#and Theories(tm)

[bluedelliquanti]

is this anything

[procrastiel]

Yo, another kiss in s3 would be great, but have you considered Aziraphale and Crowley laughing while kissing

[fumifooms]

There’s something so viscerally sad about Thistle devoting his whole life body and soul to the family who bought him and put him in a clown costume

[evie-doesnt-write]

I feel because of Jinx and Viktor’s popularity in fandom (having some of the most annoying fans in Arcane fandom) and the attention they receive in the show itself, people forget/don’t realise how bad they were done by the writers in s2

[pwippy]

i think theres something interesting behind ivan not understanding sua's sacrificial form of love for mizi but understanding the romantic notion behind something like a kiss.

i do find it odd human activities and their meanings were preserved such as middle fingers, religion/worship, and kissing considering those are actions historically spread through group interaction. and for the most part, in alien stage it would ideal to separate and pit them against each other (to keep them from rebelling) but ig not?

more importantly the nuances behind the actions were kept. typically types of uh. kissing (I LOOKED AT THE WIKIPEDIA PAGE FOR IT FMLFMLFML sighs. science. history behind human action is interesting but very disputed on) are separated into romantic, ritualistic, and friendly/peaceful (which is also demonstrated in species like bonobos(?) so theres probably a bit of instinct behind that).

quick tangent from ivan but it also goes back to ivan: in the context of alien stage it's almost exclusively interpreted as romantic (both to the characters and to the audience) but there ARE undertones of the other 2. especially with ritualistic/worship with mizisua (my god my universe + the action of kissing a symbolic item like a statue or a crucifix) and the peace "offering" idontevenknowatthispoint instance with ivantill. which is another massive can of worms of "i want you to see me. and not just to look. all this time we've spent together has had to build up to something. to some understanding."

to an extent till also understands the emotional weight of kissing. every other day ivan has some form of contact with till whether it be punching him or poking his face and. i. blood scene. (the clarity of this post is coming i will be haunted) he probably finds both the blood scene and ivans teasing in the comic gross and ends up ignoring it to neutralize ivan in some way but the difference is he at least HUMORS ivan in the comic. "i'll do it on your birthday/i'll think about it." even if he wouldn't ever actually do it ("does he really think i'll do it?") and ivan himself knows till wouldn't do it ("you know i don't have a birthday") the idea wouldve been completely shut down.

also something something them having emotional proximity to each other to at least joke around. something something till surprisingly is more delicate around *that* topic. whether it be because he fears having an actual conversation with ivan about physically everything surrounding them or something else he never really goes "*you're* gross" or continues to close it off. his reaction between the 2nd and 3rd panel makes it appear like the initial reaction was more just. instinct before weighing other factors in (SORRY MIND DUMP OF IDEAS I COULDNT INCORPORATE PROPERLY) (it also looks like till sat down after the initial reaction SORRY I'LL SHUT UP NOW)

anyways ivan doesn't understand the emotional intricacies of sacrificial love once he sees the effects ON THE OTHER PERSON. but ultimately he demonstrates that himself because it's attached to emotional intimacy which he wants from till and finds it through methods such as the club scene or kissing, which is oddly an action he and till understand the weight of. their understanding is likely due to the way till's wariness forces him to literally and figuratively keep his eyes open meaning that in a moment like round 6 it's unavoidable to look at ivan. as for ivan he understands consensual physical intimacy implies the presence of understanding of the other person which again is something he wants from till.

[mumblesplash]

one convenient thing about this site is that most changes to the collective sense of humor are announced via a series of viral posts in which our resident killjoys unceremoniously declare a joke to be "over" and "never funny in the first place", something they have usually been trying to do since the moment they caught wind of the latest festivities but generally don't succeed in until the novelty has worn off among our largest demographic: people who are terrified of being cringe.

at first glance this seems like an obvious recipe for toxicity, but fortunately we also have a healthy population of passionate Things Enjoyers balancing this out, and the hater to creator ratio has achieved a relatively stable state ever since the twitter exodus of 2017 shocked the platform into an ecosystem reset.

the real question is whether this balance is resilient enough to adjust for an influx of new users fleeing both twitter AND reddit in rapid succession. the lack of detrimental impact so far is certainly promising, but residents in particularly vulnerable parts of the site ('respectable' fandoms, discourse-prone mutual circles, people with strong feelings about taylor swift, etc.) are advised to take precautionary measures in the coming weeks

[arolock]

Is Prime's arc really over?

I mean, he's dead alright, no doubt in that, and tbh I sort of hope that he will not be brought back to life. But. BUT.

This is a long ass rant. If you open it, it's on you.

Even in the last confrontation between Prime and C-137 we didn't really get any solid confirmations of Prime and C-137 origin story. We know they've met, we know Prime showed C-137 "infinity" (in his own words) and killed C-137's family, which resulted into C-137 trying to hunt him down, but except those facts confirmed and explained in s6ep1, s7ep3, s7ep5, nothing else was. Not the real meaning of their conversation in the garage, not even the fact of this garage meet-up being the first time they've met, and also not the meaning of Prime's words that he misses it when there were only two of them.

Both Mortys seem to buy everything Evil Morty extracted from C-137's memories (Evil Morty is confident in his tech and Prime Morty is just like that lol), but can we really trust that those memories are intact? What if, just like with Federation, Rick kept main points of events, but changed the details or timeline, that can potentially flip the meaning or change the tone of said events?

The most confusing part in relation to the timeline for me is Prime's slips during his rants: "I do miss when it was just us. The only two Rick's who actually invented portal travel", especially combined with "I showed you infinity".

It makes sense in two possible situations: if Prime showed C-137 the portal tech ("showed you infinity"), offered it, was rejected, left, killed his family and then was actively fucking with C-137 during the first hunt (which can explain the "miss when it was just us" line) OR if Prime showed him the portal tech, C-137, being inspired, also invented the portal travel, and then he and Prime were on friendly terms for some time after that, travelling together or each on their own with random meet-ups, until Prime offered him something else, which C-137 declined. Then everything else followed.

And honestly? IMO, first option doesn't line up. We never saw clones or decoys of Prime during C-137's first hunt in the crybaby backstory, no mocking images of Diane, nothing that could possibly indicate that Prime was actively playing with him. We also see other Ricks owning portal technology during young C-137's run, so there already weren't "just two of us", only in the very beginning maybe. Prime obviously watched C-137 to keep track on him and his whereabouts and shenanigans, but we don't see him making any moves himself, interacting with C-137 in any way. So what's there to miss at all?

Let's look at the second option. What's really interesting about it is how Prime's words "I showed you infinity" can be interpreted in two ways that are not mutually exclusive - as in showing interdimensional travel or showing something entirely else, possibly even bigger. Like something that was supposed to create "Infinite Rick, a GOD", which was mentioned in the 'falce' memory in 03x01 together with another interesting line: "Once we give you this technology, you become the smartest man in the universe". Since we know that Rick uses his own memories to fool people, it's entirely possible that these lines are real, they sound real, like something Prime could say. But.

But how simply owning a technology makes you the smartest man in the universe? The answer is - it doesn't. You just own it. You don't become smarter because you get your hands on a sci-fi tech, unless it alters your own mind/brain to make you smarter, and portal travel doesn't work like that.

This is just a theory based on the altered memory of Rick C-137, but what if Rick Prime wasn't just giving out portal tech, but was actively doing almost the same thing Evil Morty have done - absorbing every possible knowledge of every Rick he encountered, maybe connecting them in some kind of a web instead of killing them, so he could cover his presence not using a Morty, but creating virtual clones of himself everywhere in all those Ricks? Maybe that's what he was tempting C-137 with - infinite knowledge of infinite Rick. Unite every single one of them, make them bigger than the universe, make them THE GOD in every sense possible.

Only that it can cost you everything. Cost you your humanity. Change you ultimately, make you so much above any other being, that it will eventually sound lonely. So Rick C-137 declined.

It's just a random ass theory. But how does it sound?

[aiodenhunt]

Morgie is the second parent of the Hook children. (A theory brought to you by someone who is thinking abt this maybe too much)

I know this sounds crazy, In fact this is one of those theories that sound hella crazy at first; but please try to read through this one!

I will start superficial: He shares physical and behavioral traits with his youngest daughter!

Harriet and Harry clearly have Hook’s traits and that is shown by the way they’re described. both Harriet and Harry look a lot like Hook, anyone can see that. Both are mean-spirited (kind of), and kind of sadistic per say, they won’t think twice about it if they have to kill someone, just like Hook.

CJ, on the other hand does not share this characteristics! She does not have Hook’s black hair, She has this blond-almost-brown hair color that she shares with -gasp- Morgie! Her eyes also are more of a light brown, the worst she can do is hold someone hostage (That is being kind in Isle of the lost, alright?) and threaten. We saw that in Wicked world, she didn’t want any world-dominating power, she helped Zevon in his attempt to take over Auradon only because she wanted a boat, not because she wanted to take revenge or power like Zevon did.

Morgie seems to have this characteristics despite being in Uliana’s crew. As he is the one willing to follow orders, the one who tried to help her while she was transforming, he seems to be the ‘kindest’ or non serious out of the fabulous five. Perhaps he is not the most merciful person (“Yeah let’s burn her to a crisp!”) but it’s a start!

This could be a coincidence but, keep on reading!

This specific paragraph

“Most of the time he just barely seemed to tolerate CJ”

Maybe this is a little bit of a reach but, Notice that the paragraph only mentions CJ? The one who looks the most like Morgie?

After a loss, it is common on grieving parents to have a preference on the child who looks the most like the lost spouse, sometimes neglecting the child’s siblings. This could be the case of Hook and his children.

“Maybe Hook only tolerates her because it’s his daughter?”

Yeah but in that case the paragraph would include literally anything else. Like “He just barely seemed to tolerate his children” not just specifically CJ.

“Maybe Harriet and Harry didn’t exist when that was written.” Harry maybe, but when CJ’s book released the D1 novelization (Harriet’s debut) had already came out a year before CJ’s book, so yeah.

Morgie’s relationship with Hook. (And miscellaneous)

I will be honest. I’m not the biggest fan of serpenthook, It’s just not my thing but he does seem to have something with him. They’re always together, they’re always close to each other in Morgie’s 2:40 minutes of screentime, there *could* be something.

“Disney would never show a gay relationship in their movies!!!” -Coughs and points at Lumity and Willow’s dads in the owl house-

I mean I do doubt this will be canon but. Eh, let it be, for the sake of funsies!

“How did those two have children, then?”

Valid question! But like. We live in a world where magic exists. there are mer/octopeople, fairies, a God decided to have a daughter with a sorceress and then spawned another child of his own randomly.

Yzma is OLD. OLD OLD. She is one second away from being a mummy and somehow she had Zevon and Yzla😭 If Chad is the son of Cinderella and Charming and Chloe’s brother then Morgie can be the other dad of the Hook siblings. So we can just shove biology under the rug for this one. Nonetheless if this doesn’t buy you, we can say that Morgie used magic to shapeshift or that he’s trans or so.

We know coincidences are unfortunately very common in the Descendants universe but this seems too weird and specific to be just a coincidence. It feels off.

Why would you throw this guy who is not related to any of the original VK’s for no reason into the movie? We could’ve had Facilier, Gaston, the evil queen or Jafar instead of Morgie.

Why would you introduce him if it isn’t to fill a hole later? Why is he the only one with no blood relation to the Villain Kids?

It makes more sense if he was the other parent of the Hook siblings, as that little hole would be filled.

Where in the world is Morgie Le fay? (And other conclusions)

We really don’t have an answer to that. Maybe his mother’s magic managed to shield him from the magic wand and now he’s hiding, maybe he died in the isle of the lost as it is really hostile there, he isn’t in the list of those who deserve respect. Anything could’ve happened to him.

But more likely, instead of bailing Hook three children after, he is most likely dead or missing unfortunately.

I honestly don’t expect a big reveal out of this not only because the theory is kinda far from being canon, but because the Hook’s are not main characters. They’re not Mal and there won’t be a song about the reveal like they did with Mal and Hades. Maybe it will be just a dialogue or a picture on a frame in Harry’s room.

We should wait and see until the ROR novelization comes out to get more information about him and come to even more crazy conclusions I think, this is just a piece of my thoughts.

I’m okay with most theories and headcanons who try to explain who is the parent of the Hook siblings, I just did this because it made a little sense and the theory reminded me to the ‘Raven is Ruby’s true dad’ theory from the rwby fandom (check it out!!) and because I am so looking for the other parent of those children. I hope this guides whoever needs a bit of an answer, even if the answer is crazy.

Thanks for reading through this madness ^^! Hope you get my point of view uu

[lunarrosette]

Folks have we considered Trudy is not a robot but instead some sort of eldritch horror her husband made or somehow brought about to have the “perfect wife”

[vermilionsun]

They are both so Mitski coded it hurts my being.

Heavy TWs on this one !

Word count: 1.5k Rating:- Fandom: Touchstarved (Red Spring Studio) Categories: Other Relationships: Mhin/Kuras, Mhin & Kuras Tags: HEAVY ANGST, Mhin-centric, Character study (?), Symbolism, Hurt/Mild comfort, Mentions of Blood & Gore, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm (depends on how you look at it tbh), Self-Hatered, Angst with a Happy Ending (surprise! I can do that), Soft Kuras, Smut (a little), Dead Dove: Do Not Eat

"If you come any closer, you'll get hurt."

Mhin had crowned themselves a monster long before the actual entity rooted itself into their soul and bound them with unbreakable chains.

Chains that wrapped around their limbs and choked them. Claws, sharper than blades, marred the area just beneath their skin. Wings that sprouted from their back—a filthy, grotesque sight that sent shivers down the spines of anyone who dared to look upon them. Screams so tumultuously ear-piercing that could shatter glass constantly echoed in their mind.

Despite the constant torment and inner turmoil, Mhin found a twisted sense of comfort in the darkness that engulfed them—a sick kind of solace, a comfort born of morbid familiarity that whispered promises of power in exchange for their humanity. The monster within them thrived on fear and pain, ready to lash out at anyone who dared to come too close or become too entangled in the web of their twisted existence. The monster had become their closest companion, a part of their very being that they could not escape.

It made Mhin want to retreat further into the shadows, to embrace the darkness that consumed them, and to shield themselves from the harsh light of reality. The thought of letting go, of losing that sense of control and sanity, of fully surrendering to the beast within and letting it consume them entirely, horrified them, made them want to gnaw at their own flesh, pick out their feathers one by one until there was nothing left but raw, exposed skin in a desperate attempt to hold on—anything to avoid succumbing to the monster's overwhelming stimulus. Its insatiable hunger for chaos and destruction terrorized them day and night, whispering sweet threats to overtake their mind and leave them as nothing more than a shell of their former self.

The enormous bird wept and wailed in agony, feeling the weight of its own monstrous nature bearing down on it like a heavy burden that could never be lifted. The creature's once majestic wings now hang limp and lifeless, devoid of any semblance of flight—a cruel reminder of the creature's fall from grace. Its piercing cries rang through the arid terrain of Mhin's mind, a haunting dissonance that relayed the tragic fate that had befallen it.

It needed out.

The line between reality and fantasy soon blurred enough so that Mhin couldn't distinguish where one ended and the other began, leaving them trapped in a nightmarish existence of their own making.

And Mhin wanted to pay the debt.

"If you come any closer, you'll get hurt."

Mhin barked, steadying their quivering voice. A feral, wounded dog that kept running on instinct alone. Its eyes held a glimmer of recognition as it dared to reach its paw out to the world tentatively for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

And everything went up to flames. They danced and crackled around them, casting eerie shadows on the now vastly empty landscape as Mhin froze in fear, the hefty collar on their neck sending them tumbling around against their will. The guttural screams had long ceased, replaced by a deafening silence that seemed to suffocate them. That was, until their own emerged from deep within, a fervent cry that echoed through the desolate wasteland where hours ago stood Lovent.

"If you come any closer, you'll get hurt."

They chanted it like a mantra, a warning to all who dared to approach, so much so that it had worn out and lost its bite. So much so, it couldn't keep Kuras away.

So much so, they ended up falling onto white sateen sheets, their vulnerability exposed in the soft glow of the moonlight.

They promised themselves it'd never happen again; they wouldn't slip into superficial pleasures basked in the sinful kindle, sold as a cheap alternative to love.

Yet Kuras seemed otherworldly in the dim light of the bedroom, his golden eyes shining with an intensity that made Mhin's heart race.

Kuras saw beyond the façade of fear and pain, reaching out to touch the broken pieces of their soul with a tenderness that was both foreign and comforting.

Mhin's thoughts were a jumbled mess. They turned their head left and right, their eyes shut tightly, as if trying to wake up from a nightmare. Yet the sensations running through their body were anything but.

Kuras was so deep inside them that Mhin could feel him in their lungs. It hurt; he was bigger than anything they had taken before. Their body trembled underneath him, every nerve ending on fire with a mix of pleasure and agony, their breaths coming in short gasps.

Mhin couldn't understand why.

Why would Kuras risk his reputation and career for someone like Mhin? Why would the man risk his life just to take a look at what Mhin concealed underneath the thin veil of indifference they presented to the world that was threatening to break apart at any moment? Why would he push them to their limits and beyond, unlocking desires and emotions that Mhin had buried deep within themselves?

Mhin mustered the courage to open their eyes. Kuras was looking down on them with a mixture of concern and longing in his eyes, his hand reaching out to gently brush against Mhin's cheek. At that moment, Mhin could swear they saw a bright halo right above the man's head. With trembling hands, they reached out for it, but their bony fingers were met with nothing but air. 

Only then did Mhin realise the man's true nature, yet they couldn't bring themselves to be afraid.

How could they be? 

How could they be afraid of the man who had laid them down so carefully, exposed them so completely that it had made them feel more alive than they had ever felt before? How could they be afraid of the man who, when taking off their clothes, whispered praise along their burning skin, tracing each scar with gentle fingertips and planting soft kisses on every imperfection?

How could Mhin be afraid of Kuras, who worshipped them like a precious work of art, a sacred being, a divine masterpiece of pure beauty, deserving of nothing but adoration and reverence?

Instead, they let their hand fall onto Kuras' head and pulled him in for a kiss.

Their first kiss. This was the first time Mhin had initiated a kiss. It was a leap of faith, dare they say, but one that felt right at that moment. The warmth of Kuras' lips against theirs erased any doubts as he moved his lips carefully against theirs, like they were made out of porcelain—fragile and precious, adjectives that contradicted the rugged exterior Mhin had always projected, and Kuras' frantic thrusts that made jolts of electricity run through their body.

Every touch, every word that left the repentant angel's lips felt like a balm to their wounded soul, healing old wounds and banishing any lingering doubts, taming the malformed dove that had once been consumed by fear and self-loathing.

Mhin moaned the other's name shamelessly, a whispered plea for more of the healing touch that only Kuras could provide, their voice filled with a mixture of longing and relief as they finally allowed themselves to fully surrender to the overwhelming emotions that had been building between them for so long.

In that moment, all barriers and walls came crashing down, leaving them vulnerable but also free in the embrace of the one person who eagerly took hold of the key to their heart before they were able to even consider stopping him.

Mhin held onto him as Kuras nuzzled in their hair, whispering words of comfort, coaxing Mhin into a peaceful sleep unlike any they had ever experienced before. The gentle rhythm of Kuras' heartbeat against Mhin's ear lulled them away, transporting them to a place of serenity they had never known existed. As they drifted off into dreams, a solitary tear slipped from Mhin's tightly shut eyes.

And if Kuras saw any value in Mhin's wretched self,

then

maybe

just maybe

they were worth the risk after all.

[vulpiximisa]

Adding to the "Revali made the Snowquill Set for Link” train, maybe not in the "Zora Armor proposal" sense but in the "give him a paraglider so they can have an even battle" sense.

In an game/art design stand point, all of the outfits were made with Link in mind. But lore wise, I don't think it makes much sense for the Snowquill to look the way it does if it was meant for any/all Hylian travelers/tourists.

If it was meant for max comfort, the headdress should have been replaced with a warm cap. It could have been adorned with feathers and rubies as well, but they emphasized the braids that the Rito wear. Not many Hylians will wear their hair long enough for that, but you know who does?

Also the Snowquill Tunic's gloves are shown to be or replicate archery gloves. If it was any random traveler, why would they assume that they would use a bow, in this cold weather? Most hylians are probably more comfortable with a sword. The Snowquill was made with archery in mind.

An example is the couple on their honeymoon. The husband admits that there isn't much here, which makes it more obvious that not many hylians would even want to travel here. He's seen wearing the Snowquill Tunic and Trousers but not the Headdress. You could say that it's expensive (the rubies I suppose) but his wife isn't wearing any of the set, so it isn't that cold in the area. Most likely the husband just wants to immerse himself in the culture. Yet he doesn't have the headdress, it probably doesn't fit him.

So in conclusion, the Snowquill Armor was designed for a Hylian, to wield the bow comfortably, with hair long enough to wear in a braid. Sounds super specific. *side eyes*

[threetrenchcoatsinatrenchcoat]

Next d20 season ideas that live up to unguessable and yet here i am:

all the trickster gods are in a web of crime in 1940s los angeles

cold war submarine thriller but everyone's dogs

eurovision but only between australias from different realities

inside out but inside a serial killer

dating show in space

crew of sentient trash now traffics drugs across borders

long distance superhero polycule

the robot army with imperfect face detection vs an elite team of beauty bloggers

the fast and the furious and the fiscal quarter analysis

space jam but mini golf

stetsonpunk

haunted home alone: when a strike team shows up, the residents suddenly have to work with the ghosts

avatar meets avatar

time travelers are stuck between a cyberpunk dystopia and the bbq timeline

hackers slash fashion designers rob the met gala

the traveling circus are the only outsiders let into The City

erika dms

[yetanotherexhaustedalchemist]

Another thought about Riddle

I think it's extremely likely that Riddle has Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD). Not the same as OCD (although there is a notable relationship between OCD and OCPD).

Here are a few screenshots from the wiki page. I highlighted the sections that I felt particularly applied to Riddle.

Riddle fits nearly all of the criteria, and has the background most likely to cause the disorder to develop (overly strict parents, not emotionally cared for, ect.) (Considering the genetic aspect, Riddle's mother might have it too, but chose to handle it in the worst way possible. You messed up a perfectly good kid is what you did.)

As OCPD is a personality disorder, it isn't typically curable in of the sense that it can't be completely erased with enough treatment. It will always be a part of Riddle. He'll likely always have a strong dedication to the rules and highly value order - he wouldn’t be Riddle otherwise - but it is treatable. It can be understood and Riddle can learn to work around it, and we see already Riddle improving already since his overblot.

If this is the case, it wouldn't necessarily change anything about Riddle - it would only serve to add a bit more context behind his feelings and the actions he takes in response.

And arguably? It would make his growth post overblot even more impressive. Managing to wrestle something so overwhelmingly influential that it's become a part of your personality is beyond difficult, and his determination to grow says a lot about the kind of person he is.

(All that is to say that it's my personal hc, at least)

[riverin-stories]

"We cannot let this thing spread. I will do all within my power to consume this 'crimson moon'."

[aardvaark]

expanding on that post about sophie devereaux backstories, grift ones and real ones and the things in between:

a year or two after they meet, tara and sophie are somewhere near drunk in a hotel room after a con, high heels thrown against the wall, dresses unzipped and halfway off. tara asks for her Story. the Story. and maybe she wouldn’t have asked if she were sober or maybe tara is simply a little too bloody brave sometimes, a little too determined.

so sophie tells her about a father in the military, a mother who died young, a family that moved houses, towns, regions, countries, all the time growing up. about lying to impress kids at every new school. about desperately doing almost anything to fit in for the months or year she’d stay in that area. about sweet talking her way out of a few little crimes here and there, cash that she would certainly never steal from her rich friends’ parents’ wallets, some driving rules she broke when she was too young to even have a license, yet old enough for a cop to encourage her flirting. sophie tells tara that her father died when she was 19, and the grief had led to recklessness. she made a mistake on a too-ballsy grift. she would’ve gone to jail. instead, she faked her death (for the first of many times) and never looked back. it’s the only funeral of hers that she didn’t attend.

and then, tara told her an equally untrue Story in return.

when sophie is duchess charlotte prentiss, her husband william asks far too many questions about her past. of course, charlotte has a Story. all of her aliases have Stories, even the ones she only uses for a day - they all have birthdays, childhood pets, first kisses, people they love. so she tells him that her parents died in a car crash when she was 16 and instead of going into the foster system, the authorities figured she was old enough to become an emancipated minor. she tells him how it was difficult at times, incredible at others, and sad and exciting and embarrassing and bittersweet. she weaves a damn good tale about charlottes life, if she may say so herself - one that’s just painful enough for william to stop asking questions. it works perfectly. but when she tucks astrid into bed that night, and the little girl looks up at her with big round eyes and asks if ‘charlotte’ misses her mummy and daddy and says that she’s sad for ‘charlotte’ because she knows what it’s like to miss a mama… sophie freezes. there’s a lump in her throat and goosebumps on her skin. she blinks down the tears and recovers just enough to fake a smile and kiss astrid’s forehead as she leaves the room. lying has never hurt like this before. it takes all her strength to shut it down, shove the emotions in some tiny box in her head that she simply refuses to acknowledge. she decides, then, that she has to leave this house as soon as possible.

the charlotte Story is one of many that hardison finds. it’s inevitable, when he has to cover all their tracks so thoroughly, that hardison would stumble upon various old aliases. he only learns about the charlotte one from the job in england - there’s no links between her and sophie, but he destroys a decent amount of excess duchess charlotte prentiss information just in case, and then looks for any other mysterious women who happened to pop up or vanish around that time. he notices that there are some things that all of sophie’s aliases share: their parents are dead, they have no siblings, and their life changed dramatically somehow in their mid-to-late teens (usually with those parents’ deaths, or gaining an inheritance, or moving far away). he knows that these are all pretty standard, convenient details for a fake identity. but he wonders, sometimes. couldn’t she have made up dead siblings? estranged but alive parents? a dramatic event in her early childhood or in her twenties? he doesn’t know if the consistent parts mean anything. he doesn’t ask for her Story - not outright, at least. though for the first couple months of knowing her, he does sometimes enquire about little things here and there. did she grow up with sisters, what was her high school like - that sort of stuff. information is his thing, sue him! sometimes sophie just smiles. sometimes she answers, and he eventually learns that her truths, at least, are very much relative. when he decides that she is family - which is pretty early on, to be honest - he also decides not to ask anymore. he destroys old aliases when necessary, but he never reads more than he has to. he loves sophie and that is enough.

eliot never asks anything about her life. not even the innocent, casual, unthinking questions that sophie is used to from other people: where’d you grow up? did you ever have any pets? i always had to share a room with my sister, what about you? eliot clearly avoids asking her any of it. she’s somewhat surprised by that. sure, he’s polite, but he’s also suspicious both by nature and due to certain unfortunate experiences, so she sort of expected him to interrogate her when they first met.

one night, they’re the last two left at nate’s apartment. even nate had gone to bed and left them there, long given up on shooing his team out at appropriate times. sophie’s been drinking tea and flipping through a latvian phrase book to refresh her memory for tomorrow’s grift, and apparently that 90-minute-a-day sleep schedule allows for eliot to be doing one-handed push ups in the living room at this ungodly hour. too tired to retain any more information, sophie studies eliot instead. he’s a straightforward guy. she decides to be straightforward too. she breaks the silence of the apartment and simply asks - is he ever curious about her Story? eliot pauses a moment. looks her in the eye, quiet. doesn’t brush her off gruffly like she thought he might. instead, he asks if she’s ever curious about What He’s Done. that is answer enough for the both of them. they don’t talk for the rest of the night, each going back to their own activities, but the silence isn’t uncomfortable. on the contrary - the mutual understanding ends up solidifying their relationship.

nate isn’t always so intensely careful about his questions like eliot. well, actually, there were many times back in his insurance days that he very much did ask her questions on purpose. and of course, for five years, he asks after her real name. sophie generally thinks of it as a fun game. she smiles at his useless determination and teases him when he comes back from jail. after a while, though, she realizes that the questions about her Story mostly stopped when leverage formed, and stop completely once he proposed. nate never hears any version of her Story. she’s here now, and that’s all he needs or wants to know - just like how sophie is her real name in any way that matters.

the moment that sophie realizes this is the moment she stops caring about the real Story, the burden of the secret and the guilt and shame of keeping it from her newfound family. in that moment, she understands that what happened back then is just a small drop in the ocean, irrelevant to the life she’s built and come to love. she never tells them the story, and she never needs to.

[tweedfrog]

Look I get that they're probably just more relevant to the Northern plot of the story but I just find it weird that Allyria is betrothed to a marcher lord and there's no mention of Ned being invited to the water gardens....also Ned being named after the man who KILLED Arthur.....there is so much anger at and within that family GRRM explain....