#either way he does NOT know who mae is

[thegreatstrongbow]

mirror mirror (GIMMEGIMMEGIMMEGIMME)

Send me   “ mirror mirror “   to get a glimpse of my muse after they’ve turned to the dark side… 

"We do not have prisoners like you very often."

His leather armour bore the mark of Angband, crudely stitched in red. He was clearly an elf, though scarred and wounded. Leaning on his spear, he gave orders to the other elves around him to begin preparations to take their prizes back to Angband.

"A handsome one you are. If I could only keep you for myself; seems a pity for you to be wasted in the pits."

[teojira]

Really enjoyed your headcanons on Caeser and Proximus, do you mind doing the same with Noa?? 😊🙏

[Noa and day to day life with him!] [Headcanons!]

Summary: Noa takes you back with him to his home, and the clan accepts you as one of them. Even if you're concerned otherwise.

Word count: 1k (Jesus christ)

Warnings: None that I can think of! Can be read as Platonic or Romantic! You and Noa are attached to one another. (Yes, this is me projecting.)

A/N: Noa is so near and dear to me, I literally did not mean for this to be so long, and I STILL cut myself off. This is 1k words worth of headcanons for him, and it is not enough. I'm Noa's #1 fan, I am sorry to all my friends and family who have to hear me talk about him constantly.. Ask me for Noa anything, and I will give you the world.

Do me a favor and strap the fuck in for this it's alot.

I am so glad someone asked about Noa bc I got ALOT to say.

Noa has had it with humans, Mae put him, his clan, and countless others at risk, he should not trust humans, really he shouldn't, but he can't help it. She also betrayed you in the process, and now you're alone.

You agreed to help him and Mae against Proximus, you're the only one who actively goes up against Proximus as well.

Swinging and trying your best to try and get Proximus off of Noa, yelling and crying while the other apes just stare in fear. (Later on they apologize, but you don't hold it against them.)

It's a huge risk to invite a human with them again, but then he remembers Rakas words, Caesars words, and decides he can't told another's decisions over you.

So when he gently grabs your hand in his, looking down at you with a strained smile, blood seeping from his lips, you follow, back to his clans land.

Now on to the good stuff, it's kinda awkward finding your place among the eagle clan, the elders are gone, his father Koro is gone, there really is no guidance as to where to place you.

You drift mostly, either helping Dar or helping with the young ones, teaching them how to read and write, helping fish, farm, the basic tasks.

Dar loves you by the way, doting on you and making sure no one messes with you in a harmful way. She teaches you their customs and traditions, all the while playfully teasing you about Noa. She's a mom, she knows.

You're happy with your work, happy with your place among the clan. It's genuinely shocking how much they were willing to forgive and to not hold any grudges against humans after one ruined everything.

It helps that Noa takes accountability for you, somehow so trusting that you will not cause harm. His faith in you speaks volumes and you remind him everyday that it won't go to waste.

All he does is send you a sweet smile and ruffles your hair.

You find yourself helping Noa alot with crafting new tools and contraptions, being a second pair of eyes that can catch onto things he can't.

"Very smart." "Thank yo-" "For an Echo." and he does that stupid cute little sniff afterwards and it makes it tremendously hard to hit him.

He's such a little shit I fucking hate him.

You're his shadow when his duties permit, he's taken on a higher role of the clan, sometimes going out for days at a time but you're always at the edge of the Village waiting for his return, anxiously working your bottom lip until you see him in view.

You're both extremely attached to one another, Soona and Anaya become attached to you too, dragging you along in everyone's free time to go climbing, to eat, to hunt, just about any group outing has you as their fourth member.

Noa was worried about them accepting you, but they love you just as much as he does.

It makes his heart swell when he sees you and Soona together, giggling about something surely only you both understand while Anaya groans and complains about being left out.

It's like you've always been meant to be with them, to round out their group.

Soona and Anaya will offer to be the one to carry you this time, they do want to, genuinely, but Noa won't let them 99.9% of the time, He's used to your weight, he trusts that he can keep you safe the best. (Says the ape that literally almost died multiple times doing stupid shit)

"Noa worries too much, they will be fine." "Anaya is clumsy. Can't trust you to carry yourself, much less echo."

He tries not to carry you everywhere, but it is so much more convenient than waiting for you, so he scoops you up often enough that the stares don't bother you anymore.

Remember how in the movie, all the apes sleep together communally? Well you're at first extremely nervous about that, not wanting to ask what exactly are your accommodations because surely they don't want you there with them.

Actually, Noa does, so jot that down.

When you shyly move away, he raises his palm up at you, nodding to the space besides him.

When you don't move, he gently tugs you down, laying on his back and shutting his eyes. The clan hasn't really fully rebuilt and started to gather things needed for shawls and coverings, so it's not strange to him that you cuddle up to him to steal his warmth, peeking an eye open to see your face squished into his side, knocked out.

He wraps an arm around you, incasing you in more warmth.

This is a nightly routine until you finally take it upon yourself to throw yourself on him, he chokes out a breath as you make yourself comfortable.

Soona and Anaya usually join in, he cannot fucking breathe but he's so happy that it outweighs it.

When Mae inevitably shows back up, she sees you out in the distance, you look so genuine happy, so at peace with where you are. You even have some eagle feathers in your hair, integrated into their life that it shocks her.

It's enough to make her put the gun away, grasping at Rakas necklace like a lifeline, sucking in a deep breath to stop her from crying.

Maybe apes and humans can live at peace with one another after all. She hopes you prove her wrong.

ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ꜰᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʀ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴏᴏɴ!

[aphrmoosun]

Here is the list everybody needs. A list of my favourite Nomae fanfics (I must confess I have read more than once already):

1. Fates Entwined By The Stars

Set after the events of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Noa resumes his duties with the Eagle Clan, but one particular human woman, who has re-entered his life, continues to plague his mind.

2. Revelations

"Humans don't say 'copulate'; for us it's either having sex or making love."

Mae insisted that, although humans can do it purely for pleasure or relief, they also use it as a way to feel a connection with the person they love. Noa didn't understand then, but he does now.

3. The Conflict of The Planet of The Apes

This story take place 300 days after the event of The Kingdom of The Planet of The Apes.

4. Guilty As Sin?

“What if he’s written mine,

on my upper thigh,

only in my mind?”

In which, Noa can’t escape his dreams of Mae in her absence, so he seeks her company.

5. Echoes of Eden

This story explores the fragile hope for reconciliation in a world torn apart by fear and prejudice. Can Noa and Mae forge a path toward peace, or will the shadows of old wars darken the future dreamed of by the legendary Caesar?

Shout-out to all the Nomae nation that spend their time giving us this content. Even though we don't have a kotpota page on Ao3 nor the tags of the characters on the pota page and still we fight to get the page there and it is updated every day. I don't know what they are waiting for ...?

[moonstruckme]

Hi Mae!! I would love to read more about the dynamic between poly!marauders and reader. Like maybe some domestic fluff just showing the interaction between the boys and with reader. I love the way you write true poly with the boys together too 🥹🤍

Hi lovely, thanks for requesting!

poly!marauders x fem!reader ♡ 1.2k words

“Shit!” Sirius hisses, another piece of popcorn splintering off his string. It’s nearly all cranberries at this point, and half the length of either yours or Remus’. “How are yours not breaking?”

“Patience,” Remus preaches, eyes on his needle as he slides it smoothly through yet another popcorn kernel. 

“Sounds made up,” James scoffs. The remains of his own popcorn are littered about his lap and his fingers are stained pink with cranberry juice. His problems lie in inaccuracy as much as impatience, constantly getting ahead of himself and pricking his fingers rather than his target. Fortunately, Rugby Captain James Potter is no stranger to pain, so he only extends the injured finger towards where you sit on the floor for you to kiss each time before resuming his work. 

“Completely agree.” Sirius is quick to hop on James’ half-constructed bandwagon. “They’re conspiring against us, keeping the real secrets of success to themselves.” 

“They’re focussing on their work,” you say, grinning when Sirius’ foot nudges your shoulder meanly, “which is how they keep from messing up.” 

“Cruel,” he murmurs, but you only hum, a wordless You know I’m right. And he does, because he goes quiet. 

James could never stand silence. “It’s almost cold enough for a fire,” he remarks after nearly five seconds of it. “Maybe we could have one tomorrow?” 

“You just want to chop firewood,” Remus accuses. 

“I don’t mind,” you say quietly, looking down at your hands, and Sirius nods emphatically. Another piece of popcorn shatters in his hands, bits of it hitting your shoulder.

“Yeah, don’t deter him.” 

“I don’t even get to chop it anymore since you started buying it at Tesco,” James complains, shooting Remus a resentful look. “Now I just want to watch fire. It’s the last caveman’s pleasure you’ve left me.” 

You glance over, and Remus is looking downward, trying and failing to quell his smile. “Fine,” he relents. “We can pick some up tomorrow and have a fire.”

“Yes!” James leans around Sirius, planting a smacking kiss on Remus’ cheek. “Thank you.” 

“S’no problem.” Remus has gone all soft and blushy. You and Sirius exchange a fond, knowing look. 

“Hey, do you think we could pick up some of those gingerbread house kits while we’re there?” you ask the room. “We didn’t get a chance to do those last year.” 

“Patience,” Remus reminds you, recovering. “It’s hardly the end of November, we’ve got a whole month for that.” 

Your mouth pulls dissatisfiedly. “Yeah, but last year we thought the same thing and then we ran out of time.” 

“You know what we should do?” James perks up. “Have a competition! Whoever makes the best gingerbread house in under an hour gets—”

“No,” you all say on top of each other. 

You shake your head. “It’ll take all the fun out of it, Jamie.”

“You can’t put a time limit on creativity,” Sirius agrees. “Hey, I got three in a row!” He beams, holding his garland up for Remus’ approval, and the other boy appraises it for a second, nodding sagely. 

“Well done.” 

“Sorry,” you tell James, who’s still pouting after the hasty shut-down of his idea. “We can race at something else if you want to, but that sort of stuff is supposed to be more…”

“Peaceful,” Remus supplies, and you nod relievedly. 

“Exactly.” 

“S’fine,” James sulks. He sticks his needle through a cranberry, a pitiful whine escaping him when it comes out the other side harsher than he’d expected. He extends his hand toward you palm up, and you take it, pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of his finger. “Mm, now here.” He leans down, tapping the corner of his mouth. You smile, pecking him sweetly on the lips. He tastes like the peppermint chapstick he uses this time of year, which you love and Sirius abhors (he thinks all mint tastes like toothpaste). “Alright,” James says, lips curving against yours, “now it’s actually fine.” 

“Scoundrel,” Sirius accuses. “My poor darling, do you feel used?” 

“Not terribly,” you admit, but it’s no deterrence to Sirius, who reaches down to haul you into his lap. Your garland trails after you, overlapping with his. You settle in contentedly. 

“Who’s the scoundrel now,” James objects. “You can’t just move her about like she’s got no will of her own.” 

You’re perfectly happy to be wherever they want you, but you aren’t going to say that. “Does anyone fancy a hot chocolate? I just got those peppermint marshmallows.” 

Sirius makes a face. “No thanks. James, make the girl a hot chocolate.” 

“Why me?” James objects. 

“I’ll have one too,” Remus says. 

“It’s her idea, why doesn’t she make them?”

“Because she,” Sirius says, weaving his arms under yours to resume stringing up his garland in front of you, “is occupied. Go on.” 

James grumbles, but sets down his work. 

“Sorry,” you say, making your eyes extra big. It’s half sincere apology, half completely unapologetic beguilement, and James cracks quickly, kissing your cheek to show he’s not really upset. Then he kisses Sirius too, just for fun. 

“I wanted a hot chocolate anyway,” he says, heading into the kitchen. 

You fall into an easy silence as he works, the kettle gurgling in the background while you relax against Sirius’ chest, nearly finished with your garland. You wonder if you should offer to do his for him, even though you know the other two will definitely make fun of you for letting him off the hook. You think you will anyway. 

“Oh!” Sirius straightens, causing you to shift against him uncomfortably. He ignores the slighted look you send him, bringing a hand to your shoulder to hold you more securely against him. You’re easily pacified. “If you want to have a competition, you and y/n should have a race for who can wrap the most presents.” He looks at you. “You’re always saying you love wrapping, yeah sweetheart?” 

The endearment only slightly softens the look you’re giving him. Must everyone try to ruin your holiday rituals with racing and competitions? You know he’s only brought it up out of selfishness, too; Sirius hates wrapping gifts, and this is just another way for him to push the labor off on James and you. 

James, unfortunately, lights brighter than the tree you’d set up earlier that day. “Yeah!” He’s bouncing on the balls of his feet. Remus eyes the boiling water he’s pouring out at the same time warily. “What do you say, lovie? Maybe a couple of days before Christmas we can divvy up the presents that aren’t for us, then we just see who finishes first!” 

“Didn’t you already lose that competition the other night?” Remus quips. Sirius erupts in laughter behind you, but James only shoots him a hostile look (or his version of a hostile look, more of a squint than anything) before his eyes flit back to you hopefully. 

You roll your eyes, but this is one competition you think you might actually win. “Fine,” you say, smiling when he pumps his fist. “But I don’t think you know what you’re getting into, Potter. My gift wrapping skills are legendary.” 

“Oh, my love,” James croons, grinning as he carries in two mugs of hot chocolate. “My sweet, naive girl.” He passes one to Remus and the other to you, dropping a kiss on your temple. “I won’t go easy on you this time.”

[buggybambi]

minors, please dni! this is a longer version of the mini blurb i posted yesterday, and it is nsfw towards the end, so i'd appreciate if you did not engage with this post! thank you<3

(also: this is meant to be carm x fem!reader / afab!reader.)

okay, hear me out. no thoughts: sitting on carm's lap as you kiss his neck while he's on the phone, having to be serious.

it'd been a rough week for carmen. the vendors had been late almost every day with orders, staff getting sick or being late, carmen having to take on their work loads. and with nat not being on maternity leave after bringing his niece into the world (MAE NOTE: ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW FUN OF AN UNCLE CARM WOULD BE I WILL BE SPEAKING ON THIS LATER BTW JUST YALL WAIT CAUSE I GOT SOME THINGS TO SAY)

and he just texts you. asking if you're free to stop by the bear. even adding a 'please'.

it's not like him to beg for you to come by- quite the opposite. you offer to bring him food (since you know even a chef like him doesn't remember to eat, and he sometimes hates cooking for himself when its all he does all day) or sometimes headache relief for those bad days with migraines he can't bear - no pun intended - but he doesn't want you coming by. he knows most of the staff are chaotic and he has a fear you'd get hurt somehow back there. and also, he wants to keep his pure girl away from the chaos of his restaraunt, yk?

but, he seems to push all of that aside for you. to have you close right now.

maybe its a stress relief. maybe its just him needing to be close to you. who knows. either way, you text back and let him know you're on your way.

and honestly, it depends on who you ask on how you and carmen got into this situation.

if you're asked, you'd say you were behaving. to be fair, you were kissing his neck when the phone rang. when you'd arrived, he immediately captured your lips on his, needing you in his lap like a dehydrated man needed water. and you decided to reward your poor hard working man with kissing his jaw, his neck. telling him he's doing such a good job at work, praising him.

and then the phone rang!

and in your defense, he was the one who kept you in his lap. you did try to move, and his hand on your ass kept you in place.

you took that as a sign to keep kissing his neck and jaw. and, he just so happened to move slightly. you 'accidentally' sucked on his pulse point. who could have seen it coming?

if carmen's asked, he'd tell the truth about you being the biggest goddamn tease he's ever met. poor carmy, having to bite back any sort of noise of pleasure as a woman on the other line asks to confirm details about the meat delivery.

"yeah- listen, sharron, can i call you back?" carmen was sure she'd be offended by him cutting her words off, but he literally did not care.

he hangs the phone up as you feel a small groan escape his lips. "okay. your turn." he says, his voice gruff.

and maybe that's how you ended up bent over his desk with him thrusting into you, telling you you're "such a damn minx", "big tease".

who knows! total mystery.

[krysalla]

hide me from the cleaver, i'll hang with you forever! - iv

thomas hewitt x fat f!reader

part one | part two | part three

read on ao3

word count: 5.5k

warnings: 18+ MDNI, kidnapping, restraints, body horror, body image, self harm mention, cannibalism, vomit and piss mention, inaccurate description of butchering probably, mutilation

what's behind the steel door?

There is a door of galvanized steel toward the back of the house. The room it is in is dark and empty. You can hear the door being pulled open and pushed closed on its track in the night, the grind of metal on metal reverberates through the house, all the way up the stairs and through the door of your new bedroom. What follows is the thump of Tommy’s steps as he climbs the stairs and stands outside your door. You hold onto your pillow tighter as you watch his shadows move from the sliver of space between the door and the floor. He opened the door once and you watched each other, you refused to breathe in case it would set him off, until he left, having gotten his fill of you. He has not tried to open the door again but he still comes to you in the night. 

You keep a chair posted beneath the doorknob anyway.

You are not allowed to explore what is beyond the steel door. Luda Mae forbade it. She dragged you by the arm when she caught you trying to follow Tommy down–he’s the only one that goes through that door–and she chastised you for your curiosity and your lack of respect for the house and the rules, which have never been explained to you. She calls you insolent, a troublemaker, barely worth the extra scraps of food at the end of the day. But she sighs and curls a lock of your hair around her finger and tells you how lucky you are that Tommy likes you, wants you to be his girl, and if you want to be his then you have to be good and listen. 

In exchange for this one rule, you have free reign of the house, all other doors are unlocked for you but you have no desire to see what Hoyt keeps in his room nor are you interested in whatever costume jewelry Luda Mae keeps on her vanity. You do not want to see more of the house except for what is forbidden because what is sweeter than that?

You do what you can to ignore the door and push away the need to know. But with your time as unoccupied as it is, that steel door is all you can think of. It itches at the back of your head and grows stronger, nails digging into your flesh the closer you get to it, like you are now.

You stare up at the little peephole in the middle of the door.

As far as you know, nobody is down there. It would be so easy to sneak through the door but the resulting sound of metal scraping would be enough to alert whoever else is in the house to what you’re doing. Would it be so bad?

You reach out to touch the small indentation at the side that your fingers can use to guide it open.

“Whaddya think you’re doin’, girl?”

You jump out of your skin when you hear Monty’s voice and snatch your hand back down to your side and turn to face him. He’s become a bit of an ally, you suppose, a friendly face amongst people who are either too hot or cold to you. Monty never punishes your transgressions against the family or the rules like Hoyt or boss you around and try to control you like Luda. He doesn’t touch you like Tommy does. He’s apathetic to the whole situation but still complicit nonetheless. You think he pities you.

At least he gives you cigarettes.

“Not doing anything, Monty.”

“Best be true.” He makes a face–upper lip curled in disgust and nose wrinkled. “You don’t wanna go down there.”

“Why?”

“Not your place to be askin’.” The dog barks in his lap. Monty makes a small circle in the room to turn out back toward the living room. He waves you over. “C’mon, gonna miss my program.”

-

Escape is far from your reach. Your foot is still tender and healing. Each step is agonizing but you should consider yourself lucky that it is healing at all. You hobble around barefoot all day on floors that you can’t be sure of the last time they were cleaned. Luda Mae took your shoes away from you, hid them somewhere in the house or burned them with your friends’ belongings, to discourage any escape attempts. She cites her poor, lovesick boy whose heart would be broken if you tried to run away from him after all he’s done for you.

There’s worse waiting out there for you than shards of glass. You saw Hoyt pile bear traps and snares into the trunk of the cruiser at the break of dawn, beating out the heat of the day. He made sure you were watching too, looked up at you where you stood at your bedroom window and gave you a shit-eating grin, settling the rifle over his shoulder and canting his hip out.

You think about the way Tommy handled the cleaver and the chainsaw. Would he just take your legs if you tried to run or sever your achilles tendon? Would you be able to feel the cord snap and run up through the back of your calf?

You think you’d rather take the bear traps.

Maybe someone will come knocking on the door, a sheriff with a revolver on his hip, looking for the group of missing friends, and find you and take you back home. Your arrival is long overdue.

Did your mother call the first time you missed a daily call or when you didn’t come home on time?

Time moves funny out here. The days are long and syrupy and the nights too short. Each day is the same, nothing eventful to mark the passage of time. You combed through the house looking for anything to help you–a calendar, a planner, a daybook, anything–but your search was in vain. What reason would they have for keeping time as cut off from society as they are? They don’t even watch the news. They know that the world is falling to shit, so why should they keep tabs on the rest of the world, not when they are fending for themselves out here. They must have been isolated in this ghost town a lot longer than you could imagine to be so unconcerned with others.

You keep track by carving tally marks into your bedpost with a sewing needle. The count is off by a few days. By the time you found the needle, you’d already forgotten how long the Hewitts have had you for. So far, your tally is at twenty. It has been more than twenty days of captivity. 

You lost time on that first day. There’s no way to be sure that was your first day there. For all you know, you had been asleep for a full day before waking up. Your head was throbbing, so whatever happened to you, something or someone hit you. Think… You know the answer, it’s there, scratching at the corners of your mind. An eclipsing shadow, the smell of cured meats and sweat and–

Tommy whistles at you.

And you respond like a dog being called by its owner.

Compliance is rewarded here.

You stand in front of him with your head bowed, limbs loose and pliant. He likes to touch you. If it was anyone else, you would consider it innocent. He only ever runs his hands over your arms, traces the slope of your jaw and neck with the tips of his fingers, pinches the apples of your cheeks, cradles the back of your neck while his thumb rubs circles right below your ear. He never goes further than that. He never crosses the line of groping your chest or your ass, fingers searching out for warmth under your clothes. He treats you gently like you will break or run out the door if he touches you too hard. 

He circles you, examining you with heady eyes, trying to find something on you.

Tommy pinches at the softness of your stomach, ignores your yelp of surprise, and grabs a handful of your flesh through your shirt. You screw your eyes shut. He is touching one of the most intimate parts of your body. Nobody is allowed close enough to touch it, let alone accidentally brush against it. Lovers in the past had tried, brushing their hands over your chest, further and further down until you stopped them and moved them back up. No one touches you there, only you can.

You know what others think of you, how they see you.

What does he think of you?

Why does it matter?

He makes a noise, garbled in his throat. His nails pinch into the soft skin of your stomach and relax before pawing at you again, his free hand joining in to lift and knead and grope. He doesn’t look you in the eye. He’s glued to your stomach. He stops and you’re being tugged by the wrist, pulled along rough enough to feel your arm pop as he brings you along with him, leading you into the kitchen. 

He pulls out a chair at the small table and turns to the fridge. The lock clicks. You are expected to be sitting by the time he turns around and it’s always easier to comply, no matter how much you despise it. He has never used a punishing, bruising force with you, just sharp commands that you have to scramble to understand, using only physical cues, before Tommy loses his patience. You have no doubt that if push comes to shove, no matter how much fondness he has for you, he will use force, beat you like a dog gone bad. 

“What are you doing?” you ask when he sits next to you, chair angled to face you. 

He pulls off a layer of foil from the plate he holds. It’s leftovers from last night. You look around. Is this a trick? Outside of meals together, you are not allowed any food. Luda Mae locked the fridge to make sure of it, not that you were seeking out seconds.

He grabs your stomach again like it will answer your question.

“Stop doing that!” You slap his hands away from you curl in on yourself. With the push of your foot, you get all but two inches away from him before he’s darting toward you and grabs the leg of the chair. He drops the plate of food on the table and drags you back to him, your legs slotted between his. He brings you close enough that the edges of both chairs dig into your calves. Again, his hands are on your stomach, pressing at the fat of your stomach until he hits the firmness of your muscles and organs and can’t push any further.

You look up at the ceiling. There’s a crack running across the plaster in the shape of an L. 

Your kidnapping is made worse by the fact that your captor refuses to speak to you. You cannot understand him. All the usual ways of communication are blocked for you. His mask blocks his expressions and most of the time, his eyes and mouth are hidden away by the shadows created by the mask he wears.

The movement of his hands begins to feel familiar. He takes the bottom of your stomach, that overhanging bit of flesh and pulls in up and presses it into you. Yes, you know that quite well. Hours wasted standing in front of your reflection sucking your stomach in and manipulating your flesh to see what you would look like if you could just lose the weight. Daydreaming about a person who would never be real and when it got bad enough, dreaming of a way to make it possible with a knife from the kitchen counter. It would be so easy but you were never brave enough to take the plunge and you thank your lucky stars for it every day.

The plate of food doesn’t make sense. 

He’s pushing and pushing and–

Oh. 

You wouldn’t have noticed the slight weight loss if it hadn’t been for the only pair of pants that fit your properly began to gap a little more in the back. It’s minor really, no doubt to do with the stress of trying to stay on everyone’s good side so you can live another day, but he noticed.

“You’re worried?” you ask. 

Tommy’s shoulders collapse under the strain of his own stress and he nods eagerly, pleased that you understand him. He leans back and reaches into the plate of meat and potatoes smothered in a brown gravy, a regular meal here, and plucks a cold potato out for you.

“Why?”

He looks at you like it’s the silliest question in the world. His eyes are soft.

You open your mouth wide for him. You smile around the sour, chemical taste the food has absorbed from the fridge. 

He lets out a pleased hum, lips puckering behind his mask. The skin of David’s face around the holes of his eyes and mouth have begun to shrivel and peel back. Tommy has stitched it back together with thick, black thread in places where it’s been torn. You can see his eyes and mouth better than you could that first time. 

What you don’t finish, he wraps back up in tinfoil and takes with him when he goes back through the steel door.

-

Nights are spent together as a family in the sitting room. Luda Mae and Hoyt sit together on the couch, Tommy in an armchair and Monty in the other, leaving no room for you except for on the floor by Tommy’s feet. He gives you a pillow to sit on. He keeps a hand on your shoulder or cups the back of your head, always touching you like he can’t stop. 

Luda Mae watches you close, accusing eyes waiting for some slip up or untoward drifting of finger when he’s touching you. Her gaze is leveled at you and never him. 

He turns on the television. Right in time for the 7 o’clock news. You perk up at Tommy’s feet, watching the anchor introduce his top story of the night. Today is September 27th

It’s been twenty-five days.

Hoyt changes the channel and Jack Lord and James MacArthur take over the screen.

You don’t often address Hoyt unless he speaks to you first. He’s old school, doesn’t believe a woman should talk unless being spoken to, should look pretty and smile, and you’ve come to figure out he punishes you just because he doesn’t see you as a woman. Or maybe he’s pissed that there’s a cunt he can sink himself into regularly but can’t because his nephew’s already got a claim on you. 

Simpering makes his aggression worse. He gets off on it, you think.

“Can you please turn it back?” you ask in a level tone.

He looks so smug, finally sunk his teeth in a prize piece of meat. He spits into an empty beer bottle, the brown sludge of his spit and dip pooling at the bottle. You shift on your knees. He made you drink it once. Plugged your nose up at dinner and held your head back as he poured it down your throat. You looked at him funny was his justification. He laughed and no one did a thing to help you. He sets the bottle down on the ground next to his foot.

“What you wanna watch the news for? Ain’t nothin’ goin’ on that you need to know about.”

You don’t answer him. 

“‘Less you think they gon’ be talkin’ ‘bout you.” He bends over at the waist to encroach upon your space. You have nowhere to go, Tommy’s calf stops you from moving away.

“That’s not–”

“Ain’t nobody out there lookin’ for you.”

That’s not true, it can’t be. You look back to the screen. Five people can’t just vanish into thin air. You have families, friends, people who will miss you. Maybe he’s right, it’s been long enough now, it’s possible you’ve all been entirely forgotten, the news cycle moving on to another tragedy that the world has no lack of. That doesn’t mean your family has stopped. 

You don’t notice the tears at first, not until the fall and soak your shirt. You hurriedly wipe them away before Hoyt can notice. In the reflection, you can see his lips curling. Too late.

“Don’t cry now, girl. Just got to face the facts. You been forgotten. No one is comin’ to save you. We’re your family now.”

You bite the inside of your cheek. No, they aren’t. Your family won't forget you. Your mother waited up for you every night for you to call when you finally reached a motel. That is not the act of someone that would forget.

She must be worried out of her mind. Did she fall asleep curled up on the couch with the phone sitting on the side table and your dog’s head on her lap? How could you do that to her? Has she been able to sleep at all? Have your siblings descended upon her to take care of her or have they forgotten her already, too caught up with their own lives? You hope she’s sleeping. You don’t want her to worry.

God, your father. 

You hope he isn’t angry with you for worrying your mother and him. He’s going to yell at you and there will be nothing you can do but take it because it comes from a good place, the only way he can express the overwhelming amount of dread and relief and worry. If you see him again. His oldest daughter snatched up and left to rot in the Texan sun. He had such high hopes for you. 

A car crash. Smoke plumes climbing high into the sky. Red and blue flashing lights. You could barely stand. He was there. Your father was there and he wasn’t angry, just held you to his chest as the cop took your statement. No, that’s not right. That’s not him and there are no flashing lights and no cop taking your statement, just humiliating you. The chest you are pressed against isn’t your father’s, it’s broader than his. He isn’t furious. He’s holding you protectively, just as your father would, but there’s something possessive in his grip. 

Tommy’s hand flexing over your shoulder shakes you out of the feverish memory.

Hoyt laughs. 

“Leave the girl be, Hoyt,” Monty says between sips of his beer.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Hoyt throws the remote back onto the coffee table and stretches himself out over the couch, smirk playing at his thin lips, and watches his episode of Hawaii Five-O. 

You press your cheek into Tommy’s leg, trying to hide away the shame of crying again. It seems like all you do is cry now. The tears are endless and your well will never run dry, you fear. It’s hard not to cry and anguish over your situation. This was all so preventable. If David had stopped off earlier for gas, you would have breezed through this shithole town and been home by now. None of them would be dead now. You still don’t know what’s happened to Bobby but you’re sure after all this time he’s long gone.

Your tears stain Tommy’s pants but he pays no mind, content to have you curled up around him like you are. You feel his eyes boring into the back of your head and his thumb rubbing what are supposed to be soothing circles into your shoulder blade. You wrap your arm around his calf, your hand resting atop his knee. 

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to take these scraps of affection and hoard them, take comfort in the way he treats you. You’ve never had someone look after you the way he does. He may not stop the beating Hoyt throws at you but he’s always there to pick up the pieces, to coo and kiss away the marks and has Luda Mae wrap up any cuts or scrapes.

Could you be blamed for seeking comfort where you can?

Yes, you could. 

What would they think of you, your friends’ families? Some no good, cheap slut who would open your legs for anyone that so much as looked your way because what else are you supposed to be other than grateful that someone spared you a second of their time. Better to take what you are given without complaint because that’s all you will ever be worthy of. A slut, a double crossing, backstabbing bitch. Good for nothing, ugly, fat, whore who opens her legs for anyone that shows you an ounce of attention because what else are you good for? You have to take it where you can because no one else will love you.

Your fingers curl into his flesh and your nails catch on the loose threads of his pants. He can see your distress and he swoops in like a turkey vulture, hovering and smelling for the decay in your tissue. Hoyt chuckles when Tommy presses a kiss to the top of your head.

-

You stare at the steel door.

You’ve been watching now, keeping track of the coming and goings of the Hewitts. Your foot is healed now, with or without shoes, you’re getting out of this house. You have an idea of a plan. Monty’s old tow truck still works, the keys are kept in the sun visor. All you need is a quarter tank of gas. Every four or so days, both Luda Mae and Hoyt go out to the dilapidated ruins of Fuller and are gone the entire afternoon. Monty goes out on the porch every day just past noon with that mongrel of his to chain smoke and drink beer. Tommy is unpredictable most days. But even he couldn’t keep up with a truck pushing eighty. You just have to be smart about it which at this moment you are decidedly not. 

Luda Mae and Monty are talking out on the front porch. Only the screen door is closed. Tommy and Hoyt are nowhere to be found but you heard the steel door open and shut followed by the heavy thudding of Tommy’s steps. 

It’s as safe as it will ever be. 

You don’t think you can leave without knowing what’s behind this door.

It opens up easier than you thought it would. It catches on the track but leaves you enough room to squeeze through. 

The steps are steep and in the dim light you lose your footing, you catch yourself before you bust your head and fall all the way down, however far that is.

The smell is worse than anything you have ever experienced before. Heady and oppressive, all consuming. It’s blood and damp, mildew mixed with sulfur. Tommy is always the one to bring Luda Mae packages of meat and not once have seen meat kept in the overcrowded fridge in the kitchen. This must be where it is kept. You try breathing through your mouth in an attempt to filter out the smell, but you can taste the tang on your tongue.

You turn the corner at the bottom of the staircase and find the string pull switch.

Never could you have imagined the carnage you see. 

You break into a cold sweat at the sight of a human body strung up by its ankles, a metal rod threaded between the backs of the feet. The body has been flayed and cleaved in half, gullet to groin, and emptied of its organs, which sit in a bucket right beneath it, along with its head. It’s Anna. Her features are mangled and bloated by decay, but you know it’s her. Her red hair still shines beautifully when the light hits it just so.

Tommy is a butcher. You know that he used to work at the slaughterhouse. He would cut apart cattle five times the weight of an average person. It wouldn’t be so much harder to wrangle a human body up onto the cutting board and cleave them into nice, neat portions of meat, ready to be cooked. 

He’s been feeding you your friends.

Your stomach rolls and empties itself all over your feet. You catch yourself on the edge of a table as your tears begin to start. 

Each morning and night the four of them sat around you at that table and watched you eat the meat, taking without question because that ability was beaten out of you by Hoyt. They must have laughed and jeered secretly. 

You have to get out of here. 

You turn and catch the sight of another person–Bobby–on a work table, except it’s not really Bobby. Almost a month of starvation has changed him inexplicably. His abdomen and cheeks are sunken in, he’s used up all of his fat reserves, and the bones of his hips, his ribcage, his jaw, all of it pokes clean through his thin, dehydrated skin, defined so well. His right arm–what’s left of it–is flayed. Both his legs and his left arm have been amputated, just below the joints at the hip and shoulder, leaving only a small amount of tissue to be wrapped up with butcher paper and secured with twine. 

His right arm is cut just below his elbow. Through the mess of blood on it, you can see that his bicep has been opened up, layers peeled back in some sort of inquisitive exploration. The wound is held open by thick cuts of black thread, the same kind Tommy uses for his mask. You can see right to the bone.

It’s more shocking to find that he’s still alive.

His breathing is shallow, each breath a struggle and a losing fight. Saliva splutters out from his mouth as he exhales and dribbles down the side of his mouth. There will be no way he will live much longer, not with the stench of rot coming off of him in waves. His skin is red and inflamed, with swollen pustules that ooze a yellow-green pus. Infection has set in his wounds. Way out here with no hospitals around and the closest thing to medical attention you can get is Luda Mae’s first aid kit, infection is a death warrant. 

This is not the man you knew.

You back away from the table, unable to look any longer. There’s no use. You know everyone is dead. There was a reason for keeping you from coming down here and you should have listened. Luda Mae doesn’t want you to see Tommy as the beast he is. That small sliver of tenderness he’s shown you means nothing now. 

You hit a wall of flesh.

You hear the angry breathing behind you. Tommy grabs you by the shoulder and spins you around, quickly grabbing your chin to force you to look at him. His eyes are alight with fury.

He is at Bobby’s side in three steps and easily lifts him up by his underarms. Bobby chokes on his spit at the sudden movement. There isn’t enough time for him to even open his eyes before Tommy impales him on a meat hook hanging from the ceiling. The point of the hook goes through his eye and up into his cranium. Tommy makes it look like it is the easiest thing in the world, like it’s just second nature to him.

He turns on you, glaring through the gray leather of David’s skin, and stomps toward you.

Your legs are trembling and sweat is gathering in your hair, dripping down your face and neck. You’ve broken their one rule and you are going to pay the price. Your number is up. If you’re lucky, it will be quick, and you hope that whatever fondness Tommy has for you will save you from Bobby’s fate.

Heat blooms through the crotch of your pants and runs down your legs in rivulets.

His grip is hard. He doesn’t bother trying to lift you, just drags you along the short distance to the work table by your upper arm, and you can’t even fight it. There’s no use in denying your fate or lashing out–Tommy is stronger than you and has complete advantage of the situation. All you can do is cry and shake and hope that your family will be okay without knowing what happened to you. There will be no body, just a pile of bones with no marrow, but even then you’re sure Tommy could find a use for your bones. 

He hauls you up onto the table and arranges your limbs and rearranges them when you work yourself up too hard in a crying fit and squirm across the table. Metal cuffs encircle your wrists and ankles and each stroke of the hammer pushing the nails through the wooden table throws you into hysterics.

You are completely immobilized and at his mercy, muscles pulled taut by the way Tommy arranged you. There is no escape. All that time wasted trying to reveal the secrets behind that fucking door instead of finding a way out. You could have lived. You could have gone back home and been in your bed right now.

What you wouldn’t give right now to be held by your mother and have your father call you baby one more time. Isn’t this what everyone wants in their final hours–the comfort of their parents?

You can see only the fuzzy outline of him against your tears. The fluorescent lights halo him like an angel. You hate him. This angel of death wearing your friend’s face and holding the blade in a fidgeting hand. The blade of the knife glints in the light. He is going to leave you strung up on a hook and butcher you when he gets hungry enough to put in the work to cut you into bite sized pieces, he will eat you with fervor because this is what he likes and what he does best. All he has to do is cut deep enough into your thigh and it will be over. 

The sharp split of skin and hot gush of blood never comes.

He turns your head to the side to face Anna’s mutilated corpse and pushes your cheek into the table. The message is clear; do not look away, know that if you break the rules or try to leave, this is what will happen to you, there is nothing that will save you. If you are too unruly or too much work, you will be next on the serving platter. He is reasserting the pecking order. This is your one and only chance.

Tommy pulls one half of her off the gambrel and throws her onto a smaller workbench. He is quick in his work and brings his cleaver down with expertise, guides the small carving knife around the ball joint of her humorous and her femur, separating her into three neat sections. He strips her clean of the membrane that covers her bones and muscle and pulls the yellow fleshy bits of her tendons out, cleans the cuts of meat from any bone fragments. He breaks her apart efficiently. You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between her and pieces of beef.

In no time he’s pulling her other half free and breaking her body down in the same steady handed, practiced manner.

The idea of hell has rarely occupied your thoughts. You know the classic version of fire and brimstone, endless torture against the damned souls, never a reprieve as they burn for their trespasses against God. You know better than that. Hell is here where human life has no meaning besides what meat they can provide and no one has ever escaped from hell or else you wouldn’t be here.

Even if you were to escape, you will never truly leave this place.

He hides you from the cleaver once more, even though it would be easier and safer to do away with you like he did your friends. You are a liability to him and his family. He must be confident in the fact that you won’t try to run after this display and he’d be right. You don’t want to disappear off the face of the Earth like that. You don’t want to be eaten.

When Tommy finishes wrapping up Anna in neat little portions and cleaning his workspace, he breezes past you as if you don’t exist. He knocks his shoulder into Bobby’s corpse and it swings back and forth on the hook. He’s closing up shop.

“Wait, Tommy. Please, let me go. I'll do anything! I’ll be good. I can be good. Don’t leave me down here.” You try to move against your restraints–it only ends in your muscles drawing tight and uncomfortable.

He doesn’t spare you a glance as he shuts off the lights and heads up the stairs.

[grifonecoronato]

Hot Take: Oshamir is One-Sided

[Spoilers for The Acolyte]

Star Wars fans know that Osha and Qimir’s relationship is doomed to end tragically. The Sith is a culture that eats itself: the apprentice either kills the master and takes their place, or is killed by the master in the attempt. So even if Qimir kills Darth Plagueis (and we know this won’t happen), he’s just going to have to deal with Osha attempting to kill him one day.

(Side note: I have a sneaking suspicion that Qimir is not actually Sith, since he never calls himself one, he just says "a Jedi like you would call me, Sith." But that's a topic for another day...)

Given what I know about The Acolyte fandom, a doomed romance is hardly something we'll shy away from; we’ll revel in the tragedy of it all, and the sadder it is and the harder we hurt, the more we'll love it!

No, I want to discuss something else; something I don't think many Acolyte fans really want to acknowledge... that the “romance” as shown at the end of series is one-sided: Qimir's side. The last shot of the series implies that Qimir and Osha are ready to face the galaxy together, hand-in-hand, but...

Qimir cares for Osha; Osha does not care for Qimir.

Hey! HEY!

Put your pitchforks down and just hear me out, please!

What Qimir Desires and Fears

Qimir -- his arms muddy, his dark hair slick against his sweaty brow, holding Mae hostage with his lightsaber threatening to ignite through her skull at any moment -- explains his motivation to Sol:

"[I want] freedom: the freedom to wield my power the way I like, without having to answer to Jedi like you. I want a pupil. An acolyte."

Qimir wants acceptance and connection, to be seen and appreciated by someone else. But he mentions several times that he wants a pupil, which by definition would put him in a position of power and authority over someone else, even if it's to help build them up.

This presents an underlying contradiction in what Qimir says he wants, versus what he really wants:

Does he want an equal who sees and cares for him?

Or does he want a pupil that he can teach from a position of power?

The show leaves the answer ambiguous, but nestled in this contradiction lies Qimir's biggest fear.

Qimir fears opening up and being seen. He wears a mask to conceal his identity, but he also hides his character behind his personas: the buffoon, the nervous helper, the murderer, the teacher, the seducer...

From Qimir's point-of-view, he's been betrayed before, and that betrayal left scars...

"I was [a Jedi]. A long time ago... [...] It was a really long time ago."

...so he needs to protect himself from getting so close to someone that they harm him again.

Betrayal and Murder on Khofar

So, on Khofar, when Mae reveals that she was only ever using "The Stranger" for her own revenge, Qimir chooses to kill her.

He could have chosen to run back to his ship and let Mae rot in Jedi jail (or wherever they take murderous Force-users...), rather than risk discovery. Attacking Mae and the Jedi was not a smart move if he feared being seen. But that doesn't matter: he's Sith, and he finds strength in his emotions, including his own fear.

So, he resolved to commit murder against Kelnacca, then slay the whole Jedi posse hunting Mae, and then deal with Mae.

But here's the thing: Qimir likes to frame his actions as self-defence...

"I killed Jedi. I killed those who threaten my existence."

..but this isn't actually true, is it? He didn't need to kill Kelnacca in his home -- Kelnacca, who knew nothing about Qimir, or Indara's death, or Torbin's death, or any recent event really, and who was absolutely no threat to him -- nor didn't need to face off against the entire Jedi posse.

He chose to commit murder and engage in combat because he couldn't stand the fact that Mae used and betrayed him.

Osha Sees Through Qimir

The conversation between Qimir and Osha seems to be him slowly convincing her that the Jedi are terrible, and that she should find her own path to power.

And, of course, that he can be her guide.

After all, he answers nearly every one of her questions with a question of his own, in a kind of socratic method designed to make her question her own judgment.

All the while, Qimir uses a gentle voice and gentle touch to signal that he yearns for her, that he craves her acceptance, that he can help her if she just accept it, that she can trust him.

To make her feel safe, he even lets her hold his lightsaber...! (😏 ...ladies...!)

This seems to work since Osha is engaging him in conversation. But Osha has seen Qimir in action, and knows that there is no possible way for her to defeat him directly.

Osha has the lightsaber, but Qimir holds all the power here.

Despite that, Osha calls him out many times on his choices.

"You killed Jecki."

"You killed Yord."

"I'm not my sister. I'm not so easily corrupted."

Osha never takes her eyes off her objective: to escape Qimir, get back to Sol, and confront her sister for her crimes.

Osha's Fatal Flaw

Mae and Osha are binary opposites in their personalities and motivations. Where Mae is community-minded, Osha is independent. Where Mae values tradition, Osha values freedom. And where Mae tries to repair frayed relationships, Osha does not forgive those who cross her.

It is this last trait that proves to be the fatal flaw that leads her down the Dark Side.

Osha. Does. Not. Forgive.

When Osha first saw Mae as an adult, she shot her!

She didn't try to reason with her. She didn't try to help her escape. She didn't say "how did you survive?" or "I missed you."

She just fired.

But you know what? Maybe emotions were running high, right? The moment was very heated, so spontaneous violence like that could just be a one-off thing, surely?

Except that the second time they meet, Osha tries to arrest Mae without listening to her story.

And the third time they meet, Osha is downright raging and trying to kill Mae...

... which is a little confusing to Mae because she's trying to help Osha!

And it is Osha's inability to forgive which leads her to committing her first murder, when she finally learns that Sol had lied to her for years.

Osha falls to the Dark Side all by herself, of her own volition.

Doomed Romance

After she kills Sol, Qimir continues to use gentle touch with Osha, pursuing his seduction of her.

But when Mae asked Osha "what do you want, Osha?", she didn't reply with "I want to be with Qimir."

She said:

"Let [Mae] go, and I will train with you."

It was a bargain, for which she offered Qimir what he wanted most: a pupil who accepts him.

Osha is signalling that she cares for him. But she doesn't.

Osha cares for her sister. And Osha does not forgive.

She remembers that Jecki and Yord were her friends, and they had nothing to do with Sol's crimes. They were innocent, and he killed them when he went out of his way to engage the Jedi in combat.

Osha is playing Qimir, just as Mae did. She will learn from him to use the Force, and then take those teachings to fulfil her own goal of rescuing Mae and restoring her memories.

Qimir will learn the truth of their relationship one day, and on that day, like all Sith masters and apprentices, he will kill her, or she will kill him.

(because that is not the face of a happy couple)

[dealingdreams]

I haven't wrote one of these in a while, but I also haven't been extremely captivated by a pair of characters in a while either. Regardless I'm rusty but how about some thoughts on Osha and Qimir ❤️

I've been talking to @a-heart-of-kyber for days now about these two...but something we talked about really has stuck with me and it's the fact that Osha has run essentially from everyone except him.

When she was younger, she wanted to explore, she wasn't sure she wanted to be a witch, but she did want to see the world beyond her coven. So she would run away to her tree until she had a chance to run away with the Jedi.

She ran from the Jedi after her presumed failure in learning to control her emotions.

She didn't even give herself roots in the years after leaving the order and instead bounced from ship to ship working as a mekak.

So when she wakes up to find herself on an island with this Stranger who murdered her friends...but he cooked her dinner, healed her wound, put himself in a vulnerable position to give her at least the illusion of more power, and very pointedly was like you aren't my prisoner. There is the ship you can go. She doesn't, she follows him.

She asks him questions, she engages in conversation, she listens to him..but she doesn't run at any point (well she does walk away but not far and he immediately follows her lol). Not when he is getting close to pulling truths from her, she pushes back and reacts but doesn't run. She looks for him in the after math of Sol. She agrees to train with him. While a part of that is for sure cause of Mae... blocking is also a very important and telling part of visual storytelling and that fact that when Mae asked what Osha wanted and she turned toward Qimir, it means something .

Idk, I think she found someone who has a rather terrifying ability to actually SEE her. For a character like Osha that seems to keep a bit of distance between herself and others...not really because she doesn't want companionship, but cause she's been so often disappointed. Having someone truly know you is terrifying and yet she keeps choosing him.

Her fear has caused her to run every time except when he is involved and I just find that super interesting.

I think part of it is he's essentially her guide...he's not corrupting her, he isn't manipulating her, he's telling her his point of view from his lived experience, but not pushing her in any other way than making her face herself. Her actions are her own and her fall is her choice. I think having the dynamic she has with Qimir goes hand in hand with that. Someone who knows you cause they understand, you crave that understanding while also being terrified of it.

Anyways, hope that made sense lol

[stephanythedramaqueen]

Hi! I love your Osha and Qimir posts sm! I am obsessed with them and really hope the show gets a S2. 😭

Sorry if this dumb a question, but why is Qimir so desperate for a pupil? I’m rewatching the season and the way he says that line to Sol just sounds so angry and frustrated.

Is it just because he’s lonely or because he’s following darth plagueis orders?

Hi! I’m obsessed with oshamir too, dw. The brainrot set in deep!

Okay so the simple answer here is that Qimir wants the Power of Two. And he was angry in that scene not bc he was super frustrated about not having one, but more likely bc he invested all that time and energy training Mae, which might have been years for all we know, and she ended up betraying him and thus ending her apprenticeship under him. That’s years and time and energy wasted. I would be angry too.

Going into depth about this, in Sith theology the Rule of Two is one who holds the power and one who craves it. A master and a pupil. A teacher and student. A paragon and acolyte. It’s a very power grabbing impersonal dysfunctional power dynamic.

However, I find it very important that the wording here in the show should be taken into account. Qimir doesn’t want the Rule of Two, which is what the Sith crave. What Qimir wants is the Power of Two. And the way the Power of Two is described in this show in particular sounds more like a Force Dyad, before this term was invented. The Rule of Two has always been about power imbalance. The master who holds all the power and the pupil who wants it. But the way the season ended between Osha and Qimir is that they’re equals. As per Leslye Headland’s own account:

Mind you, the Rule of Two never affords any equality whatsoever.

The witch coven describes the Power of One, the Power of Two, the Power of Many, a connection between each other through the Thread (aka The Force) which makes them stronger too. Now it’s interesting that the Jedi would call their power of the dark side. The same way Qimir is. But not all Darksiders are Sith, the way he never technically identifies as a Sith. The way its described, this unique bond through the Force/Thread is more aligned with a Force Dyad. And if we’ve seen anything what Rey and Ben over there has shown in the movies, it’s a strength and bond capable of great feats. And that is what Qimir wants. The strength, the power, the capability of greatness with another through the Force, so he could have the freedom to exercise his Force the way he wants without restriction from the Jedi or the Sith. And in order to get that, he would’ve needed someone who knows his craft and has the strength in the Force the way he does; someone who needs to learn this.

Now is Qimir lonely and suffering? Yes. Does he recognize this pain and despair in Osha? Yes. Is he eager in his connection for someone to understand him the way he understands her, like no one else ever would? Also yes. Did Darth Plaguis sent him to do it? Unclear. Unlike what the internet has been spreading as per yesterday, it is not confirmed that Plaguis is Qimir’s master. Leslye Headland, the showrunner, has been vague about Plaguis role in this. In one interview she seems to imply Qimir doesn’t know Plaguis is there at all and Plaguis is just spying on them. In another, there’s a hint that there’s more going on between Plaguis and Qimir.

Either way, that’s an answer that can only be answered in season 2. Leslye isn’t so foolish as to spoil that.

[a-heart-of-kyber]

No, no cuz listen.

@dealingdreams and I have discussed how Qimir/The Stranger gives trapped animal vibes. And she mentioned how maybe it was something similar to Ben wherein someone spoke to him from a young age in his mind.

(Kylo theme plays in the distance)

(It literally also played while Kelnacca...had someone else...in his head.)

And idk where, but someone pointed out that his cave has those Cortosis veins. So it, or maybe even the whole island, potentially has a similar veil of protection as the helmet aka blocking thoughts/energy etc.

Which means, if that's the case, this dude is hiding and has been hiding for a long time.

He only seemed to take on the "Qimir smuggler rat man" persona because Mae wasn't doing what she was supposed too and he wasn't even sensed by the Jedi in the force. Overall, he probably assumed he had laid low long enough to go unnoticed without the helmet.

Then he made himself very obvious, and if someone were looking/feeling/sensing they probably found him. Aka, his display on Khofar led Plagueis to the Unknown Planet.

Cuz remember...the helmet broke. He didn't have it on for hours after that fight.

I am personally not going to assume EU stuff is canon until it is made canon. So, while it could be Bal'Demnic, that has not been confirmed. Additionally, just because it could be Bal'Demnic it doesn't mean Plagueis has tapped that resource yet. It could still be unknown to even him until right now.

Now, whatever happened between Qimir and Vernestra, we know she thought he was dead. Aka, he was either actually dead or very close to dead.

(Additionally, this would mean that he initially had no reason to hide from her if he could assume she thinks him dead. So, if he has been hiding, he's been hiding from someone else.)

Plagueis most likely scooped that boy up and treated him like a science project for a bit. Screwing with him mentally in the process (a nice bit of further Sith ideological brainwashing). Then, of course, Qimir became the Apprentice.

(This would make him a bit of an analog of Darth Venamis. Far from the same, but taking bits of him...but also, surviving/escaping being an experiment.)

Which could mean he has been fed the Sith code and the Jedi code by those masters, but he has already had traumatic experiences with Both sides...leading to this lack of care for rules/wanting freedom.

(Aka Power of Two, not Rule of Two "rules rules rules if you never follow them, you never have to break them.")

And Qimir has repeatedly been compared to a Vampire in interviews and has comments and imagery within the narrative that lean that way as well.

(The floating/disappearing, "it was a very long time ago", the implication that when Sol knew him Sol was probably a child...being carried away in a swarm of bats-I mean moths)

I know so many people think Plagueis is involved with Osha and Mae...but I don't think he is, yet.

At the moment, I still think he's there for Qimir.

(Also, I'm not really pro having this guy show up for 3 seconds and suddenly literally everything is about him and he did it all. If he already did everything, where is he meant to go within the narrative exactly? If he already knows how to create life and Has Created Life?...anyways)

I think he's checking in on his potentially immortal or at least inhumanly long-lived test subject... I mean Apprentice (who may or may not have actually been resurrected). And, somehow, said Apprentice has linked up with a woman who was created using the force.

These two are literally Plagueis's version of Christmas.

P.S. I think he wants an acolyte for exactly the reasons he said. We have been repeatedly shown and told that Qimir/The Stranger speaks the truth...or, at least, his truth.

But...this doesn't necessarily disprove my other idea that he wants to draw out Vernestra have her go against Plagueis so he does not have to do that.

Going back to the idea that both of these Masters are powerful and they have both screwed him up royally.

And despite this, he can still fight blind in the force.

He is extremely balanced for someone who realistically shouldn't be if he's fully dark.

[sweetsoona]

Proximus Appreciation

Godddd I forgot how good of a villain Proximus is. He’s amazing, Kevin Durand is a gem.

He is SO charismatic and lively. And he truly believes in everything he’s saying. Or wait, that’s not accurate. He believes in the power of everything he says. Whether HE genuinely holds those beliefs or not is irrelevant because as long as other apes believe, that’s all that matters.

And he is so fucking GOOD at talking. Like he is actually a gotdamn genius.

(Messy ramble under the cut)

Over Dinner

“I know you’re coming here to get inside my vault.” / “IT’S NOT YOURS!” / “Oh, it is now isn’t it?” He says almost laughing in the face of Mae’s outrage. Because it does not matter, not even a little bit, that the vault wasn’t initially meant for apes. Who’s around to stop and take it from him? Her? This one lone human? What can she do? Nothing.

Not by herself.

“Noa what do you see?” / “Stolen clans” / “Not ‘clans’, a kingdom. A kingdom for apes.” Intentionally steers away from how all the apes got there, and focuses on where they could go from here. A kingdom for apes. He gestures between the two of them, like you and me.

Then continues, “Humans can never be trusted”. Trying to get Noa to psychologically distance himself from Mae and connect better with himself. “THEY do not understand that this is OUR time.” This is our time, our world, our lives Noa. And all THEY want to do is take that away from US. It is not you vs me, it’s us vs them. I’m just trying to protect us, Noa.

In The Vault

Later, he tries the tactic again. “APE TO APE, what did MAE have planned for me inside my own vault?” He's giving Noa an out. If he pins it all on Mae and exposes the plan, then Proximus will ignore his involvement. Ape to ape, kin to kin.

But again, it fails. Noa refuses to sympathize with Proximus and is not caving. “Okay, so what do you choose, a human over an ape? Your sweet little Soona or that stinking human?!” You won’t connect with me? Fine. I know an ape you DO have a bond with. He takes Soona hostage and then manipulates how it could be interpreted. His question frames it so Noa will believe it’s about ape vs human, and that everyone witnessing will think it’s about ape vs human.

If that’s the case, the answer should be simple. Choose apes. Tell him the plan Noa. Help Soona. Are you going to turn your back on your own kind? For an echo? For a pest??

But the question isn’t about “apes vs humans” at all and Proximus KNOWS THIS!!! Mae is just a stand-in, a representation. It’s not about Mae the human at all, not on a personal level or even on a species level. Proximus only wants Noa and all those witnessing to BELIEVE he’s asking the simple easy choice of choosing between a loved one and a “pest.”

But the actual ultimatum that is being thrown is for Noa to choose between Soona and the Clan. Because Proximus is smart enough to guess that whatever Noa intended to do would help his clan and hurt Proximus. But he can’t outwardly SAY that because then he’d look like the villainous tyrant he is to all the other apes. So he must frame it in a way that makes him appear to be For Apekind™️ and Noa to be a traitor. You refuse to connect with me, so I will punish those you do have a connection with. What do you choose Noa? Ape or human Soona or your clan’s freedom? “TELL ME THE PLAN!” It’s all about that gotdamn plan!

Proximus is asking Noa the trolley problem. One ape or several. All people you love. You choose who suffers.

And Noa, the very clever ape he is, KNOWS this is the true question which is why he freaks out and Proximus has him right where he wants him. Because either way Noa loses. Sacrifice Soona or sacrifice the plan. Punishment for his refusal to submit.

After The Flood

By this point, Proximus has attempted talking Noa into joining him, he has tried threatening Noa into joining him. When “diplomacy” and intimidation fails, the only thing left to do is just kill him. Noa will never submit unless as a last resort. So that's the exact scenario Proximus creates. He beats Noa bloody in front of all of his loved ones and demands that before he dies Noa must bend the knee.

If he kills Noa without Noa ever submitting at least ONE SINGLE TIME, Noa will become a martyr for his clan. They’ll never be truly loyal to Proximus. Losing Noa is a waste of a very smart ape, but since Noa refuses to be useful while alive, Proximus will make sure he’s useful in death. So he orders Noa to bend the knee before he kills him so that Eagle Clan will follow.

It could even be perceived as another double-layered threat. Bend the knee and your clan will again become one under me after your death. Or don’t bend the knee and your clan’s fate will be left up for ME to decide after your death. Make another lose-lose choice Noa. You won’t be alive to witness it anyway.

God Proximus is just so CREATIVE and INTELLIGENT and MANIPULATIVE!! He’s a captivating antagonist and definitely one of my favorites!

[aphrmoosun]

What can we expect from the upcoming apes movies??

The success of the new Planet of the Apes movie is obvious, it far exceeds what was expected at the box office and the critics are very positive. The only thing missing is the official confirmation of the fifth installment of the saga but seeing the numbers it has done, we should trust that we are going to have apes for a while.

So we can create our own ideas of what we think will come in the future of the saga.

Noa's first film in the saga opens up endless possibilities, we can also follow the clues given during the Caesar triology. And it is obvious that the new saga is not only inspired by the original saga from the 70s but also presents stories and ideas that were made known to us in those films. It was Cornelius himself who told us the story about Caesar who at that time called Aldo. So it is unreasonable for us to expect that, as happened in the Caesar films, the main ideas that were implemented in the films of the 70s will continue.

In the films of the 2010s we were already introduced to the idea of astronauts and although I think that the second film would be too hasty to present them, I do think that they could appear at the end of this film or in a kind of post-credits for the third film of Noah. Travels in the time? World's End? Humans destroying the planet? These are arguments that I still see as feasible in the movies. If the casting team is looking for an actor to be human in the next film, it gives me to understand that he could be the villain of the second film. And not Mae as many theorize.

It is true that she was the first human that is introduced to us in the new story and that her ideals direct her to be an antagonist. I don't doubt that that could be the case, but that Mae is a gray character is clear from the final scene of the movie. At one point Mae is going to lose her way and will surely find herself against Noa, but she is a character who screams to redeem herself. Noa and Mae are going to work together in the future, as an ape and a human.

Noa and Mae are clearly the same. They follow the same path: Noa does not know what the Echos are until Raka tells him about them. And Mae? She probably hasn't met an ape before either. Ignorance is mostly what separates us from ideals. And they both take the same path of getting to know each other. But just because they understood that, doesn't mean that everyone does. We already saw Proximus Caesar in the first film, who represents an ideal contrary to what Caesar represented. And very likely in the next movie we will see the humans in the bunkers who can take two arguments. The war against the apes or the search for a cure or becoming immune to the ape virus.

That's why we can theorize about the second movie. It has already been made clear to us that Noa and Mae are the protagonists of this story, and so far we have seen a lot of Noa and very little of Mae. If we come to any conclusion with the end of the movie, it is that Noa wants to follow Caesar's ideal and the one that Raka taught him when he hands the necklace to Mae. Because Raka gives him the necklace so that Noa remembers in the worst moments what was important. And now it's time for Mae to understand it too. I know that the next movie will be difficult for her and that she will also have to make difficult decisions, and that is the reason why Noa gives her the necklace.

I would especially like to mention Tim Burton's film from the 2000s. It is the film with the worst reviews in the saga and yet I see a lot of similarity between that film and the new one from 2024. I don't think they dare as much as in that film or that have some creative freedom to do some of the things they did in that one. And I'm talking about the romance within the movie. In the 2024 movie it is not very important and presents us with relationships that go beyond that interest but the relationship between Ari and Leo in that movie has been highly criticized by the general public and that could affect any attempt at a human/ape relationship that they would like to experience. So I don't see intermediate points, either they give us a story of enemies to lovers between Noa and Mae or I don't think it is very important for the story, because if they end up putting Noa and Soona together (which I doubt) it will not be important in the plot.

I don't want to make it longer so at another time I will develop it because I think they have thrown the stone into the river of a possible relationship between Noa and Mae hoping to see the public's reaction and because I think it would be a good idea to continue developing it.

To summarize, I think that the next movie will introduce us to a human villain and it will be the first time that Noa has to face one.

Human culture and how they have been living until now is also important and the reason why Mae lives isolated and away from humans. If she is immune but can still infect humans, no one will want to get close to her unless she is immune too. How does Noa and Mae's story continue to develop? Noa's clan taking a more leading role and getting to know Anaya and Soona more deeply. etc

I'm excited to see how it continues.

[campbell-rose]

Helluva Rewrite: Millie

Okay, i dropped my phone in water and was so scared i'd ruined it, but thank the gods it was fine. Though it's fucked so i'm going to post all the IMP redesigns in short order before it dies and i lose them forever. Onto Millie!

I wanted Millie to read as a country girl. I remember being like ‘oh, that’s her voice?’ when I watched the first episode, because for some reason it just didn’t match her design for me. I considered giving her back the white splotch in her hair, but decided to change imps and give fem imps white horns. I’ve got two guesses for why it was removed: 1) she was originally trans and it was changed 2) the dimorphism of imps was thought of after the pilot. Either way, I like it. I suppose the explanation for this version since her horns are fem is she might have been born intersex?

I wanted her and Moxxie to contrast in their designs, as such she’s wearing less while he’s fully covered, she’s tall he’s short, etc... Now, as a Wrath imp, she has a darker skin tone and has spikes on her body.

Now, as a character, i'll build off of what the show has given us.

Supposedly Millie is secretly very insecure? From leaks she’s like willing to die because she thinks she’s holding Moxxie back and in Unhappy Campers she had that whole breakdown. Now, I think this actually could’ve been built up a bit.  

In the rewrite, Millie is the youngest of her five siblings and the second girl. Now, from the bat lets make her a bit of a drain on the family. They hadn’t planned for her birth, and it was another child her parents had to take care of with limited money. She picked up on this when she was little, realizing that her parents often cut corners and struggle, and she perceives this as her fault. This ties into how she mentions her family going to Loo Loo Land, except in this it was once and was specifically for her birthday. She knows her parents had saved up for months to afford the trip and feels innate guilt for it. Boom insecurity explained. 

Now, in this Millie meets Blitzo first. They bump into one another once Millie moves away from the Wrath Ring to Pride to try and alleviate her parents’ stress. During this time Millie has been working as an assassin for a couple months and ends up bumping into Blitzo who was hired by a different person to kill the same target. This would be during Blitzo’s attempt to start his business in hell killing demons. They fight for a bit, then realize ‘oh wait... let’s work together!’ so Millie was the first to join IMP. 

Millie trains endlessly. When she isn’t doing her job, she’s at the gym. She is constantly striving to be the best because her parents pitted her and her siblings against one another (unknowingly, with things like the harvest festival). As a person she is very observant and emotionally intelligent. She is very kind and loves conversation. She also is very tight with money, and very appreciative of any gifts she receives because she grew up with little. She treasures things genuinely and is just all around a very genuine girl. 

Now, other than fighting, she is fairly mediocre at anything else, due to the culture of Wrath mainly being kill or be killed and you have to be tough. One hobby and talent she does have and is working on is singing, something she shares with Moxxie and works as something they can do together. Millie loves to play guitar and sing and is constantly striving to improve. On the topic of Moxxie, Millie loves him deeply and wants only the best for him and some part of her feels like she isn’t enough. 

All around I want this Millie to come off as a very confident and genuine person, trying her best to push down the deep feeling within her that she is a drain on everyone around her. So when people start showing her with praise rather than screaming in agony she is enthralled. She loves the cheers of crowds, as it was often Sallie Mae getting cheered on during the Harvest Moon Festival while Millie was always second best. She wants that kind of adoration and acknowledgement. 

That’s it. Gotta work on finishing Blitzo and Moxxie rn

[that-girl-glader]

JWCT SPOILERS FROM THE TRAILER BELOW

BRO WTH OMGOSH. SO FAR THIS ARE THE THINGS GOING ON IN MY HEAD FROM THAT TRAILER

FIRST OFF...... OMGOSH WHY DOES EVERYONE LOOK SO HOT. AND WHY IS BEN SO BEAUTIFULLY BLONDE AND PRETTY BOY😭😭 DARIUS IS KILLING ME WITH HIS STANCE IN THE BOAT. THE FU???

Okay now for business. "I'm not the same Brooklyn you knew before" Bitch no you FUCKING AREN'T. BECAUSE YOU HAVE GROWN UP. AND have trauma. But babes....what do you mean by that???? Brother. You're gonna get yourself ACTUALLY killed. Why did you burn the photo....there was no reason. ALSO LOVE THE HAIR WTH.

I think the other girl in the trailer we didn't see is either Mae or you know BEN PINCUS' GIRLFRIEND. AND IF IT IS.... I'M SO OVER MY LIFE. BUT THE GAYS CAN'T WIN. AND....I have the sneaking suspicion that benrius (yay) or Benji(bluh ew ew burns...jokesssss) is never gonna happen. I hope he breaks up with her if that ends up true.

I will sue if Brooklyn and Darius end up together. And no it's not because I want Darius and Ben or whatever. Heck they can all stay single except for yasammy for all I care. I just don't see it. It does not compliment each other in any way, and doesn't make sense to me. And I'm a hugeeee Kenji x Brooklyn because it was a very fair balance of differences and similarities. And it was so requited. I just don't see why if you can see she wasn't committed to being with Kenji that she'd be committed to be with Darius. I think she just can't immediately jump into a relationship.

Darius just had his first love it doesn't make sense for him to get with someone. The field of romance is unfamiliar to him. I think he needs to heal first too. They both do. Before anything happens. But guys...it would mean so much to me if benrius in a future skip ends up together because I NEED THIS WTH...And their dynamic just makes me so happy I can't lose that. I'd be borderline sad. Even if the bond was queer platonic. I'd take it. Even if they never kiss or hug or whatever I'd take it. Even if nothing happens with brooks or Ben I'd take it!!! Better non canon than canon am I right. Pull a gustholomule so I can stay delusional.

If anything and I mean ANYTHING HAPPENS TO YASAMMY IM THROWING ROCKS. NO ONE IS DYING THEY ARE LITERALLY IMMORTAL. IT CAN'T JUST BE THE WHITE CHARACTERS WHO CHEAT DEATH.

WTF did Ben keep it a secret that Brooklyns alive?? Delusional version: He doesn't want his chances with Darius to blow....ahahahaha. Real version: He doesn't want his friends to be upset with how much Brook has changed. Or their grief to be invalidated. Or for them to give her a chance when she has changed so much in a very not moral way. Welp. Maybe he just feels like Brook kept it a secret for a reason, and I might as well not call her out. Anywho you guys help me too. I'm insane.

Bye guys. Stay prehistoric!!!!💚🤎🦕

[bookishdaze]

My too long theory post about Mae as Reverse Caesar? This is multiple theories, really...

My theories on Mae's origins have ranged from her just being a lone smart girl among feral humans, to her coming from an underground civilization living in a bunker (My personal favorite. I like Fallout, lol).

Here's one that came to mind recently. It's not my main theory for her, (I still think she's just from some colony of smart humans) but it's my most "creative" and "crazy" one, but if people are allowed their crazy astronaut theories, THEN I'M ALLOWED THIS ONE 🤪

I'm gonna be calling her Mae/Nova for this.

Feel free to poke holes in this theory by the way, hehe.

This theory came to me after watching the new trailer, where we hear her being called "Nova," and we also get a shot of her riding on horseback with Raka. It reminded me a lot of Nova from War riding with Maurice.

So I thought, 'Huh, we're getting another blonde girl named Nova riding on horseback with an orangutan in the exact same way. It almost looks like the characters and plot for KOTPOTA could be a reworked version of what a plot could look like for a direct War sequel following a grown up Cornelius with Nova and Maurice and ohhhhhh-'

*puts on tinfoil hat* So my weird train of thought led me to this wacky theory: Mae/Nova is a human that was taken in by Raka as a child, and he has been raising and taking care of her. Just like Maurice did for Nova. She's kinda like Tarzan.

At first I had thought Raka met Mae/Nova because she was separated from her human colony and he was helping her get back home before they ran into Noa.

I also thought that maybe they come from a place where humans and apes already coexist, and I honestly still think either of these is the case tbh, but this part of a recent article made me think otherwise.

The "rabbit-in-headlights" bit makes me doubt she comes from a place where there are intelligent humans. (It's still possible she could be. I'll get to that later). To me this sounds like she's smarter, but still has some "animal" behaviors.

As for why Raka took her in, it can totally just be coincidence that we have another friendly orangutan who adopted a young girl.

Or maybe it became some sort of, ehh, tradition? Him wearing a necklace with Caesar's symbol and talking about how apes and humans used to live side by side makes him sound like a religious person. Maybe somewhere along the line, it became custom for those who follow his faith to "adopt a Nova" to raise and take care of, like Maurice did.

There is a difference, though. Raka could have been taking care of Mae/Nova, but he still sees her as an...well, an animal. A very smart animal that he feels a responsibility towards. I know him viewing her as an animal sounds pretty harsh, but keep in mind that humans have regressed to be like animals at this point.

And there's also this scene where he just....tosses her some food. It's no different from the way humans toss a friendly animal some food, really.

"But why does she seem frightened by the apes at the fireplace if she's been raised by Raka?"

I think she's scared of Noa here.

Orangutans are actually solitary creatures (I googled, lol), so it's very possible that it's just been her and Raka, and any newcomer makes her nervous.

Ok ok ok, so he's a guy who has taken in an animal that shows signs of intelligence and has taken it upon himself to nurture and care for this animal because his personal beliefs tell him that in doing so, he could potentially make the world a better place.

Like Will did with Caesar.

"So she's reverse Caesar." Yeah. That's pretty much what I've been trying to get at with all my rambling. Yay, parallels!

And we know Will cared for Caesar, but he always saw him as an animal. A very smart animal, but an animal nonetheless. He had him on a leash, and as much as he didn't want to, he still took him to the primate shelter. It wasn't Will being cruel, he just treated Caesar the way any human would have treated an animal, no matter how close they are.

Of course, like Caesar, Mae/Nova is gonna go through some changes. She's a young girl growing into adulthood. She'll have "needs and wants," as this article states.

Those needs and wants could be many things. To be regarded as equal. No longer wanting to feel inferior. And if she truly is some lone smart girl among a world of feral humans, she's also gonna feel really really lonely. (Think about it. If she does not come from a colony of smart humans and she truly is the only one, that's tragic. I'd be depressed, man).

So she'll also want friendship and companionship. To have a friend or anyone she can relate with. She'll most likely find this with Noa, since the article says, "...there are far more parallels and commonalities between the two of them than they might have originally imagined."

Okay, one question came to mind when coming up with this theory.

Why is she smarter than other humans? I got a few theories.

Theory 1. She could still be someone who grew up in a colony of intelligent humans, whether it be a colony in an underground bunker or anywhere else. It doesn't matter. But something terrible may have happened, like her colony was killed off, or she was separated from them as a little girl. Then Raka found her and took her in. Like Tarzan!

Theory 2. This one and the third one won't be as satisfying to fans, I assume. But maybe Raka noticed a lone child that was smarter than most, and he decided to take her in and help her intelligence grow.

Theory 3. She started off as an unintelligent feral girl, but being raised by an ape allowed her to slowly gain her intelligence back. I actually like this one. For starters, it's similar to the Planet of the Apes novel from 1963, where one of the astronauts became feral and unintelligent because of spending too much time in a cage with feral humans at a zoo, and Nova actually gained the ability to speak and became intelligent after spending a year or two in space with Ulysse, the protagonist.

Theory 4. She's like Megamind where she was launched into space from an alien planet as a baby while her homeworld burned all around her and she crash landed onto Earth. THERE'S YOUR ASTRONAUT THEORY.

I'm kidding. That was a joke. I know April Fool's was two days ago.

As for her name, we've gotten three so far. Mae, Nova, and Echo. I like to think of her name as a sort of symbol or indicator of her character growth, where I assume she'll gain the ability to speak at the end, or will have grown into herself as a person.

She'll start off as Nova. A common generic name given to all humans, given to her by Raka.

Then Echo. A more unique name given to her by Noa, but still not her own.

Then, finally, Mae. Her true unique name that she was either born with, or she picks out for herself.

Aaaaand I think that's it. I'm done. I know that was long, but I wanted to gather all of my thoughts and theories on Mae/Nova somewhere before I watch the movie in a month. Whatever her story is, I cannot wait to see it unfold. Now it's time for me to SLEEP.

[eri-pl]

Silm reread 23: the War of Wrath

Scheduling this reread post for the @morgoth-into-the-void-week. :)

So first, we are informed that our narative frame's source is the exiled Noldor (and Sindar, if I understand correctly), and they did not join the army marching North. They only learned the events later, in Aman.

So the host of the Valar was separate, the Noldor and the rest did not fight in the War of Wrath? At all? Why?

Also, I feel like this invalidates some fics, but I may be wrong. Anyway this feels strange.

The warriors "took shapes", so there were many Maiar in the army, I consider this confirmed, because I don't see how it can be read otherwise. [Unless translation messed it up]

They fight in Anfauglith, according to other sourced it lasts 50 years or so. wow. Also, the two armies are huge.

A few Balrogs escaped.

The Edain (the few that remained), in contrast to the local Elves, did join the war. Huh again. why the Elves did not?

Also, most Men were at the wrong side and the Elves hold a grudge about it. Even though, if I understand the text correctly, they themselves did not fight.

Morgoth is scared. How surprising. Winged dragons make a debut, but it soesn't help much. Earendil + all kinds of birds kil Ancalagon.

Oh, and speaking of birds: Elwing is on the ships, I would assume, with the Teleri. I would be very not surprised if Elrond and Elros meet her and they all have a long talk, and this is how the kidnap fam is dismantled (not leaving them with Gil-Galad, but letting them go to their actual mother. Who later sails back and then Elrond joins Gil-Galad. But this is purely a HC based on who was where.)

Only a few Balrogs and dragons escape (so that we can have some monsters in SA, or even, as we know, TA). The power of the Valar reaches deep into earth and cleanses it, I guess. Still, I am pretty certain that the Valar weren't there personally, just their Maiar.

Morgoth runs away, does all kinds of cringe cowardly stuff, nobody listenes to him, I have some second-hand embarassment reading this. The translation says his feet were cut off, which iirc I heard is kind of "Balrog's wings" thing, also for sake of Eonwe not looking bad I prefer to imagine just a regular "throwing him to the ground". ("but his feet were hewn from under him, and he was hurled upon his face" — English-savvy people, what do you think?]

Anyway I feel sorry for him, yes my brain is like that.

He is chained and his crown is replaced by a copy and stolen by Sauron for sake of appearing in Amazon's series reforged into a collar. I want to know by whom it was reforged, but the book does not tell me. Either some Valar were there (they can effectively teleport, from what is said in other places), or the reforging happenned in Valinor after Morgoth was taken there (the text doesn't sound like it), or some Maia of Aule did the reforging. It would be interesting if it was Curumo. Surely touching the thing won't influence him in a way that will bear its ugly fruit much later…

Also the Silarils are freed and glow under the sky. Hmm. They were not taken to Valinor, so the reforging clearly seems to take place in ME. So, was Aule there or did some Maiar do it?

"the two Silmarils […] shone unsullied beneath the sky; and Eönwë took them, and guarded them." Argh, because the Polish translation has it sounding like "were given to Eonwe to guard" I wrote a whole paragraph that now makes no sense. :/

Also, yes, clearly no Valar are there, it's the only logical reading.

All the Elves are summoned to Aman, as we know not all are enthusiastic, and we get to our guys Maedhros and Maglor (apparently without the twins now).

They don't go to talk to Eonwë, they send a messanger. Which sadly makes that one fic non-canon.

I wrote a long, convoluted "yelling on Maglor and hyping about things I should be writing inseat of just hyping" tangent, so I'll indent it, so you can skip it more easily. [Instead of deleting it. :) ]

My. guys. OK, I can get Mae who is crealy overriden by trauma here. But Maglor. My guy. Makalaure Canafinwe Feanarion. My. Guy. I get that you feel guilty towards your brother and all that, and he is triggered and "who knows what terrible things the Valar would do to us if we go against them. They would hang us from the mountain and nobody will come to save us and—" but my guy. You really would help him more by leaving him and just surendering to Eonwe. Also, my guys, this was already said, but you both get the -1th prize in category of "logic and basic inductive reasoning (if He hears us once, He will hear us again, and if not, the problem is not a problem)". But I get it, trauma turns the thinking brain off. Anwyay, Maglor, my guy. you are the worst at "being right". Becasue you are right but you do the wrong thing anyway,. MY GUY. I want to kick you. I am serisouly worried. I know the fandom wishes you all the best and ten times more, and so do I, but. My guy. You do need to put in some work. Because "having others solve your problems" never worked for you. So, I'm sorry but you will be put in Awkward Situations until you finally go against your family. Yes, this is harder when said family is dead, but we'll find a way. I know some people need help first, but ok you will have [or whatever tense] spend quite a lot of time in Rivendell first with your lovely kidnap-son but then you have to start behaving like an adult who makes his own decisions. And stop being codependent. And yes, in order to do that I am going to put you in the weirdest, awkwardest situations and also kinda scary situations ald many kinds of situations. And no, you are not going to have a glorious beautiful moment of redemption, because you're too much of a poet, you would focus on "how to describe it in a song" too much and miss the point. Also, I like giving my guys awkward situations, because, honestly, we deserve them quite well. So. you will feel like an idiot and do something so awkward that you will blush while explaining it to your dead brother and you won't be able to look him in the eye. Because. My guy. Don't worry though, you aren't even having the worst of my creative side. But. My guy. Seriously. You are a complete idiot (affectionate) and I want to kick you (affectionate).

Back to the reread proper.

So, those two. They sneak into the camp, in disguise. The camp awakens…. how did all the camp suddenly awake? Also, they are ready to die, the book says it, so @dfwbwfbbwfbwf it is canon and not only for Maedhros.

Eonwe lets them go freely, because… he is that kind, I guess? And/or knows that it will work out.

Maedhros (says the book) realized that Eonwe was right ant soF lost the right to the Silmarils. Also he is pretty clearly not in control of his actions (but he did maneuver himself there tbh)

Maglor is also burned and can't stand it, and we get the fan-loved Silm change-from-other-versions of "he wanders the shores so that we can write fanfiction of him". I want to hug him. But, also: Maglor you [beloved] fool.

Lot of Elves sail West, the Silamrils are gone and will not be joined until the world breaks (poor babies). The Elves from Belerians (the Exiles? the sindar? Both) live on Tol Eressea, and the Valar forgive them and Manwe loves them. the Teleri forgive them and the Doom is lifted.

OK, but then why do they live on Tol Eressea only???

By choice (more home-like)? To not pollute Valinor proper with their marring-influenced presence? Because the Vanyar threw a collective tantrum (yes, I hc the Vanyar to have some faults)? Just temporarily?

All of those make sense to me.

A list of Elves and again we are reminded that Elrond and Elros are very cool and special. (They are.)

Morgoth is thrown out the Door of Night into the timeless void (so probably not just outer space). Oh, the Valar did it.

So he was taken to Valinor.

I wish there was a fic on how scary-awkward-weird it was for the sailors of the ship that took him. OK, tbh there was probably more Maiar than Teleri, if any Teleri. But. It would be interesting. Especially with the Teleri having almost no experience with Morgoth. He is more like a legend to them, I think. So, scary-weird but also "hey, we are important and we'll be famous" maybe. Or maybe Ulmo just dragged him there.

There are guards on the walls o the world (huh?) and Earendil is keeping watch, which is strange considering that we are also told (in a place I can't find now) that Morgoth will not physically return (with a strange caveat). So, anyway: Morgoth gone but his lies are here still.

Quenta Silmarillion ends, we get a small … not even teaser, but after-the-credits paragraph about "hey maybe something will get Seriously Better but we don't know, Manwë and Varda probably know and Mandos did not tell anyone".