#and a kind woman with high ranking military connections

[scrion7]

Okay, was anyone going to tell me that Der Rosenkavalier by Strauss was a threesome lesbian opera, or was I just supposed to learn that in a random music history course myself?

In other news, I’ve got a new Frosen Steel au idea.

[raven-6-10]

@a-world-in-grey

Right, after some deep diving through FFXV wiki and some research into hereditary titles, inheritance laws and various historical and fictional courts, I think I have a general idea of what I want the Niflheimr court in general and the Aldercapt dynasty in particular to look like.

***

Let's start with the inheritance laws.

I settled on agnatic-cognatic (male-preference) primogeniture i.e. the throne goes to the eldest son, then his brothers by order of age, then his eldest sister and so on. And since the Aldercapts don't have Bahamut artificially pruning the family tree to one child per generation in recent centuries, there are actually people related to the Emperor with a legitimate claim to the throne.

(Side-note: some pruning is still happening as a result of children competing for the throne. Iedolas' brothers and one sister had died before he even came to the throne.)

The issue here is that Iedolas is an ambitious man - even if he's not obsessed with reviving Solheim (at the moment) - and wants to leave a legacy. Which means he wants his heir to be his child/grandchild.

You raised a valid point about Iedolas having children before that point. Which. Uhmm. Canon doesn't exactly help here. The only thing we know for certain is that he had at least one son (b. 720 ME) who died at the earliest in 748 ME (because that's the birth year for Solara Antiquum) but was definitely dead when the game kicked off in 756 ME. Considering Iedolas is from Mors' generation that's kind of late to have your first child.

So!

I'm gonna make an executive decision here.

Iedolas did have children before that with his wife. Specifically two sons and a daughter. Possibly some grandchildren even. However they all died due to combination of illnesses, accidents and deliberate action. At that point he tried for another child with his wife, which canonically ended up with her death from childbirth complications within a year. In this au, the son in question was born early - resulting in underdeveloped lungs plus host of other health issues - and died as a young teenager due to pneumonia.

Hence, the order for Besithia to create an heir for him.

***

Situation at the Imperial court is surprisingly stable at the moment.

Just because the Emperor has no children doesn't mean he has no heirs*. The current heir presumptive is his younger sister but since she's rather elderly, the throne is actually probably going to be inherited by his great-niece. The woman in question is from a high-ranking house, married to a man from similarly titled house, has a range of useful political and military connections and a daughter of her own at the time of Prompto's birth.

(Iedolas had been planning to betroth Prompto to his great-great-niece and name the mother a regent just in case he dies before his son is an adult.)

So most of the politicking is currently about getting into the good graces of the imperial heiress and discrediting the rivals. The most opposition is from warmongers (Ulldor) as she's much less militant than the current emperor, so will likely focus on consolidating the imperial gains in Tenebrae and addressing social issues instead of continuing the conquest.

***

As for where that would leave Prompto (or whatever Iedolas would rename him)?

I'm headcanoning that Niflheimr royals don't introduce their kids to public until they are at least 10. Before that there might be rumours, especially if the Empress is obviously pregnant, but nobody will confirm anything outright.

There's a bunch of historical reasons behind that, but mostly it's very useful if you need to, erm, adjust the family tree.

And right now it means that Aldercapt still has time to get his kid back instead of writing him off as a lost cause and trying again or just formally declaring a new heir from among his relatives. Because nobody will bat an eyelash on the boy not being seen before his formal introduction.

If the Nifs actually recover him, he will be raised in a secluded estate on the outskirts of Gralea with staff being responsible for his upbringing and Iedolas visiting often to check on him.

***

*I was inspired by the House Arryn. Somebody once joked that even if you are five generations removed from lordship, you can still end up being the Heir Arryn. A peasant sneezes in the Vale and they've lost half their house members.

[trollocs-ooc]

The Polycrewl character bios

Raksha Splash: Raksha is an older, jaded rustblood mechanic, engineer and bomb enthusiast. He joined the crew when some highbloods decided he had slighted them for some reason or another, and tied his legs to blocks of cement and threw him in a body of water to drown, breaking his legs. He was rescued by Eileil and brought onto the ship for recovery. However Raksha knew a rustblood with that much of a disability would be instant culling material elsewhere, so he thought had no choice but to stay aboard the ship to work. He now has mechanic legs and uses mobility aids. He is generally prickly and somewhat unpleasant to be around, but he isn't used to being shown kindness. He does genuinely like the crew, deep down, and would kill and die for them, though he wouldn't admit that. Oh and, he sometimes gets visions of the future.

His attitude towards Eileil and Riikii and the rest of the crew stems from his desire to challenge them to always be better and improve for the sake of everyone else. He has a begrudging mentorship role to Iliyal, "so he doesn't get them all killed"

Nickname: old fart

Roseta Onchar: Roseta is an oliveblooded assassin/mercenary for hire who is extremely successful at her job. She, like a jaguar, is a stealthy hunter who quickly deals with her prey. She was sent to kill the crew, but upon finding out she agreed with their ideals (and that they could pay her) she decided to join them instead. Despite being a scary stealthy assassin, Roseta isn't that serious at all when you get to know her. She uses cat puns and meows at the end of every sentence. She is a silly friendly woman just looking for companionship.

She is in a moirallegiance with Chizma in an effort to get her to be more confident, and is also flirty with Eileil (either for a similar reason, or maybe she just likes seeing flustered highbloods). She has a strong bond with Riikii, but hates Rakshas attitude just as much as he does and doesn't like to auspitize them, but does so anyway so no one gets hurt.

Nickname: meow meow :3

Tripto Manich: Tripto is a goldblood with gifted psychic abilities, and in the Alternian Empire, this usually means a lifetime of suffering as a reward. He attempted to save himself from helming by sabotaging the equipment they would attach him to, even if it meant his potential death, and attempted to psychically call for anyone that could hear to help. The helmet did end up injuring a large portion of his face, leaving him unconscious. It also ended up injuring and stalling his handlers long enough for Riikii (who'd heard the call for help) to jump in and beat them unconscious. The 2 then went back to the ship for medical care, and Tripto ended up staying as the Navigator. He is a very energetic guy, but also has the startle instinct of a deer. He loves to talk, listen to music, and generally make noise. He is not good at fighting, please protect him. He is also often perceived as annoying or too much so he has trouble making connections.

Moirallegiance with Riikii, Matespritship with Chizma.

Nicknames: Trippy, Manic, Maniac, ****

Chizma Lichor: Chizma is a fearful, shy, determined rustblooded woman who's been dealt a very bad hand in life up until getting on the Ship. She was essentially a slave to a high ranking military official before he got assassinated (Slashrs group.) and with no connections or people she could rely on, she was left to fend for herself in highblood territory. She was left barely surviving until she stumbled across Riikii and Roseta by chance, and seeing that they were traveling lowbloods begged them to take her with them out of the city. They ended up bringing her onto the Ship. She ended up staying to work as the cleaning staff and cook(though she wishes she had other skills to contribute). She struggles with an inferiority complex and unlearning the hemospectrum, but the Crew helps her out.

Moirallegiance with Roseta, Matesprits with Tripto. Confused attraction to Eileil.

Nickname: bootliker (mean . Stop that)

iliyal / ilieal Drator: youngest and most mysterious member of the crew. Hemoanon but claims to be a lowblood. Though with how much he brags you'd think he wasnt. Despite the bragging and general self-important attitude though he doesn't seem to have any real role on the ship or meaningful skills. They mostly keep him around cuz they cant let him be on his own with a clear conscience. Most likely after Raksha to make snide jokes or remarks, though his feel more meanspirited. They assume he thinks its lighthearted jabs. Probably. He appeared on the ship one day and they just let him stay there like a stray cat.

No romantic relationships.

Nickname: lil shit.

YOU KNOW 2/11 'S DEALS i cant write no more 😭

Quirks: SPOILERS ?!?; dont read if u dont wanna recognize them in yo asks

Raksha: Tthhe qquicckk bbrowwnn ffoxx jjumppss overr tthhe lazy ddogg.

^ emphasis on "strong" sounds

Roseta: the quick purrown fox jumps over the lazy dog, meow.

^ ,meow. Suffix and cat puns

Tripto: BZZt_The quick br0wn f0XX jumpZ 0ver the laZy d0g_click

^ prefix and suffix. o->0, s->Z, z->Z, x->XX

Chizma: the quick b...brown fox jumps over the lazy dog...

^ b->b...b . Ends sentences with ...

iliyal/ilieal: the qulck brown fox jumps over the iazy dog.

^ i=l

[thedupshadove]

M*A*S*H/October Daye Crossover

And by "Crossover", I don't mean "The two sets of characters interacting with each other" (although I suppose, thanks to extended lifespans, that's also possible), but rather, "What if we infuse M*A*S*H with the worldbuilding and lore of the October Daye novels? Who should have what kind of lineage?" (I figure none of them are Purebloods, because as far as I can tell, Purebloods don't have to fight in mortal wars if they don't want to, and it's been a very long time since any of them wanted to. Whereas Changelings are sufficiently connected to Mortal society to need to worry about things like draft boards.)

Hawkeye: Ellyllon Changeling. "Healers and hedonists who enjoy pain and pleasure in equal measure" Yeah, that's him. His mother's supposed "Death" was actually her running off in order to spare him from the Choice, so he has no idea what he is or that Faerie exists. Magic Signature: Gin and Cranberries (will have shifted to Gin and Blood by the end of the war)

Trapper: 1/4 Satyr, 1/8 Gean-Cannah, 5/8 Human. I figure 1/8 is a small enough percentage that he'll have a muted form of the Gean-Cannah allure, but won't have the day-to-night sex-shifting. Magic Signature: Hickory Smoke and Mustard Powder.

Frank: Fetch Changeling, which would be possible as long as it was a Fetch in the form of a man, who found the time to impregnate a married woman and didn't have to carry the baby to term before the doomed person they were anchored to died and took them with him. It would explain why he's the worst Doctor in the camp (born from a literal death omen), why even people who agree with him usually don't like him (death omens seem like they wouldn't be the type to make friends and influence people--May is probably the exception), and his tendencies toward conformity and social jockeying (all Fetches used to be Night Haunts, and we know the Night Haunts have a tight-knit pack structure that picks their leaders through challenge, combat, and continually-reinforced submission. No wonder he can't stand Henry, the Least Leader-y Leader ever to hold military rank.) Magic Signature: Vinegar and Mildew

Margaret: 1/4 Banshee, 1/4 Siren, 1/2 Human. (Am I saying she might be related to the False Queen of the Mists? Well I'm not not saying it...) Magic Signature: Orange Blossoms and Black Pepper

Henry: 1/4 Cù Sìdhe. He's not stupid, he just wants for things to be pleasant and everyone to get along, you guys. Magic Signature: Oak and Suede

Radar: 1/8 Bannick, 1/8 Hob, 1/8 Faun, 1/8 Roane, 1/2 Human. Magic Signature: Sweetcorn and Soil

Mulcahy: Human. I haven't seen much evidence of this in my read-through so far, but I know that some folklore shows Fae Folk being repelled/bound by crosses/prayers/other Catholic symbology, so letting the Catholic Priest stay human was just too good a potential plot to pass up.

Klinger: 1/8 Glastig. Blood strong enough to make him instinctively want to solve his problems with bald-faced blarney, but not strong enough that it actually works. Magic Signature: Rosewater and spiced meat

BJ: Human, but even before getting drafted he was caught in a Fairy story and didn't know it--did somebody say Tylweth Peg? (That explains why deliveries of her cooking are always treated like such an event by the whole camp, and yes, this makes Erin a Changeling. Better hope the Choice doesn't come for her before you get home, BJ.)

Potter: 1/4 Tuatha de Dannan. Unconscious short-range portal-ing must surely have protected him well across the two World Wars. Magic Signature: Cast Iron and Wild Grass

Charles: 1/2 Daoine Sídhe, although it would maybe be more accurate to say that he's 2/4 Daoine Sídhe--his father was a more "typical" Daoine Changeling and so was his mother. Their whole little corner of Boston high society consists of Daoine Changelings who have decided that, as they are cast out and disrespected in the magical halls of their mothers and fathers, they must be content to conquer the Mortal world instead. As such he's maybe the only person in the camp who knows what he is and knows about Faerie. Magic Signature: Maple and Snow

Sidney: 1/4 Adhene. Admittedly I haven't encountered an Adhene up-close in my read-through yet, but I'm hoping that cutting the blood down to 1/4 strength will remove the "violent response to untruth" aspect, and it would be really useful as a psychiatrist to be able to intuitively be like "You're lying. I don't know what the truth is, but I know you didn't just tell it." Magic Signature: Coffee and Honey

[sonofthedunes]

AU where Luke actually leaves Ahch-To and doesn't end up dying, and he meets a rather intriguing woman in the resistance 👀 he's a hero again, he's got his hot dilf style, and everyone respects him... yet he feels extremely nervous in her presence, even though she's nothing but kind to him

idk I'm gonna go think about this

when you’ve had no outside contact in six years-apart from the weird scavenger girl who barged onto your island and demanded you join the resistance-being plunged back into a teeming mass of sentients must be overwhelming. i imagine that unless he’s needed for matters of military strategy, luke keeps to himself much of the time; he’ll spend hours in his room meditating and reestablishing his connection to the force, or else trying to grasp how radically his world has changed in such a short time. rey wishes very much to continue her instruction, but understands that luke needs time to acclimate and gives him space. occasionally leia prevails upon him to join her for dinner or on a stroll around wherever the new resistance base is located, and perhaps on one of these occasions he is introduced to this woman. whether she’s of high rank or low, around luke’s age or younger-he immediately feels a kind of pull to her that he hasn’t felt toward another person in a long time. his first instinct would be to avoid her and he does try, because force knows he doesn’t need this on top of everything else…but no matter where he goes she always seems to step into his path. she is always respectful, calling him master and bowing her head as he passes; she inquires after his health, asks if his accommodations are to his liking and whether he needs extra supplies. luke tells himself that it’s her job to do so and she certainly isn’t the only resistance member to show him deference. but no one else (apart from leia) looks on him with such fondness in their eyes, or speaks with such a soft tone. causes such a ripple through the force in relation to himself. so, whenever circumstances bring them together, luke regards this woman and feels a most un-jedi nervousness. he hates it and he likes it, and he doesn’t know which is worse.

and where does it go from there? well, that’s up to you ;)

[littlemissmanga]

hi friend! what HCs might we get for Yen x Cody? 👀

I'll spoil the first one right of the bat: POWER COUPLE.

I may be just a little excited for this, thank you so much for sending it in!!

Yen x Cody

OK so like I said, power couple. Even after the war, Cody is still a Marshal Commander (I don't think he'd retire, not for a while at least). He still carries a lot of responsibility and Yen is in full support mode. Cody hates the formal functions and official appearances he has to make as a high-ranking military official and the head of several committees for clone rights and civil integration, but they're easier to get through with Yen. She's got every important attendee's info memorized to help him navigate the crowd (Devil Wears Prada, anyone?). And not just for his sake - she often volunteers to go to these sort of events on behalf of Right to Love and a few of those same clone rights movements. She's got the cool social skills needed to face that sort of environment and can remain passive and cool-headed in the face of some not so nice people. She can also be a little intimidating, and she uses that to her advantage, as does Cody.

They are both incredibly busy and in the beginning of the relationship, their connection suffered because of it. Both were feeling ignored or forgotten, and for Yen, that was really an unsettling and unfamiliar feeling. But neither beats around the bush very long and they're able to work on their communication and flexibility a bit more. They don't always get to see one another as much as they'd want, but they show one another that each is the priority.

Cody regrets the day he introduced Yen to Obi-Wan. They get on like cool on a cucumber. They meet regularly for afternoon tea and just gossip. But without seeming like they're gossiping. And when all three are together, they'll tease the shit out of him. But also, Cody kind of loves it, too. Because not only does he see the two people he respects most getting along, but he can feel it when they team up to do something for him and he feels so loved.

Yen is boogie and she opens that door for Cody. I mean, the man already knew he had taste, don't get me wrong. But Yen, while frugal, does indulge in nice things and Cody definitely gets on her level. This is a couple that would do a "staycation" at the nicest resort near them for the weekend. They'd do a spa package, go out to a nice dinner, and order room service for breakfast.

Yen has never cared for being called "good girl" ... until Cody. His praise for some reason weighs so heavy and just thrills and soothes her. Like, she knows she's out here killing it, but hearing him confirm it and appreciate it does things to her. Cody can't get over this hyper independent and competent woman choosing not just to be with him but to be vulnerable and trust him sends him into orbit.

Taglist: @sev-on-kamino @wings-and-beskar @dystopicjumpsuit @starrylothcat @freesia-writes @idontgetanysleep @secondaryrealm @sinfulsalutations @sunshinesdaydream @wolffegirlsunite @multi-fan-dom-madness @clonemedickix @wizardofrozz @anxiouspineapple99 @dhawerdaverd @mythical-illustrator

[the-yeens-art]

Royal Dragons of Dragod's Plane

Lore blurbs and inspirations under the cut! The sizes in the picture are not perfectly to scale it's more like jjba power levels are dictated by height lmao

🟦Queen Sky(she/her): Queen of the Chromatic dragons. A mile long(and 22ft wide just the body)! She takes a thunderstorm wherever she goes, thunderstorms are seen as dire omens in this setting. She's based on the blue pit viper.

🌟Emperor Magnan(he/him): Emperor of the Metallic dragons. He resides inside the volcano of an island called Wishstar Island. There is a temple on the island dedicated to the dragon full of monks and wizards who study the wisdom of the ancient benevolent dragon. He's based on Eastern style dragons in general.

🟥Lord General Cragdor(he/him): The general of the Red Army, the largest military force on the Chromatic side. He's the size of a mountain! Instead of wings, he uses jets on the bottom of his cross shaped feet to explosively launch himself into the air. He is based on bulls and volcanoes.

🥈General Clamor(he/she/they): They are the general of the Metallic Military, the largest force on the metallic side. Most frequently found in whatever shape shifted form holds their fancy that month. They have a habit of bedding a new person frequently and for fun. Their royal house is made up of 4 silver half dragons(that they carried +birthed as a female humanoid) that are considered the highest ranking. In addition, every half dragon made by them otherwise as well as the mother gets added to the royal court. They're based on Western Dragons in general, just a little thiccy.

⬜Count Fang(it/its/he/him): Count Fang is only dragon royalty on the Chromatic side out of technicality. It is the biggest most powerful white dragon, so it won the title. It lives on the upper region of the planet known as the Arctic ice sheet. Life is harsh there, while there are humanoids there, the rest of the world ignores it due to the climate. It is not even evil necessarily, it has a focus on growing bigger and stronger and better at hunting. As the apex predator of the Arctic ice sheet, other things living there worship it as a symbol of survival and hunting. Its wings are not for flight, they are thick and blanket-like webs of connective tissue and fur. It wraps them around its body when diving into the frigid water, as well as when it sleeps. It has black scales that hollow/white fur grows out of. It is based on polar bears and whales.

🥉High Captain Coral(she/her): High Captain Coral is the pirate queen and ruler of the seas. She spends most of her time polymorphed into a humanoid woman. She runs all of the important trade routes. She also manages a pirate haven island (Blackship) where her den is, as well as a pirate's hoard of items and treasure. Technically she is only a pirate by flavor standards, but she is not above attacking ships that steal from her. She does not like getting involved in the Dragon War, she prefers managing sailors to soldiers. Her dragon form is based on otters.

🟧Lord Bee(he/him): Lord Bee is child minded young copper dragon. He loves pranks and jokes. His Lair (The Sting Pit) has a comedy club-esque stage/stadium that looks like a colosseum but drilled into a flat clifftop. Wants to solve conflict via humor and pranks. He wants to make a travelling circus that cheers up anyone and everyone who sees it. When his pranks go badly and hurt others he becomes deeply depressed. He's based on a bee, obviously.

⬛Lord Strip(he/him): As the Chromatic royal torturer he enjoys torture of every kind. His name comes from his most common method of torture, stripping skin off of living victims. He then submits them to his acid bile breath weapon, or the acidic Black Swamps he lives in. Then if they still don't give up the information, he allows their raw flesh to get infected and rot while on their body. He wants to torture as many humanoids as possible. He dreams of also torturing the Metallic True Dragons or their children. He researches new methods, constantly trying to find the balance between most agony and slowest death. His weaknesses are sanitation and radiant damage. Abhors anything clean and soap and high proof alcohol. Holy light cleanses in this setting. Based on frogs and alligators.

🎺:Lady Gymdora(she/her): She spends most of her time polymorphed as a female dwarf. She wants to create a better world via an empire that she rules. She is trying to build a whole civilization with ideal living conditions for dragons and humanoids. She wants the Dragon War to end so that she can safely colonize more territory to build upon. Naive. Loves gossip and facts and can be convinced to do bad things if it seems profitable/beneficial to her plans. Her dragon form is based on bats and flying squirrels.

🟩Lady Thorn(she/her): She wants to rule the world without ever lifting a claw. To extend her influence past her current territory without having to leave it. She raises kobolds so highly trained as spies that they can be sent to colonize in her name. Her weaknesses: She can't fly. She isn't weak to fire damage, but the plants covering her body are. She gets deeply enraged beyond reason when her forest gets damaged.

[winterrose527]

"help, i'm in love with my brother's boring wife" <- tell me what you would do with this AU???

Look all I'm going to say is that YOU brought up Jon Snow & Jeyne Westerling (no offense Jeyne, you seem generally fine) the other day as a potentially good angst pairing. So like hmm... let's see.

So modern AU, let's go political animals. Robb was on track to become the youngest senator Westeros had ever had. Things are bad in Westeros, which explains why he is 'in bed' with people two years ago he never would have so much as had dinner with. Walder Frey is Walder Frey and oh so subtly pushes him and his daughter together, and Robb is looking like he is going to win it all with Roslin Frey at his side who is actually lovely but he can't even look at her because every time he does he sees Walder fucking Frey.

Enter Jeyne Westerling. She's a low level staffer on his campaign (she got the job through 'connections' and I'll just let everyone deduce who was behind that). She's gentle and efficient and there's lots of late nights and take out and one thing leads to another.

Now all of this would be generally fine, in fact Jeyne had assured Robb that it didn't need to be a thing at all, except he kind of sort of wants it to be a thing because holy shit the seedy underbelly of Westerosi society is really getting to him and he sees Jeyne as his way out and sure maybe it kind of sort of makes him feel things that aren't quite there.

So somehow or another it's leaked to the press.

Frey pulls his backing, Roslin is the most sought after interview in all of Westeros and Robb's political career is over before it begins.

That's fine with him. For a time. After a while though he begins to have regrets. He doesn't blame Jeyne, he knows it was his decision to pursue her and his decision to let it derail him, but even still she's a reminder of what he gave up. It doesn't help that now Westeros is in even worse shape and there's nothing he can do about it because no one will take him seriously. The private sector still loves him and doesn't have the same qualms about infidelity as voters so he is doing just fine for himself, but still feels that sense of failure.

Enter Jon Snow.

While Robb was pursuing high office, Jon was in the military. He had a wild ride of it, but distinguished himself from a young age and rose through the ranks in spite of some very unhelpful superiors and a fuck up or two.

He gets discharged on medical, a horrible wound to his arm that won't quite heal and a long recovery ahead.

Robb offers him his and Jeyne's guest house while he's getting back on his feet.

Jon and Jeyne have met before over the years when he was on leave, and he'd always thought her dull as dishwater. He couldn't understand how his brother gave up a political career for her when there was so much work to be done.

When he was on tour, he had some ill-fated romances with less than good women who were all very intoxicating and beguiling but in the end not worth the angst.

Now he's home. He isn't old but he feels it. He is used to his body doing exactly what he wants it to at all times and now he finds himself having to get used to this new normal, having to rely on the generosity of someone that he resents because of the opportunities wasted.

Enter Jeyne.

Jeyne who suffered more than Robb did, because the woman always does. Who can't apply for a job without someone saying hey how do I know your name? because they never left the north. So she works from home part time and feels listless and bored and wishing that Robb would just call it, because she can't, because she still loves him in a way she isn't sure he ever actually fell in love with her.

When Jon comes home, she finds that thing that made her want to get out of bed in the morning during the campaign, a sense of purpose. She realizes that yes, she misses her affectionate husband, but more than that she misses feeling accomplished in her own right.

Jon resists at first, not wanting her company or her help, but slowly she wears him down and they start spending more time together, as she drives him to PT etc.

He realizes that she's not dull, she's quiet. That she's not foolish, she just follows her heart. He sees the girl who everyone said ruined Robb Stark's chances, and wonders - and is maybe the first to do so - what potential she never reached because of it all.

He fights his feelings, but he is having an effect on her. She stops asking herself whether Robb is happy and starts asking herself whether she is.

One night, Robb is working home late. She's made dinner for him but it's growing cold, so she asks Jon to come over. He tries to resist but there's something in her eyes - a shade of brown he'd never realized could be so pretty - that makes him accept.

When they get into the kitchen, he sees a nearly finished bottle of red and she sort of looks at him and looks away and gestures to the set table and says: some of it went in the sauce.

They sit down and eat and she is clearly tipsy and sad and he's trying to make her feel better and he's cracking jokes. She had never realized that he was funny, and no one had ever told him that he was.

It all could be innocent, except it's not. They know it isn't. If it was, it wouldn't be so awkward when Robb comes home and finds them sitting there together.

He gets himself a plate, and tries to make conversation with Jon, and Jeyne feels more ignored than she does when they're alone, because Jon is there and he's seeing it and she knows it.

And anyway it ends with the three of them sitting there. The one brother who gave up everything and said it was for her, and the one who felt like he'd lost everything until he met her.

[pancake-breakfast]

Ahhhh, I didn't know that sequence was anime-only! (I just dug up my English copies of the manga to check; I'm supposed to be reading/translating through the Japanese version of it, but I got distracted by... other things. <_< ) I'm really glad they added it. Up to that point, I was having a very difficult time connecting with a series that has such a high death toll. I... er... don't exactly care much for the main character, and it wasn't until pretty deep in Season 2 that I realized the story is written so you don't have to. Maybe, dare I say, you're not even supposed to... but I digress.

It's funny going back through the series, though, because despite Levi giving off "badass who has no time for the rules" vibes upon his introduction, his kindness is there pretty much from his introduction. His first appearance is this very brief moment of him brushing off the praise heaped on him.

Since we don't know him yet, it comes off as him being Too Cool for School, but it's really more that he's incapable of not seeing how even someone like him can only do so much without the aid of others. He knows he's tougher and faster and stronger than most. And he knows that sometimes, that's just not enough.

Something I've found interesting with this show is that, to a man (or woman in some cases), my military friends who've actually been in active combat zones can't finish it. It surprised me at first because usually they as a group have FAR fewer qualms about very dark shows than the broader section of people I know... but then I remember that this is a war story. Even the very first episode with the way it focuses more on grief and loss over epic battle sequences hints at this.

I've asked a few of them about it, and most of them cited Episode 5 as their stopping point. Why? Because that's the episode where Eren, in an act that would be seen as heroism in any other show, runs headlong at the titans to avenge Thomas, thus resulting in his squad getting split up, separated, and nearly entirely massacred.

For my military folks, this was too real. Part of the purpose of boot camp is to beat out of folks the idea of being a hero the way we often see in Hollywood movies. Breaking ranks rarely increases everyone's odds of success; it's more likely to create an "every man for himself" situation. There are always some recruits that make it through without getting the message, though, and if everyone's lucky, the only person they get killed (often horribly) is themselves.

It seems to me that Isayama did his research with this story. He knows this and leans into it, which means those that survive in the Scouts (which are the closest thing the series has to a "front line" until Season 4... and arguably even then) have learned both how to fall in line and to cope, after a fashion, with the sheer amount of death they see.

We don't know how long Levi's been in the Scouts aside from "at least five years," but he and anyone who's been there long enough to make veteran status absolutely have to have a different way of approaching things than anyone who's still on the green side. To your point, they can't have human emotions. Survival comes first. There will be time to mourn properly when you're not still making the decisions needed to get as many people safely home as possible. And even then, you can't regret it or spend a bunch of time dwelling on the what-ifs and if onlys of the situation, because if you do, then as Erwin said, you're as good as dead.

But if you forget to care about others, that's no good, either.

Which comes back to why Levi and Erwin need each other so much. Levi struggles to see himself as more than a tool, so Erwin is there not simply praising his skill, but reminding Levi of his value as a person.

And Levi, in turn, keeps Erwin from crossing over that ledge. It would be easier for Erwin to just adopt the mask of the Demon Who Makes The Calls That Kill People For Humanity And Feels Nothing About It, but if Erwin were to adopt that mask fulltime, he'd likely become a hollow version of himself. So having Levi there to give him shit (lovingly, of course; Levi could give Erwin all the shit in the world and would still follow the man to his grave) for being human and not some sort of supernatural being helps keep Erwin grounded.

This symbiosis helps them both not just to make it through many terrible situations alive, but to actually live instead of becoming shadow people that move more like machines than humans ever should.

This has probably already been said, but I have to talk about the courtroom scene and why it was a fantastic introduction to not only Levi, but Erwin too—and their relationship.

So we first meet Levi in the heat of battle. We see very quickly the type of fighter he is—confident, but not overly so. He has a strong command of himself and the people under him. He’s The Guy.

Then Erwin shows up and announces they’re pulling back—Levi immediately argues this. We might assume Levi is being set up as the guy who ~doesn’t do well with authority.~ You know the type. He does his own thing. Doesn’t play well with others. Chafes under orders. He’s too big and too important for all of that!

This impression continues when Eren meets Levi and Erwin in the dungeon. Levi is rude and mouthy, and Erwin’s chastisements do little to curb this. Levi’s confidence and skill give him authority issues…right?

So then we move to the courtroom scene, Eren’s trial. Erwin says beforehand that he has a plan, but we’re told nothing more. We see him propose to the court that Eren be given to the Scouts, and he says nothing more.

Levi is the one to scathingly go after the MPs during the debate, pointing out the flaws in their plan and how likely it is that they’re trying to save their own skin. First time viewers might assume that, again, while Erwin is a charismatic leader, he doesn’t go far enough. Levi is the one to say the quiet part out loud, to go to the places Erwin’s too ~respectable~ to go.

Then things start to go sideways. The court’s favor seems to be turning against Eren and the Scouts, fear and paranoia winning out. Eren is getting desperate.

Enter Levi.

And we get this glorious scene. Levi convinces the court that Eren is harmless to the likes of someone like him. Their best bet is to do what Erwin asked and give Eren to the Scouts. Please.

(Notice how Erwin is not shocked, nor does he try to stop Levi.)

Now again, to a first time viewer, this scene feeds into our preconceived notion of Levi. He’s the guy who isn’t deterred by silly things like rank or authority. He saw that things weren’t going Erwin’s way, so he took matters into his own hands. Maybe Erwin will be mad about this later, but Levi will shrug and roll his eyes and say “but I got results, didn’t I?” and Erwin will have no argument for that.

…Right?

Cut to the next scene, after the court has granted the Scouts custody of Eren—and Erwin’s like, “sooo…sorry about that. We had to make it look good.”

This whole thing was planned by Erwin.

The scene was more or less staged by the Scouts. Erwin wanted to present himself as the calm, collected leader with clean hands. And Levi was the one to do the dirty work, be the brutalizer—even though it was all on Erwin’s orders.

He’ll play that role. He’ll be the rogue, the rough one, the problem child, because his personality fits so well into that niche anyway. But he does it because Erwin wanted him to. If Erwin had wanted him to stand nice and quiet the entire time during the trial, if that’s what needed to be done, Levi would’ve done that instead. He’s not looking to get results; he trusts Erwin’s methods and does what he’s told.

And in this case, he was told to beat up this helpless brat. Gladly.

(How much do you want to bet one of the MPs said to Erwin after, “you need to keep your dog under control.” I would simply implode.)

Like, if this display will land anyone in trouble, it wouldn’t be Erwin—it would be Levi. Levi’s the one who got violent and mouthy during a military trial. He broke rank. He attacked the defendant. Erwin isn’t, ostensibly, responsible for this at all. Levi willingly put himself in that position because he trusted Erwin.

And so everything we thought we knew about Levi is turned on its head! Eren even says so in the next episode—he expresses surprise that Levi’s so diligent about following orders.

Eren, silly boy, assumes that being skilled means you don’t have to take orders from anyone. But Levi does. It’s his whole character. (Notice how, despite him ending up being the oldest member of the Scouts, he’s never in line for Commander? He’s the hands, not the head.)

And this whole thing provides so much insight into Erwin’s character as well! Pyxis says at the beginning of the episode that Erwin is very straight-laced. Well, by the end of the episode, we can see that’s…not quite true.

Erwin is conniving, willing to play dirty, do whatever it takes, to get things to go his way. All while keeping his own hands clean, maintaining the image of the honorable Commander. He simply uses the tools at his disposal (Levi) to do the dirty bits for him.

It’s a fantastic introduction to the Scouts, their leader, and his right hand (or is it the left hand that does the dirty work?)

[shepherds-of-haven]

Hi Lena!! Happy April! I also binged s2 (and while I have my Thoughts, it still fulfilled my lil regency meter) and now I want to know... Shepherds as regancy tropes? Or the context of the show even? (Shery as a Whistledown could you imagine? Using that persona as a way to connect with another woman too bc haha im GAY) and also how do we tame a rake like Chase? (you already know i'm seeing him related to Lavinet and Prihine bc i CANT unsee it and also just made myself miserable seeing them as kate and edwina 😅😅😅)

Hi Renè, happy April to you as well!!! 🌷 Yes, I definitely had my thoughts on season 2 as well, but they also fed us well with tropes I guiltily love, so I got my fill regardless gfldjgdflg 😩 And ooh, I love this question! I’m just going to go with a loose Bridgerton AU if that sounds good! Except instead of being biological, alphabetically-named siblings, a lot of the “orphan” characters were adopted by the... S-Shepherd...ton... family... ...

Let’s just go with it!

In our imagining, the heirs and order of succession in the Shepherdton family (lmao) aren’t determined by age, since most of the characters are grouped closely together in age and are only separated by a matter of days/weeks/months, but by order of adoption. Also, there’s a Queen (probably just a somewhat nicer version of the Autarch) and probably war brewing on the horizon, but it’s a fringe concern for most people of the ton for now, but it partially explains why everyone is so ravenous for Whistledown gossip: it distracts from the troubles brewing in the distant future!

So it goes:

Shepherdton family: one of the oldest and most prestigious families of the ton. Their rank equates that of a Marquis, and the Autarch looks upon them with favor. As a result, the social season is always rife with scheming mamas who want to marry their heirs into the Shepherdton family, though all Shepherdton scions have remained stubbornly unattached and single. 

Blade: the first Shepherdton son. He takes his duties and responsibilities as “firstborn” extremely seriously and is known to his siblings for being extremely strict and no-nonsense, which makes them tease and irritate him all the more. While he takes matters of propriety, honor, and upholding social protocols and manners very seriously in order to preserve the family reputation, he still comes off as curt, intimidating, and a man of few words to people outside of his family. In short, he knows the proper protocols and has memorized them, so one could never say he was impolite or discourteous, but his gestures usually lack warmth and come off as stiff or obligatory. While aware that he will someday have to marry as part of his duties as firstborn son, he’s so far successfully avoided any form of social intimacy outside of friendship and will usually decline to dance with anyone at balls for fear of leading them on in regard to his intentions. He is a talented fencer and tactician and is being eyed by the Autarch for future military service as a high-ranking officer if he doesn’t have the excuse of marrying and starting a family soon, putting him in a precarious and stressful position.

Trouble: the second Shepherdton son. The rebel of the family. An enthusiastic horseman and talented boxer, he tends to be the apple of many a hopeful suitor’s eye during the social season, lacking the brooding intimidation of Blade and the rakish, scandalous reputation of Chase. He is perfectly at ease in company, brave, honest, kind-hearted, generous, and handsome, able to win the trust of friends and the hearts of admirers with a mere smile and a handshake... but he remains completely oblivious to his effect on others and has no idea that he’s sought-after amidst the ton. While a little unconventional or even sloppy in his mannerisms (loosening his tie at balls, rolling up his shirtsleeves, smoking on the balcony), his general likable demeanor earns enough goodwill that most people tolerate this behavior or even find it charmingly endearing. However, his eccentricities and careless attitude about the social machinations of the ton have a darker side: Blade and Tallys are constantly chasing after him and covering up evidence of his gambling, drinking, and brawling habits during the secret hours of the night. He tends to hang out in rougher social clubs, in the company of boxers and streetfighters, and generally consorts with the blue-collar working class far too much for an heir of his status. It’s only a matter of time before Lady Whistledown exposes this information and sends the Shepherdton family into a tailspin of scandal, leading to him and Blade butting heads time and time again. 

Chase: the third Shepherdton son. A rake with a capital R. While Trouble has his rough-housing habits, Chase is an incorrigible skirtchaser, artist, and libertine. Under the guise of attending “art school” and attending “artist” parties, he can usually be found in bohemian clubs (often regarded as hotbeds of sin) or luxury gambling clubs, rubbing elbows and making friends with liberal-minded hedonists who advocate for free love, physical pleasure, and everything in between. While by far the most charming, charismatic, and socially-perceptive Shepherdton, his reputation as a rake ensures that no mama will ever encourage a match with Chase--though he’s never outright ostracized and usually gets to flatter them a little anyway. Regardless, nothing stops him from being able to talk himself into closets, gazebos, or even beds with willing partners during parties and balls. After catching a con artist named Kato at a gambling den and preventing him from making off with his friends’ money, Chase is beginning to learn the addictive thrills of running cons, picking pockets, and pulling the wool over ignorant nobles’ eyes, but so far has only flirted with the danger. He is contemplating helping Kato with a scheme where he (Chase) paints fraudulent art pieces and replaces the real ones with his perfect replicas, without anyone ever knowing, starting with the households of the people he likes the least among high society. His sister Tallys theorizes that Chase’s destructive behavior began after an ill-fated romance with an opera singer named Saya broke his heart, and he’s been numbing himself from the pain ever since. 

Tallys: the only Shepherdton daughter, and the fourth scion to be adopted. While she is grateful to have been placed with such a wealthy and privileged family, she secretly feels isolated from her more humble childhood roots, her culture, and her sensibilities, and she dislikes the frivolous concerns of the social season and the nobility. Incisive, witty, and clear-eyed, Tallys longs for freedom and independence, always striving to find privacy from the prying eyes of the ton. She deliberately makes herself as prickly and unsociable as she can without seeming uncivil so that people will leave her alone. She is happiest when taking long rides or walks in the countryside, despite the impropriety of traveling around without a chaperone, and resents the idea that women don’t share equal rights or freedom with men, often fearlessly voicing these objections at unsuitable or awkward times. While she usually dutifully helps Blade wrangle their two unruly brothers into line, she has begun secretly attending women’s rights assemblies under the influence of an apothecary she often converses with--another secret that would damage the family’s reputation if Lady Whistledown knew about it. She is good friends with Shery Acquell, their childhood friend and neighbor. 

Caine: the youngest Shepherdton heir. At 12, he is not yet out in society and is largely shielded from the dramas and turbulences of the social season, instead being left to happily play with his dog and his friends.

Acquell family: a more modest family with mercantile origins, they gained land and became a titled family as part of an initiative by the Autarch to expand the gentry. As a result of their “newness” as well as the timid wallflower demeanor of their only daughter, they are often overlooked or given the cut by more established families. The Acquell parents are often scheming to elevate their social status and wealth, despite the protests of their quiet daughter, who would be content not to draw attention to herself. 

Shery: a neighbor of the Shepherdtons, she’s often thought as “invisible” due to her shyness and her lack of skill in the areas of socializing, dance, or athleticism. Initially a good friend of the more determined Tallys, she comes off as absent-minded, dreamy, and more concerned with her tea and romance books than she is about finding herself a love match or bemoaning her position in life. However, she is secretly the writer of the Lady Whistledown scandal sheet, using her wallflower status to seamlessly eavesdrop and report on various gossip around the ton. While this pursuit starts off as a way to assert herself and her opinions and gain control over her own life, especially with her overbearing parents, the endeavor begins to spiral out of control. Shery becomes engrossed in a friendship (and budding crush) on the headstrong Prihine Naveen, a newcomer staying with her cousins who becomes determined to unmask Lady Whistledown as a way to prove herself and gain social clout among the ton. She recruits Shery to her cause without putting together that Shery herself is the gossip writer, and the hunt for the elusive Whistledown brings them closer together. 

Naveen family: an extremely established family equating to the rank of Duke, the Naveens are second only to the Shepherdtons in terms of prestige--and outstrip them in terms of wealth. Unlike the Shepherdtons, the Naveens flawlessly set the standard in the ton in all ways, including fashion, trends, hobbies, social events, and love matches. Everyone aspires to be like the Naveens, but despite their power and status, they are generally amicable and pleasant to all.

Lavinet: the eldest Naveen scion, she is considered an icon among the nobility and is a favorite of the Queen’s. Ambitious, perceptive, sleek, and well-bred, Lavinet sports impeccable manners, sharp intellect, diverse talents, and a polished cunning when it comes to playing the social game of the aristocracy. Despite receiving dozens of proposals every “bargaining season,” she has remained the ton’s most elusive debutante. Rumor has it that she refuses to settle for anyone less than the Crown Prince, the eldest son of the Autarch, and that she has ambitions to become the Autarch’s advisor later in her career. Before the appearance of Lady Whistledown, she was always the first person to go to when it came to hearing about the latest gossip, scandals, or events happening around the ton, and she was always prevailed upon to use her social standing to engineer matches, parties, reconciliations, and sometimes even the downfalls of rivals. After Lady Whistledown’s appearance, Lavinet finds her position of power and authority being threatened, and her resulting annoyance becomes a growing bone of contention between herself and the anonymous gossip columnist, who seems to enjoy hassling her. She has two other sisters, both well-meaning but a bit silly, and her closest confidantes include Lady Clara and her betrothed, Lord Pendric.

Prihine: a cousin of the Naveens hailing from a minor branch of the family from the countryside, she’s sent to London to make her official debut during the social season and find a love match. However, her brash, blunt, and sometimes spoiled attitude as well as her country origins highlight her as an outcast, and despite her cousin’s best efforts, Prihine fails to be named diamond of the season by the Queen. Embittered and slighted, she hovers on the outskirts of the proceedings for quite a while before deciding that uncovering the identity of Lady Whistledown will be her ticket to gaining the recognition and admiration that she deserves. She outwardly comes off as jealous and angry about her cousin, exaggerating the ways that Lavinet neglects her as a way of acting sullen and being dramatic. She makes a new friend in Shery Acquell, one of the few people meek enough to go along with Prihine’s bullying demands, and a genuine friendship develops between them. However, a misunderstanding develops when Shery (as Lady Whistledown) increases her campaign against Lavinet as a way of helping Prihine gain the upper hand over her cousin. This ramps up into an irrevocable scandal that severely damages Lavinet’s reputation, and Prihine, upset by her cousin’s struggles, swears revenge on Lady Whistledown. When Shery notes that Lady Whistledown may have only been trying to help Prihine, who seemed to truly hate her cousin, the ensuing argument causes Prihine to realize that Lady Whistledown has been Shery all along.  

Syndran family: a mercantile family who became part of the titled gentry alongside the Acquells, the Syndrans are ruthless industrialists who have made their fortunes in the Americas, becoming wealthier than almost all of the families in the ton. Despite their vast wealth, however, many dislike the parents for their obvious ruthless and cutthroat ways, while reluctantly associating with them because they find their money and connections useful. 

Riel: the only scion of the Syndran family, Riel is just as cunning and ruthless as his parents, and even more determined to make the nobility bow down and acknowledge his family’s superiority. He despises pleasantries and meaningless gossip, finding them to be a waste of time, and typically avoids balls and dances in favor of keeping to his rooms to delve into books, paperwork, or business contracts. He makes an appearance now and then at the opera and at exclusive social clubs, where other young nobles will approach him with investment opportunities and business proposals. Other than that, he is aggressively reclusive and has no interest in finding a love match, preferring to make his mark through his deeds rather than through marriage. He discerns the true identity of Lady Whistledown almost instantly, but cares so little about the social games of the season that he doesn’t bother divulging this knowledge to anyone. Shery eventually approaches him for help in repairing the situation with the Naveens. 

Prince family: another prestigious and celebrated family holding the rank of Duke. They are distantly related to the royal family and are also distant cousins to the Shepherdtons.

Halek: the firstborn son. As firstborn heir, he has a duty to marry and carry on the family name and bloodline, and has been engaged in a betrothal with a wealthy young lady since he was a teenager. However, he greatly resents this arrangement; but because an engagement cannot be broken by him without ruining the reputation of the young lady involved, he has decided to seem so unpleasant and irredeemable that she will decide to break the engagement off herself, simultaneously freeing him and letting her escape with her reputation unscathed. So far, this plan has not worked, and his fiancee remains doggedly attached to him, despite his best efforts. He generally sleeps around, partakes in various drugs, attends as many scandalous and libertine meetings as he can, and generally attempts to wreak havoc to make him seem as unappealing of a match as possible. He has the odd penchant for falling asleep in random places during parties and is an unrepentant dawdler, preferring to lounge in the sun and get day-drunk at picnics than to keep up appearances. However, his family and fiancee continue to look the other way in order to preserve order, harmony, and their family reputation. He secretly harbors desires to open up his own social club and bar. He and Blade are particularly close friends, both due to their statuses as cousins as well as their shared positions as firstborn sons. He sometimes slyly sets up situations where Blade or Naolin are left to escort his fiancee while he disappears in the hopes that she’ll find them to be a more desirable match, to no avail.  

Naolin: the secondborn son, and Halek’s twin. Dutiful, courteous, and the picture of the perfect gentleman, he is an extremely popular bachelor (especially among the mamas), but according to an ancient family tradition, cannot be married before the scion of the household, Halek. He enjoys hunting, riding, and raising carrier pigeons. He is constantly exasperated by his brother’s antics and is used to running damage control for their family.  

Antiqua family: a middle-ranking family with the title of Lord, the Antiquas are generally known as warm and genial people who would prefer to read their books than host grand parties. They are an extremely tight-knit family who are generally seen everywhere together. Despite their lukewarm interest in social events, they are generally well-liked and never thought to be scandalous or ill-reputed people--they are simply known and accepted to be academic-minded. 

Red: the youngest and only son of five, he is a cheerful, genial young man with impeccable manners, a talent for emotional perception, and a sincere warmth to his demeanor. He is talented at many things, from athletics to music to ancient languages, and is generally considered a charmer, a favorite of mamas and potential suitors alike. However, he is extremely focused on his university studies and is rarely interested in discussing the gossip of the social season, preferring instead to talk about his various travels or learn about diverse subjects from other intellectuals. He has a bad habit of flattering people so thoughtlessly and politely that many become convinced that a marriage proposal is impending, only for him to remain utterly clueless. Although an excellent dancer, he sometimes wanders off during parties to examine the local flora or to observe the stars. He is a good friend of Riel and Shery’s and initially encourages her to pursue Prihine. His academic nature and interest in writing leads Prihine to begin to suspect that he is Lady Whistledown, causing Shery to publish a false rumor that Red’s father bribed his way into his prestigious university in order to absolve him. This launches Red into an identity crisis, even though no one else really cares about the rumor. Riel finally snaps him out of it, and they go into business together at the end of the season. 

Stormbreaker family: a pair of sisters from a faraway land, they are both the adopted children of noble parents who absconded from London many years ago due to the disapproval surrounding their engagement. After the death of their adopted parents, the sisters have arrived back in the city in order to reclaim their lost family fortune. However, raised in another culture entirely, they find the social season utterly perplexing and are completely alien to the ways of the nobility. Raised in a country where women shoot, ride, smoke, drink, and fight regularly, without knowing how to dance or even curtsy, the two sisters are regarded as curiosities and spectacles among the ton.

Ayla: the older sister, she is considered something of a spinster as well as a fearsome guardian, as she is quite fierce and overprotective of her younger sister. Having had to work various jobs in order to ensure their survival, she is hardened, blunt, and impatient with the social niceties of the ton, refusing to wear their dresses or dance with their aristocrats to avoid being made a fool. She has no issue with swearing, spitting, or even threatening to fight people who look at her the wrong way, and no bachelor or bachelorette has met her exacting standards for her sister so far. She has no interest in finding a match for herself and only wants to claim the family inheritance, marry Briony off so that she’s provided for, and depart back for their homeland, where she can live a life of independence and freedom. Incredibly, her rough demeanor has charmed a few rather than offended them, making the pair of sisters an object of fascination rather than scorn... for now. 

Briony: the younger sister, she feels the weight of having to find a love match in a foreign country far more acutely than her sister does, becoming extremely self-conscious about their obvious lack of knowledge, manners, or fashionable clothes. By her own request, she is quickly taken under Lavinet’s wing, another reason for Prihine’s resentment--because, under Lavinet’s tutelage and with Briony’s bright and winsome personality, she quickly delights the Queen and is named the new diamond of the season. Despite her bubbly demeanor and willingness to adopt the culture and habits of the ton, however, she is just as strong and capable of a fighter as her sister, having trained under the same masters. Their skills with a rifle, riding, and hand-to-hand combat have made the sisters objects of both fear and desire across the town. However, a secret about their heritage and background is eventually discovered by Lady Whistledown, shaking the very foundation of their new home. 

[padfootdaredmetoo]

A Tommy Shelby request here:

He meets a young woman at an event in London and is instantly drawn to her, attracted to her but doesn’t know why, and decides to talk with her, and finds out later on she is part Romani through her late mother and her father is non Roma but an influential Scottish MP or something, so Tommy had never heard of her family before. He decides to court her and they date, before marrying in a sweet little ceremony?

Can you pleaseeee write a Tommy x reader where he is old fashioned courting a great young woman, who is extremely loyal and family aligned, strong moral center like him, and shes hated by Grace lol.

Thanks for waiting! I mixed this with another similar request! Hop you enjoy.

I edited this on mobile in a car, so I apologize. I also do not recommend mobile editing lol

Rated: G - flirting, cuteness, then events following their relationship till they get married! Tommy in a Kilt!

Tommy lit the last cigarette of his journey as he passed the giant tree that let him know that he was just about into the city. He sighed knowing that tonight was going to be a mess. Polly, John, Esme, Arthur, Ada, the whole fucking crue brought in to an event in London. Surrounded by people who spat on them for where they came from and their mixed blood. A fight was bound to break out within the first hour. 

He drove through the streets slick with rain and stopped in front of the large building. All the evidence of a posh party lined up in front of it. He hopped out and handed the keys over to someone allowing them to park it. One last deep breath and people were ushering him into the building, shaking hands and giving polite hellos. 

He quickly scanned the room while keeping up a dull conversation with a man he knew from the cabinet. Looking around he found John and Esme making conversation with….Winston Churchill. Anxiety spasmed through him, Polly was at the bar flirting with a well known high ranking military officer, Ada was out dancing with someone he didn't know. Looking back to John he could see that all three of them were laughing loudly so whatever it is it couldn't be too bad. 

That’s when his eyes fell on a woman at the bar. A very beautiful woman, curves wrapped up in a bright red dress. Brown wavy hair flowing down her back.

“ - Ah You’ve noticed her then? She was asking about you just a half hour ago, you should go over and introduce yourself. Her father is a very wealthy Scottish MP, so it might be good to make connections.” 

He looked back to the stuffy man amused at his seriousness. There was only one kind of connection any man in his right mind would want to make with a woman like that. It had very little to do with business, and much more to do with courting. He fought the urge to kick himself. He’d just narrowly escaped all that mess with Grace. Why he was dying to go over and talk to a woman at an establishment like this, only showed that he had very little self preservation. 

He belonged with someone like Lizzy. Came from nothing and knows what it takes to get anywhere in this world. But even Lizzy was too smart for him, she’d kill him before letting him up her skirt again. He could stay here and suffer through the rest of this conversation or he could go get a drink next to a pretty lady….

“I think that's an excellent idea, if you’ll excuse me.” Relief spread through him at escaping the boring conversation. He moved into the spot next to her at the bar, her dark eyes widened when they settled on him. 

“Thomas Shelby!” She announced with a thick accent. She reached out her hand and he kissed the back of it causing a slight blush to creep on her pale cheeks. 

“Your name / last name, My father sends his regards, unfortunately he was unable to make it down tonight, however he was hoping we would have a chance to talk business.” She seemed as if that was a perfectly normal thing to do. Send your daughter down into another country to handle business with a gangster at a fucking goverment party. Send the eldest son? Maybe with protection, but your daughter? Dressed like this? Madness. Or a trap.... One he really woulndt mind falling into. 

“It’s unfortunate he can't make it, but i'm sure we’ll manage” 

“Let's find a more private area, yeah?” She asked him, looking over her shoulder at the loud room. He held out his arm and she gratefully accepted it, they glided out of the room somewhat unnoticed and he led her up the stairs bringing them out to a covered balcony. He watched her take in the city view with wide eyes and wondered how absolutely daft her father must be. There wasn't anything cold or ridgid about her, all her emotions played out on her face. She was a liability, the people here would eat her alive if left unsupervised. 

Why did he care? 

“Edinburgh is prettier.  We have a castle, and our pubs have better names.” She said in a light voice. 

“I haven't been.” He was unsure of what else to say to her. 

“Well you should change that. With or without me, Scotland is a magical place.” She sighed, and pulled out a cigarette. He reached out to light it for her then pulled one out for himself. After a long drag she looked back at him.

“My father was in the war. He and Churchill have spoken very highly of your bravery.” Tommy watched her very closely, trying to understand what the point to all of this was. The last thing he wanted was to be involved in more drama with these people, even if it was coming from someone like her. 

“Churchill assures him you are not about the same things your party represents?” She gave him a critical look. 

He shouldn't answer this at risk that she was a spy, but something in her deep brown eyes shook him. Worse comes to worse he would say he lied to understand her position better. 

“That would be correct.” He answered steadily, before he could question her he took in the change in her expression. 

There was something almost like a shining bit of hope in her eyes when she looked at him. This was very dangerous. 

“I wanted to know for myself. Really I was only supposed to hand you these letters from my father and Churchill.”

“What did you want to know?” He accepted the envelopes wrapped in a red ribbon she had produced from her clutch. 

“That you were a good man.”

He let out a laugh that almost startled himself at the forien feeling of it.

“Anything but I'm afraid.” He looked into her eyes and watched them twinkle with amusement. 

“You’ll have to explain it to me then, help me change my mind” She took a step closer to him and tension thickened in the brisk air wrapping around them. Before he could say anything back the door out to the patio opened. 

“There you are! Get away from that Gypsy Scum, Mr. Churchill is requesting you.” A sleazy man that Tommy recognized from Churchill’s party demanded in a dark tone. Before he could reprimand him for talking to her like that, she had already shifted her posture. 

“Tell him I’m busy, now fuck off.” She barked at him, her accent somehow thicker than it normally was. He looked started and quickly left. Tommy kept his reaction behind his usual stone-like composure. 

She took a deep drag of her cigarette and Tommy tried not to enjoy the feeling swelling inside him. This woman was going to be the death of him. All that wonder and vulnerability, wrapped around hot aggression. She was clearly someone who could handle herself. 

“So your Gypsy then?” She asked with a surprised expression. 

“Yes.” He answered unsure of why she found it important. 

“Me as well, on my mothers side.” She responded in perfect Romani. Yep he was probably going to die on this sword but he hadn't felt this way about someone since Greta. An excitement he thought died with her and was further buried in the war. 

They continued on in Romani talking about their heritage and a bit about their childhoods. Bonding over common cultural experiences. Despite her coming from money and Scotland there was a lot they experienced together. Tommy noticed her shiver slightly. 

“Let’s get you back inside eh?” She looked at him with confliction. She clearly didn't like it there anymore than he did. 

“Or we could leave?” She asked softly. 

“And leave Mr. Churhill and half of parliament think I’ve kidnapped you?” She let out a laugh that made his heart twist. 

“Let’s go meet with him then you can drive me home?” 

“If that’s what you’d like.” 

She took his arm and they walked back inside and down the stairs. Things still looked civil between his family and the rest of the crowd. 

After chatting with Winston and a few other people Tommy was ready to leave. They eventually managed to get to the coat check without his family coming over to be introduced. Stars were aligning in his favour, till a cold icy feeling settled in his stomach. Grace walked in the door with her husband. Locking eyes with him, she handed the American her coat and came over to speak to them. 

“Tommy” She said softly with her Irish accent. Her eyes looked burdened, and she seemed to ignore the woman on his arm completely. Then he noticed how the Scot defensively slid closer to him pressing herself into his side. 

“This is Y/N, Y/N this is Grace.” Tommy watched as she extended her hand towards Grace. They shook hands. 

“It’s very nice to meet you. If you’ll excuse us, we've had enough talk about politics for one evening.” She let out a laugh and Grace’s expression hardened. They stared at each other with meaning that was lost on him. 

“Hope you enjoy your evening Ms. Macmillan, keep an eye on Clive though. Lots of perky blondes here tonight.” She winked at Grace and steered them towards the door. The coat check had already pulled their jackets. She waited for a moment and Tommy accepted her jacket helping her with it then put his own coat on. They stepped out into the fresh air.

“What was that about?” Tommy asked, they didn't know each other. Or did they? Why would she make a comment like that about Clive? She lit a cigarette and watched as they brought the car around. He helped her into the passenger side and then got in. Once they were moving down the street she gave him an address for a hotel on the other side of the city.

“She was with the Irish police force, something my father kept a close eye on at one point. Then I'm assuming you're the Birmingham gangster she tangled with before sending herself off to America?” Tommy nodded.

“Interesting. Well she’s with Mr. American something or other. He’s also involved with Irish politics. Tricky stuff, but despite their inability to produce children he also has a knack for sleeping around.”

“And you know all of this because?” 

“Because they pissed off my sister at a party a few months ago, she’s on vacation in America at the moment. She’s better at keeping up with gossip than I am. Guess half listening to her ramble pays off sometimes though.” She shrugged and lit another cigarette. 

Tommy took in her information. This was a very dangerous lady to be involved with. 

“How many siblings do you have?” This sparked her usual happy composure back. She talked about her siblings, two younger sisters and one older brother. Family was something important to her, she only gave him vague details as not to put them in danger. Then asked about him and he talked a little bit about Ada and the boys. They pulled up in front of her hotel. He wondered if she was going to ask him up.

“Tommy.” She said his name in a way he wanted to hear a hundred times over despite not fully trusting her. 

“Yes.” 

“A couple things” 

“Alright” 

“I wasn't supposed to talk to you this much. You know a bit about me and my family, I'll have it in good standing that the information stays between the two of us, not to be held against me in any way.” 

He locked eyes with her at her strange request. She knew what world she was dealing in. 

“Besides I would only retaliate on the ones you love just the same.” There was the slightest bit of sadness in her pointed tone. He wondered how many times she’d been here before. He gave her a nod, extending his right hand to shake on it. She gripped his hand tighter than he’d expected.  

“Second thing. If you aren't going to go back and fall all over that Irish twat, you should take me out to dinner tomorrow before I head back home.” She looked like she was half expecting him to turn her down. Or disappoint her by going back to the party to talk to Grace. Something that hadn't even crossed his mind here in her consuming presence. 

“That's not even a hard decision. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 6. What kind of night are you interested in?” She gave him a confused look tilting her head to the side. 

“That’s very forward” 

“Apologies, not what I was intending. Would you like to see the city before you go? Or are you more interested in a quiet dinner?” 

“The Thomas Shelby offering to play tour guide?” She let out a small laugh. “London is a shit hole in my eyes. Take me out to Burmingham then, show me where you come from. Maybe if it goes well I’ll return the favour.” 

“Love, I think you might have it backwards there.” He said in an amused tone. 

“I really don't think I do.” She winked at him and slid out of his car. He watched her walk into the building ensuring she made it in alright. 

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

It started out with a tour then dinner at one of the nicer restaurants in Birmingham, the night spent in separate beds in Arrow house. 

Then She dragged him all the way over to Edinburgh. Hiding them away in a hotel, so he wouldn't have to meet with her father yet. She dragged him all over the old city. Memories of her childhood, funny stories of her youth. Various pubs filled with loud singing and dancing. 

After that night he’d almost stolen his heart. 

Three weeks of phone calls and her writing him dirty letters, she had him. She would call him in the early hours of the morning, any bit of information about danger in Birmingham she’d pass on trying to look out for him and his siblings. 

She started calling him every night letting him know she made it in safe, wanting to encourage him to go to sleep. She even sang him songs in Galic sometimes. 

Family was everything to her, family and loyalty. Things with the Nazi party progresed and she was there with her fathers information and conntections, matched with both her sisters never ending pile of gossip and knowledge about people’s histories. 

She ran her life like a mafia, ride or die. She had no problems cutting people that wronged her, and worse to people that tried to screw over her siblings or clan members. Fierce was an understatement. 

He enjoyed the similarities between time spent with her family. Her father was a good man that cared about his children greatly, her siblings just as chaotic as his own. 

His family received her with approval and excitement, something that was both worrisome but also reliving. He didn't want to marry someone that Polly and Esme would go up against at every opportunity. Ada and the boys would have accepted anyone that made him happy at that point, but they were also happy with the fact she was someone trustworthy, with family always being the top priority. She was someone who wanted to keep everyone safe.

But he missed her dearly, hating the distance between them and what it did to his head. He knew that stolen nights and weekend trips were not going to last forever. She was a proper lady, and she deserved a proper proposal. Something to make her sisters swoon in approval and enough class to show her brother and father that Tommy intended to value her and keep her safe. He didn't dare ask her father for his blessing despite tradition. All he could see was that fiery wrath at assuming she was property. 

Instead it was a small proposal in her favorite garden. Just the two of them so she could turn him down freely without the pressure of loved ones. He gave her a very thin silver band, it was one of his mothers rings. He caught her look of surprise at its plain nature. She didn't know that the larger piece would come later at the party her sisters were planning with Ada and Esme. 

The garrison was packed with both families meeting for the first time. Tommy had lectured till he was blue in the face about not causing trouble. 

She accepted the diamond weaved in a celtic design sliding it to rest ontop of the thin band. The party kicked off in full swing, everyone thoroughly sloshed by the end  of the night. 

As promised to her father and brother, once he had told them he had asked for her hand they insisted that the small engagement party was to be in Birmingham, to let the families mix. The wedding was to be a very big, traditional, ceremony held in Scotland. 

So the whole family traveled out. Her brother took Tommy and his brothers out to be fitted for outfits. When they arrived at the Kilt shop he figured there would be backlash from his brothers. John met his eyes. 

“Only for her you idiot.” he joked.

The ceremony was massive, not what Tommy would have preferred, but he wanted this to be special for her. 

He stood there unfamiliar with the feeling of not wearing pants in front of a couple hundred people. Bagpipes were loud as her father escorted her down the aisle. She was absolutely gorgeous in her white dress. 

It was an interesting mix of Gaelic and Romani tradition, the way she beamed and cried with happiness was all Tommy cared about. 

The after party ended up being the loudest messiest party he’d been too. They only escaped just as the sun was coming up. Both of them being driven to the airport while the sun rose. 

“Tommy?” She asked, taking in the sky full of colors. 

“Yes, love?” 

“Thanks for everything, I know you wanted a small reception but it meant -” He cut her off by scooping her face up and kissing her deeply. Whatever she wanted he’d work hard to give it to her. She leaned into him and ran her hands through his hair. Suddenly he desperately wished that the house they’d rented in Wales for the honeymoon wasn't so far away.  

[recurring-polynya]

For the ask meme:

💓 💘 👨‍👩‍👦 🖌 for Soujun, please?

(If this isn't too much)

Headcanons for a character that had a total of two illustrations and a one-sentence description in a databook, sure why not? 😭

💓 -  What are some signs they’ve fallen for someone? How do they show their affection?

I don’t think Soujun is the type of person who falls in love, I think he’s the kind that grows in love. I’m pretty hard on the idea that his marriage was arranged and chosen for the good of the clan, and that was something he accepted from the start.

I’ve always pictured Soujun who was very friendly and cared a great deal for his friends. He was a Kuchiki and no fool, but I think he approached his noble connections with an open mind and looking for opportunities to connect with people (unlike, say Ginrei, who spent most of his life trying to play 4-dimensional chess with people at garden parties). Soujun was well-respected within Squad 6 as a great swordsman, a fair vice-captain, and a compassionate listener and problem-solver. He considered all of the other vice-captains his friends, and often invited them to the manor to socialize, or organized outings. For no other reason, aside from “I decided it”, I think that he and Hachi were besties.

 I have a good friend who often says that they are a little bit in love with all of their friends, and I think Soujun was the same way. The primary way he shows his affection is by paying attention. Despite how busy he is with his noble obligations, he’ll always make time to help out a friend, or to be a listening ear. He actually listens to the things that people say, and thinks deeply about how his friends tick, and what is the best way to treat them so that they feel loved. When he’s with a friend, he gives them 100% of his attention. He’s proactive about solving problems, and has a lot of resources at his disposal for helping people out, but he also has a good sense of when to step back and just be there. 

Aside:

I honestly cannot answer romantic relationship questions in the generic-- those Character x Reader things are absolutely incomprehensible to me because a relationship is a heart built between two people. 

Up until now, I have actively resisted trying to think about Byakuya’s mother, who doesn’t even have the benefit of a name or a single sentence blurb (I *think* it’s official that she died when he was a baby, possibly in chidlbirth, but I’m not even sure about that), but you people have worn me down, so I made up a mom for B while I was in the shower, so I could answer the other half of this question and the next one.

Based on fanfic I have written in the past, I felt like I had already established that B inherited his artsy side and appreciation for beauty from his father and maternal grandmother, and his stubbornness from his grandfather, so I decided I liked the idea of him inherited his more analytical side (and possibly also the autism) from his mom.

I said earlier that I think Soujun’s marriage was arranged, and I think his own mother, Sonoyo, did most of the legwork in picking out a wife for him. Sonoyo wanted someone who would complement Soujun and make a strong partner for him in running the clan. Chihaya (千羽矢, thousand, wing, arrow) was the daughter from another high ranking family (don’t ask me which one, be happy she got a first name), who was both elegant and refined and exceptionally brilliant. She was skilled in the running of a large household and insightful in the sphere of inter-family politics. She had attended Seireitei University where she had particularly thrived in the topics of military strategy and history, and theoretical mathematics. She was regarded by many as a calculating and cunning woman, which, to be honest, makes for an excellent Kuchiki matriarch. The thing is, though, she wasn’t actually, it’s just that she was very socially awkward, and approaching the noble social scene armed for battle is all she knew how to do (even if it was surprisingly effective). Sonoyo recognized this, and encouraged Soujun to be his usual friendly and welcoming self in their early meetings, and he charmed her with his sweetness and the fact that he wanted to dig a little deeper and get to know her as a person instead of just for her skills as a potential Lady Kuchiki.

Chihaya had always been told she was a prickly and "difficult” person, which is how she thought of herself, and one of the primary ways that Soujun showed his affection to her was by simply refusing to believe this. He noticed that she got irritated by too much ambient noises, and would take the initiative to suggest they leave a party, or ask a servant to close the outside shutters himself, rather than to put the onus on her. He didn’t take it personally when she would dive deep into something interesting she was researching and not want to be disturbed for hours-- he would just slide in very quietly to personally deliver a snack and a glass of water, check that she was okay, give her a kiss on the forehead, and slide out again. He made sure she got a chance to meet all of his friends that he thought she would like the most in one-on-one meetings, because he knew that was a more comfortable conversational setting for her. He was a very good husband, imo. 

💘 -  What do they find attractive about their partner(s)?

First, let’s be abundantly clear: Soujun was absolutely a wifeguy. He thought his wife was the most brilliant person he’d ever met, and would tell anyone who would listen. Soujun was very good at reading people, but he would sometimes get caught up in personalities. Chihaya was much better at seeing straight through a charming smile, and tying together a person’s behavior with their potential motivations, and discerning subtle intrigues in the making. Soujun loved doing postmortems with her on various social gatherings, trying to figure out what people were up to and predicting what they might do next. 

Chihaya a very dry and offbeat sense of humor (hmmm...where have I heard that before?), but Soujun thought she was hilarious. She had previously often relied on a certain degree of cuttingness in her quips, because those landed best with other nobles, but Soujun really liked her ability to associate unexpected things, and her sense of the absurd. “I just love the way your mind works!” is a thing he would often say, and mean it wholeheartedly.

Finally, despite her cool exterior, deep down, Chihaya was actually a very loving person who had a lot of anxiety about showing her true self to the world. Soujun loved the fact that she was willing to be vulnerable with him. He thought she was such a wonderful and precious person, and felt like it was such a gift to be let into her shell. 

 👨‍👩‍👦 -  What’s their relationship with their parents like?

Oh, good, one I’ve actually thought about!

I think Soujun had an absolutely wonderful relationship with his mother. They were two of a kind, and both had the kind of personalities that favored flexibility, compromise, and making sure everyone was happy. They both valued appreciation of beauty and the small joys of life.

Soujun actually got along with his father decently well, all things considered. I think the nature of Soujun’s health problems was that he had a severe illness as a child that nearly killed him. He lived, but was a frail child. As an adult, he had occasional bouts of poor health, and winters were particularly rough on him. Ginrei, who was deeply affected by nearly losing his firstborn, and was not nearly as demanding of him as he otherwise would have been. Later on, he would often question whether he was wrong in this-- if he had driven Soujun to excellence, maybe the young man would have become stronger, maybe he would have overcome his health problems. For his part, Soujun wanted very badly to be a credit to his family. He applied himself to his books and to his swordwork. He was an obedient and filial son, trying to make up what he lacked in physical strength with loyalty. In other words, a lot of the reason they had a good relationship was because it was conducted nearly wholly on Ginrei’s terms.

Things changed a lot with Byakuya’s arrival, or more specifically at the point in Byakuya’s childhood when his potential became clear. Ginrei became focused on Byakuya as the hope of the clan’s future. On one hand, Soujun also wanted great things for Byakuya and for the Kuchiki generally, but he was also determined that Byakuya know he was loved unconditionally, whether he ever made bankai or not. Ginrei found this to be unnecessary coddling, but it was the one thing that Soujun was willing to stand up to his father about. Sonoyo also passed away around this time, which did the situation absolutely no good whatsoever.

🖌 -  Do they have any hobbies?

As I said earlier, I think Soujun was a social butterfly, and spending time with his friends was one of his favorite pastimes. 

He was also a great music lover. He owned a number of musical instruments which he would occasionally play, poorly, mostly notably a flute. (Chihaya played the biwa at a near professional level and he was strictly forbidden from trying to accompany her, although she was otherwise very tolerant of his musical attempts) He loved to go to the orchestra and had numerous musician friends.

Someone where on the intersection between work and hobbies, I think Soujun was an exceptional kidou user, and probably would have gone into the Kidou Corps if he wasn’t the Kuchiki Heir. He had a great fascination with the underlying mechanics of kidou at an academic level, which is how he ended up making friends with Hachi, and was the basis of a lot of their conversations.  

(original ask meme)

[avengernomore]

"Yeah, I just think I wouldn't have had a chance of getting them to like me without you. I'm pretty sure they thought I was just a no-good traitor like most of the village." Although things were getting better in that regard, after he had been working doing mostly D rank missions for many months. No-one would go through all that if they were just going to betray the village, even greenhorn genins weren't fond of D rank missions. "I wouldn't be surprised if you told them you'd elope if they didn't at least give me a chance... and of course I'm not going to leave you. What kind of terrible person would leave a woman that they got pregnant all alone, even if they didn't love her? Considering that I do love you, nothing short of death will take you from me, and even then I'd put up a hell of a fight letting death take me."

"I probably won't make fun about it too much, if it's really so embarrassing to you. I do enjoy teasing you, but I don't want to risk making you hate me. And even if you say that you could never hate me, I'd rather not try to test that or abuse that." He smiled softly, giving her cheek a kiss. "And if you need a hand with it, you know you can ask me." He knew literally nothing about breast pumps or how they worked but he was always willing to help his pregnant wife.

"I... don't want you to feel like you have to quit your job if you don't want to, though. Or be a housewife unless that's what you really want." He paused for a moment, thinking. "We could always try to figure something out, like me only going on missions on certain days, so we could sort of split the time for taking care of Mio. I don't mind taking on a lot fewer missions if it would help, or even taking up a job with the Military Police Force." It wasn't his first choice of job, especially since he didn't want to get any preferential treatment due to the connection the Uchiha historically had with the Military Police Force, even having the Uchiha Clan's symbol in it's symbol, but if it would help lessen the burden of childcare on Sakura...

"...Yeah, it left more than just psychological trauma on you, didn't it?" He'd seen the scar. He knew that it still pained her at times and the wound could re-open if she over-exerted herself. He simply hadn't been able to broach the subject, and didn't think he had enough of a bargaining chip to push her to get the required surgery she would need to fix both the scarring itself and the internal damage that the poison had caused. Maybe he'd be able to convince her to do it when his eyesight started to fade, and he needed to get Itachi's eyes transplanted, but that still seemed like it would be a ways off... "The Mist would certainly be high on my list of places to visit, then. Even if just for a vacation rather than our honeymoon."

"I'll admit, I thought that kunoichi had some sort of birth control jutsu that they could use, since I know what some kunoichi missions can involve." He hummed softly, giving her skin a gentle nip before pulling his head away again. "I guess I really should have asked. But oh well, sometimes life can throw you a curveball... and I think we'd both agree that it only accelerated things that were going to happen anyway. I would have planned it to happen after we got married, but I definitely don't have any regrets about it happening earlier than we expected... and I know that you definitely enjoyed making Mio~" He teased, a playful grin on his lips. "But who knows, maybe sometime I'll be able to resist trying to breed you like an animal and take my time with you... maybe even restrain you a little, and just tease and toy with you until you're begging for me, until you're nearly going mad with pleasure~" He gave a soft little chuckle, leaning in to whisper into her ear. "And who knows, maybe then I'll give it to you... or maybe I'll enjoy keeping you on the edge far too much, hearing the noises you'll make, watching your body twist and writhe~" He gave her earlobe a gentle bite, before pulling away a little. "Although I doubt I'll ever have enough self control to resist you for long... I don't think anyone has that level of self control~"

Sakura’s cheeks puffed up with fluster, “Is that really what he pulled you to the side for? I know he’s joking but ruudddee. I would never force you to be with me against your will.” That was just like her dad making a joke like that, “Okay, maybe I did a lot of the persuading, but they still love you either way. They know you make me happy and you’ve proved to them you aren’t just going to leave me. You intend to be involved in our baby’s life. Their biggest fear was you leaving… But I know you better than that.” She couldn’t imagine Sasuke not wanting to be a part of the baby’s life. He wanted kids after all.

A huff left her, she didn’t even need to answer that question, they both knew the answer to, “Okay, I'll let you make fun of me for it later… And, yes, you’re right, they actually kinda hurt. Any kind of pressure on them kinda makes me want to die.” Maybe she was being a little over dramatic there but still, “Alright, fine, I’ll do it… Just be very flustered the whole time.” Her face was already red. It was just something that came with pregnancy, and she knew she’d have to do it eventually. She just wished it wasn’t so embarrassing! 

“I agree. I don’t want our kids to ever fear they will be without stuff they need, but I don’t want them so spoiled rotten they think they can get everything they want whenever they want. I want them to learn how to earn things.” Growing up poor like she did made her appreciate everything she gets. Sakura wanted their kids to appreciate the things they earned, “I could quit my job and we’d still be set for life. Though, I admit, I’m going to greatly cut my hours for a while. I don’t want to be away from Mio, and the hospital really doesn’t need me there every day. I’m really only called in for really big emergencies. I can do paperwork at home.” She’s been thinking about it for a while, “You’ll be in and out on missions, so I want to be with him, instead of him being constantly with my parents. I don’t mind being a housewife! I’d get to welcome you home too! A housewife that sometimes gets called in to do really gross, messed up surgeries on people.” Sakura let out a small laugh. She just didn’t want the both of them to be too busy for their baby. It was easy for her to step back a bit from her job and just oversee things. A lot easier for her than it would be for Sasuke to stop what he’s doing.

“I… Have nothing against the sand village, just that fight with Sasori really left an impact on me. I’m embarrassed to admit I still have nightmares about it. I don’t want to celebrate my marriage while having flashbacks of nearly dyin’ at the hands of an overgrown doll.” It was just so embarrassing to admit, “The Mist might be nice, now that things aren’t absolutely insane over there. But you’re right, we have time to think about it.”

Once again he had her all flustered and almost unable to look him in the eye, “M-maybe you’re right… I-i do egg it on, a-and I like it when you force me to make all those sounds.” Even if it was so embarrassing to her and she tried to hide them sometimes. Only for Sasuke to force them out of her anyway, “Our first time was supposed to be soft and romantic but we ended up going at it like animals then too. Though it makes me happy you love me so much you can’t help yourself!” Sakura leaned into his nuzzles, and kiss with a smile, “We shouldn’t have been shocked at all over me getting pregnant with how hard we went at it.”

[soft-october-night]

The Love Interests in the Works of Jane Austen: An Assessment

This is an "extremely scientific" and "thoroughly researched" ranking based on personality, money, family and connections, and is a bit of a blend between the book characterizations and the film characterizations (and is in no way only based on my own opinions). Here we go, grouped by book but not much else.

Edmund Bertram: absolute trash. His family has treated you unbelievably shitty since day one and not only has he BARELY noticed, he ALSO has treated you shitty. Will fall in love with someone beautiful and fun and when she dumps him will come crawling to you for a rebound. His passion for you is so lackluster that even the esteemed author who wrote about it barely spared a paragraph on your relationship. Has a job but only because his dad owns the land the church is built on. You’ll gain no connections or family by marrying him, since he’s literally your cousin.  0/10

Henry Crawford: There IS such thing as too much fun, and that is never clearer than in this man, who will try to seduce you as a game, freak out when his middling overtures don’t work and then try and seduce you “for really real” this time. You will definitely move up in the world if you marry him, and if you play your cards right it seems like his sister is also just REALLY into you, so see how that goes. Life will be pretty okay until you find him in bed with one (or more, who knows) of your relations. 3/10, 8/10 if you’re into that

John Willoughby: Will be like something out of a romance novel, you’re thinking he’s going to propose and then he just fucking ghosts you and embarrasses the fuck out of you at a party by acting like he doesn’t know you. Somehow marry him (congrats on the inheritance you must have, btw) and get ready to take a backseat to the whims of his aunt for as long as she lives. 1/10, at least you get to live in a nice house.

Edward Ferrars: Oh Edward. He’s a bit of a mess, isn’t he? Super kind, your family loves him, he made a bunch of stupid decisions in his youth that are coming back to bite him in the ass. He is loyal to an absolute fault, but you luck out when his fiance turns out to be a bit of a gold digger and dumps him when his mom disowns him. He doesn’t have a job and neither do you, but his family doesn’t wanna speak to him (lucky you!) and you’ll be happy and poor together if you two can work on your communication skills. 7/10.

Colonel Brandon: He’s got a nice house, the respect of his friends and the community, and he has a LOT of passion. He’ll give your sister’s penniless husband a job, dramatically rescue you from a rainstorm, make sure his dead girlfriend’s daughter is happy and taken care of even after your ex fucks HER over too, and is all around a pretty decent guy. Just. Uh. Maybe, kinda, sorta, needs to go after women his own age and is probably with you because you remind him of his dead girlfriend. 5/10 with the wildly inappropriate age gap, 9/10 without it.

Mr. Wickham: Please don’t. He’s a thirsty bitch who lives for drama and you think he’s fun until you find out he tried to sleep with one teenage girl and is making eyes at your fifteen year old sister behind your back. Marry him (through the grace of mysterious benefactors, cause he ain’t marrying anyone unless he’s paid the right price) and get ready for a life of being surrounded by military men in the north of England while your husband tries to fuck everything that moves. Work that out somehow with him and you might actually be happy. 0/10.

Mr. Bingley: He is a softboi who will do literally anything his friends tell him to do. He is SUPER rich, and marrying him will throw your sister’s into the path of other rich men and he is REALLY into you, but get ready to be sucking up to his sisters for literally the rest of your life. Unless he can ship Miss Bingley off to live with Mrs. Hurst, have fun trying to wage a war of barely concealed insults over the breakfast table every morning, and if you’re marrying Bingley I’m sorry but that is a war you just cannot win. He doesn’t have a job but he does have five thousand a year, and neither of you can manage money. You’ll love simply and deeply and be happy as any two can be. 8/10.

Mr. Collins: Last resort to rescue yourself from a life of being a burden to your parents until they die and then having to become a governess or something. Has a job but never shuts up about his boss. You will have to rearrange everything in your house according to his boss’ will. 2/10

Mr. Darcy: Is a anxious disaster who doesn’t know how to talk to girls at parties and needs to learn how say no to going out when he’s just not feeling it. He doesn’t have a job because he’s a landlord; he owns half of Derbyshire and has ten thousand a year, but turns out that all of that money and land can’t buy tact or charisma. Doesn’t know how to flirt and thinks he’s doing a great job (he’s not). He’ll propose to you out of the fucking blue one day by insulting literally everything about you, but don’t worry! Reading his letter unlocks Darcy 2.0. This patched version gives him humility, a personality, and he WILL gain the ability to rescue your family from utter ruin. Marry him and enjoy a life of luxury and witty ripostes, but beware! You ARE going to have to deal with Lady Catherine until the day she dies, not to mention Caroline Bingley’s barely concealed contempt every time you meet in polite company. Darcy 1.0 3/10, Darcy 2.0 8/10.

Captain Wentworth: Absolutely top tier. Has a job, has earned everything he has, including a fortune and the respect of his peers, superiors, and subordinates. His sister and her husband are practically the only happily older married couple you know, his friends are super fun and nice (even the dour one with all the poetry knows how to have a polite conversation). If you dumped him ten years ago on the advice of your almost comically shitty family yeah, he’s going to hold a grudge, but he WILL NEVER STOP LOVING YOU and the MOMENT he gets over his pride will do everything and anything in his power (including leaping the bounds of propriety!) to win you back. Based on his love, money, and connections you should RUN, not walk, into his arms TODAY and allow him to rescue you from your family and whisk you off to see the world on his ship, at least until Napoleon busts out of Elba. 12/10

Mr. Eliot: Will lose all your old schoolfriend’s husband’s money in a bad deal, has debts out the ass, might be trying to get with either you or the woman your dad has been flirting with for the last few years, you’re not sure. Is totally ruining the rekindling relationship you’re trying to get going with your far superior ex. He wants the land and title your dad has and will stop at nothing to get it. Marry him and you can move back into your old house (maybe? it’s a little unclear what with all the debts) but have every single cent your mother left you immediately put into some dumbass scheme. 1/10

Henry Tilney: another softboi who just wants to act in the school play while his dad and brother plan to ship him off to military school and berate him for not joining the football team. Bring him shopping with you to pick out dresses, spend long nights over tea chatting about books. Has a job, but again, only because his dad owns the land the church is on. Loves you even though you have some very strange ideas about his house, and will forgive you when he realizes you thought his dad either murdered or imprisoned his mom. If he can find the courage to tell his dad to fuck off and let him live his own life, expect a long, happy marriage of snuggling together in a window seat somewhere, sipping tea and reading. 9/10

John Thorpe: Trash bastard man. Peaked in whatever equivalent of high school he had. Shitty and rude to everyone, would post racist memes on facebook and start fights if he could, all while being shitty and manipulative and CREEPILY possessive of you. -2/10

Robert Martin: A sweet himbo farmer who just wants to love and worship you. He has a job, is pretty rich, and while his connections may not be above his class, he’s an earnest boy who wants to take care of you and be taken care of in turn. Marry him the first time, absolutely do NOT let your friend influence you against him, because who KNOWS if you will get a second proposal! (You will, he likes you THAT much.) Marry him and enjoy a sweet, simple life of exactly zero drama (unless your friend is around). 7/10

Mr. Elton: Trifling gold digging trash who doesn’t know what the word no means. Do not marry, unless you want to be censured by decent, hardworking people -1/10

Frank Churchill: Knows how to have fun, but you know there’s something more going on. He won’t let you see his letters, he sends out secret notes, then he smiles and tells you that everything is totally a okay. Another boy with ANOTHER overbearing aunt, only this one doesn’t know how to say no. Marry him if you’ve got the money, but he will always be longing after the poor girl next door that auntie wouldn’t let him married, and would have cheated on you already if she was into it. 3/10

Mr. Knightly: He’s your brother in law and you’ve known him almost your whole life, so that’s a little sus, but he is also the ONLY person in your entire life who knows how to tell you no (and you really, REALLY need to be told no sometimes.) He is extremely wealthy, but more importantly he’s kind and caring about people who are considered “beneath” him. He will break his weird no dancing rule to dance with your shy friend, he will ream you out for being shitty to unwed spinsters who value your opinion, and somehow has the correct read on everyone all the time. You will gain no connections by marrying him, since the two of you already have the exact same connections anyway, but the two of you should be content in a test of wills that will last a lifetime. You’ll be very happy as long as he doesn’t get super pedantic and start correcting you about everything. 7/10

[sheadre]

Aurora Borealis (Jiang Cheng x Reader) Part Two

Summary: Zhu Ran'En (Reader) the imperial princess, was sent into exile for a crime she did not commit. Meeting Jiang Wanyin, the Yunmeng Jiang sect's leader was not just a chance meeting. Their fates were written in the stars however, her relations to the royal family will never let her live in peace. How will she manage to save the kingdom while trying to keep Jiang Wanyin away from the snakes of the royal family?

Word count: 3281

Warnings: this story contains violence, blood, mindgames, scheming, angst, romance, fluff with Jiang Cheng, awkward flirting.

A/N: If you liked this story, please like and comment or reblog! You may find this story on quotev.com/Vaeri or on ao3. Please check out my other works in the Mo Dao Zu Shi fandom! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy!＜（＾－＾）＞

You sat in silence as you sipped on your tea with your face ordered into nonchalance. You got used to having to wear a neutral mask around people in the palace and it was a habit that couldn’t be easily left behind. Your (e/c) eyes looked the sect leader over who was eying you with suspicion. He was handsome as was told by many in the kingdom, his features chiseled and strong, his body lean and tall. You already had time to check him out when you first encountered him but a second glance couldn’t hurt, now could it?

If you would still be a part of the court, your father would definitely try and engage you to Jiang Wanyin. Your father always wished for a strong son-in-law who could protect his daughter. And this time, you wouldn’t protest.

“Imperial guards are asking about your highness all around the other towns in this region” Jiang Wanyin spoke up with a scowl. “You are already spending your time in exile.”

“My dear cousin wishes to secure her place in the court and fears that I will take action” you shrugged. “Not that she is wrong.”

“Your highness, are you planning something?” Jiang Wanyin grumbled, his eyes sparkling with lightning. “I warn you, there will be innocent people caught in the middle of your war against whoever offended you in the court. I’m here for them.”

“And I tell you that those innocent people might all be wiped out if you try and restrain me from taking action. Do you even know why I’m here?” you narrowed your eyes at him, your fingernails rattling against the wooden surface of the small table. It seemed Jiang Wanyin failed to dig deeper than the rumors going on around about the case, his light blush of embarrassment was indicating that. You sighed heavily and picked up the kettle to refill your cups while taking a breath to continue: “I caught my cousin and uncle, the second prince talking about money embezzlement and money laundering. They realized their mistake and now I’m here. To simply put it…”

“There is something more to that if your highness seems to be in such a distressed state” the sect leader noted calmly his eyebrows still furrowed. You wondered if anything would make him smile in his life. You imagined him smiling and hid the picture in the back of your mind. He would give a magnificent sight for sure.

“I advise you to not interfere with my plans… if a commoner like you get caught in the war of the royal family, what do you think might become your future?” you asked. Sitting back down, you pulled your hands in your lap but held his stare.

“Those kind of wars always end up being the public’s demise. Are you planning on sacrificing innocent people?” Jiang Wanyin asked back lifting his chin and you could tell that he was already determined in getting involved.

“I plan to earn the emperor’s favor again” you replied not wanting to argue anymore with him. There was no point, you could just leave him out of everything. You didn’t need his help nor wanted it. He had no idea of the monsters ruling the kingdom and how many people would be devoured by them. You got reminded of the hard times in the palace you spent with cornering people, avoiding corrupt ministers’ hands grabbing onto your sleeves so they could get you involved in their shady businesses. Your cousin always tried to get you in trouble so you would get executed but to her misfortune you were too smart.

“By starting a war?!” Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth angrily.

“Starting one?!” you jumped to your feet from anger. Of course, the sect leader wouldn’t know about anything of your plans but his nosiness annoyed you. “I’m going to end the rebellion the war generals of Wu, Yan and Jin are planning!”

“Rebellion?” his jaw went slack. You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms in front of your chest with a huff.

“If you were sharp enough to notice the imperial guards roaming the area, you should’ve rather noticed the brewing war under our feet” you noted as you sat back down. You didn’t really care about the fact that he left out your title by now. You were convinced that you didn’t need his help but… maybe you were wrong and should consider accepting his hand if he would offer. You had no army, Jiang Wanyin had, you had no connection to the other sects, he had. Then you started massaging the bridge of your nose continuing: “Forgive me for my words… I did not mean to be so harsh, it is only frustrating me so much that I know what awaits us if my cousin and uncle wins. The emperor is old and sickly, everyone is already preparing for the coronation of Crown Prince… however, without me looking out for his highness, I have no idea if he will live long enough to become emperor.”

Silence stretched between you two, him staring you down while you sipped on your tea with the perfect mask of calm. It was quite easy to pull it on by now. You were already planning your next move as you sat there. Perhaps, Jiang Wanyin could be a key character in your heroic story, you just needed to pull the strings in the right way… but that was quite hard.

“Your highness, I am only here to warn you” Jiang Cheng spoke up suddenly and stood up then. “Do not sacrifice innocent people.” His eyes were spitting lightning at you from where he stood before Jiang Cheng turned around and stormed out of the mansion. You smiled at his lack of manners, his temper reminded you of a friend you left in the palace. You wondered how Xiao Pei was doing now that he was by himself. He got a high rank in the military but everyone knew of your good relations. He was like a little brother to you.

You knew that Jiang Wanyin will come back to you in the near future. The news about a rebellion of the three small counties was spreading. Wu, Yan and Jin generals had authority over the three counties closest to where Yunmeng was located. Yunmeng would be the first to meet their united armies once the generals would advance towards the capital. However, you had much to do in the meantime. With a smirk you went back to your study and rolled out a blank parchment.

Jiang Cheng’s PoV.

Jiang sect leader was furious by the way the princess was acting. There was a war brewing under their feet and she was only adamant on getting her place back at the palace. Her position was more important to her than anything else! She was just like the other royals, sacrificing innocent people for wealth and power. He felt foolish for hoping that maybe Zhu Ran’En was different and was rebelling to stop injustice. He was wrong.

For a second he hoped that she was different, that she was using the dark ways of cultivation because she needed to. However, the evil glint in her eyes told him otherwise. Arriving back to Yunmeng gave him a feeling of calm and tranquility. As the days passed, he easily forgot about the princess, work piling up. He spent nights figuring out the financials and counting how much money they needed for the replacements of training dummies and other supplies. Wei Wuxian showed up with his… husband, Hanguang-Jun and was annoying Jiang Cheng to the point he was sporting a massive headache.

“Ah, Jiang Cheng! I heard you went after the Dark Princess!” Wei Ying burst into the study with a large excited grin on his face. Wanyin was already starting to massage his temples but had yet to yell at his brother. “Is she as pretty as the rumors say?! How was she?!”

“Why are you so excited suddenly, ay?” Wanyin asked back as he put down the brush knowing that he won’t be doing any more progress today. “Have you got tired of Hanguang-Jun?”

“Wha-?! Why are you saying such things, Jiang Cheng?!” Wei Wuxian leaned forward right into Jiang Cheng’s face with a scrutinizing gaze before his face lit up like he found the problem for world peace. “Are you being defensive because you like her?!”

“Wha-?! Why would I like her?!” Wanyin jumped up to his feet with his fists trembling by his sides. “She’s evil and vicious! She’s not pretty at all! Just one of the pampered princesses only caring about wealth!”

“Did you get rejected by her?” Wei Ying narrowed his eyes in thought as he tried to guess. “That is why you’re so sour, Jiang Cheng?”

“Who is sour?! Huh?!” Wanyin felt like jumping out of his skin. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to strangle his brother or run away and never look back until he found peace. Lately that term seemed to not exist. People were always finding him for something. A broken practice dummy here, a young disciple in need of a practice sword because the one he had was lost to the river or broken. Was it really such a luxurious request to just be left alone for a while?

What irked the sect leader even more was the fact that Wei Wuxian was not the first person to ask him about the matters of marriage. The elders expressed their concern of a sect heir because other men in his age was already married with at least two children. It wasn’t about him not having any interest in the matter but he was just too busy to think about it. He had no time to court anyone and he refused to just marry a woman he never met before.

“Wei Ying” came suddenly Hanguang-Jun’s quiet voice and just like an obedient pet, Wei Wuxian turned to his husband with a wide smile on his face and hurried over to the entering cultivator. At least, Hanguang-Jun still had manners and bowed to Jiang Cheng upon entering the study. “It is time we leave Jiang sect leader to his duties and do not bother him longer. We have to take care of those ghosts in Chongyang.”

“Alright…” the Yiling Patriarch sighed deflating at the lost chance to annoy his brother further. Jiang Wanyin walked his guests out to the pier with prayers to the heavens for helping him out. His thoughts then turned back to Zhu Ran’En. What was she planning? She was so sure about her success it was giving him chills. She was definitely an enemy he didn’t want to make.

At Chongyang:

The city was quiet. The people were all acting scared and worried, lines were forming on their forehead the second they spotted someone unfamiliar. Fog was encasing the whole city, vendors closed their shops and went to somewhere safe. The small inn which welcomed Hanguang-Jun and Wei Wuxian with reluctance was close to the middle of the city. Wei Wuxian tried to ask around about the sightings of the ghosts but got short replies of the same kind. All of the people were talking about the grey clothed ghosts or corpses who roamed the city at night and killed those who stepped foot on the streets. A few men mentioned that it all started after the appearance of a man in the clothes of the royal officials. No one knew what the man was doing in the city or if he was still around.

It all sounded suspicious to him. So Hanguang-Jun and Wei Ying decided to stay at the inn and see what happens at night. Wei Wuxian sat with his back to his husband’s chest when his ears suddenly perked up at the sound of an erhu. He jumped up and went to the window not caring about his state of clothing. He scanned the area with his eyes narrowed and soon spotted a dark figure standing on the rooftop of the building forty chi distance far from his position. The delicate figure of a woman was sitting on the rooftop with an erhu in her lap. A cold calmness was surrounding her as the wind blew her long dark hair.

“Lan Zhan, look” he mumbled while his husband walked up behind him.

“Resentful energy” Hanguang-Jun said with a low voice.

“Mnn” Wei Wuxian nodded and pulled his robes tighter around himself fixing it before grabbing Chenqing. “Let’s check it out!”

Your PoV.

The city was quiet as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. You always loved to watch life go by under your feet when you observed the world from the rooftop of a building. It was calming, like you weren’t a part of the world and could disappear from sight to watch everything happen without actually taking part in anything. You sat there in silence as the sky turned dark and the stars appeared. The fog around the city only obscured the vision of the starry night sky from those who stood below. However, you could easily admire the beauty of the night. Then you heard it. Otherworldly grunts and moans coming from below.

Liu Minister, who visited the city a few days ago and whom you should’ve met here disappeared when the animated corpses started roaming the city at night. The minister – who was your good ally – sent letter to you about someone following him since he left the Imperial palace in the capital. Pulling out your erhu from your back, you smiled mischievously while you hummed a tune. A tune you learnt from your mother. 恶梦È mèng (Wicked Dream) was the song your mother taught you when her family was accused of treason and got executed. After that, your mother lost the favor of the emperor and was the laughing stock of the people in court. The night you found her dead body, you heard those notes coming from her quarters. You promised yourself to find her killer because even if she was ashamed, even if she lost the favor of the emperor, she would’ve never committed suicide.

The notes were flying in the air as you played. Resentful energy surrounding you before black mist circled the animated corpses and closed around them. You were curious if the culprit would show themselves if you annoyed them with binding the corpses together. Your ears then perked up and before the two newcomers could land on the rooftop you were sitting on, you jumped over to another one.

“Ah, I remember you!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed with a large grin on his face. “You’re the lady who gave up the table for us!”

“Ahaha, nice seeing you again, Young master” you smiled at him.

“You’re using resentful energy” Hanguang-Jun stated but his tone was not scolding. There was no warning in his words, just a simple statement, an observation. You expected a different reception when you thought about meeting this pair again.

“What can this humble one do?” you asked, shrugging your shoulders with a pout. “This is the only way for me to cultivate.”

“Don’t you have a golden core, Imperial Princess?” the Yiling Patriarch asked then. Your smile widened before you let out a mirthful laugh. He was smarter than you thought he was. If he would be your opponent at court, you would have fun for sure.

“A princess is taught to learn embroidery and etiquette, Wei gōngzǐ” you replied squinting your eyes before turning to the corpses. “Don’t you find it interesting that these appear once a minister disappears? Hmn?”

You were well aware of him noticing how you changed the subject but it seemed he decided not to object to it. It was clear you weren’t his enemy which in your opinion was based on where he was standing when your plans were executed. Opinions and interests can change in a matter of time after all. Then you heard clapping from down below. Tap. Tap. Tap-tap. Tap. Tap-tap-tap. It was repeated once more before the corpses broke out of your energy shield. Their angry moans and grunts could be heard as they approached the buildings you were standing on. Soon, screaming was heard from the house and you saw that it was the house of a merchant.

You stamped your foot on the tiles which broke under the force and a hole opened up under you. You landed inside the bedroom of the frightened merchant and his wife who were hiding behind the over turned table. The corpses stumbled inside toppling over each other but you were quick enough the cut them off before they could get to the pair. Hanguang-Jun and Wei Wuxian was soon following you through the hole and before you had to say anything, Lan Wangji grabbed the husband and wife and took them to safety. Unleashing your full power felt like you opened the gate of a dam. Yet it felt even more liberating when the Yiling Patriarch followed you in tow.

You saw the grin spreading on his lips and knew that he felt the same thing. This burst of power was enough to decapitate all the corpses in close proximity. You hurried downstairs and went out to the street to be faced with more animated corpses. Your sword was a simple sword but was your trusted ally in battles by now. It shimmered in the light of the few lampions placed above the street. Otherwise, the fog made it hard to see further than one chǐ. (That’s like half a meter)

You heard someone whistle with the wind from the distance. You cursed under your breath knowing that the culprit was already too far for you to catch up.

“Lan Zhan went after him” Wei Wuxian spoke up from behind you suddenly. Then you heard the dull thud of corpses falling to the ground. The puppet master was too far to control the corpses.

“He’s too far by now…” you sighed with your eyebrows furrowed.

“Your Highness seems to be upset” he noted stepping closer to you.

“The Minister who visited the city before the corpses appeared…” you started staring at the ground as the fog dissolved around you. “He is a good man but I think he is dead by now or at least the culprit took him with themselves.”

“You are familiar with the minister, aren’t you, Your Highness?” he asked.

“Stop calling me that, Wei gongzi” you shook your head with a sad smile. “I no longer possess the title, not officially.”

“The man got away” Hanguang-Jun spoke up once he landed in front of the two of you. “But he tried to obscure my vision with this.” He lifted his hand with a handkerchief in it. Your eyes widened and quickly approached him taking it from his outstretched hand. The fabric was one of the most expensive materials, only the imperial palace had access to something of the kind. It was a pearly white with the symbol of the Huang house.

“That dirty pip-squeak! Cui!*” you spat angrily as your hand curled into a fist with the handkerchief between your fingers.

“I assume your highness is troubled over the matter” Wei Wuxian quipped curiosity shining in his eyes. You turned around and started walking towards the other direction as you said.

“This is an Imperial matter, please stay out of trouble” your voice rang through the street even when the fog already swallowed you. “This is way too dangerous for those who do not belong to the court.”

To be continued…

*Cuì=啐 is a sound for spitting.

[asianhappinesss]

Novoland: Pearl Eclipse

Summary

Hai Shi’s village was burdened with a high pearl tax ostensibly on the Emperor’s orders. These pearls are obtained from mermaids’ tears and the villagers were forced to go out to the sea to trick them into crying. Hai Shi’s father was killed on one such trip while Hai Shi was saved by a mermaid, Lang Huan, who established a connection with her. Upon returning to the village, soldiers were on a rampage after seizing Hai Shi’s haul of pearls. She bumped into Fang Zhu while trying to escape and made the choice to disguise as a boy to be his disciple. Fang Zhu is the right hand man of the Emperor with a mission to protect the latter.

Years later, Hai Shi has grown up but still harbors a mistaken grudge against the Emperor for the pearl tax. She changes her stance after learning that there is more to the story. She then joins the military and jumps up in rank which worries Fang Zhu due to safety concerns and her secret identity as a woman. This is because the kingdom is facing threats from neighboring states and there are moles within with a mastermind that Fang Zhu is finding hard to uncover.

In the meantime, Hai Shi has fallen for Fang Zhu who secretly loves her back. But he rejects her to keep her protected which becomes a barrier to their relationship.

Review

It is clear that Novoland: Pearl Eclipse is a big budget production with elaborate costumes, great cinematography, and top stars as the leads. So, you can be assured that this would have a certain quality to make it watchable. Having said that, I think it still falls a little short compared to other top rated Chinese dramas in the past such as Nirvana In Fire and The Untamed. This is mainly because the story isn’t as riveting with the way it is told and edited.

As you watch, it is quite obvious that certain scenes have been cut that the story flow becomes disjointed. For instance, the leads are shown falling off a cliff in one episode but we are not told what happened thereafter. Then, they just reappeared a little while later with no explanation offered. Simply put, the editing is not perfectly done in this drama.

Apart from that, the story is not told in a straightforward manner. You are given bits of what happened in the past between the 2 male leads every now and then through flashbacks as well as dialogues. So, it takes time to piece everything together. Similarly, the protagonist’s plots are never fully revealed. You will only be shown half of it initially with his actions becoming questionable, only for it to take a different turn later on. The way he handled Zhe Liu is one example of this slow reveal kind of storytelling with a twist.

Perhaps this is a way to get viewers hooked to the drama but it does become a little overdone to me after a few times. The plot also doesn’t have enough excitement to pull this off successfully especially when those twists to the story tend to fall flat.

Master-Disciple Romance Plot

Novoland: Pearl Eclipse is really about master and disciple romance amidst a plot to overthrow the Emperor and the effort to flush out the moles within the palace. This is a slow burn romance as feelings have to be hidden due to the male lead’s blood bond with the Emperor. But he loved her immensely and was always thinking of her safety with enemies lurking around. He would often hide things from her to the extent of hurting her feelings in the name of protecting her from danger.

Therefore, you will get plenty of those torment on the girl’s part because she is always kept in the dark and thought that her master didn’t really love her. I guess if you like this kind of painful love and feel that hiding things to keep the girl safe is romantic, then Novoland: Pearl Eclipse will succeed in evoking those deep emotions within you. But if you are the type who prefers upright honesty from the hero rather than pushing her away in the name of love, then this will be a let down.

As for the power struggle, it is a collection of subplots that are not effectively fleshed out. It is not convoluted like the Legend Of Fei but it lacks depth with a few villains rather than one big bad guy. Basically, these villains are there to drive the romance of the main couple forward as their schemes would put the heroine in danger.

Leads’ Chemistry

Personally, I don’t see sizzling chemistry between Yang Mi and Willian Chan. In fact, I think Yang Mi has much better chemistry with Mark Chao in Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms. Perhaps that is because Hai Shi and Fang Zhu’s romance is kind of forbidden and he is always hiding his feelings. Fang Zhu is also a very complex character with emotions being deeply buried in his heart. Hence, I feel that William Chan failed to flesh out the different layers of the character effectively. Most of the time, he just appears as icy and stiff but I think there is more to Fang Zhu than that as he is a tormented man who also has desire, guilt, and frustrations in him.

I think Xu Kai Cheng did a better job with his character and I much prefer his acting here than the one in A Female Student Arrives At The Imperial College. At the very least, he could portray the dark and lonely side of Emperor Xu rather convincingly. In fact, I get the feeling that William Chan seems to have better chemistry with him than with Yang Mi in the drama.

As for Yang Mi, she still could play a girlish character well despite her age. I guess this is nothing new to her as she was also playing a cross-dresser with a mischievous personality in the first part of Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms. Being a seasoned actress, she could switch effortlessly from being girlish to being regal and back again as the story requires. It is just a pity that her chemistry with William Chan feels a little muted. Otherwise, this would be a much more memorable drama.

The Imperfect Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

For me, the ending is merely okay. It is realistic because it is Fang Zhu’s fate to be tied to the emperor of the day as the Fang clan has been for centuries. But at the same time, it lacks that finality that viewers crave for regarding Fang Zhu and Hai Shi’s relationship. While I’m not hard up for a happily ever after, I would have preferred for the screenwriters to give us some indication as to the nature of their relationship at the end.

As it is, it is really up to you how you want to see the couple and imagine their future. Personally, the ending has a bittersweet tinge to it with both of them still alive but sacrificing their carefree lives together for the sake of their friends’ young son.

My Verdict – Good To Watch!

While Novoland: Pearl Eclipse has its flaws, it is still a highly watchable drama. It could have been more highly rated if the editing is better and scenes are not cut out unnecessarily so much so that the third couple becomes an afterthought towards the end. But I guess the positive consequence from it is that the drama becomes less dragged out. The story flows pretty fast at times which minimizes boredom.

This is also not a fluffy kind of romance drama but neither is it as tormenting as One And Only. But it is certainly far from sweet like your typical rom-coms. The main couple has lots of interactions but few loving scenes in the entire 48 episodes. Maybe that could make some viewers feel the love more deeply as every one of these rare moments naturally become precious. There are a few kissing scenes but nothing too steamy either. It is not that kind of romance drama that relies on passion to drive the story but rather unexpressed love and devotion.

For this Novoland: Pearl Eclipse review, the score I would give is 7.5/10. It lacks that riveting feel to me unlike The Long Ballad because the story relies too much on pushing-the-girl-away-to-protect-her trope to drive it. Nevertheless, this is not a bad production overall. Despite the weaknesses, you will still be drawn to the story because you will want to know what will happen to the 3 couples and the moles’ identity. It is not a gripping saga but has enough anticipation and twists to make you sit through to the end.