#and she becomes the noblewoman she never wanted to be lmao

[markantonys]

I'm at the end of TFOH and something else I noticed. The nobles do fear Rand cause of his anger and him making them less powerful cause he makes it so the laws apply to them now but it's a plot point that Rand consistently has to remind them that he can channel and that he will go mad. Cause they're actively trying to ignore that. It isn't until the docks when two Tairen lords see him channeling against Lanfear that they start to fear him cause he can channel. Knowing it is one thing, seeing it is something else. So like people complaining about the show not addressing this yet... it's not relevant til the end of book 5!

another very interesting observation!! i remember a scene in cairhien in TFOH when a noblewoman is trying to hit on him for personal gain and he (intentionally) freaks her out by reminding her that he can channel, and we saw something similar with berelain in TSR too, where she was all hellbent on seducing him but then got freaked out by the the whole bubble of evil incident and switched her sights to perrin instead. it definitely makes sense for people to view him almost as more of a regular warlord until they actually see concrete evidence of his channeling abilities. like you say, watching him channel is different from just knowing that (he says) he can!

so there really is 0 need for the show to have shown people being scared of rand's channeling abilities in only the first 2 seasons. even so, they did show it with "selene's" reaction! obviously it was all an act, but it was still a good representation of how the average person would react to watching rand channel right in front of them and it gives the audience a good sense of what's to come once rand becomes a notable public figure and has to face an increasing number of reactions to his abilities. but he isn't there yet.

as far as i can remember, the only significant negative reaction from books 1-3 that's missing from the show is mat's, but i am far from displeased with the show softening mat's attitudes towards channelers, not least because of the romance coming his way. Channeler Hater who has many channeler besties falling in love with Channeler Enslaver who reinforces all his worst prejudices just feels very..........malicious, and putting mat on better footing with channelers to start with definitely eases some of that nastiness, not to mention sets up for a more interesting dynamic where he actually challenges tuon on her views rather than becoming her yes-man. like, a non-channeler main good guy having some anti-channeler prejudice issues could have been an interesting storyline, but i would have preferred it if it wasn't the same non-channeler main good guy who was going to have the romance with the head channeler enslaver villain lmao that's just not a great combination unless you're TRYING to tell a cynical depressing tale of radicalization into a hate group, which i do not think RJ was trying to do with mat.

(it's possible show!mat may still develop some kind of anxiety/animosity around the power, depending on if his medallion is still framed as him wanting protection from channelers. but even if that does happen, show!mat would still never start turning a blind eye to channeler enslavement! granted, early book!mat would never have done that either, even early early "rand channeling is like him eating babies" mat would never have done that.)

[masterhandss]

How would you describe the original Katarina’s personality?

Hmm, that's kinda hard to answer. I feel like I've read so much FL!Katarina fanfics that i'd be combining canon and fanon interpretations of her haha.

(I'll be calling Hamefura Katarina "Bakarina" and Fortune Lover Katarina "Catarina" so I don't have to write FL!Katarina lmao)

There's not really a lot we know about the Fortune Lover version of the characters except for the surface level stuff. People have come up with their own explanations and extensions to those incarnations of the cast based on what little we know, creating interpretations based on our own suspicions and understanding of the life they could have lived if Bakarina had never bumped her head.

Bakarina described herself as a spoiled, prideful and selfish wealthy lady. She is far too spoiled, to the point where her selfishness causes problems for others. She is catty and brat. She was raised like a princess during her childhood, which made her haughty, but is nonetheless well-mannered is aware of her station (probably not as perfect as Mary's, but is still prim and proper). Since she is so used to the spotlight being on herself, she bullied Keith who was a threat to her position and because of the influence of her dejected mother, Miri. She doesn't care about anybody who isn't on her radar (people like Alan and Mary, who even her own fiance is indifferent towards) but will visibly act hostile to people she does not like (people who either not of noble birth or those who don't deserve to be, like Maria and Sophia).

Being the haughty daughter of a duke, she has high regards towards the importance of ranks in high society, making her hate Maria the commoner. She would belittle and put her down at every opportunity she can get, in order to make sure that Maria does not forget her status as a commoner even as she continues to stay in the academy and interact with their peers. Her feelings of disgust and betrayal over being on equal grounds with a commoner in the academy, as well as being surpassed by her magically and academically, leads Catarina to bully and harass her to an extreme degree to destroy her self-esteem and eventually make her leave the academy entirely.

In Fortune Lover 2, she returns as a villain who is intent on making Maria pay for her downfall. It shows that she isn't remorseful, and still thinks that she had done nothing wrong. At this point, Catarina goes from a selfish and spoiled brat duchess to a vengeful (and kinda murderous) villainess.

That's kinda all that I got from skimming Volume 1 or the light novels at the moment; I'm sure there are still some insight on what Catarina was like in the other books, besides what we know of her relationships with the other volumes.

While Verge of Doom in mind, we see that Catarina's overconfidence in herself can become a positive as well. She is so sure of herself that she declared anyone by her side is excellent and worthy to a degree, which had helped Sienna feel comfortable being in the academy. Katarina always has her chin up high, even though she is intellectually and magically weak, because her upbringing has made her feel like she is naturally leagues above everyone due to her status.

Catarina is just your typical surface-level villainess character, who is prideful, selfish and mean to other people who isn't in her circle. That's pretty much it to be honest.

Anything beyond this is pretty much laced with analysis and interpretation. One of the reasons why I really like reading FL-verse fics is the different ways they interpret the personalities and motivations of the characters with the little amount of history that we know of. Some of it are pure interpretation, while some of them are good extensions to the stuff we already knew.

Since Catarina is implied to not being good at reading the room, it'd be no surprise to imagine that her growing love for Prince Geordo is the outcome of not being able to read beyond his princely facade, thinking that he genuinely is returning the feelings rather than just being polite since that is expected of him. She lives in this perfect world where everything is made for her, and anyone who threatens it or disturbs it is worthy of her malice.

Some interpretations of Catarina say that she never bothered to try academically because of her status, since she's a prince's fiancee and a duke's daughter, she already has everything so there's nothing she would gain from a good grade. She had probably used her time socializing and growing her circle of followers rather than reading and studying. Since Catarina and Bakarina share the same soul, some would say that maybe she is airheaded and socially dense as well which is why she can't tell that other people dislike her (and even if she did know, depending on who they are she'd be so full of herself that she wouldn't care). Some have said that her physical abuse towards Keith as a child is more than just arrogance about wanting to keep the spotlight on herself and rejecting the idea of having a brother, but a reaction towards feeling threatened and (initially) scared rather than pure jealousy and anger. Some have even made her an accidental seductress who is unknowingly using her charm, wealth and arrogance to gather people to her side. Miridiana from what we know is an insecure person growing up due to her face, so some people have said that Catarina's arrogance is encouraged by Miri, if it helps her be more confident in herself as a duchess, and that in her eyes Catarina had grown into a perfect noblewoman.

Whenever fic writers try to draw lines between Catarina and Bakarina makes me happy actually :DD I love the idea that two have some similar quirks in the same way Aachan and Sophia does. It's so fun when writers make Catarina dumb in the way Bakarina is, while still maintaining her air of arrogance and poise.

It really makes me wish we could have seen more of Catarina in Verge of Doom. Like, have more flashbacks to Catarina's original personality, or have more scenarios where she is forced to act like her villainous self in order to get through a situation. At this point even the main story has more instances of this qwq. I mean it's really good that VOD gives a more remorseful Katarina, and it is interesting to see Catarina and Bakarina react to situations in the exact opposite ways, but one can dream, ya know?

Catarina is as simple of a villainess as one can get, but it's nice to see people try to give more history, detail and nuance to that villainy. It's fun to see it in fanfics, but let's not forget that she's a simple character in canon.

There's still so much I could say, but it's been so long since i've read a hamefura fanfiction so my stock knowledge is dried out lmao. I'm not a writer, so I can only really describe what I remember from reading Fortune Lover-verse fics. I really like them, even if they can be out of character and too different from the source material at times.

If anyone wants to add with more details about Catarina, or their own interpretations of her character, that would be awesome! :DD

Thank you for the ask :DD

[kalach-cha]

ohhhh for the headcanon ask game thing how about one for dismas and/or one for any character of your choice? If you wanna, ofc!

hi! sorry it took so long for me to get to this lmao. i’ll do this for dismas and audrey-

dismas:

a. he probably also has a lot of religious trauma, though it stems from a different place from reynauld’s. a relationship between the two of them would be extremely difficult to navigate, especially considering their clashing moral values and past when it comes to their murder of innocents.

b. he took one look at swole holy-man and was instantly ride-or-die, like ‘you’re hot, i’m hot, let’s fuck shit up until the day we die’ and just dropped his religious and moral hesitations like a sack of potatoes

c. they actually would have an extremely negative impact on each other, and either dismas’ recklessness would rub off on reynauld and put him in an early grave, or reynauld’s lack of remorse for the people he’s killed would drive dismas down a dark path, leading him to become much more apathetic and ruthless

d. they both realise how fucked up their pasts were, say ‘fuck the church’, and retire to a small cottage where reynauld has a garden and dismas makes candles for a living. they just straight up ditch the hamlet and go live their best gay cottagecore dreams

audrey:

a. audrey probably was forced into an abusive arranged marriage and either had her husband killed or turned a blind eye when assassins came to kill him in order to take back her family’s fortune

b. she was actually never a noble, but para and dismas kept pestering her about her past and she panicked and told them she was a noblewoman, but in reality she was just a thief/grave robber and wanted to hide that, so she lied to cover up the fact that her fancy clothes did, in fact, come off of corpses

c. she actually really loved her husband and was devastated when he was murdered, and his killers threatened her, so she dug up his grave and stole what few valuables she had buried with him in order to escape and make a new life for herself. she’s never forgiven herself for disturbing his grave, and she drinks and masks her regret by putting on a devil-may-care persona but she secretly wishes she’d died with him

d. she wasn’t a noblewoman, but a con woman, and she conned the most handsome man in her hometown/region into marrying her. when he inevitably found out, she panicked, killed him, and stole whatever she could in order to create a false identity for herself and escape the wrath of his family

[gizkasparadise]

cdrama rec: goodbye, my princess

Master drama rec list.

Series: goodbye, my princess / the eastern palace Episodes: 52 (regular) 55 (director’s cut--this is the version i watched) Genres: tragedy, romance, train wreck, historical, political, costume porn, scenery porn Spoilers in the Rec: for the set-up If You Like, You’ll Like: “what are you going to do, stab me?” says man stabbed, moon lovers but make it worse, empress ki, a show where literally every love confession ends with someone using a knife, a v fucked up deconstruction of the “runaway princess” trope

Rank: 9.5/10

^ yes this looks v. healthy, soak those clothes in the cold water of the river styx it’ll be fine

PREMISE

xiaofeng is a very bubbly and naive princess from western liang state, where she’s grown up happy and sheltered. her father is pro-peace with the li empire, and makes an arranged marriage for her to their crown prince. being a Precocious Naive Young Royal with a certified Thing for her teacher, gu jian (who seems Stoic but is actually a Softie), she eventually convinces him to run away with her so she can avoid the marriage. 

little does she know that gu jian is actually a sleeper agent for a disgraced family of the li empire who are willing to do anything to get power VENGEANCE honor again.

 wow, this will be fun she said. this will be good, she said. 

meanwhile...

prince li chengyin, the 5th prince, is accompanying his elder brother, the crown prince, to western liang in order to broker a marriage with their princess. on the way they are ambushed by what look like members of the danchi--a nomadic, warrior state. the crown prince is killed, and the 5th prince is left for dead. eventually, chengyin makes his way to western liang, where he learns about the history of his mother’s family, the gus, and meets his cousin gu jian. together, they vow for power VENGEANCE honor as well as a way to uncover the truth about the murder of the crown prince

one way to do that is to figure out a way to infiltrate the danchi

conveniently, gu jian knows a runaway princess whose grandfather is their leader.

ope. i came out here to have a good time

gu jian and chengyin conspire to have chengyin pose as gu jian’s Totally Normal Cousin Who is Definitely Not An Enemy Royal as they help the princess “run away” from an unwanted marriage to the “safety” of her grandfather’s people.

 ah. ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. hah.

MAIN CHARACTERS

xiaofeng

our titular princess!!! omg does she have a wild fucking ride of character development. happy and sheltered! oh no. oh no. oh, god. happy again! oh god. no. oh fuck. 

she’s awesome. growing up in the desert (her father’s people) and the steppe (her mother’s people), xiaofeng’s lived a pretty great life of mischief and riding horses. incredibly kind and extroverted, she makes friends everywhere and a lot of them are women and that is Awesome. not a mean bone in her body. wine-child who likes to cross dress. cdrama’s best dressed.

prince li chengyin / gu xiaowu

the 5th prince of the li empire and wants power VENGEANCE honor for his momma. he infiltrates xiaofeng’s Runaway Marriage Camping Trip in the hopes of uncovering military secrets of the danchi, to get vengeance for his brother and also some military merit so he can get more vengeance. 2 vengeances for one betrayal--sweet deal. however, on the way to the danchi, he hardcore falls for xiaofeng even though he’s lowkey trying to bring about devastation for her family. ruh oh. 

falls in love with the Mark, betrays people constantly and then wonders why they’re mad at him. the show/narrative never, at any point, tries to hide the fact that he is making some Severely Fucked Up Decisions and it’s amazing. genuinely loves xiaofeng very, very much. epitome of “you made your bed now lie in it.” 

gu jian

xiaofeng’s teacher and also her first love. he has feelings for her back, but he’s Bound by Duty to the gu family and subsequentially the li empire. he chooses duty, and orchestrates the meeting between xiaofeng and chengyin “xiaowu” in order to get chengyin in the door to the danchi tribe. he then watches them fall in love, fully knowing the fucked up shit that’s about to go down and how much pain it will cause xiaofeng. 

wears oversized scarves because a dude’s gotta accessorize. dramatically observes people from tall places like a sailor moon villain. whistle baby whistle baby let him know

SOME SUPPORT CHARACTERS SELECTED BY HOW MUCH THEY ARE MY FAVORITES

a’du

Q U E E N. a member of the danchi tribe, and xiaofeng’s best friend and bodyguard and girlfriend. xiaofeng says punch and a’du says how hard. the two of them are ride or die together, and a’du would do anything for xiaofeng. does not approve of any of her boyfriends in any capacity because LMAO she has eyes.

general pei

the Strong, Silent type and a general who is loyal to the li empire and serves chengyin. he befriends xiaofeng and genuinely cares about her. she teaches him the flute and he plays it for her whenever she’s sad and it’s precious :(. unclear whether or not his feelings for her are platonic or romantic, but it’s all v Pure and Well-Meaning. the ladies love him

he shi

(far right) a’du’s brother and the danchi’s best warrior. look he’s barely in this but i have a thing for friendly giants and this one plays the flute

mi luo

spy-turned-bar owner from western liang, who becomes one of xiaofeng’s best friends. she’s just a really cool lady and she keeps everyone absolutely hammered throughout the story, which they all need. to cope.

OTHER SUPPORT CHARACTERS THAT ARE NOT MY FAVORITES BUT ARE IMPORTANT TO THE PLOT AND/OR I WAS TOO LAZY TO MAKE A SCREENCAP OF

zhao se se. a noblewoman in the li empire who has been in love with chenglin forever

the empress. basically every cdrama empress you’ve ever encountered. moving on.

khan tömür. ACTUALLY one of my favorites but i was too lazy to get a screencap. xiaofeng’s grandpa and leader of the danchi. loves his grand daughter so, so much. does not approve of any of her boyfriends either because he also has eyes.

ming yue. a famous courtesan in the li empire who xiaofeng later befriends. she’s a perfectly fine character i was just bored w/ her subplot.

gao yuming. every Evil Minister you’ve seen in a cdrama, although he gets extra points for having one of the most annoying, blatantly evil voices of all time

second prince, li chengye. i actually liked him a lot too. the crown prince after the first crown prince dies, chengyin’s brother. anything else is spoilers

Drawbacks

there were a couple of subplots that i had 0 interest in, which is what kept this from being a perfect 10 for me. i didn’t care about anything related to minister gao + the empress, but that’s admittedly because im not all that into palace politics. the ming yue stuff was also not that interesting to me because i’ve seen that subplot a billion times.

nothing else enjoy the fucking ride.

Reasons to Watch.

this show makes no secret that it’s not going to be a good time. you jump in fully aware that it’s a tragedy and knowing that ahead of time makes it so much better. you see chengyin start to gradually lose his shit and it’s amazing. it’s so good. 

character development! almost every character grows (or destructs) based on what’s happening around them and i was really impressed with it. xiaofeng’s in particular.

ACTING. omg both the leads killed it. you can see the switches flip and it p much defines the show-not-tell i love it

music! it’s really pretty ;; 

FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS. FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS EVERYWHERE. xiaofeng makes so many friends and it warms my heart

if you’re into fucked up romances that also have moments of genuine cuteness/softness this is 100% your thing

The Aesthetic. costumes and scenery are on point, behold a parade of images:

(the Red Dress is iconic but this ^ is actually my favorite costume of hers)

Final Thoughts

[kuningannasansa]

A musketeers rewatch (that nobody asked for) 1x07

Here we go, my least favorite episode of the whole show excluding season three which I didn’t watch! If you have even a passing fondness for Ninon, I suggest you look away :)

We start with a royal procession through the crowd and there are quite a lot of waving people there. If they can fill the streets with extras for scenes like that, why can those same extras not be used for the court scenes?

Priest whose name I have forgotten is being robbed. The musketeers rush in to help. 

Meanwhile, a crazy girl tries to get close to the queen and ends up being ran over by her carriage. If this is meant to be some Emily Davison analogy, it sucks!

The dead lunatic’s name is Therese and she wanted to give the Queen a note. Constance takes it and says “Fleur, what does this mean?” Am I supposed to take from that that she cannot read for herself? Cause a merchant’s wife definitely, definitely would know how to do that. 

Fleur is nowhere to be seen, however.

“This is an age of glorious discovery!” says Ninon. “Galileo observes the moons of Jupiter... But what is the role of women in this age of wonder?” - well, gee, i don’t know Ninon. Maybe you could have mentioned some female scientists of the era in addition to Galileo? Catherine de Parthenay, anyone? Or Marie Fouquet? Hell, Ninon de l'Enclos, my atheist queen, for whom this Ninon is doubtless named, was a notable woman in her own right! But no, we have to make women look more oppressed than they actually were to make this waste of space look more awesome. 

“My women of Paris, seek your own enlightenment!” - wrong era!

Therese, an orphan from a humble background, wanted to hand a petition to the queen about women’s education.  

“If she was an illiterate orphan she could not have written this. It is misguided but not unintelligent.” - says Richelieu. And indeed he turns out to be right. She didn’t write it. Which is fucking bizarre. 

Anne asks him if he doesn’t favor women’s education and he replies: “I admire learning wherever it is to be found, but this amounts to an attack on the authority of church and state.” Any French history buff know what the actual Richelieu’s thought of women’s education? @tatzelwyrm​? I’m gonna start a biography on him soon, but not until I’m done with this rewatch.

Ninon barges in past the guards and yells “stay out of my way, I will address the King!”. I’m sure this is meant to make her look badass, but she just comes across like a complete idiot who doesn’t understand that she would do better to follow court protocol, no matter how much she might dislike it, if she wants to achieve her goals.    

Luckily for her she’s pretty, so the king doesn’t mind.

“I want to know why this tragedy happened. If your guards are to blame I want them punished.” And then she gives Treville a dirty look! How dare you, you waste of skin and oxygen! Don’t you dare blame Treville for this mess! 

“You knew this lunatic?” - lmao, Richelieu!

Therese was the daughter of Ninon’s servant whom Ninon decided to educate. So she was educated, she COULD have written the petition herself. But she did not. Because when Richelieu says “she wrote this and was killed trying to give it to the Queen” Ninon screeches: “Don’t be ridiculous! She didn’t write it, I did!” And I mean, who exactly is looking down on servant girls here and saying it’s ridiculous to expect them to write something intelligent. It’s not Richelieu. 

But more importantly, WHY?? If Ninon wrote it, why couldn’t she hand it to the Queen? Why did this poor girl have to die? This is so, so stupid! I mean, okay, maybe Therese heard Ninon speak well of the queen and got the idea to hand her the petition on her own, without being told by Ninon to do so. But why did she have it in the first place, if it’s Ninon’s petition?

“Apparently the Comtesse de Laroque believes herself above the normal laws and conventions of society.” ´- well that’s an understatement.  

“The treasury is bankrupt and the country needs a new navy. Ninon has the wealth to provide it.” And that is why Richelieu sends Milady into the salon to find something to use against her. These two are so good in this, I love their scenes together! Pity about the rest of the episode. 

Richelieu is now freaking out about lesbians and Milady is just like “really, dude? really?”. I love her!

“Ninon must pay up or face destruction, I want every last penny from her!” - so it was not his intention to kill her, just to get the money. Interesting.

Fleur’s father is Bonacieux’s cousin. I love that, the commoners having family connections and support circles of their own.

The robbed priest is called Luca! Richelieu is “delighted to see him”, apparently, cause they’re old friends. And Louis isn’t, because he wrote a pamphlet arguing that Kings should bow down to the Pope’s authority. 

“We can’t have a comtesse abducting young women and spiriting them away to her boudoir!” - Oh, Richelieu! Do calm down.

It’s odd watching Richelieu try to use homosexuality to take Ninon down while shipping Trevilieu thou. 

Athos barges into Ninon’s salon, demanding to know where Fleur is and Milady very discreetly hides behind a pillar. Lol! 

And Ninon starts hitting on Athos immediately. She tells him that she’s often thought he’s handsome but the “melancholy aspect” to his looks is “probably only mental vacancy”. Who taught you how to flirt? Why must you be so abrasive and confrontational all the time? Like really, I get she’s meant to be a Strong Woman Who Don’t Take No Shit TM, but she just comes across like a loudmouth. 

Athos likes it thou!

“Forgive our intrusion-” “I will not forgive it!” - Jesus Ninon, it’s just a figure of speech, a polite gesture. People use these in conversation sometimes. She’s so unnecessarily rude smh.

Aramis says he “gladly acknowledges the superiority of the female sex” and I throw up in my mouth a little. That’s not feminism, that’s slimy!

D’artagnan: “If that wasn’t flirting, I don’t know what is.”  Porthos: “Rubbish! She can’t stand him.”  Aramis: “One day I’ll sit down and explain women to you.” - cause we’re all the same and no means yes, right writers?

Luca: “His holiness is concerned about the direction of French foreign policy.” Richelieu: “Well the pope is Spain’s performing monkey.” - he really is so funny! I know I keep saying that, but he is!

Also, YAY politics! Intelligent dialogue! I love this scene so much!

“In matters of religion I defer to Rome, in all else I am my country’s servant” - lol, Richelieu inventing the separation of church and state

Luca: “Is this your final word on the subject?” Richelieu: “It is.” - and that right there is where Luca decides to kill him. The actor plays it really well, knowing it’s coming I can see the briefest moment of regret in his eyes, but without hindsight I wouldn’t notice anything. And he gives Richelieu the poisoned gift. 

Also, isn't it the same guy who plays Margaret’s new man in Harlots? 

Athos says that Therese and Fleur were so far below Ninon in status that they were not in a position to make choices of their own free will. Which is fuckign stupid. But Ninon saying that she views all women as equal regardless of their birth is equally moronic. I mean, sure, they should be, but in reality they’re not and ignoring that doesn’t help anyone. And Athos does point out that Ninon’s money and position gives her certain privileges, but it sits wrong coming from him and not from Porthos or Milady or Constance, who are from poor/less wealthy backgrounds. That said, this is still one of the few semi intelligent scenes in this whole episode, so whatever. At least someone said it. 

Now she kisses him and invites him to dine! And he just looks sad.

Luca tells Richelieu to “deal with” Ninon “firmly”, cause the Pope is dying and Richelieu could be the next Pope if he shows himself a strong defender of the church against “heresy”. What heresy thou? Women learning to read? Lol, that’s so cartoonishly evil and ahistorical, but whatever. This at least explains where Richelieu’s desire to have her burned came from.

Richelieu: “I wouldn’t go so far as to call her a heretic.” Luca: “A woman who openly defies God's laws, what other word is there?” - what laws thou? what has she done, other than hold some salon meetings, as every other noblewoman was doing at the time?

Richelieu promises to consider his options and Luca tells him to pray to the poisoned bone for guidance, lol.

This right here is Richelieu letting personal feelings cloud his judgement, thou! Which he said he has learned no to do. But he allows himself to be carried away with visions of becoming Pope and honestly I don’t see how he can possibly believe that could happen with his foreign policy and how hated he is by the Vatican, as stated in this very scene.  

Milady and Ninon! I love that scene! Ninon clearly thinks she’s super special because she “takes the initiative” by kissing men instead of waiting to be kissed. She’s so damn smug about it! And Milady is just like “oh I could never be so bold” and I swear I can hear her laughing internally! 

And she very cleverly charms Fleur’s location out of Ninon!

Athos’s idea of a first date is the morgue. Charming.

Athos saying that Ninon is responsible for what happened to Therese because she gave a lowborn girl an education doesn’t sit well with me. Classist ass! But she is responsible for not thinking of Therese beyond how daring and adventurous and fun and positively scandalous it would be to educate a servant girl and then not bothering to care for her when she got bored. Cause if she had done, Therese could have come to her with her plan and she could have prevented her death. Because yes, regardless of her education, her background predisposed Therese to be naive about the King and Queen and how petitions work. Where was Ninon in all this, when a girl under her charge decided to do this foolish thing that cost her her life? Because if you want to be someone’s teacher you do have a duty of care. In short, Ninon is a classist ass as well! They’re perfect for each other!

So Luca’s stolen bag is in the morgue with the body of the thief who stole it. And Athos promises to send for it in the morning. I know it’s CSI: Musketeers and all, but why was it not delivered to Luca the moment it was found, lol? He’s a pretty important guest at the palace and it’s his property. 

Athos agrees with Ninon that marriage is a curse. LOL!

Ninon’s reason for not marrying is that she does not want a husband to own her wealth and body. Makes sense and that’s why many independently wealthy women chose to stay unmarried. Just pointing out the few things that make sense.

“You are a rebellious woman” - oh good, we managed to squeeze the title of the episode into the dialogue! 

Aramis just tossed a red guard out of Ninon’s house. Can’t tell if he’s dead or not, but certainly unconscious. 

There’s fighting. The red guards have swords, the musketeers have books. Athos screams “where is your authority for this!?!” - well, the Cardinal, I’d assume, since they are his guards. Oh bear of very little brain!

Fleur and some other runaway girls are found sleeping in a secret chamber and Ninon is arrested for abducting them.

Athos is all like “you said she wasn’t here” and Ninon tries to explain that Fleur did not want to be found and begs “make them stop” to which Athos replies “sorry, I can’t”, his voice and face making it very clear that he doesn’t want to. Because a woman lied to him! This is the worst crime! Really Ninon is lucky she’s being arrested right now, otherwise she’d end up swinging from a tree.

“Four young women! In their nightwear! I can only speculate as to the horrors they have endured!” - Richelieu really has a bee in his bonnet about lesbians. The days before p*rnhub must have been hard for a catholic cardinal. 

Luca is even worse thou! “Your majesty is joking but Satan is real! And his female familiars are everywhere amongst us.” Jesus christ guys, calm down! Have a wank or something!

“She had the girls, she lied, she brought her fate on herself.” - Oh shut up Athos! Not everything is about you and your relationship issues! As Aramis points out. Thank you, Aramis! And I never believed I’d ever say that.

Ninon/Aramis  > > > > > > > > > > Ninon/Athos

Aramis gives Ninon the cross Anne gave him. This is quite sweet!

“It’s not so easy when you don’t have money” Constance says and she is right. But it’s like the show is saying that the only way women can be independant is if they are independently wealthy like Ninon. But that’s not really true, Fleur could get a job such as a seamstress or pharmacist or grain merchant or actress or even as a secretary now that she knows latin and greek thanks to Ninon. Women did have jobs in 17th century France and even belonged to guilds etc. Not saying that Fleur would not be more financially secure still with a husband, but if she really doesn’t want that she has options and I don’t like how this supposed “feminist” episode constantly erases women’s actual history. 

Fleur’s father rages “what does she need an education for? She’ll be a seamstress until she’s married and then she’ll be a dutiful wife and mother.” But if he is Bonacieux’s cousin then they are in the same social class, that is to say, the merchant class. And merchant women had to keep their husbands’ shops when their husbands were away. They needed to know how to read and write and do sums. They needed this to be an attractive marriage prospect to a husband of their own social class! 

And the father wants to hit Fleur and D’artagnan all heroically threatens him. How boring!

Richelieu: “Many of our young women are educated. It’s not something we’re ashamed of.” Fleur: “Not just embroidery and sewing.”  Me: “WELL OF COURSE NOT!!!”

Then Fleur says Ninon taught them the “secrets of our bodies” and Richelieu is a hound on the scent!

“Be quiet or you’ll be gagged!” - Again Armand, this is neither the time nor the place to indulge your kinks. 

ENTER MILADY! 

She does such a brilliant job of her testimony! This is again her lying about rape and I talked about before why that is bad, but in this case I don’t mind cause it’s for state reasons and doesn’t in any way invalidate her own story the way the thing with D’artagnan does.

Athos completely LOSES HIS SHIT!! Not doing the defence any good there, buddy!

The look she gives him as she walks out is priceless!

Queen Anne to the rescue, bringing clemency from Louis! Clever girl, must have manipulated it out of him! Season 1 Anne was intelligent.

And Ninon ruins it by saying: “I have never consorted with the devil until this moment. I am looking at him.” To which Richelieu replies: “Condemned from her own mouth.” As any person with half a brain would. Jesus christ Ninon, you should have been gagged! For your own safety! 

And then Richelieu stops breathing! And we get Treville’s reaction to it, thank you camera people! Thou Treville mostly just looks confused, like “what is that drama queen doing now?” 

Now he’s twitching! And I’m sorry but it looks hilarious.

Aramis carries him to bed on his back and puts a hand over his mouth. I’m not sure that helps with the breathing issues... 

Louis pushes Aramis out of the way and cries “please don’t die! please don’t die!” aawwwwwwwwwww!

Aramis really saves his life here, huh.

Anne is briefly jealous about the cross and asks Aramis if Ninon is his lover. Lol! She never expected him to stalk her for the rest of her life, she fully expected him to keep lovers.  

Luca: “Satan turned his blood to acid at her command!” Porthos: “We’ll add Satan to the list of suspects.”

Fleur: “You think I poisoned him?” Constance: “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard even by musketeer standards.” - THANK YOU CONSTANCE!

Fleur is to be married to a 40 year old butcher. Poor girl!

“Was it you?” - LOL!

“Half the doctors say you’re doomed, the other half claim you’ll make a full recovery. There’s a lot of professional pride at stake.” - Milady is very funny too! But I’ve always known that! 

“Whatever happens to me, I want you to extract this confession from Ninon.” - translation: it doesn’t matter if I die, the main thing is that France gets that navy. For France, always. I’m amazed by how much he trusts Milady here thou.

Milady thinks the kneebone of St. Anthony is gross and “as much use as the doctors”. Bless her!

Constance very sweetly talks Fleur’s father out of forcing her to marry. Go Constance!

Ninon: “There is nothing worse than a woman who betrays her own sex” Milady: “I can think of a few things, but let’s not argue.” - THIS!! This is my favorite part of this whole miserable episode, because yes, with her background she can think of things Ninon couldn’t possibly imagine. It’s also a fuck you to that “don’t encourage girl on girl hate” line terfs and white feminists always hide behind when they get called out on their bullshit, though this wasn’t the point here. I love how she doesn’t even explain, too. Let’s not argue, cause what’s the point. You’ll never get it.

I do want to stress that Ninon is not wrong for educating other women and she has been unjustly condemned (althou I would argue that she might not have drawn Richelieu’s ire if she went about it in a more subtle, less smug way, for the safety of the girls she teaches if not for her own). But Milady is employed by the First Minister of France and is doing her job here, a job which she depends upon for her own independence and safety. As she says, Ninon didn’t do anything to her, she’s just a victim of circumstance. 

“If you don’t confess, the women of your salon will burn in your place. Surely you wish to save the lives of your accomplices in Satan?” - Milady does a good job of selling it, but if you think about it, that makes no sense. These women have already been publicly proclaimed Ninon’s victims. And if they have legal trouble with burning her alone, how would they manage a whole bunch of them, most of whom are also high ranking noblewomen?

Ninon falls for it thou. Fail!

Richelieu orders Ninon burned and Milady says that the Queen and King won’t like it. Richelieu replies that: “she’s irrelevant and a new navy will soothe his dismay.” He’s really underestimating season 1 Anne here. But season 2 will prove him right, sadly.

“The kingdom of heaven is a dream. Our only life is here.” - Go Milady!

Richelieu says he won’t burn her for heresy but to be careful cause “one day someone else might” and idk, but it comes across like pretty friendly advice, considering what he’s currently doing with Ninon. 

Now he worries he might go to hell! And Milady says he’s already there, lmaoo! I LOVE THIS SCENE!!

They go to the morgue to retrieve Luca’s bag and discover that the thief was poisoned in the same manner as the Cardinal. Thus the plot is uncovered.

“Open his mouth!” “You open his mouth!”

Luca kills a red guard and is about to kill Richelieu (who fights him with a fork!) when the musketeers burst in. And Richelieu curses them for being late!

Richelieu had apparently worked out that it was Luca who was trying to kill him at some point during the night. No idea how. 

Athos begs for Ninon’s life while the pire is already burning. And Richelieu agrees cause burning her is all very “dark ages”, like he said to begin with. He says he’s not a cruel man, just a practical one. But practicality sometimes requires cruelty. He’s not a sadist thou, that’s what he meant and that’s true. 

Athos drags Ninon off the burning pire. So the great feminist character got duped by Milady and then had to be rescued by her love interest. So good, much feminist. 

“As far as the world is concerned, Comtesse Ninon de Laroque died on that pire today.” Richelieu takes her lands, her property and her money and sends her into exile. Then he threatens to execute her if she ever tells anyone the truth of what happened.

“My voice will never be silenced, but I promise you will never hear it.” - the stupidest line of the whole episode and that’s saying something. Seriously, what does this mean? Your voice was silenced! Richelieu got your wealth which you could have used to educate more women. You were completely defeated. Like really, who is the idiot who wrote this? And what made them think this is in any way empowering or even just a satisfactory conclusion to Ninon’s acr?? Ughhhh!!

I do love Richelieu and Milady getting a rare victory thou! 

“Nothing, no person, no nation, no god will stand in my way.” - HOT!

Aramis gets his cross back lol. Otherwise it would have burned. 

Lmao, Richelieu sends Luca’s ashes to rome with a threat to the Pope.

And Capaldi pronounces “Richelieu” in a very strange way. 

Milady: “You do realise you’ll never be Pope?” Richelieu: “It’s an Italian club and largely a clerical position. I prefer something with a little more influence.” - L! O! L!

Ninon plans to open a school for poor girls and be a teacher. Well, idk, I hope she does a better job of it than she did with Therese.

Athos asks Ninon if “Madame de la Chapelle” ever told her anything about herself. And Ninon is like “so you did know her after all?” and he says “in another life” and she warns him to be careful because she has the cardinal’s protection so “a blow against her is a blow against him” and idk, does she realize that Milady was Athos’s wife here? Is that how I’m supposed to read it? He did tell her before that he used to be married.

Then she kisses him and tells him she could have loved a man like him. And she’s just way more into him than he is into her.

Lmaooo, Fleur is not forced to marry and can continue with her education and she’s “sure” that the woman who convinced her father was Ninon. And Constance doesn’t correct her and doesn’t even want the credit, but I’m mad lol, as if Ninon even remembers you exist Fleur!

D’artagnan gives Constance the credit, at least! And then comes his declaration of love, which is actually very sweet and I really liked them together in season 1! Constance is so beautiful in this scene too! It’s very well lit and she’s wearing that lovely dress!

Aaaaand we fade to black on some PG13 kissing and groping! Sorry, this was very long, but there was a lot to complain about.

In conclusion, awful! Like, the thing that bothers me the most is that this token girl power episode would not even have been radical in 1970, never mind today. The message is simply that women should have an education, which no sane person today would disagree with. It’s very safe and bland. And erases women’s real history in the process. It’s almost as if these male writers are congratulating themselves “weren’t things ever so bad Back Then, we are so much more progressive now”, instead of doing the truly radical thing and showing women’s real history, showing women in positions of power running their literary salons and not getting burned for it, showing women as independent businesswomen with an education! Why not give Bonacieux a female rival in the cloth business? Why not go deeper than “women are human beings” and give the episode a truly radical message that still resonates today. After all, we might be ever so educated now but it’s not like women have achieved equality. More on that in this old post: https://kuningannasansa.tumblr.com/post/126434697304/the-problem-of-ninon 

Anyway, I really hope the next episode will be better! 

Red Guards killed: 1 or 2, impossible to really tell

Ladies killed: Therese

Best Dressed: Ninon. She did have some pretty dresses. 

[tarajenkins]

Given what you've said of Vauthry, about how we're never given any chance to even try and redeem him, help him become a better person, I'd like to ask: how would you go about "saving" him? When he transforms into that Lucifer/Archangel Michael-looking guy, he seems permanently lost, but how would you write out a redemption narrative for him?

I love this ask, I hate the answer I have to give. But it’s gonna be a long response anyway, because context and because you already know I don’t know when to shut up about characters, lmao. 

SO I HOPE YOU LOVE HEARING ME RAMBLE UNDER THIS CUT (but I won’t blame you if you don’t)

I don’t think the in-game narrative allows Vauthry any chance at redemption in the current time, even if he had the agency to take it.  I don’t think we ever saw what he actually could have been. I think what we saw in Shadowbringers was the Lightwarden he’d been carrying finally “awakening”, as Innocence’s Triple Triad card put it. Or, as the X-Files put it in their eighth ep: “We are not who we are”.  

Even if that Lightwarden could be driven out of him (I know an “Aethertech” who would do anything to make that possible cough), I don’t know if he’d regain clarity he may never have had to start.  I’d love to think that he did, a long time ago. The Minstreling Wanderer tells us he can’t say whether or not Vauthry was a monster as a child, when you unlock Crown Of The Immaculate EX.

I believe the Lightwarden’s influence was driving a lot of his brutal acts of “justice”, because that is kinda their whole thing.  As for the man inside the monster?  I have a hunch he was desperate to not be seen as unnatural, and was trying to make sense out of what was happening to him in a way that would not make him a hybrid abomination. Because if he wasn’t a God, if he wasn’t this divine thing he was told he was – then what was he? The way he worded it, “this is why I was born…as man and Sin Eater both…” – it makes me feel he had, at some point in his life, at least once, ASKED why he was born as he was. That he had perceived it was wrong. He needed it to be right. And that was just fuel to the corruption fire.

The talk of godhood actually seemed to be a recent phenomenon, as no other NPC mentions a thing about it – they refer to him as “Lord Vauthry”, and speak of him in mortal terms, apart from his miraculous ability to keep the Sin Eaters at bay. He freely boasted of being a God to the Crystal Exarch, yet we’re to believe he didn’t say a word to his own people, all this time? Or that no one, in turn, would mention to us “Yyyyeah, about this guy….” Mayor Punchable Face may have told him he was a God, but it doesn’t sound like Vauthry bought into it enough to spread the good word for at least twenty years. 

Also consider he called his transformation into Innocence a “trial”. Why would a god need to be tested? And by whom?

By the time we see him in-game, it seemed he was in a rapid decline of sanity, or at least the ability to keep up appearances, and whatever was left of him was fervently clinging to the only purpose he was ever apparently given – which is exactly what that Lightwarden (and Emet-Selch) would want. 

 He was really cynical about the rest of humanity. Given his father, I can see where he’d get that from. Not that daddy told him people suck, it’s that Vauthry probably learned that by his father’s example. Maybe by the rest of Eulmore, too, but I got the impression he was kept seriously isolated from society before his inauguration. He seems to prefer being alone – he only leaves that room when he moves the Sin Eaters against Lakeland. He gives no indication he knows how to socialize, period. You either come to him, or you don’t see him. (He may be keenly aware humes don’t typically reach at least fifteen feet tall. Seriously, look at Cruelty’s size compared to player characters, now look how Cruelty makes a comfy couch for him.)

Cynical, and yet, he wanted to see the people of Eulmore’s “dreams fulfilled, their wishes granted”. Just so long as he was the one responsible, and he was the one recognized for it. He needed their acceptance. 

ANYHOO.  On to stuff I still have zero idea what to make of. 

I should preface the rest of this infodump with the fact I found the Eulmore arc to be the weakest of the expansion, between Vauthry and Ran'jit. Most of the MSQ was given nuance. Eulmore was given a Saturday Morning Cartoon sledge. A -lot- of questions, with no answers, unless Squeenix decides to be generous in a fifty-buck lore book later. (something I hated Warcraft for. I should not have to pony up for a book to understand the main story quest chain in a game.) So, here are some of the questions I’ve got:

- FOOL! THAT WILL NEVER WORK!

They don’t really explain why Emet-Selch thought corrupting an infant was a good plan, as the Sin Eaters seemed guaranteed a win on The First, if only by outlasting the survivors of the Flood. Impatience, maybe? Why not give it to the mayor? That dickpickle would’ve said yes. Maybe we’ll get more answers with the Eden raid. IT’D BE NICE *COUGH*

- The meol thing.  

It’s using Sin Eater’s non-existant flesh to make a bread, and through that bit of Sin Eater, Vauthry could control whoever ate it.  The fanbase loves the “soylent green is people” angle, but it’s done pretty haphazardly, when you think about it like that? Sin Eaters have no lasting corporeal body. They are Light, mixed with a bit of the lingering essence of whatever they originally were – and what they originally were did not have to be humanoid. They dissolve into sparklies in the air upon death – and arguably, they would not have to die to contribute sparklies to somehow mix into food. Forgiven Cruelty lost a whole wing to Thancred when Thancred first took Ryne from Eulmore, and it seemed to have grown back just fine by the time we see Cruelty again. Killing Sin Eaters also would be entirely counterproductive to a nation that devoted themselves to NOT killing them. Also – we are shown the Afflicted, people who are falling to corruption from a SIn Eater attack they’d survived. How is it people who eat meol don’t become corrupted themselves?

Where did the idea for meol  even begin? Vauthry’s father was ousted by the people as mayor before Emet-Selch said hey there, friend, you have a punchable face, let’s make a deal – and Vauthry only took control of Eulmore 20 years ago. He looks a LOT older than 20, or even 40. So his father must’ve rode his child’s coattails before then.  Did Mayor Punchable Face think that was a wise countermeasure against future insurrection? In any case, Vauthry did not exert that control until the WoL and allies were coming to kill the Lightwarden of Kholusia (him), so it did not seem to be a priority of his. Alphinaud confirmed the people were of a free mind until they were made to fight the WoL and allies. (and dialogue stressed it was very noticeable when someone was not of a free mind.) Squeenix: *throws meol into purse* I have to go plotholes came up

- The “Perverted Paradise”.  (I at least giggle every time Alphinaud says this.)

Vauthry is presented as the pinnacle of vice, yet the game does not really show this well – in some cases, not at all.

Gluttony: He isn’t shown to indulge in drink, let alone overindulge. Apart from the meol scene at the end, which was related to controlling the Eater-corrupted citizenry, not gluttony, he was not shown to have so much as a snack. There’s food in his chamber, all of it untouched. But! In the Shadowbringers trailer, Squeenix thought the best example to showcase Eulmore’s decadence was – three thicc'qotes. Having pleasant conversation ‘round a table. Eating fresh fruit.

Not the creepy-ass old patron who thinks that  since his pretty servant can’t sing anymore, she should be “Ascended” as a kindness, although it was implied she could have recovered her health, just not her voice. Not the guy who tossed his servant from a balcony because reasons and wanted us to bring him back. Not even the noblewoman trying to have her servant killed because her lecherous husband put designs on the poor girl.

Three thicc'qotes. Having pleasant conversation ‘round a table. Eating fresh fruit.

We get it, Square, we’re supposed to see he’s fat and think that is bad. Moving on.

Lust: He doesn’t visit the adult nightclub downstairs (the adult nightclub that is shown practically empty and behind closed doors, the lewdness of it all – I clutch my pearls.) He doesn’t  creep on your player character like Magnai did in Stormblood – he doesn’t creep on anyone. He doesn’t want you to be his steed. No interest is shown in the Sin Eaters apart from them fighting for him, as much as some people in the fanbase theorize he is fucking them. (They probably think that Spirited Away is about the sex industry and My Neighbor Totoro is about dead girls, too.) This game is pretty blatant when they intend that sort of thing, see: Yotsuyu, Sastasha, any number of things in Ishgard or Ul'dah. I’ve found nothing here, except the German translation for “Consort Of Sin: Forgiven Obscenity” is “Purified Fornication: Playmate Of The Redeemer”. Since this is not implied in any other translation, I put my trust in Koji Fox and the fact Obscenity’s job seems to be Official Nose Petter to Forgiven Cruelty.

Greed: I am not going to hold his rings and his robes against him, as Urianger has just as much bling (more, actually), The wealthy are made to give up ALL their fortune to be permitted to stay in Eulmore – but that wealth is then used to provide everything for free to those who live there, and the free citizenry are apparently given funds for private use to boot. If they intended to show that Vauthry was using all that for hookers and blow for himself, it did not convey well.

Wrath: If one has broken the rules of the city (or has thrown shade that takes him a full two minutes to catch), Vauthry definitely has this in spades, with a temper tantrum a lot like Philia’s Fierce Beating attack.  But again, the writers don’t really show the extent of the wrath they are trying to tell . Because if you don’t break the rules? Nothing happens, apparently. Trouble seems to have to be brought forward to him, he doesn’t go looking for it.  It didn’t feel any different to me than the Grand Companies, yet this is the one that finally makes Alphinaud do the *GAAAAASP*.

The populace does not seem afraid of Vauthry. In fact, they feel free to pop ‘round to have a word if they think something needs doing. Chai-Nuzz did not seem distressed by his wife’s suggestion she would have a word with Vauthry to soothe the “hard feelings” stirred up in the quest “Emergent Splendor”.  

Pride: He has great pride in his ability to keep the SIn eaters under control, but doesn’t really display any vanity in himself. No portraits, statues, etc. When Alphinaud interfered with Kai-Shirr’s punishment, Alphinaud was told he’d be permitted to stay in the city if he made a painting – not a portrait of Vauthry, but of the city itself.

Sloth: We get it, Square, he’s fat and he sits down, moving the FUCK on.  No actually, hold up, to be honest? As tired and :| as he looked all the time, he struck me as depressed. What guy in Paradise looks that haggard?

NOW moving on.

Envy: If my theory holds, probably plenty of unresolved envy for folks who are not “half Sin Eater”. Otherwise, I can’t think of an example here.

- “Ascension” (Sure thing, Jan)

This is only made reference to in the Weeping Warbler quest chain. “As all know, the sin eaters exist to devour the sinful. But also do they serve to gather the souls of the innocent, and shepherd them unto celestial paradise.”

Sin eaters ate a meal that represents the sins of a household you fool oh wait this is The First

The thing I don’t get here is - why are there obviously limitations on who can be ascended, and when? If the idea is strictly to feed the Sin Eaters, or make meol, or just be an asshole, why is this the only time we hear of it?

It’s like if there are no more mortals, Vauthry wouldn’t have that reassurance he is doing good anymore. Either that, or since he’s never worked in retail, he doesn’t know how to push features.

But I’m betting on the former.

- LASTLY: the hypocrisy of the writer’s narrative (and the fanbase).

Tesleen was our first and horrifying sample of what Sin Eater corruption can do to a human. No matter how strong her will may have been, she was just lost to it. She scratches madly at her face when she uses one of her attacks in Holminster Switch, as though trying to stop herself, or punish herself. But she can’t help it. And we know this.

Titania was a tragedy, had to be stopped. But, a TRAGEDY. Whatever was left of the benevolent ruler was corrupted. There was never a moment where our heroes went “dis binch just evil, they gotta go down”. ( I had many choice words for Titania when I wiped enough times to them, but no actual game dialogue really says it. )

We, the Warrior Of Light, came this close to becoming a Warden ourselves. Somehow it was stalled (convenience!), but there was never a question corruption = bad and out of our control.

Vauthry, on the other hand, is treated as though he is in full control of his faculties, although the corruption before birth makes that questionable at best and he pretty clearly is not? Even as he did that Exorcist neck-twist, no one was like “oh fuck, the Sin Eaters got to another one, damn that poor man”.  (Which would seem a logical conclusion to me, I hate we have like zero real say in our characters’ reactions) Not even a “ahaha okay no seriously what the fuck is going on guys”. Nope. Their reaction was “EVIL”.  Trying to help somehow was never on the table. Watching him die slowly at our feet was.

We saw the Echo of the real circumstance of his birth. It had to come from the Sin Eater that corrupted him, because he wasn’t out of the womb to see that scene play out. Or Emet-Selch. Either way, we saw it, yet at no time afterward do we try to bring the truth out. We just let everyone believe he was evil by choice, and not another casualty of this mess.

And remember earlier, how I said Alphinaud confirmed the free citizenry were not under Vauthry’s control until the fight? Remember the noblewoman whose husband went after their bonded servant, and so she tried to get the girl murdered?

Yeah, we catch up to that noblewoman who tried to murder her servant. She feels really bad about that now.  And what is an option we get to tell her ex-bonded servant when she wonders how she could possibly trust the woman who tried to kill her?

“Vauthry’s society brought out the worst in people…”

Fffffffuck you Square lmao

TL;DR:

In private RP land? In private RP land, where we can back the fuck up in the timeline at will? You are damn skippy that Lightwarden got purged before it took complete hold. (an Aethertech did it with SCIENCE.) And Vauthry is cynical and scarred and bitter and broken and betrayed, but he’s not evil. If anything, he’s actually pretty relatably human. And he’s actually pretty damn glad his father’s shitty legacy is over.

[mcousland]

☎️ ♈️♉️☑️ And the 3 important people one cuz a bitch ain’t got time to find that one lmao 💛💛 for elide, bonnie, and manon

thanks ari :3c // headcanon meme

☎ :  my muse’s ringtone

Elide — Juicy by Doja Cat. 

Bonnie — Good Girl by Carrie Underwood. 

Manon — God is a woman by Ariana Grande.

♈:  the most daring thing your muse has ever done

I may be forgetting an obvious moment, but off the top of my head for Elide,, I would have to say a sequence of actions in Falmont. (Falmont is a city of vampires in the Northern region of Orothell in the world of Andaria, AKA the Lansing Campaign setting.) The city was being marched on by members of the Clandestine Providence cult and they had already set it alight as part of their siege of the castle, fires were burning all throughout and vampires were being dragged from their homes and killed in the streets. The party, along with a handful of NPC allies, were watching the chaos from the castle above, standing on a skywalk between two parts of the building. The rest of the party seemed to be frozen in place, but Elide couldn't stand there and do nothing. So she hopped onto the silver dragon companion they had with them (a whole other story) and directed her through the city. Elide utilized the dragon's cold breath to put out fires and block paths that the cult soldiers were using to advance in an attempt to buy time for escapes and coming up with a plan, and took the risk of diving down into the streets to rescue a vampire from being killed. 

Bonnie hasn't really,,, done much. She was sheltered for the better part of two and a half decades, and somewhat remains the same in False Cross even amongst the outlaws and whatnot. Perhaps it was when she finally bit the bullet and defended Morgan when her father was on another rant about how he was an outlaw and he'd only ruin her life, when she finally had enough and made the on-the-spot decision to leave home right then and be with Morgan instead. It's not an act of heroics or divine bravery, but it was the first time she saw what she wanted and took it despite her parents' wishes and forbiddance. 

Alright well, I don't have a lot for Manon yet and the campaign hasn't begun so there isn't much to go off of, sooo… She made a pretty daring fashion choice once, I suppose. Tiddies nearly out, heels just high enough to concern the passersby, wearing the colors of a noblewoman who boldly demanded nobody wear them just because she could. One day I'll have an actual answer for a question like this, but alas.

♉:  is my muse prone to jealousy?

Mm… Elide is not so much jealous as she is territorial, really. She doesn't think anything will happen between a partner and some random person flirting with them, but there's always that instinct to press herself to their side and make it Very Apparent who she is. 

Bonnie? Jealous? Not at all. Frankly, she finds the idea of jealousy a bit odd. Why feel such a way, aren't you confident in your partnership and happy?? The only time Bonnie gets jealous is when someone has a candle or blanket that she wants tbh.

(Manon voice) No reason to be jealous when a partner clearly already has the best ;) ..... Yeah, a little. Underneath the confidence she boasts, she has lots of insecurities that easily play into her getting jealous.

☑:  something my muse has accomplished that they’re proud of

There are,,, So many options to choose from here, but it didn't say the thing Elide's proudest of, so—it's not a grand feat or anything, but she's proud of managing to meet face-to-face with her uncle Ulrich without making any attempt to attack him. He has hurt the people she loves (and countless others) so deeply and has been smug about it on multiple occasions, it took an immense amount of willpower to keep herself in check in his presence. 

Bonnie had a baby! Such a cheap, Mom answer to give but if she's proud of anything, she's proud that she had the strength to go through the entire pregnancy process and make it through the birth. 

Given that Manon was never overly interested in becoming an adventurer and was content sticking to the noble's life, she's fairly proud of how quickly she was able to train in the ways of a rogue. She was never one for weapons, and she still is only truly comfortable with daggers, but she somehow managed to get there in the end.

웃:  three people that are important to my muse

Elide — Tyrus Rhogar: her boyfriend and fighter mentor, Elide is convinced they were destined to come together and believes she would go a bit mad if she lost him. Mikael Harker: her father, the softest man she has ever known and would do anything to protect from the world she has stepped into. Rowan Caerdonel: her ex, a young love that went wrong but will always hold a special place in her heart; after rescuing him from the clutches of the Providence, she wants nothing more than to make sure he stays safe. 

Bonnie — Morgan Clark: her [now] husband, the outlaw she recklessly fell head over heels and abandoned her old life for. Holland van Daal: "mayor" of False Cross and essential King of all outlaws, someone who she was initially terrified of but has grown to admire and trust. Not to mom it up again but Jasper Clark, her and Morgan's son is the obvious final answer here because she would do anything for him. (Even kill, though the idea makes her a bit ill and panicked.) 

Manon — Garrett Westbrooke: a man who saved her from an attack in the city streets and quickly became one of her dear friends; one of her party members and someone she very much enjoys flirting with to fluster. Aldric Weaver: the eldest of the Weaver siblings, Manon has always been close with her brother even with him being gone from home so often for adventuring and hopes to have his bravery one day. I'm not sure who else to go with here given the lack of development and whatnot, but she likely has some noble pal that she's known since childhood.

[delioncrt]

𝖎 𝖓 𝖙 𝖗 𝖔 .

𝐨𝐧𝐜���� 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞…  lestat de lioncourt was known as the bold & animated lord with a reputation for being a stuart townsend doppelganger . but now , under the stress of the war on the horizon , the natural born villain original vampire has become widely known for being rather melodramatic & over-indulgent . let’s see how long the villeneuve native will last during this war . after all they’re only forty three / over one thousand years old . + he/him & cis male , the vampire chronicles.

hello hello! my name is ana, i’m 22 and i bring you my dramatic, over-indulgent gay vampire lestat!! i was here before (very shortly) as chiasa, but i was struggling for muse and really wanted to bring in lestat, so i’ve been working on him for a little while now and i’m so excited to finally be able to play him :’)

 i have a plots page up, but it’s a REALLY rough draft right now and i plan on adding more depth/a lot more species related plots but i’m also open to plotting anything really! below the cut, i’m going to paste lestats bio but be warned it is very very VERY longs and i need to update it lmao i’ll also put some little tidbits of info to help you get to know him~ 

lestat is an original vampire, meaning he was changed by spell and not blood transfer

he loves anything theatre related, music related, and he would die for the aesthetic lmao

very over indulgent, he prefers his meals in the form of pretty boyes and the occasional fae sdhfusdj

he’s a lonely bitch who likes to turn others so he can have companions so if you’re ever down to have your character turned *fingerguns*

basically the embodiment of “i’m baby, give me attention”

dsjufsd my brain is dead right now but u get the gift 

i am the vampire lestat.

born the seventh son, the youngest of three to survive into manhood. my mother was a literate noblewoman and my father a blind marquis, though i would be left with no prospects. despite my family’s title, near all our wealth had been used up and my eldest brother augustin was the rightful heir to all that we still possessed. as a boy, my father’s castle, the estate, and the nearby village were my universe. the rest of the world around me was dim and old fashioned. i was born restless, the dreamer, the angry one, the complainer. my father and brothers resented me because i was not like them; i didn’t sit around and reminisce on old wars, i didn’t spend all day at my father’s side playing chess, and history had no meaning to me.

do not be fooled though, i was far from idle or feckless. i was the only lord near the village who could ride a horse and shoot a rifle at the same time; it was my duty to hunt for my family. i brought in the pheasant, the venison, and the trout from the mountain streams on easy days. on harder days, it was packs of wolves that threatened the people in the village. it was a noble occupation, hunting one’s ancestral lands, and i alone had the right to do it. the richest of aristocrats couldn’t lift their guns in my forest, but then again, they didn’t have to. they had money.

it was the winter of my twenty-first year, i went out alone on horseback to kill a pack of wolves. it was the worst winter that i could remember, and i do remember, all too vividly. the snow all over those mountains, the wolves that were frightening the villagers and stealing my sheep. on that cold morning in january, i armed myself with a flintlock rifle, a hunting musket, my father’s sword, and an spikes mace that hung on the wall of our old armory. with my weapons, i set off and rode an hour up into the slopes until i reached a valley and heard the first howling.

i had killed eight wolves that morning. my mastiffs had not survived the attack, and i had to put my mare down as she was suffering from her injuries. i still remember every moment of the battle, the rattling cry she let out as she went down, the wolves that closed in on me and nearly took my life until i drew my father’s sword, and i remember sputtering sickly and falling to my knees at the sight of my dogs.  it took me nearly two hours with a wolf over my shoulder to trek homeward. whatever i had felt when i was fighting those wolves went on in my mind even as i walked, when i stumbled and fell, something in me hardened and became worse.

by the time I reached the castle gates, i think i was not lestat, i was someone else altogether. my brothers did not believe me when i had shared of my story, and the next thing i remember, i was lying in my room. i didn’t have the dogs in bed with me as always in winter because the dogs were dead, and though there was no fire lighted, i climbed, filthy and bloody under the covers and went into a deep sleep. i stayed there for days.

but, you don’t really want to hear the sad ramblings of an old mans human life, do you? of course not, you want to know of how i came to receive the dark gift, don’t you? tut tut, so impatient.

first, you must know that it began around the turn of the 11th century. i was no longer living in villeneuve with my family, my mother had grown ill. she came to me in the night, begging me to take what valuables she had and escape the castle. she told me to pack my belongings and to leave out while the kingdom slept and to run off far away, somewhere where i could be content. unlike my relationship with my father, my mother understood me. she could not bare the idea of dying and leaving her son stuck in a castle he would never call home.

the thought of leaving her behind, knowing those were likely to be my last moments with her left an emptiness in my chest. despite the lonely ache, i followed her orders and left off into the night with what she’d given me, never to return.

in that time, i had gotten involved in the theatre scene. bouncing from kingdom to kingdom, my love for the stage only grew exponentially the longer i spent on it. i had landed a role as leilo, the young lover to a woman named isabella. my presence on stage was animated, i became my character and by the end of it all, they would nearly have to drag me from the stage as the crowd clapped. it had become my life, and for the first time, i was happy.

it was during my time on stage that i’d met my first love, nicolas. he was beautiful, standing about about five foot ten, with long dark hair and warm clear skin you couldn’t help but want to touch. he was a young violinist who had come from villeneuve himself and had introduced himself to me after recognizing my face during a show. he had asked me to tell him the story of how i’d earned the title of wolf killer, and in return, i asked him about his experiences in the kingdoms i’d yet to explore. we drank all night and shared our tales, our secrets, and our thoughts that night, and then we did it again and again near every night after that. he had magic in his fingers when he played his instrument, the rich melodies were the definition of elegance; graceful, serene, and breathtaking. he often played me to sleep at night when i was at my most somber. he was my closest companion.

that only made it so much more difficult to cope when i lost him. he was a lovely man, one i couldn’t have spent the very rest of my life with, and he deserved a peaceful death. he deserved better.

death did not care for fairness, though. it came in like a harsh storm, destroying and taking away what it wanted selfishly. his death was bloody, and gruesome, the kind of death only spoken of in hushed whispers. how ironic it was, the man who’d come to love the wolfkiller, killed by a wolf. that’s what the people in the kingdom had called it, at least. i knew better though, that beast was nothing like the wolves i’d fought all those years ago. this creature was larger, far more feral and hostile. in the light of the full moon, i could see that it had yellow eyes and sharp fangs protruding from its snout. it was stronger than any wolf i’d experienced in my life, like it had the strength of a supernatural being.  

it was the first time in my life that another creature had truly frightened me. it shook me to my very core, and to this day, i only remember the look in its eyes and how it made me run and leave behind the only man i had ever loved.

i mourned for weeks in that forest, weeping and wailing out into the night. i begged and begged for that creature to return, to kill me, until my voice was hoarse and a strained hush. i did not eat, sleep, or move from the forest floor. by the time anyone had found me, all the muscle had gone from my body, my bones protruded from my pale, sickly skin, and my eyes had sunken in so deep that one might assume i was nothing but a skeleton.

i don’t remember much from that night, i only remember the words of the witch who had stumbled upon my body, and the spell that lead me into my newfound immortal life.

“poor little man, frail and broken in the dirt, begging for death. that isn’t what you truly want though, is it? no, you want revenge. you need it. how will you avenge your lover like this? a sad bag of bones, unable to lift his own body, such a depressing sight. i can make you better, lestat. i can gift you power, strength, and everlasting life. tell me, boy, is that what you desire? is that what you need? use your words, tell me yes, and i will give you everything you need to be great.”

yes.

[doyouevenshipbr0]

gruvia fic: a song of ice and water

chapter 2

author's note: ok so. game of thr*nes AU. we'll see how it goes...???? idk rn im into it lmao. ok enjoyyyy<333

*

The dinner hall of Winterfell was bustling with people, all gathering to greet Juvia of Riverrun. The people of the north were known to be a little more on the wild side, so the party was rambunctious to say the least, and thankfully no one could hear the relentless rain outside due to all the noise.

Gray watched at the head table as his people laughed, drank, and ate to their heart's content. He felt a swell of pride as he gazed upon them. He knew they were technically not his yet, but they would be one day, and that was more than enough for him.

He looked over at his bride-to-be with reluctance, and felt slightly guilty from feeling disdain for her. Just as he looked with content among his people, he wished he could be fighting for them. He was sure she didn't want to be there just as much as him, but still, he couldn't help it.

Gray looked down at her plate and saw it was hardly touched, and she was staring out into the crowd of people with numbness in her eyes.

"Do you not like the food?" Gray asked. "We prepared lots of fish tonight, since it's a staple cuisine of The Riverlands."

Juvia jumped a bit, seeming to break from a daze. "Forgive me, My Lord. Juvia just feels a bit sick from all the traveling. Not very hungry." She forced a smile.

Gray curiously raised his brow, hearing her speak in the third person. "You can call me Gray."

"Oh." She blushed. "Alright, Gray." Her words seemed so empty and lifeless.

"Winterfell is beautiful." She said after a brief pause. "Juvia took a small walk through the courtyard."

"Why do you speak in third person?" Gray said crassly.

"My apologies, Gray. It's a childhood habit that seemed to stick." She apologized, as insincere as ever. Her face showed no emotion, just as her words, and she had yet to make eye contact with Gray.

He exhaled and stood from the table, quickly fed up. "Right, well, there's no use in forcing this god-awful small talk. Excuse me, Lady Juvia." Gray sarcastically bowed, rolled his eyes, and walked away, leaving Juvia wide-eyed, and it was the first bit of sincere emotion she'd shown since arriving at Winterfell.

Gray found a table nearby where Lyon sat. "Good gods, man, talking to her is lile pulling teeth." Gray slumped over in a seat and took a hefty swig of Lyon's wine.

Lyon looked at him with precarious eyes. "Uh, I don't think the Lord of Winterfell is supposed to leave the head table during the feast."

"The 'Lord of Winterfill' can do whatever the hell he wants." Gray growled.

"You won't be a very good lord with that attitude." Lyon snorted.

"Oh, quit the teasing, Lyon, I'm dying over there!" Gray shoved his head in between his hands. "It's blatantly obvious that neither of us want to be here with each other!"

"You've known her for six hours. Five of which you spent separately. I don't think you're exactly giving this a fair shot." Lyon tried his best to be a voice of reason.

"Maybe, but how am I supposed to give it a fair shot when we're practically destined to hate each other." He said, desperately.

"I'm sorry, do we have different definitions of 'marriage'? It's a symbol of love."

"Yeah, not arranged marriages. Those never go well, and history is to show for that." Gray combed the oils out of his hair with his fingers, bringing it back to its normal messy texture.

"So you've known her for an evening and you already hate her?" Lyon asked, trying his best to get Gray to see how dramatic he was being.

"Ergh!" Gray grunted with frustration. "No, I don't hate her! But I wouldn't say I like her either. Her father's the reason I'm stuck in this castle in the first place."

"Well, it's a good thing you're not marrying her father, then." Lyon gave a smug smirk.

"Quit being a smartass." Gray spat.

"Look," Lyon got lower to the table to match Gray. "Instead of sulking over here and throwing yourself a pity party, why don't you just give her a chance. You don't have to fall in love with her. No one's expecting that of you, trust me. But you can at least get along with one another. Maybe even become friends. Just make the best of what you have."

Gray paused to take in Lyon's words, but they didn't seem to work all that much. "I didn't really come over here for advice, ya know. Just wanted to steal your booze." Gray swiped Lyon's cup, downing the rest of the wine.

"You ass." Lyon rolled his eyes.

"That's Lord Ass, to you." Gray stood from the table.

"Whatever. Go back and talk with your beautiful bride before I snatch her up for myself." Lyon smirked.

Gray hit his arm before walking away. "Shut up."

As he made his way back to the table, he noticed Juvia wasn't there anymore. He stopped in his stride and curiously looked around the room, wondering where she could have possibly gone.

~

Juvia could have sworn the servant told her to make the first left- or- was it the second? Everything in that damned castle looked exactly the same, and it was all so big. She would be lucky if she didn't pee herself before finding a bathroom.

"Well, well, if it isn't The Rain Woman." Three guards made their way out from one of the halls.

"Good evening, My Lords." Juvia nodded. "Could one of you please escort me to a bathroom? Juvia's seemed to have lost her way." She forced another sweet grin, hoping to get kindness in return.

"You're to be the next Lady of Winterfell and you can't even find yourself a chamber pot?" The guards got closer, and she could smell wine masking them.

Juvia hummed a false chuckle. "Pardon, My Lords. Juvia just hasn't become familiar with the castle yet."

"Ya' know,'" The third guard spoke. "Winterfell doesn't get much rain."

Juvia was finding herself against a wall.

"You're right, Clayton." The first said. "So how the fuck is this place supposed to handle constant rain, 24/7?"

"Well," Juvia cleared her throat, trying her best to not let her nervousness show. "Riverrun adjusted just fine to it."

"I'm sure, My Lady, but Winterfell isn't known for bein' wet like where you're from." They were all closing in.

"So how are we supposed to get anything done with you floodin' this damn place? Everything will be thrown into chaos with you around." They were clearly not happy with Juvia being there.

"Sers," Juvia used her magic, and engulfed her hands in water, ready to use them as weapons, and they backed up a bit. "Juvia just wants to find the bathroom, and return to the feast. Juvia does not want any trouble." Her eyes were fierce, and she was ready for a fight if it was to happen.

"We know you're a fearsome little lady, but you're not in The Riverlands anymore. Soldiers of Winterfell won't go so easy on 'ya." All three guards propped up their hands, and used their magic to make swords of ice.

"Lord Fullbuster will not be happy if he finds his future wife hurt." Juvia said through gritted teeth.

"But, My Lady, he doesn't even want ya' here in the first place." The guard chuckled. "He wants to be fighting in the war, as he should. If anything, we'd be doing him a favor."

One of the guards swung his sword down at her, and Juvia had her arms more than ready to block it, but she felt a quick gust, and in the blink of an eye, Gray was standing in front of her, blocking the sword with his arm that was coated in ice.

"I'll be the one deciding whether I want her here or not. That's none of your concern." His eyes pierced right through the guard.

"My Lord-"

"And actually, come to think of it, I don't recall ordering any of my men to kill my wife." The guard finally put down his sword, and Gray's arm returned back to skin.

"She's a hindrance, My Lord! You know that just as much as me!"

"You know what I know? I know that an attempt to murder is not only a crime, but an attempt to muder a noblewoman, let alone a future noblewoman of Winterfell, is treason." His voice was just as sharp as his ice.

"My Lord-"

"And during times of war, I certainly don't want any traitors lurking in my castle." Juvia at that point had just realized Gray was using his free arm to shield her, and that arm remained there after all this time.

"Guards! Guards!" Gray shouted, and six men from other halls of the castle approached. "Throw these men into cells. I'll decide what to do with that after council with my advisors." Gray said simply. He wrapped an arm around Juvia and guided her away from the scene.

"Lord Fullbuster, wait! Please!" All the guards shouted, but Gray and Juvia could hear the sounds of them being taken away in the distance.

Once they turned another corner, Gray stopped and placed his hands on Juvia's shoulders, looking at her intently. "Are you hurt?"

"N-no, Gray-sama." Juvia's eyes were still wide. Not from the ambush, but for Gray's intervention.

"Gray-sama?" He questioned. "I told you, you don't have to call me any formalities."

"J-Juvia knows, but, well, it's out of respect. It feels right." She couldn't help a blush spread on her cheeks.

Gray shrugged. "If you say so." He began walking again, and Juvia followed right behind. "Anyway, I'm sorry." Gray muttered.

"You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault. Plus, Juvia could have certainly handled them, anyway."

"Yeah, I know. I've heard all the stories. It's just-- I dunno'-- I just wanted to help you. Didn't feel right to let you take them all on your own when I was right there and could easily put an end to it." He explained, piecing together his thought process.

Juvia couldn't help but stammer in her tracks a bit. No one ever really stood up for her before. At Riverrun, people always tried their best to steer clear of her. Everyone thought she was cursed, due to her rain, and she acquired the name "Rain Woman." She was like some urban legend, like it was a sin to even say her name. It wasn't her fault she was born with this dreaded curse, and she hated that it defined her life.

No one bothered to try to get close to her, not even her father. In her alone time, all she could do was train, so that was what she did. People knew she was strong, but what they didn't know was how lonely she always was, and how much she yearned for someone's care an affection.

"W-well," She blushed. "Thank you, Gray-sama."

Gray just responded with a shrug, but that was more than enough for Juvia.

As they were about to enter the feast once again, they passed a window, and it was quiet. Juvia never heard quiet like this before in her life. Was something wrong? Were her ears playing some sort of trick on her? She immediately stopped once they were at the window. It was dark, but still, what she was seeing and hearing was indisputable.

"What's wrong?" Gray realized she'd stopped and turned around.

"The rain." Her voice was airy, as the wind had just been completely knocked out if her. After the inital stun, and once she processed what she was about to stay, tears rushed to her eyes. It was silent. The outside world was silent. It was the best noise she'd ever heard in her life. She turned to Gray, teary-eyed and shocked.

She felt her throat close as thr words tried to come out, almost like her body was telling her to stop because it was too good to be true. Finally, she found her voice, even though it was almost a whisper.

"It stopped."

[bitchesofostwick]

oc meme info: ellinor trevelyan

thank you for the tag, @veridium-bye​!! i’ll tag @a-shakespearean-in-paris​ @gingerbreton​ @occorner​ @trvelyans​ @dickeybbqpit​ @mocha-writes​ @ladymdc​

BASICS

full name: ellinor aria trevelyan

gender: woman

sexuality: straight

family: ellinor is the youngest daugher of bann jaime trevelyan and rosalind treveylan. she has a twin brother, avery, and three older sisters, bryony, lyssa, and reilly.

pronouns: she/her

OTHER

birthplace: ostwick, born 9:15 dragon

job(s): she was more or less expected to become a socialite like her sisters, lyssa and reilly (because she definitely wasn’t going to follow bryony and become a templar). pre-inquisition, she spent her time idly, either being courted, playing harp during chantry sermons, or riding her horse, whinny. so the inquisition was definitely a step up lol.

phobias: they’re more fears than phobias, but she’s afraid of rodents or rodent-like creatures (sorry, nugs), as well as mabari, at least until she has time to warm up to them.

guilty pleasures: drinking and dancing at the herald’s rest. she’s a bit of a lightweight and can get carried away if no one’s keeping an eye on her.

hobbies: reading, horseback riding, dancing (as mentioned). she’s also skilled at the harp and asks maryden for lute lessons once they reach skyhold.

MORALS

morality alignment: lawful neutral/good. she has a strong moral compass and sticks to it, but whether her choices are truly “good” or maybe selfish could be left up to interpretation.

bad qualities: she’s very slow to trust and slow to forgive. she tends to make very quick first impressions of people and let those define her impression of them for a very long time, sometimes unfairly. she’s strong-willed and can be narrow-minded, sometimes not wishing to listen to those who oppose her.

good qualities: confident, eloquent, will stay very calm under pressure. when she does come to trust someone, she will love them with her whole heart. she is fiercely protective of those who are her friends.

THIS OR THAT?

introvert / extrovert

organized / disorganized

close-minded / open-minded

calm / anxious / restless

disagreeable / agreeable / in between

cautious / reckless / in between

patient / impatient

outspoken / reserved

leader / follower / flexible

empathetic / unempathetic

optimistic / pessimistic / realistic (a mix of both)

traditional / modern / in between

hard-working / lazy / unmotivated

RELATIONSHIPS:

OTP: ellinor x cullen (or as i sometimes think to myself, “cullinor”). they are complete opposites and enemies when they first meet. it has a lot to do with first impressions--ellinor wants nothing to do with a templar and cullen looks at her as an incapable noblewoman. they end up being exactly what the other needs: cullen provides ellinor a sense of stability and support that she never received from her own family, and ellinor gives cullen the determination and strength he needs to atone and to recover.

acceptable ships: kinda rylen because she loves a man who can get his hands dirty to get the job done (and that just screams rylen ok??? also might have a headcanon that while she’s running away from her cullen feelings, she might get a little flirty with rylen and maybe he gives her a tattoo but then he’s like lass i’m not the one for you and then she goes back to cullen idk) buuuuuuuut no one else ahahaha oops. i mentioned in a recent ask post that the only other person who shares the qualities she comes to love in cullen (personal growth, desire to atone for past, dedication, etc.) would be blackwall, but she sees him more as a father/uncle figure and it would be weird to ship them.

OT3: none

BroTP: ellinor + josie, ellinor + sera, and ellinor + dorian

NOTP: besides ellinor x blackwall, for reasons already stated? ellinor x solas. she has a lot of respect for his knowledge, but she’s very outspoken and narrow-minded about some things and doesn’t always have the patience to take his advice or to learn about matters that seem faraway to her. also, you know. solas only wants that good good lavellan love. no room for trevelyans in his heart lmao

[bellringermal]

What sort of woman is Lady Maria for you?🙂

LONG POST INCOMING!!!

Maria is a character Daisy and I developed as time went by. From the game, we can get a decent impression of what Gehrman is like or at least what he is now after god knows how many years trapped in the Dream. It wasn’t hard for me to try and piece together the man he was before because we have many clues, we know many things about him: who he worked for, what he liked *wink wink* what his opinion on the hunt was and so on.

Maria is a much more mysterious character, a less relatable one (in my opinion) because we don’t have the chance to interact with her that much in the game. Ludwig at least gets a final, tragic speech before passing out but Maria doesn’t and she does not even have any final words when killed, unlike Gehrman.

This is why when I decided to start writing my fanfic, the first thing I tried to do was to give Maria some solid background and a reason to be there with the Hunters of Byrgenwerth which consequently led me to develop headcanons for the entire Cainhurst nobility LMAO.

First of all, Maria is a very capable woman not because she was born talented but because she worked for it. Since she was young, she trained hard and intensively in the martial arts while leading the life of a noblewoman perfectly integrated into Cainhurst’s lavish society. Maria is 100% one of them and very aware of it. She is not a rebel who doesn’t “want to be a lady, but a knight instead”, she is not a tomboy, she isn’t even a knight in fact, but a member of the royal guards: trained soldiers and spies who are the personal protectors of the queen herself.

She knows what her place is, what her family expects from her and really never questioned it prior to her arrival in Byrgenwerth. By her own admission, she knows very little of the condition of the general population, she had never walked in a crowded street in Yharnam without other guards and lackeys by her side for she has been raised in the sheltered and stale society of the nobles.

The disconnect between her and the Byrgenwerth hunters is abysmal at first. Her opinion of them was terrible and she openly disliked Gehrman and his methods of teaching. No matter how prepared she was, her prior training only focused on one vs one combat between knights and it proved almost completely useless against beasts. She was forced to unlearn something she took pride in, something she spent all her youth learning and perfecting. She felt like she didn’t belong and never will. This is why my fanfic takes 2 YEARS to really get everything in place for the romance between her and Gehrman to blossom :P she had to adapt to the life of a Hunter first. And once she did, she enjoyed the heck out of it. She became proud of being one of them, forged strong friendships with her colleagues and some of the students such as Rom and Caryll. Her distaste for Gehrman turned into deep admiration not just for his skills as a Hunter but as a person in general since she considered his (and his students’) accomplishments really inspiring.

Once she opened up, she revealed her warmer and cheerful side, that was hidden beneath the cold disguise of the Cainhurst noblewoman. Maria is overall an optimistic and daring woman who likes the challenge (no matter if during a hunt or while playing arm wrestling with Izzy and Gratia :P) and to have fun. She is well aware of her attractiveness and absolutely confident and open when it comes to her love life since I headcanon Cainhusters to be way less ‘prudish’ than your average Yharnamite.

Maria is also really fond of her sister Lady Evelyn and her uncle/adoptive father Lord Ackerman who was also her teacher and is constantly concerned about their well-being, especially Evelyn’s since she was facing a period of psychological and health complications after she had an abortion which is, obviously, not only a really terrible experience to go through but also something that put a stigma on Evelyn’s name in the eyes of all the other nobles. In my headcanons, Cainhursters were infected by the Sanguine Plague (which is NOT the plague of the beasts, it’s a different illness of Pthumerian origin) which made many of their women unable to bear children. Maria too thinks she’s infertile (which is true in my ‘serious’ fanfic and untrue in the LND AU because happy endings and stuff) and that is one of the reasons why she is so affected by the whole Kos-Fishing Hamlet-thing and why the Doll’s personality complements hers by acting so maternally.

I also think that she didn’t really care a whole bunch about being a mother and such as far as her own goals and aspirations were concerned, but being a young woman raised in a society that valued bloodline and the fabled conception of the ‘Child of Blood’ above all else, those expectations still affected her. But even with that, she was rational enough to draw the line when Annalise had her own soldiers trained to kill other humans in order to collect Blood Dregs. That was the moment when Maria truly began to despise her family and their gruesome traditions. The more her Pthumerian heritage became apparent (the more she used the Old Blood, the more   Maria’s abilities and appearance changed) the more she became repulsed by it. She also felt guilty because of all the Pthumerians she and the Hunters slaughtered to allow the scholars to explore the Chalices. This was possibly the first moment in her life when she truly needed Gehrman’s and her friend’s support and understanding because for the first time she was not comfortable with herself. She feared she was going to lose herself, to become ‘hollow’, in a sense. I took a lot of inspiration from a character by Angela Carter for this particular ‘phase’ of Maria’s story arc. The Countess from ‘The Lady of the House of Love’:

(…) she is the last bud of the poison tree that sprang from the loins of Vlad the Impaler who picnicked on corpses in the forests of Transylvania.

She herself is a haunted house. She does not possess herself; her ancestors sometimes come and peer out of the windows of her eyes and that is very frightening.

She is so beautiful she is unnatural; her beauty is an abnormality, a deformity, for none of her features exhibit any of those touching imperfections that reconcile us to the imperfection of the human condition. Her beauty is a symptom of her disorder, of her soullessness.  

Long story short, Maria is a brave young woman with a good heart and the humility of admitting her own flaws. Said humility is what makes her different from the majority of the snobbish Cainhursters and why she is able to fit amongst the Old Hunters, why she admires the dedication of the Byrgenwerth scholars to their research and why she is able to see past Gehrman’s manias and social awkwardness and care for the good man she knows he really is.

She cannot forget or ignore her origins, being a Cainhurster means more than possessing a noble title, her very DNA is different, she is not fully human but she is determined not to let her ancestry change the person she wants to be and how others see her. She joined the Old Hunters on Annalise’s request but the decision to become a permanent member of their group was hers and hers alone, she refused to use Blood Blades despite her extremely powerful blood and consciously looked at Gehrman at some point in the story and thought “you know, he’s kinda hot”.

:P

[oadara]

my point about lyanna is that we don't know. maybe she was manipulated. we have no idea. concretely blaming her is unlike blaming dany for her white saviorism in slaver's bay. lyyanna was selfish but to act like she was definitely not caring for her fam based on circumstantial evidence, because that's what the evidence is, is wild when y'all excuse dany for things we see her do because her motives are good lmao I can't. blame Rhaegar all you want. he deserves it.

mentioning that we don’t have lyanna’s pov or that what we have is circumstantial evidence on what/when lyanna knew is excuses? I wonder what the yt people dany defense essays of her actions in slavers bay are. I was softening towards dany and her yt savior nonsense that got brown people killed bc of her mismanagement and had slaves sell themselves back into slavery. but if we’re taking an hardline position, then wonder what a defense of dany/slavers bay (book) is but an excuse of the outcome

Anon,

These are two separate asks but I because clearly you are the same anon and by the way you write I’m pretty sure I know who you are. Why don’t we get a few things straight and then you can leave my mailbox alone for all eternity

I see that you mentioned the books, which is fantastic because I can finally set you straight on your delusion that the Slaver’s Bay was only populated by people of color, which is untrue, it was mixed race. Slaves from the Free Cities, Qarth Lhazareen, Dothraki, etc. populated Slaver’s Bay. 

Here, why don’t you read this, it’s straight from the horse’s (GRRM’s) mouth:

“And meanwhile, you’ve got Daenerys visiting more Eurasian and Middle Eastern cultures.

And that has generated its controversy too. I answer that one to in my blog. I know some of the people who are coming at this from a political or racial angle just seem to completely disregard the logistics of the thing here. I talk about what’s in the books. The books are what I write. What I’m responsible for.

Slavery in the ancient world, and slavery in the medieval world, was not race-based. You could lose a war if you were a Spartan, and if you lost a war you could end up a slave in Athens, or vice versa. You could get in debt, and wind up a slave. And that’s what I tried to depict, in my books, that kind of slavery.

So the people that Dany frees in the slaver cities are of many different ethnicities, and that’s been fairly explicit in the books. But of course when David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] and his crew are filming that scene [of Daenerys being carried by freed slaves], they are filming it in Morocco, and they put out a call for 800 extras. That’s a lot of extras. They hired the people who turned up. Extras don’t get paid very much. I did an extra gig once, and got like $40 a day.”

Finally, I can get that off my chest. Now, let’s address your other points, that I give Dany a pass because but won’t give Lyanna a pass because of her you. Let me say this for what it feels like the one thousandth time, Daenerys Targaryen has made many mistakes. This has never been a problem for me, it’s one of the reasons I love her so much. 

Having said that, I have a hard time equating Dany’s mistakes with Lyanna’s mistakes. If you look at their upbringing, the education, the values they were thought, and the impetus behind their actions you see why this comparison falls short. So let’s look at the background for both Lyanna and Dany to see where these two young women are coming from. 

Lyanna as the Lord Paramount’s daughter would have had an excellent education, training as a lady, as well as a very stable upbringing. She was clearly allowed to indulge in the things she liked, such as riding and learning how to fight. Her father might not have approved of the fighting but he wasn’t against it enough to stop her from doing it. I think it’s safe to say that there was very little that Lyanna would have gone without while growing up at Winterfell. 

We should all know Dany’s story by now but I’ll repeat for the benefit of those who constantly seem to forget it. A few days after she was born she had to be rescued because the new king of Westeros had sent his brother to her home in Dragonstone to assassinate her and her brother. They ended up in Braavos and for about four year’s she had a good life but then her care taker died and she and her brother were thrown out into the streets. They lived in the streets and on the kindness of strangers for the next nine years. Dany remembers sailing on ships at least 50 times in this time period, so there was a lot of moving around. She lived in nine of the Free Cities and can remember times when buying a sausage was a luxury. Throughout all this, she lived in fear because her brother believed that king Robert was sending assassins after them.  Her training and education were handled exclusively by her brother and whatever she thought herself through books she would read while staying with some rich benefactor who would take them in for a few months. Whatever sense of right and wrong she learned she did so on her own because clearly, Viserys had a very skewed view on those. 

Before we continue we should note that there is an age difference between the two, at this point in the series (the end of ADWD) Dany has just turned 16 year’s old and Lyanna, who died at 16, died close to her 17th birthday. But if we want to find a point of comparison, Lyanna was running away with Rhaegar around the same time Dany was conquering Slaver’s Bay. So, let’s look at these two events to see the difference in their actions.

Let’s start with Lyanna. We all know the general story and we are going to assume, given some information we have, that Lyanna ran away willingly with Rhaegar.  She could have done it for a variety of reasons but whatever the reason it falls into one of three categories, she was in love with Rhaegar and wanted to be with him, she bought into the prophecy of TPTWP and thought she would save the world by doing whatever she needed to do to make that happen, or she was so against her upcoming wedding with Robert that she would rather run away. I know there is another theory of maybe Aerys finding out her identity and going after her, but that’s when you run home to Winterfell and have your dad and your betrothed sort that out. 

Looking at Lyanna’s background and support system and what we are told about her she was a very strong-willed and clever girl. Even taking into account her being in love, or believing in a prophecy or not wanting to get married to Robert, I can’t imagine that the ramifications of her actions never crossed her mind. She was raised a noblewoman, she was around nobles her whole life, the actions that she decided to embark upon would have been considered disastrous by any standard. And if she was taking a calculated risk for say the good of the world, she must have known that her family was not just going to sit at Winterfell and do nothing. 

I do take into consideration Lyanna’s age and that a person her age is also highly impulsive, but that still doesn’t absolve her of culpability. She is still responsible for her actions whether they were impulsive or not. In addition to all this is the amount of time she was gone, she didn’t get pregnant right away, at least 4 months had gone by before that happened. And of course I put most of the blame of Rhaegar, he was the adult in that situation, he had a wife and children, a father who he knew was mad, and it was his decision to run away with a young, unmarried girl, who happens to be the daughter of a Lord Paramount and she’s also engaged to another noble. Rhaegar being mainly responsible for what happens still doesn’t absolve Lyanna of her part in this mess and the destruction that took place because of her and Rhaegar’s actions. 

If Lyanna’s actions are night, let’s go to the day and briefly review Dany’s actions. So you have this girl who’s recently lost her brother, husband, and child and has no more family and no support system at all. She’s 15 year’s old, on her own, and she actually finds herself responsible for other people. Because she has no family and her father and older brother almost extinct their House, she feels responsible for avenging her family and recovering what was theirs. She goes to Slaver’s Bay to get herself and army, but while she’s there she sees that she has landed in the pit of hell. Little boys being mutilated, babies being murdered in order to train the Unsullied, children slathered in honey and thrown at bears for the amusement of the Master and just general slavery disgustingness. 

So, Dany having been sold herself and not appreciating the experience decides to do something about it, because “you know what? This ain’t right”. So she concocts a plan and voila Dracarys Motherfuckers. Now, a lot of Dany’s mistakes stem from how she left Astapor, which she left with a ruling council but without any defense and then the mistakes she made in Meereen. And while Dany’s actions did cause a great deal of death and destruction ultimately hundreds of thousands of people were freed from slavery and therefore free to chose their own choices. And in addition, her actions started a revolution in Volantis which will ultimately free hundreds of thousands of more people, if successful. Which means that in the long run millions of people would potentially be saved from continuing to be slaves or becoming slaves in the future. 

Can you see the difference in their actions and the outcome of their actions? If Rhaegar and Lyanna did what they did because of a prophecy, their actions were based on a belief which neither of them could prove was real. And in the meantime thousands upon thousand of people died, lives were ruined, families destroyed. And while you can turn around and say thousands died in Dany’s revolution, I can then turn around and say but hundreds of thousands more lived and were saved from a life of slavery. At the end of the day, people had hope when they might not have had hope before. 

Their actions are not comparable, no matter which way you cut it. 

TTFN

[spearcast]

1-5 for the Noble sisters!

!!!!! thank you friend!! under a read more bc hoooooo boi it’s long

1. What’s their full name? Why was that chosen? Does it mean anything?

Renee’s full name is actually Sarah Renee Noble- named Sarah after her grandmother- but she preferred to go by Renee (Sarah means princess/noblewoman, Renee means reborn/born again). 

Rosalie’s full name is Rosalie Acidalia Noble (Rosalie means rose, Acidalia is a surname of the goddess Venus and is associated with cares or troubles). Her parents went on a brief vacation in Greece and Italy (specifically Rome) before her dad got into the SEP with Overwatch.

Mallory’s full name is Mallory Candace Noble (Mallory means unfortunate, Candace means pure/sincere). Which, of course, got her the nickname “Candy” and other sweet ones like “sugarcube”. 

2. Do they have any titles? How did they get them?

They all have their “alias” names which came from various things. When Renee started working with Talon, they gave her the codename “Hekate” bc of her seemingly magical abilities. Rosalie and Mallory sort of chose theirs- coming from nicknames they were given as kids (Mama Noble often called Rosalie “little Aphrodite” or “my little Venus fly trap” and Mal was/is often called “sugarcube” and “candy” by Rosalie and Mama Garza) getting them their titles of “Venus” and “Confection”.

3. Did they have a good childhood? What are fond memories they have of it? What’s a bad memory? 

((((((((:

Admittedly, Renee had a good childhood. Her parents loved her, gave her a lot of attention, wanted the best for her. Even after her father joined Overwatch/the Soldier Enhancement Program, everything was pretty peachy. She helped her mom with community stuff in center city Philly and was actually gunning to become a recruit in Overwatch’s peace-keeping organization- 

Until Rosalie was born. Because a little after that, Overwatch’s Swiss HQ blew up. It killed their father. 16 year old Renee became a lot quieter and to herself after that. However, Mama Noble (and after a couple of years, her new beau Lucas Carter) still raised Rosalie very happily, often taking the sisters out to the suburbs in the Noble family homestead (since Dad!Noble came from closer to Reading, PA than Philly) and such. AND OF COURSE, this all changes when Mallory is born. Rosalie is 8 and Mallory is 24. One is still a kid, the other getting out of college. There’s the minor omnic uprising in Philadelphia, where Margie Noble and fiance Lucas Carter are killed protecting 6-month-old Mallory and 8-year-old Rosalie.

Both had to go to the hospital, and when child services called Renee, she answered once, with a short (and very cold) “I don’t want them”. She never picked up that line again after that, discarding the phone and essentially leaving her sisters for whatever came their way. (This effectively ended Rosalie’s “childhood”, because an eight year old as smart as her grew up fast when she learned that she and Mal were going into an orphanage.) 

Mallory had a relatively okay childhood, for what it’s worth. The orphanage treated she and Rosalie well, though Rosie was always a little overprotective. They didn’t get adopted until Mal was 5 and Rosalie was 13. That story is continued here, for trying to make a long post a little shorter.

4. What is their relationship with their parents? What’s a good and bad memory with them? Did they know both parents? 

((((((((((((((((((((((:

Renee has the best memories of both of the parents, was really close with her dad; she always low-key had a grudge against him for being away from home so often and not with she and her mom more but she understood. Worst memory had to be getting into a fight with them when both Margie and Stephen told her she was going to have a little sister- which, I headcanon Rosalie to have been a “miracle child”, since the SEP was supposed to make their volunteers sterile after the process was complete. She was pissed because they were acting like this baby was going to be a godsend and she was feeling very... dramatically Over It. She was 15-16, we all know how those years can be.

Rosalie has the best memories of her mom. Her favorite was when they went to Lake Erie for the summer before Mallory was born- her mom was pregnant and happily engaged to Lucas, Renee was even a bit happier that summer (mostly because she was graduating college within the year and could live her life freely after that). Her worst had to be- UH, I MEAN, probably her mom and step-dad-to-be dying right in front of her????? Admittedly, I can’t think of a worse one. (She does have a singular, perfect memory of her father. When she was a baby, maybe 9 months, she can vividly hear him saying “Rosalie” and looking down at her smiling. That’s it. The only thing she has of him, mentally at least.)

Mallory never knew her parents and doesn’t remember them. She only has pictures and holovids Rosalie still has. Sometimes she watches them, but as Mallory is, she doesn’t dwell on it. Sure she would’ve liked to know them, to have had a relationship with them, but she knows it’s not worth it to grieve over people she never knew.

5. Do they have any siblings? What’s their names? What is their relationship with them? Has their relationship changed since they were kids to adults?

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((:

If you ask Renee- unless the information is needed for a mission- she’ll say she has no siblings. (She generally hates Rosalie, though she also genuinely doesn’t consider Mal to be her sister. It’s partially her way of dealing with the grief of losing both parents. She blames Rosalie for their father’s death and Mallory for their mother’s, even if it’s irrational.)(Fun fact: she also does in fact fear Rosalie. Because after their first reuniting moment, she realizes Rosalie has grown up to be One Angry Motherfucker who has a super soldier’s abilities.)

Rosalie used to see Renee as the coolest older sister. She liked how nonchalant and distant and “chill” Renee seemed. OF COURSE, this all changes after she, at 8 years old, realized Renee didn’t give a fuck about her OR Mallory. This is when that deep-seeded anger in her gut was planted. She’ll admit to having a younger sibling but sometimes outright refuses to call Renee her sister. (She still cares about Renee, especially as she’s gotten older. She knows Renee needs help in some way, shape, or form, because of how horribly the eldest Noble is handling grief and going about her life.)(LMAO HOWEVER, upon their first reuniting, she literally sees Renee and starts seeing red, essentially trying to beat the fuck outta ‘ne. She angery.) Rosalie and Mallory however? My god you’ll never find a better duo. They’re very... Nani-and-Lilo in their sibling relationship, and often have pretty good banter. She can be a bit over protective, but it’s something Mallory genuinely appreciates.

Mallory doesn’t give a fuck about this “Renee” person. (Unless Renee were to say, hurt Rosalie. Then This Renee chick is getting choked out with her slingshot.)(Fun fact: Renee kidnaps Mal at one point and Renee is like “lmao isn’t it fucked up I’m your sister? join Talon w/ me I can teach you shit” and Mal is just like.... “*squints* who the fuck are you again” I love Mal so much.) Rosalie, on the other hand, is pretty much the Best Sister-Mom Ever in Mallory’s eyes. Mal isn’t super great with emotions, but she knows for sure that Rosalie has gone through hell and back to keep her safe and that her older sister would do it time and time again if she had to. 

While Rosalie is definitely the sister you don’t want to piss off, Mallory is one to watch out for also. Hurt Rosalie? You’re getting clocked with a shield and sometimes even a small person (aka Mallory). Mal also will not hesitate to verbally destroy and pick apart anyone who has a problem with Rosalie. Their arguments are really something though, because both are very intellectual (even if Rosalie doesn’t give herself credit for it) and it usually actually winds down into a debate. “Winds down” after the near-screaming match they had moments before ofc.

[mienakyohaku-blog]

Write two facts about your muse, three childhood headcanons, 2-3 icons you never ever get to use, and your 5 top favorite ships that involve your muse (these don’t have to be romantic). Tag however many people you want. Tagged by ;; @maidfaire​ Tagging ;; @duskthroned​ @impxlethebutler​

[ TWO FACTS ] 

Hinata, when he sees an attractive girl, can’t help but feel like he wants to make her feel good about herself. He’s met a decent number of not well-off financially women or women who have been abused and can’t stand it, so if he can give any kind of kindness and make their day, he absolutely will try to-- even if it’s at the cost of his wallet. 

Hinata wants to travel the world. He finally gets this dream to come true after the war, but he thinks that any person ought to learn and they’re limited if they only stay in one place. He’s very supportive of his son being interested in becoming a teacher to others because he thinks the idea of passing knowledge down is very admirable, and Hinata is very respectful of those willing to part with information or hold the responsibility of cultivating a new age and generation.

[ THREE CHILDHOOD HEADCANONS ] 

Hinata grew up in a very strict household. He’s the youngest son, and he thought because of this fact he could get away with being rebellious, hence his heavy moodiness during his teenaged years and initial opposition to serving Takumi. His habit of cutting off his sleeves stems from a disrespect to his parents and everything they bought him, but he started to like the feeling of wind and sun on his arms. You know what they say: Sun’s Out, Guns Out !

Hinata’s family is a samurai family, but his mother was merely a noblewoman. She held an appreciation for beauty and absolutely loved taking care of trees and flowers and she was also a natural cook despite the fact that she did very little household work due to the presence of maids. Hinata assumes Hisame’s pickling fascination truly came from her, though he can believe part of it is the result of teenage rebellion.

Hinata would never eat pickles as a child, a disgust he carries into adulthood. It was often a part of meals, and Hinata always steered clear from them, quick to make an ugly expression at them. He had hoped his son would grow tired of them, but he realized Hisame actually holds a love for them so he can’t hold it against him so long as it’s an actual passion.

[ THREE ICONS ]

[ FIVE SHIPS ]

1.) felihina

I LOVE FELIHINA!! and layla honestly is such a dear that makes it all that much more precious to me jfkdjfsksd i remember seeing a few folks drawing a felicia! hisame and i was?? always so confused cause i admit the thought of pairing a nohrian with hinata kinda seemed weird at first to me BUT THEN I TRIED THE SUPPORTS AND BOY !!! 

hinata helps felicia grow over her insecurities and shows her that she does have the power to create and do something good, and felicia would never take advantage of hinata’s goodwill. i think the fact that they invent ice sculpting is really neat too and it can very easily be such a cool motif !! felicia’s kinda like an ice sculpture to hinata: whilst she’s easy to possibly break down out of her own anxiety, she is beautiful and captivating and something one wishes to preserve !! hinata also trying his hand at something creative with her is also absolutely adorable

2.) takuobohina

romantically or platonically, i love these three!! i think romantically, any dynamic between them all would work !! like poly or not. i feel like if it was monogamous, that the third person would easy be so supportive of their relationship and would be probably willing to babysit their kid lmao

y’all already know how much i adore obohina so i won’t babble about that but!! on a platonic note, i think these three are honestly my second fav retainer squad!! they’re so animated and supportive and the drama cd, while i don’t like it for a very specific reason, does help showcase how devoted hinata and oboro are to takumi without showing off a competitive need to be the “Best Retainer” or “Takumi’s Favorite” or anything like that-- they truly have takumi’s back and would follow him even if he weren’t royalty and them in conquest absolutely breaks my heart.... i don’t think i could ever replay their death quotes gjffdsds

3.) hinahana

I AM BLESSED FOR THE FACT JUDD AGREED TO SHIP W/ ME AAAA.... at first i wasn’t too keen on this ship, but it eventually grew on me hence why i asked in the first place hahaha

i think the two keep each other in check and whilst they can bumble with one another in conversation, they both mean well and don’t mean any offense. they stay themselves and can wholly appreciate what the other does and how devoted they are to their lieges, not growing jealous over any lack of attention and whatnot. respect and playfulness is abound.

I STILL ALSO LOVE THEIR NAMES TOGETHER... the sunshine vs flurry of snow in sunshine is SO GOOD A WEATHER THEME!!

4.) sevhina 

besides the fact that you get the ultimate tsundere hisame outta this, i think their s-support is still the funniest thing i’ve ever read out of either’s supports. i think selena has some trouble socializing due to her coldness and her sharp tongue, but hinata doesn’t seem to mind and sees her for the respectable fighter she is-- someone who puts so much effort into everything she does. perhaps he’s drawn to those with insecurities because he wants to help them feel proud and confident, but he definitely would admire her for everything she does and her work ethic and be loyal to her.

i’m also an absolute sucker for the idea of hinata going to ylisse post-war for the sake of their marriage and being excited to learn more about the world and new fighting styles and having this spark in his eye from all the wonder and excitement. him also in myrmidon fighting gear?? Heart Eyes,

it also helps that i usually like to marry ophelia to hisame in my rev files, so this way hisame has a reason to go to ylisse

5.) hayahina

who am i,,

hinata would absolutely spoil hayato !! at first it’s definitely a thing where hinata wants a little brother so he can be a big brother figure, but then he learns that even though hayato has his childish tics, he is a very dependable person who is trying so earnestly and diligently to be someone fuga can be proud of and to be a better person. it’s not just hayato trying to be manly but he’s got his own sense of responsibility and hinata grows to respect that and want to be so supportive of him in a completely different way, but he also wants to remind hayato that he can be himself and relax too