spends with Salvatore she goes from already sharp as a whip, to being smarter than most adults even, and Salvatore takes immense pride in how intelligent and knowledgable Rose becomes thanks to his surprisingly effective teaching style. Overall, as a caretaker, Salvatore is pretty weird and doubts himself a lot, but Rose thinks he’s funny and loves learning from him so they get along very well and she loves him very dearly! He probs teaches her to swim and fish too.

4. So another 3 years come and go with incredible speed, and its with great sadness on Salvatore’s part that Heisenberg finally comes banging on the fish man’s door, all but demanding that he now be given his turn with Rose. Now, personally, I can see several different arguments being raised by the other 3 lords over why its a terrible idea to let a 9 year old anywhere near Heisenberg, much less be given into his care fully. After about 9 years of seeing his siblings paling around with the constantly growing child, and looking like theyre having the time of their lives all the while, however, Karl decides that perhaps there’s more to this little girl than he originally thought, and, with his interest now piqued (or at the very least looking forward to pissing the other 3 off for entertainment purposes), that its only fair that he be given a turn with her now too, seeing as how he’s the only one who hasn’t been given the chance to be her caretaker yet. This naturally does NOT go over well with the other 3 lords. Alcina all but threatens to kill Karl should he step so much as within 10 ft of Rose, while Donna pipes up and demands to know what his sudden interest in Rose is. Even Salvatore, who is quick to flinch away from direct conflict, goes as far as to harshly point out the plethora of times Karl had outright denied their previous attempts to get him to engage with Rose, so why on earth would they hand her over to him now when he’s previously shown to have absolutely no interest in her? After a long spout of yelling between the 4 siblings, an agreement is reached, wherein Rose herself will be given the chance to decide whether she wants to go with Heisenberg, or whether she’ll return to one of the other 3 lords for the time being. It is to Alcina, Donna, and Salvatore’s absolute horror however, that Rose enthusiastically agrees to go with her Uncle Karl to live in his factory, and with the deal already set, the other lords can do nothing to stop her from going. The trip to drop off Rose at heisenberg’s factory is a long and arduous one, especially for Salvatore, who sobs the whole way there about Rose forgetting about him despite the young girl’s insistence that she’d visit. The first thing Karl does after officially having Rose handed over to him, is give her an extensive list of all the places in the factory in which she is under no circumstances permitted to enter without his permission (which basically only leaves the control room and the old storage closet that acts as her bedroom as viable places for Rose to go and explore). The second thing Karl does is dump her in her new storage closet bedroom and then hightail it for his workshop to work on whatever sick and twisted amalgamation he’s got cooked up this time around. At first, Rose isn’t terribly bothered by this, since she’s used to having something of an “adjustment period” when she’s with a new caretaker, but unfortunately for her, this adjustment period lasts a hell of a lot longer than the others did, and by the time 3 months of almost no meaningful contact with Karl, Rose decides to take matters into her own hands and ascends into the depths of the factory despite the express orders not to do so. Now, going back to the idea that the 4 lords are still pretty terrible people, I doubt Rose has been kept ignorant to the less savory aspects of her caretaker’s lives, and tbh she probably doesn’t think anything of the fact that the Dimitrescus makes wine out of the blood of virgin women or that Salvatore still does cadou experiments (and had her help on occasion), but I imagine even Rose would find the projects Karl works on to be at least a little

4, cont. gruesome and horrifying in nature, especially since Heisenberg is the one she knows the least about. However, instead of turning Rose away from Heisenberg, these terrifying metal creatures she sees locked up only spark her already insatiable curiosity, and by the time she finally tracks Karl down, Rose is all but trembling to learn more about this horrifyingly fascinating metal world. Unfortunately, Karl is not nearly as happy to see Rose as Rose is to see him, and the engineer all but grabs Rose by the scruff of her neck and drags her back up to the control room, yelling and screaming at her all the while about how she was explicitly instructed not to enter these parts of the factory without his permission. Needless to say that Rose does not enjoy this treatment and immediately lashes out, half out of anger and half out of confusion as to why Karl was treating her like this. He was the one who wanted her here in the first place, so why the hell was he just ignoring her now? It didn’t make any sense and it was starting to piss Rose off, so naturally the only thing left for her to do in order to solve this complicated situation would be to continue to disobey Karl until he either gave up and sent her back to one of the other lords, or finally payed some damn attention to her for once. So that’s exactly what she did. Every single day Rose left her room (which Karl kept telling himself he needed to put a lock on, but never did cuz he’s an idiot) and descended down into the depths of the factory looking for something ogle at or tinker with, and every single day Karl would track her down wherever she’d managed to get to and throw her back upstairs threatening to feed her to the lycans if she did it again. This incredibly frustrating cycle continued on for the better part of the next month or so, finally coming to a head when Rose managed to wander into the part of the factory where the... less than successful experiments got put whenever Karl doesn’t have any further use for them but is feeling too lazy to kill them off himself. Long story short, Rose runs into a Sturm that chases her around the factory, causing all manner of mayhem and destruction, and would have torn her to ribbons had it not been for Karl, who jumped in at the last second and was able to fend the damn thing off long enough for Rose to get the ever living fuck out and back up to the control room where it’s safe. There’s a lot of loud noises and explosions coming from deep within the factory that last for what feels like an eternity, but Rose doesn’t dare venture out again until everything has gone eerily quiet and a deep sense of worry has settled in the pit of her stomach over what had become of her latest caretaker. Turns out the Sturm had recognized its creator and, after watching its initial prey escape because of said creator, quickly decided that it fucking hated Karl with every fiber of its being and wanted him dead if it was the last thing it’s propellers did. Now, we all know that Karl is a big strong boy who’s more than capable of handling his own creations and taking down strong enemies, but the Sturm is a creation that even he struggles to control on good days and today is decidedly not a good day so not only does Karl not have the slightest bit of control over the death machine trying to kill him, but its also a lot stronger than Karl initially thought and apparently not picky about the method which causes Karl’s death, which is evidenced by the nearly dead Sturm ramming itself into a power generator as a final act of defiance and nearly blowing up the whole factory and everybody inside. Heisenberg is able to contain the explosion somehow but not without considerable damage to himself first. Rose is, naturally, quite horrified to find Karl passed out in the elevator that had taken him up from the lower levels of the factory where the explosion was, skin burnt nearly to a crisp in certain areas and blood pooling from just about every part of him, and immediately heads over to try and help her injured caretaker.

4, cont. again cuz I physically can’t stop myself. Now, I imagine that any normal 9 year old probably wouldnt be able to handle this sort of situation in any meaningful way, but i think we can all agree that Rose is the furthest thing from normal (especially considering who raised her) and has probably seen enough blood and gore to not be terribly freaked out by it, but this is where things get a little speculative because we don’t know what Rose’s powers are exactly but we do know from the final cutscene that she does have them, perhaps even a plethora of abilities, and I like to think that some of those powers are related to Ethan’s superhuman healing capabilities, but unlike Ethan however, who from what we’ve seen could only heal himself, Rose can actually heal other people (tho this isn’t something she’s aware of at this point in time). The second the elevator door opens to reveal, what looks to be, a half-dead Karl slumped over in the corner, Rose panics and runs to him, doing everything she can think of save for maybe grabbing him by the collar or slapping him across the face, to try and get Karl to wake up, except nothing works, he wont wake up no matter how hard Rose tries and i imagine this must be incredibly distressing for Rose who never intended for something like this to happen or for her caretaker to die because he had to protect her even tho he told her not to go down there because its dangerous and anything down there WOULD kill her if given the opportunity. Anyways Rose is now full on sobbing on top of Karl like only a 9 year old who just discovered that her actions have consequences can, but unbeknownst to her (and technically Karl cuz he’s a little busy bleeding out all over the floor) Karl’s wounds are slowly beginning to close, the burns on his face and hands shift from a bright red to a dark brown before crusting over and flaking off, and even his breathing, which had been labored and inconsistent at first, began to level out slightly. Karl woke up not long after that and was surprised to find that a) he was still alive, which was cool, b) he was injured but not in indescribable pain, also cool, and c) there was a literal sobbing child all but sitting on top of him, which is definitely not something Karl was expecting but he supposed he’s been met with worse things upon waking up after almost dying so why question it. After taking a moment to gather their bearings, the two return to the safer parts of the factory to rest and recover and for the most part this little incident of their’s goes largely unspoken, with Rose not exactly in the mood to talk about how her disobedience nearly got herself and Karl killed, and Karl being too fucking tired to go after her about it, especially since she seems to have learned her lesson. The only downside to this whole thing is that now Karl has a busted up fuckin leg thats gonna take an eternity to heal even for him, and with so much work to still do he’s more or less forced to drag Rose around the factory and use her like the annoying assistant he never wanted (except he did want her, thats how this whole fucking mess started, you lug), except that Rose, who is more than used to playing lab assistant from her time with Salvatore, quickly proves to be a rather capable and handy person to have around, if only because she knows the difference between a philips and a flathead screwdriver even better than he does. An amicable, if still slightly awkward peace settles over Heisenberg’s factory once Karl starts actively engaging with Rose and giving her something to do on a daily basis, even if its just standing around watching him work and occasionally having her questions about what he’s doing answered. It doesn’t take very long after that for Karl to begin realizing that perhaps throwing a huge tantrum to get Rose to come here only to ditch her upstairs by herself for 3 months might not have been the smartest (or most considerate) thing he’s ever done, and even goes as far as to (kinda) apologize to Rose for being such a dick to her since she arrived.

4, last one i swear. Rose forgives him, though not before adding that she already knew he was an asshole from Alcina, which earns her a halfhearted swipe from Karl that Rose easily dodges with a childish giggle. From that point on their relationship improves astronomically as Karl finally gives in and teaches Rose about about engineering and everything else that goes into making the metal horrors that he’s known for. Karl is shocked at how quickly Rose picks up on the trade, getting to the point where Karl wonders if he should start giving Rose her own projects to work on, but quickly rolls his eyes and groans when he remember that Salvatore was the one responsible for her education up until this point, the mere thought of having to give compliments to that “moronic freak” for giving Rose such a good educational foundation makes him want to vomit despite how secretly impressed he is. Overall, Rose’s time with Heisenberg starts out shaky, very shaky even, but after a bit of disaster and some swallowing of the pride on Karl’s part, they end up growing quite close and have a nice fun Uncle and martass Neice dynamic. They make a good team and Karl does genuinely enjoy having a little assistant around to help him with his projects, even if Rose can sound a bit too much like Alcina on some days for his liking.

5. 3 more years come and go and now Rose is a strong and healthy 12 years old, perhaps riddled with a few more scars and smearings of ash and motor oil across her skin than when she first arrived but still strong and capable nonetheless. Going back to that first statement however, this of course means that it’s time for the other 3 lords to come banging on Karl’s door for a change, all but demanding that Rose be handed back over to them. Karl of course refuses, telling them all to fuck off and that Rose didn’t want a leave the factory, so upon realization that all 4 lords were gathered here with the intention of taking Rose back to live with them indefinitely, a fight immediately breaks out between the 4 siblings, as each one makes their case as to why Rose should be returned to them and not the other 3, which of course none of the 4 lords can come to an agreement about because they ALL want Rose to stay with them. So after another long and pointlessly arduous argument, Alcina finally breaks, proclaiming that they’d be here for all eternity of they didn’t make a decision now, and that, like the first time the 4 siblings argued over whether Rose should go with Heisenberg or return to one of the previous lords, Rose would be the one to decide which of her four caretakers she would return to. The agreement is made reluctantly, mostly on the part of Salvatore, Donna, and Heisenberg, but there was seemingly no other way for them to come to a decision, so it would unfortunately have to be up to Rose to decide which of her 4 caretakers she wants to stay with permanently. Rose is quickly brought before the 4 lords and explained the situation, before being given some time to herself to think and make her final decision. A tense and uneasy silence falls over the 4 lords as they wait for the little girl, who they had shown an uncharacteristic amount of mercy and time and devotion and love in the 12 years since Mother Miranda had brought her to the village with the intention of using her to revive an already lost and long-gone baby that she never would have gotten back no matter how hard she tried. Although they refused to admit it to one another, the lords all secretly knew that Rose had wormed her way into each of their cold, dead hearts, reviving an aspect of their humanity that they’d all thought had been lost ages ago. Rose came to the village bringing with her a wave of death and destruction, and yet throughout her childhood she has brought them nothing but light and life, illuminating their previously dark and desolate existences. The 4 lords loved their Rose very dearly and desperately wanted her to be happy, yet each of them possesses a dark and selfish desire to have Rose pick them over the other 3, to come and live with them forever and fill the hole deep inside them that they never knew needed filling. After a short while, Rose comes back out and stands before her 4 beloved caretakers, looking around nervously as she picks at her fingernails. The silence is thick and heavy as the 4 lords stare at the young girl, waiting with bated breaths for her to give her final verdict. Rose continues to say nothing as tears begin to flow from her eyes, sliding down her cheeks in thick streams as the girl begins to sob, dropping her head and clenching her dress. The 4 lords look between one another in confusion, unsure of what to do with this sudden burst of tears. Rose tearfully admits that she can’t and doesn’t want to choose which of the 4 lords she wants to live with permanently because she loves them all very much and wants to be able to see and live with all of them, like they’ve done thus far. Although the lords detest the idea of having to share Rose with anyone, they reluctantly come to an agreement for the girl’s sake, deciding that they would continue with the arrangement they’ve had thus far, only that Rose would switch between caretakers every 3 months instead of every 3 years, giving rose plenty of opportunities to see each of her caretakers just like she wanted. From then on, Rose continues to live her life

5, cont. growing up and learning more and more from each of her beloved caretakers. Although Rose would likely never know what a normal life looks like, living with 4 criminally insane monsters in the remote mountain village in Romania, it would be impossible to say that she wouldn’t have a happy life despite that. Perhaps its because the girl simply doesn’t know any better, so she doesn’t have the ability to see just how messed up her life and her 4 caretakers really are, but i imagine that Rose probably wouldn’t care very much to learn even if she had the opportunity. She’s a happy little girl living a strange but enjoyable life with the only family she’ll ever need. What more could she possibly ask for?

6. As for how Mother Miranda would play into this whole scenario I’ve just drunkenly spat out, im honestly not 100% sure. Ive seen some people suggesting that MM just kinda chills and lets the lords do what they want with Rose, but tbh I honestly don’t see that happening in this universe. MM would still have been just as crazy and driven to get Eva back as she was in canon, so i doubt she’d willingly standby and let her “false children” take away her one shot of getting her real child back simply because they didn’t want to hurt her, i just don’t personally see that happening. The two most likely scenarios i can come up with is that the Lords either banded together and look Miranda on together, their combined forces being enough to take her down and kill her, OR, Ethan is the one to take down MM like he did in canon but he passes out before he can get to rose, giving the lords (who he hadn’t ended up killing but just escaping from i guess) the opportunity to slide in, grab rose, and hightail it out of there, leaving Ethan’s body to be retrieved by Chris, who, due to not seeing or hearing Rose anywhere, believes that Rose must have been accidentally killed along with MM, which he later tells to Ethan and Mia. Regardless of how MM gets taken out of the picture (or if she’s given room to potentially come back later), the 4 lords retreat with Rose and begin the whole cycle I explained up above, but i did want to briefly address how I saw MM fitting into all of this since she is a vital part of the original story and the biggest obstacle to the lords having anything to do with Rose.

Anyways, that was so much longer than I intended it to be but I had so much fun with it just because it gave me the opportunity to spit some fun ideas and potential plot points out about this cool AU that I like and hope someone does SOMETHING with, please god someone do it, I’d do it myself but i have enough projects at the moment unfortunately. If you managed to make it all the way to the bottom, thank you for reading all of that, I appreciate it, and I hope you enjoyed at least some parts of this, and maybe even agree with some of the things I said. Feel free to leave your own ideas in the comments, I’d love to read them and hopefully if enough people like this maybe i will actually do something with it. Who knows? I certainly dont. Anyways thank you for reading all this, i hope you have a great day, and maybe ill see you around in another post. Bye!!! <3

[redoqs]

Hello hope your day is going well! I was wondering if you do Dimitrescu family headcannons by any chance? If not I totally understand especially since you’re a busy person I just wanted to ask, thank you so much for sharing your writing sketch is one pf my fav fics in this fandom!!

Sup! My day’s going pretty well and I really hope yours is too. Sketch is one of your favorites? Stop holy shit that’s so cool! I’m honored!!! Thank you so much for reading it! Aight, you said do I have head canons? I do. Do they match how I have the girls portrayed in Sketch? Nah💀 All of these head canons are based on how they act in the game.

Bela is the most dangerous daughter, idc what anyone says, and I’m saying this literally because of how she moves in the game. The way she calmly walks up to you in the dungeons like she has all the time in the world, that girl is calm and collected, she knows she can handle everything thrown her way. I don’t think she necessarily does well in breaks in protocol and I’m basing that on how she acts completely feral during her boss fight, her slashing and lunging, which had me shook because she really just lunged at me okay Kangaroo Jack. If something doesn’t go Bela’s way, she tries to account by thinking quickly and not necessarily considering all of her options and going into attack mode. I imagine Alcina being Bela’s role model and inspiration because of her voice lines and wants to be like her in nearly every sense of the word. I can see her having a slight dependence on her. She’s also the most patient of the daughters but it quickly runs out if things don’t go the way she wants them too.

Cassandra is definitely stab first, ask questions never. This girl is just as feral as Bela, only she exhibits this behavior a lot more often and sometimes even when unprovoked. She’s the only daughter that harasses you in different areas of the castle so I’m thinking she’s definitely Alcina’s go to person for when she wants to get stuff done, whether it be kill an unfortunate servant or simply go get something for her. I imagine that this “Bela wanting to emulate her mother and Cassandra being the one Alcina depends on” causes feuds between the two and they get into often because of it. Cassandra reminds me of a hitman, only she doesn’t get paid for her kills she merely does it because it’s fun for her. This girl probably hasn’t cried in decades and her tear ducts are probably out of order tbh and if Capcom had kept the voice lines of the family and actually made the daughters aware of their sister’s deaths, maybe we would see a more emotional side to Cass. Speaking of, she’s the most emotional idc, she just has a habit of suppressing it because her family makes it seem like they don’t really care and she refuses to be thought of as weak

Daniela is said to be the most delusional and based on how she talks to Ethan I believe that. She does directly attack you once she’s cold, she just runs around the room and hides so I think that’s a clear indication that she’s not a strong fighter and to compensate for that, I think Daniela is someone who is very good at mind games and really could put you under her spell if she tried. I think she believes everyone loves her because she was able to successfully lure past maids into a trap, I really do think she’s a good manipulator. She’s one of those manipulators who switch up their tactics in the middle of her “courting” for lack of a better word in order to get what they want from their victim. Thing is tho, she’s impatient with it too, or she can be depending on her mood, so if someone doesn’t react in the way she wants, she’s killing them immediately. She has multiple victims at one time and if you give her any reason, no matter how small, to make her doubt your “love” for her, she’ll kill you.

[erazonpo3]

Lost Legends

Okay so I read Lost Legends: The Rise of Flynn Rider and general thoughts? It was cute and fun, and I have gripes here and there but I can still recommend it. I don't want to compare it to WOWM because it's like apples and oranges but Lost Legends wins points for me by actually acknowledging the TTS storyline and characters, even though it's kinda brief and not quite as... entertaining.

And before I go into the in-depth spoiler review I'll jot down a few thoughts here: there's a lot to be said about tie-in media and 'canon', but where I think it becomes contentious is where two pieces contradict each other, and whether those contradictions necessitate a canonical hierarchy or cancel something out completely. And the reason I'm bringing this up is because while LL borrows TTS lore it also contradicts it? which is. ironic.

but i'll get into that. Spoilers ahead

Basic Summary of The Plot

Our story starts at the Dark Kingdom, with a short prologue. It's all stuff we already know from the series: King Edmund tries to grab the moonstone, his wife dies, Eugene gets sent away for his own safety. What's funny is that Ms Queen still doesn't get a name, but her Lady in Waiting/Handmaiden gets a name (Maeve), and it's Maeve who really drops the ball on dropping Eugene off at an orphanage instead of raising him as Prince Horace. Go girl give us nothing

And from here the LL timeline begins, as Eugene and Arnie are now twelve year olds (I think?) in an orphanage in Corona. Which is the first contradiction to 'canon' but shelve that thought for now. Eugene and Arnie are good little boys but they're getting too old to keep hanging around and the orphanage needs money for the evil Tax Man, so they decide they'll go off into the world and send some money back when they're rich off their famous adventuring. What happens instead is that The Baron's circus rolls into town (yes that Baron) and Eugene and Arnie decide to try their luck signing up for that gig.

To prove themselves to the Baron, Flynn and Lance have to perform a hazing ritual a heist. The heist is literally just to buy a key from the Weasel but it plays out as this huge dramatic thing with a guard chase which is eternally funny to me because two kids walk into a bar, buy a key and then leave, and it's treated like fucking ocean's eleven. The Stabbingtons try to betray them (those guys are here too) but Flynn and Lance outsmart them, beginning a rivalry for the ages. Also, the pub thugs are all part of the Baron's circus crew. Don't think about it too much.

Anyway, as this has all been going down, Eugene is really interested in getting to talk to this guy with a tattoo of (what we as the audience know is) the brotherhood symbol, which Eugene recognises from the note left with him as a baby. He wants to talk to this dude in the hopes he'll get a clue about who his parents are, but this dude keeps eluding him. He also hasn't had a chance to tell Lance about this yet, so when Lance finds out about it he assumes Eugene only tried to rope him into the circus so he could find his parents and ditch him. Cue an ongoing silent treatment.

Eugene eventually does talk to this guy and he learns that the Brotherhood symbol is from the Dark Kingdom but the Dark Kingdom is gone so he shouldn't bother looking for it. Bummer. And now the Baron is planning a huge heist of the reward money for the Lost Princess' return, and Eugene is getting cold feet. He's been okay with a little bit of thievery so far but this feels like too much for him, and he's not okay with pulling it off but Lance still won't talk to him.

As the plan unfolds, Lance and Eugene reconcile and then they work together to betray the Baron and return the stolen treasure that they stole back to the King and Queen. They get caught by the Baron, escape, then get caught by the guards, but it's okay because they're presented to the King and Queen and when Eugene explains that they felt really sorry about it and promise not to do it again they're let go. And so the story ends on a high note.

My Thots™

Okay so here are the thoughts

Canon Compliance?

The obvious takeaway here is that this story offers you a beautiful pie in the form of the characters you know and love and the established lore, then shoves the pie in your face with things like "Eugene already knows the Dark Kingdom and the Moonstone exist but he never brings this up" and "Eugene betrays the Baron in a very significant way but somehow they'll make up and he and Stalyan will get engaged". Which means that if the integrity of the series is important to you, you'll probably just mentally cross out Eugene knowing about the Brohood/DK/Moonstone.

And imo that's fine! My own approach to this story is a kind of general 'if it works it works, if it doesn't I'll leave it' thing to work my own headcanons around. Because there's a lot of fun things to pluck from, like a new ex-Brotherhood member and other characters that could pop up from Eugene's past and other worldbuilding details.

The Story

The story was pretty short and obviously very tailored towards a younger audience, but it still felt kind of... slow? Mostly because nothing particularly exciting is happening until the big heist and even that feels pretty underwhelming. And of course I don't expect a story like this to be particularly complex and can appreciate its simplicity, but I felt like if it had been longer there could have been more twists to keep things interesting.

For example, the Baron is set up as a character not unlike Gothel, who lavishes praise upon the boys and goes on about how they're 'family' but is obviously just manipulating them and would throw them to the wolves in a heartbeat. Eugene underestimates just how criminal the Baron is, but at no point in the story does the doubt we have in the Baron's sincerity ever amount to anything- Eugene only turns against him because he has a morality crisis, which I'll get to in a minute.

Misc. Thoughts

Okay so one thing I thought was really cute was that each chapter has a little 'quote' from a Flynnigan Rider book, and I wrote them all down so if you've read this far and want me to post those separately lemme know. Anyway I just thought it was a very cute touch.

An honourable mention goes to every time Stalyan shows up, she doesn't really do anything in the story yet still is somehow the only character holding the brain cell. Rapunzel gets an indirect cameo by Lance and Eugene stumbling upon her tower and going "Whoa that's Crazy. Anyway. " which is amazing, and Cassandra even gets a little mention by the Captain! And to answer the question nobody asked, there's a chameleon running around Corona because she's an escapee from the circus, and Pascal's mom's name is Amélie!

Characters - okay really just Eugene

Eugene/Flynn is the title character of the book and we get the story exclusively from his POV, so there isn't a lot to say about Lance. On the one hand while I can acknowledge that this is a story about Flynn, not Lance, there's a few choices that feel like a missed opportunity at best given that this book really was an opportunity to explore Lance's character in a way the series never really does.

And it feels extra egregious when the plot demands conflict between Eugene and Lance, because while the emotion between them is engaging when it's happening, at other times it just feels like a convenient way to shove Lance offscreen again. (As a side note, as contrived as the conflict is these are also two twelve year old boys so. Can't blame em too much).

Also, Eugene coming up with the name "Lance Strongbow" on Lance's behalf while he's unconscious is one of those backstory things I'm not going to be acknowledging, thank you.

The Robin Hood Dilemma

Something I touched on after reading What Once Was Mine is that Eugene's characterisation prior to the movie isn't something writers seem to really like... dealing with. And it kind of makes sense that the author received a lot of characterisation notes from Chris Sonnenburg, because little Flynn does feel very similar to the Eugene we know; only the Eugene we know is an adult man who has since grown out of his Flynn Rider persona. But the Flynn Rider persona he needed to grow out of isn't something that ought to be cast aside entirely!! Stop being cowards!!

Taking a step back, the whole premise of the book is kind of a paradox- because Eugene needs to become Flynn Rider before he can learn to embrace his authentic self, but Flynn Rider isn't hero material, he isn't a good guy, he's not the right protagonist for a story for kids. So what we get isn't Flynn Rider, it's really just Eugene trying on a new name. That works for the beginning of the story, because he is just Eugene trying on a new name, but he doesn't grow into it.

At the beginning of the story, Eugene is an orphan in a poor but still functional orphanage run by a kind old lady, and he is surrounded by nice little boys. Eugene is motivated to leave and get a job by a desire to send funds back to the orphanage, and when he joins the Baron's circus he's taken aback to learn he's among thieves. Here's where I thought: okay, this might get interesting. We might be getting a G-rated 'angel falls from heaven' story about Eugene being morally corrupted by the Baron, of learning that the world outside is tough and he needs to look out for himself first and foremost-

but no. The Baron shares his plan to steal the reward money for the Lost Princess, because all the people he's surrounded himself with are already criminals who don't give a shit, but Eugene thinks that this is going too far! What about that poor lost princess who people need an incentive to search for? (he's like, projecting about his own parent issues which is fair, but still). And so the story ends with Eugene turning on the Baron to return the money to the "right" people (aka the king and queen of a kingdom?? okay) but he takes a single golden egg for himself so he can send it to the orphanage.

Which is all sweet and nice but. He still has to become Flynn Rider, asshole extraordinaire. He still has to lose his morals to the point where he'd take an inexperienced young woman to a pub that he, in this book, recognises is a dangerous place in the hopes that he can ditch her. He still has to go and become a wanted thief and rejoin the Baron and then ditch Stalyan on their wedding night.

The reason I'm going on about this so much is that the appeal of Eugene to me is that he is this good guy who wants to be a better person for the people he loves, but that means recognising that he has behaviour he needs to change, and his development is meaningful for that. Watering him down to a righteous Robin Hood hero does him a disservice.

The Real Villain Was Capitalism All Along

I will not elaborate nor should I

[highlifeboat]

“Daniela, give me back my goddamn sickle!”

“You have to catch me first!”

Cassandra cursed at her younger sister, chasing her through the castle halls. She should have known better than to leave her things unattended. They were in the midst of the cold months, and the time being locked inside was making all of them become restless, even Bela was starting to show signs of getting bored of being inside, but Daniela had always been the worst for it. The woman was as energetic as a baby Lycan, and without being able to go outside for hunts, she was full of excess energy.

She begged her sisters to wrestle, or play, or do anything with her, and while Cassandra would normally gladly take a chance to win a match, she’d been preoccupied with a painting. She’d overheard Bela refuse as well. Cassandra guessed she must have had her nose in some sheet music, trying to learn something new to impress Mother.

So Daniela resorted to the next best thing.

If her sisters wouldn’t willing pay with her, she would make them.

And so here they were, Daniela flying ahead with Cassandra’s sickle in one hand and one of Bela’s journals in the other, giggling while her sisters continued to yell at her. They rushed past maids who barely had time to move out of the way. At some point the two older sisters decided a simple chase wasn’t working. Bela swarmed and branched off down a different hall while Cassandra continued after Daniela. As they came close to the next turn, Bela reappeared in front of them. Daniela, caught off guard, slammed directly into the eldest, and together they collided with the window behind them.

Cassandra, face quickly changing to panic, stopped short, quickly moving back from the sudden onslaught of cold. Her sisters, however, were not as lucky, both giving pained banshee wails that echoed off the walls. Bela and Daniela both fell to the floor, caught in the burning cold wind from outside. It didn’t take long to cause a scene, whatever maids were nearby came running, but none dared to try and help. Or perhaps they simply didn’t want to.

Cassandra’s breath caught in her throat, and her hands went numb.

She couldn’t help them.

What they needed was Mother.

Mother was warm.

She would help.

Cassandra turned to the gathering of maids around her.

“One of you stop being useless and DO SOMETHING! Find Mother! NOW!”

She saw a few disperse from the terrified crowd, though she wasn’t sure if they were really going to do what she’d said or if they had simply gotten scared of her yelling. There wasn’t much time to think about it though, because something else caught her attention.

“Dani!”

Cassandra turned back to the scene to witness Max rushing into the breeze and kneeling near her younger sister. The brunette tensed when he went to touch her.

“Don’t touch her-!”

“Fuck off, Cassandra, this isn’t time for your shit!” Max shouted, giving her a glare that she may have been impressed by if not for the situation. His attention was quickly back on Daniela, though, and trying to move her to the side, out of the cold.

Another maid showed up alongside him, and Cassandra vaguely recognized her as the woman their Mother favoured. She moved to swiftly grab Bela and, much like Max had done a moment prior, brought her out of the cold.

Cassandra back tracked, having to take the long way around to the other side of the broken window, finding Max cradling Daniela in his arms, and the other made taking off the blanket she used as a baby sling and wrapping it around Bela’s shoulders, propping the eldest up against the wall and trying to keep her conscious. It didn’t take much longer before they heard the thundering footsteps that could only be  the girls’ mother running down the hall.

“What happened?!” Alcina demanded when she came across the scene, followed by a small blonde maid that must have fetched her. Cassandra blinked at her, suddenly unsure of what to say as she watched Alcina gently push the maid away from Bela.

“It-We were-”

“It was an accident, My Lady!” The blonde maid squeaked. “Miss Daniela ran into Miss Bela while she was running and they crashed into the window!”

There was a moment of silence as Alcina gathered both girls in her arms, snapping at Max when he tried to tell her he could carry Daniela himself. “If you want to be useful, Manthing, board up that window.” Max muttered some insults under his breath, but begrudgingly did as he was told and went to find something to cover the window. “Mia, be a dear and stoke the fire in my bedroom.” Mia nodded wordlessly. “And you,” She looked at the small blonde woman. “Clean up this mess.”

Alcina started down the hall, Mia a little ways in front of her. Cassandra continued to stare for a moment, as if trying to process the whole of what just happened. She let out a long breath, rubbing her face with her hands.

“Miss Cassandra? Are you alright?”

Cassandra’s ear twitched, and she looked down at the maid she was left with. “...You’re still here?”

She shrugged, wringing her hands together. “I’m sorry, I just… want to make sure you aren’t hurt. Physically. I didn’t know if you… uh… Nevermind. I’m sorry.”

The brunette gave a huff. “...I appreciate the concern. But I’m fine.” A beat passed. “Thank you for… helping. Somewhat, that is….”

Something in the maid’s eyes lit up. “Oh, you're welcome! I’m always happy to be useful.”

Useful. What a strange word choice. Cassandra raised an eyebrow “You’re a weird little one, Shorty.”

“Melony.”

“What?”

“It’s my-Nevermind. I’m sorry.” Melony rubbed the back of her neck. It seemed like she hadn’t stopped fidgeting the entire conversation. “I have to fetch the broom. Give your sisters my best regards when they wake up? I hope they feel better soon.”

Cassandra blinked, and watched the woman shuffle off to go find a broom to sweep up the glass with.

A strange little maid indeed.

[moonlit-imagines]

Next of Kin (Part 2)

Birds of Prey x Sionis-Zsasz!reader

warnings:

a/n: HDTVTVRBEHS IM SO SORRY I COMPLETELY ABANDONED THAT STORY OH MY GOD im gonna be honest with you guys. its not good. i forgot the original ending i wanted.

prompt:

prologue part 1

“Boss?” You heard a henchman wake you from your slumber in your own room. Opening your eyes to complete darkness, you tried not to lose your temper.

“What the hell do you want?” You asked with a huff.

“Right, uh, you told us to tell you when we had a location on those ‘Birds of Prey’ or whatever...we do.” You ripped your sleeping mask off of your eyes and bolted out from under the satin covers.

“You do?! Where? Tell me now!” You shouted while scrambling across the room to get yourself ready for this spur of the moment fight. The blue robe you wore dropped to the ground just before you pulled on a pair of pants and continued. You had to look good for this special occasion.

“A old factory, I guess. ACE or some shit.” He shrugged, looking away respectfully as you got your clothes on.

“ACE Chemicals?” You pulled the shoulder holster over your arms and covered it with a jacket, waiting for the oaf to confirm.

“Uh, I think so.” He was basically useless, an alarm clock at best. You swiped your weapons from your nightstand and pushed past him, ready to end a few lives. It was an eye for two eyes kind of situation.

“Should I call for backup?” He followed behind you as weapons were shoved into all sorts of pockets on your person, so you did what any reasonable person would do and shot him in the foot, the sweet sound of a yelp calmed your shaky nerves.

“Did I say we should call for backup? No, so don’t ask.” He dropped to the floor as he clutched onto his injured appendage, but you just kept on walking. This was personal, you were the only one who could avenge Dad and Papa Vic.

Now you were jogging to the car and stepping on the gas the moment you sat in the driver’s seat. There was no time to lose, no time at all. It was a bit relaxing to hear Britney Spears on the radio as you cut off traffic over and over again. There was a moment of contemplation when someone honked their horn at you, and I mean contemplation of murder. You were going to murder the person honking at you.

But you didn’t have time to stop. Who knows how long those little Birds would be at the factory and how long it’d be until you caught them again. So upon arrival, you ran to the trunk and pulled out the Thompson, your lovely little submachine gun.

With that rested over your shoulder, you left the car running and walked straight into the factory. There was no telling what they were doing here, but damn all the dangers of walking into a severely damaged chemical plant. You wanted your revenge, even if you didn’t make it out of here alive. Ideally, yes, you’d live the rest of your days sleeping peacefully knowing that you put your parent’s killers down, but as long as they were gone, you’d be fine with whatever may happen.

“This is officially the final step to my breakup! This is where I became ‘Harley Quinn.’” You heard a familiar annoying voice echo through the abandoned building.

“This place is starting to creep me out...” Another voice muttered, the voice of a singer. Someone who you and your family trusted until she stabbed you each in the back. God, your blood was boiling just thinking about having relations to these cruel women. But luckily for you, you were about to return a favor.

There’s one little detail I left out, you have been carrying a single hand grenade on your person since you learned about your Dad’s cause of death. It was the perfect revenge. In your head, at least. You yanked the ring with your teeth, you just had to give it a try! But grenades don’t work like that, that’s just a trope in media to made it look badass, as if a giant explosion isn’t badass enough. So you pulled the ring with all your might, this time with your fingers, and popped the pin out. The girls had yet to notice your presence, but that was about to change.

Timing was everything here: you had to give yourself time to escape, but you couldn’t give them time to escape. Maybe ypu should have thought this through before pulling the pin.

Fuck it, toss! The Birds were standing on the grates of the second floor, so there was an alerting clink when the bomb landed.

“Oh, shit!” Harley screamed and bolted. “Run for it!” As they scattered in all different directions, you spectated in excitement. The one that killed Papa Vic, the Crossbow Killer, hopped off the platform and landed on the concrete rubble below, then the sudden force of the explosion pushed them every which way. You, too, actually.

“What the hell? Who’s here?!” Canary cried as she checked her face for cuts, finding blood on her hands. Each of you was covered in dirt and grime, blood and bruises.

“Everyone okay?” The cop asked her company and heard a bundle of groans from the pack, could be worse?

Oh, it could be worse...especially once you revealed yourself to the little ragtags.

“Hi there!” You introduced. “A few of you remember me, huh? Hey, Harley, Miss Lance.” You waved with a pistol in your hand and Papa Vic’s sharp gift in the other.

“‘Course you’re here for revenge.” Harley blew a raspberry as she crossed her arms, but the rest of the group just stared at you. “You’re dads started it.”

“Wait, they were together?” Cass asked the wrong question at the wrong time.

“Shut up, kid. Love you.” Harley pushed the child out of the way and stepped forward. “So ya wanna get back at us, huh? Got it all planned out? Ya don’t have the discipline, sweetie. That’s what did your dads in.”

“Quiet!” You shouted with a haunting similarity to Roman. “Listen, I don’t need to kill all of you. I’d really love to, but I won’t.” You explained as you paced around shifting bricks. “Harley and the crossbow girl are who I really want. I thought about offing the songbird for being a narc, but if she flies away now, maybe I’ll let her go.”

“My name is Huntress.” The girl in distasteful purple makeup growled, you just had to laugh.

“I don’t give a shit what your name is, I just care how you die.” You held the blade out for her to see. “Stab my Papa through the neck, I do the same. It’s only fitting I use the knife he gave me to do it. Poetic, huh?”

“I wasn’t even the one that killed him! Technically it was the kid, tell ‘em!” Said the Joker’s ex-lady.

“Wow, thanks for throwing me under the bus!” Cassandra threw her hands up and you pointed your bedazzled gun at Harley’s chest. “Shit, look out!”

“It might not be a grenade, but it still goes ‘boom.’” You slowly tightened your finger around the trigger, but ducked and missed when a brick came flying towards you, courtesy of Little Miss Trouble.

“Fuck’s sake!” You screamed and came running towards the other target, who flipped you over her back, causing you to land on yours. I can’t even describe the noise you made.

“I had been planning to kill Victor Zsasz for years, alright? I had every right to do so.” She went off for the team to witness. “He murdered my entire family in front of me when I was a child! Do you know what it’s like to be an orphan?!” Huntress’s voice was sharp and rough, there was a slim chance that she’d be taking any more shit today.

“Yes, you idiot.” You glared up at her while she planted a foot on either side of your torso, aiming an arrow at your head. “I was adopted by Roman and Vic after they found me on the street.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that they took everything from me.” The others simply watched the show, how could they not? Helena’s stone-cold voice was chilling.

“And what do you think you did to me?” You asked with and unsteady tone. “I’m a goddamn orphan again!” You caught the back of her knee and escaped her reach for just a moment as you leveled the field by drawing your weapon once more. “I had it good before you came in and ruined it all.”

“Your fathers were the scum of the Earth, the world’s better without them.” It was a wonder how none of her team had hopped in yet, but it worked out for you. “If you thought they deserved to live, you would’ve shot me by now.”

“She’s got a point, y/n/n.” Harley chimed in, throwing you right off your rhythm. Leaving it to the psychiatrist to evaluate you during something like this. “Remember our nights at the club? I saw how controlling Romy was over ya. An’ how Vicky kept secrets. An’ how they put ya into some really uncomfortable situations an’ whatnot. I dunno what when on behind closed doors, but...admit it, y/n, it wasn’t as perfect as ya make it out ta be.”

“They did their best.” You watched each face turn to pity you, it broke you all over again. “Fuck! Fuck you guys!” You dropped your guard and pouted at how easily manipulated you could be.

“That’s more like it.” Renee chuckled as Dinah walked past her. Dinah had seen just as much as Harley, that’s why she went right up to you and took you in her arms.

“You should stick with us for a while. I promise we aren’t that bad.”

taglist: @locke-writes // @captainshazamerica // @ravenmoore14 // @thisetaernallove //

[asphyxiateher]

Only Monsters Come Out at Night *Chapter 6*

Chapter 6: How Do I Live Without the Ones I Love? Summary: Veronica wants Desdemona to come to her senses and escape Castle Dimitrescu with her. The problem is...Desdemona doesn’t want to. A/N: Character death. Graphic descriptions of violence. I  tried to link my previous chapters and I’m having issues sjfodsogsdkg I��ll edit when I get a chance to lol

              Desdemona was slowly losing her mind the longer she tried to stay alive in Castle Dimitrescu. Alcina’s daughters were more than what she could handle but she did what she could to stay on their good side. Her methods were unusual to say the least, but she managed to live another day because of her strategizing. Bela was the eldest daughter, so her needs came first when she required Desdemona’s attention. Cassandra was the middle child, and she had her own insecurities that made her a little high maintenance, but Desdemona didn’t mind that at all. Daniela was…well, she was certainly rambunctious enough to keep the surviving Hawthorne twin on her toes. Desdemona had managed to prevent another poor maiden from being struck by a blunt object by immediately interfering and pulling Bela to the side to calm her down with a kiss. They stayed in each other’s warm embrace for quite a while, giving the maiden time to excuse herself and run off elsewhere. The distraction was effective, and Desdemona could have pulled away the moment she knew the other woman was safe, but she didn’t. Bela hummed happily against her lips and Desdemona reveled in the feeling of being wanted so of course she was reluctant to break the spell between her and Bela. That’s what was starting to feel unusual for Desdemona. The more time she spent with each of the sisters, the less she hated it. They were evil, filthy creatures and yet she could not get enough of them.

Cassandra made her forget that she was a sadistic monster that enjoyed tormenting the people around her for giggles. Desdemona decided to watch some of her movies with Cassandra on her laptop, and she made the mistake of playing Chicago, her all-time favorite musical. As soon as ‘Cell Block Tango’ came on, Cassandra became so infatuated with the song and the scene itself, she asked Desdemona to replay it several times until she memorized the lyrics. It was fascinating to observe the vampire attempt to recreate the dances she had just seen so she laughed at the utter absurdity of it all. Cassandra suddenly stopped dancing and glared at Desdemona. “What are you laughing at?” She asks, now completely uncertain of herself as she nervously plays with her hair.

“Nothing, I swear. You just look so happy, it’s kind of cute.” Desdemona replies, her mouth snapping shut the moment she realized what she had just told the other woman.

She’s blushing now, unsure of why she had just told her captor that she thought she was cute. Cassandra’s scowl slowly turns into a knowing smirk, and she places her hands on her hips as she stares down at Desdemona with hungry eyes. Desdemona gulps. Was she about to be gutted alive or were they about to engage in what Cassandra calls physical play? She didn’t have a chance to rethink what she could have done differently in that moment as Cassandra throws herself on top of Desdemona, her hands clawing at her clothes and cupping the most intimate parts of her body. While Cassandra respected her boundaries when it came to wanting more, Desdemona did not come out of that room unscathed.

The hickeys and bruises did not bother any of the sisters much as they knew they had to share their favorite little pet between all of them. Daniela enjoyed marking Desdemona as much as the other two did but she was convinced her love bites meant more to her human pet because their “love” was true and eternal. Desdemona dared not contradict her in fear of her throat being slit but she played along with it. Eventually, Daniela would grow bored of her, would she not? It was hard to say especially when she wanted to snuggle with Desdemona almost every night and wanted her to read one of her books aloud. Desdemona would read to Daniela and the red-haired vampire would listen patiently, her fingers tracing senseless patterns along her plaything’s arms.

Other days, Daniela liked to play rough and tossed Desdemona around like a rag doll when it was her turn to spend time with the pet. Daniela just wanted to assert her dominance with the human and to let her know that she was hers to love and play with. Desdemona endured painful slaps to her face and rear, bites to her breasts and deep scratches on her back only for Daniela to giggle at her handiwork and whisper in her ear how much she loved seeing the smaller girl covered in her markings. It ought to be too much to bear for Desdemona, but for some reason…it wasn’t enough. She kept going back for more every time so she must have learned to like it. Desdemona figured she must have been conditioned to enjoy it because no longer could she hear the rational voice in her head telling her to run away and push back but instead, she hears whispers that soothe her into submission. She is convinced she’s losing her mind and her best friend could easily verify that.

In fact, Veronica had not been herself either for quite some time, Desdemona noticed, and her behavior had been odd ever since she toured unseen parts of the mansion with Lady Dimitrescu. Her demeanor was subdued in a way she had never seen before, and she tried asking her friend about it but all she would get in return was a furious shaking of her head. There was no glimmer of hope in Veronica’s eyes anymore; instead, Desdemona found herself staring into a void of despair whenever she tried meeting her friend’s gaze. It was a little worrying for a while until one day, she recognized a familiar spark ignite in Veronica once more.

 Her friend was hot-headed and sometimes the littlest of things could set her off and today, of all days, Veronica reacted to the sight of Desdemona cozying up to Daniela in the library. Desdemona was not aware that her best friend was allowed to roam the premises freely but judging by the uniform her friend was presumably forced into, she was possibly tasked with cleaning the ground level while the other maids were sent upstairs. Veronica kept a neutral facial expression as she approached her best friend, but she swallowed hard at the sight of Daniela’s hand being held by Desdemona. She couldn’t help but clear her throat awkwardly as she stood in front of them snuggled up so comfortably on the couch.

“Dezzy, I need to have a word with you…in private, if you can grant me the time.” Veronica says stiffly, her nostrils flaring the longer she found herself staring at Desdemona. As for Desmond’s twin, she was in such a state that would imply she had just gotten intimate with the vampire with the smug grin on her face. Veronica noticed a new hickey on the nape of her best friend’s neck, and she had to clench her fists to keep herself grounded.

“Veronica! Yeah, I’ve been wondering where you went, I think we need to catch up. Will you excuse us, Daniela?” Desdemona responds, her cheeks reddening at the fact that she had been caught in a private moment with one of her mistresses.

 Daniela lazily glances up at her mother’s little plaything and grimaces at the sight of her.

“Don’t keep me waiting, love. You know I don’t like to be kept waiting.” Daniela says as she plants a sloppy kiss on the corner of Desdemona’s mouth. She casts a menacing look over to Veronica before she turns to walk away, giggling like a madwoman.

Desdemona exhales anxiously and gestures for Veronica to lead the way into the corridor. Veronica ignores the request and leads them to the nearest available window, staring outside and trying to make sense of what she could. The windows were frosted over, ice building up quickly and the view of the outside world was smothered by snow. Desdemona used to like the cold weather, but recently, she’s developed an aversion to freezing temperatures. She wanted to stay warm and snuggled up close with Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela. She could not admit it out loud, but she ached to be near any of them and there was a profound sense of longing whenever she was away too long. She is changing and she thinks Veronica has noticed.

“You know, it’s amazing how quickly you’ve forgotten that these freaks were responsible for Desmond’s death. Our mothers are out there trying to get a hold of us because we haven’t been keeping in touch like we’ve promised and now they’re thinking something horrible must have happened. News flash: your twin brother, my loving boyfriend, was disemboweled in front of us and you’re out here fucking the vampires that are torturing us! What the fuck, Desdemona?!” Veronica shouted, the calm and collected manner in how she usually carried herself in conversations quickly turning up a few notches.

Desdemona was taken aback, clearly not prepared to have this conversation with her best friend though she knew it wasn’t going to be easy regardless.

“V-Veronica, I haven’t seen you in three days since you Alcina took you and you want to talk about what I’ve resorted to doing for survival?” Desdemona asks, ignoring the way Veronica rolled her eyes at that.

“For survival or for your sick pleasure, Des? In the past few days since my unfortunate trip down to what I think is the portal to Hell, I’ve seen you and how you behave around these monsters. I’m worried for you; I think they’re changing you and I don’t like it. I understand being compliant out of fear, but you’ve been getting real goddamn cozy with them, like they’re all your lovers or whatever! I need you to tell me what is going on because from my perspective, it looks like you stopped giving a shit about survival and you are just giving yourself freely to them like some pathetic, spineless slut!” Veronica replies hotly, taking a step towards Desdemona, who doesn’t flinch. Daniela was still hovering around the library but she instantly appears next to a bookshelf to observe the conversation more carefully should the other human overstep her boundaries. She pulls out her sickle and grips it tightly in case she has to defend her lover from the loud-mouthed pet her mother enjoyed tormenting.

“You have some nerve, Veronica, you won’t even tell me what happened to you down there! You don’t think I’ve been traumatized by what I’ve experienced so far? I don’t know what’s fucking happening to me anymore! Everything you’re telling me to do, like find weaknesses and whatnot, it all makes sense to me but it’s not sinking in for whatever reason. I have this urge to run away but it goes away when I hear these voices in my head telling me not to leave the girls. I’m tethered to all of them, V, I don’t know how but there’s this fucking connection I have with each and every one of them and it’s like I’m in physical pain when I think about hurting or leaving them. I’m more whole as a person now then I ever was before because of them and I don’t know what that says about me.” Tears begin to stream down Desdemona’s face and Veronica somewhat relents.

She lets out a frustrated sigh and places a comforting hand on Desdemona’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze before she speaks to her with a calm voice.

 “You want to talk about traumatic experiences, then let’s do it without downplaying each other’s experiences. I clearly don’t know what you’re going through, it sounds…difficult, and very hard to believe, but you’re obviously bothered by it. Do you want to know what I just went through to get the opportunity to speak to you outside of the dungeon? Another maid paid with her life to grant me this position. The countess dragged me to some dark, untouched part of the castle where we were confronted by this horrifying…slimy, blob creature that looked like a goddamn mutated fetus.” “You can hear its ungodly laughter as it approached us and from the elevator, Alcina pushed out the other maid that was with us and she locked the door behind her. I had to watch this ungodly science experiment eat another human being alive and Alcina made me watch every second of it. Every bone crunching sound it made and the unforgettable wailing from the poor maid haunts me when I try to fall asleep at night. If it weren’t for that maid, I doubt I’d be up here begging you to come to your senses. I need your help, Dezzy. Please understand how much I need you to see how badly we need to get the fuck out of here.” Veronica finishes as she pulls Desdemona into a hug. She’s weeping onto her shoulder now and all Desdemona could do was squeeze her tighter and hold her for longer. Even though Veronica had been ready to throw hands with Desdemona, it was almost always too easy to get her to calm down when she held her like this in her arms. Everything felt normal in that moment, like everything was as it should be but deep down, Desdemona knew that wasn’t true. Especially when Veronica sniffed and pulled out a journal, almost like it was a personal diary, and placed it in Desdemona’s hands.

“I think once you read the first few entries, you’ll be a little more comfortable with the idea of leaving this place once and for all, just you and me. I found this while I was snooping around in that horrible part of the castle and I just knew I had to show you. All we have to do is open a few windows and we can do away with lady Dimitrescu’s daughters. Once we get rid of them, we escape mama’s wrath and run back home where we belong.” Veronica tells Desdemona as she plants a kiss on her forehead. Desdemona did not have much of a chance to respond before Daniela spoke up for her. They hear maniacal laughter echoing from behind one of the bookshelves and it’s all it takes for Veronica’s sour mood to return.

“Get rid of me and my sisters? Oh you foul human, it’s so adorable that you think you can take on all of us, let alone me. I’ll let you off with a warning because my plaything is attached to you for whatever reason but touch her again, I’ll shove this sickle so far down your throat, you’ll be shitting steel. Now back off!” Daniela warns as she approaches Veronica, a move her friend was hoping would happen since they just so happened to be standing next to a window.

Guilt begins to settle in the pit of Desdemona’s stomach as a new conflict arose from within. She shouldn’t be conspiring against her mistresses for they loved and cared for her but then again, she should be siding with her best friend, someone she had known since she was eight years old. She didn’t know what to do, her worry beginning to initiate a full blown panic attack. “Why don’t you make me back off, you disgusting piece of rotten filth! If I’m going to go out, it’s going to be on my fucking terms and I’m not going down without a fight.” Veronica says as she shoves Desdemona behind her.

Daniela smirks, then raises her sickle in preparation for the fight to come. What comes next sends both Daniela and Desdemona into a panic. Veronica quickly twists around to fully open the window, a freezing cold blast of air hitting Daniela and impairing her almost immediately. The pained shriek she lets out could be felt throughout the castle, but Desdemona feels it tugging at her heart.

“I…don’t…do well…in the…cold! You can’t stop me…mother…will kill…you!” Daniela moans, dropping her weapon as she starts to solidify under the intense temperature change in the room.

The red-haired woman is wildly swinging her arms around and Desdemona can tell she’s slowing down. It’s only going to get worse, and Desdemona is torn.

Veronica rushes to pick up the bust of a famous historical figure off the nearest pedestal and slams it against Daniela’s head. She howls in pain and Desdemona has to hold back tears as she watches her best friend attempt to murder Alcina’s youngest. She’s frozen to the spot, painfully aware that Veronica is shouting at her and ordering her to help her but she hears dark whispers in her head again. “Daniela, what on Earth are you shouting about – wait, what are you doing to my daughter?! GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF HER AT ONCE!” Alcina’s voice booms through the library and it seems to pull Desdemona out of her reverie.

Alcina looks furious as she strides towards them from across the library, her claws beginning to form and from either side of her follow both of her daughters with terrified expressions on their faces as they watch their sister die from the harsh winter cold air. “Mother, what about Daniela? Is there anything we can do for her or is it too late!?” “Daniela, no, hold on just a little longer, we’re almost there!” Veronica glances over at Desdemona and tosses over Daniela’s sickle to her. “Come on, Des, it’s now or never, let’s send out the message that we should never have gotten fucked with. Let’s go!” She shouts as she encourages Desdemona to deliver the killing blow.

Desdemona is violently shaking as she observes Daniela’s form slowly start to freeze over and it isn’t until she sees the heart-breaking expression on the dying woman’s face that Desdemona decides what to do.

“I don’t…want…to die!” She screeches, the words vibrating in Desdemona’s skull.

The dark whispers tell her that she can still save Daniela’s life and that all would be forgiven should she do so. Her mistress loves her, and she needs her to love her back. Desdemona would have to forsake her old life in order to live out the rest of her days in Castle Dimitrescu but the only obstacle that was left remained alive: Veronica.

Her best friend since elementary school, Desdemona closes her eyes and fondly remembers the first time they met. Veronica brought her Spice Girl dolls to play with at recess but nobody wanted to play with her. Desdemona shyly approached her and asked if she could join in on the fun because she loved the Spice Girls too and Veronica welcomed her into her life. Ever since then, the girls became inseparable. From sleepovers to prom night to celebrating each other’s eighteenth birthdays by going to LGBT nightclubs, Veronica was like family to Desdemona. After this holiday trip, Desmond was going to propose to V and they were all going to move in together down in Colorado where Veronica’s mother lived and where V planned on continuing going to school.

Desdemona exhales and steadies her grip on the sickle as she walks towards the open window. She slams it shut, reluctantly turning to face Veronica who was just about to smash the bust against Daniela’s face again. Cassandra and Bela immediately rush over to Daniela and embrace their younger sibling, relief etched on Alcina’s face for a moment before she refocused her rage towards Veronica.

Desdemona couldn’t take it anymore, she knew she had to follow her heart and so she did. “Dezzy, what the fuck are you -hhhng!” Veronica begins, her jaw dropping as the heavy bust she’d been carrying fell to the floor.

The last thing Veronica’s beautiful dark brown eyes saw were a pair of cold, gray eyes staring at her with regret and soft pink lips mouthing “I’m so sorry, Veronica!” repeatedly. Desdemona pierced through the side of Veronica’s skull with Daniela’s sickle, her hands twisting and pushing until all life finally drained out of her best friend. The hardest part for Desdemona was watching the light leave those familiar pretty eyes and it was all because of her. When she yanked the sickle back out, V’s body dropped to the floor with a loud thud and a chunk of flesh remained on the edge of the weapon she had just used on her best friend. Desdemona felt bile rise in the back of her throat, so she turned and threw up, her hands still shaking after she was able to gather her strength to look up again.

Alcina’s claws retracted as the woman stared down at Veronica’s corpse before looking back at Daniela then over to Desdemona, who was now kneeling on the ground.

“You saved my daughter’s life. Words cannot express how grateful I am for your intervention. I understand this may be difficult for you, but you made the right choice. Thank you.” Alcina tells Desdemona, leaning over to place a comforting hand on her shoulder before retreating to where her daughters stood.

“She saved my life! I told you Desdemona loves me the most out of all of us! She truly cares for me!” Daniela croaks out, trying her best to wriggle free from her sisters’ hold on her but they were stubborn.

“Not bad for her first kill. I prefer a hot blood bath myself, but I’m seriously impressed. Oh crap, I think she’s going to freak out.” Cassandra says with a chuckle as they all watch Desdemona react to Veronica’s death with interest.

Desdemona was sobbing uncontrollably now, her body rocking back and forth as she tries to wipe off the blood on her hands. Her eyes flick over to the sickle with the chunk of brain on the end of it and back to Veronica’s lifeless body. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry, V! I loved you more than anything!” She whispers to herself, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort. It wasn’t going to last long, however, as Lady Dimitrescu’s daughters surrounded Desdemona and Veronica’s corpse laying at their feet.

“Tonight we celebrate each and every one of you with a feast. This wasn’t how I wanted dinner to be served, but as you can see, Desdemona Hawthorne is eager to please. How can we refuse such a beautiful gift from our lovely newcomer? I say dig in, girls.” Alcina declares before she walks over to Desdemona’s kneeling form and forcefully sets her upright.

“Wait- wait, what do you mean dinner is served? What are you going to do to Veronica’s body?” Desdemona asked with desperation evident in her voice.

Alcina Dimitrescu simply smiled and held Desdemona close to her body, keeping her in place with a headlock so tight that if the younger girl tried to escape, Alcina could easily pull it right off. “Your corruption is not yet complete my dear. I am simply welcoming you to my family and you will become accustomed to how we do everything around here. My daughters love you and you will learn to love everything about them, including how they feast on the blood of the innocent. Now hush, girl, and be thankful you are not the corpse ready to be devoured.” Alcina whispers in her ear before she laughs at Desdemona’s feeble attempts to escape.

“No, oh for the love of God, please don’t make me watch! That’s m-my best friend, please don’t do this to me! I’d rather you kill me now, please, just don’t make me watch!” Desdemona pleads and screams but it does nothing, it only sweetens the air around the ravenous vampires who are about to tear into the corpse at their feet. Daniela growls when she uses her sickle to cut off Veronica’s tongue, Bela giggles as she begins to yank out Veronica’s piercings one by one and Cassandra has already begun working on tearing out her limbs. “Save me her mouth, I wish to savor the flavor of a pathetic nobody that dared to try and take away my precious Desdemona.” Daniela says as she throws her head back to laugh wildly along with Bela and Cassandra.

Desdemona’s screams and protests are ignored, Alcina forcing her eyes open as she’s forced to watch the three vampires consume her best friend. When Bela cuts into certain parts of her flesh, blood sprays out and lands on Desdemona’s face, causing the young girl to feel faint. She eventually can’t handle the horror of watching the girls tear apart Veronica and so she passes out in Lady Dimitrescu’s arms. The last thing she remembers hearing before the world fades to black is Cassandra chastising her mother for laughing and begs her to let Desdemona sleep in her arms instead.

[anjuschiffer]

Weren’t Meant To Be

So ummm... surprise???

I wanted to write more Male!MarinttexDamian, but ended up world building... enjoy!

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Tag: @theatreandcomicfreak @damianette-is-life @toodaloo-kangaroo @elijahcrevan

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Context and Background: This is in the same timeline as ‘Beloved’. Lila is a good child here and kinda replaces Mar in canon (she’s Alya’s Bestie despite having transferred on their second to last year of lycee). Marcel and Alya are close friends, but aren’t best friends, so I’d like to think that since they aren’t that close, it’s easier for Alya to be more persistent with her ideas and plans. 

Wait...Lila replacing Mar in canon, so who is Mar in this timeline? Marcel is still similar to canon, beloved by all but replaces Adrien in the sense that the entire school and community knows him because of his tallness (and handsome features even though he’s oblivious to it).

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AO3

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“Just give her a chance, Marcel.” Alya pleaded, looking back at their classmate, her bestie. Thinking that Alya had caught her staring at Marcel, Lila looked away, a prominent blush on her face. Alya grinned. “She’s head-over-heels for-”

“I already told you.” Marcel huffed, looking at the weapon in front of her- the ray Joker had used in his latest attack on Gotham. “There’s already someone I like.” 

It was their last year at DuPont, the senior class settling on touring the US as their senior trip. Their last stop: Hall of Justice situated in Washington DC. 

Alya remembered when she had introduced Lila to Marcel. They had hit off pretty well, Marcel taking an interest in Lila when Alya had proposed the idea of Lila helping Marcel model for his brand. 

He was short a model and needed one asap. Who better than Lila? 

While Lila had no trouble having to wear makeup for the photo shoots, her two strands of hair and straight bangs already framed her face beautifully. Her olive complexion and green eyes made her stand out more than Marcel’s other models. (No offense Juleka.) And the bun? Made her even cuter!

Alya had planned on getting her two friends to become more than friends through Lila modeling for Marcel, but it never got farther than that. 

Marcel never picked up on Lila’s advances, her feelings, always remaining professional with the girl, much to Lila and Alya’s dismay. 

It’s been two years since the two have met and Alya wasn’t going to let her efforts go in vain. This trip was Alya’s chance (out of many) to try and get the two together...hopefully.

“Yeah, yeah. Imaginary boyfriend - Damian.” Alya sighed, noting that this was the umpteenth time Marcel had used that excuse. He’s been using it since a year ago. “Why are you so insistent that you’re seeing someone? Is it some kind of tactic? Do you really hate Lila that much?”

“He’s not imaginary.” Marcel sighed, now going to see the next weapon. “He’s an actual person, whether you want to believe it or not. And no, I would never stoop that low just to make someone leave me alone. Besides, it’s my love life. I should be able to decide on who to like, not someone who doesn’t know my heart.” 

At hearing her friend’s words, Alya frowned before storming off to join Lila and Nino. 

“Seriously. I can’t believe him sometimes.” Alya muttered, crossing her arms as she stood next to Nino. 

“Believe what?” Nino asked, wondering what was going on between his two friends. Despite the fact that the two were good friends, Nino sometimes couldn’t help but notice their differences. “Why’s Mar-“

“Because I asked him about his boyfriend.”

“He has someone?” Lila asks, Nino and Alga seeing her face drop from her earlier mood. “Marcel has someone…he likes?”

“What? No! Of course not!” Alya attempted to cheer up. “Marcel keeps saying that he’s seeing someone, but I’m pretty sure he’s just saying that because he’s too shy to admit his true feelings.” 

“Do you really think Marcel would do something like that?” Nino defended his childhood friend, completely knowing who Alya was talking about. “We both know he would never do-”

“He wouldn’t, but he’s so infuriating!” Alya wanted to scream, instead settling for pulling at her hair. “Like seriously! Would it hurt him to give Lila one glance? Because from the looks of it, it would!”

“What if he’s telling the truth? What if he is dating someone?” Nino asked, watching Alya’s face harden. “How do you think his boyfriend will feel when he finds out or sees his partner on a date with someone else? I know how I’d feel if I found out you went on a date with someone else: pissed.” 

Alya took a deep breath from her boyfriend’s words, looking over at Lila. 

Her bestie was on the verge of crying, her lips trembling.

“Okay, fine. Let’s say he really does have someone.” Alya continued the instigation. “Then why haven’t we met him? Why haven’t we gotten a single piece of evidence that this guy does indeed exist?”

“Maybe Marcel is doing it because of the person Damian might be.” Nino defended. “Maybe Damian doesn’t want their relationship to be-”

“What kind of person wouldn’t want-” Alya cut off, only to be cut off herself when she heard Marcel’s squeal echo throughout the building. 

The trio quickly went over to where Marcel’s squeal originated from, quickly hiding behind a statue when Alya saw the scene in front of them. 

There’s no way...

“I-Is that who I think it is?” Nino asked, hoping he wasn’t dreaming.

“That’s Clark Kent from the Daily Planet.” Alya whispered, wondering how Marcel found them. Although the bigger question was, how was Marcel conversing with them as if they’d known each other for a very long time?

And if they knew each other, why didn’t Marcel introduce him to her?

Weren’t they friends?

“But who’s that behind him?” Lila asked, pointing over to a large group behind them.

“Holy shit.” Nino cursed, knowing it was worth saying it this one time. “That’s, no. Those-”

“Wayne. They’re Wayne’s.” Alya finished, gawking at the sight of all the Waynes in one place.

There was the eldest child, Richard ‘Dick’ Grayson, talking with his other brothers: Timothy Jackson Drake and Jason Peter Todd. Right behind them was Stephanie with Cassandra, Duke -the recent addition to the family- at the end of the mob, his face glued to his phone. But at the front?

Leading the family was Bruce Wayne himself, smiling when he saw Marcel talking with Kent.

The trio watched as Marcel straightened up and quickly turned his head, a grin appearing on his face when he saw the Waynes, quickly jogging up to Bruce. Alya watched as the two conversed, watching as other members of the family quickly noticed him and circled around Marcel to talk to him. 

“Come on, we have to get closer.” Alya insisted, already pulling Lila with her.

“Alya, I don’t think we should-” Nino started.

“Are you with us or not?” Alya hissed, wanting to get closer to the group. She could barely hear them, not wanting to miss the possible explanation as to why Marcel knew them.

With a sigh, Nino looked at his girlfriend before turning around and leaving them, shocking her. 

‘Fine! Have it your way!’ Alya wanted to scream, but knew that would blow her cover.

With Lila entail, she got as close as she could, Alya signaling Lila to keep as quiet as she could.

“-class trip? You could’ve given us a heads up, Red!” Alya heard Grayson exclaim, watching as he ruffled Marcel’s hair.

“Hey! It took an hour to get it this neat!”

“See! He gets it!” Jason exclaimed, pulling out the hair tie from the mess of hair and promptly redid Marcel’s half bun with ease. “Guys with short hair will never understand.” Jason said, Marcel voicing a ‘Ditto’ while Tim and Dick glared at them while the girls simply cleared their throats. “Well, you guys at least understand why we have to get up an hour earlier to get ready for the day.”

“By the way, where’s Damian?” Alya heard Marcel ask, feeling Lila’s grasp in her hand tighten. Alya glanced at her before completely looking over to her friend.

Lila’s face was blank, but her eyes said it all. She didn’t even need to see the tear spooling in Lila’s eyes to see what she felt.

She was scared. 

“Demon spawn? Last time I checked on him, he was talking to Jon.”

“Jon’s here?!” Marcel exclaimed, looking over to Clark. “Uncle Clark! You didn’t tell me Jon was here!”

“I didn’t? Must have slipped my mind.” Clark said, whispering that last line.

“Did someone call for me?” Alya watched as this Jon came into view, watching as Marcel grinned. 

“Jon!” Marcel smiled, running to the boy and hugging him. “It’s been so long!”

“We literally saw each other over spring break!” Jon chirped, effortlessly prying himself from Marcel’s grasp. 

“But that was months ago!”

Alya watched as someone else made their way to the group, her eyes widening as she recognized their face. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She whispered, replaying Nino’s words from earlier. 

“Maybe Marcel is doing it because of the person Damian might be. Maybe Damian doesn’t want their relationship to be-”

-known. For it to be a secret. 

Alya cursed herself. 

It all made sense now. 

The reason why Marcel couldn’t introduce Damian to them? He was a Wayne, people who loved to keep their life a secret.

“Jon, I already told you various times, but why must you...“ the youngest Wayne started, only for his words to trail when his eyes locked onto Marcel. 

Alya watched as Marcel slowly turned to look at the youngest Wayne, his mouth gaping a bit. 

“Damian.” He spoke, Alya watching as he took a single step forward. 

“Habibi.” Damian replied. “What-“

“Damian!” Marcel exclaimed, running to Damian, scooping him into and hug before taking a step back and cupping Damian’s face. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Alya watched as Damian’s face softened, his eyes filling with adoration. 

“As have I.” Damian replied, having tip-toed to kiss Marcel, using his hand to bring Marcel closer to him.

Alya watched as the two parted, the family grinning at the lovebird’s gesture.

“S-So he did...he did have someone he li-liked.” Lila whispered, her voice cracking. 

She hated this feeling. She hated the blurring of her vision and the pain in her chest. She hated the ever so growing lump in her throat. 

“I suggest you set your eyes on someone else.” Marcel told her as she measured her arm. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

Why didn’t she heed his advice? Maybe because she thought he was just being sweet? Maybe because she was in denial?

Doesn’t matter. Clearly, they weren’t meant to be...

Lila quickly left the scene, Alya debating on whether to follow her bestie or stay to listen. 

What kind of question was that?

Alya chased after her friend, missing the moment Marcel, Clark and the rest of the Waynes disappeared behind the door that only Justice League members were allowed to go through.