#because he’s my favourite and to see them violently derail him and a lot of his development at the last second is very disheartening | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thesunicarusfellfor · 4 years ago

Note

hello!!can you do a part two of your Yandere!Tommy x Reader x Yandere!Tubbo Headcanons/Fic ?! i loved it!!

It amazes me how this became a fan favourite OVERNIGHT like daaaaamn!

This one is gonna be split into parts around the end, so like what happens if you choose Tubbo/Tommy/Neither/Both

(f/l) = first letter of your name

(N/n) = nickname

(f/f) = Favourite flowers

Eggpire does not exist

ALSO. The last Route (Neither) I wrote is shorter because apparently, Tumblr wants to crash after you surpass 10k words, but I could write a continuation fic of Neither that might turn into another x reader? Just platonic? Not sure. Remember, I will always write a continuation of a fic if ever asked.

TW: Yandere, Explosions, Burns, Scars, Manipulation, Mention of Painkillers and being drowsy on them, brief mention of collapsing

Part one

Yandere!Tommy x GN!Reader x Yandere!Tubbo Headcanon/Fic Part 2

Tommy was furious to see you spending time with anyone that wasn’t him.

But seeing you having an early morning coffee with Ranboo??? Tubbo’s husband???

He was about to light the damn house on fire he was so pissed! That’s not even exaggerating, he would’ve and had you live with him! Although he wouldn’t let you know he did it.

Poor Ranboo was trembling so bad, genuinely fearing for his canon lives.

You quickly got up and stood in Tommy’s sight, prevent him from glaring at your tall friend, although he still didn’t look happy.

Before anyone could say anything else, Tubbo stormed through the door with his sword in his hand and teeth violently grit together.

“So... You weren’t trying to throw me off by writing about going to see them in your memory book,” Tubbo growled softly at his husband causing Ranboo to desperately pull his memory book closer to his chest, tears brimming his eyes. You could understand why, his best friend went through his memory book without his knowledge and possibly went through his other things in an attempt to figure out what he was doing.

“I guess neither of you are loyal...” Tommy grumbled with a roll of his eyes, causing Tubbo to give him a hard jab in the ribs, “Ow! Bloody hell, mate! I’m just saying both of you are going for them without even breaking up first!”

“It’s platonic!” Both Tubbo and Ranboo stated although Ranboo’s voice came out as a tiny and meek protest, rather than Tubbo’s annoyed growl. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Ranboo put his crown back on his head, “I’m-I’m not interested in chasing them, so no... I was just talking to them...” He visibly shrank in on himself as the two boys glared darkly at him, “I... Should go...”

“Hold up.” You pointed at him, making the tall and lanky male stay seated in his spot while you turned back to Tubbo and Tommy, “I know why Ranboo is here. I know why he,” You pointed to Tommy, “Is here. He always kicks down my door early in the morning to do some crazy things. But why are you here?” Moving your finger to point at Tubbo, you noticed his look immediately softened upon you turning your attention towards him.

His cheeks became a light pink and his goat ears fluttered slightly as he put his sword away, “Am I not allowed to visit?” There. There was one of the mood switches and manipulation Ranboo warned you about. “Tommy invited me to L’Manberg, and I heard my beloved platonic husband was in the area as well. Plus Tommy left the door open.”

You blinked a bit, caught off guard by the fact that Tubbo completely brushed over the fact that he was here because he had read Ranboo’s memory book, “Oh, I see... Then shall we all go mining today? We’d be able to get a lot more ores than before!” You smiled, pretending that your two friends didn’t kick down your door and threaten the man who was just trying to protect you.

“With Tubbo and Ranboo?” Tommy growled out in disgust at the thought of you spending time with them, “But (Y/n)! We always go mining on Thursday mornings! It’s our thing. Between just US! Aka, not Tubbo and Ranboo...”

“I- uh, have a meeting with Techno and Phil later today, so I can’t go. Sorry, (Y/n)...” Ranboo murmured, although you could tell by the shakiness of his voice that he wanted nothing more than to run and hide in his panic room.

“I’d love to go!” Tubbo chirped softly, ignoring the audible noise of disgust and annoyance that Tommy made, “Let me just get my stuff from my enderchest.” He walked over to your enderchest and opened it. You didn’t mind too much as you gave everyone full permission to make themselves at home in your house, but you were just a bit shaken up at the moment.

Ranboo quickly got up and scurried out the door, giving you an odd look as he passed by. He looked... Guilty, but his smile was sad and soft, but seemingly affectionate. You knew he would help if these two were scaring you too much.

The two boys brought you to an unpopular mine in the DreamSMP that was filled to the brim with ores.

They were quick to take down any and all mobs that came within any sort of distance to you, recklessly charging without a second thought in attempts to protect you.

While there was intense amounts of fear and tension circling through your veins because of this morning, you did quickly grow to have fun with the banter between these two.

Even Tommy and Tubbo were having fun bickering, almost seeming to forget the fact that they were in a war with each other. Almost.

The constant fluttering of their hearts and warmth on their cheeks was an easy reminder of what they were fighting for.

Every single ore, gemstone and pretty rock that you looked at, the boys would immediately pick up and put in their bags so you didn’t have to carry it.

When Tommy began to whine about being hungry, you wanted to go back to the surface to eat the food you had packed, but they both thought that was too far.

So, you suggested sitting down in the abandoned mineshaft you had discovered.

“Ooh!” Tubbo squeaked, his ears wiggling as he turned the corner of the mineshaft, “There’s a ravine over here! Let’s eat by the light of the lava so we don’t waste all our torches!”

“Finally! I’m starving!” Tommy tossed his ore-filled bag off of his shoulder and set it against the wall. Once you spread out the thick blanket you had brought on the ground, he plopped himself down and set down his shield and sword, “What do you have for food today, Big/Little (F/l)?”

You hummed as Tubbo sat himself down on the other side of you with a yawn, likely not used to getting up early, “I have... Sandwiches, some fruit slices, berries, y’know, the usual. You tired, Tubbo?” Glancing over at the brunet, you saw him rubbing his eyes with the long sleeve of his brown and yellow striped sweater that you had made him when he first travelled to Snowchester.

“Little bit, yeah. Can I lay against you? Just for a little bit?” He asked softly as you handed Tommy a sandwich, which he practically inhaled in seconds. Once you gave a nod of approval, the smaller boy laid down and curled up with his head against your lap.

Tommy grumbled in annoyance and without thinking much, laid down as well with his head against your leg too. When you gave him a small questioning look as this was highly out character for him, but he simply just mumbled about how you were definitely more comfortable than the rocks.

You weren’t sure how long you sat there, unconsciously playing with their hair as you glanced around the stone walls for any untouched ores, but by now both boys were asleep and you didn’t feel like waking them up. Taking your time, you began to consider your situation now that you knew both boys were smitten with you and practically willing to hurt anyone who came in contact with you.

Tubbo’s mood switches scared you, a lot, and you were worried that him being the nice and blushing boy you had met a few years ago was nothing but an act and that all the gifts were an attempt to lure you in or distract you from his violent tendencies. You had watched him walk into your house, eyes blank and filled with rage towards his platonic soulmate for talking to you without his knowledge, and you were worried that soon that rage would be directed at you for doing something he didn’t like.

Tommy’s violent tendencies were just as scary though, so he wasn’t in the clear in your eyes either. While he did shape up a lot from when you first met, he still had a tendency to bark insults at you and hurt your feelings, which you hope is unintentional. He also often tried to threaten people and keep them away from you, like Eret or Niki who got yelled at and a tad bit injured after they had given you gifts or offered to bring you somewhere cool... They didn’t really spend time with you anymore after that... You missed them and didn��t want the same thing to happen to Ranboo.

But, this couldn’t go on forever. You couldn’t just run... and you knew very well that rejecting either of the two would cause the other to lash out severely, to the point where the one you chose, you, and your friends were in major trouble. It’s not like you could choose both right? ...Right? Then again... Choosing both would potentially cause tension to stir up again between the two best friends.

Your train of thought was violently derailed when you heard a hard thud a few meters in front of you. With a small gasp, you looked up and saw a creature of varying different shades of green slowly looking around before a few more thuds followed behind it. Before you could even think of waking the two boys, the green creature began to run at you quickly with its four legs.

A creeper.

A terrified cry left your lips and suddenly the weight on your lap vanished. Now awake, Tommy immediately grabbed his shield and used it alongside his body weight to slam into the creeper backwards into a small horde of zombies that had dropped down with it. “Get up you dumbass! Are you tryin’ to die?!” The blond yelled at you as Tubbo, who had also sprung up at the sound of your fear, began firing arrows at the group of mobs.

Once you got over your shock, you grabbed your axe and shield before quickly jumping to your feet and charging into battle. The zombie you had chosen to fight gurgled and swiped and gnashed its teeth together at you as you used your shield to block its hits. Backing up a few steps, you slashed your axe at the undead mob and took out its bottom jaw with the black blade, gleaming with an enchantment that set the creature on fire. The smell of burning rotten flesh caused you to gag and scrunch up your nose before you used your shield to shove it into the pit of lava at the bottom of the ravine.

Laughing softly in triumph, you turn around to help Tubbo and Tommy, only to let out another gasp of shock as you saw the very creeper that had been shoved away earlier had now returned with a vengeance. And it was mere inches away from your face.

There wasn’t much you could do except barely raise your shield in time to block a good majority of the explosion from damaging your body, launching chunks of stone outwards and off the edge of the ravine.

And you as well.

“(Y/n)!!!” Tubbo’s voice echoed through the stone cavern as you felt yourself get launched backwards before beginning to fall, gravity quickly beginning to grasp onto you and drag you down towards the lava below.

Reaching out, to grab onto anything that would stop you from falling, but to no avail. Your mind barely registered Tommy and Tubbo running towards you before you shut your eyes tightly, silently praying to whatever or whoever to save you.

Then you stopped dead in the air, something wrapped around your arms and hands.

Taking a deep breath, you opened your eyes and looked up to see the human and a goat hybrid that had been laying with their heads in your lap just minutes ago, were now desperately grasping one arm each, preventing you from falling to the end of one of your canon lives. Both of their blue eyes were filled with tears that were dripping down their faces and hitting the molten rock at the bottom of the ravine as they struggled to pull you up.

Once you felt the solid ground below you, you finally managed to take a few breaths to calm yourself down as you felt tight arms wrap around you on either side, barely able to comprehend the sobs of terror from your savours. The dull burning and throbbing pain on your cheek were enough to bring you down to reality and carefully wrap your arms around the two wailing teens as they desperately clung to you, almost as if you were going to vanish right below their fingertips.

Tommy was the first to gather himself and pull himself away from your good shoulder and rub his eyes free of tears to look at the new injuries covering your body and your busted armour, “F-fuck... We’re gonna have to get you to Phil to get those burns patched up...” He sniffled, trying to act like he wasn’t just bawling his eyes out over you nearly losing a canon life. For once, he didn’t seem to mind Tubbo clinging onto you and wailing into your side as you pet his hair, trying to calm him down.

Tubbo refused to let go of you for the next hour as you travelled out of the mine, his arms desperately wrapped around your waist/shoulders. (Depending on your height)

Tommy also held onto your non-burnt hand, that once held your shield, as he carried yours and his bag, leading you both back the way you came

If another mob came out to fight, it was almost a guarantee that one of them would run forward and the other would lightly push you into a corner, then proceed to block you from view via a shield and their body,

Even if you thought that you were in a decent enough condition to fight, the one shielding you would only look at you sadly and shake their head, saying something about the explosion burns along your (s/t) skin.

Once you had gotten out of the mine, it was around 6pm, and the sun was going down, but luckily Tommy had sent a message to Philza, his father, about the situation, so he was prepared and already at Tommy’s house, which was the closest to the mine.

It wasn’t a long walk, but god you were so exhausted..

It got to the point where Tommy and Tubbo were on either side of you, preventing you from collapsing before you got to the home.

Let’s just say, when they opened the door, Philza was already there and immediately panicked upon seeing the injuries covering the one side of you and the state of your armour. (No you were not wearing the god armour Tubbo gave you.)

One of your cheeks and lower jaw were burnt and bleeding, along with your dominant arm and leg that weren’t behind the shield when the explosion went off.

Tommy Route - Mellohi

Because your home still being near L’Manberg and the Prime Path (In this route), it was easier for Tommy to check up on you while you were healing from your injuries.

While you were bedridden, Tommy was a lot, a lot, quieter when he came into your house, never sure whether or not you were sleeping.

If you weren’t, he would eagerly show you something he found, tell you some drama he heard around the area, or tell you about his day. Or just play Mellohi on constant repeat.

If you were asleep, he would silently walk over and check on your bandages or potion supply, (updating Phil if you were low or bleeding from moving too much), or even sit beside you for a little bit to make sure you wouldn’t just stop breathing out of nowhere.

To say he was scared your entire recovery process would be an understatement.

He would rarely let anyone but Phil check on you, definitely nearly blowing his nerve when Ranboo or Tubbo would walk into your house.

If it was Ranboo, we would definitely get picked up and thrown,

If it was Tubbo, he would try and push him out because he knew that threats wouldn’t work on him.

In the situation that he did push Tubbo out, Tommy would immediately lock the door and stay in there for the next few days

For the more likely situation, because we all know how stubborn that goat is, and he wasn’t able to push Tubbo out, Tommy would subtly put a few drops of the sleeping potion Phil made you, into your drink.

When you began to doze off, Tommy would mention it to Tubbo in the most serious voice he could muster. It always worked, because Tubbo wanted what was best for your health.

The absolute minute that Philza deems you stable enough to get off of bed rest, Tommy is by your side in seconds and trying to encourage you to stand up.

When you do get the nerve to try and stand again, he would immediately be holding your good arm, preventing you from falling if your bad leg suddenly gave out.

In the case that you do collapse from your injuries, he would at first be extremely panicked, but then he’d start calling you insulting names and calling you an idiot.

He would bring you on walks all around the DreamSMP to get you used to walking again but would have no problems sitting down again.

That’s a lie.

He would complain a little bit, but if he saw you were genuinely in a lot of pain, he would just shut up and awkwardly ask what he could do.

If you needed anything for pain, he would straight up run to your home and get it, if they already didn’t have it.

The fact that you’re spending so much time with Tommy absolutely infuriates Tubbo, and he tries to guilt-trip you into spending more time with him.

But then Ranboo tells him that you can barely walk down the Prime Path without wanting to cry from the pain of the burns, and he offers to move back to L’Manberg. Or at least what’s left of it.

This sparks an argument between Ranboo and Tubbo almost immediately, but you’re much too tired to try and stop it, instead quietly asking Tommy if he can help go back to your home or to get them out so you could sleep.

He would be glad to.

Like he would do it, with an absolute goofy smile on his face because he basically gets your permission to have your attention all to himself!

When you’re all healed, your relationship between you and Tommy has practically tripled from what it was.

You’re much closer to him than he was to Tubbo, to the point where he has told you everything.

Even about his exile...

Because of your closeness to him, he somehow got even more protective but also calmed down his threats.

Like, now you could talk to Niki and Eret again, but you were not allowed to leave your house at night alone, especially after mobs have spawned.

Hell sometimes if he’s really paranoid, he’ll go to your house and spend the night just to make sure mobs don’t bang on your door or ruin anything.

He straight up took the time out of his life to fence the property around your house off and fill it with torches so things didn’t spawn in.

Sure he’ll call you slightly insulting names, but he makes sure that they wouldn’t be too painful for you before saying them aloud.

Tubbo still tries to be nice and manipulative, which Ranboo tries to stop, but it’s pretty much worthless at this point.

He’s lost.

He knows it, Ranboo knows it, and Tommy damn well brags about it.

Tubbo does end up crying to you quite a bit about it, but you can understand, he’s heartbroken at this point and can’t do anything about it. Tommy and you know about his manipulation tactics, he couldn’t take Tommy’s last life because it would show up on your communicator, and then you would never love him!

Unfortunately, this does cause him to lash out at Ranboo quite a lot which led to their third divorce. Although this one seems quite a bit more permanent, you never know. (Ranboo took Michael)

One evening, Tommy invited you out of the house oddly enough. Even though mobs would be spawning soon? It greatly confused you.

He even asked you to wear nicer clothing? Like a tux or a dress? Either one or both worked in his eyes.

Honestly, you weren’t sure how you were supposed to fight mobs in a fancy outfit, but you trusted him.

“Tommy?” You asked, opening the door as you smoothed out your clothing with your hands and adjusted your hair a tad bit to your liking. It was shocking to see the tall blond nicely cleaned up and wearing a suit, but it was quite a welcome sight!

He nervously adjusted his red tie before holding out a bouquet of perfect (f/f), and cleared his throat, “You... Uh... Clean up nice. I- uh... No- wait... What did Sam say again?” He murmured to himself, “Ah fuck it... You look nice, (Y/n).”

You chuckled as your cheeks flushed a light pink, happily taking the bouquet filled with your favourite flowers, “I’ll put these in a vase and then we can go where you wanna bring me.” With a smile, you quickly placed the flowers in a glass vase filled with water before going back out with Tommy.

“Sh-shall we? Is that a common phrase to say?” He asked as he held out his arm for you to link with his, a habit he picked up from walking you around while you were healing.

“I suppose we shall. Calm down Tommy, no need to be all fancy and stuff around me.” You chirped with a small smiled as you took his arm, linking it with his, “Now, are you going to tell me where we’re going? Or is this supposed to remain a mystery?”

Tomathy visibly relaxed once you told him he didn’t have to be all professional and fancy, beginning to lead you down the Prime Path, “It’s a secret! I worked hard on it too! So you better be grateful or I’ll kick your ass.” He jokingly threatened, smiling a bit as you laughed at his typical attitude.

He led you down the wooden path, the two of you joking the entire way with a goofy smile across your faces. Tommy then took a sudden turn onto a newly made pathway and lead you down it, never answering any questions about it the entire way, even when the buildings turned into a forest. The pathway was lined with fences, and the trees were filled with small hanging lanterns, not only preventing mobs from spawning but also creating a beautiful fairy forest effect.

Seeing your look of awe, he gave a small sheepish laugh, “You like it? Puffy and Sam helped me out with it for the past few days, but this was my idea! And this isn’t even the best part!” He grinned widely before quickly pulling you along again.

The walk wasn’t very long, but it was extremely beautiful. Eventually, he brought you up to a large hill with a massive oak tree where a beautiful picnic was set up, surrounded by lantern light. Even with the lanterns, you were still able to get a clear view of the starry sky above without a single cloud in sight! “Oh my god... Tommy... This is incredible...”

“Innit? Puffy helped me make all the food, but this was my idea. Unless you don’t like it. Then it was Puffy’s idea.” He joked in an attempt to hide his nervousness as he went to ruffle his hair, but then remembered that he had spent a few hours taming it down, so he decided against it.

“I love it! This is so beautiful!” You looked up at him with a bright and happy smile, making him return it with a soft smile of his own, “Come on, oh! There’s a jukebox!” You eagerly pulled him over to the blanket and sat down, taking a look at all the food that had been set out.

The tall male happily took a disc, Mellohi to be precise, out of the enderchest that had been set beside the jukebox, neatly placing it in and pressing the button to make the music play before he sat down beside you. The two of you began to eat the meal that he helped make, joking, laughing and smiling the entire time, having the time of your life. You leaned your head against his shoulder and smiled up at him as you gently held his hand, making him realize even more how important you were to him.

Mellohi, the same song he lost his friend to, was the same song he was listening to while gaining a new important person in his life. You.

The entire night went on with you two eventually falling asleep at the top of the hill, completely unaware of the brown-haired male leaning against a tree. He desperately grasped his shirt where his heart was as tears poured down his shirt.

Tubbo always liked Cat more than Mellohi...

Tubbo Route - Don’t Let Me Fall

Tubbo was so so glad that he had managed to convince (manipulate) you to live in Snowchester when he did. (In this route)

Somehow managed to convince you to live in the mansion, although it was probably done when you were drowsy on the pain killer potion Phil gave you.

This man would completely ignore his own country to make sure you were well taken care of. Like Ranboo literally had to step into power and start working on things and taking care of Michael.

Speaking of the baby zombie piglin, because you were now bedridden and bored out of your mind, Tubbo frequently brought the child in if Ranboo absolutely demanded that he take over for a bit.

The baby absolutely adored you! The injuries on your body reminded you of the ones he got when he travelled to the overworld, so he didn’t feel alone.

Unfortunately because of your constant pain and drowsiness, Tubbo thought it was best that he stayed in his room. Or maybe that was because he didn’t want him getting close to you too?

It was actually extremely rare for Tubbo to let anyone in to visit you. He actually even got incredibly annoyed when even Phil would come over to restock the potions for you or make sure your wounds were healing.

On a normal day, if you were awake, Tubbo would be blabbering on about some story without a care whether or not you were listening. He would most likely be acting the story out as if it were a play, determined to provide you with as much entertainment by himself as he could.

If you were sleeping, he would also be sleeping, although on a few chairs pushed together in your room. There’s a rare time where he will stay up and watch you to make sure you’re breathing still, but that’s only if he’s really scared and paranoid.

Tommy absolutely REFUSES to even look at Snowchester, so you never really got a chance to thank him for saving you.

Although... Tubbo very actively tries to convince you that Tommy didn’t even come to help you when you had fallen and that you had been in shock so that’s why you didn’t remember correctly.

At first, you didn’t believe him, but eventually, with constant repetition, you slowly saw it as the truth. You genuinely began to believe that Tommy hadn’t pulled you up and that it was only Tubbo that did.

After quite a few weeks, Phil told Tubbo that you could finally get out of bed, but Tubbo asked him if he was 100% sure MANY times.

The goat hybrid actually didn’t want you to get out of bed and start walking again, worried that you get up would leave him, so he wasn’t going to tell you.

But Ranboo was the one who told you.

This led to quite a violent argument between Ranboo and Tubbo, but there was nothing Tubbo could do since you already knew the information he tried to keep from you.

Tubbo started ignoring you, so Ranboo was the one to try and get you used to walking around again, but this lead to the shorter male getting extremely jealous and helping you instead.

He frequently walks you around Snowchester on a strict set schedule, when he knows no one will be out and no mobs will be spawning.

One time, he didn’t expect Tommy to be walking around the snowy forests when he was walking with you, holding your hand to make sure you didn’t lose your balance. At least that’s what he told you.

Tommy looked... Empty, when he saw you both walking together. But his eyes darkened a bit when his blue eyes landed on your hands twinned together.

Tubbo looked a little hostile in your eyes, but he simply just gave Tommy a sharp smile before trying to pull you along as if he didn’t notice the tears beginning to pool in his ex-best friend’s eyes.

Tommy knew he lost right then and there, so he decided to say fuck it and start screaming degrading names at the two of you, catching you greatly off guard, hurting you badly enough to the point where your feelings were more than a little hurt.

When the founder of Snowchester realized that the blond hurt your feelings, he was quick to lash out back at the other man in your defence, but by then you were already walking away, back to the manor.

It took about ten minutes for him to realize that you went back to the mansion, but when he did, he sprinted through the door in an absolute panic before practically pouncing on you the second his eyes caught sight of you.

He protectively wrapped himself around you and whispered sweet nothings into your ear as you quietly rested your head against his shoulder.

After that, You and Tubbo became a lot closer emotionally. To the point where he called you his platonic wife jokingly, although you both knew he didn’t want to add platonic at the beginning.

He began to tell you about everything that weighed heavy on his shoulders, like his death from Technoblade’s fireworks, even to being threatened by Dream during the disc war.

When he noticed that you were genuinely beginning to care about him, his manipulation and jealousy actually began to calm down quite a lot.

You could actually spend time with Michael and Ranboo without anyone getting yelled at by Tubbo and causing him to get ridiculously jealous.

He began to take over his job as the founder of Snowchester, now actually trusting Ranboo to keep you company and even letting him take you outside during the day. But he refused to let you out during the night.

He’s just worried about mobs. Creepers especially.

Everything seems relatively like it was before that one day before Tommy and Tubbo completely lashed out at each other.

Tommy does often try and talk to you when Tubbo isn’t around, but both you and Ranboo try and put a stop to it as quickly as possible,

He’s lost.

He hurt you, and Ranboo couldn’t help but miss how Tubbo used to be, so if keeping Tommy away from you makes Tubbo act normal, he will damn well make sure that Tommy stays countries away from you.

This does cause Wilbur’s younger brother to break down a little bit, which you can genuinely understand, even if you hold a grudge against him for not saving you and yelling at you, you knew he did have feelings for you at one point even if he refused to admit it.

Unfortunately, this does cause quite a bit of pranks and explosions to stir up around Snowchester and the L’Manberg crater, but they stop within a few weeks. Tommy probably got scolded by either Sam, Phil or Puffy,

One morning, Tubbo invited you to spend a day outside of the mansion with him after a heavy snowfall.

He spent almost all morning outside, doing something he refused to tell you about, and when he came in to wake you up, his face was already cherry red from the cold.

How could he even want to go back into the freezing cold without any sort of warm drink or even sitting in front of the fire for a bit!?

“How are you so... Full of energy?” You murmured from behind the bathroom door as you got changed into your warmer clothing for when you do go outside. The door was cracked open a small bit so you could hear Tubbo rambling on and on about how he had a great surprise for you.

“Come on! It’ll be fun!” He was obviously grinning with excitement. When you walked out of the bathroom in your thick clothing and jacket, he bounced up from his spot on the edge of your bed, “Finally! Let’s go! Hurry, before it snows or gets warmer.”

You only nodded curiously and he grabbed your hand, eagerly pulling you out of your room and down the large stairs that lead towards the door. He pushed the large doors open with a bit of difficulty due to the snow piled up, but with your help, you both managed to slip out the door. Tubbo happily grabbed your hand again and began leading you down towards the docks where the water was covered with a thick sheet of ice, “Oh it must’ve got really cold last night... What are you showing me?”

“Over here!” He pulled you over to a large half-sphere made out of snow. He led you over to a hole in the side of it before dropping down to his knees and crawling through the entrance, “Come on!”

Blinking in surprise, you hesitantly followed him inside of the handmade snow building and gave a small gasp of glee as you saw that it was an igloo! The inside had a few blankets on the ground, preventing you from sitting on the icy snow-covered ground, there were a few lanterns placed on small snow hills preventing the small room from being dark, plus there was a small basket of what looked like two thermoses and a bit of food, “Tubbo! Did you build this?”

“I did! I also spent last night building it too!” He grinned widely, his ears wiggling with glee, “But this isn’t even the best part! Check over here!” The brunet shuffled over to another basket before pulling out a pair of white boots with silver blades bolted to the bottoms.

“Ice skates?” You tilted your head a bit as you crawled over and pulled out the pair that looked to be your size, “But I can’t skate...”/”How did you even know I could skate?”

Tubbo only turned his happy grin towards you, “I’ll show you how! Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall!”/”You briefly mentioned that you missed skating once or twice when you were all dopey on painkillers a few months ago!” He pulled out his pair of skates and began to take off his boots. (After getting his skates on he helped you with yours if you didn’t know how to lace them up.)

Once your new footwear was all tied up, he helped you up and carefully lead you outside with his arms tightly wrapped around you to help you keep your balance. (Even if you did know how to skate, he was still worried about you falling.) Tubbo carefully led you towards the ice and helped you stand up straight on the frozen water, making sure that you wouldn’t fall.

“See?” He smiled softly and held your hands tightly as he began to skate backwards, pulling you along with him until you slowly got a hold of what you were doing. “You (still) got it!”

You two slid and slipped around on the ice, laughing, smiling and spinning around with the other, but suddenly out of nowhere, your blade got caught in a groove of the ice that likely got chipped out when you two were skating around. With a small cry, you felt your legs slip out from under you and you immediately shut your eyes, awaiting the inevitable impact as a result of gravity.

Thankfully, two arms wrapped around your frame before you hit the ground. You slowly cracked open your eyes and saw your best friend holding you tightly against him. Your (e/c) eyes stared into his blue ones for a few moments before your face broke into a smile. “You caught me...”

“I would never let you fall...”

There two of you continued to skate around, having fun in the other's presence, completely unaware of the blond hidden behind a snowbank with his hand clasped tightly over his mouth and tears beginning to freeze to his reddened cheeks.

Tommy often found himself wishing he had let you fall...

Tommy & Tubbo Route - Rhythm of the Storm

Because your original housing was set between Snowchester and the Prime Path, it was surprisingly an equal distance between Tubbo’s mansion and Tommy’s house.

In the beginning, Tommy would go to your house first in the mornings, then leave around noon when Tubbo would come, but the constant social interaction left you always sleeping through either one of their visits.

It got to the point where you asked both of them to come by at the same time so you could talk with them both at the same time.

This caught them both off guard that you wanted both of their attention at the same time, but then only began to see benefits from them meeting with you together.

Now you weren’t out cold during the mornings when Tommy opened the door, and now you weren’t asleep by 2pm when Tubbo was over. Plus they could both take care of you at the same time!

There were a few times when either of the boys’ yandere tendencies peaked out, but you or the other would scold them out of it. Or Tommy would give Tubbo a small smack upside the head which would make him scream dramatically like a baby goat.

While they did take your injuries relatively seriously, they also were joking with you and cheered you up with their antics, preventing you from falling into a depression from staying inside all day and every day.

On a normal day, if you were awake and had more energy than normal, Tommy would be telling you incredible stories of his travels and Tubbo would be either making food or potions. Tommy isn’t allowed near the brewing stands or the stove anymore if you’re wondering.

On a bad day, if you barely had any energy and could barely stay awake, the two boys would be much quieter and let you sleep. On those days, they would ask Phil if you were actually okay, or they would go back to their respective homes.

If your burns are causing you immense amounts of pain one day, Tommy will refuse to even be in the same room as you and will genuinely beg Tubbo, Ranboo or Philza to stop your pain. Even if he doesn’t like others being around you, he’s beginning to accept Tubbo’s care towards you but he’s still wary about his father and Tubbo’s husband.

Speaking of, Ranboo and Michael had seemingly disappeared from Snowchester, but Phil assured you that they were both in the Tundra, (And to keep it a secret from Tubbo.)

On Phil’s latest visit, he told you that you could get up and out of bed without irritating the burns on your legs, although you might have trouble at first.

Upon hearing the news, Tubbo and Tommy were at your sides in seconds, asking if you wanted to get up and encouraging you to try. If you didn’t want to, they (mostly Tubbo) would understand about it and leave you to sit on the fact for a bit.

If you did, Tubbo would be at your injured side to make sure your bandages stayed together when you got up, while Tommy would be on your good side and mostly holding you up if your balance was bad enough.

Tubbo wanted to help you walk around at night, just in case you were self-conscious of your burns, but Tommy was too worried about any sort of mob approaching you. While they knew they could protect you, they just didn’t want to take any risks.

Tubbo will burst out crying after he hears an explosion, meanwhile, Tommy will freeze completely still. Which is also what happened during the mining incident that caused you to get injured, which is why Tubbo was the one to scream and continue to cry long after they had saved you.

Because of this, they don’t want to face a creeper with you around to see them panic and be in danger while they struggled to get themselves together.

When you’re out walking around, Tubbo is extremely patient and Tommy at least tries to hold his complaints.

If someone even looks at you wrong, they’ll have an angry raccoon boy yelling threats at them and Tubbo drawing his sword. They usually run with their tails between their legs afterwards.

If you collapsed on the walk from the pain, the amount of panic that would happen would be enough to have every single parental figure in the SMP running to help you. Luckily when it did happen, Badboyhalo was there and was strong enough to carry you without irritating your burns, and even gave a few pointers on how to help with burns. He had to raise Sapnap. He would know.

When you woke up at your home, you saw Tubbo and Tommy actually having a civil conversation with the large 9ft demon rather than threatening him to get away from you. That could've been because he was a demon though. But you were still proud!

You guessed that they still thought you were asleep when Bad left because you heard them murmuring and trying to keep quiet as they most likely made lunch.

Because of their conversation with Bad, and proving to you that they can actually behave themselves, you began to realize that their Yandere tendencies were calming down a lot. Meaning you weren't scared of them that much anymore, and you were beginning to accept their feelings towards you.

Unfortunately... You couldn't pick between them... And didn't know how open they would be to polyamory, but seeing as they weren't ripping each other's throats out, maybe their reactions wouldn't be too terrible?

Tubbo began to tell you about everything that bothered him, currently and formerly, like his death from Technoblade’s fireworks, even to being threatened by Dream during the disc war, or the nukes disappearing and his worry about whether or not Tommy cares about him.

Tommy also began to open up as well. Telling you about his brothers and father, his exile, his fear that Tubbo doesn't care about him anymore, and his third canon death.

After the two began to open up more, you began to realize they weren't being as clingy and desperate for your attention, most likely now trusting you to spend time with people other than them.

Maybe because they were catching on to you slowly beginning to return their feelings...

Everything seems relatively like it was before that one day before Tommy and Tubbo completely lashed out at each other.

A few weeks after your body became completely healed, the two boys spent a few days away from you, which you were curious about but never really commented on it.

One day when they both arrived at your house at their usual time, they were dressed up for an adventure and their bags were filled with everything that anyone would need.

They eagerly pulled you out of bed at some ungodly hour in the morning, although Tubbo thankfully had breakfast (and coffee) ready which you ate before going to get dressed into appropriate clothing and your god armour that Tubbo made, that was equipped with a new god sword that Tommy made you!

This was your first adventure since the explosion in the mine, and you damn well wanted to have fun.

"Okay, okay! Damn, Big Man, calm down!" You groaned as you threw the bag over your shoulders and tightened the straps accordingly. Once you tied up the laces on your boots, you straightened up and without fail, you felt both of your hands being grabbed before you got dragged out the door.

"We've been planning this for a few days! Nothing will stop us now!" Tubbo cheered, hopping along beside you as he held your scarred hand, "We have everything we could ever need for the next week!"

Your surprised reaction was ignored as Tommy continued dragging you down the Prime Path with a map in his free hand, "A whole week? That's quite a long adventure! Are you sure we'll be able to handle it?"

"Relax (N/n)! We were both raised by Philza Minecraft! Y'know, Survivalist extraordinaire? We know how to ration, build a shelter if needed, and everything in between!" Tubbo gave you a wide and cheesy grin as he spoke about the man who raised him, despite not actually being related to him. (Dadschlatt AU if you're wondering)

The three of you ventured off through many acres of forests and other biomes, holding hands and chatting away the entire time. Tommy let it slip that you were going to find buried treasure and maybe a woodland mansion if you were feeling brave enough, which is why he was always holding the map.

"Tommy, (Y/n)! Look!" Tubbo squeaked out happily as he saw a field of dozens of different flowers with bees hurriedly buzzing about to pollinate the plants around. The sight of the yellow and black bugs caused Tubbo to make happy little bleating sounds as his ears wiggled.

You and Tommy exchanged glances with a small smile, knowing very well you wouldn't be able to pull the hybrid away from them. "I suppose it is about time for a break..." You murmured as you were dragged off by the smaller brunet, thus pulling Tommy along as well.

The three of you sat down in the flower field, placing out a blanket to prevent yourselves from getting covered in dirt, despite knowing that it'll happen anyway. You set out the food Tubbo had packed while the two teenage boys ran around, having fun and, well just being teenagers.

Yes, Tommy got chased by bees.

Tubbo made you, himself and Tommy a flower crown, which you proudly wore, but Tommy was a bit more hesitant which you eventually made him get over by giving him a begging look. Yours was a bunch of (f/f) varying with colours, Tubbo's was a variety of yellows and white flowers, while Tommy's was mostly red and white.

While you three enjoyed your small picnic, you were all completely unaware of the fleeting bees, closing flowers and scattering animals. It was only when Tubbo's ears began to flick oddly did he lift his head, "I think there's a storm quickly approaching..."

You lifted your head and rose your arm to block the sun from your eyes to look at the quickly darkening clouds, "Oh damn, yeah we gotta go find shelter. Like now." You hurriedly grabbed your bag and began shoving the foot containers in it while Tommy and Tubbo packed everything else up too.

Despite your best efforts, you three quickly got caught in the downpour of rain and became absolutely drenched in rain by the time you found a small and shallow cave to hide in. "Aw fuck... Absolutely perfect! Sam said it wasn't gonna rain todaaaaay!" Tommy whined dramatically as he slumped against the stone wall.

You sighed and began pulling out the blanket again, knowing very well that you'd all be here for a while. When Tommy stopped whining about how he thought it was gonna be perfect weather, he helped Tubbo with starting a fire so you could all dry your sweaters that you had been wearing.

The two boys plopped down on the blanket on either side of you, Tommy hiding his head on your shoulder while Tubbo was curled up with his head against your lap, (After asking for permission of course) trying their best to drown out the sound of the sounds of the booming thunder.

After a few moments, you used the consistent pattern in the rain to keep beat before beginning to hum a soft tune while you ran your fingers through their damp hair.

Slowly, Tommy and Tubbo fell asleep, leaning against you while you hummed along to the rhythm of the storm...

Neither Route - Left the Game

Your house was quite out of the way from the Prime Path and Snowchester, in fact, quite possibly even closer to the Tundra. (In this route.)

Meaning that you were pretty far out of the way from everyone except for Ranboo, Phil and Techno. Which prevented both Tubbo and Tommy from coming around often, meaning Ranboo and Phil had to help you with a lot.

You felt bad because you didn't know either of them too, too well, but at least you knew you would definitely be getting better.

Ranboo actually had no problem helping you with your injuries, although he had to carefully write down what he gave you and when.

During your road to recovery, Ranboo and Tubbo's relationship became incredibly worse as the goat hybrid became even more manipulative and violent.

You became a personal therapist and babysitter for him and Michael, in return for him helping take care of you.

Speaking of Michael, the reason Ranboo hadn't joined you on the mining trip was because Phil had finished making a potion that would allow Michael to survive in the Tundra.

Tubbo and Tommy's violent habits had quickly doubled over the time when they couldn't see you, but luckily for you, the one time they did try to visit, Techno had come with Phil to meet you.

They ran out immediately.

Yes, Techno asked you about how you felt about anarchy.

Whether or not you joined the Syndicate is up to you.

Ranboo then told Techno and Phil about how Tubbo and Tommy were obsessed with you, and that your life was possibly in danger.

Technoblade only said that he had no way to help you, but Philza's fatherly instincts kicked in and he wanted to protect you both from the two boys he raised.

Once you got all healed up your burns scarred over, Phil and Ranboo already had an idea of how to keep you both and Michael safe.

It was highly risky and would leave you with only one life until you come back to the DreamSMP.

Phil was going to give you access to his Hardcore server.

Both you and Ranboo had a long and serious talk about it, but then remembered he was literally rich. He had dozens of totems!

Techno made you three totem pendants for you to wear around your necks, so you wouldn't always have to hold the totems.

(Philza asked his wife, Kristen the Goddess of Void and Death, to keep an extra close eye on you three and make sure if any of you do die, it's incredibly quick and painless.)

Standing in front of Phil, your bags filled with everything you would need to survive in the hardcore world, you watched as the centuries-old avian scanned you three up and down.

"I'll ask you both one final time." He sighed after he deemed all of your equipment and armour worthy. The blond fatherly figure stood in front of you and Ranboo as you held Michael with a glowing green orb in his hand, "Are you sure? There are no respawns when you run out of totems."

"Yes. It'll be much safer than the DreamSMP..." Ranboo murmured quietly, quickly scrawling as much as he could fit into his memory book before he forgot anything, "Even if it isn't permanent... We just need to run."

When Phil turned to you, you couldn't help but take a deep breath, "Yeah," You murmured, shifting the young piglin child on your hip, "I'm sure. Thanks again Philza... We really needed to be somewhere where they wouldn't find us..."

"I'll check up on you both once a week. Remember, travelling through servers will disorient you for quite a while and you quite probably won't understand where you are at first-"

"(Y/n)!!!" An angry yell came from the forest, and you turned your head just in time to see Tommy and Tubbo running in your direction.

You and Ranboo hurriedly whipped your head to face Phil again, but he seemed to have caught on before you both as there was a portal swirling with greens and golds beside him, "Go! Now! I'll see you both tomorrow! Remember, you can take anything you need to increase the chances of your survival!"

Ranboo got over his shock much quicker than you did because he grabbed your arm and leapt through the portal, bringing you and Michael along.

Ranboo Beloved left the game.

(Y/n) (L/n) left the game.

Michael Underscore-Beloved left the game.

#tommyinnit #tommyinnit x reader #dream smp x reader #yandere tommyinnit #yandere tommyinnit x reader #yandere tubbo x reader #yandere tubbo #ranboo #ranboolive #dsmp #tommyinnit dreamsmp #tubbo dreamsmp #ranboo dream smp #tommyinnit dream smp #tubbo dream smp #c!tommyinnit #c!tommy #c!tubbo #c!ranboo

890 notes · View notes

synteis · 4 years ago

Text

Musings on Javert and Valjean in the 1987 Les Mis performance

Ever since I was introduced to the 1987 recording starring Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean and Terrence Mann as Javert, I've wanted to do a write up. First, this is the result of discussions with several people including @pureanonofficial, @everyonewasabird, @fremedon and especially @iammagicfishhook who I originally discussed all of this with. Second, I really recommend finding some of this recording. MiserableMoments and aurora spiderwoman on Youtube have most of it posted if you look for it.

I should say that I love a lot of performances but I do think this one is pretty special. This is the OBC and Terrence Mann and Colm Wilkinson both originated these roles. Terrence Mann is not the best vocalist to ever play Javert but wow can he act! He manages to pull out so many emotions which change over the course of all of his lines. You can totally chart his character's journey by tone alone. I'm sure everyone reading this is familiar with Colm's incredible performance as Jean Valjean but it's worth noting that Terrence brings out some aspect of Colm's Jean Valjean that I'm not used to hearing.

Terrence's Javert is so perfectly sassy and dramatic, in much the same way that he is in the book. His Javert is consciously being upright and knows he has dramatic music and uses it all to create the impression he's after. He's a snob and he instictively wants to talk back to Valjean even when he's under the guise of Madeleine.

Onto specific song analysis:

Runaway Cart: One of my favourite details is how tenderly Javert says "Jean Valjean" in this song and others. It's always when Javert isn't talking (knowingly) to Valjean himself. It happens later in Paris too both in The Robbery as well as Stars. Catching Jean Valjean feels like a fundamental part of Javert that he's precious about. It reminds me of how in the Brick, Javert will talk out loud to himself where anyone could hear if they cared to listen.

Another thing I love in this song is how it's super clear that even disguised, they effortlessly get on each other's nerves, especially in this song. They both almost toy with the other. It's like a side of them only comes out when the other person is around and it's their more animal/bagne self.

Confrontation: Mann's Javert brings out the desperation from Colm's Valjean. We open the song with Valjean begging Javert to give him three days to rescue Cosette. It is so moving to me that in spite of what he knows of Javert, you can still hear the small kernel of hope in Valjean's voice. But of course, Javert crushes that hope very quickly and the intensity ramps up very fast in the aftermath of that. We really see a transition from Monsieur Madeleine to Jean Valjean, convict/Jean Le Cric over the course of the song as Valjean becomes more inclined towards that violent, more institual self. But then Valjean subdos Javert and pulls himself togetehr to talk to Fantine's soul and he is bac to being himself. Fish pointed out that you can feel the pride that Javert feels at that violence/threat because it justifies his belief that a con can't become a lawful man. They harmonize for the last note of this song and it's glorious.

The Robbery Javert is at his #1 most dramatic and sassy here, especially at his entrance.

Stars Stars is a real masterpiece in Terrence Mann's hands. He's not in a good place when his Javert sings this song. When he sings "Lord let me find him," you get that tenderness again only this time it's contrasted by the immediate followup of "I will see him safe behind bars" which is sung completely differently. you get the feeling that there's this internal tenderness that has attached itself to Jean Valjean (or to catching him at least) which is protected by Javert's understanding of law/justice/social hierarchy but that it still pokes out ocassionally.

More specifically the layers are as follows, from the inside out that small tenderness and then the hatred of his past and people like him then the protocol and rules and at the top, the snark and diva qualities

Upon These Stones Terrence Mann pulls out a whole new voice as a spy. Instead of being very rhytmic and stoccato, it's been smoothed out but such that you can still feel the underlying desire/emotion through it. He sounds like a bad liar which is perfect for his character. Further than that, in trying to not sound like himself, he is uncomfortable. He's a spy not a double agent. He's used to observing, not to influencing and it shows!

First Attack Thie exchange where Valjean frees Javert has so much oing on. We get Valjean being initially measured but Javert just explodes at him. He's at his most feral here. It's also clear that he tries to preempt into own explosion and he mostly succeeds at that. When he goes "your life is safe in my hands," it sounds like he's talking under his breath so that the students don't hear him admitting that he definitely won't be killing Javert. Javert's response to all of this is confusion. Meanwhile, Madeleine/Valjean is just getting more worked up. When Mann's Javert says, "once a thief forever a thief," you can tell that he's trying to convince himself and that he's already derailing. He shows immediate tenderness at, "you would trade your life for mine" and then he gets it under control again once he realizes Valjean could be trying to make a deal. But this leads to Valjean's wonderful monologue where he attempt pass the bishop's message down to Javert.

Javert's Suicide I love that upon seeing Javert, Valjean's immediate reaction is to lose it. He's had a crazy long day and he's just carried a grown man through the sewers. It is such a human moment. Valjean just can't w Javert anymore, he's just frustrated that nothing reaches him ever (so he thinks). Meanwhile, they've definitely reached Javert which is why he isn't being himself. You can hear the his verbal parrying is duller and that his voice is softer. More so than that, the "lying voice" is back when he says "I will waiting 24601" but Valjean makes no sign of noticing.

This piece contains a huge range of emotions. At some moments he sounds like he's about to cry and then he can sound like he's yelling. Durong the soft part his voice shakes like when he says, "it was his right" (to kill me). You can tell he's already at the stage where he knows emotionally he's been mistaken this whole time but he's not mentally processed that yet. I don't always feel this way, but it really feels like if Valjean had shown up, this Javert would have cried at his feet

#les mis #javert #jean valjean #cw self-harm #cw suicide #1987 les mis #Terrence mann #Colm wilkinson #les mis obc

41 notes · View notes

thewriterlyowl · 5 years ago

Text

Thoughts on ToG

OK, so @nickjgoodsell asked me why I don’t like this series anymore, and I promised I would write a post because how I feel about it is pretty complicated. I used to wholeheartedly love this series - I read Sarah’s blog religiously and even met her a couple of times (I think, I don’t remember, but it was at least once). However, some time after I read QoS, I stopped liking these books, for a multitude of reasons:

So basically, I thought that ToG was just OK. I liked Celaena well enough even though I didn’t think much of her assassin skills, but I liked the mystery parts. Nehemia and Dorian were my favourites, but I though Chaol was kind of dull, but I didn’t like Celaena with Dorian because it kind of felt like she was stringing him along and looked down on him throughout the first book and the second.

I thought CoM was way, way better - at first, which I’ll get into - because I thought the writing and plot was better, and the world was opening up. But I hated the way Chaol and Celaena treated Dorian, and I was devastated that Nehemia died because 1) Badass, magical, female character of colour that tricked all the other people into thinking she was an idiot while secretly spying on them and she’s the one who died? 2) Dorian/Nehemia would have been far superior to those other two. Imagine if they had killed King Haviliard and then just went around restoring magic and looking fine af.

But, whatever, I was intrigued enough to read the next too, and I loved HoF. Before I read that I read TAB, which I thought was a brilliant way to explore Celaena’s backstory. When I read QoS, I was still excited about it - or so I thought. When EoS came out, I read the first couple of pages and was inexplicably bored. Whatever. I thought maybe it was exam stress preventing me from concentrating. But then over the next few months it kept happening, until suddenly ToD was coming out and I still hadn’t finished it. Then KoA came out and I still hadn’t read it, so I decided to reread QoS again so that I could sail smoothly back into it. So I did. And then I realised that even though I thought I’d enjoyed QoS, rereading it made me realise that something in that book killed all my desire to read the next one. Which I will explain when I outline my reasons in detail:

1) Story

OK so remember when you read Prisoner of Azkaban, and Sirius turns out not to be a fink and the whole mystery surrounding the Potters’ deaths gets turned on its head and you realised that JK Rowling was a genius who put her all into her story? I originally thought that about Sarah, because you could see that she was thinking about her story from the very first story in TAB (obviously because she wrote this story when she was sixteen and then split it). From TAB to HOF, I could clearly see that she was building Celaena/Aelin into an epic hero/Chosen One, who had to go on this quest of discovery and accepting her past mistakes, before picking up allies and defeating the evil whatever it was. Right?

Except, when you get to QoS, it’s like the entire thing gets derailed. Arobynn Hamel, after being built up to me one of Celaena’s most complicated adversaries, is dispatched offscreen by a character that we’re not even introduced to in the main series (Lysandra). Instead of a clear goal and obstacles that derail them, the story is just a series of plans that Celaena/Aelin is keeping us in the dark about, so we don’t know until she’s won. The sense that we’re building to something is kind of lost, because we pick up new objectives every few chapters. What felt like an epic journey sort of tapered off into a bunch of scenes where everyone was up against it...until Celaena revealed that she’d been planning this all along.

Also, the retcons that apparently happened. Elena sent Aelin to Rowan for “happiness”. Maeve tricked Rowan into thinking Lyria being his mate because reasons. Elena and the gods have been manipulating everything because they had a spat a few hundred years ago.

I think that the reveal that Celaena was Aelin was planned from the beginning, but I think QoS was almost the start of a new series - and not just because of the name change. It’s like she just took the story in a completely different direction. I remember in an interview Sarah mentioned that she likes to see where the story takes her as opposed to planning, and even though I still haven’t read past EoS, what I’ve heard, the story ended up in a completely different place than where it was going.

2) Characters

Like I said, there was no one I hated - at first. In fact, by the time HoF was over, I was loving all the characters. I thought Sarah had rendered them so well that I couldn’t wait for all the different personalities to meet and all the banter that would ensue when they all realised they were working at cross purposes.

But then QoS happened.

Celaena, who underwent some incredible character development in HoF, turned into an absolutely horrible character in QoS. She was arrogant, violent, impatient, cruel, and selfish - with none of the redeeming qualities. She detested her old self even though that self got her where she is today. She treated her so-called allies like idiots or like downright enemies. She threatened to kill everyone who didn’t agree with her.

Rowan, who went from a misanthropic douche to loyal friend to Celaena, spent QoS completely obsessed with her and with growling at every man (sorry, male) who gets within spitting distance of her. I hear he got worse.

Chaol went from a well-meaning if not naive guy who loved his friends to an unrelenting douche who argued with Celaena for reasons, and then apparently disappeared.

I’m not even going to talk about what happened to Dorian and Manon.

And therein lies the reason I didn’t want to read EoS - because QoS had effectively made me hate all the characters. Not only that, but it starts with Celaena hanging out with Rowan, Aedion, Lysandra and Evangeline - four characters who were only introduced the book before, and who spent so long either basking in their own brilliance or being territorial over Celaena that they never got to form meaningful bonds with any of the characters that we did know before then. I couldn’t get through the first chapter because I literally couldn’t give a shit about a bunch of people I just met.

And then there’s the Chaolaena thing. I didn’t particularly care for them one way or another. I thought they were a well-written and well-matched couple, but I personally found Dorian way more interesting. And they were written like they were destined to be together. Even when they were talking about the fact that Celaena might not pick him when she became Aelin, there was none of the vicious antagonism in their relationship when they met again. OK, I expected her to be mad at Chaol for leaving Dorian, but to drag it out so long? And every other argument they had was artificially lengthened to justify them never getting back together so she was free to get with Rowan, where the two people from the last book would have worked it out like adults.

And this takes us right back to the retcon thing. I specifically remember an interview right before QoS came out where I noticed that Sarah was talking about Rowan a lot. So much so that he almost felt like a deuteragonist. When I read the book, I realised it was because she’d decided to torpedo Celaena/Chaol in favour of Rowan/Aelin - which I have no problem with. I just wish it had been done with more grace. Aelin and Rowan went from having a great platonic bond to suddenly wanting to rip each other’s clothes of whenever they saw each other. Aelin went from accepting that Chaol and her were over to wanting to kill him whenever she saw him. Rowan basically wanted to lick her whenever they shared a room, and turned into a giant baby when another guy got near her. The emphasis that their platonic bond was given was traded for them lusting after each other like horny teenagers.

3) Writing

Look, I’m just going to say it - QoS felt like fanfiction. There was just an abundance of similes and metaphors, and her writing got to be so overblown and dramatic that it was eyeroll-inducing to read. But that’s not even the worst of it.

I read ACOTAR when it came out. I liked it, but I really hate Fae/Faeries, so I wasn’t going to continue. Then when I read QoS I realised that all the guys in that and all the guys in ACOTAR are essentially the same character - territorial Fae males who constantly thought about the main female character, sex, or sex with the main female character. Aedion and Rowan were the same character in different colours. And all the girls were the same too - badass but vulnerable and always ready with a snarky comment. The similarities between the two were just too much.

Then there’s the actual structure of the book - like I said, it felt like fanfiction, and like a series of events strung together rather than a book. There wasn’t really any clear structure to speak of, which is why it felt so odd. There was no clear goal at the beginning, so there was no inciting incident, no first plot point etc. It felt like set up for the next book.

And finally, the style. HoF, QoS, and the little chapter of EoS are all completely different. One of the opening chapters has s Fae warrior (I forget which one and also I don’t care) trying to figure out whether a girl with big breasts is a virgin. I think it’s supposed it’s supposed to sound like high fantasy like GRRM, but it just sounds predatory and weird.

There’s actually way more that I now dislike about this series, but I’ve spent too much time on it. I’ll always love the first four (I include TAB) and parts of QoS (”Witchkiller is still the best thing ever), but I’ll never finish it.

#anti sarah j maas #anti sjm #anti throne of glass #anti aelin

40 notes · View notes

spideyboyz · 7 years ago

Text

RIVERDALE THEORIES SEASON 3 PART 2

So here are the theories regarding the plots that will occur throughout the third season.

So we know that there are going to be 23 episodes in the third season. From that there will likely be a lot of filler episodes as well as mini plots that derail from the overall plot.

As season 2 ended with Archie’s arrest we already know that the third season will be mainly about that. However, I’m not sure whether this story will be present in the whole season or just half the season. Watching the first two seasons it can vary. The first season’s entire plot was about Jason Blossom’s murder. Season 2 was different in that it began with the Black Hood, ended on episode 12 (I think) and then brought the Black Hood back for episode 18. With season 3 I think the murder storyline will likely be a half season thing while the second half will deal with other plots that may have initially been introduced at the beginning of the season.

Aside from the obvious plot there are clues throughout the second season that hint to what could potentially be in the third season. This leads me to think that a lot of the third season will have a lot of Person A vs Person B situation.

Firstly I will discuss the Core Four.

At the end of the second season Hal says that there is always an ‘Evil’ Cooper in every generation. Throughout the first and second season we have been lead to believe that this was Betty. Now that the season has ended people now believe that the Evil Cooper was actually Polly and that she will play a bigger role during the third season. I am one of the people who agrees with this theory. Based on that scene with Polly and Alice, there is definitely sinister vibes going on and the cult people that Polly have been staying with are being hinted at playing a bigger part in the show. In terms of Person A vs Person B, I believe that there could be a Betty vs Polly storyline or Good vs Evil. I’m not sure what Polly will be specifically but because it’s Riverdale and everyone is dark and twisted, it will probably be something along those lines.

Then there is Jughead. For me his story will likely continue to be serpent based, especially now that he is the official Serpent King. This will lead to a lot of hints towards a Jughead vs Penny storyline and also an overall Serpents vs Ghoulies story. Previously the Ghoulies had tried to kill Jughead and we know that Penny despises his very existence and so we know that the Ghoulies are far from done with him and the rest of the serpents. I don’t have much else to go on from that.

For Veronica it will likely be the obvious Veronica vs Hiram story. Now that Hiram has practically disowned his daughter, I feel like she no longer has his protection like she had previously. Going with that there is also the chance that it will become a Hermione and Veronica vs Hiram. The end of the second season definitely hinted at Hermione beginning to go against her husband and the third season will likely play further into that.

When it comes to Archie I feel the least certain as to where his overall plot may go. Being the least interesting (to me) I find that his character has little agency outside of his relationship to Veronica and the second season added onto that and he lacked a story outside of her and her family. Seeing as he is in prison there is a chance that he will likely have a prison-centred story and there is the chance that he could perhaps have the Archie vs Rival Inmate and the two butt heads or are otherwise pitted against each other. If he is out of jail before the finale he will probably team up with the others to take down Hiram Lodge and the other main villains.

Story in terms of side characters

I have a theory that Kevin could gain a bigger story in the third season but we also got promised that we would get a Dark Kevin and that he would be a series regular but the show failed the deliver either. Having this criticism from both the fans and Casey himself, there is the chance that the writers could learn from their mistakes and fix them. From there that could then lead to Kevin having a storyline. My main theory is that he will be working to try and get his dad back to being the sheriff or he will part-take in taking down Sheriff Minnetta - likely helping Jughead and Betty who will likely take part in that story line.

I wish I had more to say regarding Josie McCoy but I have the bare minimum. Season 2 didn’t hint a lot regarding what they could do with her character and I hope they let her have a bigger part. There is the potential that she could team up with Kevin to help take down Sheriff Minnetta because they appear to be good friends. Aside from that I don’t really have a lot of theories surrounding Josie. I do theorise, however, that her mother would likely be Archie’s lawyer.

For Moose it does appear like he may appear to be a bigger character for season 3. His main story will probably be his coming out and coming to terms with his sexuality and becoming Kevin’s boyfriend. Outside of that he will likely help Kevin take down Minnetta (should that be Kevin’s story arc).

Now that Reggie is a series regular he could likely take part in helping Archie and taking down Hiram Lodge with him, especially after he was thrown under the bus by him.

Toni has also become a series regular. In likelihood she will be part of the Serpents vs Ghoulies story alongside Sweet Pea and Fangs. It’s hard to say whether she will have much plot outside of that but I hope she does. She is one of my favourite characters.

Now that Cheryl is a serpent I think a lot of her story will be about her new life as a serpent, kind of similar to Jughead’s season 2 storyline. She could work as a double agent perhaps - spying on her mother and the other bad buy crew to see what their plans are and then informing the serpents of them.

Characters like Chuck and Ethel will likely remain minor characters who just appear every once in a while and so I doubt they will play much of a part for the overall season and will likely just appear in a couple of episodes here and there. With Archie being arrested I’m assuming Ethel has taken place as class president or whatever the school election was about.

I would love Sweet Pea and Fangs to become bigger characters and to get to know them better. After the musical episode I especially fell in love with Fangs’s character and he appears to sweet and kind (did you see his smile as he applauded the other characters after their song sequence?)

New and Returning Characters

Throughout the second season I think there have been some hints as to who may appear in the third season.

It has been confirmed that Jughead’s mother and sister will finally come into the picture. I’m not sure what role they will both play but I think there could be tension between Jughead and Gladys seeing as she rejected him when he asked to see her in the first season. Things could become strained between him and Jellybean now that he is a serpent and she could perhaps try to join in and he will likely reject her.

Many are theorising that Heather (Chery’s ex) will appear and stir drama between choni. A part of me would like Cheryl and Heather to build up a friendship because I’m always rooting for Cheryl to have more friends but more likely than not Heather will be a dark and sinister character with bad intentions.

In regards to who I think will return I think Nick St Clair could make an appearance. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him in season 2. In terms of why he would appear again is potentially because he could come in to testify against Archie in trial to say how he came in and beat him. Now that Veronica doesn’t have Hiram’s protection, Hiram could use Nick to make Archie appear violent. Additionally now that Cheryl is a serpent, the serpents could threaten or beat Nick when they learned of what he did to Cheryl. Anyway I would like to see his character killed off by someone he has harmed because I think that would satisfy all of us.

It has been revealed to us that there will be two more new characters who will be Betty’s new neighbours. Evelyn Evernever is said to be a lot like Betty with her own sinister side. Fans theorise that she will either stir things up between Bughead or between Varchie. Personally I hope this isn’t the case because it can get boring when things like that are a constant plot element. I would maybe like it with Varchie because we know that Archie has a weird attraction to Betty all of a sudden (I called it from episode 12/3 of season 1) and so he may push them towards Evelyn, assuming that he isn’t in jail for the entire season. There is also her father, Edgar, who will be introduced. Now that Hal is in prison I could see Edgar becoming a father figure for Betty and maybe a love interest for Alice if they decide to take on the love triangle plot between Alice, Fp and Edgar.

We will also likely get to meet more serpents as we now have more serpent characters (Cheryl and Betty). I would like to see more female serpents now that Betty and Cheryl are in the scene and will likely hang out with them a lot over the boys.

21 notes · View notes

katrinapavela · 8 years ago

Text

The Way My #TeamPetty Is Set Up... :Hopes, Dreams and Shade for Penessa and Fauxlake in 605

A/N: This post is dedicated to #TeamPetty. You know who you are. Also= Peter + Vanessa (h/t @jarmstrong05).

It’s time for one of my favourite pastimes: shading Jake and Fauxlake (past works cited at the end). A few stills from #Scandal’s next episode, “They All Bow Down” (605), have emerged:

There are more, but you can find them yourself. The photos have some in the fandom all aflutter with fantastical assumptions, about which I feel shady enough to address:

Sure, I am about to make assumptions just like they are doing (welcome to basic ass hypocrisy 101, thank you for dropping by.). But here’s where this post is different: I have facts, and not the alternative kind.

I realized that Vanessa, Peter’s wife (his mama named him Peter; Imma call him Peter), could possibly be an unwitting helpmate in showing up Fauxlake for the farcical clown car of a dirty bathroom it has always been.

Peter and his wife are a gift! Perhaps their ship will even serve as a foil, or mirror, for Olivia’s past behavior with lil’ Petey Hellno. Vanessa, as an outsider, can evidence the Olake nastyship for the manipulative, gaslighting, abusive, addictive behaviors it has always displayed. Vanessa doesn’t go here, but is now married to Peter, and around him and Olivia a lot. I expect that she will pick up on the fact that they used to fuck; that Jake thinks he’s in love with Olivia; that Olivia has sway over Jake in a way she, Vanessa, does not; and that Jake is crazy and violent. There have been other mirrors so far this season, but we’ve not yet honed in on the Fauxlake opportunities for reflection. Now may be our time, y’all

Let’s think about this by using reason and facts to dismantle some common beliefs about Fauxlake’s future.

The Olake ship thrived after Liv finally left that thirsty, old man!

Is that why it “thrived” all the way to Peter marrying another woman, and with Olivia telling him, on the day of his wedding:

“You were never an option for me. You’re an escape. Someone to toy with. You’re a yo-yo. A booty call. A sidepiece. And frankly it’s embarrassing that you still haven’t realized, after all this time, that if we were together, actually together, I would tear right through you. Destroy you.”

Is that why the Fauxlake ship “thrived” all the way to Liv throwing that tie at Jake as he realized he was her bitch now (521)?

Is all that “thriving” why we heard Liv refer to Jake as her father’s son (521)? Nothing says “thriving” like pseudo incest with a man you know to be married to another woman!

Olivia is gonna fight for Jake now! Vanessa will make her realize how much she wants him

First of all…

But most importantly, Olivia is supposed to “fight” Peter’s wife for the man to whom she literally said, on his wedding day, as one of her last words to him as a single man: “go marry Vanessa” (518). So, after Olivia expressed the pain and shame (502, 505) she felt from actually loving a man who was married (Fitz), y’all want her to engage in similar behavior for a man she does not even love? After y’all called her stupid for doing it with Fitz?

Basura, the lot of you.

Forget the love argument, since some of y’all believe in opposite day (”Olivia doesn’t have to say she loves Jake for us to know it’s true” -_-). Let’s try stacking up the facts and deducing the likely outcome. Mmmkay? Olivia basically told Jake to stuff his delusions of a mediocre future on the night of Republican National Convention (521)

That same night (via flashback), we see Olivia tell Mellie (The would-be President to Peter’s Vice President) “we don’t have time” for you to mess around with Marcus, as it could derail their path to the presidency (602). If Olivia would coral Jake onto her struggle ticket, because she’s desperate to win, then why the fuck would she endanger that by having an affair with Vanessa’s husband, the vice presidential candidate?

Olivia is so thirsty for the Oval, that she set up a man based on the the thinnest sliver of evidence (602-603), just for the opportunity to flex on the presidential seal. But an affair with Chilli Pepper dick is totes realistic amidst all of this.

Do I think it was straight shooting after Liv threw that tie at Jake? No. I feel like I know Shonda better than that. But “thriving” affair? Nah.

Olivia and Jake will ultimately prevail because their relationship is actually reciprocal.

A “reciprocal” relationship in which only one person knows the other person’s real name. A “reciprocal “relationship in which one person never told the other one that they were married at one time (technically still married until 506). A “reciprocal” relationship in which one person was on an island with another person–alone–and never shared that they wore a ring given to them by the love of their life”.

Because whatever it is has nothing to do with making sense. I’m not even including all the gas lighting, and the lies–past and recent–because I’ve documented those. Lies like the one Peteroni told Liv regarding why Vanessa was his mark for marriage (514). Shall we revisit the Book of Nope once again? Let’s:

“I’m not scared. I may be horrible because I’m abandoning you, because I always abandon you. But I’m not scared. Not the least bit. You’re wrong. And pathetic. I could tell you five minutes from now that I want to be with you, that I want to save you. You would crawl back to me. Forgive me. Every single time” (Olivia, 518).

Let’s follow that up with Peter crawling right back into Olivia’s lair, to be used for her purpose on the campaign (521). Literally, Petey's folks try to act like Olivia didn’t mean what she said in that meanologue because she apologized to Jake for being so savage. You can spit the truth but regret the pain caused to the other person. I didn't see a script in Olivia's hand, yet she knew exactly what daggers to throw.

Where is all this reciprocity and mutual love?

Rowan is literally the only reason why Olivia and Jake can’t be happy in love!

When Olivia had Rowan safely behind bars, did he make Olivia dump Jake and run to go be with Fitz (422)? The opposite has never been true. Not even in 5B. Olivia has never left Fitz in order to be with Jake. Again, the Book of Oop:

“I can’t be with you! It’s not even just that I can’t. I don’t want to. …If I couldn’t make it work with [Fitz], why the hell would you think I could make it work with you?” (Olivia, 518)

Rowan certainly wasn’t the one who made Liv deny Jake after he got married, and Liv "saved" him from Rowan (521). So, y’all can pretend that Olivia hasn’t been making deliberate choices to have Jake, strategically, in her life and for her own goals. But he evidence is clear, sis. Rowan is not the one standing in the way of Olake, Olivia is:

“You’re not good enough for me. You’re weak. You need me too much. Need me to tell you what to do and how to feel and…You were never an option for me. You’re an escape. Someone to toy with. You’re a yo-yo. A booty call. A sidepiece.” (Olivia, 518).

And if you still want Olivia to pursue this unsuitable boy, then you just don’t love her. Deadass.

_____________________

Click here for related works

_____________________

#Scandal #Olivia Pope #Fauxlake #Pete harris

87 notes · View notes

muffinworry · 8 years ago

Text

Thoughts on A Darker Shade of Magic

Thoughts on A Darker Shade of Magic (full of spoilers):

***

I have such mixed feelings about this book. I tore through it, made about 5 of my friends read it, made my first ever cosplay for it, and, and yet…

It’s hard to think of another book that’s frustrated me quite like this one. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a light, brisk read through an engaging fantasy world. My problem with it, though, is really that it could have been so much more. It’s a case of a beautiful setting and interesting characters, rather let down by rather simplistic writing and /plot.

The setting:

Four separate Londons: Grey (our London, c. 1819), Red (a healthy magic empire), White (starving and corrupt) and Black (lost and long-forgotten). Only the almost-extinct Antari magicians can travel between them. Our hero Kell is a young Antari, adopted into the royal family of Red London, and with no memory of his early years. He carries correspondence between the Grey, Red and White thrones (I’ll come to that in a minute), and has a bad habit of smuggling magical curiosities between the worlds, for a price. He promises his foster brother Rhy that he’ll stop before he gets into trouble, but of course he can’t resist one last delivery, which goes horribly wrong. He crosses paths with Lila, a clever street thief from Grey London, and together they have to make things right before all four worlds are destroyed.

Schwab clearly loves London – our London – and the decision to set the story in the Regency period is a novel one. I can’t remember reading Georgian fantasy before. The image of Mad King George in his royal cell, writing letters to another world that nobody else believes in, is such a compelling one. So why, with that great set-up, does Schwab ditch any further investigation of Regency London? Another review pointed out that our Grey London character, Lila, could come straight from modern America. Her language and thoughts are entirely modern. There doesn’t seem to be much reason for the historical setting, except the costumes and sword fighting. It’s a pity.

Above all, I wanted more politics in the book, and more sense of the worlds we’re travelling through. It feels like such a wasted opportunity. It could have been a sprawling epic. To set the book in Regency London, at a time when England has just lost its American colony, and the French revolution is still fresh in peoples’ minds, at a time when the old order is being overthrown, and the idea of monarchy itself is being questioned, that’s fascinating to me. Why not take that as the backdrop, and contrast it with Prince Rhy, heir to a 1000-year-old empire, now at risk because he happens not to have been born with strong magic.

Let us really feel Rhy’s desperation, his need to prove himself and his fear of letting everyone down, that drives him to accept White London’s dangerous gift in the first place. And White London, where there’s no such thing as a dynasty, where the throne changes hands with violence every few years – show us the innovative ways that its citizens have evolved to make do without magic. Give me a White London that was forced to develop technology at a much faster rate because it couldn’t rely on its scarce magical resources. For that matter, what does religion look like, in a world where every new ruler promises to free the people, to bring back the magic? Where the people are desperate to believe, even though they’ve seen fraud after fraud? Red London abandoned White, centuries ago, and left them to starve, and White is understandably furious and sees themselves as entitled to take reparations in whatever way they can. There’s a lot that could have been written there about colonialism and empire, and the plundering of natural resources that leads to war. The book could have been a meditation on power and politics, and what it means to sit on a throne.

And against this backdrop of worlds in upheaval, you have a story of family and love and sacrifice. This is where the book is stronger.

The characters

Kell is the central character, the one whose point of view anchors the book. As an Antari, his rare magic makes him a target, a threat, or a prize for everybody, from his adoptive parents, to the villains. Kell is fairly well fleshed out: he’s good-hearted, but he has a temper; he can’t resist showing off at times, he’s prone to self-pity, he makes some very questionable decisions, and he can be violent, even cruel. He loves his family but feels trapped and used by them too, with some justification (and what a great scene where Lila scornfully tells him that at least he grew up with a roof over his head).

Prince Rhy, Kell’s brother, seems to be many readers’ favourite, and it’s easy to see why. He’s just immensely appealing; a charming flirt who nevertheless wants to do right by his kingdom, and worries intensely that he may not be up to the job. He wants to Kell to settle down, to stop risking himself, to fit better in into the royal family. At the beginning of the book, Kell is chafing at his family bonds; by the end, he’s longing for them. Rhy and Kell love each other, despite their flaws and it’s written so sincerely, that by the time Rhy is in danger, it’s utterly believable that Kell would sacrifice himself to save his brother.

Delilah (Lila) Bard, the street thief from Grey London, suffers from a case of “I’m not like those other girls.” She scorns dresses and corsets, and yearns to be a pirate. She’s rash and outspoken, confident that she’ll win in every situation, and spends most of the book exasperating everyone she comes into contact with. Rather a cliché. I can see why many readers find her insufferable. Personally, I think she has just enough charm to get away with it, but only just. My biggest problem, like I said above, is that she doesn’t seem at all connected to 1800s London. More worryingly, she’s the only female character given POV chapters, and the book sorely needs more women interacting. As @danceny pointed out in their review, the Queen, Kell’s foster mother, says virtually nothing in the entire series. (For that matter, what’s the role of women, as a whole, in Red and White London societies?)

Lila also responsible for this line that made me grit my teeth:

“Tell me, do you underestimate everyone, or just me? Is it because I’m a girl?”

Note that at the time, Kell is trying to persuade her not to fight Astrid, who is not only female, but also older and much more powerful than Lila. It’s a nonsensical outburst from the streetwise Lila, and feels like an example of Schwab trying to prove how not-sexist her hero Kell is, rather than building a comprehensively egalitarian world.

So Lila reads less like a strong female character and more like a Strong Female Character ™ but I will say that her primary motivation is to get her own ship, and while she undergoes some character growth, she stays focused on her goal, and the book doesn’t derail on a forced romantic plot, for which I’m eternally grateful.

Athos and Astrid Dane, the twin rulers of White London and absolute monsters, whose only redeeming quality is their fierce love for each other. I would have liked more about their relationship, and how it could be contrasted with Kell and Rhy’s.

Disclaimer: I was reading about Les Enfants Terribles right before I read ADSOM, and Kerry Greenwood’s description of Jean and Jeanne Bourgoint as “Doomed, inseparable, morphine-slender and golden" definitely coloured how I saw the Danes. I don’t know if Schwab intended it, but right from the beginning, I assumed that the Dane twins are dying, that the cancerous magic they have to use to hold onto the throne is rotting them from the inside out, and that’s why they’re so desperate to break through to healthy Red London.

It’s a testament to Schwab that she created a pair of villains who drink blood and tile their palace with the bones of their enemies, and still manage to be frightening instead of laughably over the top. I’ll be honest: I love how much fun they have in the book. In every single appearance, they’re having the time of their lives. I love a gleefully unrepentant villain. The scene where they get Kell drunk is horrifying and hilarious.

Holland, the only other Antari (that we know of...), is a servant of the White throne, and we find out later, is actually soul-bound to obey Athos Dane. If the Danes are glorious monsters, Holland is the other kind of villain, the one with the tragic backstory and the possibility of redemption. We get Holland’s history through Kell, and we don’t really know much about Holland’s own thoughts and feelings. He exists to hinder Kell and Lila, and to be a living warning to Kell about the dangers of power and ambition. It’s a another good moment when Kell finally sees himself through Holland’s eyes, and realizes just how young and naïve he must seem to the other Antari.

Magic

Hmmm. I really like the idea of magic as a sentient natural resource that can be compelled, or pleaded with. The scene where Kell has to beg the magic to open a door for him is great (and highlights the importance of the word please). Magic as a dangerous commodity, a bit like nuclear energy, something that has to be handled with great care, something that society is founded on. It makes a great deal of sense in the book, which is why the reveal in Book Two was a bit disappointing to me, but I’ll talk about that in another review.

Plotholes

I’d love it if anyone would like to clarify these, because it’s entirely possible that I missed out on something, but, plotholes that threw me while I was reading:

- The Coup

- Kell in White London

- What was in those letters

The Coup: What exactly is the Danes’ plan? And why doesn’t it have more fallout?

So. The twins find a broken stone from Black London, and realize that they can use it to tear down the doors between the worlds and seize the Red throne. Half of it needs to go to Red London, to do that. They don’t want to send Holland because if he’s caught, it’ll be obvious that it’s their plot, so they trick Kell into carrying it home with him. Fine. So far so good.

But.

Why then, do they immediately send Holland after Kell, to murder and set fire to Red London while he chases Kell in the world’s least subtle chase? Astrid already has Rhy under her control; why send Holland at all?

For that matter, Kell is convinced that it can’t be the Danes who slipped him the stone, because as power-hungry as they are, they’d surely never let go of it, which is a good point, so how are the Danes unaffected by the stone? Kell and Lila are both terribly tempted by it, but the greedy and possessive twins aren’t?

Finally, the coup fails, but not before Astrid compromises the entire royal family and half the nobility at the ball, and the palace guards. Combined with the black magic plague, this should have terrible ramifications for the stability of Red London society and politics. Yet by the end of the book, it seems to have been largely hushed up.

Kell in White London:

The timeline seems off here. Kell is 22(?) or thereabouts? He’s been to White London several times; he met Holland and the old king before the Danes took the throne. But the Danes have been in power for nearly 8 years (in a world where the throne usually changes hands every 1-2 years, per canon). Was Maxim really sending his young teenage son to run his errands in a warzone? And when Astrid sees Kell, she says “let me see how you’ve grown,” which would make sense if she hasn’t seen him for years, but Kell’s been there often enough that the populace knows him, and we know there’s a regular correspondence between White and Red London. It’s a small point, but it brings me to my biggest issue, which is,

The Letters:

What is in that correspondence between the thrones? We’re told that the letters to Grey London are simple formalities, due to George III’s failing health, but the ones between Red and White London are “constant and involved” and leave King Maxim worried and stressed. People (apart from Kell and Holland) can’t travel between the worlds, nor can goods, so what, exactly, is there to talk about? Why does Maxim even bother to correspond with the murderous and borderline insane twins? What do they write about? Inquiring minds want to know.

The Writing

So. Love and sacrifice, freedom vs. safety, and the cost of power, are the themes of the book. They’re never really explored in-depth, though, and the book reads more as older YA than as an adult novel. A more literary book would have strengthened these themes, and shown rather than told us about them. The jumping between characters’ POVs is unsettling because so many minor characters get chapters of their own, and it feels unnecessary, like it’s a crutch to get information to the reader that we should really be inferring through the main characters, Kell and Lila. I’ll also note again that Lila is the only female character to get her own POV (where is my Astrid chapter??). The characters tend to explain their motivations out loud, in simplistic language, and their actions tend to be predictable.

I think, on balance, the characters are just charming enough to get away with this, but others have disagreed, and I understand why.

The writing is lovely at times; at others, it made me grit my teeth in annoyance. There are some subtle bits I enjoyed on second reading (“Rhy” sipping tea while waiting for Kell to wake up, and wearing a mask instead of his usual crown) but for the most part, the language is simplistic and repetitive.

What Schwab does very well is write visual scenes. A few things I can’t wait to see in a tv adaptation:

- The blood-red Thames

- The “stone forest” in White London

- The scene in the Grey London pub, with Kell showing off for Ned

- Lila and Astrid fighting, both in Regency men’s clothes, one in black, one in white

- The soiled cathedral of White London’s castle, all vaulting marble beauty and bloodstains.

- The masquerade scene because I am such a sucker for a masquerade ball

- The costumes, oh my goodness

- Kell’s coat

Anyway. A few scattered thoughts. I didn’t mean to ramble on quite this much. It’s a good book, I have a soft spot for it, and I’m looking forward to reading the third when it comes out in February. I just think that it could have been so much more.

#adsom

9 notes · View notes

readingontheedge · 6 years ago

Photo

Welcome to the Sovereign Kingdom of Bagumi

The Kingdom of Bagumi is one of the last intact African monarch states. Treaties and alliances over several centuries have ensured their continued dominance in the region.

Each generation of the powerful and proud Royal House of Saene is bound by loyalty to their family and duty to protecting their nation.

However, soon, long-trusted traditions come under attack and change becomes inevitable, especially when love clashes with duty.

The long-standing, distinguished Royal House of Saene is about to be rocked by three sexy, determined interlopers. Princesses Amira, India and Isha may have to choose between sacrificing their hearts or their kingdom.

A spoilt princess and a commoner…a match made online.

A widowed princess and a reluctant king…a match shrouded in suspicion.

A crusading princess and a freedom fighter…a match built on conflict.

Meet the Royal House of Saene: The Princesses

His Defiant Princess by Nana Prah (Book One)

Princess Amira Saene has always done the right thing when it came to her beloved Kingdom of Bagumi. Yet her unorthodox online relationship with a man across the sea has derailed her from cultural norms. She doesn’t care. After a year of communicating, the man she’s developed feelings for comes to visit. Their chemistry is intense and she tumbles the rest of the way into love. With the threat of war looming over her country, Amira is thrown in the middle as a peacemaker through an arranged marriage.

Jake Pettersen never thought he’d meet the woman of his dreams, much less online. Flying thousands of miles to West Africa to meet her verifies that the feelings he’s developed are real. Too bad her family doesn’t think he’s worthy of her. When he learns that Amira has been betrothed, he must decide whether fight for her or accept the loss for the sake of her homeland.

Is their happiness worth the devastation of her country?

On Sale Now

Purchase

Connect with Nana Prah

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Amira Saene paced in her eldest brother’s office. Zawadi, the next king of Bagumi watched her for a moment, shook his head with a deep frown, and returned his attention to his computer.

Adrenaline wouldn’t allow her to sit as she waited for Jake to arrive. When had her stomach ever been tied in such knots? As a princess, she’d been trained to remain cool and composed at all times. It would’ve been ideal for her nerves to remember that as she gnawed on her manicured nails.

Why hadn’t she broken protocol and gone to the airport to meet him? Resisting her favourite treat of peanut brittle had been easier than forcing herself to stay in the palace to receive her guest as decorum demanded. It also might’ve made things easier if she’d told Jake who she really was, but she hadn’t. The way he’d treated her like a regular person had kept her lips sealed about her status as a princess of one of the most prominent countries in Africa.

She glared at Zareb, the youngest of her older twin brothers and the chief of palace security. When she’d requested permission for Jake to visit, she’d pleaded with Zawadi not to tell anyone about her relationship with him. Meeting someone on the Internet these days wasn’t a crime, but she doubted her family would agree.

Zawadi had insisted on informing the hardest member of their family. She’d had to relent because of the current instability in Bagumi. The neighbouring kingdom of Ashani had become more violent with direct attacks on cattle herders over the past month. Disputes over the water rights of the river between their two countries would lead to war if her father didn’t defuse the situation soon. Although a smaller country, Ashani held a powerful army. Too many lives would be lost if they fought.

Zareb hadn’t been happy about Jake coming into the country in the first place, but not even he had ever been immune to her charms, or incessant whining. Sometimes, being the youngest and the only female in her mother’s line had its benefits.

“Amira, you will not speak during the questioning,” Zareb ordered.

Pinching her lips together kept her from arguing. He wouldn’t hesitate to fulfil his earlier threat of kicking her out of the office altogether. She gave a curt nod and strode to the window. Too bad Zawadi’s office faced the back portion of the palace’s extensive grounds instead of the front where the driver would drop off their guests. Maybe seeing him from afar would settle her racing heart.

She jumped as a knock sounded on the near-impenetrable Bubinga wood. Inhaling and then exhaling twice as long through her nose like she did while practicing yoga did absolutely nothing to calm her.

“Come in,” Zawadi said.

His secretary opened the door. “Your Highness, the two guests you were expecting have arrived.”

“Thank you. Please escort them in.”

Amira swallowed the nothingness drying her throat. Every cell in her body vibrated at a higher frequency, and she swore she could’ve evaporated.

“Amira.”

She pivoted her head towards the voice of her eldest brother. When had he gotten up to stand beside her?

“Sit down.”

With stiff legs, she toddled to one of the gold and maroon armchairs across the room. As taught in her multitudes of etiquette classes, she lowered herself onto the seat and crossed her legs at the ankles.

The door opened again, and all composure bolted as she leapt to her feet. The man she’d gotten to know over the past year entered, sucking all the air out of the room.

His Inherited Princess by Empi Baryeh (Book Two)

India Saene, Princess of Bagumi, must enter a marriage alliance to save her kingdom from an economic crisis. Tragedy strikes when her husband of a few hours is killed in an accident on the way to their honeymoon. She recovers from a coma two weeks later to discover she has been inherited by her husband's younger brother!

Sheikh Omar El Dansuri has never wanted to be king, nor does he desire a wife. However, when his older brother dies, he not only becomes the future king of Sudar, but he also inherits his brother’s bride through an age-old tradition. Falling for the headstrong India is out the question especially when evidence points to her as his brother’s killer.

Neither India nor Omar wanted this marriage, but the passion that burns between them cannot be denied. When India’s secret is revealed, will either of them survive the consequences?

On Sale Now

Purchase

Connect with Empi Baryeh

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

She pushed aside the thoughts, focusing on her present need for answers. What was Omar doing here? Had Majid sent him?

“Is she in a lot of pain, Doctor?” Omar asked, his gaze directed at someone on the other side of the bed.

“She shouldn’t be in unbearable pain, Your Royal Highness. In fact, we’ve reduced the dosage of her pain medication.”

“Why are they calling you Your Royal Highness?”

As she’d been made to understand, there were three formal styles used in addressing members of the royal family in Sudar. ‘Majesty’ for the king, ‘Royal Highness’ for the Queen and the presumptive heir, and ‘Highness’ for everyone else.

“Who—where’s Majid?”

Her voice grated against her dry throat. Worry snaked up her spine. Something was wrong. She felt it in her bones.

Omar looked at her, and she found herself trapped in his gaze.

“How much do you remember?”

She frowned. “Remember?”

As if his rich voice had unlocked a door, it came to her all at once. She and Majid had been in the car, discussing the protocols to be observed for his coronation. Funny, since he’d apparently already broken one rule by travelling in the same car with her. She remembered the relief with which she’d latched on to the topic, glad to take her mind off how they’d approach their first night as husband and wife.

Then…

Bang!

It sounded like a gunshot or maybe a canon. The car careened to the left. Everything happened so fast. The driver swore, maintaining an iron grip on the steering wheel, but the car kept speeding.

“Watch out!” Majid yelled.

Screeching tires, then another bang! Something had hit them. She only remembered seeing headlights at the window before they were airborne. The car may have flipped over before crashing to the ground. Then, everything went black.

She shut her eyes as if it would somehow turn off the faucet of memories. Warmth engulfed her, and she realized Omar had taken her hand as he sat on the bed.

“You and Majid had an accident,” he said softly.

“How’s he?”

Dread clutched her gut, telling her she knew the answer. Prince Majid didn’t make it.

“Majid fought bravely, but eventually succumbed to his injuries.”

“No,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

For several seconds, she hoped this was a nightmare. She’d wake up and find Majid lying by her side, and they’d laugh about this weird dream. Because if this wasn’t happening in her head, then it meant Majid was dead; she was a widow. What did it mean for the alliance between their two nations?

Her mind was in no position to process matters of such enormity. She refocused on what Omar had said.

One word stuck in her mind.

“Eventually? How long have I been here?”

“Two weeks,” he answered. “Since you’re awake now, you’ll be coming home soon.”

Coming home. Why did that sound off? She frowned as something else occurred.

“You called me your wife.”

He stared at her for a long moment as though trying to decide whether to answer.

“In accordance with our tradition, I inherited my brother’s widow.”

His Captive Princess by Kiru Taye (Book Three)

Isha Saene has perfected the act of balancing her life—a celebrated corporate negotiator spearheading an international trade deal that could catapult her country to one of the fastest growing mid-sized economies in Africa, and a loyal First Princess of Bagumi Kingdom set to seal ties with a neighbouring nation through marriage.

Until one careless moment knocks her carefully choreographed life into chaos.

Zain Bassong has always fought for the underdog—a patriot dedicated to fighting against the oppression of his people by the country's elite. He believes the pen is mightier than the sword and chooses the diplomatic route, no matter how many times he is arrested by the repressive regime.

Until devastating news triggers a chain reaction.

Isha and Zain are thrown together and their lives change. For better or worse? They will have to figure that out before it’s too late.

Connect with Kiru Taye

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

“Mr Bassong, if you will, please arrange for a phone to be sent to me. I would like to rest now. You are dismissed.”

He burst out laughing, a cold, echoing mirth that didn’t reach his eyes and chilled her to the bones.

As quickly as it started the laughter died and he took a step in her direction.

Her impulse was to step back but she hadn’t done anything impulsive in years. She stayed where she stood as he advanced.

“First Princess Isha Ruby—”

“Don’t call me that!” Isha couldn't stop the visceral response or the vehemence in her voice when he used her middle name. Her gut wrenched and the throbbing returned to her temple.

He jerked back and raised one dark brow.

“Is that not your name, Ruby Bagumi?” The tone of his voice baited her and his rigid posture mocked her.

She stiffened her spine and squared her shoulders. “You know very well that I am the First Princess of Bagumi Kingdom and my given name is Isha Saene. You can address me as Your Highness or Princess Isha.”

“Oh.” He tilted his head and scratched the hair on his chin. “Ten years ago, I met a student in London. She was beautiful, intelligent, compassionate, or at least I’d thought she was at the time. She had these brilliant ideas that could change the world. She told me her name was Ruby Bagumi. But I found out it was a lie.”

He cut her open with his words, a thousand paper-cuts, making her bleed from her soul.

She closed her eyes tight and balled her fists.

She would not go there, would not bleed for him to see.

I am First Princess Isha Saene, she recited in her mind. Isha Saene.

“I am First Princess Isha Saene,” she said out loud and took a deep breath as she opened her eyes.

He stood close. If she reached out she could place her palm on this chest. Was his heart thumping as hard as hers? His scent clung in the air, sandalwood and citrus, tantalising her with each breath.

Memories she'd locked away hovered, threatening to break free.

Nails biting into her palms, she took a step back. “I demand a phone call.”

“So that’s the way you want to play it.” He nodded, moving away as he made his proclamation. “First Princess Isha Saene of the Kingdom of Bagumi, you are now a captive of the MLG group. You will remain in our custody until our demands are met. As for your demand—” he spat out the word as if it was offensive “—you have no power and no rights here. This is Wanai where the supreme power remains with the supreme leader and in this region, I am the supreme leader. You will do as you are told while you are here.”

“I will not,” she retorted, bristling that he dared to make such a declaration. “I do not submit to your leadership. The only authorities I recognise are my father, His Majesty the King of Bagumi and Almighty God.”

He gave that cold laughter again, the one that sent shivers down her spine.

“You are engaged to a Wanaian man. What do you think will happen after you are wedded? In Wanai, your husband will have total authority over you.”

Her chin jutted as she glared at him. “Kweku and anyone else will be out of their freaking minds if they think I’m going to abide by that antiquated edict.”

Her mother would blanch in horror if she had heard Isha speak in this manner. Language suited only to commoners. Still, this man made her forget herself and her upbringing every time.

“There she is. There is the woman I once knew as Ruby Bagumi.” For the first time, a small smile tugged the corner of his lips. “Welcome to Wanai. Make yourself comfortable, well, as comfortable as you can under the circumstances. I’ll see you again soon.”

He whirled around and was gone before she could respond.

Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath and make sense of what just happened.

Why was Zain doing this to her? Why was he set on resurrecting the past?

About Love Africa Press

Love Africa Press is a publisher that celebrates all things African in genre fiction.

From the Îles des Chiens in Tunisia to Cape Agulhas in South Africa, Santo Antao in Cape Verde to Rodrigues in the Mauritian Islands, our stories take the readers on adventures across the African landscape, whether it is in cities or villages, deserts or jungles, mountains or beaches. No African location or experience is off limits.

We are currently accepting the following: romantic fiction, women's fiction, urban fantasy and thrillers.

Visit our website to find out how to submit your manuscript: www.loveafricapress.com

Bloggers/Reviewers: sign up to join our ARC Club and be one of the first to read our books: www.loveafricapress.com/advance-readers-club

Connect with Love Africa Press

Newsletter

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

His Defiant Princess - Purchase: https://www.loveafricapress.com/product-page/his-defiant-princess-by-nana-prah His Inherited Princess - Purchase: https://www.loveafricapress.com/product-page/his-inherited-princess-by-empi-baryeh Nana Prah - Website: www.nanaprah.com Nana Prah - Facebook: www.facebook.com/NanaPrah.Author/ Nana Prah - Twitter: www.twitter.com/NanaPrah Nana Prah - Instagram: www.instagram.com/NanaPrahAuthor Add His Defiant Princess on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2B3jhKQ Empi Baryeh - Website: www.empibaryeh.com Empi Baryeh - Facebook: www.facebook.com/empibaryeh Empi Baryeh - Twitter: www.twitter.com/empibaryeh Empi Baryeh - Instagram: www.instagram.com/empibaryeh Add His Inherited Princess on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2K27m2t Kiru Taye - Website: www.kirutaye.com Kiru Taye - Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorkirutaye Kiru Taye - Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirutaye Kiru Taye - Instagram: www.instagram.com/kirutaye Add His Captive Princess on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2T4isIF Love Africa Press Newsletter: www.loveafricapress.com/newsletter Love Africa Press - Facebook: www.facebook.com/loveafricapress Love Africa Press - Twitter: www.twitter.com/loveafricapress Love Africa Press - Instagram: www.instagram.com/loveafricapress

#RHOSAENE #loveafricapress #HonMagPR

0 notes