#for context: her husband has just died and she's saying (basically) how she's not a queen in this context but just a woman

[backjustforberena]

No more, but e'en a woman, and commanded By such poor passion as the maid that milks And does the meanest chares. Eve Best as CLEOPATRA in ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ (2014)

[lunatic-fandom-space]

I just saw a very interesting post about the difference between how todolf shippers look at todolf as a fantasy vs how elisatod shippers look at elisatod as a fantasy and i wanted to throw my two cents in regarding elisatod in canon, but Im feeling a lil shy so Im not reblogging it, and this is a pretty small fandom so Im sure youve already seen it or will see it if you just keep scrolling down. In case you havent, the gist of it is that for a lot of elisatod shippers (and for a lot of the people in charge of the more recent german-language productions) one of the biggest appeals of their dynamic is this idea that death doesnt love anyone except for Elisabeth which makes her special, whereas with todolf its more like. Im having a hard time summarizing it in my own words, I guess i personally would say that its literally just the inverse where todolf shippers think that death has a romantic relationship with everyone (or at least everyone who thinks a lot about death and dying) so the 'specialness' of it doesnt matter/doesnt factor into it, its basically just about their dynamic in a vacuum, but i dont think thats what the post was saying ? Whatever, we're talking about elisatod rn so it really doesnt matter

So, for me the most important thing about the love between Elisabeth and der Tod is that its pretty much unrequited until the moment she dies. Like, we have a brief moment of mutual interest when they first meet and she sings the little Wie Du reprise and (in the 1992 prod) he gives her this suggestive look after shes done, but after that its basically all him pursing her when she clearly does not want that, until Rudolf wo bist du where she is finally ready to give into him, but now he doesnt want her, and then they only really fall in mutual love when she dies and they basically have no other choice. This friction where they can never really be in mutual love because Elisabeth never wants to lose her agency or control over her life until she doesnt and tries to give it up, and Tod only "wants" her when shes clinging on to life and rejecting him, is the core of their relationship.

Now, you'll notice that i put the word 'wants' in quotes when i was talking about Tod and thats because i dont think he, as originally witten in the vienna productions, is capable of wanting anything because hes not a person, hes a reflection of the people around him and because of that, his behaviour in any given scene is determined by the context around him. I know thats kind of a clunky way of phrasing that, but I have to do describe it in such a broad and vague way because his behaviour is really not consistant. For an example of what Im talking about, in Elisabeth mach auf mein Engel, he tells Elisabeth that he loves her but hes only doing that in contrast to Franz Joseph; her husband comes up to her trying to burden her with his own problems when she's feeling bad and in need of comfort herself, meanwhile death is offering her unconditional love. Another example that I like is in Die Schatten werden länger reprise, where he has to start the song because Rudolf is too paralysed by fear to articulate his feelings until he has his support

But the moment of death's behaviour being influenced by the people hes interacting with that I find the most interesting, is his introduction during the prologue where the people he's interacting with are the audience. Because during that part of the song, hes essentially playing into the audience's expectation that Elisabeth and death will be a traditional soft tragic romance, hes talking about her in a very gentle and wistful way and in way that subtly implies that she was the only person he ever loved, but then during the actual story, hes treating her very aggressively and their relationship is honestly pretty unpleasant, and we can clearly see that she was not the only person he ever loved because his and Rudolf's relationship is just as intense in a similar overtly romantic way (and arguably more so because its mutual and requited). But then obviously we got Kein Kommen ohne Gehen which essentially contradicts all of this and severely clashes with the entire rest of the elisatod relatio ship, but its late and if i start complaining about that, Im gonna add another 2 paragraphs to this post

So yeah, these are some of my thoughts about elisatod, i have a lot more but its 2am and i just soent two hours writing this and I can feel my brain turn into mush, so yeabh. please let me know what you think

[gothamite-rambler]

Batfamily Mitzvah

Context: I learned about Bruce is canon Jewish because his mother was and this is if Kate dragged Bruce to a family bar mitzvah.

Kate is reading a People magazine.

Kate: Bruce, do you know Linda?

Bruce (sorting through paperwork): The crazy family member? That doesn’t narrow it down, does it?

Kate: Not really. She’s our third cousin, but she goes by Aunt Linda. She’s the one who hit her husband with her car, and when he survived, they stayed together.

Bruce: That Linda... I’ve always hated her. I remember she used to insult my mom for not marrying the right man.

Kate: That's the one. We all hate her at this point. Anyways her son's son—

Bruce (correcting tone): Her grandson?

Kate rolled her eyes.

Kate: Yes, smartass. They’re throwing him a bat mitzvah in a few weeks, and they invited me. You’re coming.

Bruce: I’m busy that day.

Kate: I haven’t told you when it is.

Bruce: My schedule is full when it comes to visiting 'Aunt' Linda and her insane family.

Kate: My bad, cuzzo. You misunderstood. That wasn’t an invitation; it was a command. I’m not going alone.

Bruce: Why not?

Kate (looking up from her magazine): I’m a lesbian, and they’re very religious. Linda will be there and has made it very clear that “Oh, it’s just a phase, darling. You’ll find the right man!”

Bruce: Why am I coming, though? I don’t like her, and I don’t want to hear her voice again.

Kate: I’m bringing you so she can ask why you’ve adopted those kids and aren’t married yet, how one of them died and then came back to life, why you’re dating a former bank robber, and why you only have one biological son. Tsk, tsk, naughty, naughty, naughty. I told her some things about you in the group chat, and she’s already asked a lot of evasive questions... about you. Make sure you have a good suit; that’s basically all you wear.

Bruce: Oh, okay... I have no say in the matter. Got it. Fine.

Kate (dryly): There’s the master detective you pride yourself on being.

Bruce (already regretting this): What time are we supposed to be there?

Kate: We have to be at the synagogue early in the morning because it’s on a Sunday—you are going into the synagogue; I don’t want to hear it.

Bruce groaned, rubbing his temples. He never seemed to get along with churches, but he knew he had no say in the matter when it came to Kate and her persistence.

Kate: After that, the party is at three. I hate talking to so many of them; we can sneak off, have a drink, whatever you want to do, and show back up at four. Are you bringing the kids?

Bruce (sarcastically): Was that a question I'm allowed to answer? Thank you so much for allowing me to respond.

Kate: I can be nice like that.

Bruce (aggravated): No, they’re not going. I don’t even want to bring Damian. They wouldn’t like that side of the family.

Kate: Hmm, I never asked—are you practicing Judaism?

Bruce: Nope.

Kate: Why? Aunt Martha was Jewish; by extension, you’re Jewish.

Bruce: That’s not true.

Kate: You’ve studied numerous forms of fighting, weapons, and even opera, but you don’t know that if your mother is Jewish, you’re Jewish, too? Damian, however, is ethnically Jewish. Your dad doesn’t factor in... were you unaware?

Bruce glares at Kate, refusing to answer.

Kate: Oh my goodness! Yes, I knew something you didn’t know!

Bruce (rubbing his forehead): Yup, I’ll give you that. But for your information, I was never raised with a Jewish upbringing.

Kate: Seriously, I thought they’d do something—

Bruce: They died when I was eight in an alley. You lose the spirit of anything when that happens!

Kate (sighing): You use that excuse too much.

Bruce: My parents died!

Kate (silent for a second): My sister is clinically insane, and one of your sons shook hands with God. It’s not a competition.

Bruce: The way Jason tells it, he met Satan for some time.

Kate: He’s joking; were you unaware of that as well?

Bruce refused to respond, pretending to read a document on his desk.

Kate (laughing): Are they aware you’re Jewish?

Bruce: Yes, but again, I’m not practicing. So it’s like... yes, but no.

Kate: Oh, so me. Cool.

Kate returned to reading, while Bruce looked over a case about Scarecrow.

Bruce (desperate): Can I pay you—

Kate (firmly): You’re going to this party; money won’t change that.

Bruce (half-sarcastically): I just love these special moments we share.

Kate: Aww, same here, cuzzo.

Batfamily mitzvah -> pt 2

[confoundedluna]

thinking about TUA s4 again and the ending

and I know it's been long enough now that most people have said their piece and other people have probably said what i'm gonna say but it's just. argh

things worked about this season! remove them from the wider context and they make sense! Diego and Lila struggling in a regular world regular marriage because neither are used to that life? yes! the fuck ass way they went about that? no!

the ending in particular, people have pointed out how shitty the overall message ends up being of 'you are the fault/cause for your trauma and the pain you've inflicted on others across your lifetime and it's better you never even existed so at least they can be happy' but like. a bittersweet ending with the group sacrificing themselves Could have worked! it's just. the entire tone of the season needed to be different for it to work.

the group needed to have Got their happy ending and gotten to be happy for Once, so even if they were leaving it all behind, it happened! they got what they had all been looking for this whole time! and they got to leave the world a better place!

instead we get Luther reduced to a stripper joke, basically no mention of his wife (or most of the Sparrows at all), and his body mutated again even though that had No link to his marigold powers, living in a condemned building and trying pathetically hard to keep what he has left of his family together and cared for only to lose them all again in the end

Diego gets reduced to a fat joke when his actor is in Insanely good shape, he gets turned into a guy who would dump his problems on his family even after his own upbringing and how good a dad he was last season (at least from what i remember), and a guy who loses the family he finally got through his wife cheating on him with his brother and not being able to properly say goodbye to his children, dying not knowing whether she would choose him or them

Allison's husband walks out on her again, her kid that has been her main motivator seems to have a better connection with Klaus than her, her career has barely gone anywhere, and she dies having just sent her daughter alone to an unknown fate and not knowing if anyone would remember her

Klaus just Has to be reduced to a junkie that gets kidnapped and used and ignored by the rest of the group, except this time with no impact on the main plot, he doesn't have his connection with Ben anymore, and his fairly reasonable turn from immortal to paranoid germaphobe seems played as a joke, plus there's only just a Passing shot of the dog tags, no mention of Dave or his time at war

Five seems the happiest of the group at the CIA (LOW bar), but even then he's stuck back in another organisation like The Commission, and he gets absolutely character assassinated into some pathetic lovesick puppy who would enter an affair relationship with his brother's wife and hide a way home to the family he spent Decades in an apocalypse trying to get back to, and almost abandon them in the end because his BROTHER'S WIFE would dare to choose her family over him

Ben loses all sense of character and becomes only 'I love Jennifer', doesn't really have any real moments with the Umbrellas and barely mentions the Sparrows, eventually mutating beyond recognition and not even getting to die with his new makeshift family that he probably hasn't seen in the years he was locked up, beyond maybe Luther

Viktor distances himself from his family and can't hold down a relationship with anyone after Sissy, is forced to forgive Reginald for the abuse he went through because 'that wasn't me! it was the Other me!' and barely gets any moments with his family that has finally welcomed him before dying

Lila gets watered down and her character assassinated into some housewife that would cheat with her brother in law that she has seen looking like a child, no delving into the dynamic between her and her now-living family, and dies showing affection to her affair partner in front of her husband

making their lives miserable and then having the solution be that they all die and everyone else gets a happy ending is Not a good way to end a show like TUA - imo, it should have been either they're miserable throughout and finally get their happy ending, maybe getting to live just normal lives either separately with their 'birth' parents not knowing each other or what their lives used to be, or all together either with or without memories, OR they get to be happy, just for once, so that they can leave the world behind knowing that even if no one else remembers them, they got to experience happiness

Luther should be the definition of a perfect marriage with Sloane, living that stereotypical dreamlife

Diego should be doing Some kind of active work, maybe martial arts or self defense classes or Something, and getting to come home to his family happy and fulfilled with the life he has

Allison should have her husband and her child, and a career that, big star or not, she's happy in

Klaus should be in THERAPY, and he should be with Dave, finally independent from his family and not needing them to save him but sticking around anyway because he loves them and they love him

Five should be either alone romantically or with some Delores substitute, getting to live out his old man life in peace surrounded by the family he Platonically worked so desperately to keep together

Ben could be with Jennifer or not, but either way, he should have the Sparrows And the Umbrellas, with connections to all of them, even if he is still a bit of an ass - they love him anyway

Viktor should be with Sissy, finally fitting in to the family dynamic, finally in a relationship that's healthy, that he gets to keep, not sidelined or isolated but just another part of the gang

Lila should be a working mom in some way, either doing something like Diego or as part of an organisation, but still coming home Happy to her family at the end of the day, no cheating

whether that's their ending, or just what they get temporarily and have to choose to sacrifice for the greater good of the world, these characters that have spent So Long being traumatised and fighting for a sliver of happiness should get to experience it properly, not spend every minute tired and sad and even hating each other before they have to die no matter what

[precambrian-sea-pancake]

Giving context to things in Shadows of Rose that really needed context because I didn’t like them and they barely got context.

1) The Winter’s separating: it’s very much established they would not willingly separate. Mia loves Rose. There’s no way she’d willingly give up another family member after being widowed. Plus, Chris OF ALL PEOPLE should not want to separate the family. Literally the whole theme was about family. Hot take but there’s 3 of them.

2) Chris saying he would protect Rose and then asking her to join the squad: I refuse to believe Chris would go against his dying friend’s wishes. Putting someone in a fight isn’t protection

3) Rose barely knowing anything about Ethan: I mean…come on. That’s your dead husband and your dead friend who basically made you the godfather. There’s got to be a reason, right?

So…enjoy me fixing all of that by saying things Capcom loves to leave out

———

Mia raised Rose in the beginning when she was a kid, with the help of Chis. They were close. She was very paranoid about her safety and did everything she could to help Rose live a normal life considering they were under even stricter protection than before. Because of this and the fact that Rose would be too young to understand at the time, Mia and Chris were very selective about what was said. They told her things like “your father loved you” “he died protecting you” “he would’ve loved to be here”

The two of them wanted her so do to school because she needed socialization. Unfortunately she had a very hard time. Chris and Mia did their best to be supportive but it was a very tough situation for all of them.

Eventually when she got a little older the higher ups realized how much at risk the Winters were (and also for selfish reasons because Rose powerful. I mean…let us not forget Sherry ;-;), decided it would be best to separate the two to “protect” them. Be it by boarding school, training, etc. It’s kinda unclear but it happened.

Mia hated this. She couldn’t lose Rose but ultimately didn’t have any power over the situation. Chris hated it just as much also tried to prevent this but he too couldn’t change it.

Chis contact with Rose given his job and was the bridge between the two but as time went on things got more complicated and messy.

Eventually Chris got to a point where he wanted Rose by his side more often and to be the one in control instead of the higher ups. So he wanted Rose to join his squad so she could defend herself and not belong to some shitty government thing. At least this way it was easier…at least in Chris’s mind. To him it was protection. Was it the best idea? No, but to him it was.

After the DLC, they learn Ethan is still present in some sort of way. It motivates Chris to try fighting once more for the family to be together again.

Rose remembers everything she saw in the Megamycete’s recreation of her old house and how both of her parents loved her…and sees the mother on the bus reading a book to her kid.

Now both motivated to try again they’re successfully able to get visitation between Rose and Mia.

It starts off slow but eventually it happens more and more. It’s hard because it’s been so long, but they work to reconnect. Since Rose is older and has context, Mia (although very hesitant and needing some encouragement. Plus taking a few meetings for it to even happen) explains their family history to Rose piece by piece until the story is complete.

As for Rose joining the squad?

She joined because she knew her dad fought to help her family. She, like her father, is a kind person. She wants to help protect people and make sure they don’t suffer the same fate as her family. One more good soul to combat a corrupt world. She’s at an awkward age at a very emotional time. Her decisions might not be final but it’s giving it a try. She might stay or she might not. She might like it or she might hate it. Only time and experiences will decide that.

While things aren’t perfect, the Winters are at least together. Just like what Chris tried to do, and just like what Ethan wanted.

———

It’s not perfect, but I tried my best with what was available and worked within the confines of the story. I loved the DLC, but it does have flaws that annoy me. So I fixed it UwU.

[starry-blue-echoes]

What if in Beastars, after Emporio beats Pucci, Pucci only manages to scratch him before he dies, thus Emporio gets turned into a Werebeast himself, makes angst potential, i imagine a lion eagle hybrid, more lion like but with wings but also some ram horns as a reminder of Weather, he’s basically a bird kitten. Maybe he becomes protective of Irene and the others.

Made better if Irene and Jotaro are still Werebeasts in the new world, maybe some werebeast cuddles.

OOOOOOOOOOO YESYESYESYESYESYES

(also as like..... a way to explain this occuring without having to explain why no other enemies of the Joestars have been turned, maybe there are a couple requirments that have to be met, such as it being during a full moon among other things, and maybe even then the chances are relatively slim)

Now, I will say I do want to change some aspects of the animals you've assigned Emporio, if only to stop too much over lap. The ram works fine because of the implications of it, but I believe Jonathan is already part lion and Josuke is already a griffin of sorts

maybe we could try tying Emporio to the three werebeasts he interacts with? So a ram for Weather and Pucci, either a wolf or gator from Jotaro (I'm not sure which since one would give him SUPER fluffs but the other would let him swim better), and butterfly wings from Jolyne

and just. Imagine the day they find Emporio at the bus stop eith a somewhat brutal looking and very fresh slash on his arm. It's only natural that they'd all be concerned, especially when Emporio only explains it as far as "I was attacked by an animal" without any more context

and just. Who knows how it goes for him. Maybe it starts as little things while still a human that he always writes off as because of his newfound freedom. He enjoys meat more than he did before? Well, of course he does, meat had been a luxury he rarely got and now he gets to pick what to eat. He likes climbing trees and being in the open air? It's a good vantage point and he's never been able to climb trees before. He feels more comfortable with his blankets and pillows piled up in a nest? Probably for safety and as a trauma response, he remembered reading some books about it

but of course, everything comes to head that first full moon he spends with the Joestars

The plan had been for Jotaro and Jolyne to leave the house while Marina stayed with Emporio. They wanted to slowly ease him into it, and full moon nights would be akin to throwing him straight into the deep end. Of course, Emporio already knows what they are, but he doesn't say anything and plays dumb for their benefit

and Marina was ready for a calm, quiet night. It had been some time since her husband and daughter had spent the entire night away, but she understood why and was happy to help

what she was not ready for was for Emporio to start screaming the second the sun set

can you imagine how terrifying this would be for both parties? Emporio because what's happening what's going on why does everything hurt why is his body change like this it hurts it hurts it hurts- and Marina is freaking out because Yeah An Eleven Year Old Screaming In Your Living Room Is Going To Make You Panic

what's even more....... Marina's never seen this kind of reaction before. Jotaro and Jolyne always shifted with confidence, with certainty, with control. They always knew exactly what they were doing and what was going to happen

but this? This could not be further from that

it also doesn't help that Emporio's panic doesn't really leave even after the shift is done. Now it's just less coherent and more erratic which is fun for Marina to deal with

her one saving grace is that Emporio is still relatively small and thus doesn't actually try to hurt her. He more or less runs around for about an hour before hiding himself under a piece of furniture, at which Marina starts slowly making it clear she isn't a threat. Near the end of the night he actually falls asleep in his hiding spot and Marina has to fish him out so he won't hurt himself when he changes back

but yeah, Jotaro and Jolyne are in for the realization of a lifetime by the time they get back

[nonuggetshere]

I keep seeing u post about ur kingsoul au, would u be willing to write a basic rundown of the plot!! BC I LOVE everything that I've seen but ik none of the context :///

ALRIGHT, joke about never revealing the lore over, time to release the brainrot

The basic premise is that PK and WL gave the Pure Vessel kingsoul charm to keep their soul levels stable, in case Radiance tried to physically damage them to get out.

Fastforward many years later, and the infection resurfaces. Pale King and White Lady are hit with the possibility that the vessel was alive all this time and they...do not take it well. Pale King immediately dives back into work to cope, just to keep his mind off this. Meanwhile White Lady completely bottles up her feelings and tries to pretend everything's okay, and instead distracts herself by trying to make sure her husband is alright.

Things keep getting worse and worse, and finally when he's completely out of ideas, Pale King decides to trap himself and his palace in the dream realm in hopes that Radiance will go for him instead. He discusses it at length with his queen, says his goodbyes in case he dies and leaves. The moment he's in the dream realm she can no longer feel him, so she has no idea if he's dead or not.

His plan does not work. He's alive but trapped in the dream realm, presumed dead by most people.

White Lady is now alone, watching her beloved's hard work crumble to dust, feeling powerless to stop it. Finally, she gets an idea, and in her desperation she tries to reach to the Hollow Knight through the kingsoul charm, much the same way she would with her Wyrm.

It works.

They're momentarily pulled from the Radiance's grasp, confused and disoriented. Then they see their mother and their confusion grows. For a moment they think it's another one of that damned moth's tricks, but they can't feel her presence at all. Realising that it's their actual mother, they just break down, relieved to be free of the torment at least for a little while.

This cements her suspicions that they were alive, when before they thought Pale King might have been just wrong about how the infection works, now she's sure they're alive.

She hugs them tightly and tells them it's going to be okay, but their kingdom is dying, their people are suffering, their father might be gone forever, and she just needs them to hold on a little longer. Can they please do that for her?

They nod.

She smiles. They're strong, she says, they've got this.

And it works.

With her help, getting frequent visits and breaks, her reassurance; they manage to fight off the infection once again. Hallownest can begin to heal and rebuild once again, under her rule. She will continue what her beloved started. For his sake.

She sees them again, tells them as much. The kingdom's doing better, the infection is disappearing, all thanks to them. Their father would be proud, she tells them. They smile so brightly at that.

She reassures them, tells them to keep fighting, and one day another vessel will show up and they can be relieved of their duty. They will be named a prince, they could be a family. She promises.

They trust her. Trust her that she's sure of it.

Years pass, Hallownest is thriving again, the Hollow Knight has new strength to keep fighting. They've got their mother's help. They look forward to her warm embrace and soft words everytime.

But the time keep stretching on and on, and no other vessel shows. They're getting impatient, nervous, they can't keep going on like this. She knows it, doesn't she?

She reassures them. She's sure another, truly pure vessel will show to replace them, and then they can reunite once more in the waking world. She's sure. She promises.

Ages pass. They're getting tired. They can't keep going, even with her help.

They're impatient, nervous- no, terrified. She promised.

The infection starts showing up again. She's angry. Don't they know what they're fighting for?

They can't keep going. So try harder, she tells them. Do not disappoint her. Do not disappoint their father.

They're at their breaking point, they can't keep going. She promised them. Did she lie? Was all of this just empty stories all along?

But how dare they accuse her of that. They're a warrior. They were trained for this. They should be stronger. They let their father's legacy crumble once more.

They're a failure. She tells them. The king would be disappointed.

They snap.

The kingsoul lays broken between the two of them. The vessel pants heavily, still reeling after their argument.

She looks at them in shock then shakes her head. She turns away.

She overestimated them. She shouldn't have expected any better of them. After all...

They're only human.

They've failed them.

...No. No.

They'll show her. They'll show her. She's wrong about them.

For the first time in ages, they raise their blade towards the sun shining in the distance.

So that entire thing came to me after listening to My Goodbye from EPIC: the musical on repeat for two days straight. A lot of plotpoints in this AU come from me rotating these characters in my head while listening to these songs.

Pure ascends as the Lord of Shades and brings The Radiance down. But they don't kill her.

She'll get to live out the rest of her life as a mortal. In the ancient fallen kingdom that she brought to ruin.

They break from their chains, take one last look at her from the entrance of the black egg, and leave. They rise to the surface, don't look back as they pass the howling cliffs. It's not their home anymore.

White Lady feels a shift in her kingdom. Dryya runs to her, the infection is dying.

Shocked, she uproots herself and goes to the temple. There, she finds the Radiance, and no sign of her child.

So after being informed of what went down by a very pissed off Radiance, her reaction pretty much boils down to "THEY DID WHAT?"

Along their travels, Pure finds their other siblings. Mainly, Ghost, Mellow (BV) and Greenie (GV). They find their way, after many years, into the ruins of yet another fallen kingdom.

This time though, they find their new home here. They help build a new kingdom and are crowned as its monarch. Life's good.

Except for the fact other Hugher Beings get the wind of a void being doing that to The Radiance and want to kill them out of paranoia but that's a story for another time.

Oh, and PK finds his way out of the dream realm. Somehow.

Also WL and PK can still talk to Pure through now voidheart, but they immediately cut contact and most of the time don't even let them sense them.

[whenthechickencry]

Umineko EP5. Replay Part 5

Dlanor is REALLY disappointed in Battler, damn, she has mentioned it like 5 times now. Admittedly he has been just kind of throwing shit at the wall half the time she has been on screen... The sentence "I am a hostage being imprisoned being imprisoned by the Ushiromiya family under the guise of marriage." made me start crying again. The fact Natsuhi is entirely conscious of her fucked up situation but lying to herself about it all the time makes it so much more painful to me than if she was just 100% in denial.

Kinzo had a complex about being new rich so he kidnapped a woman to fix his complex.

"my husband.... was the only person who could understand me....!" She knows this is not true. She knows she was constantly used by Krauss. She has been forced to acknowledge Krauss does not trust her over and over.... yet she must tell herself that or else she is fully alone in this world.

Natsuhi does, in fact, obviously love her husband though. As much as I kind of wish that wasn't the case Erika is sadly very wrong here.

Erika's face contorts as she says this. She obviously doesn't want to live like this either, but that is the only role allowed to her by her master....

"Natsuhi hadn't written them down to record them for posterity. She had written to forget those memories and seal them away" I wouldn't be surprised if Sayo's mysteries started as that too.... Everyone gives their opinions on Natsuhi's backstory.... Rudolf is surprisingly sympathetic for someone who doesn't treat women very well either. Kyrie reveals yet again she's very ok with violence. Kanon plays the I don't understand act which is very funny in context.

Natsuhi choosing not to blame Kinzo's ghost is sad.... sure, I am sure she is also suspicious of it being a trap but I don't think it's past her in general. She talks about how he entrusted her, etc.... it's so sad to me how everyone can admit that she's a victim but herself. Erika and Bern restart the game in order to fuck with Natsuhi and force her to admit that Kinzo is dead. Natuhi is stubborn enough to completely refuse. The Natsuhi Kinzo relationship theory is so fucking disgusting... damages both Natsuhi in the way such a thing is disgusting to her and in the sense that she's forced to imagine herself having sex with the man who literally kidnapped and sold her.... Erika then frames Kinzo as the victim in this exchange because "Natsuhi used her body".... It is kind of hard to read this part for me.

Haha.... the faker the claims the more citations they have. That's really fucked up in its own way.

Natsuhi then starts to reveal her crime for 19 years ago... she is basically completely aware of the motive, huh, hahahah. I think realizing her sin and bringing it up is good, even if it obviously can't make up for it. "Then, just a few years ago, he died of old age,.... and I confessed the truth over his grave, apologizing" Man Natsuhi is so good at burying the truth deep into herself that I forgot she was acutely aware it wasn't an accident throughout those years.... I thought that was what she believed but knew deep down wasn't true. But she was completely aware of it as she was constantly telling herself another story. Battler can't take the ruse anymore and say it's no good and ends the episode.

[dulcewrites]

What is your opinion on show Aemond? In books he was basically psychopath, in show not yet, but I wonder what do you think of him besides the things you said before like he is arrogant. Btw, you are probably the only person who sees his arrogance and inability to rule (despite having Vhagar, being great swordsman and studying history and philosophy) because I swear to God, every Aemond stan views him as perfect and not arrogant at all and perfect material for a king. And you know what is the funniest thing? That they only acknowledge his traumas when they are comparing him to Daemon, you know, Daemon is the bad guy from episode 1, groomer and many other things but Aemond is hurt and insecure and disabled, but when confronted, they all view him as perfect. You know, just because he has traumas means he is perfect. But it never crossed their minds that any sort of trauma affects the process of thinking, self confidence, perception of people around us and does it in not positive way. And no, just because Aemond is traumatized doesn't mean he will be good father and husband because how in madieval world would he have any opportunity to even acknowledge that he has something called trauma and then starting to work on it, slowly realising how this worked and made him the person he is now?

It's 2022 and people are talking a lot about mental health which is great, but seeing how many people not even understand how Aemond's traumatic past shaped him and thinking it won't have negative effect is really sad.

And maybe the reason you got this terrible anon message because his stans really have no clue how his past will affect him and people close to him. They focus on how a good and dutiful son he is, but in fact he is parentified child. I also am one and believe me it could be great for strangers, me caring about my mother, but they don't know how hard it was in childhood when I was the one to take care of her where it should have been other way around. And my relationship with her is not a testimony of any kind of strong bond, but the fact I was burdened by her problems and needed to find solutions to them, because she couldn't. And in episode 9 when Alicent says If anything has happened and her panicked expression, it reminded me of my mother and everytime she relied on me.

You are basically the only person I saw admitting that he is a piece of work. Others believe that after all he has been through he would be perfect father, husband and king. No one sees how his past shaped him in bad way. Because it's like knife that cuts on both sides, sure, after losing an eye he became full of determination, dutiful, but also full of anger and having many repressed feelings. And this will affect all his relationships, but his stans doesn't see him as flawed character, they point out Daemon wrongdoings and use it to put Aemond on pedestal. And once saw one of them saying Aemond will get rid of his traumas once Viserys and Luke died. So thank you for portraying him in realistic way, I know it was request to write his wife being killed over a lie, but you captured his essence in such amazing way.

Well I appreciate that you like my different interpretations of Aemond. To be fair/honest, the way I write him in fmo or even in that request is not how I personally would want him written in the show. I don’t enjoy seeing women, regardless of the context or nature, being treated so poorly. There are times where it makes me sad when writing. But I’m also an admittedly sensitive person lol. Those anons I got, while complete weirdos who need help, I see as outliers compared to a lot of people who enjoy hotd. It’s just when you are in a large fandom, the wronged opinions tend to be the loudest. I do a lot of people misinterpret characters but they also have the good sense to not harass people.

I think that all the layers that make up show Aemond is why he is extremely compelling. He can be messy or arrogant, and probably a bad king/Prince regent. But he can also be a young man who had to deal with a losing his eye, a neglectful father, a mother who takes on a lot and probably projects a lot onto him bc he is so dutiful and kind to her, and having unique sibling relationships. And that does not even mention the possible piety or the strained relationship with intimacy he may have. I do think a lot of writers on here know and understand show Aemond but maybe choose to paint a prettier picture bc why not. Like I don’t plan on writing Aemond as a terrible father or husband in everything I do. I have some stuff in the works that is the opposite actually. He can be a lot thinks at once bc most people are. You just have to pick your threshold of what you can tolerate, irl and when you engage with media.

As for how I feel about show Aemond. I like him. I wouldn’t take the time to write about him if I didn’t. There are certain changes that I think the show did well, and I would argue and say his characterization is one of them. It also doesn’t hurt that ewan plays him extremely well. Older aemond could have fell flat if they did not have someone as talented playing him. So much of that charisma is not the text, it’s ewan acting his ass off. I’d say that’s the case for all the Hightower/targ kids. Phia, Tom, and ewan did the best with what they got, especially Tom and phia

[themollyzone]

the angle

Ooh the internet is getting REAL WEIRD for me these days. It wasn't until after he died that I learned the reason my paternal grandfather was so into college sports (especially basketball) was because he thought professional sports were rigged, so college ball fandom was the only pure and honorable option. It's taken me a while to get into Conspiracy Grandpa status but it's starting to happen in a very particular way.

Specifically, I find myself seeing the way people craft their internet identities and output and saying: I don't believe it. Recently a young woman's thrift haul went viral on TikTok for being impressive and jealousy-inducing, then broke containment and went viral on Twitter where a lot of people were mad at her for scooping up cheap duds and reselling at a premium.

The original impressiveness of the video was supposed to be about buying a lot of desirable clothing all on the same day from the same store — I watched the video and was like, how are we supposed to believe that unless we watched her shop live? Twitch-streaming a purposeful skulk down the aisles of her local Goodwill?

Maybe she was collecting the best bits from a few different trips and combining them. After all, you don't go viral for buying just a couple cute things. You go viral for extremes: the most, the least, the cutest, the cheapest, the "most insane". I edit videos for a living and you have basically 2ish seconds at the beginning of a video to get peoples' attention so you can promote whatever it is you need to promote (in that thrifter's case, her cornucopian Depop shop). Your chosen thesis statement better be Entertaining.

Now there's a woman who has gone viral for being a tradwife, breasting boobily around her house and making terrible-looking home-baked bread for her alleged husband. The whole thing is sooo cosplay, and everyone's getting so upset about her content that they are forgetting she is not a housewife at all — she is a content creator. If you look at her Instagram from before she picked this particular Shein Marilyn Monroe Don't Worry Darling-style personal brand, she was trying to be a fitness influencer, posting about gains and doing that thing where you place a barbell over your hips and thrust vigorously.

The current internet is built for being reactive to the smallest and most impactful bit of information available. It is why people freak out about tweeted headlines without reading the full article, and why that account Pop Crave loves taking celebrity quotes out of context and riling up bloodthirsty fanbases for engagement, and why you can see one video of a "tradwife" looking like a Mad Men extras casting reject and don't bother looking back in her post history to see her recent-past self, striving in contemporary spandex and using hashtags like #fitfam.

That Natalie Portman movie Vox Lux was terrible but it had a silly line in it that I loved, where Nat's deranged Staten Island pop star character talks about personal branding for artists: "“It doesn’t matter anymore if you’re Michelangelo, or if you’re Mikey and Angelo from New Brighton. All that matters is that you have an angle." Internet fame is the carrot dangling on the stick, and to catch the fame, you need the angle, and you edit what you need to edit in order to hone your particular angle. In a sea of thrifters, you must get the most "insane" haul. In a sea of identical blonde fitness influencers, you must find a path of lesser resistance. Sweating to the oldies, indeed!!

Can you be mad at these people? I would say mostly I am impressed. I am excited to see in particular which sponsors the tradwife will secure in order to fund her future endeavors, because I do not believe her supposed single-income household will provide the financial backing she will need once she reaches higher levels of internet fame/infamy and wants a lifestyle to match. After all, the main brands who do influencer marketing are generally those who cater to girlbosses, not tradwives — subscription meal kits for homemade flavors on a time budget, blue light-blocking glasses for long days spent content creating on the computer, online therapy for the anxiety caused by capitalism.

That's the last question you need to answer when you are making content for free on the internet - where will the money eventually come from?

I just texted my dad to confirm my grandpa's rigged pro sports beliefs and he said yes, that was his theory — "Believe he used the term 'scripted.'" Keep your third eye open people!!! But wear third eye sunglasses to minimize UV exposure.

[crsbysdot]

Di and Pixie are obtuse

I'm just going to go over some stuff that they have said. I'll start with Di. This may have to be a 2 parter.

I can't find the comments now, but last night, she had some interesting things to say.

She said that Terry "mis-talks" about people and then has a problem when people talk about her. And then in response to Terry asking what SHE would do if she and her friends were being lied about, Di said basically "I wouldn't beef stream because I don't care what strangers on the internet say about me that much." She has also poopooed the idea of this community being split into sides, and mocked Terry for bringing up things that happened "years ago".... I have some a few things I'd like to say about that.

I don't know how long Di has been in the community. I know I don't recognize her, but no one would probably recognize me either, as I don't interact with these people on Youtube. But if she is new or new-ish, she might not understand all the context behind the discussions and tensions that are going on right now.

Almost no one in this community has clean hands at this point, but the people (allegedly) doing the worst and nastiest sht have consistently ended up coalescing around one person, and that person's name is Roadhog. The nasty sht that he and his buddies have allegedly done has united people from several different communities, and that includes numerous people who don't like Tyra. It includes people who are more honorable and trustworthy than Tyra as well. It's not just about Tyra.

Thus the community HAS been split into sides, whether Di likes it or not. She can think that it's ridiculous but it is a thing. The drama between these two sides is on-going, and has escalated in certain ways over the last year. So when Di shows up in someone's chat, telling someone at the center of long-standing feuds that they're "the bestest", under ANY circumstances, it shouldn't surprise her that the people that person may have wronged are upset about it.

Also, when someone is truly neutral, they have the ability to look at a situation and say "Yeah, this person I normally like really crossed a line." The problem with so many people in RH's orbit is that they either do not have that ability, or they just don't care.

For example, RH crossed what should have been a moral line when he suggested that Tyra's brother-in-law-the man she allowed to adopt her son- was a sex offender, without proof. But when Tyra's sister (I'm gonna call her Libby) came into his chat to defend her family Shay and Megz (both of whom have held a grudge against Tyra over stupid sht) berated Libby and did whataboutism, basically telling her that RH defaming her husband was deserved payback for their gripes with Tyra. And that because Libby didn't control her sister (as if Libby had that right or that ability), she and her husband could get it too.

Now, from my understanding, all Tyra had done to Shay was show the username Shay had CHOSEN to use on her public social media, to interact with Tyra's community before leaving over a dispute between Tyra and Ren.. That's it. That's what made Tyra deserve to be accused of letting a sex offender adopt her son. That's what made Libby deserve to have her family be defamed. And inb4 someone tries to argue that they were just drawing attention to a potentially dangerous situation involving a child's safety... if that were the case, they could have called the cops, and not made content out of it. Allegedly, RH wanted to hurt Tyra, and that was a good way to do it. Allegedly Shay and Megz wanted to see Tyra be hurt, and that was a good way to do it.

Shay and Megz had (and may still have) a grudge against Tyra, and in their minds, it didn't matter how ugly, nasty or dangerous RH had to be, as long as he was dumping on their favorite villain. This is the pattern of thinking that got RH his audience in the first place. He put himself "on the map" as it were, by being willing to say nasty things about Katie Joy Paulson. And so the anti-KJ community, who evidently hate her guts, didn't care how nasty he got. They didn't care that he blackmailed KJ's husband with a dubious sexual harassment accusation, in order to get a copyright strike lifted. Some of his current supporters probably don't even care that he just got into trouble, for a violent offense, for the second time this year. Some of them probably don't care that that offense was related to domestic violence.

Some of these same people who've' rallied around RH, have continued to rally around him and have even (allegedly) helped him do certain things, that were nasty, dangerous, and not necessary, to Tyra. Such as digging into her life, to find out where she's been staying on more than one occasion. Why is this necessary? I can't think of a single thing that she has done to anyone that would warrant doxxing the park she was sleeping at when she was homeless. And all of these issues also seem to stem from Tyra being rude to/about strangers on the internet.

So when Di pontificates on how she's above caring what strangers on the internet say about her as if she's giving Terry some sage advice, maybe she should give that advice to other people... Maybe she should tell RH to just get over it when Tyra makes fun of his gynecomastia, instead of accusing her family members of being sex offenders. It goes both ways. And Di is only mocking this situation because she's not the one being targeted in it.

[isaacathom]

actually uyeah im bored im gonna run it down. what specific Thing does naielle have with (pretty much) every member of her family that has her fucking wracke with guilt or smth

At a very basic level, a context - naielle comes from an elf napoleonic france, with some specific details that the usual max lifespan is closer to 500, and that the emperor has no heir and is like. 450. i wrote it down somewhere. doesn't matter. So naielle, being exiled from elf france, very early on made the assumption that she could Wait Out the collapse of it. That the emperor would die in, yknow, 50 years, the power vacuum would be contested by every general and cousin and random former nobleman, and the country would be ripped apart, nullifying her exile by technicality. this established,

Saroel - Naielle's grandmother, 495.

Naielle loves her grandmother. She's this wise and cunning lady, who survived the turmoil of Bonaparte's rise to power by making deals and using the family's noble fortune to buy favour. Her husband died in the post-rise period, and Saroel didn't. She bought the life of her and her children when her husband was accused of treason. She's clever.

Naielle has her engagement ring, a gold band designed to snugly fit under a wedding ring, a piece of jewellery older than the empire itself. Naielle used it as a blueprint to craft a pair to it, and matching wedding rings, with which to propose to her girlfriend Xistina.

If Naielle waits out the empire's demise, she'll never see her grandmother again. Never be able to tell her she was right when she told Naielle to be careful about her historical research, or show her the now complete wedding ring. She'll never get to hug her one last time and be enveloped in a stiff embrace that smells of old pines and old times, like the oils of the paintings and brass of the sculptures that make up the universities museums, of the motar that keeps its bricks together.

Laucian - Naielle's father, 333

Naielle is a daddy's girl. She's her father's son, without question or ambiguity. She's got his square chin, his broad nose, his golden eyes, his curly hair (albeit lighter than his - her mother got lucky with that). She's got his passion for history and all that came before, for the nebulous space of was and may have been.

For Naielle's 100th birthday, Laucian gave her a red ribbon. He's not from a noble background, rising from the peasantry with a father in the military and a mother a nursemaid. He has no heirlooms to grant. But the red ribbon, Naielle thinks, is just as meaningful as the engagement ring, because it's a connection to that paternal grandmother, Shana. She was a hard worker, stern with her charges and utterly doting on her own children, sneaking small things from the noble houses she served to give them. She wore her hair in intricate braids, which she taught Laucian and his brother how to do, and she tied them, always, with red ribbon. It was her favourite colour, she'd say.

Shana died when Laucian was only 24. A child, in elf terms. He's worn a red ribbon ever since, 300 years, for longer than Shana was even alive, in her memory. And he hands this down to his daughter, who takes after him so strongly, and in whose smile he can undoubtedly see his mother's.

Naielle adores her father. She fears, down to the bone, that she has disappointed him. That in her exile she has perverted the passion they share for history, turned it into a reminder of the crushing weight of the empire. That she's ruined something.

She still wears the ribbon in honour of a woman she never met. She never learnt her braids.

Oriphira - Naielle's mother, 321

She didn't inherit any particular gift from her mother - Saroel's engagement ring was a joint gift, a blessing for such an item to skip a generation to find itself on Naielle's finger.

They haven't always been close. Oriphira inherited her own mother's preservative streak, an understanding that the family exists at a knife edge between imperial eradication and flourishing, and a single wrong move could damn them. She grew up in that tumultuous era. She would have watched her father die, or march to die, dragged from their home by imperial troops. She would have seen the pathetic graves for him and his brother, her beloved uncle, and known they should not lie there. That a family mauseleum lay open and expecting, and would recieve naught. That they were disgraced. That it was only Saroel's cunning which saved the life of her and her younger sibling.

Oriphira has seen her family's birthright, such that nobility can claim it, ripped from their grasping hands. She's clawed for every inch back. She's fought for the university Saroel used to buy their freedom. She's fought for the healers and medical practicioners to return to her town in the post-revolutionary period, as she watched her own child die of a preventable childhood infection, watched her sibling die of a stomach left to fester and rot without aid. She's seen the gods abandon that town, and she's filled that void.

She's a tough woman, and she is tough to love. Naielle does all the same. She may not have understood it then, the depths of the sacrifices her mother had made for them all, the agony she must have gone through with every child thereafter. The ingrained fear of heights, inherited in most of her children, after another fell from the roof.

But Naielle gets it now. Now that she fights in a war in a different land for its very existence, she finds that common ground. The two fight a war for their continued existence.

And Naielle imperilled it, didn't she? By raising imperial ire, a century after they last turned their baleful gaze Odelia-ward. By reminding that families like theirs, descendant from noble excess, can still be a threat.

She doesn't know what lengths her mother went to in order to keep them all safe after she left. She supposes the military service of her siblings may have shielded the family. But she knows her mother calculated the loss, and weighs that debt on Naielle's soul.

She wishes she could tell her she gets it, or thinks she does. That she understands the responsibility her mother is unjustly laden with. The blood on both their hands.

Aedelie - Naielle's older sister, 201

Naielle and Aedelie have almost a century in age between them, and its a very different dynamic than to any of their other siblings. Aedelie has to carry that torch, borne by Saroel and Oriphira, of being the responsible one. Being measured, and careful, and keeping everyone safe.

And Naielle always felt very safe. Her older sister was gentle and kind, a bulwark against anything that might hurt her. No monster under the bed would dare lay a finger on her when they knew Aedelie was never far, and even when Aedelie enlisted in the army she left her strength with them.

Aedelie's married, you know. She married a human man around 5 years ago, a fellow soldier in her cavalry unit. They have a little elf daughter, cherubic and giggly, just 2 years old with a wide toothy grin. Or so Naielle's been told.

If she waits out the collapse, she might never even meet her brother-in-law, a kind and soft-spoken man with a reflexes of an acrobat and hair like beach sand. She might never meet the man who makes her stern sister smile softly, with eyes that sparkle. A man whose duty, such that it is, is to protect Aedelie's life with his own.

Naielle is terrified for them both. War wages, and the Empire swings the proverbial club high overhead and demands blood, and her sister and brother-in-law must provide. None of them might see the two of them again. Forget the mortality of a human, anyone is mortal in the line of fire. And Naielle happens to know of a weapon, currently travelling by sea towards that firing line, and she fears what will happen when it goes off.

Quenaris - Naielle's older twin brother, 122

What can you say about a twin that isn't obvious? Peas in a pod, identical up until their mid 30s when he shot up like a stalk and left her a few inches shorter. The two know each other better than anyone else, Naielle is certain. She knew his adult name long before he told anyone, and he hers. She is him, and he is her, and they're two halves of a great whole.

Quenaris knew something was wrong, didn't he? That Naielle was lying when she said she had everything under control. That Naielle was hiding something, sparking like a fire in a cave, desperately being smothered. He saw the glitter in her eyes and knew it wasn't emotion that shone through, even if he couldn't identify the source.

She told him everything was fine. She didn't apologise for lying when it became clear it wasn't. That the situation had spiralled out of her control, that her warlock pact - a grave illegality as it stood - had shown her things she shouldn't see, and sent a beacon to the empire to observe.

He knew she lied. And she couldn't apologise, because to stay and do so would have seen her treason identified and laid bare before the Empire's vast apparatus. It would see her killed. She had to flee.

It ate her alive, it truly did. She didn't know how much he knew, how much he held against her.

She was lucky enough to see him, for only a few minutes. To hold him tight, as though by a hug they might be one and whole, and to cry, and tell him she was sorry. That he accepted her hug, and shed tears of his own, is enough for her.

It would still hurt if she never saw him again. Less, maybe, now that she knows he misses her too. Or more, to have given him a glimmer of hope that things might be normal in the future. She's scared of facing his ghost centuries from now.

Mariela - Naielle's younger sister, 110

Where do you even start?

These sisters have never been close. Each claims the other is irresponsible, too easily distracted, too something. There's always something wrong. Naielle isn't patriotic enough, Mariela is too patriotic. Naielle is too wrapped up in her books and shit that happened centuries ago, and Mariela is too concerned with her magic and the things that will happened soon, months and years in the future.

They're similar, and very different.

Naielle had no particular feeling towards her sister when she was forced to flee. To never see her again would hurt, but not as much as with others, a feeling tempered by the knowledge that Mariela would have some snide remark or another on her return. She lied to Mariela, but Mariela wouldn't care, would she? Naielle can't fathom the idea that Mariela cared either way, beyond that Naielle had embarrassed them.

Then Naielle came back, briefly, briefly, just to marry her fiance, and got roped into capturing Mariela.

What's Mariela been doing? Well, she'd taken what remained of Naielle's notes, on old histories and the magic so thusly entwined, and turned it into a weapon. A different weapon entirely, one worse than most others, and which Mariela saw simply as a tool. Naielle was a fool, she said, to focus on the historical implications of her research, and not to use its practical benefits. Look what lies in our grasp - the power to unravel reality!

Naielle was furious. She took Mariela as a prisoner of war.

And then her patron took her as a warlock.

It was not willing - Mariela made no deal, was offered no bargain she could stomach. Her will was superseded, Naielle's consent to the idea assumed, and her body made to channel magic it rejected.

Naielle did this. She did not know it would happen, had not even considered the possibility, wanted none of it. Mariela will probably never believe her.

It doesn't matter what Naielle thinks of Mariela's original ideas, her plans to turn utter destruction into a military tactic. It doesn't matter the differences of their personalities, that the two don't get along. Naielle did this. She forced this on her sister, intentionally or not, and she intends to make it right.

She expects she'll never right her initial mistake, the pact that brought her into exile in the first place. She fears she'll not right this. But it's in her power to do so, and whether Mariela wants her there or not, Naielle will fix it. Naielle would betray almost anyone to fix what she's done, burn most any bridge, because it almost isn't about Mariela anymore. It's a proxy for every mistake she's ever made, every harm she's brought, a way to try and make up for the life she ruined for herself by ever doing this.

If all goes well, Mariela will go home. Naielle can only hope she understands how much that means.

Yivien - Naielle's younger brother, 104

Probably the person for whom Naielle has the least consideration, a fact that would invariably infuriate the poor boy. The two have somewhat less in common than Naielle to Mariela, but do have one key thing - their academic focus. While Naielle is a historian, Yivien is an architect, and spent much of his youth fighting for their father's attention, to little success. Naielle was his daughter, following in his footsteps - Yivien's achievements weren't as important.

If Naielle was honest, and looked critically at herself, she would concede that Yivien is the smarter sibling. His grades are better, his grasp of abstract fundamentals stronger, he's quicker on the draw. It isn't fair, she reckons, that she was given that attention. The boy earned it, or ought have done.

She would struggle to tell him that. She doesn't think its pride - she never said she was the smartest sibling. What she struggles with is the idea that she needs to correct it, when surely, that burden lies with her parents for not acknowledging him better when she was around. Did she hog their attention? She isn't sure.

But as days grow darker, and doom grows nearer, she wonders if she should have said it anyway. Care or not, guilty or otherwise, he deserved their attention, and it was denied him. And she's responsible, in some capacity. Shouldn't she have tried to fix it? To say she was sorry?

The longer it goes, the more she thinks maybe she means it sincerely this time.

Xistina - Naielle's wife, 135

God, what could she say to her that she hasn't said already? Her most dearly beloved, a part of her soul, the keeper of her heart in turmoil. They've known each other nearly a century, and Naielle can only hope for centuries more.

Xistina wasn't in the country when Naielle went into exile. She was on business, sailing the sea, plying wares and doing trade under the gleaming sun. She would not hear news for months, till she landed in a bustling port and spotted no beaming face amidst the crowd, no-one all but ready to leap aboard before a gangplank was ever lowered. Naielle didn't know what she'd heard. She wished, dearly, that Xistina could have heard it from her.

She doesn't know what Xistina knew. She doesn't know if her fiancee saw the stars in her eyes and saw the meaning behind them. She spent years in dread. At least her siblings, her family, heard of the matter directly, that she'd had a feeble chance to defend herself in the hours before she fled. Xistina knew naught, and could learn less, and Naielle could not reach out for fear of potential consequence. Her fiance could not be party to treason. Her distance would keep her safe.

Her fiancee knew more than she thought, had an ear to the ground and the sea, and loved her still. She wore Saroel's ring proudly as a token of their love, and kept it in care over the decades.

Xistina knows it all, now. Naielle travelled across the planes to see her, to know her truly, all secrets bared on both sides. Pirate and Warlock, Traitor and Traitor. Let the empire declare their treason in love if they wish, for she has it.

And it scares her to think she might let it go. That, having come so close, having even successfully married her after decades apart, that they might lose it all. And that it will be Naielle's fault in totality. Her fault for her treason, her fault for leaving for the distant lands, and her fault for not staying when she had the chance. Who better could have ferried a wanter criminal than a rebel corsair? Where else could Naielle find that kind of safety? And yet she left, for she felt a duty to a war that still wages, and she knows there's a chance she will never return. That she will have given her wife - her wife! - false hope of a future together, of merry centuries in a free Sylvian land, or aboard a ship in the glittering sky, where no mortal government dared tread.

She fears she's given her wife a lie, and did not know it when she spoke.

[papirouge]

👀 sorry to that anon before but isn’t that Claire story just an old copypasta text? I remember reading that years ago. I do think it’s a good lesson to not commit adultery (duh lol) by encouraging cheating (I think her husband in the story was dating someone else and the girl who died wanted him. But also that’s on him too?? Lol), idolatry with how the dead girl worshiped only him (don’t put people on pedestals like she did with her husband) and don’t ever blaspheme God. But there were weird vibes I got from reading that like how from what I remember the dead girl loved taking drives and enjoy life but that was seen as bad because it’s pleasure? I wasn’t really sure how to take that. Also the weirdest thing I remember from that story was the part where she told her friend how she is there to send a message from the power that wills evil but does good. Implying that God wills evil??? Has to be a translation error because to me, that made no sense and stuck with me as something wrong. Unless that’s part of her blasphemy. I know I’m missing other things from that that made me go “?”

For context here's the text in English. It seemingly translated from french so I read the french version which provides more context. So apparently the text got found in the belongings of a dead nun (sounds very copy pasta-y to me yea and still no proper date or name info...very suspicious) and for the "the power that wills evil but does good" (which rubbed me the wrong way too) is apparently a quote from Faust, a novel written by Goethe. I investigated into this and its highly occultic. It's basically the tale of a scrote who made a pact with the devil -named Mephistopheles in the story-, corrupts a young innocent Christian girl called Marguerite into having sex with him and who eventually gets rejected by her own family (Faust killing her brother who provoked him into a duel didn't help), left her after she got pregnant to attend an orgy with witches and demon, traveled down to Asia minora where he became some sort of courtsman and summoned fallen angels called 'Mother', fell in love with one of them, has a kid with her, that kids dies, demon wife leaves him, Mephistopheles wants to get his soul, and Marguerite eventually saves him from eternal damnation bc of her prayers. FIN. How any more scrotic this story could be? Goethe was a scrote and an occultist, how would God pull out such demonic reference through the intermediary of that Annette girl?

And no, she couldn't blaspheme whatsoever bc she says several time she is forced to remain civil, and that if given the possibility, she would lie or deceived Claire. Sorry but if the power compelling her to speak is Holy to the point it nulls any possibility for her to sin, than why would she quote an outspokenly occultic work such as Faust stating God does evil OR that evil does good ? By saying "I am doing what I am because I am forced to. I am acting now as 'a part of that power which always wills evil, yet does good.'" there are only 2 options possible:

- she admits she's not coming under God command but under a satan's (=a demon in disguise) which would explain she describing satan's work as "good", bc demons are liars and deceivers.

- she argues that God "wills evil" to do good which absolutely doesn't make any sense which makes me believe only the former possibility is real

Beside all of that, this whole read is so bizarre bc this girl from the dead is just venting about how she sinned by not attending the mass when she was alive, when the message of Christ......is absolutely not about that 🥴 Christ gave his life to us to 1)repent 2)obey his commandments, PERIOD. The mass is absolutely irrelevant to living the life God intends us to. One person could attend every mass without fail all their life and still end up in hell. Because we are saved through faith, not works. If their heart isn't right with God, then attenting mass is pointless. And authentic Christianity predates this brand of Catholic tradition called 'Mass'. Tbh this whole text reads like Catholic apologetics shoehorning their traditions to warn off against the horror of hell, but biblically speaking it doesn't make that much sense.

[cavernfullofexistentialdread]

I haven’t seen this thing in a literal year okay so I’ll clarify my comments on each of the queen’s “intro sections” a little bit more as I’ve obviously gained more knowledge

and now I swear like there’s no fucking tomorrow so even better

Catalina’s verse has a clear rhythm. The sass of it all and the authority! She sounds so much like Beyoncé I MEAN YOU WANT A QUEEN BEE? WELL THERE’s HALF A DOZEN! I also love the random string insertions like how there are deviating parts in No Way, like the choir. Also maybe a Spanish guitar idk and that base drop at the end is MMMMMMM

Anne’s verse sounds a lot more like her Lily Allan “Who cares!” choruses more than her cool, Avril Lavigne ambition lead power chords verses. Which is kinda ironic considering the choruses are meant to match her “just live and have fun” real life mentality rather than the misogynistic persona given to her. Often she’s portrayed by particularly MALE historians as a temptress whose every move was meticulously planned, she was incredibly smart and it made her stand out. So it was used against her. At the beginning of the musical you’re assumed to have the historical persona’s of them as at least a basic view of them; if you had a view of them at all. So to use this “softer” Lily Allen version of Anne as your intro to her is ✨*chef’s kiss*✨

Jane’s verse is obviously very musically similar to her song. The puns set up the wordplay that this musical will use and establish her as a “mom”. I mean if you know anything about her you know that she’s mostly defined by the fact she had a son. She even outright says right after she introduces herself (rude). And while you can criticize that she doesn’t really share more about herself and uses Edward as her main argument point in the fight scene; that’s the point. That’s her entire tragedy. She died. The “see more” she was referring to was how Heart of Stone is fundamentally about how Jane loved a man who may not love her back. At least not in the ideal or same way. The song is a way to process that this man could have possibly been maybe not as… amazing as she’s trying to say. You may also notice the four little notes at the end, I’m pretty sure that’s a simplified version of Heart of Stone’s chord progression or at least downright included in HoS

Ich Ben Anna of Cleves and that accordion just hit HARD like mmmjmm YESSSSS HAND OVER THOSE BACKING CHORDS. Lot’s of phone references to once again perpetuate the dating app analogy. Anna out right insulting Henry is very good introduction to her character in this musical. If you really wanna stretch it this establishes her as “the bitch” with the being a bitch and the backing voices well… backing her up. Even in her own native language! She is that bitch and she will only continue to be that bitch! I like how the insult comes right after talking about how she was forever labeled for her appearances and than she immediately talks about how Henry’s body is even less appealing.

Theres actually not a lot to talk about musically for Howard’s. It sounds the MOST like the base for all these verses. But her verse is CARRIED by the vocals that RIFFFFFFFF!!! Also I’m pretty sure it has more beats with that hit hat possibly alluding to AYWD’s UNGODLY FAST BPM! (Okay it’s not that fast but it has the same BPM as Toxic for context). “The fun’s begun” subtly sets up Kat’s motif of “fun” and “play”. Playtimes over, yada yada you get the gist. It’s honestly kind of sad. Lock up your husbands and sons? Yeah you have to RESTRICT men from her? That’s… dark

Like I said in the OG post, Cathy’s starts off very RnB and she’s venerable. But she gains her confidence and gets all pop again. The piano is lovely and the beat drops. The snapping and low beats were established by Catalina (who’s based off of Beyoncé and JLo, who are known for their percussion usage). And then they come back as the queens come to support her and they start singing as a group again. Because she’s the last one, of course sheiks the one that transitions into them singing together, but at the same time it makes sense narratively. BUT ALSO THE POWER IN HER VOICE! IT’s AMAZING! I love how were hit by I think a power chord that eases us back into the mega pop of the actual song it’s great!

Like I mentioned in the OG post each section toys with the melody. What I meant was backing instrumentals.

Lina doesn’t really have one but she does have that guitar

Anne has the keyboard and possibly plucking at string instruments like the violin

Jane has a mix of orchestra string instruments AND a piano

Anna has an accordion (that’s sounds amazing btw I can’t stop gushing over it it sounds amazing)

Kat also has the keyboard (once again carried by those vocals)

Cathy has piano and those AWESOME electric guitar and bass at the end

Sorry if I said anything I already mentioned

OK HERE WE GO LIST ON WHY EX WIVES IS THE BEST THING TO EVER <3

It instantly tells you what to expect. Bunch of amazing women with insane vocal ranges and the energy of a Taylor Swift concert.

Amazing composing

The use of motifs, every single verse with the queens saying lines in order has the green sleeves melody snuck into there

Great symbolism with said motif! We are quite literally forced to hear it even if the situation doesn’t particularly call for it

EBM GREENSLEVES MY BELOVED <333333

The use of the different vocal ranges overlapping in the “Wives” and the first sung note in musical is just ✨chefs kiss🤏✨

“All you ever hear and read about!” RAW LINE. RAW. OMFG YES

All of K Howard’s lines. That’s the entire bullet point.

Great introduction to the queens! The problem with Uranium Suite and Fall Fair Suite is that Uranium depicts how people would see the choir (only on a surface level) while Fall Fair shows us how their actually like but doesn’t provide that much context as to that their a choir. However what Ex Wives does it that it shows them as individuals as well as clearly shows they CAN work as a group but they don’t get much individuality from it

Also speaking of RTC’s St. Cassian Chamber Choir, the Queens are technically a choir! MAKING THISE DAMN MELODIES SO MUCH MORE SATISFYING TO LISTEN TO

Also iconic lines

Quickly foreshadows in subtle ways (AUDIBLE STORY TELLING MY BELOVED)

Once again comparing my 2 fav musicals, RTC has this thing where each character gets a version of Karnak’s theme, SIX does this too in the Queen’s intros

AND ALL THE REMIXES. ALL SOMEHOW MANAGE TO SNEAK IN MORE GREENSLEVES. THE SYMBOLISM. THE MOTIFS. YESSSSSS

Already tells you the amazing humor of wit and sarcasm you can expect to see through out the musical

More audible foreshadowing via the style of each remix

Lina is simple at first with a few strings, but has a lot of little bits added from time to time. It toys with the melody and what it can apply into the already catchy tune. Her intro is probably the one with the most inconsistency as it does not keep the added stuff going. It has a relatively low and steady beat but makes up for simplicity in vocal potency. ALSO JUST SO SAVAGE SHE ATE THAT UP FR FR. Just like No Way

Anne has a slightly higher and more excited melody. The Tempo is the same but serves less of a heavy role unlike Lina’s and is mainly just the supporting cast to the melody. While Anne’s vocals stay relatively high throughout at the end she goes lower and more sinister. Great audible storytelling! There’s little to no playing with what’s been set up and when there is it’s all subtle. As mentioned before the break is only at the end. It’s so cherry and cheeky but if you look at the lyrics it uh- kinda intense. Very DLYH if ask me

JANE SEYMOUR JUST IS PUN FILLED, THE JOKES. It perfectly sets her up to be the one overlooked and the more… patient and forgiving one of the group. She only ever snaps in one of the two fight scenes. Also the fact that she claimed she was the only one he truly love, while sadly likely to be true, also contrasts how loving and caring her sing ends up being with the slight cockiness that the line can be read as along with the infamous “RUDE!”. Her melody is the middle. The added wind pipes(?) later are the high. The tempo is a sort of balance from the higher notes. Her melody is so melancholy and monotone. It’s very Jane and very Heart of Stone fr fr let’s keep this greatness up!

ICH BEN ANNA VON CLEVES. This one does not disappoint either! You can already see the consistent parallels of Anna’s relationship with online dating throughout the song, so it’s good that’s it’s inky reinforced here but not much! Also Haus of Holbein foreshadowing so I guess that softens the whiplash somewhat- Also this intro if the only one where the other Queens serve vocals more than once, I guess you could connect it to how Get Down is the only song that has Anna going out of her way to get the Queens involved (THATS ISN’T BY U BEING PROBLEMATIC ANNE). Also Anna’s snarky comment at the end is ironic as she was probably the only one besides Cathy who didn’t have to deal with Henry in that aspect. Also very very simple only having the accordion, tempo, and clicks to compliment. Get Down!

PRICK UP YOUR EARS IN THE KATHRINE! WHO LOST HER HEAD! For the longest time I thought it was “beheaded; before I promised you I’d see outside of wed” referencing both how short her life and time with Henry was. But no it’s “promiscuity outside of wed“ 💀. Either works however! Kinda ironic that Kat is the one to interrupt Anna’s comment as… ya know… But anyways. The chord progression on this one is especially of note as it’s actual kinda different from AYWD. While AWYD goes High and ten descends, this one go High -> Lower -> Lower Medium -> Low. Interesting indeed! Long of stings and slashes to replace the clicks that Anna had! Also not sure but Tempo seems to be more dominant?

BAM TINY WHIPLASH STRAIT INTO A LAMENT BABY. Then it goes pop again as Cathy gains her balance. Notice how the beats don’t comeback until that point. The first two lines rather have the piano as the click clack. Past that THEN the tempo beats come back once Cathy is talking about and addressing them as a GROUP. She is the one to slide them back into the chorus after all! Foreshadowing as how she convince them to write fanfic- I mean reclaim their stories! Anyways as I saying, she’s probably the one who shakes it up the most. More foreshadowing!!! Also Pt. 1 of Cathy being an independent women’s who may or may not come off as slightly protective and clingy-. Still very IDNYL!

So to recap that giant section; it’s Good use of simplicity, effects, and contrast -> Vocal centric within a happy lucky tune and beat that breaks at the end -> Puns and a somewhat monotone melancholy feel that easily shows character -> More simplicity and focused on the vocals to carry it, also ironic jokes and sarcasm! -> Interesting chord progression and really good wordplay -> Amazing and subtle foreshadowing mix into a lament turned beautiful transition to chorus

Also apparently the Queens go from right to left if you have ear buds in but as a half deaf person I will sadly never get to get the full experience-

Have I talked about the amazing vocals???

MUST WE HAVE A GOOD PLOT WHEN WE HAVE GODLY VOCALS???

THE DAMN RISING NOTES ON THE LINE “WIVES” AHHHHH

IM SORRY ITS JUST TOO SATISFYING

ALSO NOT TO MENTION THE LINE IS ALSO YET ANOTHER GREENSLEVES INFUSED SNEAKY RAT THING

I SWEAR THE OVERLAPPING VOICES EFFECT GOT ME IN A TRANCE

THE RISE AND THEN THE STOP AND THE LOWER RISED IS SO

SEJSJKSKEMSKKEMEMSKEKEK

Also can we talk about how dramatic the beginning is? I love it lmao

Also how over time when they the rhyme their just like “ugh this b*tch again stfu I’m too tired to deal with this”

The fact that Catalina is the first every voice you hear in the entire musical but Cathy isn’t the last line in the sing or the whole show is a nice detail, idk if it was intentional fore shadowing but it’s great!

Also the fact that Hamilton ends on “Who lives who dies who tells your story” and SIX instantly throws you with a “Listen up let me tell you a story!” Is my favorite coincidence

Kat’s lines are potentially longer to match AYWD’s length

ALL THE REFERENCES TO BOTH THE QUEENS AND TUDOR HISTORY I CANT GO INTO BECAUSE THERES TOO MANY

LOOK AT GENIUS

LITERALLY EVERY LINE HAS SOMETHING BEHIND IT

EVERY. LINE. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

Ill try my best to fit as many as I can off the top my head

I can’t fit everything so this is it- thank you for coming to my Ted talk

[thequeenofsastiel]

Pete's Tattoo

I’ve been meaning to do some meta about Pete’s tattoo since the moment I saw it and just haven’t gotten around to it until now. Forgive me if someone else has already said what I’m about to.

I recognized Pete’s tattoo as a Shakespeare quote initially, though I didn’t have any context because all I knew was that it was a Shakespeare quote. I didn’t know from what. But the fact that it was intrigued me greatly. Why would Pete have that?

So I did some research. Again, apologies if this is well documented.

The quote is from a play called “All’s Well That Ends Well”. I did some research on interpretations of that quote and ended up reading the whole play, because I felt like many of the interpretations were somewhat lacking. And I’m glad I did read it, because honesty is a theme throughout the play, but in a subversive way.

The play is about a woman, Helena, who’s in love with a count, Bertram, who wants nothing to do with her, since she’s a commoner. However, the king is sick, and none of his physicians have been able to cure him. Helena is the daughter of a very talented deceased physician, and, with the help of Bertram’s mother(who essentially adopted her when she was younger, and is known only as the Countess), manages to obtain an audience with a king. He’s resistant to Helena's help, because he’s a classist, sexist shit, but she promises that should she fail to cure him, she’ll consent to the most excruciating death imaginable. But, should she succeed, he’ll grant her the hand of any man of her choosing. She succeeds, and picks Bertram, who’s an asshole to her and flees the country to Florence to participate in a war before consummating the marriage. Not that I blame him, really, because being forced into a marriage sucks. Though admittedly I rather dislike that the only complaint he levied against her was that she was low born. Before leaving, he gives her a letter which says he’ll only consent to be her husband if she can manage to get his family ring, which never leaves his hand, off of him, and becomes pregnant with his child, both of which are things she can’t do if she never sees him again, which is his plan. He writes “Till I have no wife I have nothing in France,” implying that he won’t return to France unless she annuls the marriage or dies. So she fakes her death and follows him to Florence, where he’s seducing every virgin he can find. She meets up with one that he’s trying to woo, Diana, who’s having none of his bullshit, and promises her and her mother a lot of gold if they’ll get the ring from Bertram, and somehow help Helena trick him into having sex with her and think it’s Diana. So Diana persuades Bertram to part with the ring, Helena rapes him(though how this is achieved is never explained), and becomes pregnant. Bertram returns to France, is pardoned by the king, but then there’s a very weird scene which involves a whole lot of deceit simply so Helena can have a dramatic reveal. Bertram randomly declares that he loves her now, and the play ends, somewhat abruptly.

There are a few references to honesty throughout the play. Helena’s father’s skill as a physician is described by the Countess as “almost as great as his honesty”. She then says that Helena’s “dispositions she inherits, which makes fair gifts fairer; for where an unclean mind carries virtuous qualities, there commendations go with pity—they are virtues and traitors too. In her they are the better for their simpleness. She derives her honesty and achieves her goodness.”

The next time honesty is mentioned is in the quote being discussed. The context of it is interesting. It’s in a conversation between Diana and her mother, in which they’re discussing the importance of virginity. The reason they’re doing that is because Bertram and his douchey friends keep promising to wed virgins so they can have sex with them. The full quote is “The honor of a maiden is her name, and no legacy is so rich as honesty.”

My basic interpretation of this quote is that the “name” being referred to is “maiden” AKA a virgin woman, and “no legacy is so rich as honesty” means that since your worth as an unmarried woman is tied to your virginity, calling yourself a maiden can’t be a lie. If it is, if you aren’t a virgin, it lowers the chances of you marrying someone wealthy, and thus your “legacy”, which I infer means children, won’t be rich.

Shortly after this conversation they meet Helena, disguised as a pilgrim, who wheedles information about Bertram out of them. They bring up the fact that Bertram was married against his will, and Helena badmouths herself, yet adds “All her deserving is a reserved honesty, and that I have not heard examined.” Given the conversation that just took place, I think the “honesty” being referred to may be virginity.

Then they see Bertram, and Diana talks shit about him, saying he isn’t honest. Twice.

Later, when Helena is apologizing to Diana for using her to get Bertram, Diana says “Let death and honesty go with your impositions. I am yours upon your will to suffer.”

Finally, towards the very end of the play, the king describes what Diana did for Helena as “honest aid”.

So honesty seems to have a few different meanings in this play. One, it refers to the actual definition of the word. Two, it refers to virginity. And three, as doing something which achieves ostensibly positive ends, regardless of if deceit is involved.

Which leads us to the title of the play itself. Helena says those words exactly twice during the play, both times in reference to everything she’s doing to get Bertram to finally agree to be her husband. All of this is basic utilitarian logic—the ends justify the means.

Which is why it makes perfect sense for Pete to want to have a quote from this play as a tattoo. In his conversation with Porsche, he justifies beating up a man at Kinn’s order by saying that there are no heroes or villains in reality, unlike what he thought as a child while playing with friends. Pete doesn’t want to be a villain. He doesn’t want to be evil. So he has to justify working for the mafia in his mind. I imagine that his grandmother likely has something to do with why he’s there in the first place—he wants to take care of her, just as Porsche came there initially to take care of Porchay.

But why specifically that quote? Why a quote whose original meaning is about how important it is for a woman to stay a virgin until marriage? What is it about that quote that does it so much for Pete?

We do have to keep in mind that English isn’t Pete’s first language. Hell, it’s mine and it still took me some time to parse the sentence because of the antiquated and poetic nature of it. So there’s the possibility that he didn’t understand the actual meaning of the line. And of course he might not even have read the play at all, simply saw the quote out of context and liked it. Which means that there are two ideas to consider.

If we operate under the assumption that he DIDN’T understand the original meaning of the quote for whatever reason, what is it about Pete that would make him like that quote so much that he’d get a tattoo of it(the only one we’ve seen on him thus far)? Given how obsessive the main family is about keeping their bodyguards on a tight leash, he probably got it before working for them. Perhaps before he even considered working for the mafia. When he still believed in the idea of heroes and villains. After all, heroes are usually shown as being honest. So maybe he valued honestly deeply, and wanted it to be what people remembered of him.

But what if he DID understand? If so, I think the timing of when we first saw it is actually crucial to understanding the meaning of it. The episode in which we see it is the same episode in which we see him start to enjoy being tortured and demeaned by Vegas. When his submissive and masochistic tendencies are revealed. Perhaps he was, on some level, always aware of his desires. And perhaps he hated them. It would make sense, given the way he was raised. So he read that quote, and got it as a tattoo to remind himself to never indulge in those desires, because if he did, he’d lose his worth.

What do y’all think?

[nat111love]

Hii, what is your analysis of Tommy and Lizzie's relationship in S6? Many Lizzie fans say that he forgot about Grace and fell in love with Lizzie, I saw the opposite.

Hey nonnnie!!!

Season 6 tells you everything you need to know about tommy’s love life, and by everything , l mean EVERYTHIIIIIIIING!!!!

Ok, here’s my opinion below:

1. I want to start by pointed out the fact that, that season 6 has once and for all finally put to the rest the debate on whether or not tommy was in love with lizzie. The fandom has been saying for years that tommy was never in love with grace, but the idea of grace. And that the woman he loved, the one he’s been in love with  since the beginning of peaky blinders was lizzie_The fandom claims that he only treated her the way he did, because he loved her and was afraid of his feelings for her ,and that’s also the reason he wouldn’t let her in( And by treated her the way he did, l mean disrespecting her on a regular basis, repeatedly cheating on her as if he was deprived sexually, always putting her last, treating her like a disposable partner or an object he owns )....

News-fucking-flash

this was never a debate ( nor  facts, just wishful thinking ) and tommy was never and is not in love with lizzie. Grace was tommy’ love and his chance for happiness, and when she died that chance died with her .

2. This whole season was a reminder, a confirmation and a sum up of everything we already knew about tommy’ and lizzie’ dynamic. A reminder of Lizzie’ unrealistic expectations in her marriage, a further confirmation of tommy’ inability to be a faithful husband to lizzie and give her the love, attention and respect she desperately wanted from him...basically it was a season 5  sum up with different or subtle nuances and contexts.

3. This season to me is a clear affirmation that tommy was never in love with lizzie, and that he can never give her what she’s always wanted and expected from him which is his love and undivided attention. He was never home, never there for her when she needed him, he didn’t support her emotionally when she needed him most( after ruby’s death), and was constantly cheating on her. He cheated on her several times in season 5, we saw him cheating on her this season with a brunette when he was in Boston, and we also saw him cheating on her with mosley’ fiancé,  diana... That man cheated on her throughout their marriage. And why’s that ?!  

Because that’s not the woman he really wanted to be with... his heart  didn’t choose her!!!

Because he settled for lizzie, he sought replacements for the emotional connection he didn’t have with her. Mistresses (cheating on her), work, and  his favorite thing was spending his time away( trips) ,since he stopped drinking and doing opium...He became addicted to anything that filled the gap within him. And that’s why he couldn’t stop cheating on lizzie, working...Lizzie understandably felt lonely and unhappy in her 7/8 years marriage with tommy, and how could she not ? When she was the only one emotionally invested in their relationship .

4. Tommy realized that lizzie didn’t deserve the pain he put her through and learned to respect her. That’s why he was nicer and more respectful of her this season than he was in the previous seasons, and why he tried to honor his marriage to some extent. Because she’s familly and he cares about her, he tried to give her more attention ( but still kept it superficial ), e.g. when lizzie wrapped both of her hands around tommy’s to remind him that she was there and needed his attention too. Lizzie “Do you feel that, do you feel anything? You know you talk, as if you’re watching everything on a screen.” tommy “When we go home...when we go home, we’ll give the kids to frances , and then you and me will go to bed”  lizzie   “and I”ll be the next item, everything is on the list”. In that scene lizzie was again, trying to connect with a physically present but mentally absent tommy.

There are some things tommy did and said to lizzie because he believed that’s what he was supposed to do and say as her husband, and not because he wanted to do or say those things, that’s why lizzie called him out on ticking boxes, and why I believe he said the line “in this moment, in this room, I love you” line. And also , why lizzie herself didn’t believe that “love confession”.  

5. How can you fall in love with someone you’re unwilling to let in? Tommy’s subconcious and whole being categorically refused and still refuse to let lizzie in, several years after he said he’ll let her in sometimes. Lizzie in season 5  “and you let me in sometimes” tommy  “ I’ll let you in sometimes”,  season 6, four years later “you never let me in”. In 6X04 , we have tommy once again avoiding emotional connection and keeping lizzie at safe distance when he removed lizzie’s hand from his shoulder,  “not yet, not yet..”

( and this is a woman he’s known for 16 years...16 years during which they had an off and on “relationship”...16 years and he still wouldn’t let her in...not yet, not yet!!!) .

All she wanted was to feel close to him and all he wanted was to be left alone...and this was after their daughter’ death. That man is unwilling to emotionally bond with her, and you can’t be in love with a person you can’t emotionally connect with. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!!

As I already said, tommy cared about lizzie, He loved her but wasn’t in love with her. He loved her the way he loved his family members. 

To put it in a nutshell ,

it was a family love and not a romantic love.

I’m not sure that there has been any point in the show where we’re meant to believe that tommy  was falling for lizzie…Ok, let me rephrase it ...

there hasn’t been any point in the show where we’re meant to believe that tommy was falling or fell for lizzie. 

We lived long enough( and by long enough I mean 6 seasons, 14 years) in tommy' and lizzie's dynamic to know that he was never in love with her and that, the supposed "love confession" was a lie, because it didn’t match tommy’s actions and behavior. And lizzie knew it too .  She’s known that man for 16 years, So she knows when he’s lying . That’s why she called him out on it "you sound like you’re ticking a fucking  box, and I don’t konw what’s inside the box . Never have you let me in. Even though I know the combination to the safe”. 

 SHE KNEW HE DIDN'T MEAN IT.

NONNIE THE SHOW IS OoooOOOVER!!

And it ended with 1.lizzie finally realizing that tommy wasn’t in love with her and that he will never love her like she loves him, 2. her walking away and recognizing that she deserved more than what he could offer.

IT IS CANON THAT TOMMY COULDN'T BE THE HUSBAND SHE DREAMED OF BECAUSE OF HIS EMOTIONAL UNAVAILABILITY.( everything that will happen in the movie is a bonus ).