#I also love that of the characters Augustine is the one who changed the least | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

magnoliabutters · 2 years ago

Text

• TRUST YOURSELF •

pairing: neteyam x augustine (na'vi/avatar oc, she/her)

summary: augustine follows her father’s wishes and travels to the metkayina clan. there, she is reunited with the sully’s.

warnings: 18+ content, mdni, adult language; avatar twow spoilers; complicated family dynamics, near death experience, fluffy fluff young love, slow burn, etc.

word count: ~6.8k

• part 1 • eywa’s choice • series •

note: y'all i'm low-key obsessed with avatar rn and i can't get this out of my head. i did a lot of research for this one and included some links if you need it! please note there is canon divergence obvi within this story, as well as both characters being 18 and 19 years old (i.e., 4 years after twow). here is some young love, coming your way! also did not make this gif ♥️

"Augustine," Spider calls out as he rushes into the gardens behind the old military base. "You out here?" Augustine stands from her bed. "Spider!" she says as rushes to the edge of her treehouse beside the greenery. She peers down, hopeful to land her eyes upon him.

She watches as the man, whom she considered as her brother, ran up to the base of the tree. His dirty blonde dreaded hair being held back behind his oxygen mask. She has not seen him in what feels like forever. After he joined the Sully clan, things had changed. Although a spark races in her heart, she is wary. Unsure of who they are to each other now. Is he still her brother? Is she his sister?

"You coming down any time soon?" Spider asks as he places his hands upon his hips with a smirk. Augustine laughs, shaking off her nerves, as she jumps down from the tree. She lands gracefully upon the soft soil. A smile sprawls across her face. "This soon enough?" she asks with amusement in her voice.

Spider rolls his eyes and scoffs as he turns around. "It must be nice to be eight feet tall. That was barely a jump, huh?" he asks. "Aw, are you jealous, brother?" Augustine taunts. He shakes his head while releasing a chuckle. "Norm's calling for you. It's dinner time," he shares as he turns to make his way back to the research buildings. "Race you there," she suggests with a smile.

Augustine's feet dig deeply within the dirt as she pushes off the ground. Spider groans and rushes quickly behind his Na'vi sister. She slows her pace giving him the slightest chance. As she rushes through the airlock chamber, she laughs until he runs right behind her. "Maybe one of these days you'll beat me," she giggles. He rolls his eyes as she grabs hold of her mask. She hooks the gas mask around her neck. The machine hooked onto her shorts.

As she walks in, Augustine is met with the several scientists and doctors that took part in raising her. The love of her family is filled with appreciation. Spider runs off to mess around with Dr. Patel. She grins as she looks over her beautiful family.

"Gusty!" Norman says with open arms. It was always nice to see him in his true form. His shaggy hair and crooked smile always left her hopeful. His avatar did not do him justice when it came to her favorites of his quirks. "Hello papa," she says as she falls into his embrace. "How are you, sweetie?" he asks as he grips hard around her back. Despite him being at least six feet, it is still quite hilarious how much she towers over him.

“Doin' good! I’m surprised to see Spider here,” she mentions quickly as she turns to look his way within his embrace. Her father peers over towards him. His body language uncomfortable. It intrigues her. “Yeah, let’s have some dinner first,” he says as he guides her towards the table. “What’s wrong, dad?” she asks as he lowers his hands. “We can talk about it over dinner,” her father suggests with a shifty smile.

“Hm, I think I want to talk about it now,” Augustine says as she sits down across from him. She stares at him with a skeptical look and a “no bullshit” type of attitude. He meets her stubbornness with laughter. “Oh Ewya, you are just as fiery as your mother,” her father mutters.

Her mother, Ewtoä, was born of the Tayrangi clan - a true Na’vi. Augustine has been told stories of her mother all her life. How strong of a warrior she was. How intelligent she was in leading strategies and maneuvers. How she would stand beside Toruk Makto and often be his right hand in battle, especially after Tsu'tey's death. Toruk Makto would often share how great she would have been in the Jarhead clan he spoke of.

Ewtoä was beautiful, inspirational. Her father met her in the first war against the sky people. They rushed in together on the ground as Toruk Makto and Neyteri attacked from the skies. She helped get her father’s avatar to safety after he had been shot. Soon, Augustine came along. However, she never got to meet her mother. She died in childbirth despite all the doctors' efforts. Father was devastated.

After years had passed, father slipped up and recklessly shared that her mother never wanted children. All in good spirits. He told a story of how she always intended to be a warrior and that being a mother may complicate things. Augustine did not mind being an accident, but she did mind being the one who brought her mother to Ewya. Ewtoä, an incredible warrior, killed by her unwanted child. It ripped a whole in her heart that she has yet to repair.

"Father, please. Why is Spider here?" Augustine places her hand upon his. "Is everything alright?" she asks with worry. Her father sighs as he places his hand atop hers. "I want you to go back with him - to the Metkayina clan," he sheepishly answers. His eyes to the table's surface.

Her brows pushed together as pain rains through her face. "You mean to Toruk Makto," she says with her lips pulled in disgust. She quickly takes her hand from him and stands. Spider and Dr. Patel watch from afar. She could hear Spider mumble, "I knew she wasn't going to take it well."

Augustine growls as she paces back and forth in annoyance. Her ears flatten as she tries to process her father's request. "Hey, no. Not Toruk Makto. Your uncle - Uncle Jake," her father corrects as he stands and places a calm hand upon her shoulder. She rolls her eyes and shakes off his hand. "I'm an alien. They will not accept me," she yells as she throws her four fingers up towards her father. "Sweet girl, you know Na'vi. And they accepted the Sully's," her father attempts to soothe as he reaches out once more but pulls back.

"They lived along the Omatikaya. I haven't lived with the forest people in 5 years. Anything I learned is long gone," Augustine says under her breath. "I mean look at me now! I wear clothes!" Spider bursts into laughter on the other side of the room. She quickly turns and rushes him. He jumps up onto the desk as he defends himself. A hiss seething through his teeth. She stands before him, bent down and ready to pounce. She returns a hiss in his direction. How dare he laugh at her? "Look at you. You still have Na'vi in you," he says with a smile as his body relaxes. She groans as she turns her back towards him.

"Augustine," her father whispers. "You are a great warrior. Just because time has passed does not mean that you will not remember. You still have your ikran." He places a hesitant hand to her cheek. "I haven't seen Nei in so long. She will be angry, as she should," she mumbles under her breath as she attempts to pull away.

"The sky people are going to come back. The avatars will be back." She leans into his palm. "I want you to be able to protect yourself," he mutters. "Gusty, I need you to be safe." She whines, "I am safe here. You brought me here to be safe after the sky people came the second time!" He shakes his head, as he guides her into a hug. "You aren't, sweet girl," he whispers against her cheek. She pulls away as tears flood her eyes. "I can't keep you safe anymore."

Augustine looks down as the tears fall from her cheeks. "I will go," she whispers with a nod. "Thank you," her father says was he sighs in relief. "When?" she asks with a crack to her voice. "After dinner, Gus," Spider replies quietly as he steps down from the table. She turns towards him and winces. "After dinner," she repeats as she slowly sits on the chair.

The dinner was silent and solemn. After their meal, Augustine rushes towards her home. She packs her favorite clothes from when she was with the tree people, as well as her favorite memories. The makeshift arrow that her father made her when she was a child. The flying visor that her mother wore into all her battles. "You don't want to bring your human clothes?" Spider asks with a laugh. She turns towards him and playfully pushes against his chest with a chuckle. "I don't want to look more like an alien than I already am," she mutters with insecurity. "Kiri and Lo'ak have four fingers. You will never be alone. Never again," he says with a sunken smile. "Thank you, brother," she says.

The trip to the reefs was long. For some reason, the journey was unable to wait until morning. The SA-2 fearlessly flew through the night sky. The cool air blows Augustine's hair aside and continues to fly right into her face. Spider holds back laughs as he watches her struggle. She forgot about the chill in the air with her clothes. She catches glimpses of her father watching her. His eyes water as he sniffles against the rushing wind. Her heart aches for him, but she knows that this is what he wants.

Finally, as the sun rises over the horizon, the vehicle lands atop the sanded surface. She takes in sharp breaths of air, attempting to calm herself. The nerves sending painful shocks throughout her body. Her eyes are fixed upon her hands, as they rest between squeezed thighs. Would the Metkayina accept her? Would Kiri, Lo'ak, Neteyam, Tuk remember her? It has been so long.

Spider quickly jumps off the SA-2 and rushes towards a blue form. Augustine notices the sweet smile and quickly recognizes her childhood friend, Kiri. Excitement bursts through her chest. She has not seen her since she was fourteen years old. She continues to watch as her arms wrap around Spider. They hold in an embrace that leaves her mind reeling. Spider and Kiri? she thinks. She watches as the two smile and rush off towards the pods. A part of her heart hurts as Kiri did not greet her.

"Gusty," her father says as he comes into view. He holds his hand out. Augustine grabs hold of him as she steps outside the vehicle. She hooks her backpack over her shoulder. "We have to say goodbye," he says as he holds back a sob. Her thoughts disperse as she immediately looks at her father. "Father, I-," she starts as tears stream down her cheeks. "It's okay, sweet girl," he says as he wipes away her tears. "You will be safe here."

"Norm," a booming voice came from behind her. Father turns, wiping away his own tears. "Sully," he says with higher affect as he opens his arms for an embrace. Augustine recognizes the man as Toruk Makto. She immediately gestures a greeting as he looks her way. His hardened face gazes deep into her soul. "Augustine," he says with a nod and returns the gesture. "Toruk Makto," she responds with a quick gulp.

He laughs as he puts a firm hand on her father's shoulder. "No one's called me that in years," he smiles. "You can call me Jake." He places his hand out for what she recognizes as a handshake. She learned of a handshake from father, but never had the opportunity to do so. She hesitantly extends her hand and feels Jake’s fingers wrap around her’s. He shakes her hand and lets go immediately. She is not sure how she feels about the interaction. Jake smiles. “You've grown so much since I last saw you,” he happily states as he looks over her. She recognizes Neytiri gracefully joining at his side. An involuntary smile grows upon her face.

Augustine's father comes back into view. “I see you,” her father says as he gestures towards her. His hands tightly gripping onto hers. She nods and clears her throat. “I see you, papa,” she replies as she pulls him into a hug. “I love you,” he mumbles against her ear. “I love you. Please come back for me,” she whimpers in his arms. “I will. I cannot wait to see the wonderful, strong warrior you were always meant to be,” he smiles as he pulls away. “Just like your mother.” She nods, holding back tears. “Yes, father.” And with that, her father got back onto the SA-2. With tears in her eyes, she watches as the pilot pulls away. Her father waving goodbye until he was out of sight.

Augustine feels a gentle hand upon her shoulder. “Augustine,” she hears a sweet voice say. She turns to see Neytiri, someone whom she loves greatly. A soft smile grows upon her face. Her brows slightly push together in concern. “We welcome you to our home, Augustine," she says as she places a hand to her chest. She gestures a welcome as she bows. "I see you, Neytiri. Thank you for your welcome," she beams. "May I hug you?" she asks with a smile. They both happily embrace each other.

As they release, Neytiri walks around her with a smirk. She scans her body, brushing her hand through her long straight locks. “Lor,” she says. Augustine blushes as she recognizes the Na'vi word for beautiful. “How was your ride over?” Jake asks as he wraps his arm around his mate's. “Windy,” she answers with a chuckle. The two laugh alongside her. Their amusement seems genuine, but she remains nervous.

“How's your Na'vi?” he asks as he guides the trio towards the pods. "I never stopped speaking it," she answers as she gracefully switches to the Na'vi language. She never had the option to not practice the language. Her father loved it greatly.

With Jake’s direction, Augustine walks through the lands of the Metkayina. She was not able to notice its beauty before as she was so focused on her father’s departure. She remembers that she has never once been more than an hour or two away from her father. Yet, now her father travels farther and farther from where she stands. She tries to get the thought from her mind, but feels a tightness in her chest as she struggles to maintain her breath.

The water is a shade of greenish blue that she is not familiar with. Lighter, more calm. The ground beneath her feet soft and malleable. She can feel it’s warmth through her toes. The sun pleasant against her skin. She notes the other Na’vi, the sea reef people. Their skin matching the ocean’s color. Their hair curlier and thick. They are beautiful. Their faces are oval and sweet. Their tails thick, resembling the fish she has seen in the forest’s ponds.

They watch her. Their eyes baring holes deep within her skin. She could not discern if they were interested or if they were disapproving. As she peers through the crowds, she begins to worry about her Na'vi fluency. Does she remember? Does she remember the Na'vi people's traditions? Her people's? She continues follow along the Sully leaders until they approach a pod. “Everyone’s been so excited to see you,” Jake says with a genuine smile. He walks through the threshold and gestures for her to enter.

“Everyone?” Augustine mutters to herself as she bends down to walk into the space. The first thing she sees, or feels, is Kiri rushing towards her with a hug. She feels happiness, something she has yet to feel for some time. “Gus, it’s been so long!” she exclaims. She and Kiri have had a special bond since birth. After all, they are both heavily inspired by Dr. Grace Augustine. “Kiri, I’ve missed you so much,” she says with a grin as she pulls away. Her hands still gently holding her forearms. “I’ve missed you so much!” Kiri smiles as she pulls her in once more for a stronger embrace.

“Hey, move along, sis. Don’t hold her up,” a boy says as he pushes his arm between the two girls. “Lo’ak,” Augustine smirks as she wraps her arms around his neck. “Gusty,” he chuckles as he wraps his arms at her back. “Where have you been, girl?” he asks. “Where have you been? Last I checked, you were the one who left,” she taunts as her brows raise. He laughs as he playfully punches her shoulder and steps away.

"Augustine," she hears a familiar comforting voice call. She looks up to note Neteyam's large golden eyes. He looks the same as she remembers. However, he now proudly wears a tattoo upon his right shoulder of a fish found in the forest lands. "Neteyam," she answers with a nod. He smiles and stands beside Lo'ak. Things have always been rather odd between Neteyam and Augustine. They have never spent time alone together and only in a group with each other’s siblings. She did not expect anything more from the eldest of the Sully's.

A small figure rushes from the other side of the tent. “Auggie!” she yelps. She bounces and smirks as she crashes into Augustine's torso. "Tuk?" she asks in surprise. She places her hands upon her shoulders, placing some space between their two bodies. "You've gotten so tall!" The Sully clan bursts into laughter as Tuk blushes. "You are so beautiful, little one," she shares as she pinches her round cheeks. Neytiri and Kiri smile in the back as their hands collide.

She cannot explain the amount of happiness rushing through her body. The people she has loved so much remember her. Remember her despite the many years that have passed. Her greatest fear is just that - fear. No longer having the possibility of being fact. "I've missed you all," she shares as she looks over the family. They return smiles her way. She notes a stranger beside Lo'ak.

"And who is this?" Augustine asks curiously as she gestures a welcome towards the girl. Her skin matches that of the sea. Her hair curly and long. She was gorgeous. Lo'ak smiles as he steps forward. "This is Tsireya, my-" he introduces. "Reya," she says as she returns a welcoming gesture. "It is wonderful to meet you, Reya," she replies with a grin. She is elated to see Lo'ak so happy.

"Let's eat," Jake announces as he rubs his hands together. The family sits down as they laugh over a delicious meal. "What have you been doing for the last couple years?" Lo'ak asks between bites. Augustine laughs as she bumps against Kiri's happy shoulder. "I've been studying under my father. Learning the human, I mean - sky people's medicinal ways," she shares. "A healer," Neytiri beams proudly as she nods towards her. "Yes, a healer," she agrees. "I had a few more years to learn," she mumbles on. Her smile falls as she realizes that she may never return to her studies.

"My mother is the healer of the Metkayina," Reya shares with a genuine smile. "Yes, Ronal the Tsahik," Kiri added. "She saved me once, you know?" Augustine turns towards her in shock. "What have you been doing that you may need a Tsahik?" she asks with worry. Kiri laughs with her siblings as Neytiri and Jake eat with emotionless expressions.

"Remember when Norm came to visit us?" Lo'ak asks with amusement. "Yes," she inquires. "I remember getting into a huge fight with my dad because he wouldn't let me go with him." Neteyam smiles as he drags his words, "He was coming to heal Kiri." Augustine turns towards her once again with wide eyes. "Kiri! It was that bad? Are you okay?" she asks as she pulls at her arms, analyzing her body. "Yes, yes, I am fine, Gusty," she answers with a giggle. "Thank Eywa," Neytiri and Augustine say in unison.

After much time laughing and reminiscing over childhood stories, Jake gathers the clan's attention. "Augustine, you are here to recall your training as an Omatikaya warrior. You will also train as a Metkayina," Jake announces. Led by Neytiri, the Sully's click their tongues and make sharp encouraging and excited sounds. The sounds she missed dearly. "Neteyam will teach you the way," he adds. Neteyam's head raises. His brows push together in confusion. He must not have been aware she notes. "Yes, sir,” he says in a quiet tone. His chin pinned to his chest as he looks down. Almost like he was a nantang submissive to his alpha. Underneath his obedience, she could sense annoyance and anger.

Augustine's brows furrow as she looks down at her legs. She swallows as she feels her first pain within the ocean's islands. "Let's get some sleep. We're starting early tomorrow," Jake directs as he stands. He grabs hold of Neytiri's hand, supporting her as she raises. The Sully's stand promptly and move to their designated beds. Lo'ak holds both Reya's hands as he whispers his gentle goodbyes.

Augustine lays in her bed, snuggling up on the netting above the warm salty seas. As silence fills the home, she struggles to keep her mind from her family, from her home, from her father. She holds back sobs as she curls tighter into herself. Tears stream down her face. "I will make you proud, father," she whispers to herself before falling asleep.

"Wake up, Augustine," she feels a gentle hand upon her shoulder. She turns to see Neteyam kneeling beside where she rests. She feels the netting sink beneath his weight. "I'm getting up," she murmurs. "Now," he says sternly. He abruptly raises from the floor. Enough to shake her as she remains on her side. She turns to watch him walk away as she pulls her lip. Somehow she has annoyed the eldest of the Sully's. She could not even make it a single day.

As she stands, Augustine stumbles on her feet atop the netting. She quickly maintains her balance as she opens her arms to the side. She smiles, proud that she did not fall. As she looks up, she notices Neteyam peering back at her with a blank stare. He rolls his eyes before walking out the pod’s entrance. She shakes her head and grumpily follows behind him. She does not remember him being so pissy.

He leads her through the different families’ pods. She smiles as she watches mothers nuzzle against their little ones, siblings play fighting, families enjoying a meal. It reminds her of her own childhood and spending time with the growing Sully clan when she was barely ten.

“Hurry,” Neteyam says as he grabs hold of her wrist. The grasp is not tight or painful but Augustine did not enjoy being touched. She quickly pulls her hand from him, giving him a stare. How dare he think he has the right to touch her after being so rude to her? He peers back at her. His face showing a hurt expression that confused her. He gestures for her to follow along as he quickens his step.

Neteyam leads her to the marketplace. It is bustling with Na’vi. It puts a huge smile upon her face. She smells in the delicious food cooking. She listens to the beautiful music, filled with pronounced drums. She closes her eyes to take it all in, all her senses but sight. She has missed this. Every fiber of her being missed her people. She understood why father ripped her away from them then. Just as she understands why he ripped her away from him now.

As she slowly opens her eyes, Augustine notes several Na’vi watching her. Looking around, she recognizes a variety of faces - disgust, interest, annoyance. That is when she catches Neteyam’s eyes. For once, they seem welcoming. Like he had been staring at her the entire time. Not with disgust, interest, or annoyance. What was it?

Once their eyes met, that welcome disappeared and was replaced with annoyance again. “Let’s go, Augustine,” he says firmly as he runs off past the market. She awkwardly smiles as she looks around once more. She clears her throat and runs after him.

Neteyam leads her to a secluded beach away from the bustling crowds. She watches as he walks into the ocean. The water hitting his ankles as he closes his eyes and leans his head back. He must enjoy the water, she thinks to herself. “The first thing you need to learn is how to breathe,” he begins as he gestures for her to join him. “Good thing I already know how to do that,” she laughs to herself. He clearly is not amused.

Augustine quickly joins him in the ocean. She feels the warm water hit her shins. She wiggles her toes into the sand. She smiles as she realizes she enjoys the water too. He walks in deeper without looking back at her. She instinctually follows him. He then yells out a call, similar to those when one calls upon their ikran.

Suddenly, a dark mass rushes through the water. Panic floods Augustine’s chest. She drops down into a crouch, the water now at her knees. Her ears fall back and she hisses as her fists raise. Neteyam begins to laugh hysterically, practically falling over into the water. She slowly raises in confusion as the mass floats beside him.

“Are you ready, warrior princess?” He asks with chuckles interrupting his words. She rolls her eyes as she walks closer. She notices it’s beauty, it’s soft eyes and quick movements. “This is ilu,” he says as he smooths his hand over the mass. His tone now calm and serious. She hesitantly follows his lead and touches it. It is slimy under her touch but so soft.

“It is like Pa’li,” Neteyam adds as he reaches for his tswin. He swiftly makes a tsaheylu. His pupils widen as he holds tighter against his ilu. He breathes out, alongside the beautiful creature. “Come,” he gestures for Augustine to get on top. “I’ll go behind you,” she mutters under her breath.

“Trust me, she is quite fast. You will want to be in front so you are not thrown off,” he says. “Unless the warrior princess has something to prove?” he taunts with a raise of his brow. “I have nothing to prove to you, Neteyam,” she says sternly as she kicks her leg over the ilu’s body. He scoffs as he gets on behind her. His arms wrap around her to hold the notch in front. She holds onto a lower notch. She feels the warmth of his chest on her back.

Neteyam pulls down his visor. He says, “If you need air, just tap my hand.” In surprise, she tries to turn around and knocks her head back into his chin. “Oh, sorry,” she winces. He shakes off the pain with a sigh. “We are going under the water with ilu?” she asks hesitantly. “Yes, take a deep breath,” he says as he slowly takes in air. She immediately imitates him to take in as much air as she can. He nods and leans forward, prompting her to lean forward as well.

The ilu dives underneath the ocean’s surface. Augustine feels the speed of the water through her face and hair. Neteyam is smacked with a face full of hair due to high speeds. Her eyes flutter as they struggle to remain open. But, oh Eywa, what she sees? She wishes she could see it for the first time over and over again.

The reefs are colors of purple, blue, pink, and yellow. It’s vibrancy reminds her of home and the forests surrounding it. Whether her body wants to or not, Augustine’s eyes widen as they swim over a large vast of oceanic space. She can no longer see the ground. She smiles at the sight of gorgeous creatures she has never seen before. Her grin grows as she watches some creatures flash like twinkling lights. She could not help but think of and thank Ewya.

But suddenly her body begins to panic. Her chest tightens and constricts. Nerves and electric shock run through her veins. She needs air. Augustine taps Neteyam’s hand. He immediately brushes her off and gestures for her to stay down. She gestures “no” and smacks his hand again. She could feel him shaking his head “no” as he continues forward.

The stress of her body going into survival mode is incredibly painful. She is desperate to make it stop. She digs her nails into one of his hands. He pulls back as he winces. She lets go of her notch and swims up. Due to the ilu’s speed, she tumbles behind in its current. She struggles to find which way is up as she begins to feel her heart beat in her ears.

Finally, she swims up and breaches the water. The air sucked in burns her lungs. She struggles to get another breath. Neteyam appears from the ocean atop his ilu. “What the hell was that?” he asks, annoyed. “What?!” she yells breathless. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” He scoffs, rolling his eyes. “No, Neteyam! Don’t roll your eyes at me again. You were trying to kill me,” she utters. Anger replaces the pain in her body.

“You were fine. You had a few more minutes,” he whispers under his breath. “You know what? I’m done,” she says as she begins to swim back to the shore. “Oh common, Augustine,” he whines. “Don’t be like that.” As she paddles forward, she lifts her hand to flip him off. She could hear a grunt and rushing water.

“Augustine, we can’t stop now,” Neteyam says as his ilu swims beside her. She receives comfort from feeling the ground. Her hair sticks against her back, chest, and neck. “And why is that, Neteyam? It’s not like you wanted to train me. You’ve been acting like a dick this entire time,” she says as she crosses her arms on her chest.

He growls in annoyance as he shakes his head. He takes a breath and looks back at her. “I can’t fail my dad,” he mumbles. His energy completely shifts as his eyes meet the ocean waves. “I’m still not sure how that explains why you’ve been acting like a dick?” she asks with a raise of his brow.

His face deadpans as he stares her way. “I had plans,” he whines. “I was going to hunt with the greatest warriors today.” He splashes the water away from the pairing. Now this is the Neteyam that she remembers. Always “woe is me” and focused on the responsibilities expected of him by his family. “This was the first time I have been invited since I received my rites,” he mutters. “He knew how important this is to me.” He takes a breath. “But it is not a priority to the family.”

Augustine watches over him as his body language loudly displays defeat. “I am sorry I have been a ‘dick’,” he says with hand quotations. “I am sorry that you weren’t able to go on the hunt,” she genuinely shares. He nods and mumbles, “Thanks.”

She watches, confused, as he sighs and smiles. “Should we continue?” he asks. “Um, no. It’s your turn again,” she demands. He creates his own mixture of scoffing and laughing. “My turn to what?” he asks amusingly. “You have another thing to apologize for,” she replies with her hand gesturing out in annoyance. “What?” he smirks. “You just tried to kill me!” she yells.

“I did not try to kill you,” Neteyam answers with a taunting singsong voice. “Then what the hell was that?” she asks in another yell. He snorts at her reaction. “I wanted to see how long you could hold your breath. To see where we are starting,” he chuckles. “Okay well, why would you tell me to tap on your hand when I need air and not let me get air?” she asks as she splashes water towards him.

“Hey!” he laughs. “I knew you could hold out a little longer.” Augustine huffs as she resumes her walk towards shore. “Okay, okay, Augustine,” he pleads. “Part of it was that I knew you could hold your breath a bit longer, but the other part was for you to feel your body underwater.”

Neteyam climbs off of his ilu as he walks towards her. He flicks his visor up gracefully. She watches him with suspicious eyes. “How your body tells - screams for air,” he says. “When to trust yourself.” He places his hand upon her chest. He places his other to his own. His palm warm and comforting. She surprisingly does not want him to leave. “The first signs of when you may need air.” He looks up, finally noticing his hand’s placement. He quickly pulls from her.

“It hurt,” Augustine shares as her eyes peer down at his hand by his side. Neteyam watches her with a hurt glance and furrowed brows. “I’m sorry I hurt you,” he whispers to her. “Finally, an apology,” she murmurs back with a growing smile. He puffs out air as he pulls away from the intimate moment. “Can we continue now?” he asks with a nod towards the ocean.

Augustine shrugs and abruptly runs towards his ilu. She laughs as she hears Neteyam running behind her. He splashes all along the way as she hops on and grabs hold of a notch. As he sits behind her, he chuckles to himself. “Where did you even learn the word, ‘dick?’” he asks. “Kiri,” she smiles back towards him. “Of course you did,” he grumbles as he pulls down his visor.

After hours of training in the blue green oceans, Augustine was able to extend her underwater diving for another minute. She hates to admit it but Neteyam is quite the teacher. She has to continue practicing but she learned deep breathing comes from the belly and not the chest.

She flutters her legs as she floats face down on the surface of the water. Neteyam points to each new sea creature and whispers their name into her ear. She wants to know more. She wants to know everything. She catches herself jealous of the Sully’s. That they have had four years of this beauty, while she had five living in the old military compound.

Augustine hates to admit it, but she had forgotten how beautiful Ewya was. She was able to appreciate the All-Mother in the surrounding trees, bushes, flowers. However, she rarely saw Ewya’s creatures. To see the beauty in the moving and living forest. She is thankful for her time in the forest. She is thankful for her time now in the ocean.

Neteyam began to trust her a bit more with every passing hour. He provides her more space as they both dive deeper into the ocean. Their explorations remain individual, but parallel. Only small shared looks here and there past the sun rays within the clear blue water.

A fish caught Augustine’s eye. It is thin, like a wall. Eyes on either side, like a Pa’li. It is pale white, like the ocean floor. She has not seen it before. She looks to find Neteyam, hoping he may know it’s name. His back is turned towards her as he dives deeper. She peers back down at the creature as it begins to swim away. She wants to see more.

She quickly breaches the water. She takes a deep breath from her stomach and submerges. She gracefully swims towards the fish, leaving enough space to just observe and not disturb. The fish reminds her of something but she could not put her finger on it. It is swift as it moves through the water. It leaves little ripples behind its fins. They are so strong that she can feel them from off in the distance.

The fish sneaks into a large pink and red colored coral reef. The opening just as thin as it. Augustine makes a face in frustration. She is not ready to say goodbye to this gift from Ewya. She swims around the reef to find another opening. All she needs is a small space between the corals, but they are so dense. She just wants to see - to learn more.

She continues to swim around the creature’s home, hoping for a mere glimpse. She feels tingles atop her skull. Her body’s earliest sign, communicating for a breath of air. Yet, she is determined. Trust yourself, she thinks of Neteyam’s words. A little bit more. She flutters her feet, attempting to make as little waves as possible.

Finally, Augustine sees it. A smile grows upon her face. She watches as the thin creature curls around in its secluded space within the coral. Miniature versions of it circle around the space. A mother and her family. She swims closer to the coral. Her hands carefully placed against its sharp edges. Ewya is beautiful. She is lucky to see her again in these creatures.

She begins to feel lightheaded. Her body’s second sign. She will not ignore it this time. With a sweet smile, she pulls away from the gorgeous underwater structure. Her face looks up as she begins to kick the water below her. Happiness fills her. She wishes for nothing more than to experience this day once more.

As her hands almost reach the surface, Augustine feels a pain in her back side. She turns to realize that the bush of her tail had been caught between the grooves of the coral. She swims back quickly to separate herself. Only to realize that the thick bits of her hair were puzzlingly tangled deep within the corals.

She begins to panic. Her chest tightens greatly. She tries to clear her head as she focuses on the complex mystery before her. She tries to untangle. She tries to pull. She feels the pain with each tug. One last brutal tug opens her mouth as she attempts to scream. The last of her breath gone. Now, it is time to panic. She pulls harder and harder. She watches as blood floats above her tail. The pain is unbearable. Not anything she would have expected. Not an agony she has ever experienced before.

She feels pain bubble to her scalp. The third sign. She gives it one last tug, giving all of her effort. She knows this might be her last chance. Luckily, she is free. The red liquid floating through the water. Pushing through the pain of her tail, the pain of her body, she pushes once again. Pushing to get to the surface. She prepares herself for the pain of the large gasp of air once breaching.

Augustine kicks and kicks and … her body stops. It has used all of its energy. She watches as her body lays just a few meters away from the surface. Her body has given up, yet her mind still screams. She screams for a breath. Then the distance between the air and water grew larger. Her lightheadedness increased. Before she knew it, she fell asleep.

Augustine chokes on the sea water. As she struggles to cough up the liquid in her lungs, her hands involuntarily grip beneath her. She feels the warmth of the grains in her palms. Like a wave, she begins to feel her senses return. She hears her name called repeatedly. She sees Neteyam above her with worried eyes. She feels his braids tickle her chin as he floats directly over her.

“Augustine!” he yells as he places his hands onto her cheeks. She takes in the breath of air she had imagined. It hurts, like she imagined. With a few more coughs, she raises. He helps her up and pins the side of her face to his chest. “Neteyam,” she whispers through pained wind pipes. “Thank you, Ewya,” he murmurs under his breath as he rocks both their bodies.

He abruptly pulls her away to stare into her eyes. “Are you okay?” he asks with worry rippled throughout his face. “Yes,” she whispers. “Are you sure?” he asks hastily. His fingers furiously pushing away the wet hair in her face. “Yes, I am sure,” she says louder, despite the pain in her throat.

Augustine raises her eyes to Neteyam’s once again. The worry is still clear in his face as his hands smush her cheeks. His eyes rapidly switch between her own. “I thought I lost you,” he mumbles underneath his breath. She watches him with confused eyes. Her mind remains foggy. She attempts to grasp onto reality by placing her hand upon his, as it cups her cheek.

His eyes move to different aspects of her face. She wonders if he is looking for other areas where she may be hurt. His gaze falls upon her lips. Slowly, he leans towards her. Before she is able to realize what is happening, he presses his lips upon her’s. The warmth of his soft lips against her mouth is another memory she wishes she could experience again. She leans into his embrace. Her hand gripping onto his.

Neteyam pulls away. His eyes fall to the sand, as his hands lower. Despite the near death experiences, Augustine wants nothing more than to repeat today’s first experiences.

note: whatcha think? I hope you liked it! let me know if you want to see a part two! comment if you'd like to join the taglist ♥️

• nav • no-no plagiarism • one shot • requests open •

#avatar fanfic #Jake sully #sully clan #Neteyam x oc #avatar pandora #james cameron avatar #avatar fluff #Neteyam fluff #kiri avatar #neytiri #lo’ak sully #kiri sully #pandora #avatar the way of water #avatar 2 fanfic #slow burn #friends to lovers #avatar neteyam #avatar oc

645 notes · View notes

theriverbeyond · 7 months ago

Note

ianthe for the character meme :-)

favorite thing about them

the way she wields shame and humiliation like a weapon, how she very intentionally takes on positions that make people ignore her/pity her/humiliate her/etc and uses that to her advantage. whatever the fuck she is doing with gender. the way (IMO) her arm situation maps onto very specific disability narratives.

least favorite thing about them

can't think of one bc every single detestable thing she has done is very integral to why i like her as a character </3

favorite line

can't beat a classic!!!

brOTP

her and John. the way she changes her affect trying to be his Augustine and Mercymorn, the way she is manipulating him while also being manipulated by him, the way she attempts to wield power over him while definitely still being subject to his whims, the way she chooses him over Augustine at the bottom of the River. I could go on

OTP

UNREQUITED harrianthe‼️‼️‼️ that girl is head over heels In Love with Harrow and I love to see it. she fancies herself as someone who would take advantage of Harrow but when the mkment comes to act on that, cannot bear to see her truly vulnerable. Harrow makes her feel soft. Harrow makes her do stupid things. and Harrow doesn't want to give her the time of day!!!!

nOTP

all respect to the shippers but I don't find appeal in Cytherea/Ianthe. Ianthe is just enjoying it way too much and she also simply isn't butch enough for Cytherea's tastes. to ME

random headcanon

so we know that she was almost strangled in the womb by Corona's umbilical cord. my headcanon is she usually wakes up having unconsciously wound her sheets around her neck. Before she was separated from Corona, it was dubious if it was Ianthe doing it or Corona, in her sleep, but Ianthe does it herself after she becomes a Lyctor

unpopular opinion

she and kiriona did NOT fuck. she tried but was soundly rejected and VERY sulky about it

song i associate with them

greek tragedy by the wombats, shivers by ed sheeran, both harrianthe (ianthe POV) bangers #toME

favorite picture of them

is it cheating if i link fan art that I drew. anyway shoutout to the bone arm's fat pad. tho looking at that ab 2 years on i think I could do better. i should redraw...

also I really adore all the comics drawn by @/naomistares but in particular this one, which makes me feel things that are best left unmentioned!!

character ask game

#ask game #ask #THANKS :D

25 notes · View notes

direwombat · 2 years ago

Note

That anon again. Thank you for listening to my rambling. And if it matters any, Joseph gets plenty of chances to Suffer during my dep's canon. Because we're (plural because this is all from an RP verse my best friend and I have where she plays Joseph and a 'John fucker' GFH while I play my dep and John) bitches like that and can't let the Seed boys get away with being the worst without suffering for it. (1/?)

A major theme of Joe and Dep's relationship is 'be careful what you wish for' since he spends a good early portion of things wanting to change her to fit his whims (for her 'own good' of course), but oops, he gets attached to who she is but by the time he realizes it, his actions are already responsible for her having begun to change for the worse. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, Joseph. Now suffer. And I'm rambling again, but I had another question to ask. Two actually.

First: how did you first get comfortable with sharing Syb with the rest of tumblr? I ask because part of me is tempted to do this with my Dep, but the other part of me is scared of being perceived and judged for my dep, my interpretations of characters, etc. Two: With Augustine becoming Faith, did Joseph specifically pull this to punish Syb? Because I'm getting big 'you took my family member, now I take yours' vibes. And it sounds about right and petty and fucked up enough for Joe. (3/3)

f;lakdjfaldfkj that's TOTALLY FAIR i sure as hell don't let jacob off easy either fal;dfjkadf

and OOF well...to answer question 1: i've been shouting about my ocs into the void of the internet for the past several years (got started in the dragon age fandom, moved to the general dnd fandom, and ended up here) having friends already on tumblr/in the fandom space to share ideas and bounce off of certainly helps. it's for sure scary!, but tbh? the more you talk about them the more curious people will get. at least that's been my experience. and then of course, engaging with other people who have their own ocs, rb-ing their art/fic/sending asks for ask games and prompt lists are a great way to kind of find your place in the fandom/community and make friends! And to address your fear of being judged for your dep/interpretations of characters, i'll just say this: fandom would be boring if everyone had the exact same interpretation of the characters and it's ok to disagree with an interpretation as long as you're not a dick about it, yk? And, just like people irl, everyone's deputy is different and adds to the fandom!

my advice: do whatever you feel most comfortable doing. make your characters in picrews and do those uquizes! I normally open tag, so if you see one from me that you like! tag me! this includes wip wednesdays/whenevers too if you ever feel brave enough to share any writing you have! BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, you are your oc's number one fan! if (god forbid, and i've never seen this happen personally) someone doesn't like them and has the gall, the sheer audacity to say that to your face? block them. have fun with your oc is what i'm getting at. they're your little barbie/bratz/whatever doll that inspires the most nostalgia for you. we're all just playing little games, telling little stories and dressing up our personal blorbos however we want. :)

as for question 2:

ahh.. poor sweet Augustine. So, Augustine is a park ranger who was on duty at the Whitetails Ranger Station the night of the Reaping and was injured in a pretty nasty fall. One of his coworkers (another oc, Shaw) is one of Jacob's Chosen (who spent a lot of time undercover as a civilian), and after hearing that the Deputy escaped, he essentially lets Jacob know that they have a piece of leverage against her. He's sent to Joseph to heal, where he's very subtley and slowly indoctrinated into the cult. He keeps Augustine hidden from Syb and he also keeps it secret that Syb is the one causing misery to the Cult/newfound family Augustine has found himself welcomed into (as much as he and syb love each other, they're not perfect and uh...there are some abandonment issues there). anyway, i'm still kind of ironing out the details of it all, but essentially, after john and faith are neutralized (john dead and faith/rachel safe and getting clean) jacob and joseph are like, "alright, time to use our secret weapon." Syb knows they have Augustine at this point, but she's under the impression that he's a prisoner, not a member of the cult.

So they meet up on neutral ground (i'm thinking tanami island) only instead of a loving and wholesome reunion, Syb finds out that her brother drank the kool-aid and Augustine finds out that his sister is the one causing the "unnecessary" violence plaguing the Project (which also, Joseph is very careful to shield Augustine from the actual violence, and paints the Project as a much more peaceful organization than it actually is). Anyway, cult tactics win over in Augustine's head and he turns against Syb, and given the power vacuum in the Henbane and his *ahem* closeness to Joseph, he's offered the mantle of Herald/Brother Faith. And. Yeah. It's definitely a method to punish/break Syb, and it's also a way to reward Augustine for his loyalty. Even she wouldn't kill or arrest her own brother. That reunion with her brother is the beginning of Syb's breaking point, and everything after that is just her slipping into misery, helplessness, and despair. everything about this is exploitative as hell :)

#faldjkfadf i'm sorry this got so long. again i hope i answered your questions #i've been in fandom (both actively and lurking) since 2011 and i have very few fucks to give #which makes sharing 'cringe' things like ocs and x reader fics SIGNIFICANTLY easier #but i also understand that's not an easy thing for everyone #but genuinely: fuck what other people think and have fun

0 notes

insecateur · 2 years ago

Text

i keep thinking about making this post so i'm making it now this is just something i think about sometimes i'm putting it into words on a tumblr page finally

i remember way back when people would argue lysandre didn't actually care about sycamore because he doesn't ask him to join team flare and is basically planning on killing him which imo is a grave misunderstanding of lysandre's character which is weird because you literally have all the elements in canon to know this is silly

we can only speculate on the first part (why he never asked sycamore to join team flare. he might even have asked and sycamore said no who tf can say) so i just want to focus on the second because we actually have canonical info that can shed light on that

which is that lysandre was going to sacrifice all pokémons including his even though 1) he's obviously very much bonded to them (more on that in a sec) 2) it obviously pains him to do so (he cries about it... your fave would never)

one might argue he doesn't actually care that much and/or is faking but we actually have canonical proof that he does care a lot about at least one of them for sure: his gyarados

gyarados is such an interesting choice for his main pokémon for many reasons but the three that interest us in the context of his post are as follow:

1) his gyarados can mega-evolve, which canonically means his bond with lysandre is very strong

2) not only that, but gyaradoses are known for being very fierce and hard to tame and control, and even worse when mega-evolved, which precludes that you'd need to be a very strong trainer with a very strong bond to get there in the first place

3) this one is more speculative since we really have no way to know how long lysandre has had his gyarados and whether he was caught as a magikarp or not but assuming he was this means lysandre cared enough to raise a pokémon collectively known as weak and useless, knowing he'll only see results in the far future (very interesting...)

what does this mean? it means that to lysandre the cause was more important than the things he cared deeply about. for me this is a very defining aspect of his character. when i think about pre-canon sycamore/lysandre the idea that lysandre wasn't willing to compromise on his ideals even out of love for sycamore is the most tragic and tastiest aspect of their relationship (assuming we're going with full canon compliant of course)

and honestly? i think sycamore would agree with that. i think sycamore admired lysandre's unwillingness to surrender his convictions no matter what happened. obviously he didn't agree with the end result but i genuinely think lysandre's uncompromising tendencies were something he looked up to. i think it's really interesting how this keeps coming up between them (like in the pokémas event when lysandre tells him he won't change his mind and sycamore seems unsurprised by this)

also relatedly if you really think the guy who literally constantly namedrops augustine sycamore and defines the protagonists and their "chosen ones" status through the fact that they were chosen by augustine sycamore specifically doesn't care about him you're just bad at reading and understanding characters sorry

and if your answer is that "he's faking" why tf would he be faking it until the very end while he's about to self-destruct... anyway... those are my thoughts see you next time for more

#idk how to tag this. big brain time #prfr #'but samifer how come you've never written this' you ask and i have. in the guillotine fic LMFAO #that one turned out to be less shipfic and more character study tbh not that i mind #samthoughts

36 notes · View notes

sevensistersofsussex · 3 years ago

Text

Elena Gilbert Meta: Why is she so secretive?

Children often use secrets as ways to exercise control when they grow up feeling like they have no control, particularly in situations where their caregivers are overly controlling.

We get this narrative that Elena's family life was very idyllic and the reason for the downfall was the night her parents drowned, but I think that Elena is either an unreliable narrator and is remembering her dead loved ones in a better light than the truth. I think part of her nature is because she is a doppelganger, but I think her upbringing has a role.

1) Town Council

Elena's parents are both in on this huge secret of the town council and if it weren't for the point below that comes up in season five, you could argue that they were being vigilant but maybe didn't know that vampires were still around or even existed. Zach knew, but maybe he would keep it hush since the ones he knows are also his ancestors? But the experiments. No. Elena's parents knew and they never told her. Let her go out to parties in the woods unprepared. Never mentioned it to her or Jenna to maybe...I dunno, be careful about who they invite into the house. Didn't even sneak vervain in her morning cereal? Maybe Zach had just started growing it after the car accident? But unlikely. They were keeping a huge secret from her and there is no way she didn't at least have a suspicion that they were keeping secrets. That kind of atmosphere builds a foundation of someone valuing secrets and information.

2) Augustine Experiments

Dr. Grayson Gilbert was running experiments on Enzo in the basement of his old medical practice and leaves toddler Elena alone long enough for her to hear Enzo in 5x10. She is drawn towards the noises and almost gets to the door before he stops her.

The level of neglect to bring your child to a place that houses a dangerous vampire and then just let her out of your sight like that is astounding. For me, this makes me wonder how likely it is that her parents were neglectful in general beyond just this one incident. This is a man who is arrogant enough to believe not only can he control vampires and use them to work on experimental medicine, but who also believes that that he is so in control of the situation that his young daughter is also safe.

I believe he is arrogant and controlling much in the same way Wes is.

3) Doctor Elena Gilbert

Elena's mother gave her the journals. Encouraged her to write. Grayson wanted her to be a doctor. And that's what she became in the end, a doctor not a writer though she continues to journal. Could it be her father's influence?

4) Doppelganger Parallels

I think, much like Katherine, Elena's father was the controlling, domineering presence in her life and though their mothers may have been more sympathetic, they also didn't do much to stop anything. It's more speculative in Elena's situation, but for Katherine it was clear in the flashback scenes of her dad taking Nadia away from her and her mother trying to soothe her.

5) Her Nature

Elena feels a strong sense of duty to other people and not as much to herself. She tries to sacrifice herself over and over again for her loved ones and is only ever stopped by other people and never by changing her mind. What 16-17 year old would do that? One conditioned by her family to always put their needs above her own. With boundaries blurred between the parent and child roles, secrets become so important. It's the one thing she has all to herself because the rest of her resources belong to her family.

Ultimately, this is one of her qualities I find so tragic and resonate with so strongly. A child doesn't become secretive and self-sacrificing out of nowhere. A personality like that is cultivated over many years. Doppelganger nature plays a role, but so does nurture and I don't think the Gilbert household was nearly as picture perfect as Elena or other characters make it out to be. (See Jeremy).

#elena gilbert meta #elena gilbert #tvd #pro elena gilbert

48 notes · View notes

northernmariette · 3 years ago

Text

Countess Potocka curtsies out, Mademoiselle Ducrest curtsies in

Countess Potocka takes a bow, at least for the time being. There are too many other authors I want to feature. After this extract from her memoirs, I will introduce another.

The episode with Marshal Davout's partridges is not the first appearance of the Davout couple in the Countess's memoirs. Here is how she introduced this twosome in her memoirs. Do note how warmly she smiles on young Anatole, the scion of an old and illustrious noble family, Gascon as it might be.

La maréchale (1), d'une beauté sévère, était une femme de mérite. Elevée chez madame Campan, elle y avait pris des manières distinguées, ainsi que le ton de la bonne compagnie qui manquait à son mari ; mais elle ne sut pas se faire aimer, car elle était peu amène. On la disait préoccupée de la jalousie incessante que lui donnaient les amours fugitifs du maréchal, qui, ainsi que tous les Français, raffolait des Polonaises et semblait gêné de la présence de sa femme ; car il avait, de plus, une Française qu'on prétendait ressembler trait pour trait à la maréchale et qui, grâce à ses légitimes dehors, avait suivi l'armée, au grand déplaisir de l'Empereur.

Toutes ces circonstances réunies firent que madame la duchesse s'occupa fort peu de rendre sa maison agréable, et que son époux alla chercher des distractions ailleurs.

L'état-major du général n'abondait pas en individus distingués. M. Anatole de Montesquiou (2), fort jeune alors, fut le seul des aides de camp que nous vîmes avec plaisir ; son éducation répondait à son nom.

(1) Aimée Leclerc, soeur du général Leclerc, premier mari de Pauline Bonaparte.

(2) Ambroise-Anatole-Augustin de Montersquiou-Fezenzac, 1788-1867. Il servit tout à tour Napoléon et la maison d'Orléans. Anatole de Monterquiou était poète et auteur dramatique.

The Maréchale (1), austerely beautiful, was a woman of merit. She had been a pensioner of Madame Campan's school, where she had acquired refined ways, as well as the manners of polite society which her husband lacked; but she did not become well-liked, for she was not very amiable. She was said to be prey to constant jealousy because of the Marshal's fleeting love affairs, he who, like all Frenchmen, was infatuated with Polish women and seemed bothered by his wife's presence; for he had brought with him, moreover, a Frenchwoman who was said to be the very image of the Maréchale , and who, thanks to her appearance of a legitimate status, had followed the army, to the great displeasure of the Emperor.

The combination of all these circumstances meant that Madame la Duchesse put very little care into making her domestic establishment pleasant, and that her husband went to seek his amusements elsewhere.

The general's staff did not abound in distinguished individuals. M. Anatole de Montesquiou (2), who was very young at the time, was the only one of the aides-de-camp whom we saw with pleasure; his education was a match for his name.

(1) Aimée Leclerc, sister of General Leclerc, first husband of Pauline Bonaparte.

(2) Ambroise-Anatole-Augustin de Montersquiou-Fezenzac, 1788-1867. He served both Napoleon and the House of Orleans. Anatole de Monterquiou was a poet and playwright.

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5463019n/f203.item, pp. 161-162, Note 2 p. 188

And now for another memoirist I want to introduce: Georgette Ducrest, the daughter of a fairly high-born nobleman who emigrated to England during the Revolution and who found himself uttely ruined by it. Mademoiselle Ducrest and her mother were invited by the divorced Josephine to join her in her chateau in Normandy in the winter of 1810-1811 (Joséphine having been asked to keep some distance away from Paris for a while after Napoleon's second marriage). At the time, I believe, Georgette had just barely turned nineteen. Starting in early December 1810, she and her mother spent five or six months with Josephine, but eventually made themselves unwelcome and were gradually excluded from Josephine's entourage when she returned to Malmaison in the spring of 1811. Georgette Ducrest is not so acidic as the Countess, but she has her moments. Here is her own portrait of Aimée Davout, in quite another tone:

Je revis à la Malmaison une personne avec laquelle je m'étais trouvée en relation assez intime avant son mariage ; j'en conservais le plus doux souvenir : c'était Mlle Aimée Leclerc, devenue princesse d'Eckmühl. La haute fortune où elle était parvenue n'avait, disait-on, rien changé aux agréments de son aimable caractère. Belle comme un ange, elle était simple, modeste, indulgente. Ces qualités, qui la faisaient chérir quand elle était obscure et pauvre, charmaient encore en elle, après une élévation que tout le monde trouvait une justice de la Providence.

L'impératrice l'affectionnait particulièrement, et la reçut avec tous les témoignages de l'estime la plus grande. Lorsqu'elle fut partie, Sa Majesté fit d'elle un éloge qui eût pu sembler exagéré, si la franchise de Joséphine n'avait été connue.

At Malmaison, I saw again a person with whom I had had a rather close friendship before her marriage; I had the sweetest recollections of her: it was Mademoiselle Aimée Leclerc, who had become Princess of Eckmühl. The high status she had reached had not, it was said, changed anything in the attractiveness of her charming character. As beautiful as an angel, she was simple, modest and lenient. These qualities, which made her cherished when she was obscure and poor, were still enchanting after an ascendance which was considered by all to be the just result of Providence.

The Empress was particularly fond of her, and treated her with the highest consideration. After the Princess had left, Her Majesty praised her in a way which might have seemed exaggerated, had Josephine not been known for her truthfulness.

Ducrest, Georgette: Mémoires sur l’impératrice Joséphine. Mercure de France, 2004, p. 252

This is also available online. I will provide the link in my next instalment.

Here is my aside about la franchise de Joséphine. I have this intuition that Josephine did not let hard, cold facts stand in the way of telling a story in a more interesting way. I know Aimée Leclerc was married to Davout in a most hurried way. I'm not sure it happened quite the way Josephine tells it. Maybe this will be for a future post, but Mademoiselle Ducrest has other episodes to narrate. A post in the near future will be about her impressions of Eugène.

#countess potocka #georgette ducrest #empress josephine #aimee davout #marshal davout

21 notes · View notes

we-pay-for-everything · 2 years ago

Text

The whole Augustine vampire storyline is in heavy competition with the Travelers storyline for most absurd plotline in TVD so far. Those two are leading the race, but let’s not forget the whole Silas thing in season 4 or the Silas, Qetsiyah and Amara thing in season 5 (although that at least provided an explanation for the Other Side and the doppelgangers).

Back to the Augustine vampires, why was Damon one? I swear they just wanted to make him look bad. Turns out Damon was still killing off Whitmores in the present day, as he was dating Elena! How convenient! We already knew he was a terrible person, but why in the world would the dude pass up on a day with Elena just to kill some random person? In the name of revenge? Isn’t that a bit of a stretch? He was a prisoner decades ago, and ever since he met Elena and reunited with Stefan his M.O has been different. He mostly kills people that get in his way and rarely actually seeks them out. He also “respects” Elena enough to generally try not to kill people, which is why he kills people only when it serves a greater good (ie. to save Elena in some way) or when he’s under emotional duress. I don’t want to defend the guy, but the idea that he’d go on a road trip after getting together with Elena just to kill off a distant relative of the people who tortured him decades ago is something Damon would not do. That’s something he’d do out of boredom, maybe, but not when he had Elena.

It’s like this season is once again doubling down on the idea that Damon is bad for Elena. But I don’t see the point? We’ve known that for ages. Back in season 3, when Damon and Elena grew close, he still killed Alaric to prove a point. Elena knows he’s impulsive, cruel, etc. and that love won’t change him. I think that’s the point here: love won’t change Damon and Elena needs to know that. But Elena does know that? Or she knew that... I don’t know why the show turned her into someone who deludes herself into thinking Damon will change. But I guess that’s why Damon is getting this storyline. After a “magical” summer with Elena, where he behaved, Elena is forced to face the fact that Damon never changed and never will.

But, still, it begs the question: what is the point of driving a wedge between Damon and Elena? It only makes sense if the writers were thinking of getting Elena back together with Stefan. Otherwise, they’re just making Delena, their main ship, look bad, and, more importantly, make Elena, their hero, look bad. Elena is still supposed to be the heroine, but they keep painting her in a bad light because of Damon. I just don’t get it? Why would they turn their heroine into an enabler? What’s the end goal? Make her less likable? Give her a redemption story? Show how people get roped into doing bad things by those they love? I really don’t get it. Unless the whole point is to have Elena run back into Stefan’s arms - which does not happen - then it’s all pointless. They’re just ruining their main characters for no reason, Damon included. He used to be predictably unpredictable. When he killed people, it usually made sense. For example, he killed Lexi because he wanted to hurt his brother. However, in season 4, it was revealed that he killed Lexi because she reminded him of the time his humanity was off. What a load of bullshit. If they were trying to make him look better, they failed. They should’ve let bygones be bygones instead of coming up with an absurd excuse like that. In trying to make Damon a slightly better person for Elena, they kind of made him worse. He’s less sympathetic now, and even more selfish than he used to be. Like, he’s better in some ways, but his behavior is even more unhinged, because, one day, he’s being nice, the next it’s revealed he murdered a baby. They made him into an even bigger asshole in order to, I assume, redeem his character in some way. What was the plan? Make him look bad, then redeem him? Because that didn’t pan out. Was the plan to make Elena hate him? Make Elena the person who would love an incorregible monster? (She already was). I don’t get it. The writers truly lost the plot.

#tvd #damon salvatore #delena #elena gilbert #sorry for the English #it's very late

6 notes · View notes

theravenclawrevolutionary · 4 years ago

Text

For those of you interested in my novel

So I’ve gained quite a few new followers recently and seeing as I post about my novel more often and more consistently than anything else I thought I’d provide some more information on it. @jefflion also said they’d be interested in hearing more about it, so this is also for them.

All posts about my novel are tagged ‘robespierre novel’ and starting today will be tagged ‘The Incorruptible Corrupted’.

There’s a lot I can ramble about here, so if you’re interested everything I feel ready to reveal right now is under the cut. If you don’t care pls go ahead and scroll.

As I’m sure you’ve noticed by my tags my novel is about Maximilien Robespierre. Just like everything else on this blog. To be more specific, I’m writing a biographical historical fiction that follows the course of his life from the time he’s born to his execution. I’m sure you’ve all seen those sort of books before.

I’m hoping to make it as historically accurate as I possibly can while still making it an enjoyable fiction novel. My book’s going to contain historical figures and events as well as original characters and events to fill in what we don’t know about Robespierre’s life. As of right now it’s roughly 41,000 words long and I’m going to keep writing until I reach the end of Maxime’s life so the length is completely undecided.

Currently the working title is ‘Maxime’ because I have no better ideas and I already used the freaking awesome title of ‘The Incorruptible, Corrupted’ as the title of my most successful Wattpad work which is a 10,000 word novella also about Robespierre. So if anyone has any good ideas, please suggest them. I really need some.

The fancy little book description blurb reads as follows:

Revolutions change everything, especially the individuals involved in them and fate has a strange way of calling people.

At the beginning of his life, it would have been impossible to know that Maximilien Robespierre would go from a small-town scandal to the most powerful man in France. The quiet boy born in Arras with his mother's green eyes and none of his father's flightiness showed no early signs of a relentless revolutionary leader, determined to overthrow the oppressive monarchy. Yet by the actions of others, his own skill, and his intelligence Maximilien finds himself navigating the dangerous and everchanging world of revolutionary France, thrust onto a fragile pedestal of leadership, handcrafted by his ideals.

It’s very character driven (I mean it really has to be because all of Max’s choices are legit the plot.) and it’s insanely fun to transform Max from a carefree little boy in Arras to someone stressed, broken, and thrust into awful situation after awful situation! That low key sounds kinda sadistic, but it’s fine... right? Lol. But I feel like I’m able to really develop my characters and give everyone fully fleshed out personalities and everything. I dunno. I just feel like it’s helping me understand the time period and historical figures better. Also I get to learn all kinds of cool stuff I never would have needed to research without trying to write this book.

It’ll probably end up being a book for high school kids and older seeing as some of the topics in it are suited to slightly older audiences, including but not limited to:

Swear words, mild gore, mentioned suicide attempts, (possible) implied sexual content, scenes containing violence, time-period typical prejudices, mental illness, and death.

I plan on handling those topics as carefully and respectfully as possible to remain as accurate to history as I can while respecting those who have issues with these subjects.

There’s also average stuff though. It talks a lot about family, friendships/loss of friendships, romance, crushes, and growing up, all stuff you would find in non-historical books.

As a member of the LGBT+ community I want to make sure that my books have adequate LGBT+ representation. History wasn’t straight 100% of the time so representation will definitely be included in my interpretation of some historical figures and the original characters. Currently I have a few characters who are asexual, bi-romantic, bisexual, and gay.

Highlights include:

Max with motion sickness (especially him throwing up on Charlotte during a carriage ride as a kid)

Augustin getting bit by one of his brother’s birds and having a scar for the rest of his life

Camille being nicknamed Cami

At least three people being in love with Max throughout the book and him being oblivious every time

A friend-group consisting of an inelegant girl and her just as chaotic twin brother, a red head and his British cousin who lives in France now, two quiet geniuses, and occasionally the twins’ older brothers who have nothing better to do

One of Max’s aunts straight up telling him his mom is dying and regretting it as soon as she says it

Max making a friend on accident while hiding at school and being an absolute icon for not being a racist (said character is mixed, but has a light enough complexion to attend school during the time period)

The number of times Maxime has a panic attack or almost faints

Six year old Max chasing four year old Charlotte with a worm, falling in the mud, and losing a tooth

The time eleven year old Max gets KISSED and doesn’t realize the girl kissing him likes him

Max being upset that an eleven year old isn’t allowed to take classes with fourteen year olds for developmental reasons

Camille and Max accidently hating each other, becoming roommates at school, and becoming pretty much best friends all in one day

The most boring school in the world

I legit could talk about my book for ages, but this post is long enough already so I’ll chill out a little. if you guys have anything to ask about it that I haven’t covered here please lemme know. And of course as usual, the same goes for any other questions pertaining to the French revolution in general.

~Dara

#Maximilien Robespierre #robespierre #French Revolution #frev #robespierre novel #frev wip #Novel Update #The Incorruptible Corrupted

19 notes · View notes

ryansaiditposts · 3 years ago

Text

The Lore of Folklore:

The Real Story Behind the Characters of Taylor Swift’s Folklore

We are all familiar with Taylor Swift’s record breaking, surprise quarantine love child, Folklore. Even more so in the Swiftie fanbase, we are familiar with the proverbial “love triangle” established in “Cardigan”, “August”, and “Betty”. What if I told you that I believe the entire album is centered around just these characters at different stages in life with Taylor’s story woven in? Also, what if I said that Taylor/Rebecca were an allegory? Not to mention the complexity of “Hoax” being a combination of all the characters in one? Of course, you would probably ask me for clarification, and that is the intention of the next few paragraphs. These characters reveal certain patterns of behavior, call and responses, and self-referential phrases that map out a much bigger story to tell. The trio of songs mentioned above were just the starting point.

To give you an overview of where we will be going, I want to give you the songs as they relate to each character. These will then be fleshed out to connect them in the way I hear and see Folklore play out. The songs and respective characters are as follows:

Betty- Cardigan, Mirrorball, and Exile (featuring James)

James- Betty, This Is Me Trying, and Exile (featuring Betty)

Augustine- August, The 1, and Illicit Affairs

Taylor- Seven, Invisible String, Mad Woman, Epiphany

Taylor/Rebecca- The Last Great American Dynasty, My Tears Ricochet, Peace

All Characters- Hoax

The genius of this album is that the struggles and identifiers of these characters can sometimes be interchangeable. That is what creates the magic, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. There is more than one perspective to these stories, but this is all what I heard from Inez.

The 1 (Augustine)-

I have been sitting with this song for a while. I began to wonder why, for lyrics that for all intents and purposes were sad, did I not get sad listening to this song. Sure, it’s about loss and what could have been, but it’s mere conjecture. Almost like a love that never really existed outside of the storyteller’s imagination. A film that was never made, if you will. Then it hit me, “you weren’t mine to lose”. Augustine simply imagined what it would have been like if the man she did not end up with could have been the one. Betty and James DID have a relationship and the theme of this “film” is repeated in the stories told throughout this album. She would have not gotten the chance to have the movie kind of romance if he had not chosen to be with her. Rose flowing with his chosen family.

If one thing had been different, could everything be different today? Had he not already been in love with another woman, could we have been the greatest love story ever told? Something also struck me as odd. She called out him meeting some woman on the internet and taking her home. Knowing he has a tendency to stray, there could be a superficial level of jealousy. Imagining that he’s cheating on Betty, but disappointed that it isn’t with her. Not because she’s necessarily a bad person, but I think that as we will see later on in this breakdown, Augustine struggles with conventional relationship types and ties herself to sinking ships for the tragedy of it all.

Cardigan (Betty)-

So, not to rehash lore we are already incredibly familiar with, but this song is clearly Betty knowing that James is going to run back to her after straying the path. Cool, amazing, fierce. However, there is language here that suggests this is not the same instance as him showing up to the party. I believe that James has a very toxic pattern resulting from his wondering eye and Betty just has a bad case of loving him. At least, for a while. Betty likes the fact that she is able to show James who he really is when all is said and done, and being someone who has struggled with confidence, she doesn’t want to let this love go too soon. Even if she should. More on that in a bit.

Betty says, “Chase two girls, lose The 1”. We all assumed that she was referring to herself, but knowing that she was almost waiting for his return, it’s very possible that she intended to forgive him even before he asked. She had scars from years of not being enough and she may have even been bullied as indicated by this and him seeing in her what others could not when he was present in the relationship. That feeling of “what if” made sure she would not completely walk away. When you are young they assume you know nothing. Well, knowing something does not mean you know everything and I think she stayed long enough to find that out the hard way. Peter does lose Wendy because he cannot grow up.

The Last Great American Dynasty (Taylor/Rebecca)-

Taylor owns the previous home of Rebecca Harkness in Rhode Island. This beachside mansion has all the salt air and cliffsides to scream off of that anyone would want. Rebecca has a big reputation as a maneater who just isn’t ladylike and mild mannered enough. Sound familiar? Taylor Swift has been demonized, ridiculed, and made infamous based solely off of complete speculation. Rebecca faced the same fate as a middle-class divorcee who was cast as a gold digger after the Standard Oil estate. Truth is, both of these women were just in search of love that could last. Under circumstances far beyond their control these things ended so loudly that there was no right to privacy while they grieved or attempted to make sense of it all. Worse? They were blamed in a blameless situation.

Taylor makes her identity known to mirror Rebecca’s at the end of the story. So, what’s the connection to the album as a whole? Bill grew up in the area that the rest of them would eventually be in later on. Cliffside and salt air, the characters revisit these scenes and similar ones several times throughout the story. They lived at a different time here, years later. In fact, in terms of the house itself, it sat quietly for 50 years until Taylor would acquire it. She then marks her entrance to the rest of these stories as she then will later touch on points of her life leading up to Holiday House.

Exile (Betty and James)-

Communication is key. However, Betty and James eventually resented the back-and-forth nature of their relationship. He believed that she would always forgive him as she had always set that precedent each time before in their relationship. Although they always knew they walked a very thin line, they always felt like the other person would become better to them if they loved hard enough. Each had their demons, though. Between James cheating nature and drinking problem, he could become withdrawn and combative. Betty loved James so much that she gave him second, third and hundredth chances and even excused his more aggressive behaviors in a Streetcar Named Desire type loyalty. Until the branch broke that they were balancing on.

For someone like James, being left as a result of bad behavior can often be skewed as a betrayal in and of itself. Her leaving could have only been a result of her not telling him how to be a better partner. On the flip side, Betty was not clear in her signals of being fed up with his actions, but allowing him back time and again. The blame game ensues and each call out each other’s faults too little, too late. They have, in fact, seen this “film” before. They kept the hope that the cinematic love they were both obsessed with would eventually play out if they wanted it enough, but did not put in the work or self-reflect enough to make it so.

My Tears Ricochet (Taylor/Rebecca)-

Of course, it’s about a certain sellout record executive of her previous label who did not even have the decency to let her own her masters. I will not be bringing his name into it because he does not deserve to even be thought about. However, I think Taylor does an expert job of exploring the anger stage of grief and death that Rebecca and Bill would have had to face in his untimely death as well. The allegory dips in and out of this song to further establish the mirror effect of these two women and their fears/perception. Taylor calls out her own inability to leave with grace. Rebecca was left to burn at the stake after Bill died with no one to defend her either. While it is not his choice to have died, grieving does bring about emotions of abandonment when still panning out. Much like Taylor felt when the label she trusted acted like they had never met and that she had not given them her all to gift them any kind of notoriety.

Gathering stones is beachside activity, but when, so is collecting jewelry. This in a metaphorical sense could allude to also gathering dirt and receipts when it all falls down. This line has quite an impact in the context of a business transaction and the marriage of a rich couple. Toward the end, each woman speaks as though they have gone to the cliffside and screamed into the open air. Rebecca challenges the masses to go for her heart in same way the public felt she had gone for Bill’s, but knows that she would be missed all the same. Each woman is directly calling out their naysayers and bullies telling them they know they’re drunk on pain and negating the good they had done before tragedy. These fake people have both built them up and torn them down in times it benefitted them the most.

Mirrorball (Betty)-

As I previously mentioned, Betty struggles with self-confidence (relatable content). This song takes a deeper dive into Betty’s desire to be noticed by James in the way she needs him to and to show him that she knows him better than anyone else does. When he does not pay attention, she breaks into a million pieces. Although her friends consistently tell her that the end is imminent, she has committed herself to changing the narrative. She’s walking the tightrope, another call out to the thin line they feel they have always walked in regards to one another.

The insecurity is palpable in the self-deprecating “I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try”. Remembering from their teenage years, Augustine, a natural beauty, is able to draw men in with a sense of sensuality and a carefree demeanor. She doesn’t have to get too invested in relationships because she only chooses men that are in high risk, low reward circumstances. On the outside, it seems like she has all the confidence in the world and that is intimidating to someone like Betty who does not exude the same assuredness and has been burned by trusting unnecessarily before. In spite of this, Betty is still a believer in true love even if James has given her no indication there is reason to believe.

Seven (Taylor)-

Little Tay on her Pennsylvania farm just discovering her own voice and the meaning of friendship. Making her own tales of time gone by and recounting the origin story of a girl who makes “too much” noise any time she wants. Also, quite possibly the REAL queer-canon of the album. Taylor was close to someone who she has not seen for a while, a girl. She remembers the feeling more than anything and a certain protectiveness that she felt for this person who was having to hide in the closet. Labels did not matter and love was love in this scenario. She wants them to know their story and the care she felt for them is not forgotten and still a source of inspiration for her life in present day. Think “hope ur ok” by Olivia Rodrigo.

This song explores Taylor’s fierce feminism and activism into adulthood. The unwavering support she gives to the underdogs and why Rebecca’s story resonates with her so much. She was the wild child the world tried to tame with constant expectation. The subject of Seven that she befriended reminded her that there are beautiful things out there and grounded her in a way to keep looking for meaningful connections and to respect the stories of each person she meets to gain perspective.

August (Augustine)-

Somewhere on the beaches just outside this small Rhode Island town, Augustine was manifesting a relationship that she knew had a slim to none chance with James. Despite her hopes and efforts, August came and went. James dreamed of Betty with Augustine in his arms, but wanted is cake and to eat it too as a seventeen-year-old boy. The thrill of it all enticed him to give his summer to Augustine instead. Particularly because she was willing to pursue him in the way she did. However, much like the surface level pining found in The 1, she just wished she could write her name on his back in a performative ownership move as if to say finders keepers.

This superficial relationship was hallmarked in sex and lust by being spent tipsy and wrapped and in bedsheets. It wasn’t shameful or tawdry to two kids, but would show it’s truth one single time before becoming a feeling both would continue to chase. The shaky and electrifying experience of sharing firsts and secrets though “Never Have I Ever” and the charged nature of “Are you sure?” feeling like a pact. Until guilt set in for James, there was only excitement and both were forever changed. One by the hope of it all, and the other by the excitement.

This Is Me Trying (James)-

Years after the first thrill and eventual heartbreak, James has never found direction. He fell behind the classmates that moved on with their lives and ended up here. Still in their same hometown, he is a shell of a man grappling with depression and alcoholism. He’s in Betty’s doorway once again in her front porch light begging for forgiveness. He even matched Betty’s previous speech pattern in “Mirrorball” by saying “I just wanted you to know…” as if to respond to her finally because he sees her after it’s all been said and done. He pulled the rusted, vintage car that once made him so cool off the road to the same cliffside that they once made out in front of. This represents the edge that they all seem to stand at one point or another to contemplate their mistakes. He calls out his own substance abuse and aggression (which we talked about in Exile as well).

He wants to continue his same party lifestyle, but feels like an open wound because his bad behavior has finally caught up to him. All he thinks about are his own shortcomings, especially now that he is left alone with them. Betty once again gets compared to a film in a reel on the one screen they have in this small town. Now, only a memory instead of a reality. The defensiveness from being what he perceived as betrayal has subsided and he is left to face the cages he mentally put himself into and the fear that he was not as good of a man as he tried to project to others around him. Betty being the product of his transgressions since she is left broken and resentful toward him now.

Illicit Affairs (Augustine)-

Augustine finally pulls back the layers on why she continues to try to recapture the feeling that James gave her at a mere sixteen years old. Someone displaying all the confidence in the world may have had less than Betty in actuality. It was all a misconception. Instead, Augustine feels that her looks and sex are what she has to offer and by giving herself away, she hopes to capture lightning in a bottle one of these times. She recreates the same structure of what she had with James only to meet the same disappointment.

The beautiful setting of the beach house gives way to the parking lot behind the mall in a way. In some twisted way, James brokenness recognized Augustine’s and she had never been seen in real way before that and then not again after. James thought Betty’s level headedness would fix him and did not want to have to face himself via Augustine since they understood each other in the worst way. Like I said, that first taste left her living for the hope of it all and it was simply a dwindling mercurial high. A drug, though, that could work a hundred times over.

Invisible String (Taylor)-

Taylor’s stories are often on this album the only ones with direct references to actual places. This one references Centennial Park and Los Angeles. This is the story of Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn (William Bowery to some). This in and of itself is a modern day, currently in the making folktale. The idea of an invisible force bringing the two together to tell a great love story just like Taylor had always imagined. Here she self-references her own part in contributing to the media circus surrounding breakups and dating and owning her growth in those situations.

Allowing herself to live in the moment, she talks about the colors and touches of humanity this relationship has brought her. A deeper appreciation of the present and making memories that will one day make beautiful stories to tell for both themselves and for others that once tried to taint her narratives on hearsay. This is her story in her words and an expression of gratitude. Hell was the journey, but it brought her heaven.

Mad Woman (Taylor)-

This one is about the other one and his soon to be ex-wife. The one the masters were sold to. Shares a name with a two wheeled ankle destroyer and will also not be mentioned by me. This is a slight reference to her Rebecca allegory in the sense that character assassination played a big part in that story, but not enough to say it’s a direct correlation. Although, it is interesting to note that they are hunting all of the witches even if you aren’t one.

Taylor gets raw about the cheating nature of the man in question whether it is in business or in relationships and how he should be called out for it. There’s a hardship in feminism, though. She watches as a woman who knows she is in the wrong defend the thief instead of the robbed. It explores the right to be mad when lied to or stolen from, particularly when you’re willing to go on record with false statements if they serve a certain narrative. Undeniably, this moment will go down in infamy for generations to come. In a word, folklore.

Epiphany (Taylor)-

Paying homage to her grandfather, Taylor sets a scene as a war rages on. Keeping your helmet to keep your life is a good direct correlation to mask mandates that swept the country as COVID-19 developed. The horrors of watching someone die for things that may have arguably been avoided sets the anguish apart in this song to any other she has done. This is the world in a life and death lens and nothing else. Trying to make sense of what she and the rest of us are seeing when it did not have to be this way.

The most hard hitting look at medical staff and the precarious position they stood in for both instances is found in the bridge. They watch to make sure someone is breathing. They stand in the face of danger and are contained to one place while a threat is posed but serve unselfishly and risk falling like the people around them in the hopes of reaching a breaking point or a point of clarity in the chaos. On a metaphorical level, this song establishes a very important piece of perspective for us to hold onto long after this virus is contained lest we forget.

Betty (James)-

The first injustice and a look into the dramatics of young love. We now at least get to know why James loves Betty so much and humanize him a little more for the things he’s been dealing with internally since a young age. He comes off a lot more charming here even if unsure. Possibly a reason why he leans on liquid courage later on, James is actually a bit shy in group interactions. This also causes him to avoid confrontation if it can be helped or talking about his feelings. He also has a tendency to fear loneliness as a result so he’s easily convinced to go along for the ride even if it isn’t the right decision.

However, here, he nervously plans for weeks to gather up the courage to ask for a second chance. From what we can gather, he was likely forgiven in this instance which made him more comfortable than before to do so again and again. The cycle started here with this grand gesture, but post-cheating, the damage was likely already done since he had gotten a taste of the thrill. Betty would serve as a constant, but she would not stand alone.

Peace (Taylor/Rebecca)-

Taylor knows she will likely always be speculated on, but she loves intensely even if no one else believes. Here, you can see her sympathy and understanding of someone like Rebecca who no one ever even considered that she may actually love her late husband. All she can ever hope for is that the person she dedicates herself to can recognize how invested she really is and can handle the storm that comes with that. She talks with her own pack of friends being wild and rowdy much like Rebecca, but hopes he never sees that as a sign of disrespect. It’s just who she is.

Everyone DID think the love was for show, but they knew nothing of what happened behind closed doors. Does a woman pace rocks staring out at the midnight sea who isn’t missing someone? I don’t think so. Painting dreamscapes on the wall referring to the home they share together. The very same place that tied Rebecca and Taylor’s stories together in the first place. I think Taylor learned to embrace the madness before the rest of Rebecca’s story became hers and stopped apologizing for being so loud but remembered to continue to let love in.

Hoax (Everyone)-

Every time I listen to this song, I hear a different character speaking to me. Then I realized each one was just taking turns. This one is a bit different so I’m going to break it down by character:

Betty- He had drawn stars around her scars, but the way he made her feel was just as bad as the pain they caused. She believed him each time he said never again. She let him back in time and again to be hurt in the same way, but nobody else would have done for her if he could just be the things he promised to be. She was bound to him even though he never came through.

James- He knows exactly what he’s done and that he cannot fix it now. He knows that she possesses a love for him that will never die, but that is unrealistic after a certain point. He resigns himself to having to miss her forever. The hero has effectively died, so the movie has lost a purpose in plot. He tried, but did not succeed.

Augustine- She had a plan for them. No matter the means in which to get it, she wanted him to love her the way he did Betty. She used slight of hand and a little convincing to lead him to her. It left her aching for more when she knew that would never come back. August slipped away and there was no winning. Winter came and the ground was frozen.

Rebecca- She stood out there screaming for a reason why she had to be left alone in the life that was supposed to be theirs. I don’t think she ever quite got past that feeling of abandonment and just needed anything to believe in. This beautiful mansion had become a kingdom come undone. Bill’s heart had given out like a broken drum.

Taylor- When you sign a record deal at such a young age and a man who has always taken care of you in that time suddenly becomes your biggest enemy, it can certainly feel like a total heartbreak. The hoax was making her believe that even if all was said and done he would at least have her back. He most certainly did not. She screams at the sun (now eclipsed) on the cliffside while he listens to her stolen lullabies. The part of herself that remains in New York being her life’s work.

Please let me know if you have anything to add! Any new perspectives I may have missed? I would love to further this conversation and find new ways to explore the Folklorian Wilderness!

-Ryan Freeman

#folklore #taylornation #taylor swift #swifties

5 notes · View notes

pentyler · 4 years ago

Text

Penny Tyler Intro

BASICS

★ BIRTH DATE / 1 December, 1955 (i think LMAO) ★ BLOOD STATUS / Half-blood ★ PRONOUNS & IDENTITY / she/her; cis female ★ FACECLAIM / Tristin Mays

ACADEMICS & ROOMING

★ PRIMARY SCHOOL / London School of Witchcraft, class of 1974 ★ ACADEMIC PURSUITS / Pre-Auror ★ HOUSE & YEAR / Gryffindor, class of 77

( alcohol abuse cw, abuse cw )

POINTS OF INTEREST

★ Penelope was happy being poor, alone, and without any ounce of weight to her name. She was alright with being “Penny Tyler” the girl with a muggle father who left when she was six, a borderline alcoholic witch for a mother who tried her best to give Penny everything she needed to be successful in life, and one or two friends at London School who were there when she needed them, but never suffocated her. She was okay being the girl that no one knew existed, or cared about if they did. In fact, she almost loved that fact. She didn’t have to talk in class, she didn’t need to act like a good friend or pretend that she cared about other people. Everything seemed, for once, to be going alright. Then, of course, her mom fell in love (or so she claimed).

★ Augustine Nott came from a long line of pureblood wizards, and with that came a lot of gold and a big reputation, one that her mother was more than happy to become a part of. Parties every weekend and fancy gifts delivered to their dilapidated doorstep; those were the things that Mrs. Tyler lived for, and suddenly they were all hers. The wedding was fast, unexpected, and huge -- married in June of 1974. The gossip that followed it was even bigger. Penny’s mother was nothing to the pureblood family that Augustine came from; she was trash, and by association so was Penny. Nevermind that she didn’t want to live in his lavish house with his House Elf and seven bedrooms and four and a half baths. She was her mother’s daughter, and she was going to be known for it. She had a name to uphold now, there were people (her peers) that she had to socialize with and parties she had to attend, and no matter how much she wished that going to Hogwarts for her 1st year would change that, she found out it only got worse.

★ Silas Nott entered the world at only 6lbs 6oz a year after the wedding. Yet the tiniest of things, make the largest impacts. The maddening part about it all was, Penny never wanted any part of it, yet it was clear, when it came to her new baby brother, she was the person who cared the most. And being away at Hogwarts, away from him, and knowing the care that he was in (trust her, she’d grown up with Vera Tyler as a mother herself), only added to the stress. It led to outbursts in lessons, physical altercations with other students in the corridors, and a foul mouth on the quidditch pitch. Penny was kicked from the quidditch team -- one she even captained as a Seeker. But that was the only consequence she ever faced among all the incidents in her years at Hogwarts. She hated the privilege her name brought, but at least she didn’t have to kiss away her dreams of being an Auror. Penny’s currently in her last year of the Auror Academy. And while her dreams are soon to come true, she has more goals now. In her heart, she knows the influence Silas was under could forever change him. Her endgame was to have custody of him. No matter what it took.

★ It was undeniable that Penny took after her mother, the way she fell quick, hard, and deep for a wizard. Ten years her senior, Andrew Porter worked tirelessly as a well trained Hit Wizard. They’d met as soon as Penny entered the academy. It even being on her very first day had her thinking, perhaps fate did exist, and they weren’t all aimlessly wandering about. They were engaged only three months later, with a rushed wedding following everything else. But to Penny, this wasn’t rushing. This was love and why would she wait for love? But this romance was a whirlwind for a reason. The first year -- marital bliss. Nothing but surprise dates, apartment shopping, and they even got a dog together. The second year, things began to fizzle out. But, that’s what Penny had expected. That’s what she’d been taught her whole life, watching her mother go through men. The excitement wore off as you entered the “normal stage”. But what about arguing every week, sleeping in different beds, and deciding to work overtime was normal?

★ She’d learned he’d lied about a few things since meeting -- all to make himself seem... superior. Did this man have a God complex? Was this relationship only feeding his ego? At times, it’s all it felt like, when she wasn’t being made to feel crazy. There was nothing but a sense of false security and though Penny did not quit a thing in her life, she had to escape. This was not setting any better example for Silas, after all. And wasn’t her baby brother the priority in her life? Penny had wasted so much of herself admiring this man, for nothing in return. He hadn’t helped build up Penny’s self-love, not once, and it was as soon as she realized that, did she file for divorce finally. This was in November of 1979 and while the divorce isn’t yet finalized, Penny is out of their house and has avoided all contact with him since. Recently, she’s couch surfing with her dog as she searches for a new place to live and trying to find a sense of purpose again.

TRAITS

✓ athletic; independent; adventurous ✗ bitter; aloof; quick-tempered

EXTRA FUN STUFFS

whale HELLO! this is the love of my life penny tyler, comin’ atcha with a fresh face and backstory!!! i wanted an old character to connect with all da older bbs ~ so everyone come at me, but definitely da “older” crew!!

her about page & pinterest

is a few months away from becoming an official auror! so we will soon be responding to all the fuckin war crimes that yall be committing in this universe DLKFALKJLSKDF;J hit us up if you ever need anything auror related!

penny is definitely ACAB but you gotta fight the system from the inside!!! she also has this antiquated dream that she is going to “save the world one day”

grew up rather poor and doesnt take shit for granted much because of it

she can be a bit Intense or Abrasive so i APOLOGIZE in advance! i do not support physical violence but ms penny says what u gonna do about it punk !! maybe it’s cuz she’s a sag idk dont perceive us basically

she also has attended a lot of pureblood events and parties since her mum got married in ‘74. so!!! connections there too >: )

has currently been couch surfing since her divorce! so if you’re one of those couches, hmu :)

is craaaaazzzzyyyyyy about music!!! has a vinyl collection thats p much her pride and joy and what most of her money has gone into over the years

picked the “ugliest” dog at the shelter and made it hers!!! her name is blair lol

okay i think i got what i needed to out but yeah!! IM HYPE YEET

#sleepingdintro

8 notes · View notes

autumnblogs · 4 years ago

Text

Day 10: I think the true purpose of this game is to see how many qualifiers we can get to precede the word "self" and still understand what we're talking about

https://homestuck.com/story/1642

I don’t think anyone has said much about Calsprite. There’s not much to be said. I’m pretty sure, based on the Juju rules, that this Lil Cal probably doesn’t count as the real one - supposedly, any version of a Juju from a Doomed Timeline doesn’t count as the real thing? In any case, it’s a very mild comfort that this being isn’t a source of even more power for the already arbitrarily powerful Lord English.

Another thing that I think is interesting to note is that Dave’s use of iPhone technology marks him, in my opinion, as a poseur. While I am by no means advocating against buying from Microsoft’s competitors, but Mac vs. PC is one of those parts of my childhood, and as an actual IT Professional I’ve learned more than a little about the way that they brand themselves and the history of Apple’s struggle for market share - Apple doesn’t advertise its products as computing alternatives, or as productivity software, or whatever - Apple sells a lifestyle. Apple products are styled as the sexier, more cerebral, more artistic, more individualistic alternative to Microsoft’s products, a computer not for the Office Drone but for... well, the Hipster. Hipsters have stopped really being a thing, or at least, nobody calls themselves that any more.

Like the vast majority of subcultures, I suspect the hipster subculture has kind of been swallowed by time, its symbols expropriated by Capitalism, its center hollowed out and its aesthetics packaged for mass production, as the cynical and jaded approach to popular culture of the hipster, along with its more enthusiastic counterpart “the geek” (actually pretty well personified by John!) became more mainstream - both stereotypes are probably a part of Homestuck’s general commentary on fandom. Fandom is something I think Homestuck talks about, but I don’t think it’s something Homestuck is about in quite the same way that it’s about, say, Narratives, or Reproduction.

More after the break.

https://homestuck.com/story/1643

While Homestuck has been a story that involves some time loops, Act 4 is where it really gets off the ground as an actual Time Travel story. The thing about Time Travel stories, like the thing about Cosmic Horror Stories, is that once a story starts having Time Travel, or Cosmic Horrors in it, it’s that genre forever. This is why DND, for example, is part of a cosmic horror story, because something like 20 years ago, an adventure writer decided that there should be the Far Realm, and now it casts its sticky pall over the rest of the game’s setting.

Homestuck sidesteps this issue largely by involving all of the genres that do this to a story, and just kind of blending them all together into a genre-busting stew. Homestuck is a superhero story. Homestuck is a creation story. Homestuck is a theogony. Homestuck is a cosmic horror story. Homestuck is a time travel story. And so on and so on.

https://homestuck.com/story/1657

And so began one of the greatest partnerships in the history of Paradox Space.

Also of note is that Terezi compares Dave to fire here, not the first or the last bit of symbolism linking him to that element. It’s pretty strongly linked, in general, with The Hero, in kind of the same way that the color Red, and the Sword is in these sorts of things.

Dave fits the Classic Hero Archetype a lot better in a lot of ways than John does, and Bro has been training him for that role since birth. On a much larger scale, Lord English has decreed from his position as the overlord of Paradox Space that Dave is the Hero who should defeat him.

https://homestuck.com/story/1663

Friendship proves once again to be one of the most powerful forces in the universe, changing John’s direction, and steering him away from disaster.

https://homestuck.com/story/1667

Not much to say about this conversation, but the transition between Karkat’s explanation of the Veil and the beginning of [S]Jack: Ascend is smooth as fuck.

https://homestuck.com/story/1670

Our very first self-indulgent author self-insert; the Fourth Wall is explicitly identified as a Fenestrated Plane. 1 Point for the Narrative Contrivance hypothesis.

https://homestuck.com/story/1692

Dave actually does care immensely. Not only does he spend a ton of his time being overshadowed by cooler more powerful men like Bro, and John, now Dave even has to spend his time being overshadowed by cooler versions of himself - and that goes in both directions - both Davesprite and Dave seem to think that the other is the more real, more cool Dave!

https://homestuck.com/story/1710

As a Light Player, Rose is preoccupied with Meaning. She sees it everywhere, and she certainly sees where it is not (at least when she is not Miserable with a capital M). Meaning and Value - Fortune - is not intrinsic to this item, but it is instead bestowed upon it by the fact that Rose loves it, and by the work that Rose put into it. The Rabbit is a labor of love and a treasured belonging, and the Love in the Rabbit is the Light that the Seer Sees.

https://homestuck.com/story/1714

I’m pretty sure that John and Kanaya only talk to each other about twice in all of Homestuck, which is a bit of a shame! John and Karkat are really a lot more alike each other than either of them is comfortable admitting (which I think is probably why Dave is attracted to Karkat). By the transitive law of friendship, it seems to me that John and Kanaya would probably be pretty good friends. On the subject of the other diagonal line in the quadrangle of friendship, I wonder if Rose and Karkat talk to each other pretty much ever?

https://homestuck.com/story/1715

The clear indication here is a parallel between Dave and Sollux, but like a lot of things that probably didn’t go as intended with the Trolls, nothing much ends up materializing from it. I suppose that by fucking off to do nothing for the rest of the adventure, Sollux gets to live Dave’s dream for him, so there’s that.

https://homestuck.com/story/1720

Adorable. This is one of the happiest little moments in the comic.

So often, characters are cut off from one another by moments. They just miss each other, or literally can’t understand each other because of supernatural shenanigans, or can’t communicate with each other on screen because of the way that communication can’t happen unmediated in Homestuck.

And even when they can talk to each other, often the awkwardness and pain of communicating with other people, of trying to get them to understand you the way you actually are, instead of only seeing you one certain way, is too great, and communication proves impossible.

But here, Rose and Dave don’t need words to hang out.

They shut up and jam.

(It’s also incredibly sweet that Rose‘s actual in-person esteem of Dave is so great that she cannot restrain her own thought process. For all her joshing, she really does think Dave is cool.)

https://homestuck.com/story/1722

Also incredibly sweet that Rose’s first order of business as soon as they’re done playing around is to destroy that goddamn puppet.

https://homestuck.com/story/1754

Just missed him.

https://homestuck.com/story/1775

I wish not to contemplate the implication that Homestuck Sprite Mode Legs are actually wafer thin.

https://homestuck.com/story/1812

Nearly as soon as Rose has awoken and absorbed herself from the Doomed Timeline, she gets down to business alchemizing a lot of dangerous and powerful artifacts in preparation to fuck shit up. I’ve never thought about it much before, but I think it’s not hard to say that the memories she absorbed from the other timeline cause Rose to embrace her more reckless and less charitable side. She comments on her own dangerous pursuit of power, and then immediately ignores that train of thought.

https://homestuck.com/story/1836

Dave sure is fixated on bottoms.

https://homestuck.com/story/1852

Note to self. Come back to this.

So far, the only thing of note is the number 12, a portent related to the victors of Homestuck, if only coincidentally.

https://homestuck.com/story/1857

Dave’s sincerity senses are tingling. Maybe it’s an instinct since he and Roxy are pretty similar people, maybe it’s just because Dave himself is not nearly as insincere as he wants to be.

Dave’s anxiety about being watched is also probably best exemplified by his insistence on hiding his eyes behind glasses.

https://homestuck.com/story/1887

Adorable!

I wonder if Andrew already had the sprite designs for these squirts, and their names picked out at this time.

The hair and accessories are certainly correct.

https://homestuck.com/story/1895

Before I get too much further into this sequence, I’d like to pause and take a second to just appreciate this prose. The style is captivating.

The shipping pun is also pretty good.

https://homestuck.com/story/1903

BladeKindEyeWear has already done a pretty good job explaining what the Ultimate Riddle is, so I won’t belabor it too much more than he has here. The Ultimate Riddle itself is, “What Will You Do?” And the answer to it is, “Do What You Will.”

Do What You Will isn’t just the inscription on AURYN, it’s also an extremely old phrase intended for spiritual enlightenment, historically first formulated by Saint Augustine in his Sermon On Love, where he puts it thusly, “Love, and Do What You Will.” The Love that Augustine is talking about is not Romantic Love or even familial love, but Universal Unconditional Love - goodwill toward everyone and everything, to have one’s Heart’s Desire be that everyone should flourish and be happy.

Another formulation, the Wiccan Rede is, “An It Harm None, Do What Ye Will,” perhaps a more detached, declaration. In either case, the Will here is not talking about merely chasing simple wants, but an invitation to follow one’s true will, not to respond to simple passions, but to take voluntary action in accordance with who one is as a person.

https://homestuck.com/story/1905

threatening.............

https://homestuck.com/story/1922

Jake Harley begins a life of serial abandonment.

https://homestuck.com/story/1930

I really should have brought this up first when Rose and Davesprite went back into time, but this is about the time Homestuck starts to get lousy with all kinds of alternate selves, Dream Selves, Doomed Selves, and so on and so on, and from a narrative frame of reference, they’re actually all literally the same guy - the actions of one version of a character inform us about all versions of that character.