#ch: ezekiel. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lizzybeth1986 · 1 year ago

Text

Maxwell and Penelope: When You Like Your Side Character So Much, You Gift Her a Shiny New LI

Series - TRR's Alternative LIs: The Romances that Didn't Happen

Previous - Liam and Olivia: When You Prefer the Side Character to the Main

A/N: There won't be a lot of exploration on Maxwell x Penelope, as there is very little the pair gets in canon. I will be largely looking at their individual characterizations and the changes and retcons made there. There will be a lot of exploration on Penelope x Ezekiel.

CW: Mentions of Penelope's actions as part of Constantine's nefarious plot against the MC in TRR1 & 2, mentions of Penelope's social anxiety.

(Screenshots from the Skylia YouTube Channel, Drake playthrough)

Compared to the other three alternative romances, Maxwell x Penelope turned out to be a bit of a one-chapter wonder. It was extremely short-lived, and the only indication that it had ever happened was one conversation between Penelope and the MC in TRR2 Ch 6, after which there is no reference to it, ever again.

In my mind there are two major factors behind this pairing being left behind, which I will get into later in this essay. However, what I find even more interesting is what the narrative and the writing team did with Penelope after they set aside that subplot. What did TRR3 give her in lieu of this alternative romance, and why, and what does it tell us about the narrative that she alone got that?

But before we can get into that, we need to look (separately) at how Maxwell and Penelope were written in TRR1, and how it culminated in the characterizations they got by TRR2.

The Evolution of (White) Side Characters

One thing that fascinates me about TRR1 is the trajectory of some of the characters, when you observe them on rereads. We often go into those rereads with a strong impression of their character type (or stereotype), before we learn to our surprise that the initial writing doesn't always match the image we carried in our heads.

In the case of some side characters, we may find traces and hints of a totally different characterization, before the team zeroed in on a trope or characteristic that may have hit the right chord with the audience. When done right, this could result in a more rounded character. But in the wrong hands, the writer may keep falling back to that one trope that made the character click, and turn them into caricatures instead.

Maxwell and Penelope are representative of different tiers of side characters, at least in TRR1 - which means that what we may expect in terms of treatment will vary as well. Even before TRR2, Maxwell was more LI-tier adjacent; until he got his LI-upgrade in TRR2, he was a frequent presence in the story and the MC's life, enough that his fans started a "Make Maxwell an LI" campaign. Penelope (along with Kiara) was a far less important character with infrequent appearances.

So of course their trajectories wouldn't be the same. It's interesting, nonetheless, to see how the writing changed over the course of the series, what parallels or complementary traits made the team consider Penelope as an alternative for Maxwell by TRR2, and why they ultimately let go of the pair after one chapter.

As we go through these stories, I think I'd like my readers to keep one thing in mind throughout - Penelope is an anomaly as a character. There are very specific things she is given that at least one other character in the same position doesn't get. Why?

I might not be able to give the answer in this specific essay, but I do think it's a question we need to keep asking ourselves as we go through her story.

Maxwell and Penelope - TRR1

A truly interesting thing about Maxwell was that he was initially not even conceptualized as a prominent character in the books! In their promotional interview for TRR2, Kara mentioned this about the creation of his character:

Excerpt from The Royal Romance: Book 2 interview.

Maxwell was initially conceptualized as a fun foil for Bertrand, the MC's tentative guide for the social season - who the writers considered too stiff and boring to stand alone as a character. Owing to his proximity to both Liam (close friend) and the MC (sponsor), it made sense that Maxwell was a part of the group scenes from the jump.

Going by the interviews, clearly Maxwell's 'fun nature' was his main USP for the writers. TRR1 does try to balance this aspect of his personality with scenes where he shows perceptiveness (such as pointing out opportunities to ally with Kiara or Penelope), but as time goes on he is viewed more and more as the 'funny guy' of the group. He also has a side-story connected with his older brother, who isn't very impressed with his work during the social season (tbh, for good reason!). This side story allows us to view him with sympathy and perhaps overlook all his failures as a sponsor (and there are many examples of this throughout TRR1. Most of the opportunities to connect with the main LIs emerge from all the times Maxwell failed to adequately guide her - teaching her the Cordonian Waltz, explaining the significance of the Regatta Race, finding the right tents, telling the MC to get swimwear for a beach party!).

Of course, because TRR2 (where the Beaumonts are her staunch allies from the jump, even before the LIs return and pledge their support shortly after) and the "Make Maxwell an LI" campaign created such a strong impression on the fandom, people remember him most as the "person who was always there for the MC".

Though he doesn't become an LI in TRR1, we do get our first ever hint of the possibility midway through the book:

(Screenshots from the HIMEME YouTube Channel)

Most of the people I know joined the TRR fandom either in the middle of Book 1, or after Books 2 or 3 - therefore, much of what I'm about to say next is down to conjecture. It is possible that either some stans did pop up in the initial chapters, resulting in the hint in Ch 8, OR that the writers tentatively teased this pairing with the dialogue at the Lythikos Ball, and were gratified enough by the response to continue teasing it. By TRR1 Chs 10 and 11, there was already plenty fanfic on Maxwell x MC. The writers were clearly encouraged enough by the response to toss a few more hints (the MC asking Maxwell about taking his shirt off at the beach, the implications of the MC telling Maxwell she is falling for someone else). Before the fandom knew it, Maxwell had already become the beneficiary of two diamond scenes focused on him in TRR1 (a flashback scene that introduced Savannah, and having fun sliding down banisters in the finale).

Penelope's trajectory in Book 1 didn't experience as meteoric a rise in popularity, but there were changes made throughout the series until she did become somewhat popular. Her trajectory could be categorised in three parts:

1. A minor noble who was very poised and proper (snobbish, if you weren't fitting in well enough)

2. Adorable ditz

3. The lady with social anxiety (TRR2)

From their entrance in TRR1 Ch 3, both Penelope and Kiara were written as extremely minor characters compared to the three frontrunners (and one female LI) of the social season. They accept early on that they don't have much of a chance in the competition, and are the first contenders (barring Hana) that the MC can get on her side. They represent the opinions and mindsets of the royal court.

Because of this, Penelope and Kiara initially appeared almost indistinguishable from each other. The only thing that seems to set them apart is perhaps the introduction Olivia gives at the Masquerade, pointing to Penelope's lineage and Kiara's linguistic skills and diplomatic pedigree. She was the titled one, Kiara was the "smart" one.

(Penelope's scenes from my failplay, in order:

1 & 2: Ch 3, while speaking about Olivia's connection to the Prince, and if you ask her and Kiara why they allow Olivia to call them 'harpies'

3 & 4: Ch 4, Penelope's response to the MC saying, "Penelope, hands off my man"

5 & 6: Ch 6, if you don't fall in line behind the Queen and bump against her instead

7: Ch 6, when Olivia is shocked that Liam chose the MC

8: Ch 8, reaction to Olivia kissing Liam)

Penelope's early scenes in TRR1 didn't showcase the traits she is now so well-known for. She wasn't the "adorable ditz" until the Applewood chapters; in fact her scenes in the first half often showed her as poised and very proper. At the Masquerade she calmly points out to the MC that there is no reason to be offended, when Olivia bluntly declares that no one else has a chance with Liam. She expects decorum from the MC when she cuts in during her dance with Liam, and even comments on the inappropriateness of some of Olivia's behaviours and cautions her when she gets a chance. If your MC makes mistakes in public in certain scenes, Penelope doesn't hesitate to laugh at her.

Her allyship scene in Ch 10 hinges on the MC's ability to convince Penelope of the advantages of supporting her, and rescuing the lady from a crab bite. She is extremely rude in certain options, and ends their conversation with the sentence "I'm not nice" if she isn't convinced the MC is worth supporting. In fact, she is allowed to call the MC a commoner wench in a certain dialogue option!

(Screenshots from my failplay. The top half shows a response to one of the MC's dialogues (she is merely sad if you choose the second one). The second is the end of the conversation when the MC asks for her support)

In a failplay especially, she can be very, very mean-spirited, which is truly ironic given her later characterization as someone who is herself uncomfortable in court and makes more than her fair share of silly mistakes. Fortunately for most of the players, the more "positive" version of the scene sounds a bit more like she's scared and uncomfortable and not equipped to handle the rigors of court. Which makes the "adorable ditz" direction that PB takes, post Regatta, a bit more believable.

Once Penelope is no longer a contender, both she and Kiara recede to the background. You don't see much of her in Applewood and Ramsford, but the little you do see primes us to view her as "sweet and silly" with a bit of a poodle obsession. Two very good examples of this is the "cheating scene" at the pie competition (TRR1 Ch12) and the aftermath of the Beaumont Bash (Ch 16). At the pie competition, Olivia and the MC can team up to distract Penelope so they trick the rival team into adding salt in their pie instead of sugar, by getting her to talk more about her poodle obsession. At the end of the Beaumont Bash, she is shown exchanging drunken chatter with a horse. The book also makes her preoccupation with poodles way more obvious, where before it was brought up only once at the Masquerade Ball.

Discrepancies between portrayals in the first book vs the latter ones is par the course for TRR. Every character has those in some way or form. Maxwell's story in TRR1 and 2 at least could make sense with enough headcanons to fill in the gaps (for why he was inefficient in his support of the MC, for why his relationship with Drake was so fraught) and his characterization is a little bit more consistent. But Penelope's, on closer observation, is a complete mess and her story doesn't make any sense when put together.

Maxwell and Penelope - TRR2

Compared to the other three pairings, Maxwell x Penelope doesn't go beyond a single chapter.

(Screenshots from Skylia's YouTube channel)

This solitary hint pops up in TRR2 Ch 6, right after the Big Clue about Penelope's social anxiety. We're given the usual options one gets for alternative LIs - a "matchmaking" one, a gently discouraging one and an insulting one, the last two of which could be read as jealousy from the MC's end. In fact, the MC's third dialogue option in this scene is so mean spirited that Hana is required to soften the blow!

There's something interesting about the matchmaking response for this scene, and I think it says plenty about the writers and the lasting impression of these characters they wanted us to have.

"You're both a bit silly...but in a way that works." It's a reading of Maxwell and Penelope that leans very strongly into their potential as comic relief, that views the two characters as alike. Both "cute", both "silly", both there to give the characters (and readers) the occasional laugh.

Is this completely accurate to their characterizations in TRR1? Probably not. But it's clearly what the writers imagined would work well for those characters.

Interestingly, TRR2 is also where the team seems to experiment more with these two characters, and finds the characterizations they think would land with the audience. Maxwell's changes are related more to the belated buildup the narrative was giving him to be an LI, and most of Penelope's was related to her role in the plot against the MC. Maxwell is given more heroic traits (eg. the Savannah storyline and his involvement in the investigation) to beef up his story a bit, and plenty of hints are scattered specifically to tease a romantic route with the MC for more than half the book. The narrative also leans far more into his position as comic relief than TRR1 does, making it his most identifiable trait.

There are tiny nods to his "perceptiveness" (Liam mentions it twice in TRR2), but he does a lot of things that you wouldn't see a TRR1 Maxwell do, like tossing a bruschetta at a foreign dignitary or playing with food to get the forgiveness of his friend (btw the Drake Maxwell friendship reads very differently from the first book; they're remarkably chilly in their vibes towards each other initially. Of course, one could headcanon what caused a rift, but that's still us doing the work instead of the writers!!).

Because so much time has to be spent bringing Maxwell's romantic route up to speed with the rest, the progress of the relationship is different from the other three and his romantic scenes cost less (until TRR3 Ch 10, his first 30 diamond scene). Much of this is par for the course for an LI who has entered the game late. In addition, the narrative also tries in TRR2 and 3 to balance his role as the MC's sponsor with his new role as LI, and it doesn't always land (eg. his excitement for Liam's proposal to the MC two chapters after becoming an LI, or his weirdly impersonal reaction in the TRR3 Ch 11 Armory diamond scene in his playthrough, in response to Madeleine mocking Liam for the MC favouring Maxwell). In part this is a result of laziness from PB's end, and in part it's because navigating Maxwell's new role itself may have been a tricky business.

Penelope's TRR2 trajectory, in contrast, is the textbook definition for "throw spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks". Hints of her involvement in the plot don't even show up until Ch 6, just one chapter prior to the reveal. The reasoning given for Penelope's actions in TRR1 - social anxiety - also directly contradicts what is shown of her during the timeline when she was supposed to have been involved in the plot. TRR1 Ch 14 and the Coronation at the finale shows her acting calm, collected and enjoying herself. A lot of Penelope's actions in TRR1 and 2 - esp at the Coronation and in Fydelia - cast an extremely poor light on her when you take into account that she knew the MC was innocent, and that she'd played a part in framing her. From the way the reveal of her condition was done, and the way we're expected to brush her wrongdoing aside immediately, it's clear that Penelope's "social anxiety" was more about tossing in a last-minute Hail Mary to excuse her actions, rather than any real interest in exploring the subject.

Given the sloppy execution of this reveal, it is entirely possible that Madeleine could have been the "lady" in initial drafts (the strongest evidence of this is TRR2 Ch 1's "constitutional clause", which is never referenced again once Madeleine is no longer a suspect), and they made a switch in the nth hour.

It is also possible that writers in the team liked Penelope enough that they wanted readers to still like her after she'd betrayed their MCs. She hasn't been referenced or mentioned in any team interviews, but the writing speaks for itself. No matter what she's done, the narrative insists the MC center her, sympathize with her, and coddle her. I will speak more at length on how in the TRR3 section.

Why did Maxwell x Penelope Not Take Off?

(The first three screenshots are from the Abhirio YouTube Channel, and the rest are from the Radiance Guardians YouTube Channel)

Unlike in the case of the other pairings, not a lot was said in the fandom about this pair either way, even among Maxwell stans. You did have the occasional "hands off my man!" post from a Maxwell shipper, but not to a great extent. At this point many of them were still unsure whether a Maxwell route would be finalized, and even kept Liam as a standby in case all that teasing from the team came to nothing.

Again, most of the theories for why this pairing had just one scene are mere conjecture, since there isn't much evidence overall. But looking at the placement of this scene and what happens before and after it, I can think of two possible reasons why it was nipped in the bud:

1. Maxwell being a late-in-the-game LI could have made balancing an actual romance route and interactions with an alternative love interest tricky in the long run. As it is, his writing was subject to gaffes and mistakes in TRR3 even without this added storyline. It's possible they decided to just ensure that they got Maxwell to the point where he could have his own 30-diamond love scene (which happened in TRR3 Ch 9 btw (half a book after Drake and Hana got their first 30-diamond scenes), and not focus on anything else.

2. This teaser scene came up in Ch 6. Ch 7 is when Penelope is revealed to have tricked Tariq into coming to the MC's room, and paid the photographer to take intimate photos of her. Now to be fair, the narrative does insist she be sympathized with rather than judged. But I do think a subplot like that would automatically make her an unpopular candidate for any LI, much less one who hasn't even been clearly established as an LI yet! Having Maxwell fall for a woman who did the MC dirty wouldn't reflect very well on him, social anxiety or no. In fact, in Ch 8, Maxwell's reaction to the news is the strongest - he calls Penelope "a few dogs short of a pack", "downright diabolical" and even suspects she was lying about having poodles.

3. It is just as likely that Maxwell x Penelope was never a serious consideration for the writers in the first place. Possibly, Penelope's scene here was simply another hint in a rising pile that teased a Maxwell romance route. Players often do get an added pleasure from watching their MCs mouth a catty dialogue or two to a romantic rival, so this scene may have been more for the benefit of a Maxwell stan who wanted to "fight for her man" rather than an actual possibility if he wasn't getting picked.

Whatever their reasons, Maxwell and Penelope's chances as a couple ended pretty much in the same chapter that it began. It didn't create much of an impact, and no one really seemed to notice this pairing, or the lack of it. It basically started and finished with a whimper.

TRR3 and Beyond - Penelope and Ezekiel (ft. A Flanderized Maxwell)

Penelope is an anomaly among the side characters (and even among certain mains!) in both series'. She is the only person seriously involved in the plot against the MC, who needs massive coddling to even answer our questions about her betrayal (if not, Hana has to take over for you). She is the only lady-of-the-court who can refuse to attend your wedding. She is the only lady-of-the-court who can choose to travel with the entourage to another duchy, despite not being part of the Unity Tour. She is the only one among the three former ladies-in-waiting who can openly complain about Madeleine's bullying, and expect protection against her from the group. Until TRH2, Penelope was the only side character for whom massive divergences in the narrative would be made as well, to accommodate her comfort and mental health (More on that in this essay).

She is also the only alternative LI to be "rewarded" with a brand new character, crafted specially for her.

Until TRR3 Ch 7, the fandom didn't even know Kiara had an older brother. Even though the person we know best in Castelserraillan is Kiara, we actually spend less than a minute with her, and far more time with Ezekiel Theron. There is an entire diamond scene that's about pampering and complimenting him, making him comfortable around us, getting him to open to us - even though his sister was the one injured at Homecoming Ball. And of course, the entire reason for Penelope to even be present at Kiara's estate is so that she and Zeke can be paired up by default! Even at the Food and Art Festival, Kiara's only real default dialogue apart from winning over her mother (or not), is about moving Penelope and Ezekiel's romance along.

Both Penelope and Ezekiel join the Unity Tour only by option, so the narrative puts in a great deal of effort to get the romance going (by having Penelope only stop at Kiara's estate by default) and allowing the two to still have a fledgling courtship going on if they weren't together at the Unity Tour (Penelope still gets to meet people who inspire her into dog fashion and she and Zeke still show their interest in each other, propelling the parents to discuss their match).

The only thing we know about Ezekiel, and pretty much the only thing that really matters, is that he loves animals. In a court that views Penelope's love for dogs as an oddity, Ezekiel is a character tailormade to romance her. He rarely features in scenes that don't show her (the only exception is the menagerie scene in Ch 14), he rarely has dialogue outside of his scenes with her, he doesn't even have a personality beyond what would best suit Penelope. This character exists only to romance Penelope, which is depressing esp when you consider that she is a white woman, and he is a black man - and she is clearly the only one who even matters in this relationship!

There wasn't any real reason to give Penelope a partner. "Penzekiel" doesn't really do much for the story in general, and not a lot would change if you dropped them. But the narrative deems it essential to give her a "reward", which is ironic considering what she put the MC through and how much we had to coddle her for her to even consider cooperating, either in the investigation or during the Unity Tour. Presumably this "reward" is for her "niceness" and "sweetness", which only works because the narrative completely erases her misdeeds in the social season after TRR2. She never has to remember what she did, nor does anyone in the core group remind her.

With regards to Maxwell, by TRR3 he is a full-fledged LI who gets a wedding with his MC, in certain playthroughs. Much of his playthrough focuses on trying to catch up with the other 3 LIs - you can sleep with them if they're your fiancé/ée, but you have to wait until Ch 10 to sleep with Maxwell. The narrative mentions him taking up "responsibilities" for House Beaumont in lieu of Bertrand, but without any real scenes that show us what he is doing, nor any tangible results (we will not talk about Maxwell's book here!).

He doesn't have any alternative romances. In fact even his romantic playthrough is kinda bare - his only individual scene is the Armoury scene which isn't even about him, and there were glitches that were very noticable particularly in his and Hana's playthroughs. There are no references at all to the alternative romance Maxwell was given in TRR2; it's almost as if that option had never existed.

Penelope being a romantic option for Maxwell doesn't stop the two from having friendly exchanges in TRR3 though. Maxwell was not only allowed - but expected - to treat Penelope with sympathy and respect.

(First set of screenshots is mine, the second is from Skylia's YouTube Channel)

Not only Maxwell, even Drake - who hates most nobles - is shown being extremely protective of Penelope in both TRR3 (promising Penelope to protect her against Madeleine) and TRH3 (showing anger at Guy's blackmail of Penelope and her family). The narrative is very clear that we are expected to make Penelope feel safe, even if she has never made us feel anything but unsafe.

This relationship - and the level of coddling that Penelope has always received from TRR2 onwards - continues into TRH, where she and her beau Ezekiel are shown together, there are occasional updates on their relationship when either one appears in a chapter, and where they eventually marry and start a family. An interesting pattern begins to emerge once we get into TRH.

(Screenshots from Skylia and HIMEME's YouTube Channel)

As the only courtly lady in a relationship in TRH, Penelope gets a nicer, cleaner, more luxurious and more drama-free parallel to the MC's romantic journey. Like the MC, she finds a suitor who falls for her and wants to be with her. Like the LI, he eventually stages a grand proposal for her (TRH2 Ch 18), after they have spent a significant amount of time together. Like the MC, she has a widely publicized wedding (though tbh Penelope's was better customised to her tastes, and as the MC we put even more work into her wedding than we ever did our own!! (we were both her bridesmaid and her officiant, our daughter is the flower girl, we give her the perfect bachelorette, we rescue her from her asshole ex-husband, we help her select lingerie!!!)). And when the MC announces her second pregnancy, Penelope announces to us her first. Penelope's storyline has all the romantic trappings that the MC had with her LI, but without the tension, the conspiracies, the attacks and kidnappings, or the constant fear that someone is out to get her and her family.

Penelope is basically treated like MC-lite. Quite the upgrade for a mere side character who actually did us dirty at one point.

Does Maxwell - her potential LI for all of one chapter - suffer as a result of this upgrade? Apart from the Flanderization, I would say no, he actually didn't.

He doesn't get the lavish Drake treatment, true, but he is centered in the issues that bother him. The MC, by default, has always been expected to defend him to Bertrand from TRR1 onwards, and often argues that Maxwell tried as hard as he could to help her, even when he didn't. Her sympathy towards him whenever Bertrand justifiably berates him for his negligence is by default too. And while he improves in TRR2 and (somewhat) 3, in TRH3 the entire group is thrown into this position again. Even though Maxwell exaggerates events in his friends' lives to an insulting degree in his book and the subsequent movie adaptation, the group often brushes their discomfort aside and supports him instead. And even though his lies in said book about Bertrand (TRH2 Ch 11) indirectly cause the latter to give up his lands to their father (resulting in Bartie Sr's attempt to usurp the throne), the MC spends all of the next book comforting him, involving him in her investigations, and patting his hand sympathetically while he moans about the father who killed the former queen of the country, all while ignoring the son of the woman Bartie Sr. killed, and raging against the elder brother who is secretly supporting them (even after the reveal, the group judges Bertrand heavily and even suspects him of being part of Via Imperii in TRF). Very little is said - either by Maxwell himself or by anyone else - about his role in facilitating this awful takeover.

All in all, Maxwell may have not gotten an alternative LI at the end of the day, and his overall LI path was pretty messy - but there was some thought and consideration put into his writing. The focus on Penelope and her new romance never actually harmed Maxwell.

Fandom

As I've mentioned before, Maxwell wasn't an LI in the beginning, but rose to LI status in Book 2. While the writers did make claims once in their TRF finale livestream that they had planned to make him an LI all along, I find that a bit hard to believe. From the way the hints were dropped it's way more possible that this was a development that came up once enough people in the fandom found him attractive enough to be LI material.

As the Make Maxwell an LI campaign grew in popularity, the fandom often held a rosy view of him, calling him "the only valid white guy", celebrating his queerness (as they should! It was hinted that he was pansexual in TRR2 Ch 18), showered him with sympathy and called Bertrand names for berating him. None of the nitpicking that certain other LIs would get for not supporting her properly, ever touched Maxwell. Nor did the fandom - who did criticize him quite a bit for his trashy book, and protested his Flanderization - ever view him with anything besides sympathy when he struggled to believe his father was evil, after he'd encouraged his brother to make said father the head of Beaumont House. This was the same fandom that didn't hesitate to find the most nonsensical excuses to trash Liam.

The Maxwell-Penelope scene was a fun way for some Maxwell stans to allow their MCs to act a bit possessive of him, and they were very critical of Penelope's betrayal later. But the overall response to Penelope's storyline was overwhelmingly positive. Many related to what she said about suffering from social anxiety, and especially to the lines about her emotional support poodles (ironically in another book, Sloane Washington got scant sympathy or respect despite clear indicators that she suffered from social anxiety too), and were quick to forgive.

(I must confess I was among this portion of the fandom too, but with the belief that she would address it more strongly herself in TRR3)

Fandom didn't mind buying into the canon myths that Penelope was a "sweet, naive" girl, and part of this is understandable because not many got to see what she was like in the failplay. So it was easier to presume that she would still take a little responsibility and wholeheartedly regret her actions, without seeing the failplay scenes where she is shown expecting to be treated like royalty by the woman she screwed over. Penelope and Ezekiel were viewed by most as a cute pair, with some (justifiably) liking this interracial match initially. Many readers who were fond of Penelope even criticized Kiara for being "mean" to her or "joining in Madeleine's bullying of her", when Kiara's behaviour was clearly more protective than harmful.

There was a slight rise in a general negative attitude towards Penelope in TRH3, when she could prioritise her wedding over the looming terror of the MC's child being taken away from her, and only speak up when the MC encouraged her at the altar. But very often people who made these criticisms clubbed her and Kiara together, as if they were a single unit...as if their actions and choices throughout the series were the same. As if Kiara got the same concessions and pampering that Penelope did. In reality, the choices the two women made - and the narrative treatment the two women got - couldn't be any more different.

Individually, Maxwell's and Penelope's stories show us what happens when the writers of a story lean too much towards fandom adulation, and allow it to dictate the way their stories will go. In both cases PB found a beat that the readers liked and stuck with it, never expanding beyond that one trait and causing the two to be caricatures of themselves. In Penelope's case especially, once her anxiety story resonated, the narrative used that to encourage readers to pamper her ad nauseum, and justified her lack of genuine care for anyone but herself through constant reminders of her mental health condition.

I will repeat the question I'd asked at the beginning of this essay - What did TRR3 give her in lieu of this alternative romance, and why, and what does it tell us about the narrative that she alone got that? That's a question I hope you'll keep asking in the next two essays.

Next - Hana and Madeleine: When You Reward Your Favourite Bully with One of Her Victims

#maxwell beaumont #penelope ebrim #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #essay series: trr's alternative lis

97 notes · View notes

jotun-philosopher · 2 months ago

Text

Buggre Alle This: The relevance of Ezekiel

You've probably heard of the bit in the Book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament that rants about donkey genitals and "emissions [...] like those of horses" -- it's very... colourfully... phrased contemporary political commentary about the lead-up to the/a siege of Jerusalem (chapter 23, if you're really interested -- the funny bit is verses 19 and 20).

You might also know Ezekiel as the location of a 'lengthy compositor's error (if such it may be called)' in the other great publishing disaster of Messrs Bilton & Scaggs -- the extremely rare Buggre Alle This Bible, jewel of the misprinted-Bible collection of renowned book enthusiast Mr A. Z. Fell of Soho.

But what might the significance be of the "error" being in Ezekiel, of all places? Let us study it!

The Book of Ezekiel is divided into three broad sections: judgement on Israel/predictions of the fall of Jerusalem (ch 1 - 24, including the donkey genitals and the trippy wheels-and-eyes angels), judgement on other nations (ch 25 - 32) and prophecies of hope and salvation (ch 33 - 48) (source: wikipedia article Book of Ezekiel).

The "compositor's error" occurs towards the beginning of chapter 48, which discuses the division of lands north of Jerusalem, and runs as follows:

"2. And bye the border of Dan, fromme the east side to the west side, a portion for Aſher. 3. And bye the border of Aſher, fromme the east side even untoe the west side, a portion for Naphtali. 4. And bye the border of Naphtali, from the east side untoe the west side, a portion for Manaſſeh. 5. Buggre Alle this for a Larke. I amme sick to mye Hart of typeſettinge. Master Biltonn iſ no Gentelmann, and Master Scagges noe more than a tighte fisted Southwarke Knobbeſticke. I telle you, onne a daye laike thiſ Ennywone with half an oz. of Sense should bee oute in the Sunneshain, ane nott Stucke here alle the liuelong daie inn thiſ mowldey olde By-Our-Lady Workeſhoppe. @ *"Æ@;!* 6. And bye the border of Ephraim, from the east ſide even untoe the west ſide, a portion for Reuben." (emphasis mine)

The points that jump out at me are as follows:

"Buggre alle this for a Larke" is a Ye-Oldification of "bugger all this for a lark". 'Lark' in this context means 'petty/trivial game or activity', so the phrase as a whole constitutes a harsh dismissal of the current activity as foolish or pointless by the one making the statement. This applies to the typesetter's frustration with their work (which sounds pretty justified tbh), but in the context of the wider story could very easily be read as saying "bugger all this" to arbitrary divisions, such as the land portioning in Ezekiel ch48 or to the artificial divides between Heaven and Hell, or angels and demons -- and thence, by extension, dismissing Armageddon and the general celestial/infernal pissing contest for the petty nonsense that it is.

'Lark' also, of course, refers to the bird which ol' Billy Shakes contrasts with the nightingale; the lark heralds the morning, when Crowley has to slip out of the Bookshop to avoid discovery (assuming the setup here is more or less the same in the book as it is in the show) -- both the Ineffables would be more than a little miffed about having to curtail their bugg... hrrm... activities, and Aziraphale definitely says "bugger this!" to Armageddon at least partly for the sake of his lark <3

Southwark was the location of the original Globe theatre (reinforcing the Shakespeare connection above) and, at the time the Buggre Alle This Bible was supposedly published, was a major red light district (much as Soho is today). 'Knobstick' can refer to a stick with a rounded knob on the end (the innuendo might be familiar to Discworld readers in relation to wizard staffs), but is also slightly archaic slang for someone who refuses to join a trade union. Given the power of mutual aid organisations like unions to threaten or thwart tyranny, Master Scaggs being referred to as a 'tight-fisted Southwark knobstick' means he's dickhead who's stingy with money/support, frequents places traditionally deemed 'sinful' and objects to collective power. 'Scaggs' also has a similar sound/feel/texture to 'scratch', as in 'Old Scratch', or the Devil.

Mr Bilton is referred to comparatively more mildly, but 'no gentleman' is simply a rather more 'polite' way of saying pretty much what was said about Mr Scaggs, suggesting that they're not so different. It's also interesting to note that 'Bilton' is one letter different from 'Milton', as in the guy who wrote Paradise Lost, an epic poem about the War in Heaven and the Fall of Satan that could easily be read as 'written by the winners' propaganda. This all ties into the 'Heaven and Hell are equally shite' theme of Good Omens.

'By-Our-Lady' is an especially Catholic way of referring to Mary, mother of Jesus; in this context, it's being used as a not-technically-a-swearword intensifier to convey the typesetter's frustration at being held indoors by a pair of arseholes rather than being able to go outside and freely enjoy life on Earth -- neatly paralleling the Ineffable Husbands' very understandable frustration at being entangled in the manky old Heaven/Hell system that has caused and is causing them so much harm and is stopping them from being able to go out and breathe the free air (and yes, the LotR quote is deliberate -- see The Two Towers p672). The workshop could be taken as representing either Heaven or Hell.

The "compositor's error" specifically appears in the part of Ezekiel that deals with both arbitrary division of land and prophecies of hope for the future; the implication, therefore, is that casting off the tyranny of false dichotomies and selfish arsewipes will lead to brighter things to come.

In summary, the "compositor's error" and its placement in the Book of Ezekiel together form a resounding condemnation of the false dichotomy of Heaven and Hell -- condemning them as equally garbage -- and a call to cast off these falsehoods and work together to bring a genuinely bright future (along with at least two dirty jokes, one of which is a fairly direct reference to the Ineffable Sex Life as well as a nod to Shakespeare), encapsulating and reinforcing the themes of the novel as a whole.

Seriously, what Pterry does with just this one section is like Billy Shakes making three different kinds of social commentary and a vulgar joke in FOUR WORDS with the title of Much Ado About Nothing!

I doubt the 'donkey genitals' bit was a huge factor for Pterry when he was writing the novel -- unless he was an actual Agnes-Nutter-level seer, he probably wouldn't have known about the equine symbolism the Ineffables have going in the TV series (the Dirty Donkey pub, the horse statue in the Bookshop and so on), though doubtless the Ineffables are hung like horses when they feel like Efforting that way... XD

(fun side note, I worked out like 95% of this meta while I was writing it!)

@vidavalor, is there anything I've missed?

#good omens #good omens meta #book of ezekiel #buggre alle this bible #language #etymology #analysis #good omens analysis #terry pratchett #sir terry pratchett #pterry #gnu terry pratchett #gnu sir pterry

7 notes · View notes

toph3r-marshmell00w · 1 year ago

Text

‼️ READ BEFORE FOLLOWING ‼️

Hewo!! ☆

I'm topher! I also go by toph, tophie or marshmellow :33 I'm a British, scemo, furry artist! Also a self proclaimed, nerd and geek! I will post my art, reblog, moodboards, random opinions, maybe even use this blog as a little journal! Another thing, I am the biggest tophfucius shipper, I will defend them with my life 🙏

My pronouns are he/thon/they/ze/xe + any neos ^^ do NOT use she/her or it/it's on me. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable.

I am genderfluid + xenos! I am pansexual as well as aegosexual!! :3 I am ambiamorous ^w^

I am in many fandoms, for example we haveeee my fav rn, clone high!! Then we have others like fbacc, fnaf, yfm, eddsworld, sandersides, furry, vocaloid, total drama(minor), MLP, South Park, SML, Invader Zim, FRED figglehorn, welcome home(minor), super Mario, smiling friends, hunter x hunter, rick and Morty(minor), tally hall, horrible histories, football (+ 442oons, I'm also a Bayern Munich supporter!!:33), and probably more I can't remember!! XD But I'll mostly be posting about clone high!! ^^

If you'd like to play games with me, I'm up 4 it but i don't play roblox (srry roblox players) , I used to but I'm more interested in minecraft ^w^ I play both java and bedrock! :DD

My music taste mostly consists of scene music of course as well as emo! Sometimes I like to listen to hyperpop, rock, metal, fangame/fandom music, music boxes(mostly the fnaf music boxes), game soundtrack, vocaloid, music from the old internet and sometimes weird al!! :DD I also have a soft spot for shakira (aka my wife/hj <33)

WHOOP WHOOP!! I'm also a juggalo! :33 my fav song from ICP is confederate flag! ^_^

I have quite a few favorite youtubers! These include, FRED (ofc) , memeulous, Danny Gonzalez, drew gooden, Kurtis Conner, tomska, markiplier, jacksepticeye, saberspark, Flamingo, one topic, TUV, messyourself, imallexx, willNE, James marriott and MUCH more!

I am very very VERY interested in history, I love it so much! Everything from the stone age to the 2010s! I love it!! I do hours of research, make powerpoints, factfiles, read about it etc!

I am also quite interested in things like world cups (precisely the 2014 world Cup), Maned wolves and lop bunnies, graphic novels and space! I love doing research about them and picking up random facts + key info about them! If anyone would like to hear me ramble about em please dm I AM BEGGINGGGG <33 I'll also listen to you ramble aswell :33

In total, I have 6 collections: badges/pins, posters, plushies, figures, stickers and cans! ^^

Other random stuffffzz!!

I'm a multi shipper and I ship like anything except proships :3 Though for clone high, I don't really like joanabe, Joanfk, candidworth, jfgogh (I don't get this ship I'm sorry) and harrucius (I mean it's cute but it's just not 4 me ^_^) My fav ships are tophfucius, tophabe(pls don't bully me 😭), joanrriet, Vanceaser, jfabe, butlertron x scudworth (I dunno the ship name 😔), kahlopatra, tommatt, paultryck, poly Martians, scutters (Scott malkinson x butters, one of my fav rarepairs <33), tophdi, jfucius, harold x leshawna, harold x Ezekiel, Ezekiel x Justin, Noah x Cody and like so much more ships that I can't even remember TwT

I'm a copinglink! My copinglinks are topher bus(CH), benatar (YFM) and tom(EW)!! Copinglinks are a coping mechanism to deal with stress, trauma, or other issues by identifying as someone / something knowingly, willingly, and actively! :3

Kinlist!! :

Top kins: Topher bus, Gandhi(CLONEHIGH!!) , pip pirrup, benatar, puff puff, tom (EW), Confucius(CLONEHIGH!!), pinkie pie and Heidi Turner!!

kins: Matt, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, axel chains, joan of arc(CLONE HIGH SEASON 1), van Gogh(CLONEHIGH!!), JFK(again CLONE HIGH!!), stan marsh, Cody and harold(TD) and Kyle(fbacc)!!

Forgot to mention but Im a shifter :3 (current DR is clone high :D)

OHHH ANDDDDD my birthday is 27th Feb! ^^ so erm that's cool :DD

Here's some of my art!

BOUNDARIES AND DNI LIST‼️

DNI LIST!

・basic DNI criteria (homophobes, transphobes racists, ped0s etc)

・PROSHIPPERS AND COMSHIPPERS.

・People who ship irl people.. That's just weird.

・people who bully/send death threats over ships..

・Anti-xenogenders.

・n@z1s

・ableists

・People I know irl.

・AI artists

・anti-furrys

BOUNDARIES!

・ Idm how old you are, you can interact but if you are above the age of 21 please don't dm me or become close. I have bad experience with people 20+ but idm if they interact or reblog or whatever just as long as they don't try to get close.

・I AM A MINOR‼️ please be aware of that when talking to me.

・If you need someone to talk to/vent to I'm here! ^^ but please ask before venting. Also remember that I am not a therapist and I won't be able to respond to all your vents. Another thing, don't just use me to vent. I'm not your own personal therapist that will help you with your problems :/ if venting is all you want to do with me then you are blocked.

・ do NOT use fem terms on me. Only masc or gender neutral :3

・I have a fear of ladybugs/ladybirds. Please do not bring them up or send photos of them or anything like that, it makes me incredibly uncomfortable, unsafe, anxious and very scared.

・As an artist, I do not like people reposting my art on other apps. I don't care if credit is given i am still incredibly uncomfortable. If you'd like to use my art for a profile picture or anything as such (like that'll ever happen) please ask :)

・DO NOT STEAL OR TRACE MY ART.

Thank you so much 4 reading!! I hope i can make some friends or mutuals! :DD

I hope everyone has a wonderful day/night!! Remember to stay hydrated and take care of yourself <33 love y'all!!/p :33

#intro post #tophfucius #clone high #scene #gay furry #furry anthro #scene kid #scene art #sillyposting #pleasebmf #Bmf #2000s scene #scene boy #geek #nerd

41 notes · View notes

michaelasworlds-blog · 7 months ago

Text

Daddy’s Girl (A Hazbin OC Fanfic)

~~~~~~

Ch. 1: The Forgotten Decade

~~~~~~

Oregon, 19XX

He had been watching her for a week now, where she lived, where she went to school, and hung out with her friends. She was beautiful and he had to have her,

One late afternoon he finally got up the courage to go after her.

Now here they were, in one of his sheds, “Can't Smile Without You” playing on the record; She was chained to a medical bed crying over Barry Manilow.

“Please! Please let me go! I won’t tell-”

“Shh!” He gagged her with a cloth. Listening for a moment he started to hear a child talking to themselves, the man rolled his eyes. “You couldn’t have waited at least an hour,” he glared at the girl still crying. The man grabbed a syringe, before walking to a closet across the room. Opening the door, a little girl was playing with a black baby doll.

“Daddy!” She smiled up at him. “Look the baby not sleep!” she showed him the doll.

“Uh oh,” he grabbed the doll. “I have to teach a lesson.”

“Oh no! Can I come out now?” The little girl asked.

The man picked her up, “Not until you’ve had your nap young lady, you know how you get when you’re cranky.”

“Awe…” the toddler pouted.

“Yeah, I know,” the man also pouted before sticking the syringe in her leg. His daughter slowly fell unconscious, he dropped her on the floor of the closet before closing the door; “Now! Where were we?” He picked a pair of pliers walking over to the medical table.

“Please..please let me go, I won’t tell anyone,” the girl on the table cried.

“Shh…” he rubbed her head. “It’s okay, I’ll let you go I just need a favor”

“Okay, fine whatever you want,” she smiled sort of relieved.

“Say ‘ahh..’ ” he pried her mouth open before putting the pliers in.

She screamed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Present day, Hell

“Welcome to today’s activity! Decade day!” Charlie clapped excitedly. “Everyone should be dressed as the decade they were born, and we can all mingle with each other about our favorite parts of that time period!”

Sinners dressed from the early 1700s to the present clapped before mingling with each other, the princess of hell and Vaggie walked around listening to residents complimenting outfits and critiquing them, “This is amazing! I can’t believe how many people decided to participate,” Charlie squealed.

“It’s all thanks to you babe, a lot of these new generations of sinners believe in change and want to get better-” Vaggie was interrupted by the sight of the Radio Demon in his everyday suit, “Alastor! You said you’d participate,” she groaned.

“I am, this was very popular in my day,” he fixed his tie, looking smugly at the angel.

“Bastardo engreído,” Vaggie glared.

Translation: Smug bastard.

“Well Alastor you look very spiffy,” Charlie snapped fingers guns at the overlord.

“Why thank you my dear,” Alastor smiled at her before the couple walked away.

They continued seeing everybody then got to Eric, Ezekiel, Erin and Bean. “Look at you guys! Eric I didn’t know you were born in the 80s!” Charlie looked amazed at his leather jacket.

“He’s not, he’s just copying me,” Bean crossed her arms. Her hair was teased and she wore punk rock like clothing, you could tell who actually lived through the time period.

“I put a twist on the activity, decade I lived through nah, how about a decade I should’ve been born in?” Eric smirked posing.

“He’s jealous cause his time period sucked,” Ezekiel elbowed him in the gut.

“Right.. because the 1920s were so much better,” Eric pushed him.

“Guys come on,” Vaggie rolled her eyes. “Men.”

Bean rolled her eyes, getting between the sinners to stop from fighting. Charlie was glad she had decided to stay at the hotel, she helped out a lot and joined in on activities; Charlie felt as if this was to keep Bean from thinking about something else but she was glad to have the extra help. She turned to see Erin wearing just a shirt that said “Ageless” and shorts.

“Erin! Cute top..um what decade are you from?” Charlie smiled at the siren.

“Um.. the thing is, I don’t know, I don’t know when I died all I know is that I was 16 when I died, but I don’t know when that was..” Erin looked down playing with her necklace, “I just thought the shirt would be funny.”

“Awe..I’m so sorry, I just love the shirt, and it’s okay you could’ve just dressed up as your favorite decade as well-”

“Seriously?!” A voice yelled. Everyone became quiet, turning to an angry Voe, “What the hell is the point of this activity then Charlie?! This is stupid!” She raged before storming upstairs.

“What was that about?” Vaggie raised an eyebrow.

“Smiles still isn’t talkin to her,” Angel leaned on Vaggie’s head. He looked at her, “That’s what people wore in your time period?”

Vaggie pushed Angel off her, “Yes!”

“Yikes,” He said before walking away.

“Anyway…” Eric slowly turned to Erin. “I just had the best idea!” He held her by her shoulders.

“What?” She looked around nervously.

“A mystery!” Eric smiled.

“A murder mystery,” Ezekiel chimed in.

“Wait wait wait, you don’t know that she was murdered,” Vaggie said.

“Actually my dad says that usually a sinner with memory loss died in a traumatic way, so it could be murder,” Charlie shrugged.

“Oh no! I was murdered?!” Erin gasped.

“You bet your sweet bottom ass baby you were,” Eric twirls her into him. “And me, you, Zeke, Bean and the viewers are gonna solve this mystery.”

“Wait-” Bean was interrupted by Charlie screaming.

“A murder mystery podcast?! We’re listening to every episode!!” She hugged Vaggie.

Eric takes out a tape recorder, starting to record, “Episode One, Part One…”

“The Forgotten Decade”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Good evening everyone, welcome back to Ravin’ wit Rave,” Eric said into the microphone. “I know what you’re thinking, ‘wasn’t he just on?’ And ‘why does he sound so serious?’ I’ll tell you why, we have an unsolved mystery on our hands. I’m here with Erin, a 16 year old-”

“Eric!” Bean said loudly.

Eric stopped the podcast, “What?!” This was the fourth time someone had interrupted him.

“I gotta go” Bean put her jacket on.

“What?! No I - I mean we need you!” Eric ripped his headphones off.

Bean looked at the three sinners before rolling her eyes, she didn’t even want to do this but she couldn’t let them down. They were her friends I guess; at least according to them, “Fine, my advice is if you really want to do this then you should probably think about the year you died; what was it like, were there cellphones stuff like that. it’ll help you decide what kind of sinner you’re looking for.”

“That makes total sense, why didn’t we think of that,” Zeke gasped.

“This is gonna be great,” Erin smiled.

“Yeah well, you guys have fun and I’ll be back…I’ll be back whenever,” Bean said before leaving.

Bean walked down the streets that were full of a lot more chaos than usual, ever since Voe killed the Vees lower sinners felt more confident; Bean knows she did. Sinners banded together and protected each other, more joined the hotel. Of course there was a downside to this, the higher up sinners fought back and would win; this is why she invested in a handgun and a switchblade. Walking by she looked up at V-Tower, the Vees got back about a month ago and didn’t waste time rebuilding their empire and it didn’t take any longer for people to pick sides. Team Voe or Team Vees, Bean was of course on Voe’s side however sometimes she wondered how Vox was, that flat faced bastard deserved to get fucked but she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Bean walked into “Ruby’s” . It was pretty busy, sinners were sweeping, wiping down poles, tables and glasses; Ruby kept moving the grand opening date because it “wasn’t the right day” she was so dramatic.

“Bean my darling!” The overlord came from behind beaded curtains, Ruby kissed Bean on the forehead.

“Um hi, club looks nice,” Bean smiled as both sinners sat at the bar.

“Trixie sweetie makes us an acid martini please,” Ruby smiled at the hellhound behind the bar. “She’s sweet.”

Trixie placed two glasses of a green sizzling liquid in front of them, “Thank you,” Bean pulled the glass towards herself.

“Koman sa va?” Ruby sipped from her glass.

Translation: How are you?

“Fine I suppose, I’ve been kind of bored,” Bean rolled her eyes.

“I’m surprised Alastor doesn’t have you killing anyone for him, you were ready to do anything for the Radio Demon,” Ruby smirked.

Bean rolled her eyes, Alastor had “apologized” to her, and by “apologizing” ; it was more like a “I’m Alastor, I can’t help it.” But he said it in a charming and confusing way that Bean never understood; he started hanging out with her but she was sure it was to tick Voe off, she was not trying to be in the middle of that. “I’m done with men.”

“Uh huh, I bet you are,” Ruby didn’t sound convinced.

“Look, I have things to do today so why did you call me down here?”

“Oh!” Ruby sat up looking across the room, “Sha!” She waved to a slim demon, she had gray skin, yellow eyes and coily brown hair tied in a large puff with a white streak. “Come here my love,” she gestured to the demon.

The woman walked over to Ruby and Bean, “Bean this is Gigi, she’s new to hell and will be staying with me; Gigi this is my daughter Bean.” Gigi stared at Bean, Bean wondered if she had something on her face, “Don’t be rude, say something,” Ruby rolled her eyes.

Gigi cleared her throat, “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she shook Bean’s hand.

“Uh huh,” Bean looks at Ruby. “Why did I need to be here?”

“Well..I talked to Lucifer and Gigi is going to be at the hotel, I’d want her to have a friend to get her started, you’d do that for mommy won’t you? Oh who am I kidding? You don’t have a choice!” Ruby laughed.

Gigi stared at a miserable Bean, smiling a little, “I hate you,” Bean glared before storming out.

“Adyeu,” Ruby blew a kiss. She turned to Gigi who was beaming, “Yeah…you’re fired.”

“You said I could stay here!” Gigi was flabbergasted.

“You are terrible at everything! The tables are never clean, you can’t use a register. You can’t dance; you look weird when you strip or climb a pole, and my glasses, which were a gift from Asmodeus himself, have YOUR fingerprints on them!” Ruby shows her a glass covered in multiple smudges, and Trixie shakes her head disappointed. “And besides, don’t you want to spend quality time with your daughter?”

“From the way you were talking to her she might as well be your daughter,” Gigi crossed her arms.

“Oh Eugenia, always taking the cowardly route,” Ruby smirked. “I need you out tonight, I need that room for a very special guest.”

“Who?”

“None of your business,” she stands up to leave. “Be out in an hour.”

Gigi pouts, it was either the hotel or be homeless..

“Fuck.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You want me to come back and work for you?” Bean sat on Valentino’s sofa.

“That’s what I said," he smirked, sitting on the couch across from her.

“Why don’t you call Angel, isn’t he the one who made you the most money?” Bean raised an eyebrow.

“That prick hasn’t returned any of my calls,” He growled.

“Awe..” Bean pouted sarcastically.

“I only have 20,000 souls now because of the Radio Demon’s little bitch, I at least wanna get my Sugar back,” he took a drag from his cigarette blowing out pink smoke.

“You tried to crush my head” she crossed her arms.

“Look, I know you’re getting bored at that hotel,” he waves her off.

“I am not.”

“Well I know you’re getting tired of being broke, your money is running low; I bet this is the third time you’ve worn that shirt,” he smirked.

Bean didn't answer, she was starting to feel a little upset, she’d never worn the same outfit twice in the same week; people barely knew her. She took a breath, “Can I think about it?”

Valentino grinned, kissing her hand before slowly licking it, “You sure can, baby.” Bean ripped her hand away, wiping the slimy saliva off of it. She got up to leave when the door opened, Bean stood frozen in place seeing Vox.

“Val there’s a meeting in ten, get your fat ass-” Vox looked from his phone, noticing Bean staring at him, his eyes widened.

Bean felt her face heat up, she wanted to say something but didn’t even know what the right thing was. Clearing her throat she mustered up a simple, “Hi.”

“What are you doing here?” The TV Demon raised an eyebrow.

“I wanted to see about getting my job back..” Bean messed with the bottom of her shirt.

“Oh really? Vox smirked. “But didn’t you quit? And I don’t know if I’m too fond of Voe’s friends in my establishment.”

“I worked for Val not you,” Bean’s blood began to boil.

“Well Val works for me, so he does what I say,” Vox grins, his voice becoming slightly distorted. Bean glared at him, and his grin got bigger.

“Well..if you want a job I’m sure there’s something I can find for you chica,” Val leaned back on the sofa.

“Great,” Bean smiled at Val. “Call me when you need me,” she winked at the moth as Vox’s grin fell before Bean left the room.

Vox slowly turned to Valentino, “What actual fuck?!” His voice was distorted.

“What…don’t be jealous baby, it isn’t a good look for you,” Val smirked. “Don’t pretend you don’t like this new side.” The Tv demon rolled his eyes.

Vox scoffed, “Get your ass to the conference room.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Here we are at Siren Springs Cassius-”

“Actually it’s Casper,” Casper interrupted Eric.

“Whatever, we’ve got some questions to ask you and your mermaid buddies,” Zeke stepped up.

“Fine, as long as you bring me up to Voe on your next podcast,” Casper led them to a large lake filled with sirens sitting on rocks and playing in the water.

Eric, Zeke, and Erin stood in front of the lake looking amazed, “Casper! Who are these guys?!” A male siren shouted.

“We’ll be asking the questions here buddy,” Eric crossed his arms. At the moment the sinners in the water started spewing water from their mouths at the three. Casper pulled them to the side.

“Okay you can not talk to them like that,” Casper whispered to them. “They don’t respond to demands, be nice or they’ll rip you to pieces.”

“Like emotionally?” Erin asked.

“Come on, and let me do the talking,” The four started walking back to the lake. “Hey guys! Sorry about that, they’re just uh..hungry I guess.”

“Then tell the bitch to eat a granola bar,” a female siren rolled her eyes.

“Anyway.. this is Erin,” Casper gently pushed her forward. “She needs our help.” He gestured for her to get in the water. Erin got into the lake, it was still scary for her, but if she didn’t think about it, it was easy to forget her fears. The sirens surrounded her, touching her hair, tail and skin; though they were in the water their touches felt warm and soft as if she could tell them everything

“What are they doing?” Zeke mumbled.

“Making her feel comfortable,” Casper answered. “We’re more comfortable around our own, they’ll help.”

“Fuck yeah,” Eric smiled.

The sinners stopped touching Erin, “What do you need?”

“I can’t remember when or how I died, I believe I was murdered,” Erin spoke to them. The sirens give each other worried looks then look back at her.

“You probably won’t ever remember sweetie,” A female siren said.

“That’s bullshit,” Eric blurted. Everyone looked at him.

“Excuse me?” The siren narrowed her eyes.

Eric sat down in the grass pulling out the tape recorder, “What’s your name?”

The demon looked at him like he lost his mind, “Wynter,” she answered.

“Well Wynter, what evidence says she won’t remember?” He raised an eyebrow.

“We’re in Hell, this is a punishment meaning that we’re supposed to remember what happened to us, so we never forget what we did; that fact that she can’t remember means something traumatic happened to her,” Wynter leaned against the edge of the lake.

“What about death?” Erin chimed in.

“Most siren’s deaths are usually centered around drowning, maybe there was an accident; maybe you fell,” Casper shrugged. “Is there anything you remember?”

Erin thought for a second, “Snow, and trees, lots of them.”

“Like a forest,” Zeke snapped his fingers. Erin nodded

“I remember screaming, in pain; like I was trying to get out of something. I was sitting in the snow, I think,” She continued.

“Alright alright, let’s say you were murdered; you’ve come to the wrong place babe,” a male sinner stood up.

“And you are?” Eric asked.

“Percy,” the siren smirked before turning to Erin. “We’re not really associated with that, we’re more on the manipulation side of hell; we get what we want through our voice and in the bed,” Percy winked.

“Ugh who does this guy think he is?” Eric rolled his eyes.

“What should I do?” Erin looked up at him.

“Have a chat with an overlord is my advice,” Percy replied.

“Percy! That’s a terrible idea!” Wynter glared at him.

“His ideas are always the worst,” a siren mumbled in the back.

“Why?” Zeke asked.

“Overlords are the only sinners that were crazy enough to kill women and children, how do you think they got the power to become an overlord? They had the power up on earth, trust me an overlord is the way to go.”

“Of course! Why didn't I think of that?!” Eric looked at Casper.

“Because it’s a terrible idea,” Casper rolled his eyes.

“E let’s roll!” Zeke helped Erin out of the water.

The three sinners ran off, “Thanks Casino! I owe you one!” Eric shouted in the distance.

“It’s Casper!” Casper shouted. “And you owe me recognition! Don’t forget to tell Voe about me!” Percy sighed, putting his arm around him, “Think they’ll remember?” He looked at him.

“Oh absolutely not,” Percy pat him on the back. “They’re idiots, I’m gonna miss them; what about you Wynter? You gonna miss them?” He smirked at a glaring Wynter. She said nothing, spitting water at him before going underwater. “Jokes on you, I’m used to bodily fluids on me!”

“Should I go after them?” Casper asked, looking into the tall grass.

“Absolutely not,” Percy pat him on the back.

Wynter slowly emerged from the water looking into the grass.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That’s not what I told you to do!” Bean scolded the three.

“You said to go get info!” Eric yelled.

“I said to re-jog her memory, not start a fight with sirens and interrogate overlords! You guys are gonna get yourselves killed!” She paced the living room, they couldn’t be left alone for a DAY; it was ridiculous.

“Exactly! That’s why we need your guidance!” Zeke smiled. “You’re like our older sister!”

“No She isn’t!” Eric pushed him. “You’re smart, and hot, we need that smart beauty that I - we know and love,” he put his arm around her.

Bean looked at the sinners, they looked desperate and sad; it was making her sad. She sighed, “Fine I will help you.”

“YES!” Eric said a little too excited.

“But! Do not be weird! And we should listen to each other because that’s like teamwork I guess,” she shrugged.

“Yay! Our sister’s here to help!” Erin hugged her.

“On three! B.E.E.E Squad!” Eric shouted.

“BEEE SQUAD!” The other two repeated.

Bean shook her head, what had she gotten herself into?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alastor sat listening to some soft jazz in his radio station. It was pretty quiet tonight which wasn’t a problem, it was just strange. He wanted space from Voe to think, about what? He didn’t know himself, first off it was the question of trusting her again, Alastor missed their conversations, missed her touch and her soft skin; but there was no telling what she’d do. Voe couldn’t be trusted, but at the same time he looked into her eyes and saw the truth, and that’s how they got to where they are now. Did she even care? Had she moved on? Should he move on? A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Was it her? He hoped it was, but at the same time he hoped it wasn’t. He didn’t know what to do, or what he’d say. Alastor opened the door revealing a female gray demon standing in the doorway, she looked up at him nervously, her yellow eyes boring into his. “Can I help you?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Are you the Radio Demon?” She asked.

“Depends, who are you?” Alastor tapped the top of his cane, already becoming impatient.

“Me, my name's Eugenia..”

His eyes widened.

“I need your help.”

(Hey everyone! welcome to my new story, well more of a sequel, just some small info. First off this takes place during another fanfic “Fawning for You” it’s written by @nkirukaj the OC Voe belongs to her and obviously canon characters belong to the lovely Vizipop, other characters like Bean, Eric, Zeke, Erin, Ruby and Eugenia/Gigi are my OCs. This is an 18+ story, I can’t stop you from reading it but there will be triggering content; I will add trigger warnings and let you know when those scenes come up. I hope you enjoy my story ♏️)

5 notes · View notes

rgr-pop · 1 year ago

Text

for those in struggle over breakfasts, here are some things i’ve made this week to give you ideas, many of these are not that much food but can be scaled up or down and treated modularly, i operate on hobbit diet:

mango lemon yogurt smoothie (i’m on a quest to copy the ch*k-f*l-* mango frozen lemonade thing in a smoothie - this had greek yogurt, frozen mango, lemon juice and zest, grated ginger, turmeric and cardamom i think)

avocado toast with tahini, lemon olive oil, pickled turnips, sesame and coriander seeds (my toast is almost always sesame ezekiel)

avocado toast with cottage cheese, feta, sliced strawberries, pickled turnips and balsamic glaze drizzle

english muffin with cottage cheese, feta, apricot jam, strawberries, balsamic glaze (this would have been really good with pickled onions)

almost all of these combinations are good as either toasts or bowls (yogurt or cottage cheese)

if you’re trying to do the cottage cheese thing i think throwing some feta in it and mixing or blending to desired consistency is good meal prep. also recommend smashing and seasoning your avocado with some lemon and keeping that on hand for 1-3 days

if you’re an office girl i think you should do what i do, shoot for an entire proper serving of fruit before lunchtime and two before you go home for the day. this way you’re not as worried about getting it into a meal you just distribute it across your day. i also have a rule that if there’s a bowl of clementines or oranges somewhere (you know what i mean) i have to take one and eat it no matter whether i feel like it

16 notes · View notes

bh-writingdump · 9 months ago

Text

Chronological Order

Oakland

Ch2 / Ch3 /

Ramble: 01,

Draft: Lock Me Up

Grass

Ch2 / Ch3

Cave Slave:

Start / End

Pg1: Shoes / Medicine - 02 - 03/ Jacket / Card /

Briefs / Ham / Last Ch

Pg2: Harpy v Trap / Pleasant Dreams

Eggcellent Duo

Zeek's Freaks

Zeek's Freaks '23 (AO3)

Zeek's Freaks '24

[1st Draft]

Coven Origin / Therapist Origin / Not My Problem / Scales

Hoodie / New Doctor in Town / Therapy Hack /

Peaches Meets Ezekiel / one / The After & Giggles / Dino Slayer2 / 1st meet - 1st hug /

Ink Meets E / [one] /

Crimson Meets E / [one +]

Ocean / Dino Slayer /

Divine Punishment (aka Cave Slave)

Part 1: Job

Part 2: Jackal

part description

#oakland story #grass story

2 notes · View notes

therevelationofjohn · 24 days ago

Text

"The Yonit." Conclusion to the Book of Revelation, 22: 17-21.

In conclusion, the Ru Paul of the Heavenly Host says, "If can't love yourself, how are you going to hate someday else?"

Honestly, that's not how it ends.

In the second to the last frame, God says we must add words to our secret personal vocabulary the amplify that which the Holy Ghost and the Son of God gave us when we were made. Words that detract from the sense of Self, God says these are forbidden. John reinforces this in his farewell:

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

v. 17: The Spirit and the bride say: Come! The bride in this context is the voice of God. The Number is 213, רג, rg, "to conspire with one's sweetness in order to escape the evil of the ungodly and walk in the House of God", "to be hidden from the counsel of evil doers."

The Number is 9898, ץחץח‎, tzachatzach‎. Another modification of the base modron is the former term, which means "you are welcome."

Watch what happens we build it:

Tz=the Tzaddik

Ac=wood tree (probably acacaia).

Ha=He is

Tza=the result

Ch=of each moment

v. 18: I warn everyone who hears the words. The Number is 10523, קהךג‎ ‎, kharg, "examine and investigate the room's walls."

The Hebrew word "kharg" (חקר) means "to dig, to investigate, to inquire, to examine". It's one of several words for wall, but this word denotes mostly a regular, flat room's wall (1 Kings 5:13, Ezekiel 8:7, Amos 5:19), or a flat side of an altar (Exodus 30:3, Leviticus 1:15).

I have said it a few times, do what is regular for you that does not incur sin. Full awareness of how to do this takes a very long time, well into adulthood, and there will no doubt be a few broken vases along the way, but if one embraces the profiundity of the religion, the Noble Self will emerge.

v. 19: If anyone takes the words away, God will take away. The Number is 11719, יא‎ןיט‎, yanit, "The objective of the Dove."

Doves like all the other animal symbols in Jewish Kabbalah have positive and also negative Mitzvot assigned to them. To understand the most accurate portrayal one must know the Number. For a yonit, the number is 599, ךץ‎ט, a ratchet, "that which is driven to the objective."

As I age, I have felt the need to empty my mind out as much as possible. I do not like horseshit, petty or ridiculous things, I do not fuck or fool around with people, I do the right thing the first time, and as a result have few new regrets about my own coneyance through life. I am pleased at how intolerant I am of corruption, party politics, immoral acts, of all the vices and the vipers that try to pass them off as Christianity or faith.

As the world is aware, I have been through a lot for the sake of learning and revealing the Script, and am not happy with its responses to the people that tried to kill me or make me miserable because of it. But while I wait for my opportunity for revenge, and I will have it, I turn continuously to the Letters and the Numbers and they tell me God's plan is inexhaustible, and it will prevail. In many ways, as we will see below, it already has.

Nonetheless, many of the victims of the Repubicans and their faith and their holiday on October 7 or the recent purge of the federal government will understand how important it is to be told directly by God in this Revelation that He is with us. It would be nice not to be treated like a drooling idiot because of what has happened to us by other men who could do lots more to make it all right, but God at least has said He will give us victory and new life.

v. 21: He who testifies to these things says yes. The Number is 7753, עזןג‎, azeng‎, "Listens to the world and is its instrument."

The term azen implies a person that will help other persons dig and find the treasure God hid within them as well. This is how ge, a great network of nations on the planet will be made.

As for those who have brought harm, who have murdered and stolen time and whisked away the heart's desires of others, like the Republicans and the rest, I cannot let you go. That would be foolish. You cannot be allowed to encroach any further on this planet of people that are so desperate to live here without you in propriety and peace. As in the days of old, the officials in charge of protecting the planet from them have taken a day off. That cannot be allowed. God will not allow it. He is telling us in the scripture to make the full acquaintance of the Bride, found within the Halls of Justice, consummate the marriage and never let her go. This is what is called the Yonit, a safe refuge, the final objective of the Holy Spirit for this world.

The final Gemara is ץחץחקהךג יא‎ןיטעזןג‎, tzachatzachakhechag ya‎nneita'azeng‎, "I am a very happy person."

I do not know if this means God is glad we finally figured it out, or if He is telling me to turn my frown upside down! Either way...

Here ends the Apocalypse, the Revelation of Saint John, contained in the New Testament, given by God to His Prophet for the purposes of a brand new world.

Ye Tawsi Melek. Kolam yeshu'at i."

"Homage to the One Who Keeps Us."

0 notes

spiritsoulandbody · 2 months ago

Text

#DailyDevotion The LORD Wants All People To Be Saved

1 This is the Word of the LORD which came to Jonah the son of Amittai: 2“Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh and announce to her that I see how wicked they are.” It is somewhat mysterious as to how the Word of the LORD makes His presence and will known to the prophets. It's easier when He gives the prophet a vision. Does He just start talking to the prophet in a regular voice? How does he know it is the LORD who is speaking? How does he know it isn't just his inner voice or even the voice of a demon? Well we get to read this in hindsight and the message to the prophets is consistent through the prophets. Some Rabbis believe Jonah was the son of one of the widows Elijah or Elisha helped. He is believed to have his ministry in the 8th century BC. His ministry was probably during the early rise of the Assyrian empire. The name of the king of Ninevah is not mentioned. So what does the LORD tell Jonah? “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh and announce to her that I see how wicked they are.” Now you should find this quite amazing. Israel and Judah were God's chosen people. Assyria was an enemy to all its neighbors including Israel and Judah. Why would the LORD warn them they were about to be destroyed because of their sins. The LORD sees how wicked they are. We are not told what particular sins they are involved in. No doubt they worshiped false gods, idols. But along with idol worship Paul tells the following sins follow idolatry in Romans 1, sexual immorality, homosexuality, “wrongdoing, wickedness, greed, malice. They are full of envy, murder, quarreling, treachery, viciousness. They gossip and slander. 30They hate God. They are insulting, proud, boasting. They invent new evils. They disobey parents. 31They are foolish. They break their promises. They have no love or mercy.” We can imagine they were engaging in such things. Now it is not amazing the LORD would destroy such a culture. It is amazning He would warn them. Then again, Noah preached righteousness before the flood. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob proclaimed the name of the LORD to the nations the Israelites would later conquer and wipe out, having been warned by the partriarchs to repent. He constantly sends the prophets to call the Israelites and Judah to repent of their sins. This is truly the nature of the LORD to call people to repentance. As He tells Ezekiel, 23“Do I want the wicked to die? asks the Lord GOD. Don't I want him to turn from his ways and live?” (ch. 18) The LORD reveals the same in 2 Pet. 3, “9The Lord isn't slow to do what He promised, as some people think. He is patient with you and doesn't want any to perish but wants them all to come to repentance.” So too, the LORD Jesus Christ today has the Church going throughout the world calling people of every people, tribe, nation and tongue to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus Christ for salvation. The LORD Jesus doesn't want anyone to perish but wants all people to repent and live. Thanks be to God, He has given us the Holy Spirit and faith that we would repent of our sins and believe in Him, receiving from Him eternal life. May we, the Church, continue to use our resources to proclaim the Gospel to a fallen world that they may join us in the kingdom of God. Heavenly Father, it is not Your will that any perish but that all would repent and receive eternal life from Your Son Jesus Christ. Give us courage to support this mission and as we are able share the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone we meet. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

#Christ #Christianity #devotion #faith #Jesus #Jonah #LCMS #Lutheran #Messiah #Ninevah #repentance

0 notes

survivedsarchived · 2 years ago

Text

waylon hadn't allowed himself these indulgences before. if asked, he couldn't provide a reason why; his salary as a soldier would have allowed for it - and if he'd ever taken the bonuses pamela attempted to ascribe to him because of his so-called status, there really wouldn't have been any concern at all about a few desserts every now and again. maybe it'd been some self-inflicted punishment - believing himself only worthy of a specific lifestyle, domineered by work, no room for luxury, desperate to prove himself as just another soldier - a career built solely on his own merit.

he still firmly believes in that - that he's just another soldier - but so much else has changed. there are scars along the streets outside (bullet holes scoring brick buildings, blood long-dried cake into asphalt, the crater where the rich had congregated), but it seems, mostly, they've recovered: tomi is smiling, and waylon's weighed down with supplies for his journey. there's time to kill before his departure to alexandria, so he idles here, grinning back at tomi as he accepts the desserts, testing its weight appreciatively. “you didn't have to, man.” but there's no lack of gratitude in his tone. “but - thank you. i bet gracie'll love that.” alongside the small cache of items he has carefully wrapped in his pack (some hand-crafted figurines and a small knife, the latter he'll clear with aaron before actually gifting to his daughter). waylon resists the urge to open the basket and go ahead and bite into one, tilting his chin upward at tomi instead, brow arched. “suppose everything's all right 'round here, then? i mean - you're settlin' back in nice, and all that.”

@surviveds / freshly baked goods are wrapped carefully inside a basket he hands over to waylon, a bright smile on tomi’s face at a job-well-done. this is what he has missed, knowing a simple treat can help bring two people together —- in friendship, in forgiveness, in love. there is still a part of him that worries about what he’s left behind again, some lingering guilt for choosing baking over surgery yet again, but ezekiel reminds him that his life is worth living the way he needs to, for his and everyone else’s good, and that’s here, preparing waylon for a getaway to alexandria, where he’ll reunite with his boyfriend, bringing along his favorite treats from his time in the city.

❝ i snuck in a few extra cupcakes, ❞ he says, leaning in closer to waylon with a pleased grin across his features. ❝ please, let it be our secret, but this felt like the right time to break the rules, just a little. ❞

#tomi said gay rights (ofc he did. because he's dating ezekiel)#doomdays #ch: w. marshall.#threads: w. marshall.

2 notes · View notes

deblala · 6 months ago

Text

Mike Adams Sermon #066 - Ezekiel Ch 39 - God DESTROYS ISRAEL after thousands of years of Israeli wickedness, evil and deception

https://www.banned.video/watch?id=66fd3ac2150d2a73a87a6c58

0 notes

lizzybeth1986 · 10 months ago

Text

Too Little, (But Perhaps Not) Too Late

Book: The Royal Romance

Rating: PG

Pairing: Kiara & Penelope (platonic). Hints of Hana x Kiara.

Word Count: 3, 085 words.

Summary: At King Liam and Duchess Esther's bachelorette party, Penelope has something to say to her best friend Kiara.

A/N: This is supposed to take place during the events of TRR3 Ch 16 (the MC's bachelorette), but with significant changes that will be a part of my series Petals and Thornes. Penelope's surname is Drammir, the bachelorette is not in Vegas but at Côte d'Or in Cordonia, and by this point in the story Kiara and Hana are secretly a couple.

Tagging @kiaratheronappreciationweek for KTAW Day 5: Friendships, @choicesficwriterscreations for FotW, @choicesjunechallenge2024 for Ending/Beginning, @choicescommunityevents for Best Friend Day.

"Un Soixante Quinze, s'il vous plait."

Kiara has been to Côte d'Or - and this nightclub - enough times that every bartender there knows without even looking at her that her favourite is a slightly tart French 75; Deirdre smiles, her eyes trained on a violet-coloured bottle somewhere.

"I'll do you one better, Lady Kiara. How about some Empress Gin and a dash of lime?"

Kiara's laughter is a silent gurgle in her throat rather than the court-appropriate tinkle or a loud cackle (that for some reason, Hana seems to love so much), the amusement making her eyes light up. "That'll be fun."

Far more fun at least than watching half the court pair up for dancing from the sidelines, knowing she can't do the same. Yet.

She tries to make her sideways glance towards the other side of the bar look casual, but damn if Hana doesn't make it hard. In a black velvet minidress studded with diamanté, like stars in the night sky, she looks good enough to eat. There is a faraway, dreamlike feel to the way she stares, unseeing, at the opposite wall; Kiara shudders. The same dreams haunt her too, night and day.

Olivia seems to be sashaying her way to the spot where Hana stands, and Kiara turns away, swallowing. That woman has a knack for noticing everything and using that skill against everyone around her in the worst ways. Neither she nor Hana need the additional humiliation of being caught by Olivia Nevrakis of all people, before they're truly ready.

She jumps as she hears a jaunty hello right behind her. It's Penelope - practically prancing her way to Kiara from her spot on the dance floor, flushed and ridiculously happy, several tendrils of hair out of place, lips and cheeks rosier than usual. Kiara instinctively searches the crowd for her brother Ezekiel, and finds him talking to a minor noble some distance away, the dishevelment of his hair barely noticeable.

Kiara smiles back at Penelope. Clearly this night isn't going to be just a celebration of King Liam and Queen Esther's very obviously romantic union, but also a chance, for the many couples that have cropped up in the past few months, to be open about their love in the wake of that passionate love story. Cordonia seems to be changing, Kiara thinks, with a brief pang (she tries...really hard this time...not to look over at Hana again), right in front of her very eyes.

Penelope's attention has already shifted to the way Deirdre masterfully mixes Kiara's drink. The gin and the simple syrup had already been mixed and shaken before Penelope made her appearance; Deirdre's now getting to what Kiara knows Penelope would consider the fun part. She squeezes out a wedge of lime, quietly stealing a glance at her audience of two as the drink's hue changes from clear to a rather vibrant shade of purple.

"Ohhhh," Penelope's gasp comes out in a burst of pleasure.

"Empress 1908 Gin," Kiara whispers to her, "they infuse the concoction with butterfly pea blossoms. They change colour if you add anything acidic to it."

Penelope handwaves the information away with the carelessness she gives most pretty things - it only matters that they look pretty; she couldn't care less for the process that gave her that incredible sight.

Much as Kiara doesn't like to admit it...the word "careless" does seem to be the apt word to define how Penelope goes through her life.

Carelessness in court. Carelessness in her everyday life. Carelessness with belongings, with tasks, with people. Even the ones she genuinely believes (and she does. Truly) she loves.

Part of it - Kiara is aware - has to do with how overwhelming court life, on its own, can be for her. Penelope may have exaggerated some of the hardships she seems to face, but this she has never once lied about.

Navigating court is hard enough, even for Kiara herself, but too often Penelope exudes the appearance of a doe entering a den of lions. For every one thing she manages to get right, Penelope has to fear the hundred things she'll do wrong. At some point you just get resigned to the possibility that a good day might be one where you made fifteen mistakes rather than fifty.

But anyone who stays around Penelope long enough knows that there is a inherent lack of urgency about her, a certain reluctance to think things through, a certain comfort with being tended to, getting pampered, being let off out of sympathy even as her choices wreak havoc. A tendency to consider only her comforts and no one else's.

It isn't meant maliciously. These things just don't occur to her.

Kiara meets Penelope's eyes once, then nods and turns to Deirdre with an order for a strawberry daiquiri. Penelope passes her a grateful glance, relieved at having that decision taken out of her hands.

Kiara sighs. There are a great many things you learn to get used to as Penelope Drammir's best friend - her indecision and passivity being one of them. She shakes her head as she absently twirls her stirrer over her drink. The days Kiara allows herself to think of how annoyed she used to feel (way back during the engagement tour) around Penelope are few and far between, and she does feel guilty of doing her friend a disservice whenever she does. Of being ungenerous, judgemental.

Of abandoning empathy. Even if empathy is a gift she hardly expects to get herself from...well, from anyone.

Kiara steals another glance towards the other end of the bar. Hana and Olivia are standing side by side, their backs facing the bar, their eyes never leaving the dancing couples. From time to time Olivia seems to say something (and Kiara almost bites down her cheek to stop herself from going there and rising to Hana's defense, in case it's something nasty). If Hana is affected, you couldn't tell - so nonchalant is her stance against the bar.

Hana's words from a week ago - warm and soothing and smelling of melted chocolate - still ring in Kiara's ears. You deserve to have people you can lean on, Kiara. As much as anyone else. You need to be able to depend on your friends sometimes too.

Her hand barely ghosts over her side, but Kiara doesn't allow it to linger there. She allows the words to wash over her, like balm. Like some sort of elixir that she hopes will heal her, slowly, spreading its warmth and sweetness in small trickles, taking away the hurt and resentment and self-derision bit by bit.

When she's calm enough to turn to Penelope's side again, she catches her friend staring.

Her eyes no longer on her dairiquiri; she stirs it absently, very much the way Kiara just did a few minutes ago. Those very eyes are suddenly a deeper blue, a darker shade, her gaze more intent and more serious than anything she has ever seen from Penelope in all the years they've known each other.

Kiara takes a nervous sip of her drink (sweet. tart. refreshing), her laughter betraying a slight discomfort. "You're staring at me like I've grown an extra head."

Penelope's gaze doesn't shift back to her usual - the unfocused flitting of the eyes from corner to corner. The intensity of it makes Kiara shift a little in her seat. For all her faults, seeing Penelope be her usual thoughtless, fickle-minded self - always distracted by the newest shiny object or the antics of the nearest dog - has always been reassuring.

"I...I haven't been a very good friend to you, Kiki, have I," Penelope says, quietly.

She says it as if it isn't a question but a statement, as if she has thought enough about it that it has become an already-unquestionable fact in her mind - that for a few moments Kiara finds it hard to say anything in response.

"What makes you say that, Nena?" She says, using that old affectionate nickname that Penelope only allows family and close friends to use with her.

Penelope fiddles with the shell bracelet she usually wears with the dress she's wearing, a sumptuous affair in her house colours - completely inappropriate for Esther's bachelorette (they're all supposed to wear dark or muted colours so the bride could shine in her sparkly gold outfit). But because it's Esther - who honestly couldn't care less - Penelope managed to get away with it.

Much like she has managed to get away with a great deal of things, Kiara realises with an unfortunate twist in her gut. A terrible court performance. Being involved in smearing another courtier's name (learning about that last engagement tour, realising Penelope was comfortable expecting friendship from the woman she did that to and never even bothered to let Kiara know almost ended their friendship for good). Wanting Esther and her friends to pamper her within an inch of her life if they wanted her to accompany them for their tour, even though her past conduct demanded - ethically - that she at least offer unconditional support.

(And never, ever once asking about how Kiara was healing after she was released from hospital. But that was something, perhaps, that she couldn't lay blame on Penelope alone for. For the longest time, her injury really seemed to matter that little to most).

And whether or not Penelope seems to realize how good she has had it without making enough effort from her end, yet...she certainly seems to have made a good enough start right now.

Penelope's voice goes a little softer, her eyes suddenly unable to meet Kiara's. "I think it's all the time Zeke and I have been spending together," she says, one fingernail tracing the seam of a fake shell. "He's been feeling a bit guilty himself, you know. He always tells me he's the older one, he's the one who should be taking care of you...but it's you always playing that role instead."

Kiara winces. "Well... he's never asked that of me, has he?"

Has it been like that, really? Has it? All she knows of her relationship with Zeke is how often she loses patience with him when his reluctance to move out of his safe zone creates problems, either for himself or their family. It's the one thing she has always felt a little guilty about - as much as she has felt whenever she got frustrated with Penelope.

"That's the worst part, he says. That he let you adopt that role, and never give you the same level of support. That of course you find him a little hard to understand, but that never stopped you from trying to help. And of course you never ask for any help in return, but there were so many times you should have gotten it from him anyway," Penelope's sigh comes out in a shuddering breath, and Kiara notices a redness creeping up to her cheeks from her neck. "I never realised until he said that, that I've treated you that way too."

When Penelope looks at Kiara this time, her lashes are spiky with tears. Kiara tries to swallow the lump in her own throat, suddenly overwhelmed.

For a while now, these were thoughts Kiara did have. Thoughts she'd tried to quash in the many, many hours she spent struggling to move in that hospital bed without feeling that pain on her side, thoughts she fought off after being reminded - again and again and again - how she got hurt there. Thoughts that terrified her so much she suppressed them, experiencing a mixture of relief and disappointment when no one, not even her close friends, seemed to find what happened to her important enough to remember.

These were thoughts she could only allow herself to have for no more than a few minutes. They would damn near destroy her if she thought about them any longer than that.

These were the thoughts that made her want to kick herself for being so ungenerous and petty and judgemental. To hear those same words, the words she only allowed herself to think in her darkest, most bitter moments, from Penelope's mouth - without blame, without censure - and to know that Zeke has felt it too...there is a burn in Kiara's throat that she knows won't leave for a long, long time.

Oh, no, Nena, a part of Kiara still wants to say, you're a wonderful friend. Those words, constantly at the tip of her tongue whenever Penelope gets into one of her melancholy, self-pitying moods, seem to haunt Kiara again, urging her to keep their friendship the way it is. Unequal. Unbalanced. Practically one-sided. Kiara forever as protector, Penelope forever as protected. It must be better that way.

Hana's words come back to her - a balm to her bruised spirit.

You need to depend on your friends too.

"I may not have been the friend you needed all this time, Kiki," Penelope whispers, "but from today, I promise you I'll really try."

As Kiara does in the rare occasions she finds herself overcome with emotion, she lets out a wavering, watery laugh.

Will Penelope truly change that? She doesn't know yet. But damn does it feel good that she cares enough to try.

All this time, all this guilt and self-blame...for not being the kind of friend most people would insist Penelope needed. All this resentment, because people would certainly think long and hard about what it meant to be literally anyone else's friend and catering to their needs. Olivia's. Penelope's. Even (ugh) Madeleine's.

But not Kiara's. Never Kiara's.

"I don't know how to respond to this yet, Nena. But I need you to know that I appreciate this. Truly."

Putting her daiquiri down, Penelope crushes her in an impulsive hug that almost sends tiny purple droplets of Kiara's drink flying onto her outfit. Neither of them notice.

They part, reluctantly, and spend the rest of their time together drinking in companiable silence as the vibrations from the nightclub's loud music thumps on the floor beneath them. When the tune changes to a slower, more romantic tune, Kiara can't stop herself from taking a peek at the other side of the bar.

Penelope follows her gaze, and smiles when it lands on Hana. "You should go there."

"Hmm?" Kiara murmurs, barely hearing Penelope. Hana and Olivia are still talking, but the vibes feel far more chilly than they seemed to be a few minutes ago. Now Hana is the one slightly smiling, like the cat who got the cream, and Olivia looks surprisingly...pale? Perhaps a little ill?

Definitely not as smug as she seemed when she sauntered her way to Hana's side.

She isn't sure how that came about, but the possibility that Hana may have had something to do with it does fill her with an odd sort of pride. The kind of pride that makes her want to point to Hana in front of a crowd of twenty-plus nobles and announce, as loud as she can, "that's my girlfriend!!"

Penelope giggles so hard she almost snorts her drink out of her nose. "Go get your girl, Kiki."

Kiara stares at Penelope for a minute, then self-consciously runs her palms over her own outfit. "Am I that obvious?"

Penelope is still giggling. "Only right now, and only because I'm literally standing next to you."

Kiara laughs, relieved. This love she shares with Hana will still be her - their - secret. She wants it to stay that way, just a little bit longer.

The strains of the love song currently playing feel a little out of place for this nightclub, but Kiara's feet are almost itching for a slow dance in someone's arms. Head over heels when toe to toe. This is the sound of my soul. By the way Hana is looking at her now - alone at the bar again - Kiara can tell she wants it too.

Penelope places a hand on Kiara's shoulder, taking her leave with a grin and a conspiratorial wink. "Zeke must be looking for me. Have fun, Kiki!" Clearly in a mood for generosity, she kisses Kiara on the cheek before she leaves.

(For a woman who has never slept with, well, anyone before, Hana seems to be quite adept in the art of seduction already. Kiara has to bite the inside of her cheek just to fight the urge to whisk her to her hotel room for the rest of the night)

When she reaches Hana's side, the other woman's gaze moves over her in the most leisurely pace known to man. Slow, sensual, soaked in knowing, promising more than just one dance.

The soles of Kiara's feet tingle just from imagining the possibilities. She knows what they're going to be doing at least an hour (Kiara's being generous - she probably might not even last that long) from now.

"Lady Hana," Kiara says, holding out her hand and inwardly laughing at her own playful formality, "I believe I owe you a dance."

Hana breaks character, laughing delightedly. "A dance would be a good start."

Hana rests her head on Kiara's shoulder, her face nestled close to her collarbone. Her face is nestled close enough to Kiara's collarbone that she could breathe in her perfume if she wanted; she can feel Hana's long, deep inhale reverberate through her own body as she does. As Kiara runs a hand down Hana's back, she begins to sigh in tandem to the music too, drunk on her love for this woman. Ah ah ah haa haa. I know this much is true.

Even with her eyes closed, Kiara can feel the lights - deep purple and sea green - dancing behind her eyelids. The feel of Hana's palm against hers. A whiff of Gucci Bloom that comes and goes - that Kiara registers, instinctively, as the presence of her best friend stealing another dance with her brother. Kiara sighs happily.

Tomorrow might be as hard to live through as yesterday was, as this morning was, as every morning has been since this tour began. But every once in a while, she's gifted with tiny miracles.

This evening - every bit of it - has been a tiny miracle. And if this tour has taught her anything, it's that the tiny miracles are often the most memorable ones.

Almost as if they can both sense a desire to come closer, Hana and Kiara tighten their arms around each other almost imperceptibly.

Kiara smiles, again. Tomorrow may be different. But today...today has been beautiful. Today has been perfect.

This night of miracles does seem to be in any hurry to leave, and she's going to embrace it with both hands.

References:

French 75 - a cocktail made from gin, champagne, lemon juice, and sugar. It is also called a 75 Cocktail, or in French simply a Soixante Quinze.

Learn more about Empress Gin gin French 75 here.

The song Hana and Kiara are dancing to at the end is "True" by Spandau Ballet.

A/N1: I hint at a scene that is not part of canon but that will eventually show up at this point of the story when I write it in Petals and Thornes (basically Hana and Olivia talking. I won't be talking about it here, but it will be a major scene from Hana's PoV at this point in the story).

A/N2: Often, when the fandom speaks about the Kiara and Penelope friendship, there tends to be a lot of sympathy for Penelope and criticism for Kiara. But when you take a closer look at canon, the opposite applies. The narrative tends to center this friendship on Penelope alone, with Kiara needing to constantly worry and protect her, and Penelope rarely ever showing the same regard or concern for Kiara. It's a grossly imbalanced friendship, and I did want some acknowledgement of that.

A big thank you to @thecapturedafrique for suggesting this title 😁😁

#kiara theron #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #kiaratheronappreciationweek #KTAW #KTAW 2024 #KTAW Day 5 #KTAW Day 5: Friendships #content: fanfic #lizzybeth1986

32 notes · View notes