#did she even like being a princess? did she interact with her subjects much?

[star-racing]

I think having all the alteans be dead at the start of Voltron was a missed opportunity tbh, I know they were going for a sole survivor thing but I think it would've been so interesting to actually see Allura as a leader of her people for literally any amount of time

[rookinthecrownest]

Bedtime Stories For a Demon: The Day The World Disappeared, Part IV (Lucanis x Rook Fanfic)

Word Count: ~ 5.2k

Rook is trapped in the Fade. Spite is determined to get her out. But the truth of the prison is slowly unravelling itself.

Part I

Part II

Part III

Madeleina Mercar can’t sleep.

And this is quite unusual, because for the last few nights – really, ever since she can remember being at home, she has simply woken up to the next day. Every night was a dreamless slumber, shuffling her between moonlight to sunlight with little fanfare. Not so much as a violent twitch of her body while her mind convinces it she’s falling off a ledge.

Since Spite’s visit earlier, something hasn’t felt right. There’s not one thing she can really point a finger at. It was more of an ill-defined uneasiness that started bleeding into her interactions with her parents.

Later in the afternoon, she went to help her mother with the shop as she always did. It was only today that she realized that there were never any customers. Eurydice baked the bread and croissants and tartes every morning and arranged them neatly onto silver display trays. Each day, they went un-eaten, and Madeleina had no idea what happened to the excess, because she certainly never saw her mother carting in boxes of those leftover pastries into their home.

When she asked her mother about it as she was sweeping the floors (that never seemed to have any dust on them), Eurydice had simply returned a blank stare and asked her what she would like for dinner.

Madeleina had blinked, confused at the sudden shift in subject.

“Um …” she began, and really thought hard about it. Her face scrunched in concentration.

What had she eaten lately?

She remembered … well, she only remembered her favourite meal. Dolmades and vegetables with Tzatziki on the side. The same thing, every night.

“I want spiced lamb stew” she answered a few moments later. Madeleina didn’t even remember what her mother’s lamb stew tasted like but certainly wanted the opportunity to.

Her mother had nodded, airy and light, as if she hadn’t even heard, then went back to fussing over the displays that would certainly go unnappreciated.

Madeleina doesn’t question it until she’s sitting at the dinner table, and she doesn’t smell spiced lamb stew – she smells Dolmades. Sure enough, the stuffed grape leaves appear in front of her, with a side of grilled carrots and eggplants, and Tzatziki dip. As they had the night before. It was as if the conversation in the bakery earlier hadn’t happened at all. Since her mother didn’t acknowledge it, Madeleina didn’t either. She wordlessly ate her Dolma and ignored the sensation of the food turning to ash in her mouth.

Later that night, her father told her a story, before he went off to work for the evening. The same story, every night. Always The Sleeping Princess. And after Spite had tried to retell it in his own disjointed way, evoking all those strange memories as he did, she couldn’t help but notice how stilted her father’s delivery was tonight.

Almost as if he was reading from a script he couldn’t deviate from. A character in one of his own stories.

Had it always seemed that way and she just hadn’t noticed? Or was he becoming … different?

She desperately wanted to say something but her lips wouldn’t make the words. Just like at dinner. Would it even matter if she did, or would he brush her off like her mother had?

Deciding it wasn’t worth the effort, Madeleina listened and nodded at the appropriate times while he spoke, as the figures of the Princess, the King, the Demon, and the Hero danced behind her eyes, brought to life by her over-active imagination.

Madeleina’s eyes fly open as a memory starts to take shape in the back of her mind.

A memory of stories brought to life by magic. Her magic. In front of an ornate hearth, in the company of a man who’s face she still cannot see. A man whose name is as familiar as breathing, and yet entirely foreign as well. The phantom smell of coffee and chocolate and cinnamon lingers in the air, even now. She hasn’t been able to stop smelling it since Spite left. Wherever they are, it’s warm. Safe. Comforting. A private little haven for the two of them, forged first in blood and comradery, then molded into something tender and sweet with time and trust.

Lucanis.

Home.

Madeleina shakes her head.

No, this was her home.

A sleepy little village tucked safely between a forest of great Sycamores and the Hundred Pillars. A bakery that she tends with her mother, while her father plays at the tavern down the street every night.

A bakery without any customers, she reminds herself.

Madeleina tries to blink the thought away, but Spite’s words keep nagging in the back of her mind like a small dog yipping and snapping at her heels.

The young mage takes a slow, deliberate, inhale and closes her eyes, trying to focus harder on that memory.

She needs to figure this out. If there’s nothing to be worried about and she can go back to her regular, day-to-day, mundane life.

A day that repeats like turning wheel, a snake eating its tail.

Madeleina pushes the thought to the back of her mind, and with some reluctant effort, she’s back in that elusive memory.

Madeleina sees the stone hearth again. She can feel the hard, wooden chair beneath her. The warmth of the fire spreading like a wave across her body. As before, she tastes something sweet and familiar on her tongue - cinnamon and dough. He’s sitting across from her, partially shrouded in the dark. His voice is muffled, as if he were speaking under water.

Madeleina shuts her eyes tightly tries to focus harder. Spite’s words come streaming into her consciousness, guiding her down the turbulent river of her thoughts.

You show him. Wonders in front. Of his eyes. Stories brought to life. With magic. He measures nights. By your tales. Days. Waiting for the next

When she remembers Spite’s words, something strange happens.

She opens her eyes to find her chest glowing, as if someone set her heart alight with blue flame. It flickers weakly in the dark, almost like a beacon. There’s the sensation of being tugged towards some unknowable, far-off direction she couldn’t pinpoint. It’s stronger now than it was before. She’s almost afraid she’ll fly out of her own window, trying to find whoever is pulling at her heartstrings. Acting on instinct alone, Madeleina places a hand over her chest, inhales deeply once more, and concentrates on the strange sensation in her chest.

The scene bleeds into her mind’s eye again, a bit sharper now than it was before the sudden interruption.

The fire feels warmer, a balm to her sore joints and muscles. The desserts on the table smell fresher, sweeter than they did before. The leather of her father’s journal in her left hand feels rough, and weathered with time that shouldn’t yet have come to pass.

Her free hand flourishes across her vision, and right in front of her eyes the castle from The Sleeping Princess blinks into existence in sharp, striking detail.

Stories brought to life with magic. Just as Spite had said.

“It’s incredible, Rook” The man across from her breathes.

His voice is low, soft and gentle. Each word a velvet-soft petal falling upon waiting ears. The sound practically wraps around her like a warm blanket on a cold winter’s morning. She could live in that feeling.

Madeleina blinks in the memory.

His face his clearer now, coming into clear focus. Rimmed in the contrasting warm orange glow of the fire and eerie blue light of her magic, Madeleina drinks his features in like a madwoman dying of thirst, and he an oasis in the sand.

His eyes draw her in first. They’re big, and the most beautiful shade of earthen-rich brown she’s ever seen. She could fall into them for an eternity and be content to drown in their warmth. His black hair is styled into a mullet and feathered at the sides – almost like the wispy wings of a bird. His beard frames a strong, square jaw. His features are accentuated by soft lips, and an aquiline nose.

Breathtakingly, devastatingly, handsome. Words are inadequate, and so her body settles for a releasing a soft breath she didn’t know she was holding.

She continues moving through the motions of the story, bringing every figure and every scene to life with a wave of her hands, like she was the director of a theatre production.

“Well, go on” He motions to her eventually, with an expectant look flickering in those perfect brown eyes. At some point, the illusion she had been maintaining disappeared into the ether. She was too busy studying him like an art piece from one of the old master’s to have noticed. Lucanis is resting on his forearms now, practically at the edge of his seat.

Lucanis. Waits for what happens next.

He waits for you.

Only you.

Madeleina grins widely, pleased by his reaction. “Impatient, are we?”

He smirks, and she’s undone at the sight. “Spite wants to know how it ends”

She raises an eyebrow and folds her arms over her chest, “Oh? And you’re not the least bit curious?”

Lucanis’ lips quirk into a little smile, and her heart melts into her stomach. “I might be” he adds, as he takes a sip of his coffee.

That same melted heart is somehow solid enough to able to thrum erratically in her chest, flitting about like a crazed hummingbird trapped in a cage. A faint smile works its way onto her lips but she’s afraid the quickened rise and fall of her chest will give her away. So, she does the only thing she can think of and takes a sip of her own coffee. She’s not really thirsty, but the cup is large enough to hide the blush spreading across her face. The coffee is a bit lukewarm by now, clearly forgotten over the course of the story the two were enraptured in.

Satisfied that blush is gone and the pounding in her chest has settled, she sets the coffee aside and wrings out her hands.

“Sorry, I was feeling a bit parched there. On with the story”

A lie, a terrible lie. But a needed one.

As her free hand flourishes the figures into being once more, the memory cuts off abruptly. She opens her eyes and grips the fabric of her shirt through the thick blanket.

The warmth of the fire dissipates slowly, receding like a tide and although she’s under the covers, Madeleina feels cold. There’s no smell of coffee or cinnamon anymore. Lucanis is gone, and in the wake of his memory, a horrible realization settles in.

A piece of her heart is living outside of her body, somewhere far beyond her reach.

And she has no idea how to get to him.

“Lucanis”

She whispers his name like a prayer in the dead of night and hopes that wherever he is, he’s listening for her.

~*~

Lucanis Dellamorte has been sleeping more than usual these last few weeks, which was quite paradoxical because he wants to spend every waking moment making sure Rook’s rescue plan goes perfectly. He’s convinced he’s driven even the patient, kind-hearted Professor mad with his meticulous planning.

Unfortunately, it’s easier for Spite to traverse the raw Fade and keep an eye on Madeleina while he’s asleep. So, Lucanis acquiesces and lets himself drift into a dreamless slumber as Spite monitors the situation.

Once they told the group of the danger and time was running out, everyone was firing on all cylinders. It was a cacophony of organized chaos in the Lighthouse until the Veilguard was geared up and ready to head to Arlathan Forest through the Vir’Evas.

The entire trip through the Tevinter countryside to rescue Rook has him so on edge he’s lucky to get a few uninterrupted hours, much to Spite’s annoyance. He puts on a calm demeanour for the group, but each day that passes, given what he knows is happening inside that prison, Lucanis grows more agitated. Spite can feel it too. The demon’s … fear, for lack of a better world, is palpable under his skin, rolling across his body like a passing thunderstorm.

If the other members of the Veilguard have noticed, they have the good graces not to say anything.

The group is speeding along verdant hills in a large Dalish Aravel with Strife, Irelin, a few Veil Jumper mages, a sizeable quantity of Lyrium, and a few Resonance Amplifiers.

Bellara and Irelin are holed away in their own little corner, still furiously studying the Resonance Amplifiers and coming up with all sorts of far-fetched theories on how to … reverse their something, so they’ll weaken the veil instead of strengthening it. He may have spent a good portion of his career hunting mages, and he did know his way around a sordid variety of dangerous magic, but the finer points of magical theory are lost on him. Their chattering, as a result, filters in through one ear and out the other. Unfortunately, the amount of magic they’re using to try and get them to work is making the backs of his eyeballs itch something furious and is a lot harder to ignore than talking. He tries to blink the sensation away to no avail, so he settles for getting up and moving closer to Davrin and Assan’s corner of the Aravel.

The Griffon squawks excitedly at his approach. Lucanis gives him a quick smile and ruffles his head. Davrin is still working away at his wood carving. A wooden chess piece, Lucanis has noticed.

A little Rook.

The sight of has his heart squeezing in his chest.

He and the Grey Warden have settled into an easy friendship, one brokered by Rook, of course. She had that effect on people – was able to make them see past petty differences. Madeleina eased tension just by existing. Like a little sun, catching everything in her orbit and bathing it in her light.

Although he still thinks Davrin all too pretentious and self-righteous, he does have one endearing quality that Lucanis has come to appreciate. He can tell when is the time for words, and when is the time for silence. And Davrin is more than content to let Lucanis sit beside him in companionable silence as he continues carving his wooden figurines.

Assan stands on his hind legs next to him and watches the Tevene countryside roll past them.

He wiggles his hind legs and looks into the air, then to Davrin expectantly. His right ear flops as the Griffon tilts his head, pleading.

Davrin smiles and gives him a quick nod towards the air above them, “Just don’t go too far, boy. Stay where I can see you”

The Griffon needs no more encouragement, and a moment later, he’s leapt into the air and flying circles overhead, squawking delightfully.

Lucanis watches the young Griffon joyfully, freely flying through the air. With Spite’s wings, he could be up there too. But the absence of Rook is like a stone in his chest, keeping him and Spite grounded.

“Incredible, isn’t he?” Davrin remarks offhandedly, while he carves out dainty triangular designs on the side of the Rook tower.

Lucanis didn’t realize he was still staring up at Assan, basking in the sun, and gliding on an air current just to the west of the Aravel.

He makes a noncommittal hum of agreement.

“A little young to have seen so much, though” The assassin remarks, after another few moments of silence, recalling the fight with the Gloom Howler in the Cauldron. Remembered Assan's squeals of terror as the Gloom Howler had him in its claws, about to be blighted with Arch Demon blood.

Davrin’s lips quirk, “Not unlike a certain illustrious leader of ours”

Lucanis hadn’t given much thought to Rook’s age. It was just another thing in a growing list about her he thought he’d have time to ask about. Her age, her birthday, bothering Neve about what kind of jewelry she likes (or if she even likes jewelry), her favourite flowers, more of her favourite food and drink than he’d already gleaned from their time together. He wanted to know it all. To know her in her entirety.

But he didn’t ask those questions. Not her age or her birthday or her favourite flowers or her taste in jewelry. She was definitely younger than him by a good margin, but the gap between them could span as large as a decade, for all he knew. Madeleina certainly had the recklessness of youth. That he’d seen in spades, because she was constantly hovering at the edge of death’s door and he was constantly pulling her back by the scruff of her neck.  But she also possessed a wisdom well beyond her years, and he never once factored her age in as a detriment to her ability to lead the team, although she might disagree.

“I expect in these times, that’s become more and more common. Growing up faster than one’s years.” Davrin murmurs, nicking some decorative dots on the tower’s side with the tip of his blade. “I don’t envy the decisions Rook’s been forced to make. I’ve a good five or six years on her and I don’t know that I would’ve fared any better even with that experience on my side”

Lucanis didn’t quite know what to say, so he let Davrin continue talking.

“All this to say,” The Warden shoulders him gently, “Try not to worry so much about Rook. If there’s anything I can say with confidence, it’s that she’s not going to let anything keep her down. Including some weird, nightmare-inducing Fade prison that’s trying to siphon her memories and – “Davrin stops abruptly when he sees the frown spreading on Lucanis’ face, “… I’ll just be quiet now. You get the picture. She’s tough, don’t worry”

He looks down at his wood carving and continues working at it, glancing up at the sky every once in a while, to make sure he can still see Assan.

Lucanis sighs and closes his eyes. He tries to focus on things he can hear and smell to keep his thoughts from winding him up like a children’s toy. The rustling of the leaves on the wind, the smell of pine and oak, the sound of Halla hoofbeats beating against the ground and low grunts of effort as they pull the aravel through the woods.

Try as he might to distract himself with this world, his mind continues to cycle back to Madeleina in the Fade. The very idea that the Fade prison could cause her to forget about him, forget about all their time together, as absurdly terrifying. It makes his skin crawl, and Spite rattle angrily in the back of his mind.

He’s mid-way through thinking about how he’s going to wring Solas’ neck the next time he sees him (and he isn’t entirely certain the thought only came from him), when Lucanis feels a pinch in his chest. Like someone was plucking a thread attached to his heart. He closes his eyes and reaches for Spite through their shared connection, much easier now with the newfound alliance.

Spite. What’s happening?

The demon bristles behind his eyelids.

Calling. To us. Through the Fade.

Is she in danger? He asks quickly. Lucanis can hear his heart pounding in his ears as he waits for the Demon’s response.

Don’t. Know. Spite replies after a thoughtful moment. Go. To sleep. I will. See.

Lucanis blinks as a hand waves in front of his face.

“Lucanis?” Davrin snaps his fingers for good measure, “Hey, Lucanis. You alright?”

He shakes his head and waves off Davrin’s concern, “I’m fine – it’s just… Spite and I sense something off with Rook.”

Davrin frowns, his brown eyes alight with concern. He sets his blade and wood carving down, before leaning closer to Lucanis, “What’s going on with her?”

“I don't now. Spite needs me to go to sleep so he can investigate”

He ignores the knot of anxiety forming in his stomach and tries to settle into his spot on the wooden floor of the aravel. It’s not the most comfortable place to fall asleep, but with about a year of sleep deprivation to catch up on, the bumpy ride on dirt paths hardly poses an insurmountable obstacle.

He turns to Davrin, “Watch my back?”

Davrin grins, “Do you even have to ask?”

The Warden claps him gently on the shoulder before quietly returning to his whittling, “Just make sure our friend’s alright. I promise not to let trouble disturb your beauty sleep”. Davrin huffs, “Maker knows you need it”

Lucanis rolls his eyes. As much as he wants to quip back, the feeling that Rook is in danger in the Fade has him desperate to let sleep take him as soon as possible and reigns in the impulse. The assassin draws his legs in to his body and rests his head in his arms, before closing his eyes and letting sleep take him.

Assan squawking overhead as he flies in circles, the wind whipping the trees and the sound of soft hooves beating on gravel soon fade away into a dreamless slumber.

Wait for me, Madeleina.

~*~

Spite Dellamorte hates the Fade Prison with an intense, all-consuming passion, even though he is Spite and not Passion. He doesn’t completely understand how that works. There’s still a lot of things about existing in the material world that are confusing to him. Sometimes, he doesn’t know how much of him is him, and how much of him is Lucanis. The edges between the two have blurred significantly since they made a new alliance. So much so, that his human host seems to have put new emotions in front of him to grapple with that weren’t there before. More things that aren’t him, on top of the memories from Rook’s journal that also are not him.

Regardless, Spite was determined to answer her plea for help.

The young Demon flies circles around her home inside the Fade prison. The journal’s essence flickers in and out, just a little weaker than before. Then, an emotion he’s felt from Lucanis bleeds into him, one they both know all too well from their time in the real Ossuary – fear. Fear that it won’t be strong enough to get him out. That he could be trapped in here, with her, unable to open the door that frees her.

He has to be the one that opens the door.

Spite ignores the thought as much as he can, and lands softly on her windowsill. He peers into her bedroom, expecting her to be doing something mundane, like she was before. Instead, he finds Rook sitting on the corner of her bed, with her head buried in her arms and knees pressed close to her chest. Her chest is rising and falling rapidly. He can hear soft, muffled sobs escaping from the narrow space between her face and her arms.

Spite is Spite, he is not comfort or compassion. But Lucanis’ nature has once again, made him feel things he’s not supposed to be feeling. He doesn’t want to see Rook crying. He hates the sight of it, actually.

Spite taps on the glass several times, harder than he normally would, to make sure she hears him above the sound of her soft sobs.

Rook looks up at him, her green eyes bathed in a sea of red. Her face is puffy and tear streaked. She looks awful. Rook shouldn’t look awful. He doesn’t like that she looks awful.

Smells like. Salt and Lavender. Not right.

He taps the window again.

Rook wipes the tears from her face with her arm and slowly walks to the window sill, before unhooking the latch.

Spite ruffles his feathers and flits to perch on the back of her chair, as he did before. Madeleina closes the window and sits back down on her bed slowly, sniffling the entire time.

“Rook” He croaks, tilting his head. “Why. Are you crying.?”

Rook inhales sharply and closes her eyes before exhaling. “S-Spite …” she whimpers his name, and he hates how that sounds.

She draws her knees in close again and frowns deeply. “W-why do I keep seeing Minrathous burning? P-people being h-hung in the s-street” she takes a shaky breath between words. "E-every time... I look ... in the m-mirror - I s-see it ..."

Rook has a distant look in her eyes, like she’s staring through him at not at him.

“A v-voice in my head … it’s … it says … it’s my fault” She cries softly, and wipes her nose with her sleeve again, “He s-says I l-let them take the city … t-the dragon…”

Rook grips her head and shuts her eyes tight, and then takes a ragged breath. “It won’t stop! It won’t stop…” She raises her head and looks at him with pleading eyes, “Spite, how do I make it stop?” Her face crumples as more tears threaten to spill from her eyes, “S-Spite … help me… it w-won’t stop … my head…”

Spite tilts his head and thinks.

She’s starting to remember things, but not the right things. He’s rightly quite confused. Solas’ prison so far has been showing her what she wants to see - her parents, her childhood home - familiar things that would presumably function to keep her from wanting to leave. Why would it be showing her a blighted Minrathous? What purpose would that serve?

He remembers the day they found her in the music room, days after she’d returned from visiting Neve in Minrathous.

Smells like … cheese and salt. He had thought, as Lucanis brought her a cup of cioccolata calda to share.

They sat beside her, and she quickly wiped her hands of the remnants of the cheese wedge she’d been eating and moved over. He remembers Lucanis’ fretting over her mental state very well. Locked in their pantry, he thought of little else.

Knowing Treviso was safe brought him little relief every time he watched her go into the infirmary to talk with Varric’s ghost because she couldn’t cope with his death. When she stopped coming to dinner, he started drinking more coffee and staying awake even longer worrying over her. Pacing back and forth, paralyzed with inaction, with uncertainty on how to help her.

It turns out he was severely overthinking the problem.

All he had to do was tell her a story.

Maybe Spite had to do the same, like the first time he came. She was only remembering the bad that came from that decision. It figures the Dread Wolf’s prison wouldn’t want her to remember the good she did during that time.

“This place. Doesn’t want you. To know what. You saved.” Spite begins, “Minrathous fell. But Treviso. Lived to see. Another day. Because of you.”

Rook releases the name on a soft breath, “T-Treviso?” Her brows furrow in confusion, “I … I’ve n-never left Tevinter…”

Spite preens and plucks at a loose feather as she speaks.

“Saved Lucanis’. Home.” He squawks, “He trusted you. Above all others. And you saved him. There when he. Needed you most. And he will. Never forget.”

Rook’s eyes flash with recognition at the name, “Lucanis – tell me about Lucanis. P-please, Spite. I think… I think I remembered him last night – his face, his voice … but it’s gone again”

If Spite looked like Lucanis, he was sure his face would split in a satisfied grin.

He was going to break apart the Dread Wolf’s prison, memory by memory. He would open the door for her and pull her out.

“He came. To you. In the music room. After the Dragon. Took Minrathous”

She closes her eyes, as if trying to picture the scene herself. He can see her eyes flicker back and forth behind closed eyelids.

“He wants. To help you. Like you. Helped him. With Treviso. With Caterina’s funeral.” Spite says, “He helps. Only way he knows how. With a story.”

Rook’s fingers grip the edge of her bed tightly, and her lips press into a hard line, deep in concentration.

“I smell something warm… chocolate?” Her nose wrinkles. “Warm chocolate… like before…”

“Cioccolata. Calda.” Spite corrects her gently, although his own pronunciation of the word is a bit clumsy, “He knows. You love it. He makes it. When he knows. You’re in need.”

Her lips part in a sigh, as if she’s taking a sip in her jumbled memories.

“T-tell me more… please …” Rook whispers, biting her lower lip, “I want to remember him”

“He tells you. The story of how. He became the Demon of Vyrantium. The Wigmaker. And his. House of Horrors. Of blood magic and demons. And freeing slaves.” Spite recites the memory as he had seen it through Lucanis’ eyes. “A story. For a story. He always. Wants to help.”

A small smile creeps at the edges of her lips, “I remember him… I remember him telling me about a terrible pickup line Illario used on a guard”, Spite tilts his head as she giggles, “I couldn’t believe it actually worked, you know”

Rook wipes a stray tear from the corner of her eye, before opening them both. Her green eyes crinkled at the corners as she erupted in a warm smile. Like they did when she would tell them stories.

She swings her legs off the edge of the bed and comes to stand in front of the little Demon.

“He’s important to me… isn’t he? You both are” She whispers quietly. Rook touches her chest, and a faint blue glow erupts from where her heart should be. His chest is alight with its twin flame.

Spite merely nods and flutters his tailfeathers in response.

“He waits. For you. Only you.”

“You said that before” Rook nods and looks around her room, “You also said this place isn’t my home”

Spite nods wordlessly.

“Then what is it exactly? Why… why am I here?”

“A prison. Made by the Dread Wolf. To keep you in. Away from. His plans.” Spite nearly hisses the words out, rage bubbling in his chest. He puffs up into an angry little ball as a result. “A prison. To make you forget. Forget us. Lucanis.”

Rook grips her chest through her shirt and frowns. “The memories they … they come and then… then the day repeats and I forget ... I think…” She releases a shaky breath, “I think I’m living the same day again. And again. And again.”

If Spite could scowl, he would be scowling harder than he ever had in his entire existence.

“Spite” Rook leans in closer, so close he can feel her breath on his feathers. Her eyes are wide with panic now, “Spite… help me… I don’t – I don’t want to forget but each day I think I’m losing more of myself- “

She turns abruptly when the door opens, and Spite is startled enough to let out a surprised squawk. He flies out the window quickly before he can be spotted, leaving Rook to deal with the intruder. Spite hovers outside her window for just a moment, and sees a tall woman pull her into a tight embrace.

The woman, who resembles an older Rook with straighter hair and brown eyes, seems to be looking straight at him. The eyes are soulless and empty. Yet somehow, there is a warning lurking beneath that hollow gaze. She grips Rook tightly, as if to signal to him she will not the girl go.

The sight of it chills Spite to his core.

The Demon calls on whatever essence of the journal is left and propels himself out of the Fade with dizzying speed.

Each day I think I’m losing more of myself -.

He would not let that happen.

If she loses herself to this prison, he will find every scattered piece in the Fade and put her back together himself.

The Dread Wolf will not win.

Demons do not fear Gods.

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

Wooooo okay, well that took a lot longer than I thought. Once again big thank you to @teawithshakespeare (honestly my honourary co-author at this point for how much time I spend rambling in their DM's about this story), and @juneiper-art and @thewardenisonthecase as well for letting me bounce ideas for this chapter off them. I appreciate u guys.

Also, the Fade prison is doing weird things now! It's changing and reacting! Freaky stuff. But then again, the Fade's a freaky place.

I'll give bonus points to whoever can guess which movie I'm sort of loosely basing this off of haha.

I think this part of the fic is coming to an end in maybe another chapter or two.... I really just wanna write the Rookanis reunion :')

Anyway,

As always, thanks for reading! Appreciate all the love and support for this fic <3 MUAH!! See you next time!

-Rookie

[lemonandtheart]

Here have a little break from the sillies with some lore (I promise my comic does have a plot and is going somewhere)

I have a lot of things that went on in the past with Oroku Saki and Hamato Yoshi but it all culminates in the death of Tang Shen and the genocide of the Hamato Clan. More specifics of that will be revealed through the actual comic. This happened in early to mid 1999. My comic takes place in 2018, which is a little hard to tell because it was so recent so technology isn't that different. I was a teenager in 2018 so it's a time that resonates with me and that's why I chose it. So the birth years for the boys, April, Casey, and Karai in order are:

Casey: 1998

April: 1999

Leonardo: 2000

Karai: 2000

Raph: 2001

Donnie: 2001

Mikey: 2002

Anyways, Oroku Saki married my OC Ai as a substitute for Tang Shen. I think of my Shredder as being just as ruthless and evil, but I think the scariest kinds of villains are that of Emperor Belos or Coriolanus Snow. He has a lot of the same qualities of them in 2003 except I think he's stupid for dismembering people who he would be better off leaving in one piece like Stockman. I think it was very much in the same vein as Coriolanus Snow picking a wife he basically hated so that she'd never be able to hold any power over him. I haven't decided too much of the specifics of Ai outside of she's never seen much because he keeps her hidden away. Many members of the foot aren't even aware he has a wife. I think they live extremely separate lives and barely ever interact. I think she's very opposite of him, but she's in a position where she and people she holds dear would be in a lot of danger if she defies him or decides to leave. Karai especially would drop her mother like she was nothing if she did, and she has a very strained relationship with Karai as she gets older due to her being Saki's mini-me and it makes her very sad and frightened of the monster her daughter is becoming.

The relationship Saki has with Karai is very close. I think she's very much Daddy's little princess and that's a very large part of why she doesn't see her mother much. She's his second in command (much to the hatred of Chris Bradford and Xever because I have also stolen them too for my iteration) She has very much been raised from birth to embody his ideals. I think he's very aware that love is a stronger motivator than fear in Karai. He doesn't have to make her fear him at all. He showers her with the love and adoration she desperately craves and she'd kill 1000 men for him. There was this one thing I saw somewhere that was along the lines of "those hands that cradled you are stained with the blood of the innocent" and the person responds with "but they cradled me." and that's their relationship as she grows.

I hope you enjoyed some of my general thoughts. They're subject to change! I'll see you all for more of the boys being so sillies tomorrow <3

[backjustforberena]

When the season opens, [Rhaenys] is the queen's most trusted advisor, though not officially her Hand - two women in power would simply be too much for the men on the Council, Hess notes. "Obviously, Rhaenyra can't have a lady Hand, because that would be crazy," she says with a sarcastic laugh.

Okay, okay, good stuff. The idea of a lady Hand not being tolerated is a logical conclusion except... except... the show does absolutely bugger all with it. Whilst we have Rhaenys functioning as Hand pretty plainly, and, indeed, it's only after her loss that Rhaenyra actually officially appoints a Hand, the actual politics of the position and, specifically, this idea that it is not done because Rhaenyra recognises the gender issues associated isn't there.

The subject of making Rhaenys Hand, even to dismiss or explain, is never brought up within the show. The idea of the men being unable to stomach Rhaenys as a Hand isn't ever illustrated beyond generalised feelings of sexism within those council scenes. Rhaenys never has to explain, defend or prove her position on the council. She is very rarely interacted with, during those scenes because she is not particularly vocal. There is displeasure shown at her, but nothing loud or targeted - not like we see with Rhaenyra.

The one concrete moment we have, actually, of Rhaenys having to defend her power comes in Episode 04 and, ironically, it is because she has NOT been named Hand that Alfred Broome can call her out and attempt to dismiss her in front of everyone:

"Why should your voice be any louder than ours, Princess? The queen did not name you Hand."

Rhaenys is trying to lead, but it's not her sex that he finds fault with (though no doubt that comes into it - given she is able to maintain control due to Corlys's intervention) but her lack of official authority. Something that being Hand would have given her. So, he can challenge her. She is no higher than he is. And she has no rebuttal because Rhaenyra has not empowered her.

If they had wanted to pull this off, they needed to consolidate Rhaenys's role on the council and the limitations of it and why there were limitations on it. Have patronising language levelled at her, not just Rhaenyra or Baela. Have her offer advice only to be spoken over. Have Rhaenyra even speak to her on the matter. Let them talk about the position of Hand. Or have Rhaenys raise the matter with Corlys. Something. As it is, the role is never floated or mentioned until after Rhaenys's death. A lady Hand is not an idea presented in that narrative.

That's largely why I always attributed the lack of Hand not to a recognition of politics, but as a symptom of an ad-hoc war council and the infancy of Rhaenyra's rule - an unorganised collection due to the war, without the formal roles of a Small Council. And then the appointment of a Hand indicates Rhaenyra's commitment to the war as it is now and her engagement going forward (even if, again, the role in all it's uses isn't fully illustrated as we pretty much lose the council scenes following the initial Dragonseed idea and Corlys has little to do in any of them).

(quote from the new HOTD BTS book, with many thanks to @noheteroexplanation)

[sweetmariihs2]

🪄My thoughts on Cedric The Sorcerer🌙 (until now)

(not that anyone cares idk i just wanna talk about him, it's a lot of random thoughts and it's messy, but it's fun to read I guess)

Did you like that cute moodboard I did for him? It took me like 10 minutes I loved it. It fits him so well I'm so proud of myself for doing this. The whimsigothic aesthetic matches him so well I wish more people knew it so we would have tons of moodboards and cute stuff of him in this aesthetic it would be so nice. Ok let me start my post

I wanna share some headcanons, talk about my first impressions, it's not really organized I just wrote down whatever I remembered and the result was that. I wanna share my new hyperfocus with more people, that's what I'm doing here today :)

Everything started when I saw this man on Tumblr and though "who's this guy and why is princess Sophia next to him?", when I clicked on the hashtag out of curiosity I understood that it's because he's a character from the cartoon, and I was like "lol another tumblr sexyman again let's move on keep doing my things and interacting with my fandoms" (december 24)

I also mentioned it to my friend on IG bc I saw a reels that was like "you don't have any weird fictional crushes right?" and then proceeds to show us an edit of him with millions of hearts around. I sent it to her and said "omg I saw ppl talking about this on tumblr" and we just laughed a lot because it was something we did not expected (not mean laughs, they were genuine laughs of shock and because that was very unexpected like HOW IN THE WORLD, and she remembered him in the show while I didn't)

Some days later I saw more fanarts of him on tumblr and that made me a little curious, but not enough to search about the subject.

After some days I just couldn't forget him, and that's when I searched his name on youtube purposely trying to find compilations of his funny moments to understand what was happening

And boy I did

At this point was just having fun and laughing thinking "omg another guy who's sassy, has good personality and is another ugly-atractive character that has a fandom on tumblr, I got it, he's very nice" and I went to do other stuff again but this man just DIDN'T CAME OUT OF MY MIND

Just making an interruption here, I loved watching Disney Junior as a kid, maybe when I was six or seven, idk I don't remember, and I was a huge fan of Sofia The First, it was one of my favorite cartoons from Disney Jr alongside Doc McStuffins and Art Attack. AND I JUST DON'T REMEMBER CEDRIC IT'S LIKE I NEVER SAW HIM IN THAT SHOW, EVER. I literally don't remember him being part of the cast i'm sorry Cedric 😭 now he stands out so much to me, he's carrying the whole show on his back. Btw now that I mentioned Disney Junior I would like to say that here in Brazil Sofia First is actually called Little Princess Sofia, and Doc McStuffins is Doctor Toys. Sometimes I call Sofia "Princess Sofia" but I don't even know if that's how they call her in the english version, I watched everything on portuguese 😭 but ok let's move on (I have more things to say related to the brazillian dub, but let me finish my train of thought first)

As I was saying this man just didn't came out of my mind, and I was like "Oh no another hyperfocus where people around me will make fun of me because they will say that he's ugly and that liking kid's shows is something weird 😭 I can't take this anymore" and I tried to deny it but I CAN'T i'm almost making a pinterest board for him, I just accepted my fate (gonna draw fanarts soon and no one can stop me)

I found a list of every chapter he's in and i'm watching every. single. one. of. them. I watched the movie first, and boy this is gave me so much nostalgia because I remember some vague objects and scenes from when I was a kid, I used to love the Disney Princesses, when I got a little older I started watching Descendants, I grew up watching Tangled and Frozen and I swear to god I almost teared up from nostalgia during the episode Rapunzel shows up, and they didn't changed her voice actor, that's what got me. It was like travelling back to a time I didn't even remembered that existed anymore. Because since I haven't seen Sofia The First in about 10 years, I don't even remember anything FROM the show except for some parts, and that this show had so much old Disney energy that I didn't even know made a difference, but it does.

I'm sounding like a granny here but (i'm not even in my 20s yet) it feels like another time, Disney changed so much. Some of the new movies are good, some are bad, I see Disney much more as a company that wants money and makes movies instead of that perfect place where all dreams come true and every girl is a princess (Here in Brazil I never had a dream to go to Disneyland because Disney in the early 2010's invested more in products and blue ray DVDs in Brazil, since the parks were in the United States and we weren't really the target audience for that. So they didn't minded making publicity about it, so I just watched the movies and Disney Junior). Everything felt more magical when I was a kid, I spent my days watching DVDs and sometimes had some Disney princesses themed toys, it was so fun playing pretend that I was a princess and I really felt like one. Rewatching Sofia The First made me feel like this again because they made this show at the time that their public were HUGE fans of the Disney princesses and it has the same characteristics, plots, even styles of the songs and soundtracks, visuals + I watched it when I was younger. It's not just "princesses" it has the whole Disney girly early 2010's magic into it and it made me so bittersweet, even if they tried they could never do nowdays a movie inspired by that time and give me the same feeling as a REAL movie from that time does. Sofia The First: Once Upon a Time was like watching a new movie from that old Disney, one that I didn't saw before, but at the same time I did, and that's the best part. The end of the movie gave me so much nostalgia that I almost cried too. That experience was amazing :")

It gives me the same nostalgia that I feel when I hear that song "a dream is a wish your heart makesss" it makes me cry how I miss to be a little girl again (i'm crying right now btw i'm very intense with my emotions)

(And hell I don't remember Cedric at all, since when he was there the whole time? Now that I know that he's there I'm feeling like really reeeeaaaaalllyy vague memories are trying to come back in my head, but I don't know if my brain is doing this on purpose or i'm just confusing him with an equally vague memory of Cruella. I guess it's the first option, I'm trying so hard that my brain is making up memories. Weird.)

But yeah at first I saw everyone falling to his feet and even though I understood that he was very funny and had a well-writen personality I couldn't really get why people were romantically in love with him. Well um I actually got it, he was a good character and was one more of these strangely atractive characters that people fall in love with, I've been there too. But I just couldn't see what was so atractive that people were simping over him, for me at that moment he was just funny and fits very well the "let's make a fandom" type of character, like for example Preminger from Barbie Princess and The Pauper. But then I thought "idk what i'm talking about i'm demisexual lol let's wait a few days" (That happened before. Many times.)

And I'm like. I don't know what's happening to me I'm so susceptible to weird (in socially non-fandom people's words) crushes and I thought I wouldn't be afected this time. Just so you can have an idea some of my last crushes were: Dr Flug from Villanos, Jackson Jekyll from Monster High, Raggedy Andy, THE Eddie Munson (for a whole year and some months, and I was so bullied after his "trend" ended because people said that his fans were cringe and everything (that's fake lol they are very nice)), 70% of my list are just nerds and sensitive guys with different types of mental illness yay my fav type

and now I think I'm feeling unironically atracted by this man it's just happening really slowly 😭 (DEMISEXUALS ‼️‼️⁉️⁉️💥💥💥💥💥👊👊👊👊)

I'm gonna be honest with you, at the moment I can't decide if I like him or not I'm so confused at the same time that I get it I also don't like how tf am I atracted by this man 😭 and then I'm like hmm he's acually cute let me search for some fanfiction

I'M SO CONFUSED I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ANYMORE i guess I'll just wait to see what happens

you guys know that tiktok audio "at first I was like 'hmmm feet' as a joke,,,,, but bro....... I don't think that's a joke anymore...." (that's me rn but with Cedric)

Also I would like to take this oportunity that you're listening to me talking about Cedric to say the most important thing that this fandom needs to know:

We need more Cedric representations in Whimsical/Whimsigoth/Whimsigothic aesthetic it's like it was made for him just search that on Pinterest please you won't regret

And I'm here wondering what kind of songs he would listen to. I think he would like dark fantasy music, or witch music. I don't care if he's on medieval era and people didn't had access to a lot of music genres at that time, we are talking about disney nothing is historically correct

I can't help but think about Lana Del Rey but being a huge fan of her songs I don't think that it matches his tastes. I guess he maybe would like Aurora's last album, The Gods We Can Touch. I don't know why, it's the witchy vibes I guess. But I don't know, it's still not something that matches him a lot. EXCEPT FOR THE SONG MIDAS TOUCH FROM AURORA. IT'S PERFECT FOR HIM YOU GUYS SHOULD CHECK IT OUT

The cover isn't giving the aesthetic though, Aurora made this song for a show and then put the show album cover unfortunately. But her aesthetics are usually whimsical and magic, inspired by theatre, greek gods and tarot. This song is so good 😭

And of course there are songs like Everything Matters that fits his vibe but idk it depends on who's listening since it's not about the lyrics. The Innocent has a small part who matches him a little, the whole song has that witchy vibe dancing around the fire, I don't know how to describe it.

Coming back to Cedric I think my favorite scenario is him having an apprendice not too much younger than him. I think it's cute. I've never seen any fics like this (in fact I just read like 5 oneshots which is almost nothing) and if you guys know any let me know. I think it's just nice the idea of living with him and being his apprendice while having like a romantic tension between the two characters. It's cute

Also remember when I said I was going to talk a little more about the brazillian portuguese dub? So, something that I thought was really funny happened to me: In the first season he had his voice actor obviously and I was already used to his voice some time after watching the cartoon. It was very funny to me because the first time I saw a "scene compilation" of him it was in english, so hearing him talk in my language was fun. And btw his voice actor did a really good job voicing him, he (had a similar voice and) was really expressive just like his english VA, so like, really nice 👍

And then at some point in season two, from one episode to another, his voice actor suddently changed????? And obviously I got a little sad because his first VA was really good and I was used to his voice :( but the thing is: The new VA wasn't just a new one, IT'S THE SAME GUY WHO VOICED DR FLUG HERE IN BRAZIL AND I WAS LIKE OMG

THEY ARE SO SIMILAR IN PERSONALITY AND NOW THEY HAVE THE SAME VOICE WITH THE VOICE ACTOR'S MANNEIRISMS AND EVERYTHING (because that VA really has an specific way to talk, he stutter a little, sounds a little ironic but at the time really anxious, make some funny sounds for no reason sometimes like his screams)

I was really upset when they changed all the brazillian voice actors in Villanos, and that Flug didn't had his full-of-personality-and-expressive voice anymore :( the new episodes now have new voices and eveything, and they did their best, but it's not the original voices anymore and it doesn't hit the same yk? And then BAM CELDRIC HAS DOCTOR FLUGS VOICE NOW BITCH TAKE THIS

and the fact that Sofia The First was dubbed even before Villanos came out it's so funny to me

So yeah let me show you guys his amazing work at voicing two of my favorite characters:

After they changed Cedric's voice actor I was a little annoyed by the fact that I couldn't hear Cedric anymore, just Flug 😭 but now I'm slowly getting used to it and it's starting to sound like Cedric again.

Before that happened I could see some similarities between the two but I thought that I was just thinking too much and trying to connect two fandoms that I like, so I just forgot about it. After that happened my mind just blew it all make so much sense right now

And they are so similar in personality that I had to make a list of everything they have in common:

They work for guys that are completely blind to their talents and think that they're just idiots all the time

They have more potential than people think

Their projects/spells always go wrong because people keep disrupting their public moments, and so they are seen and weak and dumb (when they're not)

Science/Magic guys (they keep throwing liquids from one pot to another and saying difficult words, only for someone to stop them halfway and the substance explodes in their face, making them angry because this person once again interrupted their project that was going perfectly)

Self-confidence issues

Anxious mess, are always nervous and scared of something bad happening all the time

Childhood trauma because people never really saw their acomplishments and again and again kept repeating that they are idiots who don't know nothing (when they are geniuses!!)

They say that they're mean and they say that they do mean things when actually they are just really nice. They just choose that path because they think it's the only one that can bring them sucess and recognition in the future, but they were never made for this. They just do that because they want to proof their value to people who can't see it.

At the same time that they are mentally unstable, sometimes their confidence is so high that they start to act arrogant because "they're too smart and their projects are amazing": "I love what I do I'm the best sorcerer/scientist in the world"

But when they need to show that to people something bad always happens (because of other people!) And their plan fails, leaving them with confidence issues

"I'm too smart you guys don't deserve me"

"I can't do anything right omg i'm so stupid"

Their movements and maneirisms are so expressive, they're both skinny and tall and keep making those anxious poses, fidgeting with their hands, always anxious, scared of something, thinking too much and overall being nervous and ankward around their bosses

Boss just treats them as failures and gives them orders, in which they respond in the most submissive and saddest way because they're just miserable and just two little guys who are trying to proof their value in a place where no one even see them as people

But sometimes they are genuinely egoistic and egocentric because duh they're the best sorcerer/scientist out there, hello everybody is gonna know their name when they rule the world bye

They act so stupid and lovesick in their official crushes episodes, it's so funny

And even if we never saw Dr Flug's official face there is a design out there in the fandom where he has black hair with white streaks on his bangs so like 👍👍

Well um I guess that's all I have to say about this subject for now

These are my thoughts 🫶

I feel like I said a lot in a short amout of time but I'm here writing since 04:30 AM and now it's 07:47 AM so like. yikes

[edennill]

ruling queens of númenor - headcanons and opinions:

tar-ancalimë: I think she made it very hard for any future ruling queens by being, well, an immeasurably difficult person. and people understood it was because of her shitty upbringing! - but it didn't make her easier to deal with and many felt she didn't even try to move past it... from a governing point of view, it was assumed by some that she'd begin prioritising women in political circles, but oddly enough she didn't? she made it pretty obvious what she thought of men, but she expected the women she interacted with to have the same opinions as her on the subject, and when that wasn't feasible she showed them even greater contempt than their counterparts of the other sex. and as queen... she wasn't a very bad ruler but made it way too obvious that many of her decisions were fuelled by spite, usually towards her late father and husband. in her life however, she was pitied as much as hated, though that pity didn't last for future generations.

tar-telperien: I feel like there would have been considerable mistrust towards her initially because of how tar-ancalimë was remembered, but she ended up being one of númenor's best loved rulers. she was a very fortunate mixture of majestic and warm, her one major fault being that she could be terribly stubborn at times, but somehow people were willing to forgive that. and yes, she never had a romantic liaison in her life, aside maybe from an infatuation or two when she was very young... also I think she had several younger brothers and very good relationships with them. there would have been a lot of space for conflict there because there was no precedence in númenor's history for a daughter with male siblings inheriting the sceptre, but ultimately relationships in her family were surprisingly healthy given what the former generations were like. there may have been some slight jealousy on the part of one or more of them, but they knew the law was fair and didn't let it show... also in a weird flashback to her sindarin ancestors, she had silver hair, hence her name

tar-vanimeldë: I don't really have too much to say about her... I feel she's been given something of a short shrift by the narrative, though otoh it's still more than we have for some other kings... much ink has been spilled about how odd the ratio of kings to queens is in númenor if we consider that the law was absolute primogeniture from ancalimë on. I believe jrrt just didn't think it through well enough, however it certainly encourages one to conclude that there was a bunch of eldest princesses that something happened to; my personal theory being that the fact a woman could turn down the sceptre without even a nominal coronation meant that it was very easy for someone to force her to decline... that said - I don't think vanimeldë was ever interested in ruling and I believe it was her more ambitious husband who helped her through that initial precariousness. she can't have been too glad once she realised he had basically usurped her (because people don't just steal the rule from under their sons without any iffy behaviour before that - or did hallacar invent some weird justification for the latter?), but I don't think she felt she could do anything about it.

tar-miriel: first of all, i kind of like that one version in which she marries pharazon of her own will. I'm not sure what that version goes on to say, but as I imagine it - first she agreed that they be co-rulers; her position was precarious enough, she believed it would be good for politics and she liked and trusted him. but he went on to steal the throne from under her and she never learned if that was what he had been planning to do from the beginning. the rest is history and her personal tragedy. what happened with sauron was not her fault, but she would lie awake at night and blame herself... interestingly enough, the faithful never did and around half of them believed she was forced into the marriage anyway... I have a lot more to say about her, in fact, enough that I think I'll make a separate post, but for now I'll only add that I personally headcanon that while tar-palantir stayed faithful to the end, despite the failure of all his plans, miriel chafed. her father understood that no one could force the númenoreans to change against their will (I mean I guess Eru presumably could? but obviously he wouldn't, because free will), but she didn't and felt betrayed... I think that she had to regain faith before the end, because otherwise it's too bitter a tale, to live through terror without knowing there is good one can rely on. the tale is bitter anyhow, but she did not die in despair.

[astarzzlv]

Headcanons of Princess Estelle's life at government school? How did each of those headcanons shape her?

Hii! I'm so glad you asked cuz idk where to put these info in my story (⁠〒⁠﹏⁠〒⁠)

Reminder: Estelle only keeps in touch with a few of her primary school friends. The bonds weren’t super strong since she didn’t have much time to hang out with them, and after primary school, she was sent off to a private school. So, most of her interactions were just at school.

Also, in government primary school, there were subjects that weren’t taught as thoroughly as in private schools, like advanced foreign languages, basic business and creative arts (like music, drama, etc). To keep up, Estelle had tutors come over to the palace to help her out. So, while she learned a lot about blending in with commoners, she also had to balance that with her royal education.

Positive:

1. Learned to blend in with commoners

Going to a government school helped Estelle connect with all kinds of students from different backgrounds. It really opened her eyes and helped her understand and relate to people outside her royal life, making her a bit more down-to-earth.

2. Toughened up against judgement

Once her classmates found out she was a princess, the gossip started flying. This taught her how to brush off negativity and focus on the real friendships in her life, which made her more resilient.

3. She improved her communication skills

To fit in with her classmates, Estelle learned to drop the royal act and speak more casually. This helped her become a better listener and communicator, which is super important for her future.

4. Appreciated authentic friendships

Estelle learned to value people for who they are, not what they have.

5. Gained a sense of independence

Estelle had to figure things out on her own, which was a big change for her. She couldn’t rely on her status or authority to get by, so she learned to navigate situations by herself. This helped her develop a sense of independence that she values now.

6. Honed Her Wit and Humor

Estelle picked up on how her classmates joked around, which helped her develop her own sense of humor. She learned to use wit and sarcasm to connect with others and diffuse tense situations, making her more relatable and helping her fit in better. It also gave her a way to express herself that didn’t always involve her royal persona. (now you know where she learned how to cuss like a pro)

Negative:

1. Faced envy and fear

Some classmates were jealous of her, some got scared of her status as a princess, which made things awkward. Estelle had to be careful about who she trusted, leading to a feeling of isolation even when she was around people.

2. Pressure to hide her identity

Keeping her royal identity a secret was tough. It made her feel like she had to hide parts of herself, leading to frustration when she couldn’t just be herself.

3. Dealt with fake friendships

She thought this would only happen in private school. But no, Estelle ran into a lot of people who just wanted to be friends because of her wealth. This taught her a hard lesson about trust and made her more guarded around new people.

4. Struggled with her identity

Attending a school where she had to hide her royal background left her feeling conflicted. She often felt like she was walking a tightrope between being a royal and wanting to fit in.

5. Misunderstood as the teacher’s pet

She often got labeled as the teacher's pet, with rumors flying that she paid them off for good grades. That really frustrated her because she was putting in the effort, and it made her feel like no one recognized her hard work.

6. Accusations of favoritism

Estelle constantly dealt with rumors of favoritism, which added a lot of pressure. She felt like everyone was watching her, making school even more challenging.

Estelle's time in government primary school really helped her understand commoners better and appreciate their struggles. But it also opened her eyes to a harsh truth: it doesn’t matter what your background is; anyone can become a villain or betray you. That realization was tough, but it made her wiser and more cautious in her relationships. Despite that, she still believes in the goodness of people and knows that true friendship is about loyalty and trust, regardless of status. Ultimately, she learned that while some may let her down, there are still genuine connections to be made <3

[gingergari]

Saw your Peach AU art and it got me wondering:

What was her reasoning for using the crown long term? Is it a secret that is revealed later? Or are mario and luigi told right away? Does bowser know? So many questions!!

Of course if anything I ask is a spoiler you don't have to answer!

oh my god i forgot to save my draft 😭 i’ll try to remember what i wrote

1. it really wasn’t her decision to use the crown but more of a tradition of the royal family that had gone on for some time. it’s something she learned how to properly use growing up, alongside toadette and toadiko :]

since the mushroom kingdom is rather prominent (major source of healing mushrooms, exporter of the main ? block material, and the transportation pipe hub), it has been the target of conquests before, especially when the ruler was perceived to be as weak as a toad. they aren’t very strong constitutionally, and the mushroom kingdom does not have the best military even in war time, so one of their ‘defenses’ is a ‘human’ with strong magic like peach.

i definitely think it’s not out of the question for there to have been an actual human ruler before the crown began to be used, but that would have been some time ago.

i’m still deciding on how much of a secret this is in the mushroom kingdom. i’m leaning more towards a forgotten fact among her people, as peach is never in public in her toad form but she is nonetheless accepted and beloved by her subjects.

(peasley knows on account of the beanbean kingdom’s relationship with the mushroom kingdom and an early hope that they could be betrothed. this obviously doesn’t happen but they are close regardless. i’m not sure if daisy knows, but i would like her to)

2. mario and luigi are not immediately told, and fairly so. though they had sought out and rescued the princess not long after arriving in the kingdom, the two are still strangers and liabilities that were attempting to return home to brooklyn anyway. toadsworth would’ve had a heart attack if she did 💀 it’s only after they settle and mario starts getting especially close with peach that this becomes an issue. since she’s perceived as the only human besides themselves and daisy, a bit of their relationship seems to be built on the two being alike.

peach waffles and stalls on telling him because of the obvious safety issue for herself but also her fear that she will lose everything with mario since she isn’t what he thinks she is.

and ofc, once mario knows, luigi will know as well.

they do find out, though! eventually! :D

3. bowser absolutely does not know, and it is peach’s imperative that it stays that way. bowser is the main threat to the mushroom kingdom and if there is anything that he can use to obtain victory, he will use it. he is also in love/lust with peach which doesn’t help matters. peach is terrified of the possibility that he finds out somehow, and believes if this ever happens he will kill her.

once the bros know, they pull out all the stops to keep this illusion up in the event that the four are interacting with each other, but this is rare.

(bowser has seen peach’s toad form, though! 🩵 he just doesn’t know it)

[asmolfolk]

Hi, love ❤

I don't know if your request is open or not. But, if so, may i've a hazbin hotel request. Angel dust with a handsome male reader, taller than himself, and likes to tease 😏 to others (but, mostly to angel dust) . With Smut thing please🙏🥺, I ' m begging you 😭😭😭

Pronounce : he / his

Your work is like a magic

Hello, sweetie! Hope you like what I did there <3 My request are open, yes! Thank you for the ask, it's a pleasure doing it. And thank you for your kind words! <3

Angel Dust x Taller!Male-Reader

I got this header from this sweetpie!

A bit of backstory.

Anyone who looked at your way... Was absolutely taken back by their words, by their choices... Why? Because you were absolutely handsome. Everything about your appearence was enough to give you a little fame... And because of that fame, it was a surprise when people find out about your... Odds behaviors.

Going to hell... You didn't have that in your to do list... But what can you do now? Well, you thought that now you have to stick around with the idea of being in this place... Until you heard about Hazbin Hotel - that was an opportunity that you COULDN'T miss... Even if it was BS.

Also, I would say that you would be a White Tiger.

Sfw

For starters, Angel Dust was already leaning in to talk to you - he was pretty much accustomed with being the tallest demon around the hotel... Until he looked at you. You were strangely tall... And you must be one of the most handsome sinners that he has EVER seen.

You knocked on the door and were fastly answered by Charlie - Who was quite surprised to see someone there. "May I help you?" She would ask, with her sweet smile, while holding the door. "Well... Aren't you a cute one?" You immediatly hold her free hand, giving it a kiss - You acted like a gentleman "You must be Charlie Magne, the princess right? Pleasure meeting you, I'm [Name]." She was smilling a lot, didn't see a sinner that was so proper in so many years... Maybe she could have a chance on reedeming you! "I'm quite interested in your whole plan... May I be your test subject?" "Oh- Well..." She gave you space for you to enter, she guide you to the saloon "You see him? The spider-boy? He is already our test subject! But... I guess it wouldn't hurt having two!"

"Angel Dust's the name. Looks like we finally have a hotstuff that isn't me." He said, laughing a bit. "Oh, I see what you meaned then... It must be similar attraction, my sweet spider" You said, holding his hand and kissing it "I must say, never did I thought that I would find a sinner handsome." Oh, sweet. Now there's two of them - Thought both Alastor and Vaggie.

Since that little interaction, you two got along pretty well - always praising, flirting and even being too touchy with eachother. It was a mutual physical attraction that nobody could actually try to calm it. Angel finally founded someone that wasn't a asshole but still being a flirt and hot.

I think that Angel wouldn't mind you flirting around, he does the same thing.

And I do think that Angel would actually think it's pretty hot when you come to him, flirting with him - and not letting him be alone. You were his savior from all this messed up things that happened to him... Together with the hotel.

He would treasure you even before dating you... Also, you being taller than him was no problem - He likes it actually, thinks it makes you look intimidating [And that solves a lot of his problems.]

Being with Angel means one thing... You know everything about what Val did to him, he couldn't thought about hidding it from you - Especially because, he knows that could happen again.

Imagine his surprise when you come to his hotel's room, full of blood and holding his freedom paper... That was your first gift to him as a boyfriend... And he couldn't ask for anything else.

Now, being free from Valentine's hands... He didn't know what to do, but knew that he could finally rest.

Relationship [SFW]

Don't get me wrong, but I'm sure that Angel would do a lot of tall jokes... He heard a lot of them already, now it's your turn. Expect holding hands with him while he is occupied with something or cuddling with him. He always takes you to meet Cherry Bomb, he wants you to get along with his bestie - After all, you were both of the only people that he would tell his past to. Angel's love language for you are Physical Touch and Acts of Service. He just can't take his hands of you, he is always touching you, kissing you... Doing things for you. You can ask him anything, you must be sure that he will do it. He doesn't mind what your love language is, but he guesses that it's Words of Affirmation. He loves to cuddle with you and Fat Nuggets, especially when his mind goes to things he regrets... On bad days. He isn't the perfect boyfriend [on his mind] but he tries his best to make you comfortable, to make you see through 'Angel Dust' and to actually see Anthony.

He shows you off to anyone, like "LOOK AT MY HANDSOME AND TALL BOYFRIEND! HE IS TALLER THAN ME, YOU SUCKERS HAHAHA" - He would even compare your height to all of his friends.

If he gets in trouble, he is PROBABLY going to call you and wait patiently for your advices. He hears your words like they are divine, he would try to follow all of them. If he hears you flirting with someone else, he is probably going to flirt with that other person too-

Nsfw

Oh my, it's hot here. Now, let's just say:

If you aren't in a relationship.

He probably thought that your flirtly attitude towards him was only that, wanting to fuck him and then nothing else. He would give this opportunity to you. Being the top or bottom didn't matter to him [But he was sure that you wanted to fuck and not to be the one fucked.] Being the bottom is easy for him, he is a bit of a bratty tho. Would even tease you until you are not going easy on him, until you don't hold back. He would mark you a lot and expect you to leave some marks on him too... So don't be afraid. Being the top was a odd request for him, most of his clients wanted to fuck him only. But he wouldn't obliged, he is a Service top, just say what you want from him and he shall give to you. He wouldn't expect you to stay, so just hold him... He would be quite... Happy with that.

But, to him, that was a one nightstand - nothing else.

If you are in a relationship.

This one will have more informations.

Bottom Angel.

As I said before, he is a bratty type. He would do everything to tease you until you pull him aside to put him in his place, he would ALWAYS say that he is sorry and that he wouldn't do it again... But when he is bored, teasing you was the first thing that he would do.

He does care where he is being fucked... After all, he likes the thought that - now - you and him are together, he wouldn't let someone see you if you don't like it.

He has a lot of kinks, he wouldn't care to realise one of yours - It's pretty much normal to him to do it like that, actually.

Angel has a high sex drive, but he can hold himself - He isn't feral yet... Just wait until he see his marks on you.

Aftercare with Angel is always reassuring him, holding him, cuddling, kissing him... Making sure that he feels loved and not a flashlight.

"...Thank you. I... I never thought I would feel like this when having sex, it's like a new thing to me." "Nobody treated you like that?" "Oh, I wished... Well... Some people say you suffer to value what you earn... I think that this reflects this momment... So, Thank you again, [Name]. Thank you for being my boyfriend."

Top Angel.

"Top Service, top dick." - That's what he said to you after you asked him to be the top. He wouldn't DOM you, unless if you wanted. He would concentrate in giving you as much pleasure as possible - he had enough with people treating others as flashlights, he wouldn't do that with you. He is actually a sweetpie in bed, always looking at your face, searching for pain, discomfort and always trying to make this whole experience good for you. He would take everything slow and passionated... He knows that he wasn't like that when you were just fucking, but... You are especial to him now. What can he do unless treat you like it? Aftercare with Angel is him reassuring you, shoving you with hugs, kisses and kind words.

[palaceoftherakes]

"i suppose marriage has always been a financial proposition, even in fiction."

Little Women (2019), dir. Greta Gerwig

the idea of marriage has always been strange.

for me, well i'm bisexual, and i never thought that marriage would be a prospect to me because i didn't think i'd ever be capable of loving one person for the rest of my life. then, i watched Little Women (2019). it wasn't this epiphany, but a slow realisation about how i'd been brainwashed to believe that marriage was the way to fulfilment. while there are many things about Greta Gerwig's adaptation that i'd like to discuss, sisterhood, womanhood and youth being few to mention, i would like to focus on this concept of marriage as it is represented through the eyes of Jo, who up until my tenth watch, i identified with the most.

Jo March, as self-described, is frumpy, homely and unlike any woman, Theodore Laurance would ever want to marry. i too have always felt like that. never be the one to be asked out, or even noticed by boys in school, and when i realised i liked girls too, it became a taboo subject that left me with slurs and various degrees of internalised homophobia. growing older, I've realised that perhaps it is me being a poc in a majority-white setting that has made it so difficult to feel the right to be loved by others romantically. or maybe it's because i've been stagnant in my approach to sexuality that it's scared others away. enough self-evaluation: Jo sees marriage like a prison, and that makes sense. or does it?

a perfect home life, yes. a nuclear family, the husband, the wife, the children, the white picket fence and a warm hearth to surround when it gets cold outside. even though the love between marmie and father is one to be idolised, it is caring and unconditional love that surrounds Jo, and yet she finds herself opposed to the very notion of marriage.

the setting that the march family sit in is quiet, a cottage core aesthetic (to use contemporary reference) where the only people they interact with are the Laurences, the Hummels and one Mr. John Brooke. when Teddy and Jo pair off and become quick and steadfast friends the natural conclusion is that they'll get married and have a hoard of children while living a mildly happy life. it works for Meg and Mr. Brooke, so why wouldn't it work for Teddy and Jo?

to me, it's very clear. it's clear for the moment Jo leaves her family home and moves to New York to work in a boarding house. meeting the foreign professor is this sign shouting "THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THAN WHAT YOU KNOW!" he applies a different school of thought and challenges her in a way that Laurie and her family never did. the challenges she faces, the rejection from the publishing house, not being chosen to go to France with Aunt March, and most significantly the death of Beth, all push her to the conclusion of finishing her book and getting it published.

but the question becomes, why was i more satisfied with the ending of Jo and Friedrich (the professor) than with her getting her book published? i guess it becomes the conversation of what romantic films have periodically presented us with the 'happy ending', which has been, falling in love, getting married, having oodles of children and then dying. to be honest, it's not just romantic films, it's the disney princesses that surrounded me in childhood. its stereotypes that are perpetuated even further into media, and are ingrained into young girls from a young age. even now, as I'm meeting adulthood for the first time, the questions of marriage, kids and the future keep on cropping up in conversations. i don't think i was ever conscious of my own bias when watching films, but watching Little Women for what seems to be the 100th time makes me wonder what it really means to be married, what that commitment really means. Is it like Jo says, an 'economic proposition' or is it something much more than that?

author note:

amy and laurie >>>> jo and laurie

[super-mario-confessions]

Movie Bowser was a complete r/niceguy but somehow everybody but me misread him as a himbo sweetheart???

To recap:

He felt entitled to marrying Peach even though I'm pretty sure prior to the movie they'd only ever heard of each other and never actually met before

He heard she was hanging out with some other guy, immediately assumed said other guy was trying to "steal" her from him, and vowed to murder the other guy's brother in front of him then most likely murder the other guy himself as well

He threatened Peach's subjects to blackmail her into marrying him

He was fully prepared to sacrifice his prisoners "in her honour" despite the fact that she SO VERY CLEARLY DOES NOT WANT TO WATCH A BUNCH OF INNOCENT PEOPLE DIE

His first instinct upon Peach "breaking up" with him was to try to kill her and everyone she loves and destroy her kingdom

He immediately assumed this was all Mario's fault despite him not even being at the wedding and vowed to make him suffer "like him"

One of the defining traits of a himbo is that he's respectful, especially towards women. Movie Bowser is not. This is the kind of behaviour you'd see from a self-proclaimed "nice guy" who thinks acting like a half-decent person entitles him to a romantic relationship then instantly resorts to insults and threatening when he gets turned down. But this one gets a pass because... what, he sang a (frankly overrated) love song, which I feel I should mention doesn't say anything about what it is he likes about Peach?

I don't buy it.

Not that I know what fan content you've seen, but I'd wager that the screenshot of Bowser holding the bouquet and giving puppy eyes fell on your timeline a lot huh?

On my side, most of the posts about movie Bowser were from Bowuigi fans celebrating their crumbs of interaction between the two. So I can't really say for sure if the fandom mislabeled Bowser as a himbo. However, I DID enjoy the new development of his attraction to Peach. Although Super Mario Odyssey and Super Paper Mario had weddings between the two, we really didn't have much of an idea of how would Bowser would actually treat the princess as his spouse. Finally, we have the official Mario Movie to confirm that yes, Bowser would be a nightmare of a husband. There's a part of me that is happy to finally have that answered.

Also "Peaches" is a GREAT song actually, how dare you.

[midnightmah07]

ALRIGHT CONTINUATION‼️‼️ Now Adeline’s time to suffer😈:

The gleam of his eyes

“Now, don’t think I forgot about your situation.”

The voice of Isabelle’s was like a ring to Adeline’s ears. Making her neck snap instantly to look at the girl, it was a tone of curiosity in the girl’s eyes. Well, but there was a hint of “please don’t say what I think you will say”.

“You and the certain fae from Briar Valley.” A smug grin crossed Isabelle’s face.

But, Adeline instead of giving the satisfaction scoffed rolling her eyes. “Oh, please. There’s a hundreds of fayes in Briar Valley. You need to be more specific, darling.”

She crosses her arms bitting her tongue, wishing Isabelle would not remember his name. But, to her surprise or wrong prediction, Isabelle uses her signature spell on Adeline. “Malleus Draconia! That’s his name.”

-

SNEEZE

“Bless you, kid.” Lilia says across the room to Malleus who cleans his slight stuffy nose. “Hey, you know what they say. If you sneeze someone is talking about you!”

“I hope they are at least being respectful towards the young master!” Sebek barks at Malleus side. Who hums at Lilia’s comment, it was just a sneeze, no big deal after all.

-

“I really hope that you surfer with your crush on Leona.” Adeline says with her eyebrows furrowed.

“I don’t have a crush on him!” Isabelle shakes her head, standing closer to the taller friend (at least compared to her) “Don’t try to change subjects! I know very well your deal with him.” The smirks grows awhile Adeline rolls her eyes, crossing arms. “After all, you’ve told me yourself, you two met one day before your sixteen birthday, haven’t you? Like you said it, you both met once upon a dream.”

“Well, don’t need to make a big deal out of it. I don’t exactly knew him, it was maybe just someone similar to him.”

“Similar to a six feet tall fae with long black hair and bright green eyes?” The brown haired girl asked the half fae, who tried to argue back but closed her mouth with the lack of arguments. “See? It may not be destiny, but at the same times dreams like that are seldom all they seem.”

The blonde one sighs, back leaning against the cold wall. “It’s hopeless, Isa… He is a future king. I don’t want that fame to me. I mean… Not that you would get it, you are a princess, but still. I want to me memorable by my own, not because a heir fell in love with me.”

Isabelle raises her eyebrow, knowing her friend well enough, to understand that she was hiding something within the truth of everything she feels towards Malleus. Who doesn’t show that much, but adores Adeline just being there.

“You know, you can let people save you sometimes.” Isabelle saw right through her, like Adeline did it. “But, if I know you, Adeline, I know what you’ll do. You will have him to wait for you. You may not want him to show you affection now, but sooner or later you will realize you like him as well.” “Don’t just assume it, Isabelle. And I know it's true. But… I can’t be what he wants… He is just confused. It’s only a phase, he will eventually leave me.”

The stupid ideas stuff down Adeline’s head, Isabelle always heard that from her, she was someone hard to leave but hard to stay with, at least this is what people think or say without watching her for too long. There’s a silence, where you can’t hear anything else other than the sound of your own heart beating, awhile Adeline’s heart tried to fix the multiple lines of her emotions that grew to be nothing else bur confusing.

“But, oh… The gleam of his eyes are so familiar a gleam.” Adeline breathing in her words softly.

“Why is that?”

“Because they make me feel like home, in a place I’ve met once upon a dream.”

STAWPPPP THEY'RE SO SO CUTE I LOVE THEM AHHH :((((((((((((((((

I LOVE THIS SM<33 I LOVE ADELINE AND ISABELLE'S FRIENDSHIP<333 I LOVE THEIR LITTLE INTERACTIONS AND TEASING AMD HOW THEY'RE ALWAYS PUTTING EACH OTHER AGAINST THE WALL EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE BASICALLY IN THE SAME SITUATION<333 I LOVE THEM<333

[30-mokke-in-a-trenchcoat]

Q&A, Nocsia Edition

Messages for the lovely stepsister

Messages and questions

I love how oblivious she is. I wanted to see her interact with Princesss Neige more.

I hope she can close the gap between herself and Princess Neige little by little! She's the biggest chad out of all of them, so I'm cheering her on! Nocsia: It always makes me happy to hear that someone likes me, and while it doesn't happen often, sometimes even Neige says she likes me!

What's your life like now that you've moved to the castle? I doubt that you have much time for flowers, so I'm curious what else you spend your time on. Nocsia: To tell the truth, I've claimed a little corner of the castle garden for my own, and I take care of the flowers there. I'm certain the staff responsible for the garden must have noticed by now, but it seems they've chosen to overlook it. Ras: I go there sometimes and help out. I think Leo does, too. Nocsia: Oh, I knew it! Ras: You did? Nocsia: Yes, it looked like someone else had been tending to it even when I was too busy to go there for a while… I thought that the one who left pulled weeds lying around everywhere must have been you, Rasphard, and the one who neatly cleared everything away must have been Estelio. Neige: You always leave things a mess. Ras: Ouch… Nocsia: Ha ha ha, no, I'm grateful. Thank you. Nocsia: By the way, on the subject of how I spend my time… I was just an ordinary florist's daughter, so I don't know anything about the rules of high society, or how to comport myself as a princess. Because of that, there are so many things that I have to learn that I spend practically all day studying.

Do you and Neige have a better relationship now? What kind of things do you two talk about? Nocsia: I've gotten her to warm up to me bit by bit. She talks about Estelio and Rasphard the most, and sometimes she helps me with my studies. Leo: She talks about my little brother and me…? Nocsia: I've heard all kinds of things about you two. Leo: "All kinds of things?" Nocsia: Yes, indeed.

How do you feel about Neige and Estelio's relationship? Nocsia: They're quite frustrating. If only Estelio could be more honest with her… don't you agree? Ras: Yeah, though when you think about the position he's in, it's got to be difficult for him.

The way Nocsia completely overwhelmed Leo in Ending 2 was awesome! （´∀｀） Is there anything she would like to do with Neige?? Nocsia: Ha ha ha, thank you. Let's see… what I would like to do with Neige… maybe give her some advice about romance…?

I want to ask how you want Leo and Neige to end up. Nocsia: Considering that the king got married to my mother, and that Estelio is the eldest son of a noble family to begin with, I think she ought to put herself out there more a little more.

Nocsia is so beautiful and cute…!! Nocsia: Oh, you really think so? Thank you.

I couldn't help thinking that Ras and Nocsia would make a good couple! (lol) She'll definitely! definitely! make him happy!!!!!!!

If you're looking for a boyfriend, Nocsia, how about Ras?! Nocsia: Rasphard? Ras: … Nocsia: I… wonder if that would work out. Ras: Wha--nope. Nope. Nocsia: I'm not sure about our romantic potential, but I would say that we're good friends right now. We're close in age, and Rasphard also lived in the city for most of his life. Ras: I know it's rough in a lot of ways, going from being a commoner to a princess.

What's your favorite flower? Nocsia: Lily of the valley. You can grow them in a pot, and they look simple and elegant, yet cute. Ras: I like them, too! They're famous for being poisono--er, never mind.

Are you plotting to do anything to help the princess and Leo progress in their relationship? Nocsia: Hmm… that's a good question. What should I do? I don't think they'll appreciate any interference from me, but at the same time, I can't stand just sitting back and watching.

I want to know what kind of rumors about Neige the stepsister has heard. Nocsia: Mostly that she's a beautiful princess. She's famous internationally, you know, and I've heard that she's received many marriage proposals, all of which His Majesty has refused… And that she actually has a fiance already… Of course, these are all just rumors. Ras: Wait, you've got a fiance? You? Leo: For a genius, you certainly are stupid.

I'm curious about how the king and Nocsia's mother met. It would probably turn into a long story if I asked the king, so I want to hear the answer from Nocsia's mother! Then again, she never actually appeared in the story… Nocsia: I'll answer in her place. They got to know each other when His Majesty secretly came to our shop to buy flowers. Since he was in disguise, neither of us had even the slightest idea that he was the king. Leo: His Majesty is the kind of person who would make a habit of going out to the city in disguise, after all. Nocsia: Every time he showed up, he would order an enormous bouquet and tell us "It's a souvenir for my daughter." My mother thought it was so sweet of him.

[starsweepers]

my take on cleo may lean more heavily on the live action interpretation in terms of looks and some behavioral aspects... but she still heavily draws from g1 and when interacting with g1 characters, my take pretty much can slot in perfectly. obviously the events of the live action movies aren't canon when i do this, but i accept most of the g1 things as canon to my cleo when interacting in this verse. really only some minor appearance changes and then her personality is toned down a smidge from actual cartoony g1 cleo. she's a bit less flat to me, but that doesn't erase the events of what has happened.

so i'm perfectly happy to use the g1 verse with others who have a preference for those events and situations and the like. to me, there's not a heck of a lot of difference in the characters outside of, of course, my unique interpretations but. even with those, i consider myself mostly aligned with g1 canon. i just try to draw out more bits and pieces and personality than what the shorts and early movies provide.

a random other notice i have between my main take on cleo and g1 is really just who she considers her best friends.

i respect the live action movies' take and so lagoona is actually her bestie in that verse ( deuce isn't going to be chatted about in this headcanon because he's an entirely different subject for me lol ). abbey is also close, and then ghoulia is just... there. this can be up for discussion, because honestly i think they did ghoulia dirty in the live actions. so i have no qualms with changing any of this around. and obviously lagoona is an extremely different character, so i consider myself pretty flexible.

in terms of the main trio, she considers claw her closest friend, then frankie, and then drac. live action drac is obviously a bit more... aloof? kind of? secretive for a bit and way less bubbly. plus i feel like drac and her have known each other much longer and with the way draculaura is changed up for the movies, it's clear the two are a bit headstrong and at odds.

i do really like the potential they have to get far closer, especially with ( my ) cleo finally breaking away from her family's expectations. i think she and draculaura have a lot in common and would actually be great friends.

but in this case, she came to respect claw first and it was clawdeen's efforts that inspired her to start being herself and stop trying to be the perfect mummy princess. it's still a struggle but... progress. and then frankie is... frankie. and not in a bad way. cleo admires their loyalty and rationality, but she does find frankie a bit overbearing and difficult to work with on occasion.

opposite of that, g1 based cleo will be besties with ghoulia, obviously. but then honestly she considers draculaura one of her closer friends. obviously she is not part of the main trio, but in g1 the two clearly have a lot in common and enjoy those aspects in each other. being ancient, rich, fashionable, etc. they actually love shopping together and supporting each other.

frankie falls in line after. g1 frankie is still a bit too exuberant for cleo, but it's the loyalty and rationality that cleo really enjoys. not to mention frankie's stuck up and helped her on numerous occasions, so while the two of them don't always see eye to eye, they share similar values at times and that bonds them.

she's weakest in her relationship with clawdeen just because g1 claw is so insanely stubborn and doesn't put up with cleo's shit lol. so they butt heads a lot and makes it difficult for the two of them to enjoy each other's company without others. however, cleo still loves clawdeen dearly, and really admires her fashion talents and sense. she is loyal to claw despite everything and will do what she can for her werewolf friend, even if they sometimes clash.

....anyways not really sure if this was a headcanon or just me wanting to ramble some about cleo.

[medea10]

My Review of Masamune-kun's Revenge: R

Uhhhhhh…Do I even remember this series? I know I reviewed it…I think?

Season One Review Here

Um, yep! I definitely did. But do I remember anything about this series? Let me think…Narcissist main character with body issues. I remember hating him. Icy-queen girl that the main character tries to get revenge on for fat comment when they were kids. Girly best friend. Lots of girls interested in main character. Lolita mother.

Ah yes, now I remember now! That mother!

HISTORY: Masamune Makabe is a high-school teen, heavily focused on his looks. Fatty foods and slothfulness are not in this guy’s diet. But this wasn’t how it always was. When he was younger, he was a chubby child and would occasionally be the subject of torment. What changed him from chunk to hunk? When he was younger, he had a crush on a young girl named Aki Adagaki. But she broke his heart and cruelly nicknamed him “Pig’s Foot”. This moment stuck with him and it changed Masamune.

Fast-forward to the present, Masamune is a high school student and manages to attend the same high school as the girl who insulted him as a child. So, Masamune wanted to plot a revenge plan to break Aki’s heart the way she once did to him. Easier said than done! Aki is known as the “Cruel Princess” where she is asked out by numerous boys. But she shuts them down and gives them all cruel nicknames (much like what Masamune got when he was younger). So, can Masamune win this cruel princess’s heart and then break it?

SECOND SEASON: Lordy, we waited a long time for this sequel. We last left off on Masamune’s class going on a field trip of some sort. Turns out, it’s a trip to freakin’ Paris, France. Usual shenanigans happen. Koiwai is still a shit-starter. Gasou still pisses off Masamune and at the same time is losing face with Aki. Fujinomiya is still a flirt. And Masamune x Aki is still a thing in the eye of strangers. A young, French artist named Muriel thought they would make a perfect inspiration for the manga she’s creating. And because this girl has a mafia-ish type brother, Masamune and Aki have no choice but to oblige this girl.

This class trip was about the length of two episodes, but it was enough for Masamune and Aki to have a moment and not a good one. We finally see these two (or the other Masamune) interact with each other as kids. Apparently, Aki enjoyed that time with Masamune as she was going through a tumultuous time at home with her parents separating. But she apparently doesn’t say anything about calling Masamune “Pig’s Foot”. That pissed Masamune off and he told her off for that.

As it turns out, it was Koiwai all along. I gotta say, I thought something like this was going to happen. Aki’s a bitch, but I don’t think she called Masamune that name when they were kids. Koiwai got jealous that this chubby kid was getting attention from Aki. One night while Aki was in bed sick, Koiwai dressed in disguise as Aki and called Masamune “Pig’s Foot”. Koiwai is the one that started it all. Because of her, Aki never saw Masamune again and had to suffer her parents divorcing on her own. Because of her, the chubby doppelganger with Masamune’s name is inching closer to Aki. Because of her, Masamune dropped the weight. In one way that’s a good thing, but then you remember what a complete narcicist this guy is as a result.

LICENSE: If I remember correctly, Masamune-kun was property of Crunchyroll all those years ago and they did give it an English dub eventually with people like Josh Grelle and Morgan Garrett. Fast-forward to six years later and we get same-day dubs and the entire English cast returning to voice these categories. Okay, bravo Crunchyroll. You did not fuck around and change the cast with your weird union-hating shit-fits you guys have been having.

UMM…HOW DO I TALK ABOUT THIS?!: Gasou being female. I seriously can’t remember if this was known when the first season aired. Was this revealed? Did the manga reveal this back in 2017 or did it come later? And they even kept the same person to voice Gasou in the dub, even after knowing this fact. Remind me again, who voices Gasou in Japane…Mitsuki Saiga, never mind! That woman can voice anything. The point of this babbling is that this came out of left-field and smacked me in the face.

SHIPPING PART II: Before we hit the halfway point, Masamune got a resolution from the past. Aki never once called Masamune “Pig’s Foot”. The boy that Aki was fond about when she was younger was Masamune. The two wound up a couple, I guess. But is it enough for Masamune? His several-year plan of revenge has crumbled suddenly. He has no reason to hold a grudge against Aki now. Masamune could set his anger out on Koiwai, but she probably suffered enough trouble as it is. And as it stands, Gasou is no longer a candidate after it was revealed she was a female posing as a chubby boy. Again, I seriously did not see that coming. All of this might seem overwhelming to Masamune. So much so that he started developing hives shortly after dating Aki.

But then we’ve got Fujinomiya butting in. You remember her, the one that occasionally goes commando. Surprise, she also has a past experience with young (fat) Masamune. I seriously don’t even remember this in the previous season. Despite Masamune being off the market, it really doesn’t stop her (or many other girls at school) from hitting on Masamune. But give Fujinomiya some credit as she does confront Aki and asks her to drop Masamune.

And that’s where we are at. Does Masamune stay with Aki? Does he dump Aki like he originally had it planned? Will he end up with Fujinomiya? Does Koiwai have a shot?

ENDING: Soooo…is the Masamune x Aki thing going to last? Aki’s attachment to Masamune stems from childhood, but didn’t connect the dots that Masamune was that chubby kid she used to play with. Masamune was ready to make Aki taste his revenge and didn’t care if it was going to hurt her, but changed his tune when he realized that Aki was not at fault for what happened between them. Like immediately after Masamune told Aki that he was that chubby kid, they were a couple.

It's been a couple of months now. They spent Christmas together. Aki finds out that Masamune wanted revenge against her and Masamune develops a case of hives. They spent Valentine’s Day together. And then came White Day. Koiwai ends up telling Aki the truth about everything with Masamune and “Pig’s Foot”. Aki takes Masamune to a drug store to confront an old bully of Masamune’s. Then came Masamune to give his White Day present to Aki…and she declines it. This one decline led to Aki to break things off from Masamune. The aftermath of the breakup went as follows.

Masamune ditches school and essentially leaves his mother and sister to take refuge at his grandfather’s. This of course, shattered Masamune’s loli momma. At school, his friends were concerned as they were led to believe that Masamune was sick. It wasn’t until the fourth day of his absence where Aki reveals that they broke up. Koiwai wasn’t even told about this, that’s how that went. Koiwai went after Fujinomiya as she thinks it was her interfering that caused something between the couple. It seems like Aki has put a lot of thought into her decision. She confronted Koiwai and yeah, Koiwai likes Masamune.

So, Koiwai took the trip to the countryside to meet up with Masamune. She greeted him with a kiss on the lips. So…I guess that means these two are a couple.

The final episode begins with the new school year. Aki’s decision to let Masamune go and Koiwai to have him was starting to come with a lot of regret. Even seeing him in class and lunchtime was starting to wane on her nerves. Aki’s next move came with chopping off her long hair. Yeah, whether heartbreak, a massive defeat, or an unexplainable accident, these things happen in anime. After this impulsive move, Koiwai sends Aki to their homeroom class to meet Masamune. There, she sees a letter addressed to her. Masamune met up with Aki and we learn that Masamune turned down Koiwai when she came all that way to release her feelings. Now that some time has passed and both know the truth behind everything, Masamune thinks it’s the best time to ask Aki out.

He kisses her. She slaps him. They’re a couple again.

We end the episode with the culture festival. The end of the festival anyways with the Bon dance.

Okay, after my disinterest of the first couple of episodes waned, I think I’m satisfied with what went down this season. I actually have a much bigger gripe. It’s just that I really hate it when I watch an anime over 5 years ago that really didn’t leave that big of an impression on me and then it all of a sudden comes back for a new season and I gotta remember every freakin’ detail from this. And that’s been happening a lot lately as I had to remember Black Butler stuff from over 10 years ago, Kimi ni Todoke stuff from 13 years ago, and Spice and Wolf stuff that happened 15 years ago. Help, I’m drowning!

As for this story, it was fine. Even though I didn’t read ahead about the whole Pig’s Foot debacle, I had a feeling that Koiwai was behind it all. I don’t know why, maybe because of her relationship with Masamune in the first season where she would continuously call him “Pig’s Foot” that I felt it. I guess I’m just relieved that this whole matter got settled halfway into the second season and we can actually see Masamune be with the woman he thought he hated and see if this relationship is going to last or fall apart. Oh well, alls well that ends well.

If you want to see a revenge to romance story, Redo of Healer is available on…Oops, let’s start that again.

If you would like to see a faux-harem, check out Alya Sometimes Hides her…Oops, what the hell am I reviewing again?

Masamune-kun’s Revenge is available on Crunchyroll.

[haunting-hufflepuffs-basement]

You know what? You're right! Sorry, I'mma hijack your post. Have some headcanons for The Valkyries, my loves!

Marlene:

Suuuuper physical and athletic. Enjoys getting up close and personal. Obviously this means she's a quidditch beater, but she also learned about roller derby from Lily and Mary and became obsessed. Every summer she drags them to do roller derby at least once, and she's on a muggle team.

Marlene's default response to any negative emotion is FIGHT. You know how some people will cry when they're angry or tired or overwhelmed? Marlene starts swinging, both physically and verbally at the sign of any bad feeling: physical discomfort, sadness, just being really stressed---she's got a short temper.

Marlene is an extrovert. She requires interaction with other people to function. Isolating causes her to get too into her own head and wear herself out trying to keep up with her own thoughts (and also she gets bored easily). Being around others relaxes her. This is unfortunate, because she's not too fond of many other people.

Marlene is omnisexual with a heavy preference toward women. Her parents are homophobic. This does take a toll on her. She's in heavy denial for a lot of her school years, despite gravitating toward other queer people, and she stays closeted for even longer. When she did come out, it put a lot of strain in the relationship, but the war made it so that both sides did their best to look past it and not bring things up. They died defending each other.

She's demiromantic, but allosexual. She'll one-night stand her friends, but a healthy romantic relationship for her does mean sex first.

Her best subjects are transfiguration, herbology, and defense against the dark arts, but her favorite is actually muggle studies. She gets average to below average marks and dislikes all her other classes. She's also dyslexic.

She's VERY scottish, and has a super thick accent (thanks @oneluckygoose)

Marlene's got a baby brother that she dotes on and adores, but he's like 5 years younger than her and in a different house, so he doesn't interact with her school-friends much. They do go out of their way to send each other rude mail at breakfast and everybody else has learned to sit several seats away before either McKinnon opens a package.

She's punk as all get out. In dress, interests, attitude, whatever. She's a punk.

She's the best of the group at apparating. She took to it like a frog to water, and will pull a Fred and George and apparate really short distances just to show off.

Mary:

Is a user of weaponized kindness. Her motto is the one that goes "Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them so much." As someone who experiences untold bigotry as a black queer muggleborn woman from both the wizarding world and the muggle one, she's got the art of making YOU feel like the asshole perfected. When people say rude things to her, she usually smiles and responds by asking them how their day has been and why they're so angry right now. She'll listen genuinely and try to respond with kindness because it makes that person feel like the bigoted dick they are. The ruder they are to her, the calmer and more polite she gets.

But she's not a doormat. She's the kind of girl who could go into politics with how she's capable of proving you wrong and defusing a situation in one sentence. She won't let people take advantage of her or be needlessly mean, but she's not going to stoop to their level and be rude right back. She's also capable of really subtle insults that go straight over their heads

She's a lesbian trans girl! She's also fat and hot af.

She loves fashion, but not trends. She likes to look hot, and that frequently means DENYING trends. She loves thrifting and retouching and sewing shit herself. She also makes an effort to make sure her materials are ethically sourced. Her aesthetic is basically "regal elegant princess if she decided to wear casual wear that day." She's also really great at dressing other people and loves to do so. Give her a list of what you like and a solid week, and she'll have at least 5 good outfits put together.

She doesn't play quidditch because she's afraid of heights, but she does enjoy the strategy behind the game and is quite good at muggle soccer/football.

She's a pianist. She's been taking lessons since she was like 7.

She's VERY good at networking. Her genuine care and affection for the human population, her gentleness, and her sweet voice all make her very approachable. She's the one who first made friends with kids in other houses, and she did a lot for fusing the groups.

She's seen as one of the big teachers of muggle culture at school. People feel like they can go to her with their questions, and she does a lot to help close the gap between the two worlds with the students she's close to.

Despite both these things, she's introverted, and dislikes large crowds of people she doesn't know well.

Her best subjects are charms, astronomy, and history of magic (she doesn't let binns stop her. She learns everything from textbooks).

Lily

While Marlene is the most likely to start a fistfight, Lily is the most likely to start a verbal spar. She is VERY opinionated and unafraid to make those opinions known. If you say something she thinks is wrong, she'll call you out on it immediately. Which one of them is most likely to start a magic duel is a toss-up, depending on their moods that day.

Lily takes it upon herself to watch over and take care of other people. Lost first year? Congratulations, you're adopted now. She'll give you directions, draw you a map of the school, show you all the secret passages and periodically check up on you at meals. Desk-partner who's struggling in potions? You won't be struggling for long because you've just gained a personal tutor. Crying in the bathroom? She's comforting you, helping with your problem, inviting you to girls night, and getting ice cream with you every hogsmeade weekend.

While this is something she loves doing and is a natural inclination of hers, it also exhausts her and leaves her very little energy for people she DOESN'T like.

She relies very heavily on her first impressions and gut instincts. While they're usually right, she does have some difficulty reexamining when people have changed. On the other hand, it makes her great at split second decisions, especially in tense situations.

She's a champ at wizard's chess, to a degree that frightens people. She got her own set as a gift from Alice (who taught her how to play) in second year.

Her favorite flowers are petunias. Always have been and always will be. She always keeps a pot of them in her dorm and later her house, and sends her sister a pressed one for her birthday every year, even after Petunia stopped responding.

She's an academic over achiever who LOVES school. Like genuinely adores it. She likes being in school. She also attends muggle summer school, and has an impressive command of classical literature, math, and physics.

She's a sucker for animals, and loves being outdoors in general. She's the closest of the group to Hagrid, and helps him out with stuff like taking care of the owls in the winter.

She's demisexual and panromantic, and also absolutely oblivious to romance. She hates romance novels and romcoms, can't tell when her friends are crushing on each other unless they make it ridiculously obvious (James Potter levels obvious), and even then she thinks it's sarcasm a lot. This all makes her eventual feelingd for James even more annoying to her.

She excels at every subject except transfiguration, which she's average at (this annoys her to no end and she stubbornly studies the shit out of it). The only reason she's not getting 12 OWLs is because she sees no need for Muggle Studies and doesn't like Divination. She has a particular knack for Potions and Charms though, with a special focus on Potions. She just GETS the theory and is able to translate it on an instinctual level.

Lily makes a point of not swearing in front of teachers or younger students, but she swears pretty regularly when in a relaxed casual setting, and is even worse than Marlene when she's pissed (she gets really creative).

She wanted to go to university and become a professional potioneer. She never got the chance.

While I do think Alice is part of their friend group, I also think she's a year above them, so I don't include her in my "valkyries" stuff. I do think she was a really big mentor/big sister figure for all three valkyries as they got their feet under them, and found herself pleasantly shocked when they started mentoring HER in their own ways. I also think she and Frank are the token straights.

it hurt me deeply when i see the marauders get such deep and complex personalities while the girls simply get 'loves to play w { insert one of the marauders'} hair.

the girls of the marauders era deserve to have ten times as much headcanons as the boys do.

to all the devil's advocates out there that may misconstruct my words, i understand that the boys have way more canon info to go off of but if we are always trying to develop more headcanons/make up new headcanons for these characters why couldn't we do it for the girls as well!?

NOW pls do not take what i say next as a personal and direct attack because it simply is not! I love every single character and everyone's collective developments to expand on each. it is really amazing!

from what i seen, we mostly have developed new characters like barty and evan and whoever to have such deep personalities as well and i literally do not see the same for any of our lovely ladies. (i do enjoy all the new characters we have added to the era!)

so what i'm trying to say is can we show some love for our girlies in the marauders era!!?

i'm just yapping sozzzzz