#granted she has plenty of reason considering she can literally see what she's dealing with

[ask-the-hws-immigrants]

Molly, can you see magical creatures like your brother?

I can! The trouble is nobody else can.

**Historical Note: There were a lot of practices for dealing with fairies in Ireland. Some superstitions were carried over to the United States by the Irish diaspora, such as fairy circles and using salt as a repellent (though salt as a ward became a wider superstition for other supernatural entities). A few Irish practices were leaving out offerings of bread, milk, and honey to appease the fae as Molly is doing here and carrying iron, planting red flowers and berries, and planting primroses and marsh marigolds to repel fairies. Doors were also often painted red or yellow to prevent entry as well. Strategies for not angering the fae included not cutting down fairy trees (especially hawthorn trees), not passing through fairy circles, and not disturbing fairy mounds.

In rural Ireland especially, belief in fairies and changelings had not waned much by the 1900s. Famously in 1895, a woman named Bridget Cleary was killed by her husband because he suspected she was a changeling. Unfortunately, the trial surrounding Bridget Cleary's death and general Irish superstition were seen by English politicians as fodder for opposing Irish Home Rule, as they argued it proved the Irish were not capable of governing themselves.

[demetriandelibinaryboyfriends]

What do you think about Demetri being so included in Hawk and Moon's relationship? He was always in their dates and I mean, he was literally the reason why they broke up.

This was, in fact, pretty damn funny. Like deadass I can only think of like...a couple times we get a Hawk/Moon scene where Demetri isn’t nearby??? Like he’s like max 10 feet away when they’re kissing at the beach party, AND when he’s got her arm around her later when Aisha gives Yasmine the wedgie. Like Demetri’s at the All-Valley with Moon, Demetri’s at the afterparty with Moon, Hawk, and Aisha, Demetri’s at the beach with Moon and Hawk, Demetri goes to Valley Fest with Moon to support Hawk. He’s literally ALWAYS third-wheeling, it’s so funny. The ONLY time I can think of that Demetri isn’t there is when Hawk gets the moon tattoo and leaves the tattoo parlor with Moon--and by then, he and Demetri are already having issues a la the whole “Kreese punched you in the face and I’m telling you to suck it up and stop being a little bitch” thing. And then the scene later that episode where they break up because, you know, Moon had issues OVER HAWK’S TREATMENT OF DEMETRI SPECIFICALLY lmao

I think the most TELLING thing about it is that if Hawk didn’t want Demetri there hanging out with him and lowkey third-wheeling, it would just be so easy to like...not invite him??? Especially considering how much of Hawk and Moon’s relationship in S2 takes place over the SUMMER, when the kids aren’t in school and you actually have to make an EFFORT to get together with your friends. It would’ve been SO easy to just...not tell Demetri about the All-Valley, the victory party, the BEACH HANGOUT, VALLEY FEST, if they truly didn’t want him there. Honestly these two just unironically seem to really enjoy Demetri’s company and want him around constantly. They both definitely like having him there--otherwise they wouldn’t invite him to basically all their hangouts that we see.

It also makes me kinda wonder if like...Hawk and Moon weren’t nearly as invested in their relationship as we’re meant to think??? Like what sorta couple like...barely spends time alone together??? We’ve only seen them hanging out one on one TWICE, and in one of those instances Moon was LITERALLY DUMPING HIM. Like Sam and Miguel, for example, get plenty of scenes alone together--where they’re on their date, when they’re video chatting, at Moon’s party, when she’s visiting him in the hospital, when they’re hanging out at the Miyagi-Do dojo. Like we have plenty of chances to see them being able to hold a conversation and spend time with just each other without it getting awkward. Even with Sam x Robby and Miguel x Tory, neither of which I’m really a huge fan of, we STILL got to see them spending time alone together to establish a connection. With Hawk and Moon, like...we never really got to see them establishing that kind of connection about anything more than just skin-deep stuff (i.e. finding each other hot lmao). And sure, they’re more minor characters than Miguel, Sam, Tory, and Robby, and they could have bonded more offscreen, but like...are we just supposed to take the show’s word for it??? Because I don’t see a deeper connection in the way they interact AT ALL. They honestly strike me as one of those high school couples who date more for the social clout of being able to say you have a boyfriend/girlfriend but only actually go out on a date like...once a month XD And most of the interactions they DO have are like...either making out, fawning over each other’s looks, or just hanging out as what could be no more than like...platonic friends. Like the fact that Hawk rarely seems to want to hang out with JUST his girlfriend, but always Demetri AND his girlfriend??? Kinda makes it seem like either a) he’s actually not all that comfortable being alone with Moon or b) he seems to prioritize spending time with Demetri almost as much, if not MORE, than spending time with his LITERAL GIRLFRIEND (I mean look--does he pull MOON up on the stage at Valley Fest??? Nope), which is, uh...kinda sus. I mean yes, your friends are still going to be important to you while you’re dating someone, and you’re going to prioritize them in addition to your SO, but typically during the “honeymoon phase” at least you’re gonna be kind of all about your SO and you’re gonna prioritize them at least a LITTLE more than your friends. But we don’t see that with Hawk and Moon at all??? Hawk seems to prioritize spending time with both of them equally from the jump.

Almost like he lowkey wishes he was dating Demetri instead and lowkey only has a girlfriend for the social status, how about that???

It’s also kind of amusing how okay MOON is with Demetri always being around??? Like you’d think she’d be a bit irked that her boyfriend’s best friend is always third wheeling, but nah--she genuinely adores him as a friend, and seems to be pretty amused by his antics. And it speaks a lot to her platonic loyalty to him that she was willing to end things with Hawk over his treatment of Demetri. It also indicates to me that, like Hawk, Moon might not...actually be that comfortable spending time alone with her SO??? XD Which makes some degree of sense--when Hawk tries to use the tattoo to guilt her into staying, she says “I didn’t ask you to do that!” indicating that like...she very much WASN’T ride or die with this relationship. And honestly good for her--I don’t blame her for not wanting to follow Hawk down that dark path. But also I feel like it shows this relationship wasn’t a top priority for her, and she’s more than happy to sacrifice it for the sake of her friendships (i.e. Demetri). Either way, I didn’t get the sense that these two were attached at the hip or deeply in love or anything like that--from both Hawk and Moon’s side, it seemed pretty shallow and almost for show. Granted, Demetri claims Moon “loved” Hawk later on, but even that seemed like kind of a shallow love--we don’t have any proof that Hawk really ever opened up to Moon and showed her a more vulnerable side, since he was so busy repressing the “nerdiness” that’s still very present in his personality. And we only see him trying to be macho and tough around her, and she only ever seems to fawn over his looks and his fighting skills. Doesn’t seem like love to me :/

Basically I think Demetri always being there when Hawk and Moon hung out shows Demetri is a really, really important person in Hawk’s life--it’s kind of a big deal that he seems to prioritize him just as much as his own girlfriend. Also pretty definitively proves to me that the “Eli and Demetri were only friends out of desperation/loneliness” theory is bullshit because like...why the hell would Hawk STILL want Demetri around after he made new friends if that was the case??? Why would he constantly nag him to join his dojo, where he would Demetri MORE??? Why would DEMETRI do things like go support Hawk at the All-Valley and then later at Valley Fest (I mean FFS, the kid shows up in a COBRA KAI T-SHIRT--that’s commitment, my dudes!!!)? These two clearly value their relationship a lot and are really important to one another. Otherwise, they wouldn’t make each other such a priority before their relationship falls apart.

[mor-beck-more-problems]

Breaking Bonds || Morgan & Bea

TIMING: Current

PARTIES: @beatrice-blaze & @mor-beck-more-problems

SUMMARY: Bea invites Morgan over to share a new discovery. The world will not consent to be fixed, but somebody has to try.

CONTAINS: references to Bea’s, Morgan’s, and Adam’s deaths

There were not many people in this world who understood life and death in the same manner Bea did. They may never have been close before either of their deaths, but after, Morgan and Bea were implicitly connected. This connection made Morgan the clearest person to go to about what Bea had found through her research. The kettle let out a shrill cry for attention as the witch finished lining up the tomes she had flagged for this discussion. It was good timing that Bea’s bracelet informed her that Morgan had crossed into the Vural’s property as she began steeping the tea. She went to the porch with a smile, Dia weaving between her legs as she waited for Morgan. “The tea should be ready soon! I hope you don’t mind that I tried to find something you’d like to eat, though I wasn’t completely sure what would be palatable,” She told the zombie, thinking of the container of meat that she had waiting for Morgan, if she wanted it.

It was no small relief to visit Bea at her place. Morgan didn't know her as well as she did Luce and Nell, but she had an ease with Bea that she couldn’t have with the others either. They had died and come back around the same time, and they were both determined to have a whole life as their altered selves. As she came up to the porch to meet her friend, she sighed and let that ease pull away some of the tension her body carried.

“I don’t mind,” she said, smiling with gratitude. “I will try any and everything you have prepared. I literally can’t get food poisoning, so there’s not much to lose. And thanks for having me over. I want to hear all about New York and Felix and whatever else people who haven’t seen each other in a while swap. But uh, you said there was something you wanted to talk about, right?”

Small talk, Bea had almost forgotten that she should be engaging in small talk because she was so excited by what she had found. “Oh yes! I need to hear all about what you’ve been doing too, I’m sure things have been very exciting over here.” And she did, just like she wanted to see how Morgan was, especially since Morgan was taking care of so many people at the moment. Still, that could wait until after.

Bea invited Morgan in, before walking over to the table and lightly touching a book. “But, first, you should see what I found in here,” She couldn’t help the excited tilt her voice took. Flipping open to the first tab in the book she pointed to a line and read,“‘I have found that some of the new undead can be controlled, tamed if the right-hand guides them.’ The wording is awful, but doesn’t that read like I could help people who are struggling with this? You were the first person who seemed right to call about this.”

“Oh, you know,” Morgan said dismissively. “Been better, been worse. Still kind of a mess. But as long as we have each other, or as much of each other as we can, and if we can keep trying to make hope…” She smiled, weighed down by every terrible thing that had happened over the past month, though no less genuine for it. “We have to get to ‘okay’ eventually, right?”

She followed Bea in eagerly. Distractions were good, learning and projects were better. If she was moving toward something, she might still be able to make something better, or at least be better. She came over to the book and looked at the words. Controlled and tamed were two different things, but maybe this meant that there was an under-utilized conditioning process. Use magic at first to mitigate the damage and get them used to things, Let them choose the right thing for themselves later. “With--by ‘this’ you mean undead hunger cravings, right? Like, if I lost myself in front of a dead body, or a vampire was trying to stay off people. Do you think…” Her hand went to her lips as she thought of Ashley the zombie last year and Nico Jemisin in the thrift store. She shouldn’t get too excited, she shouldn’t brew hope over just a stray phrase and an untested experiment. She shouldn’t, she shouldn’t. And yet. “How far have you gotten on this? This could be…it could save so many people.”

A small, sad smile took Bea’s lips as Morgan spoke. She knew that hope as well as she knew her shadows. Before all of this, the necromancer had never had to worry about being okay, she had simply trusted in the universe to balance itself again. Being hit with hardship after hardship had created that doubt in the world’s ability to allow her to have a break. “We’ll be okay eventually, Morgan,” She said softly, “We’ll be able to create our own okay, you’re strong enough for that.” Anyone who had survived what Morgan had already was more than capable of bending the world to her whims.

She nodded eagerly, “That’s what I would intend to find out at the very least. I’d like to think that the word ‘tamed’ would imply that, though I do hate the implication that the undead needs to be tamed.” She had found herself drawn to the power of necromancy at the beginning, the ability to twist death itself to what she wanted. Now, though, after experiencing that power, she had found something softer, something that could change lives, save them. That part of herself she felt had left in death was returning, the part that could help and care for others without asking what they could do for her. She could grant people some form of comfort again, she could help facilitate something beautiful from a hardship. “I’ve marked every mention I’ve found of it, but there’s not much I’ve seen. I think we can write something together on this, we can find a way to get this information out there to help others.”

A piece of Morgan’s heart unclenched at Bea’s reassuring words. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding something in, but she was swallowing tears and so loose in her bones she felt like she might fall over. It had been a while since someone had tried to comfort her, and even longer when she was able to accept their gift without any guilt. Morgan smiled, lips quivering, and whispered, “thank you,” before putting her attention back on the main subject.

“What would you need? In terms of resources or experiments?” Morgan asked. She was self-conscious enough about her now-constant discoloring at all times, but as she considered the possibilities, she felt the hollowness of her stomach too. Morgan shouldn’t be this excited for Bea’s idea. Fuck Odell, and fuck her hold on this cursed town. “Would it...I mean, you’re the expert, so you would know whether it’s safe or too dangerous if you...tested it on me?” She met Bea’s eyes with trepidation. “I’m not high risk or anything, obviously, and a year does a lot for a girl’s impulse control around viscera, but...I wouldn’t say no to some extra help.”

There were many forms of strength that Bea has seen over the years, many of them represented by the women she surrounded herself with. Morgan, she found, had one of the softest forms she had seen yet, but that did not mean she didn’t respect it. If anything, it proved to Bea that she could be strong without violence and anger. Her sisters, for as strong as they were, often hurt themselves from it. Luce with her anger, an all too powerful storm that untethered her, but kept others aware of who they were dealing with. Nell with her fierce strikes, hunting beasts and controlling demons that left her all too vulnerable to the world’s evil. Bea couldn’t always be like them, but she could be softer, she could adopt some of Morgan and create her own brand of strength that did not always mean striking first.

“Well, we’d need an area far from anyone else just in case something went wrong.” Bea wouldn’t risk doing it at her home when her sisters were so close by. She looked at Morgan for a long moment, she trusted the zombie, but it put Morgan in a hard situation if something were to happen. “We can try it on you, but I would want other people there, just in case. Who would you feel comfortable with helping?” Bea had her own list of who they could call, but Morgan was the one being controlled. She was certainly in a much more vulnerable spot. “I think we should start with small portions and then work our way up.” This would be a long process, but it would be worth it to explore the possibility.

“Well, there’s plenty of spots in the woods,” Morgan sighed. “If screaming moose can hide, so can we. Especially on the outskirts, near the border, I don’t think there’ll be anyone for miles.” She wasn’t that worried. White Crest liked to keep its secrets to itself as much as possible. But Bea’s second question was another beast. Deirdre came to her mind briefly, but her love had promised to never physically harm her on purpose and refused to be released. And then, Bea wouldn’t want to endanger her sisters after all they’d been through. Who did that leave? Mina, who barely spoke to her anymore?

At last, Morgan had to admit defeat. “I...don’t know. If you know someone or have ideas, I trust your judgement. You know about discretion as much as anyone, so. But, little bits at a time! That sounds good. Reasonable. It’ll, you know, probably come in handy some time. Even with someone like me.” Or especially, with how things stood at the moment. “You’re the one channeling big magic, so you should probably set the pace. I’ve got that infinite stamina going for me. So I...I can take it. Whatever might happen, I can take it. I want to, if it means having more control over myself.”

With everything, Bea had good and bad days. With the woods, she had bad far more often. She controlled her face as well as she could, only hesitating for a moment. “Let me pick the spot in the forest? I’ll find something in the outskirts for us.” She would pick somewhere far from the place it happened, where even on her bad day she could hold herself together. Her first thought would be to ask Leah to help, but that could be very dangerous for the phoenix. Her sisters weren’t an option. Maybe this wasn’t as easy as she had originally thought it would be. “I could see if Kaden was willing to help.” She trusted him to behave with Morgan, but she had no idea if they were on good terms anymore. “If you are feeling comfortable with that.” That was a good point, Bea had no idea how much energy this was going to take. If it was anything like the other necromancy magic she had done, she was going to need to work her way up. “We’ll go slow, there’s no need to rush what’s going to happen. Especially as we need to get more people on board to help.”

“Of course,” Morgan said. To her shame, she only remembered how much the woods had taken from Bea when she saw the look on the woman’s face. Morgan, for her part, never lingered on the part of main street where she’d felt the sun on her back for the last time, and ice cream trucks made her feel sick and bitter. But these were small things, specific. As much as the spot where Bea died was cursed ground, for all Morgan knew, every dark cluster of trees held the shadow of her trauma. Too late now.

Morgan considered Kaden. She didn’t want him to know she was struggling. She didn’t know how much of his fear and disappointment she could bear. And would he feel guilty for helping? Would he doubt himself? Or feel as though he were betraying himself? But a hunter was a clear and obvious choice, for Bea’s safety as well as Morgan’s own. And the only other hunter Morgan trusted was dead. “It makes sense. If you think he would, and that he wouldn’t...feel wrong or bad about it, yeah. That sounds like a good idea. And you’re right about needing others, strong muscle-y others probably, but don’t know who else is left.” She met Bea’s eyes slowly, knowingly, and ached as Adam’s loss stung once again. She cleared her throat and let the spectre of his memory pass. “Later, when we’ve got the basics down, I’ll be of more help. I’ve got lots of fresh experience with my muscle strength, and fighting off people, living and undead. But, slow and steady first.” With difficulty, she summoned a smile. “Who’d have figured it would take two people like us to make a new magic discovery?”

Oh, Bea thought, Of course Morgan knows. A fragile, brittle smile made its way onto her face. As the days went on, as his loss compounded, the closer she felt to slipping away. She was teetering on a precipice, close to falling over the edge of understanding grief as other people had. Her understanding before had been abstracted at best, a twisted and strange version of an emotion that everyone around her seemed to understand better than she did. A necromancer who had faced death, danced with her, but did not comprehend her affects seemed like an oxymoron. The room was spinning, twisting around her as she tried to focus on Morgan’s words. “Oh, I don’t know it makes sense, doesn’t it?” She replied weakly, “We like pushing and figuring stuff out. We’re fixers.” Fixers in a world that could not be fixed, would not consent to be fixed. Adam had been a fixer too, it was why he was gone.

“Fixers, huh,” Morgan repeated, her own smile turning sad as well. She didn’t think of that word often except in terms of her own shame and desperation. She broke something, therefore she had to fix it. But to hear Bea say it, they were doing something better than hastily atoning; they were solving the world. Not all of it, because no one could do that. But little hurts, difficulties, problems. They knew how to seal cracks in people’s hearts and put in new supports where old ones had snapped. And it didn’t have to mean that any of it was their fault or their responsibility. Just that they happened to know how. They happened to have the strength to try. And when everything broke all over again, they would fix it again. On and on.

The future stretched out in her mind’s eye, a line of patch jobs into centuries. Nothing holding or staying for long. She wondered if Adam had ever seen the future that way, and if he ever let himself dream of a green field and a quiet existence where the only things that needed fixing were fence posts and kitchen appliances, as she often did. She didn’t know which answer was sadder.

“I guess we are,” she said quietly. “I guess somebody has to be.”

[writingwithcolor]

Magical person in history, on not intervening on human rights issues

I am writing a dating sim/visual novel set in the present day. A major (non-romanceable) character is an ancient sorceress who moved from France to the Pacific Northwest in the 1850s. She is white. She is shown to have powerful magic. She also works closely with the main characters and develops personal relationships with them as she teaches them magic, giving each character comfort and advice during their respective stories.

Considering the events in America around her move-in date, there’s no way she could have missed the horrible human rights abuses going on, and there’s no way she was too powerless to help, even when most of the fighting and slavery was so far away. So I’m having trouble balancing “don’t make her a white savior by having her personally fireball Robert E. Lee” against “Hogwarts University is cancelled because Dumbledorette didn’t care about slavery.” I had the idea that the magical regulating body back home in France didn’t want her to intervene due to political reasons, so she helped out in small ways that could safely fly under the radar. She later realized that she prioritized her social standing over the suffering of countless others, so she began making a point of reducing human suffering as much as she could.

I can’t imagine this will show up in more than one small scene, but doing it wrong could really sour the whole thing. Is this backstory still icky? Should I just not mention it and let readers headcanon what they please?

I’m wondering what you think was happening in the PNW at the time for the fighting and slavery to be “far away.” Washington State had the Cayuse War at exactly this time period, Oregon didn’t ratify treaties and was calling for the extermination of “the I*dian race” in roughly this time period, and California’s Gold Rush created the California Genocide starting heavily in the 1840s, picking up steam in the 1850s, which included slavery of California Natives thanks to a law enacted in 1850 that lasted for 13 years. 

This is all from the top five results of googling “pacific northwest genocide 1850”, for the record. It’s not exactly hidden history.

So suddenly your character’s lack of movement in healing the poisoned populations as disease ravaged the area, in attempting to stop or at least buy and free the enslaved Natives being auctioned on their doorstep, or in attempting to get treaties ratified and honoured looks a lot more damning.

This is not counting any of the future events that happened at the turn of the century, including the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Hawai’i monarchy being overthrown, and Federal Order 9066, which is the WWII concentration camps (that included Japanese, German, and Italian individuals). This is just to name a handful of coastal issues in the next 100 years, completely ignoring Jim Crow, residential schools, the San Francisco Earthquake (which nearly had Chinese people relocated to the worst land imaginable for gentrification purposes, had the Empress of China not stepped in), and many others.

In short: she would have had hundreds of opportunities to end suffering, and focusing on a single event as a small scene feels disproportionate to how much she could have done.

And honestly? The French were no angels. 

The Second French Colonial Empire was one of the largest empires in history, and it began in 1830, covering roughly a third of Africa. The First French Colonial Empire began in the 1600s, and had both India and North America, primarily Canada.

She was white. French. You don’t specify her birth year other than “ancient”, but considering the sheer amount of territory-grabbing France has been doing since Normandy invaded England in the eleventh century AD, I’m going to assume her birth year is somewhere more recent than that. Therefore, I’m going to assume she has been around the Catholic Missionary Attitude that France had; one could call that attitude the bedrock of its existence for at least a millennia (and is still visible in modern day).

So tell me: when did she break out of it? What made her even care about human atrocities, when she has likely grown up watching France commit them her entire life? 

Because let me just say, she has had plenty of opportunities to realize she did nothing in the face of her neighbours’ hatred of people not like them, and she has never taken them before. 

Did she (or her parents, if she was born around this time) decry Napoleon re-introducing slavery in France in 1802? Side with Haiti when it declared independence in 1804, and hate that the government forced Haiti to pay for the “theft” of slaves and land (that was only paid off in 1947)? Is she presently championing for France to pay Haiti the money it wrongfully took from the country? Did she hate the delays in stopping the French slave trade, which took 11 years to actually stop after it was banned on paper? 

Unconditional emancipation was only reached in 1848, after all. I don’t care if she was born in 1830, there was some sort of major racial event happening in France all throughout the late 1700s to mid-1800s. Where did she side then?

Abolitionism was not an unknown concept in France, so it is possible she had already been working towards it quietly, but that would mean she would have felt guilt at inaction much earlier, depending on when she began decrying slavery—if she was even delayed in decrying it, which I will admit is possible. 

And if she was an abolitionist, would she have even listened to the French government in not at least easing the genocide around her? Because she would have watched nearly 100 years of the French dragging their feet on stopping slavery in their empire, and known how BS it all was… if she saw it that way.

That’s just abolitionism, and is not even counting the French relationship with the Native population in Quebec and the Great Lakes region, which is a giant tangle of proxy wars, colonialism, missionary work, and very, very, very complex relationships that started off good and ended terribly.

So I ask again: why did she only start caring then?

Speaking of proxy wars, the Napoleon Empire wanted a Confederate victory, because the Confederacy was its source of cotton and the American Civil War created a “cotton famine” in France that basically forced the textile industry into a massive downsizing. The Confederacy also tolerated Napoleon’s plans for expanding the empire in Mexico, which actually had begun in December of 1861.

So when it comes to how a magical board would rule—even though France was officially neutral in the war, the court of public opinion (among politicians and capitalists) was more on the Confederate side than the Union side. Many politicians secretly worked with the Confederacy, until they abandoned them when the Union showed signs of winning. The only reason France officially remained neutral is because a war with the British was inevitable if they acknowledged the Confederacy, and Napoleon didn’t want that.

I shall work under the assumption that because it was rather literally on her doorstep when she moved to America, she lost insulation to it (if she hadn’t thought about it before), but I will say how iffy that makes her look in the long term if she had so many opportunities beforehand (at the very least, seeing slaves in France).

My other option is the word “ancient” is liberally applied and she was only in her 20s or 30s when 1850 hit, and therefore had not had many opportunities to see otherwise (but she still would have seen slaves in France, likely).

Onto the white guilt and white saviour aspects

Strictly from a writing perspective, you have to determine if she changed the course of history, or not. This would not necessarily be within the realm of white saviour, seeing as white people were the only ones listened to at the time. You can see people who changed the course of history in this period by looking up the pastor who insisted Lincoln hold fair trials for the Dakota, which brought the execution count from over 200 down to 38. You can also look at Alice Fletcher, who made quite a few laws designed to protect Native people, but whether or not they were successful is up for debate (and she regretted some of the laws she helped enact).

If not, then you have the current tangle you’re dealing with.

Option 1

She was unestablished in America and relied on the magical regulations board to protect her, and she figured working small and under the radar would mean she could do more good long-term by not being killed, so long as you establish that such a threat is viable.

This option only works if she’s an active advocate for the slew of other racist acts that pass once she’s settled in America, of which I gave many examples above.

Option 2

She actually did change the course of history in perhaps a mixed way, or perhaps a positive way. She could have relied completely on being a white, well-to-do voice in the community, which would have granted her some privilege without using a drop of magic. 

This can apply to any point in history, seeing as there were a lot of others to pick from. It would be particularly useful once suffrage was achieved, and if she was part of suffrage, did she call out Susan B. Anthony’s racism? Did she encourage allowing non-whites to vote?

Option 3 

She was slow to care, and did not actually understand what a big deal it was that such atrocities were happening until it was too late. This leads to her dedication to atonement the strongest, but you have to be careful about white guilt. This option can go along with option 1.

This allows her to be a passive player in future racist events, but makes her an even more privileged white character who PoC will have a hard time seeing as kindly, and you should go out of your way to show white players how unkind and privileged she was, and perhaps still is.

Option 4 

she doesn’t actually care much, because she has a president of not caring about atrocities happening in France, and her bigotry shows up in other ways in modern day and she’s just a kindly-but-bigoted character. She’s your wonderful grandma who you have beautiful memories with… she just doesn’t care about anyone not white.

This can go along with option 3, as she was so slow to realize that she is still bigoted and hasn’t done any work, but her racism is going to be more covert and you’ll have to do research on microaggressions and how to frame them.

Based off the way her lack of action is framed in-story and how little a plot role it plays, I would say that option 4 with a dash of option 3 appears to be the most likely interpretation of her character by PoC. She’s lip-service to progress, at present, but seems to have made no strides in losing her social standing to be an ally.

Now here’s why I don’t think you should let readers headcanon her however they want:

White players in particular are going to minimize her culpability in what happened, and think that she did all that she could, and she is a Totally Redeemed Character now. In fact, they’ll probably wonder why she’s even an Atoner, because she did something, right? She helped, right? And now she’s helping and that’s plenty. She’s good to the players, so she is a Good Person.

Meanwhile PoC players are going to see yet another white author ignore the fact that colonialism was happening en masse at the time, and that white people deeply benefited from it, and are going to see the “it happened in the past why do you keep bringing up racism?” defence continued.

Let her be flawed. Let her be on stolen land and acknowledge it every time she teaches them something, and let her sit and exist in the guilt that happens when she realizes she could have stopped the theft but didn’t. Let her not wallow in self hate, but acknowledge her mistake with every lesson the main characters receive, and let her work on righting that wrong by championing “land back” causes that centre Indigenous voices.

Let her dialogue options show every trace of how the past is not over because the past’s actions are still being felt and reparations have not been made. The settler state is still controlling the land she has made home and she knows exactly what they did to get it, and she passes that knowledge on.

Let players be uncomfortable with the knowledge that, if they sit by and “only do small things when they can, to not lose anything”, they are complicit. Let white people see they must well and truly denounce what has been given to them by their racist, colonial ancestors in order for PoC to “stop talking about racism.”

Make her use whatever income she makes be paid in part to Native causes, as rent for the land she occupies unfairly. Make her refuse to teach bigoted students who want “mystic secrets” that aren’t hers to give, that were appropriated centuries ago. Make part of her life’s work be hiding away Black and Indigenous spiritual leaders to minimize the loss.

Let her past be imperfect. And do not force redemption on her, but instead let her own the fact she made catastrophic mistakes that will not be redeemed until land has been returned to the Native population. Until all forms of slavery are abolished. Until colonial powers give back all the resources and finances they stole from their colonized regions. Until the privilege that white people spilled so much blood to secure is no more.

Because if you want her to truly be a good character who does not support racism? That is the level you have to step towards.

Everything else is simply whiteness trying to make itself feel better.

~Mod Lesya

[nothoughts-onlywomen]

thoughts on new mutants:

I know critics are tearing it apart but I actually liked it. Was it amazing? No. But I enjoyed it for what it was worth.

As a mental health provider, I really liked the whole trauma/fear angle. Seeing the traumas of the individual characters gave the opportunity for some character-building. I just wish they’d done more with it.

Previous point really sums up my biggest issue with the movie...lots of seeds planted, not a lot of flowers grown. There were plenty of interesting ideas that were never fully realized. I know Josh Boone wants to do a trilogy, but this movie should really be able to stand on its own even after the fact.

This is a solid first movie for Blu Hunt. You could definitely tell she was inexperienced, but I believe once she gains her confidence as an actress she has some good things on the horizon.

ANYA. TAYLOR. FREAKIN. JOY. Far and away the best thing about this movie. She took the material and elevated it well beyond what she was given. Even having a portion of the script where she just throws stupid Native American slurs at Dani for the first act, she never falters in the character. She commits fully, and clearly has a lot of fun with it. I remember seeing the trailer and thinking that she was going to act circles around the rest of the cast. I was right.

Maisie Williams turned in a great performance as well, though. She was able to convey some of the nuances of this sweet, shy character’s journey, and if it had been anyone else in the role it would have been easy for that person to allow Rahne to become one-dimensional.

Speaking of Rahne, I found the Dani/Rahne relationship to be incredibly sweet and well done. “Organic��� was the word Josh Boone used to describe their relationship and I wholeheartedly agree. Blu and Maisie have undeniable chemistry, and it definitely shows. They both should be recognized for their acting here. The relationship was sweet and soft. And I could not get enough of it. A particular favorite scene of mine (besides the 2 kiss scenes, obviously) involves Rahne in the confessional of the chapel, holding an unconscious Dani close to her while praying over them. So lovely. Their scenes are incredibly important for LGBTQIA+ representation in that nobody ever really makes a big deal about it, and it just happens very naturally. That was refreshing and I wanted more.

I will say, though, Rahne and Dani do talk a little too casually about death, which sets off my mental health alarm bells. Rahne talks Dani off of a (literal) ledge and then when they talk about it later she says “what do I know? Maybe we both should have jumped.” And then they smile as if this statement is flirty. That was weird for me. Another example is before their kiss scene, when Dani talks about the body being a cage, and death is the thing that frees the soul. It’s like, you okay there Dani??

That’s the other thing that I think would have added some more authenticity. Having worked in a psychiatric hospital, there were definitely things that were off. I get that it was an old facility and perhaps they didn’t want to make unnecessary changes, but if they were going to pretend it was a psych hospital (or at least some warped version of it) then they needed to have done more to make it authentic. Considering Dani contemplates suicide within the first ten minutes of the movie, it’s weird that there was no watch placed on her or anything. If she had truly wanted to die she would not have had much standing in her way besides Rahne. The idea that they push about it being a restrictive environment just isn’t that believable as the kids can pretty much go anywhere and do whatever within the confines of the hospital. They needed to have tightened up a few more things, maybe given Dr. Reyes a few members of staff to work with. It’s a shame, because the comraderie between the kids would have been strengthened that much more in that light. I’ve watched how people bond in that environment and it’s poignant and special. You get little glimpses of that, but like so many other things in the movie, it’s never fully realized. It’s there, but it’s not fully formed.

The relationships of the kids were nice. I appreciated watching them bond, though, again, I think more could have been done with it. But the actors clearly work very well together and it shows.

The whole demon bear thing was confusing in my opinion. Granted, I’ve not read the comics, but the demon bear was real and then he wasn’t real? Dani literally comes out of unconsciousness and tells the bear to stop. And it does. What was the point of all the fighting then?

We never really find out Dr. Reyes’ motives for doing what she was doing and I wish we’d delved into that a little more.

Overall it wasn’t terrible. I went in with reasonable expectations and I had fun with it.

[k7l4d4]

Midnight Striga: Fairy Tail/Owl House Cross Fic Episode 4 Part 3

Hello all, once again, I have returned with more of Midnight Striga! Everybody Clap Your Hands!!

King grumbled as he stomped off to read Luz’s gracious gift to her ruler in peace. Seriously, what was the big issue anyway? So the girl had to start all over, big deal! People have to do that everyday, all the time. She was lucky she had someone as understanding and gracious as Luz willing to abandon their personal pursuits to accommodate her.

��Hmmphh! As the King of Demons, I would never stoop to such pitiful despair!” He boldly proclaimed, conveniently ignoring the multiple times he has, in fact, given in to despair, and often for much sillier reasons than an existential crisis. But, then again, he is a King, it is only natural that the pettiest of his woes are beyond the frustrations of an underling!! ...Except for Luz, her woes were most definitely something to be taken seriously. After all, SHE gave her ruler the respect he richly deserved. “Now, what chapter did I leave off on?”

As King flipped through the book, he carefully practiced some of the diagrams on how to perform this voice based Sound Magic; he drew the magic from his core, allowing it to circulate through his body, then slowly fed it into a cycling formation in his throat, pooling into a bubble-like shape, or that’s how he pictured the result in his mind, and how it physically felt, as if he had a little bubble in his throat. Slowly breathing in, and breathing out, he focused on how the bubble expanded and contracted in response to his breaths; that was something the book mentioned a practitioner should take care to control to some extent. He didn’t understand at first, but when he got a better look at the warning instruction, it made a bit more sense, as his ability to control the shape and size of his bubble of magic would better help him control the result!!...Or that’s what he got from the book at any rate.

To be honest with himself, King found the book pretty difficult to understand; while he did manage to glean some information from the actual words, he was mostly going off the diagrams, and the paragraphs connected to them. He really hoped this worked. What Luz could do, that Light-based Magic of hers, it was like nothing he’d ever seen before. Luz was his friend, even more than she was his subject. Sure, she was snarky, disinterested, and had a mean sense of humor sometimes, but she respected him, treated him like a person instead of a toy or a baby. She made him feel… big. If he could master this gift from her… maybe he could start repaying some of that feeling. A King must never let themselves be held to debts!!

“Hey King!” Luz's voice rang out, grabbing the young demon’s attention. “Boscha and I are gonna train! You want to join in!?”

King’s heart leapt at being included, though he quickly tamped it down so as to not influence his decision-making. “Hmph! As if you peons could get anything done without my presence!! Count me in!”

Boscha grit her teeth, ignoring the building annoyance as best she could. When she recalled that day when her whole world changed, she would admit that most of her recollection was occupied by the sheer awe she felt at seeing Luz’s power, her magic, in action. What she didn’t recall, however…

“As the King of Demons, surely I must demonstrate my skills first!” The adorable menace before her shrieked, Luz looking on indulgently.

-Was how absolutely ANNOYING the little demon that was with Luz that day actually was! ...To be fair, she only met him for a short time, and she was mostly concerned with fussing over how utterly adorable he was. She literally never got the chance to see just how much of a pompous menace he was!! If she was being honest with herself, he reminded her of how she was herself for most of her life; loud, aggressive, self-deluded, and utterly demanding of respect and compliance, no matter how ridiculous the reasoning was. 

The only difference was that she had actual authority and respect to leverage, and influence over others, and far less experience with consequences in regards to her actions, whereas he had essentially no power or authority beyond his own delusions, and was regularly subjected to consequences, even if they didn’t phase him. Boscha internally composed a list of people she’d have to apologize to at some point for being such a brat if she was even half as difficult as this guy.

“Alright, King,” Luz said calmly, gesturing to the area before them, a wide open space in the basement, the path opened by that *Shudder* house demon from before. “Show me what you’ve managed to get down, okay?”

“With pleasure.” The little menace stated. Walking out for about 10 feet, before stopping. Spreading his legs for balance, the demon took a deep breath, almost exaggeratedly deep, before speaking loudly and clearly. “Sound Magic: Demon King’s Rocking Roar!” With an explosive burst, a solid mass of sound screamed across the length of the impromptu training room. Boscha clutched her head as the sheer loudness ripped through her head, her ears ringing in agony at the bleedingly loud volume. How was his little body creating such a huge noise!? Fighting the urge to screw her eyes shut from the pain, Boscha blearily focused on the sight before her; a clear, drill-like structure punching into the far wall, originating from the little demon’s head, the whole thing being three times his height in all directions.

“HOW IS HE DOING THAT!?” Boscha shouted to Luz, who was similarly clutching her head, albeit not as tightly as Boscha herself. Was it not as loud to her for some reason?

“I CAN’T SAY FOR CERTAIN, BUT I THINK HE’S AMPLIFYING THE SOUND OF HIS VOICE AND SHAPING IT INTO PHYSICAL STRUCTURES TO ATTACK!! HE REALLY IS DOING A LOT BETTER THAN I THOUGHT HE WOULD!!” Luz yelled back. As King finally, blissfully, cut off, the two collapsed to the ground, sighing in relief at the mercy granted to their ears.

“So, was that a feat worthy of a King, or what!?” King cockily demanded, preening at his accomplishments. Boscha was willing to admit, however grudgingly, the spell was impressive. It was big, flashy, and, if the way King was subtly panting was anything to go off of, draining as hell, but it was also powerful, loud, and disorienting. Boscha genuinely dreaded the idea of getting hit with a spell like that in the future, especially with her seemingly heightened hearing.

“Yeah!” Luz said, just a little too loudly, before clapping her hands on her ears, and speaking in a more even tone of voice. “That sure was something King! I almost can’t believe you figured out how to cast a proper spell that fast.”

“Hmph, such a feat is nothing to the King of Demons!” King said as he posed gleefully at the praise he received. However, he quickly calmed down, a slightly nervous look on his face. “So, do you think there’s anything I need to work on?”

“Oh plenty,” Luz bluntly replied, prompting King to stare down at the floor and mope. “But that can wait until we get Boscha tested.”

Boscha gulped, feeling nervous. She intimately remembered what had happened the Last time she cast magic, and she wasn’t eager to try again. Nonetheless, her coach was requesting a demonstration. Better to get it over with. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself, beginning to trace a circle-

“Hold it!”

-Only to stop at Luz’s interruption. “What?” Boscha sighed, hoping they took it as a sign of irritation as opposed to relief.

“I need to record this.” Luz said simply, setting up some sort of rectangular piece of flat crystal paired to another. “And… ready! You can start now!”

Boscha sighed, not understanding what was going on but hoping that it could actually help. She really didn’t want to blow up.

“Oh wait!” Luz piped up, interrupting the beginning of Boscha’s casting again. “I think I have an idea that might help, maybe. When you’ve been practising, have you been using a spell you are very familiar with, or one that’s basic?”

Boscha blinked, slightly confused at the line of questioning. “One I’m familiar with, a fireball spell. Why do you ask?”

Luz smiled. “Well, it occurred to me that you might have slightly better odds if you try a basic or simple spell as a way to start. Something that doesn’t take a lot of effort to do, you know? Try and do this using the most simple spell you can think of!” She offered.

Boscha turned the idea over in her head; she couldn’t really see anything wrong with the idea, and since her biggest problem was her control at the moment, maybe starting small was a better idea. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to try. Bracing herself to move, Boscha slowly traced a circle for the absolutely simplest spell she could think of; the light spell. Not to riff on her coach’s preferred element, but the Light Spell was the absolute most basic spell kids on the Isles learned, but considering most spells just did one thing or had a simple function, she supposed it made sense that a spell meant to create light wouldn’t have a lot of flexibility to it, not like Luz’s crafts.

As she completed the spell, Boscha held her breath as the circle flickered and shuddered in the air. ‘Don’t explode.’ She pleaded in her mind. ‘By the Titan, please don’t explode!’

The spell flickered, shuddered… and transformed into a ball of light. It was small, delicate, almost innocent. Boscha had never been happier to perform the most basic of magic. “I did it.” She muttered to herself. “Did you see that, I did it!” She cheered, a wide goofy grin flashing across her face as she cupped the spell in her hands. As she noticed the amused grins sported by Luz and King, she flushed, and tucked the spell behind her back, glancing at anywhere but them. “I-I mean, so, yeah, I did it. That’s… that’s cool.” Boscha felt a little bit of her self respect die inside.

Luz cupped her face as she mentally tallied everything she had seen. Honestly, the two were good, if noticeably amateurish in their own ways. King was a literal amateur, having only just learned the magic he had demonstrated (Her ears were still ringing!), but he had enthusiasm and a surprisingly large amount of Magical Power to call upon, particularly for his size; if he could work on his stamina and physical fitness, along with some general practice to hone his abilities and find some new applications for his magic, he could easily become a powerhouse in time. Boscha had a rather different problem.

Luz sighed, knowing this was partially her own fault, even if it was unavoidable at the time. Boscha’s skills were… unusual, as she seemed to have literally regressed in skill. Her previous abilities had been nothing to write home about, being mainly powerful by the standards of the Isles and highly orthodox, but she was noticeably practiced. Now…

*BOOM!* “DANG IT!”

Luz winced at the sound of Another explosion going off as Boscha and King sparred. Boscha’s control had been utterly shot; every spell she cast had a painfully high rate of failure, and the unfortunate tendency to detonate as a result. Her only spell that didn’t seem to have any failure rate was the Light Spell, so she could cast it reliably, but it was literally a floating ball of light, not much combat application to that beyond a very short range diversion or distraction. Still, the fact that she was now actively trying to cast spells and some of them were working had massively bolstered Boscha’s confidence. There was just one problem… Luz wasn’t doing anything!! 

She was supposed to be a teacher, and her alleged students were actively figuring things out on their own, no input from her needed! It was humiliating! The fact that they hadn’t noticed made it even worse! What was she even doing? Sighing to herself, Luz wallowed in self-pity, much to her own disgust. Ah well, at least she could review the footage from Boscha’s test. As she slowed down the footage, trying to figure out the spell structure with so little input, all she had was a circle and Witches apparently compressed the entire spellform into that little ring. It was maddening to figure out how it worked. A Bile-Sack had been mentioned several times before, and while her morbid side was definitely interested, she needed to pace these things.

‘Wait a minute…’ Luz thought, catching sight of something in the footage. ‘Is that… a symbol?’ She slowed the footage down to a stand-still, at the precise moment Boscha completed the circle. And there it was. A symbol floating in the center. She took out her notebook, slowly copied it, and stashed it away. This was definitely something to look into.

As she finished, Luz turned back to the fight. Well, if you could properly call it that. It mostly consisted of Boscha trying to get in close and cast a spell, which usually backfired, and King running away to give himself some range to launch his own spell, which took just a shade too much time for him to pull off before Boscha closed in. Oh sure, King had managed it two or three times, but each time he pulled it off left him vulnerable to an irate Boscha’s counterattack. 

Luz groaned internally. This hadn’t been what she’d intended when she proposed a training session. She thought it would be like the good old days back with Teach; throwing spells at her eager students faster than they could process while they desperately ducked and dodged, before they spotted an opening to counterattack, which she would block, and start the process all over again. But ~NO~, she had to have a conscience. Stupid conscience, always talking her out of fun stuff. Still, she had to admit they were making some progress, and this would give her good experience for when she had to do it for real when she went back to Hexside officially.

She grinned cheekily, before frowning. Boscha was only using her old spells, and avoiding her Devil Slayer Magic. On the one hand, it could be said that she was focusing on rebuilding her foundation, which was smart. But… that wasn’t the actual reason. Boscha was afraid of her flames. Every time Luz tried to broach the subject, Boscha gained a wild, panicked look, almost seconds away from bolting, forcing Luz to backpedal. She sighed. Boscha could run for now, but she couldn’t ignore what had happened forever. No matter how much it hurt, the past was always going to be a part of you. Her arm and back throbbed in sympathy.

Eda groaned, painfully dragging herself out of her nest. Woozily, she pulled herself to her feet, looking for her potion. She couldn’t believe she had allowed herself to forget taking it, and when she had a new tenant, King, and a guest in the house! As she rushed for her closet, she tripped, crashing to the ground. Lightning crashed outside, illuminating the feathers popping up along her arms, and the curved talons forming on her fingers.

[sepublic]

Here's a new one! So may I ask what your take would be if Kipo were to meet any of the 3 amphibia girls? I mean Kipo, Anne, and Sasha all got Fruncles. But this is mostly an excuse to talk more about Kipo! We need more discourse!

           Well dang, that’s something I never considered! Although it’s worth noting that Grime is a TOAD Uncle, not a Frog Uncle… And this distinction apparently means a lot to the people of Amphibia, given how they have an entire caste system revolving around this difference in species!

           Getting into Kipo herself, and how she’d react to Amphibia in general… She’d take to it naturally, obviously! She’s already met Talking Frogs… She already eats Cave Moss Lasagna and bugs and worms back home in the burrow! And as terrifyingly dangerous as Amphibia is, it’s probably not THAT different from the surface… Knowing Kipo, she might not even notice a difference if she were to be suddenly teleported from Earth to Amphibia! Her first assumption would likely be that she’s on another continent, or somewhere else in the United States, but that’s about it!

           And, this fact segways into Kipo meeting Anne… I think one of the important things to consider is that Kipo has no shame! She isn’t necessarily insecure… She had a VERY loving and supportive father, who encouraged Kipo’s interests in science and astronomy and so forth! Her friends Dahlia and Asher were good people, and really, it seems there was no reason or cause for any kind of ‘bullying’ that would lead Kipo to suppress who she is! Well, besides the whole thing about being Half-Mute, but that didn’t come up until VERY recently in Kipo’s life, and so far, the people she’s met have been supportive! Sans Wolf, but that barely lasted and she’s a child dealing with legitimate PTSD, so it’s understandable!

           I think Kipo would simultaneously be much more ‘wild’ for Anne as a friend, someone who’s a lot more upfront and wears her heart on her sleeve… But she’d also vouch for Anne’s confidence as a person! She might hear about how Anne was afraid of fully expressing herself back home, and… Kipo wouldn’t really get the anxiety because it seems culture in the Human Burrows has progressed past that sort of thing. She DOES live in the future, after all. But like Mulholland-Song taught her, you may as well live it on your sleeve who you are, and embrace that! Besides, Anne’s reasons for not ‘fitting in’ are definitely a lot tamer than Kipo’s… Not that Kipo would ever compare, of course!

           Kipo is a VERY supportive and encouraging person, she’s going to tell Anne to be who she is and not care! And as for Anne’s situation with Sasha, well… More on that later- But for now, Kipo and Anne would get along just fine! Kipo’s more openly-feral attitude would help Anne embrace the cultures and norms of Amphibia, more quickly than she already did back in Season 1… In general, they’d be enthusiastic sisters with one another! Kipo would be an AMAZING outlet for Anne’s growth, and the two of them would get into whacky hijinx… Sometimes Kipo reins in Anne, sometimes it’s the other way around!

           Then, we have Marcy! As I’ve already said before, Kipo is a nerd and proud and embracing of it… It’s going to be like Luz and Marcy! Kipo is going to be the PERFECT friend for Marcy, the two of them would stay up all night discussing science and whatnot! They’d be talking about their hyperfixations to one another, Marcy listening intently and fascinated by Kipo’s discussions of what Lio taught her, and Kipo is just so INTERESTED in Marcy’s talk of videogames and RPGs, she’s never gotten to play those sorts of things as a kid! And Marcy’s eyes twinkle and brighten up, as she invites Kipo…!

           It’s going to be amazing. They’re nerds and 100% neurodivergent. Marcy will have had past reservations about being a nerd, about being definitely autistic… And Kipo’s going to say, who cares?! Lio and the Burrow community were always supportive of that sort of thing, she’d get Marcy to proudly indulge in being neurodivergent, in being a nerd! Kipo would be fascinating to Mar-Mar and vice-versa, because they’re people who can ramble on about science for hours and understand each other, they’ve even got plenty to teach one another! Kipo’s going to be SO fascinated in Amphibia’s culture, how it differs from those of the Mod Frogs as a more expansive civilization with a proper past… Marcy will happily answer, and Mutes! OH Marcy is going to be having the time of her LIFE studying Mutes, freaking out over them, inevitably stimming and asking questions at a thousand miles per hour as Kipo happily answers each one and keeps up without blinking an eye!

           Kipo and Marcy are nerds, they’d indulge in one another’s passions and interests, and there’d be a certain special understanding between them, a unique one… At least, more unique than most relationships with other people already are! There’s going to be a connection… Kipo’s going to introduce Marcy to Lio, HE’s going to encourage and indulge in Marcy’s hyperfixations! Kipo’s going to spend all day working with Marcy on her Creatures and Caverns campaigns, playing videogames… Discussing the history behind the tech, the little ways the programming comes together! It’s going to be great.

           Like Anne, Kipo’s also going to be someone who helps Marcy keep her head and mind open… Kipo’s very much a more socially-oriented, people person. Marcy’s going to admit that she has difficulty talking with anyone else that isn’t Kipo, Sasha, or Anne… And Kipo’s going to say that’s okay, that it’s understandable if eye contact isn’t a thing for her! The way I see it, if Marcy doesn’t have a name for a lot of her autistic habits and stims, Kipo certainly does and she’s going to make Marcy EMBRACE that part of her identity, instead of feeling shame! She’ll tell Marcy Wu that it’s okay that she doesn’t readily, instantly make friends with everyone else, the way Kipo or Anne do…

           Kipo is more than ready to introduce Marcy to her other friends, and she’s going to give her pointers on how stand tall and be confident! And as for Marcy’s loneliness… Like I said, Kipo’s going to encourage Marcy to make other friends. I think Wolf, Benson, and everyone else will get along just FINE with Marcy… And speaking of which, I think Marcy is someone who would be incredibly fascinated in Kipo’s Half-Mute nature, and ALSO be supportive of it! If Kipo ever feels down and like a freak, Marcy tells her that she’s the coolest person in existence… And that’s without being Half-Mute, being partially Mega Jaguar just cinches the deal! She’s going to nerd out on Kipo’s Jaguar paws, help her figure out how to control herself…

           In general, Kipo will be a GREAT person for Marcy! She’s going to teach her to be more open about who she is, to unapologetically embrace that… Tell her it’s okay to not be the most readily-sociable person! These two will be utter nerds who get to nerd out with one another to the fullest extent, everyone else is going to groan when they start ranting at several miles-per-hour about the latest hyperfixation or science subject, and that won’t stop these two!

           As for Kipo and Sasha… Well. Kipo doesn’t have the MOST experience with these sorts of toxic, manipulative friends… The closest she has is her brother Scarlemagne, but he was a bit more up-front and wearing it on his sleeve about his intentions. He certainly wasn’t trying to trick Kipo, and throughout their interactions, there was this sense of Kipo having the emotional power over Hugo… And then of course, we find out she had the logistical power as well, thanks to Mulholland!

           Sasha is definitely much more of a confident person than Scarlemagne. A lot of the time, she doesn’t even consider or self-reflect if people will hang around her or not… While Scarlemagne is VERY fussy about if he can trust people and this manifests almost literally in his pheromones’ ability to control others and have them be completely honest; Sasha takes people for granted! She doesn’t realize she’s lost them until it’s too late… And unlike Scarlemagne, she won’t default to violence and bloodshed! At least, so far… Not to compare trauma, but Scarlemagne has definitely been through worse and has a lot more reason to be aggressive, amidst him having enabled this behavior through his attempted take-over of Las Vistas! Sasha is ALSO someone who is planning to conquer Amphibia alongside Grime…

           But the thing about her is that she HAS Grime- She can trust him, and vice-versa! They didn’t expect one another to be close friends and allies, but they’d die for one another without hesitation! Sasha’s ultimately a MUCH more confident person than Scarlemagne, and that can lead to her being less paranoid and self-reflecting because she isn’t constantly checking herself. Not to mention, while Scarlemagne is someone who is used to rely on brute force first, as someone who was always in a position of weakness beforehand…

           Sasha has ALWAYS been in a position of power and privilege. She’s never really had to worry about being on the lower-end of a power imbalance. As a result, she’s someone who’s very much used to using honey instead of vinegar, she’d rather avoid conflict and assume the best of others, that if somebody made a mistake- It was just that, a mistake!They didn’t REALLY mean to defy Sasha, they have her best interests at heart inherently! She’s much more willing to forgive and forget, but inevitably, she’ll also have a line that’s going to be crossed somewhere…

           Scarlemagne and Sasha are definitely fascinating characters. They’re not very easily open to others in the emotional sense… Sasha puts up the façade of this, but in the end, she doesn’t really connect much with her ‘cronies’ and ‘minions’. She has a VERY select friend-group of people she’s truly open with… But even THEN, there’s a certain distance between Sasha, and Anne and Marcy! And especially with Toadcatcher as of late, Sasha is someone who’s going to hide her feelings behind blunt, brute force… She’s someone who’s feeling her friends slipping away, and she’s probably going to become more like Scarlemagne, and default to obsessive control not just of others, but Amphibia itself, just to feel safe!

           …So when it comes to Kipo and Sasha interacting, this is definitely going to be an interesting one. Kipo’s going to recognize a lot of familiar story-beats, here and there… But she’s also going to see Sasha as someone who still has a lot more confidence and manipulation than her brother. Sasha is someone who could likely get to Kipo more easily than most, come across as way more trust-worthy… Without really meaning to or considering this with malice, Sasha is someone who could try to assert control over Kipo.

           But the thing about Kipo is- She’s a healthy person! She’s had postivie friendships before, she KNOWS what a healthy relationship is like… So while she may initially allow for some of Sasha’s ‘eccentricities’ at first, it’s going to become obvious to her that Sasha is toxic, and manipulative. Kipo is someone who will readily stand up to Sasha and defy her, call her out… And Sasha is going to VERY surprised. Depending at what point in her development that Sasha meets Kipo… I can see her taking a moment to self-reflect. Or, maybe she feels that precious threshold being crossed, and tries to lay down her authority…

           And alas, Kipo isn’t having it! Kipo’s going to be open, blunt, and honest in her own way, that this isn’t how friends should act, and that even IF Anne and Marcy are Sasha’s best friends and vice-versa, there’s still a lot of room to improve! And Sasha’s going to be shocked and taken aback, she’s going to brush off Kipo… And I think inevitably, she’s going to cut ties with Kipo and go off and do her own thing. There’s no need to make herself more uncomfortable by arguing with Kipo, Sasha prefers to avoid conflict! And Kipo, well…

           I think Kipo would let Sasha go, at first. But she’d also consider how Anne and Marcy are doing, and how THEY need help. Respecting boundaries is important and all… But sometimes, people need help. Sasha might see Kipo being kind to Anne and Marcy as a threat, and force her friends to choose between her and Kipo… There’s going to be a LOT of discourse. But in the end, Sasha is going to listen when she sees her friends turn to Kipo’s ‘side’… And if this is pre-Amphibia, ideally this is an environment where she can at least feel safe in reconsidering her actions, and opening up.

           Speaking of environments, I think Kipo would also take a while… But she’d get Sasha to appreciate and be more open-minded towards the Surface, as well as Amphibia! Sasha might be surprised by Kipo’s Half-Jaguar nature, but amidst everything else… She’s just going to take it in stride, as much as she already does. She dismisses the Frogs as ‘just slimy frogs’, yet Sasha clearly interacts with the Toads and treats them as actual people, with all of the little quirks and eccentricities that come with navigating social relationships! And her bond with Grime, well…

           …It’s obvious that Sasha KNOWS that non-humans are still people. She’ll most just bring it up whenever she’s trying to convince someone like Anne to get back to her side, to choose between her loyal, childhood friend, VS some strangers who are also gross and slimy frogs! But in the end, I doubt Sasha has any particular prejudice against non-humans. There IS a bit of an issue with seeing Amphibia as a place to ‘take over’ and ‘have fun’ in the beginning… But as of Toadcatcher, I think Sasha has somewhat matured in recognizing Amphibia fully as a functioning place and society, and not some adventure RPG to play around in like Marcy would. It’s a place with stakes and consequences.

           So, Sasha will be taken aback by Kipo’s half-jaguar nature, but ultimately, I think she’ll express more intrigue and interest than anything else. She’ll definitely ask a lot of questions, though be less concerned with the scientific know-how, and more how Kipo’s abilities could help the two of them… But Kipo is to strong-willed and confident, and knows better. She’s not going to fall for any of Sasha’s bad ideas.

           Really, Kipo is going to take ONE look at Sasha… And Anne and Marcy, as post-Toadcatcher, and she’s going to immediately tell that these girls are unhappy. That they have concerns, but also they clearly miss one another and want to be back together. Kipo is VERY much a problem-solver, as most scientists are by nature… So she’s going to ask a simple yet obvious question, of why can’tthey be friends again? There’s clearly a past to work with, a desire to get back together… So what, REALLY, is the problem?

           Kipo’s not going to take any of Sasha’s excuses. She’s going to get right to the heart of the problem, while Anne and Marcy admit more quickly that she has a point, and take her side in reaching out… And Sasha Waybright, she is NOT going to respond well, at least not initially! There’s a reason why she’s associated with Brawn while Jock Anne is Heart, and nerdy Marcy is Mind… Sasha is someone who’d rather punch her way through her emotions, close them off, and close her eyes as she shuts her ears and starts singing literally anything to drown out the noise. She’s going to drown herself in literally anything else before she gets to the heart of the problem…

           But in the end, this is Kipo we’re talking about here! Sasha did well against Yunnan with Grime’s help, but ultimately Kipo is someone who could very easily overwhelm her in a fight. She CAN turn into a Mega Jaguar after all, although this is an ability she has to wield with tact and precise care… Regardless, it’s basically going to be that meme of someone running down a hallway while a T-posing phantom chases after them, except it’s Kipo who’s after Sasha and she’s telling her to confront her fears and insecurities and actually open up for once! And Sasha’s going to be shutting her eyes and ears and insisting she can’t hear Kipo, not at all!

           Kipo isn’t dumb, but at the same time, she’s got a LOT of overwhelming positivity that’s inevitably going to get through Sasha’s barriers. The thing about Sasha is that I think she IS considering reconnecting with Anne and Marcy, but on her own terms… She’s going to inevitably cave in. Sasha isn’t Scarlemagne, who is much more insecure for a reason. Sasha will have Grime as someone she can fall back on, and with her past friendship with Anne and Marcy, and the idea that SHE hurt them, not the other way around (which again relates to what I said about Sasha being on the upper-end of the power imbalance), not to mention she never killed anyone…

           She’s going to begrudgingly accept Kipo’s advice, or at least humor ONE request to meet with Anne and Marcy and talk things out. It’s going to be hard and embarrassing, and Sasha will be digging her heels into the dirt the whole way through. But Kipo will be ELATED, she’s going to praise Sasha for taking this important, momentous step! Kipo is a girl with a lot of patience, if she can get to Scarlemagne’s heart and change him to some degree, even if he DOES mess up in the end… Keep in mind, Scarlemagne’s final scene had him more intrigued about Kipo’s willingness to sacrifice herself for her friends. She obviously changed him…

           Sasha isn’t as scared as Scarlemagne, that makes her a lot less dangerous and more reasonable. She’ll hesitate on saying sorry because she didn’t do anything wrong, but Kipo’s gonna give her a stink-eye. And when Kipo is DELIGHTED to see Sasha finally say sorry for once, she’s going to smother her in a hug… And then it’s a carrot-and-stick approach for Sasha, where the stick is Kipo being disapproving and unhappy, and the carrot is Kipo being happy, supportive, and offering friendship and love! Sasha is NOT immune to this girl.

          If anything, I can see Sasha developing a soft-spot for Kipo, like she does Grime… Especially since they’re both friends who don’t have to worry about a power imbalance between them, who won’t hesitate to call the other out, and help them reflect on their actions! Sasha will trust Kipo as someone who can rein her in, as someone who is on equal standing and can’t be as manipulated or hurt… I can only imagine how GRIME will react to all of this! But hey, Kipo got to Jamack. Jamack’s technically a Frog, but. I imagine a Jamack and Grime interaction would be interesting, especially with the background context of both knowing Kipo as a person- Especially if Kipo helped Sasha become happier!

           Otherwise, I can see Sasha trying to be closed-off whenever she’s caught up in Kipo’s antics. Trying to be too cool for school, but Anne, Marcy, and Kipo aren’t having it! And on another note, I feel like Kipo would try introducing Wolf to Sasha… Or at the very least, bring up her experience with Wolf; She knows how to deal with someone who is afraid of losing the people they have and going a bit too far to keep them, so Kipo will be able to navigate Sasha’s issues this way. Perhaps Wolf and Sasha could form a friendship, but maybe not; Sasha is a bit prissy compared to Wolf’s more blunt attitude and lifestyle. But then again, Sasha is also learning to be quite the brawler herself…

           Either way, Wolf is someone who Sasha will REALLY have to learn to be emotionally-open around, if she ever wants to be Wolf’s friend! It’ll be intriguing, to say the least. Maybe the two could connect on hiding from their emotions through being tough and ruthless, while also having that shared soft-spot for Kipo! Maybe they never QUITE get along, but Wolf and Sasha at least bond over a mutually-shared goal of making Kipo happy, and they’re fine with maintaining their relationship on this sort of professional ground.

           It’s definitely going to be a LOT of fun… Not to mention, Marcy whole-heartedly going along with Kipo, following in her footsteps, thinking of her as the coolest person to exist! Anne is having a bit more trouble keeping up, but her and Kipo bond over being much more sociable people, and quickly form a lot of in-jokes between them! Kipo and Marcy will get into hijinks and shenanigans, especially with Marcy working to catalogue and record data on Kipo herself and her Mega-Jaguar capabilities… Anne is going to freak out and go Mom-mode, telling them not to get into trouble; And Sasha will stand to the side, too-cool-for-school as she mutters something about those girls getting themselves killed, but really, she’s enjoying it too!

[mobius-prime]

248. Sonic the Hedgehog #179

House of Cards (Part Two: Royal Flush)

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

Sonic and Tails are still embroiled in their fight from last issue, with Sonic trying to convince Tails to stand down so he can rush off to stop Rosemary and Amadeus from doing anything stupid. Tails, of course, refuses, hitting him again, and Sonic angrily tells him that while he understands sticking up for his parents, he's not cool with this whole "punching your best friend" business, to which Tails simply yells that Sonic's had this coming for a long time.

Oof, this is even worse than we previously thought. Rosemary and Amadeus approach the castle's side entrance, and Amadeus is suspicious when the codes he enters on the keypad let him in without a problem, realizing that since they haven't been changed since his arrest this must mean Elias is inviting him in. Indeed, inside the castle we see Elias urging his wife Megan along with their baby daughter Alexis to take shelter inside the nursery while he deals with the revolutionaries breaking in. He quickly orders Nicole, standing nearby, not to wake up his father under any circumstances, just as Amadeus and Rosemary enter the room.

I mean, while you have a point, Elias, the city is hardly going to fall to anarchy the moment it stops being ruled by a monarch. Keeping the peace is kind of the entire point of a democracy. Rosemary calls him out, insisting he should listen to his people who were just calling for a reformation earlier that same day, but Elias insists he won't step down, so Amadeus draws his sword. Elias reveals two honestly pretty cool-looking short double-ended blades beneath his royal cloak, and thus, the two parties clash swords…

And speaking of a clash, Sonic has finally gotten tired of fighting Tails inside the jail, heckled as they are by all the onlookers. Sonic rushes outside, and Tails follows him angrily, and what follows is possibly the most bizarre and scattered string of accusations he could possibly make. He calls Sonic out for, in order: leaving him behind on a lot of missions when he was younger, teasing him when he talked about his own adventures (to which Sonic objects that he teases everyone), and finally not immediately breaking his father out of prison when he got arrested. Sonic is truly baffled by the last one, considering Amadeus wasn't even in jail for a full twelve hours, and then Tails finally screams out the real reason he's so angry - Fiona. Yep, that's right, he's still hung up on Fiona - or should I say, Ian is still hung up on using her as a weird plot point in Tails' character arc.

Okay. You guys already know how I feel about the whole "Tails loving Fiona" thing. It's weird and unnecessary and just doesn't seem to fit literally anything else about Tails' character. But let's assume for a second that it is a valid thing to be upset about and that the whole plot point isn't weird as hell. A ton of things have just fallen into place with his little speech here. Tails has indeed been acting weird ever since Sonic returned from space, and he and Sonic haven't had a single good, honest heart-to-heart about it in all that time. Things have been strained between them for a while, and honestly, I'd say this is even less about Fiona than it is about Sonic being careless and forgetting to show Tails that he actually respects him. He's gotten so used to taking Tails' devotion for granted that once things started getting tense, he didn't know how to handle it, and ended up settling on the less-than-healthy option of  ignoring the problem and hoping it would go away. I've seen plenty of people point to this issue as a bad case of these two being totally out of character, but the problem that people cite always seems to be that Sonic and Tails are fighting at all, rather than what they're fighting about. And frankly, while Tails' initial stated reason for fighting Sonic - to help his parents overthrow the government - didn't make a ton of sense, anyone who knows anything about psychology knows that when one person is mad at another but isn't able to properly express why, those bottled up feelings can come bursting out in all sorts of bizarre ways, including many that don't seem to make any outward sense. And, of course, this can include blaming the other person for things that seem totally out of the blue - because that's not actually what they're angry about at all.

My takeaway from all this is that, again, Tails is not angry about the Fiona thing so much as that the Fiona thing represents a lot of what he has actually been upset about, and he's been carrying around these feelings of resentment that have been slowly building up for years. It's a very believable and reasonable reason for these two to end up butting heads, especially considering Sonic can be quite arrogant and self-centered at times, even without meaning to. In essence, what Tails is ultimately expressing in this whole outburst is that he's no longer content to simply be the forgotten sidekick who always has to take a backseat to Sonic's glory. And if you're wondering why Tails in the comics needs this character arc but not Tails in the games, that very premise is mistaken from the get-go - because he did get this moment of character growth in the games, just under totally different circumstances. Remember how the comics' Sonic Adventure arc never included Tails battling the Egg Walker or saving Station Square from the missile Eggman fired? In the games, that was a very important part of Tails' growth as a character - learning that he could be independent from Sonic and didn’t always have to rely on him or trail behind him, that he could be a hero in his own right. But that entire sequence was cut from the version of the story we got in the comics, and thus, Tails was still left as the sidekick, the little kid, the dependent younger brother without a family of his own. I would imagine that he had to teach himself a lot of that lost independence in the year that Sonic was missing - and it had to be jarring once he got over his initial joy at having Sonic back in his life, the realization that to Sonic, he was still the little dependent sidekick when he'd grown so much since those days. And since his life situation has so drastically changed even in just the last few weeks, all of these feelings have finally come bursting out of him in the form of siding with his biological parents over Sonic. With his above comments about Fiona and about taking away everything he cares about, the entire situation has just become crystal clear to Sonic, and now he wants to make amends, finally knowing exactly what has been bothering Tails this whole time.

But ANYWAY! While all that is going on above, Elias and Amadeus continue to battle it out, only to be shocked by the sudden appearance of a solid wall of nanites in between them. Nicole cheerfully announces from the doorway that while Elias told her not to wake up his father, he said absolutely nothing about waking up Sally, and that's exactly what she's done, with Sally glaring at the two combatants in stark disapproval.

See, this is why Sally should have been involved in the proceedings from the beginning. Outside, Tails has halted his attack after Sonic's words, uncertain about what Sonic is getting at, so Sonic explains himself.

There you go, Sonic. That was what he needed all along - a genuine apology and understanding of his feelings. Tails calms down once Sonic reassures him he's being sincere, and Sonic lightens the mood by joking that Tails has gotten too good at kicking butt for Sonic to want to continue being beaten on by him. Tails says he still wants to talk a few things out, but for now, they agree to team up, rushing to the castle to try to prevent Tails' parents from doing anything they'll regret. They're quite taken aback when they burst through the doors only to find Amadeus and Elias sitting down to a peaceful talk over tea, having agreed on a compromise. The government will be reformed into a combination of a democracy and a monarchy, with a council of six elected citizens being presided over by the king as a seventh member. This way, the people have a government that actually represents them, while they don't lose their monarchical heritage! That's actually probably the best solution that could have possibly been reached, and I applaud these two for having agreed on such an elegant solution.

Oh, Maximillian, so stuck in your old ways. Honestly, though, all things considered, I actually do not think he's a bad person. He's stuck in rigid tradition, but it was something he was indoctrinated into his whole life, and it's not surprising he'd be so resistant to change, especially after everything he's been through in his life. Remember, this guy can't be older than his mid-forties - it's not like he's some old and wizened ruler who has had time to process his life's experiences, he's barely halfway through an ordinary person's life span! That's a lot to deal with in a short amount of time. Outside, Sonic, Tails, and Sally watch the election take place, and Sonic asks Sally why she didn't run for a spot on the council, to which she slyly replies that it's likely for the same reason that Sonic didn't. I presume that means that she wants to have free time to herself to help lead the Freedom Fighters and not continue to be stuck at home, but we don't get a lot of time to think about that, because out of goddamn nowhere, Dimitri shows up in his little head-bubble and scares the living hell out of all three of the heroes, asking after Knuckles and warning them that Enerjak has returned…

[casualcatte]

RP Journal: 08/07/2020

Ah, all it takes is a nice trip out to the Night Raid Bounty Call to set the world to rights and remind you that the thrill of the hunt is one of the best things in life. As I stood in line to turn in my reward token, I was surprised to see Loksia put in an appearance. I know I invited her out and all, but I hadn’t really expected anything. She offered for us to take up a bounty together, so I let her peruse the bounty board while I waited in line.

[ Courtesy cut for another LONG one, folks! ]

Not long after that, R’zunh and Yihmu’ra came stumbling in with a mylodon head between them. Oschon’s Compass, it was enormous!  I hadn’t realized they’d taken on something so formidable. The two of them looked downright thrashed.  Nan’to quickly took care of them, so I stayed in line to get my turn-in done.  There would be plenty of time to see them after they’d been tended to. 

By the time I got back to Loksia, she’d picked out a coral-fetching assignment for us that seemed fairly easy. For my own part, I picked up the bounty for a mated pair of birds out in Yanxia that needed to be taken alive. That should be a good indicator of Edgard’s skill. After all, killing a hunt is an easy enough matter, but bringing one in alive is a whole new level of complexity, especially when these birds need to be harmed as little as possible. 

More waiting in line as we posted our bounties with the Bounty Officers, after which I decided to take a few minutes to check on Zunh and Mu’ra. For all that we may be new friends, I grew up around hunters in Tailfeather.  Hunters, near and far, are family by extension to me. I couldn’t /not/ check on them and make sure they were okay.  It would’ve gone against my entire upbringing. 

By the time I got there, Nan’to was done patching them up, so all they really needed was help getting to the common room. I helped with that and, once they were seated, I brought out the bottles of kumis.  Injured or not, I wasn’t about to let the two of them welch on a deal!  They promised, so they must perform!  Besides, maybe this alcohol was strong enough to make them forget their pain for a while.

Each of us took turns drinking, including a new friend in Z’rhun Tia.  Yes, journal, that’s right.  There is now a Zuhn and a Rhun in my life.  Like I didn’t have enough trouble keeping Edmond and Edgard straight at the time, now I have these two. At least they don’t /look/ alike, for pity’s sake!  One last victi--hunter joined in our shenanigans, an elezen by name of Zanshin Kutabare. Somehow, Loksia convinced him to drink an /entire/ jug of kumis on his own and that elezen was tra-a-a-ashed. He literally threw himself over the balustrade and fell down the stairs to the bar room, simply because he had to pee. Man, kumis is some pretty strong stuff.  And nasty.  I’m never drinking it again. I saved the last bottle to give to Nan’to, since he apparently likes the stuff.  I considered ita thank you for all that he’d done for Zuhn and Mu’ra.

The night wore on and it was clear that Mu’ra had way too much to drink, so it fell to me and Rhun to get both of those silly cattes to bed. I even had to go so far as to take off Zunh’s boots and tuck him in.  I did tell him if he asked for a glass of water or a nightlight that I’d sock him in the nose. Immediately after those two, Rhun and I had to put the elezen /back/ to bed, only then were we able to call it quits. 

We stopped over in the lobby for a bit and had the opportunity to talk to Tetsuyo Wulf and Nan’to for a bit. Tetsuyo seems really easy to talk to once you get him going. We chatted about common things for a bit and he told us of a big feast and festival they’ll be throwing next week, I think.  Of course I plan on being there. What crazy catte says no to free food? Rhun seemed to have the same idea.  But it was closing time, so it really wouldn’t have been polite to linger.

Rhun and I shared a boat back to Kugane and that’s where we parted ways.  I carried my batch of wool back to Bokairo, then took myself down to the Kogane Dori to see if I could haggle some decent prices to sell it.  I wasn’t about to mail twenty skeins of wool to Lorrendor in Ul’dah.

Speaking of Lorrendor, he snuck up on me while I was in the market. He came all the way from Ul’dah simply to visit me, he said. We sat in the garden near the embassies again, since it’s one of my favorite places in the city. But all that seemed to concern Lorrendor was Edgard. Edgard, Edgard, Edgard.  Why was I taking Edgard hunting?  Why was I testing Edgard’s ability? Edgard was probably such a better hunting partner. For Twelve’s sake, what is it about Edgard that concerns him so?

He brought up the hunt again, how we “nearly died.” Gods be good and grant me patience, we didn’t almost die. Yes, I got hurt, but that was through my own stupidity and ill-preparation. The bara was critically wounded and bleeding out. It wouldn’t have had the strength to kill either one of us!  I’m a seasoned enough hunter to see that, so why couldn’t he?

It’s so INFURIATING how he treats me like a child and this isn’t for the first time. Why can’t he simply let me be who I am without trying to stifle me at every opportunity? I’m not his responsibility, I don’t want to be. Friend or not, caring or not, I am who I am. He either accepts this or he doesn’t. 

Then he had to mention Tristane. He had to /use/ Tristane against me, like his over-protectiveness was the same. It’s not.  It never could be. Tristane’s came from a place of love, a place of hope for our future together, of the dreams we hoped to weave. This is nothing close to the same. 

I struck him. I know that it was wrong.  My temper gets the better of me. I was just so angry, that he’d even try to put himself in the same league as Tris. Angry that he would try to use Tris as leverage for his overprotective nature. I couldn’t believe it. He went on to say I don’t want or need his manner of caring. I sure as /hell/ don’t if it means stifling me at every opportunity and trying to shelter me like I’m some defenseless waif.

Edgard. He kept mentioning Edgard. As if Edgard were as important to me as Tris. Surprise!  He’s not either.  Neither of them is Tris.  Neither of them could be. We’re all three of us broken.  And broken things can’t put one another back together.

It was after all this that Lorrendor decided to tell me he has feelings for me as “more than a friend.”  /Gods./  WHY.  What could he possibly have feelings about?  He doesn’t know me, he’s barely known me a fortnight! I can’t imagine what I’ve done or said that’s so earth-shattering as to inspire these feelings. I’m strong-willed, independent, with all the manners of a cave coeurl. I don’t get it.  I don’t.

I don’t have feelings for him OR for Edgard beyond friendship. I like them both for my own reasons, but both of them have a lot of baggage that they need to deal with first before they’d be good relationship fodder for /anyone/, not just me. 

Lorrendor says that it’s simply the man he is, like I’m supposed to accept that and be fine with it. Yet, on the same token, he can’t accept that I am the way I am. If we can’t accept such major parts of each other, how on Eorzea can we be anything other than friends?  Even as friends I get annoyed when Lor smothers me. I don’t want it. I don’t want to be protected.  I don’t want to be left behind while he goes to fight the big bad alone in order to keep me out of harm’s way. He can’t seem to understand that.

He went on to say that he cares about me. If he cared about me, then he wouldn’t have brought up Tristane. Certainly not in the /way/ he brought him up. Why do men have to be so /stupid/ and muck up a perfectly good friendship?  I never should have taken him on that hunt.  That seemed to be where everything went sideways.  Or maybe it was his whole trip to Kugane, after that first night, something in him began to shift and by the end of it, I hardly knew him as the same Lorrendor I’d met in the Quicksand.

He finally gave it up as a lost cause and left, presumably to go back to Ul’dah. Gods be good, let him go find some other woman to swoon and sigh and want to be protected by him. It’s never going to be me. 

Still, I was glad that he went. Bringing up Tristane hurt far more than I thought it would. I cried, for the first time in a long time. I cried so much because Tris deserved a better fate than he got. Tris loved me more than anything and we’d planned to have a Bonding Ceremony right there in Tailfeather where we met. We had our whole lives ahead of us and it was all burned to ash in one stupid moment when he decided to fight the Bandersnatch Alpha on his own, rather than follow the plan we’d made for weeks. All in order to protect me, to keep me out of harm’s way. Is it any wonder that I hate it?  It robbed me of the one person who ever thought the world of me, who believed I could do anything, except for that one hunt.  Idiot.

I never expect Edgard to show up at the times he does, it’s almost as if the hand of fate is determined to make my life a misery. Naturally, I was still crying from memories of Tris, which won a quip from the Ishgardian about how I actually had emotional reactions to things.  Idiot.  Of course I have feelings!  Just because I don’t show them to /him/ doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

What happened next… I can’t even really explain what happened.  I vented, he listened, we traded our usual banter, though my heart wasn’t really in it until near the end.  He told me to visualize a target as Lorrendor and throw rocks at it.  I chose the bridge across the pond. Admittedly, I’m a pretty good shot with rocks.  Bridge-Lorrendor would’ve been rendered unconscious with a pretty serious concussion. Between the banter, the venting, and the rock-throwing, though, I actually felt better. Edgard really can be a good friend when he puts his mind to it.  It’s strange.

At the end of the night, he asked me if I was going to brood or if I’d need him there to hold his hand. There was something in the way he said it, something that made it seem like /not/ taking his hand yesterday had bothered him. So, I took it tonight. 

He had on those spiky, reticulated gauntlets that dragoons favor, I thought for sure I was about to cut myself on one, but I took his hands in both of mine anyway. I held him like that for a moment and -- maybe it was just my imagination -- he seemed /dumbfounded/ by it.  Edgard, the Perpetually Glib and Effervescent with his flirtations and witty rejoinders was rendered /speechless/ by me holding his hand. Gods, if I’d known that was all it took to shut him up, I’d have done it long ago. 

Still, I was grateful for the good turn he’d done in cheering me up, whatever small kindness I could give him in that moment… he deserved it.

[b-witchered]

Eeeeeeeeeee! I love tgia SO MUCH❤️ Any chance of more Renfri and Renfri&Yennefer? 🥺 The parallels on chapter 11 were f***ing amazing. (Thank you for writing the alive!Renfri we all deserved)

Renfri and Yennefer definitely get more scenes together! However, I do fear I’m setting up some of my readers for failure oops. Renfri/Yennefer as a couple isn’t going to happen within the scope of tgia for a few reasons

PUTTING THIS UNDER THE CUT, plus a little tgia snippet from the next chapter, because i have never been accused of being concise in my life

Honestly? They might have slept together at some point when Geralt and Yennefer were on the outs. They’re both very attractive individuals, danger and almost dying clearly gets Yennefer fired up, and Renfri has been known to make questionable sexual choices when it comes to Very Dangerous Individuals. So their relationship probably does include some flirting, some pushing of boundaries, some erotic subtext where Renfri has at least once put her sword under Yennefer’s chin and tilted it up

But when it comes to an actual relationship, Renfri at least is smart enough to put her foot down. They’re fine as rivals-friends-frenemies, but Renfri has some serious trust issues. Especially with mages. Especially with brotherhood mages. Yennefer knows Stregobor. She might not like him, but they belong to the same order. 

And then there’s the big thing between them: Yennefer wants kids. She wants, desperately, to be a mother. This is tied into her whole desperation for unconditional love thing she has going on. Renfri? Does not want kids. Absolutely against them. If she somehow gave birth tomorrow, that kid would be either adopted out or in Jaskier’s care quicker than you could say “curse of the black sun”. It’s not even that Renfri doesn’t like kids. She’d be a great weird-aunt-who-gives-an-8-year-old-a-real-sword-as-a-present. But Renfri does not want to be responsible for a child’s life and health and safety.

There are other little things. I love comparing and contrasting Renfri and Yennefer in tgia honestly because it’s so much fun? Yennefer was born a peasant and clings desperately to the power and prestige her magic affords her. Renfri was born a princess and cast it aside with pride so that she could be as unladylike as she pleased. Both of them knowing that power means sacrifice. It’s a gilded cage to be sure, but it’s still a cage. Yennefer was willing to make the sacrifices and change herself to gain power while Renfri ran. Granted, Renfri ran for many reasons but let’s be real, tgia!Renfri wouldn’t have stuck around to be married off and shuffled away to a quiet corner of the kingdom, out of sight out of mind. 

Renfri was a princess, but her father was a King with male heirs. No matter what parallels I draw, her situation was vastly different from Princess Pavetta, sole heir of Queen Calanthe. And even then, even then with circumstances giving her great importance and a parent in power who should have been sympathetic to her plight, Pavetta was still a pawn on a board who was expected to marry a man she did not love for a political match and then become a background trophy. But even so, Pavetta would always have been Queen and the keeper of her bloodline, and so retained at least some power. Until she produced an heir of course, after which she would have become... less important to keep alive.

Renfri on the other hand? After Jaskier’s birth, she’s a spare. Jaskier is the male heir, and so he got to leapfrog over Renfri in the inheritance. Renfri is officially a bargaining chip, one that doesn’t even have to be compromised with because she is not going to be running the country. As best she could maybe hope to strike a political match with a prince and become a queen of somewhere not her homeland, with little power and easily replaceable. But Stregobor claimed Renfri had internal mutations, ones that might make her sterile, and so as a bride she would be... undesirable to say the least, except perhaps as a bride to a widower who already had heirs to follow him and needed no more. Perhaps to a second son who needed a bride but whose family tree needed no new branches. Which means she would likely be married off to a man, possibly very much her senior, probably not a King but perhaps a Lord (or lord’s son) currently in the king’s favor. This choice would have been made for her, and she would have been expected to accept her new position with grace.

Yennefer’s father sold her away as well. Yennefer’s father struck a financial deal. Renfri’s father’s deal would have been political in nature, likely. Yennefer was bargained away to the brotherhood, Renfri would have been bargained away to a man. 

(me, loudly: what about the implications of a mage organization comprised of all genders being called the brotherhood.)

Renfri and Yennefer each have. A lot of issues. A lot of these issues would make then incompatible for a longterm relationship. Renfri needs someone she can feel safe with, and that someone is never going to be a brotherhood mage, even if it could even be a mage at all. Yennefer needs someone who loves her unconditionally, who places her first, always. She needs to be someone’s first priority. That doesn’t necessarily have to be a romantic relationship mind you, but either way that person can’t be Renfri. For Renfri, her first priority is Jaskier. Always. Just like Jaskier’s first priority will always be Renfri. 

(He loves Geralt, he does, but if Geralt was his first priority then he would have told him about his sister long ago. Geralt is important to him, and he would move heaven and earth for the Witcher, but his sister is the only family he dares to claim and he defeated death itself in her name.)

Yennefer and Renfri both have serious control issues as well. Yennefer has literally mind controlled Geralt before, has manipulated him, and keeps him on his toes. She has this need to be in control, and for the most part Geralt is fine with following where she leads, and that makes her feel safe with Geralt. Up to and until she finds out that Geralt’s wish might be the reason why she loves him, and then all of a sudden it isn’t her in control, it’s some untamable uncontrollable magic, and she absolutely flips her lid. She’s furious! She feels betrayed! All this time she thought she was in control, but then she finds out that Geralt tied their fates together or whatever. 

(Thankfully, this isn’t an issue in tgia, but Yennefer also doesn’t exactly love Geralt in tgia so much as she loves being loved. Their major conflict in tgia is probably going to be about children, honestly, because Geralt sure as fuck doesn’t want any.) 

Renfri? Also would very much need to be in control of a relation. Maybe especially the sexual aspects of it considering her trauma involving that. She’s pretty, and that hasn’t done her any favors. She bristles under restrictions and has broken the door of every cage people have tried to shove her into, including death though she had a little bit of help from Jaskier breaking out of that one. She’s protective, and secretive, and has trust issues a mile wide. She never even tells people her name. Every piece of personal information is carefully controlled. And who can blame her for her trust issues a mile wide? She was assaulted when she was fifteen. At least one man she willingly lay with literally murdered her the morning after (thanks Geralt). Renfri has issues with intimacy.

So yes, while I love throwing them in scenes together and I love their snarky terrible friendship where Yennefer proposes they do something terribly dangerous and Renfri is like “...i mean i GUESS i’ll go.” unless she has a prior commitment OR it conflicts with her primary motivation of protecting Jaskier (getting too close to Geralt threatens this purpose), they won’t be getting together in the scope of the fic

which i hope people won’t be too disappointed by oof

sorry for writing you a whole essay about Renfri and Yennefer when you probably did not want it lmao, as you can see this has been pressing on my mind and tumbled about more than a little bit. 

(honestly though if Pavetta hadn’t been married to Duny and hopelessly in love with him, I might have shipped her and Renfri tbh. They had plenty in common, Pavetta had magic and would have been powerful enough to defend herself but wasn’t a brotherhood mage, they got along well and had inside jokes, the only thing standing in the way of that ship (besides Duny and. you know. the whole death thing) is that Renfri wouldn’t be too keen on becoming a queen/having to deal with shithead nobles again and the whole issue of Stregobor. But Renfri is a princess of a royal bloodline, was raised to be royalty with knowledge of court customs, and is a trained and blooded warrior. Let’s be real, Calanthe would have loved Renfri as a daughter-in-law. Renfri is exactly the ruthless sort of heir Calanthe would adore. There would be the issue of an heir of course, but as long as Pavetta was the one pregnant it wouldn’t be a big deal because Pav’s the one with the important bloodline to carry on.)

ANYWAY you have been very patient with me so here is a tiny Yennefer and Renfri snippet from the next chapter - 

As soon as they’re alone, Renfri turns to Yennefer. “I’m going to kill you for this. One day. Sleep with one eye open, Witch.”

“Come now,” Yennefer teases, “It can’t have been that bad.”

“I genuinely can’t tell if he’s criminally stupid or just ignoring the obvious.” Renfri hisses, “I’m carrying a sword. What kind of handmaiden beheads a bandit?”

“A very loyal one.” Yennefer offers, but she’s trying way too hard to keep a straight face and Renfri can see the smile she’s doing her damnest to contain. 

“You’re lucky I didn’t kill him in his sleep the fourth time he started extolling your virtues for taking an ‘unpolished peasant’ under your wing.” 

That makes Yennefer break face and give a most unladylike snort that she covers with one dainty hand. “You know,” She says, laughter still in her voice, “I wouldn’t need him if you just agreed to go with me.”

“If this is you trying to annoy me into going on an adventure with you, the answer is no.” Renfri immediately states. “Need I mention the last time you talked me into going monster hunting for you? There was a fucking manticore nest, Yennefer.”

“You enjoyed yourself, admit it.” Yennefer smiles with a flip of her hair.

Renfri presses her hand together and then presses them to her lips like she’s about to start praying for Yennefer to get some sense in her empty, empty head. “You are literally insane. You know that right? Stark raving mad.”

[tsubaki3192]

Had I known you were taking requests, I'd have requested one sooner! May I request a HC for Shingen, Hideyoshi, Kennyo and Mitsuhide comforting their s/o who came home crying after having the worst day ever? Lots of love 💜💜

Oops that might be my bad for not properly announcing ^-^’’

[How does Kennyo, Shingen, Hideyoshi and Mitsuhide comfort MC when she’s upset from having the worst day?]

Notes: Modern! Headcannons, assumed ‘living together’ stage. Long, because I have no self-control when I have inspiration….

Warning: Kennyo’s headcanon might be a little much… because I didn’t know how to write for him lol… Talks a little about Behavioural issues in Children. I blanked out for his. 

Warning 2: I… Have no idea if this is even headcanons anymore. I got carried away… xD 

(Without further Ado, I’ll start with Kennyo!)

————————–

Kennyo:

…. Is the type to have no idea why you’re feeling terrible, let alone how to deal with it.

To be fair, he blames it on himself: Y’know, calling himself a ‘demon’ and whatnot. And rather than he assuring you, you’re back to reassuring him that he’s not what he says he is.

But he can see the distress in your eyes; the coldness as you tell him it’s not his ‘curse, or whatever he likes to call it, that has befallen you.

You don’t work, not in a stereotypical office setting, but you do help his temple in various ways, whether it be watching the younger children, patching up clothing, or the like. Just simple things, you know?

It’s loads of fun, but every once in awhile you’ll receive angry parents, demanding for cures to their incurable children, because, you know, bringing an ill child to a temple really does something good. 

It’s not their fault that the child has behavioural issues (ones you just like to call minor, for they truly weren’t cursed) and it’s not yours, nor the child’s fault either.

(Incurable diseases they were, often genetically related, but-)

You just gently smile at them, falsely promising them that you’ll do what you can to help, even if it’s not much. (Falsely, because you know there’s really nothing that a temple can do to help… A doctor would be much better, but these were people who truly believed they had been cursed with whatever-)

But today’s issue was terrible… And that was the very least to be said. The couple who had dropped their child off had been rather… Aggressive, to say the least, dumping the child, who, mind you was seven years of age, in your arms and storming off without so much of a goodbye.

And then you were granted the responsibility of caring for the child, who would just not stop crying…. All before you had properly woken yourself up. And the child just would not leave your side, clinging to your leg wherever possible.

On top of that, the parents had looked so smug when they came to retrieve the child. 

(To be fair, you nearly slammed the door in their faces when they stepped back out.)

You just stand there for several moments, fuming at their inability to properly look after the child (And your inability to do much else for the child).

It doesn’t take long for Kennyo to find you staring at the now-shut door with clenched fists.

Again, he swears it’s his fault, but you just give him an indignant look before storming outside to the Koi pond purposely hidden in the corner of the yard where no one would dare look. The pond was yours, as it had always been since the very beginning.

Kennyo left you for several moments, unsure of how to deal with your troubles (save for giving you space). But it wasn’t even 10 minutes later that he strode out to the garden, your shared cat now cradled in his arms.

There is a wooden bridge over the pond, leading to a tiny island, and that was exactly where he found you: seated beneath the now-green Sakura tree, head buried between your arms and knees.

And he… Just takes a seat beside you. There’s quite literally no room to shift comfortably, but he ignores the fact and just… places the cat on your head.

You, however, are fully aware he is seated beside you, though you don’t dare move for the sake of breaking his almost trance-like state. 

(His actions make you want to laugh but-)

Awkwardly, he places an arm around your waist and pulls you closer to him. He doesn’t say anything, but he knows you’ve considerably calmed down. All there’s left is for you to talk. About anything; about everything.

And you do, blabbering about how your day went, how it could’ve gone, how you were being an idiot for getting so worked up about something minor.

His large hand just runs through your hair as you pull yourself onto his lap (the cat now on a branch above you), and nuzzle your face into the crook of his neck.

“Shh… Don’t cry….”

Really, he thinks he has no clue, but he does more than he thinks he does xD.

Shingen:

…. Is the type to pick up his phone as soon as he hears your call, and rush home when he hears your sobs…. No matter if he is scolded by Yuki or not the next day. 

(But when Yuki hears about your condition the following day, he’s actually genuinely concerned, that tsundere-)

He keeps you on the phone the entire time he runs home (it’s rush hour, he knows, and running will be faster, despite his terrible health), listening as you blabber about your day.

When he does get home, you can ensure that he will pull you to his chest, (he wheezing or not) and coo gently.

And depending on what, when and where the trouble had affected you, he’ll be sure to pamper you.

Today’s issue seemed to be about your day out:

You had taken the day off, calling in ‘sick’ for the amount of work they had given you over the past few months, courtesy of Shingen’s suggestion. You’re stressed, and it’s clear, given how little time you’ve spent with him over the past few months…

Still, as a seamstress, your work isn’t overly difficult- just plentiful- especially when you consider just which company you work for: It’s one of the highest ranking embroidery offices, and yet they refuse to allow workers to take breaks when a major project has arrived…. It’s no wonder that the company has a high drop-out/quitting/firing rate.

And yet Shingen finds you on the ground of the living room, knees curled into your chest. He could hear you cry from metres away.

You’re dressed in nice clothes- too nice for a normal, casual setting- and he had immediately assumed you had prepared a day out with your friends in town. 

You, despite being one of the best workers in the company, had been fired, thanks to a suspicious coincidence that your boss had also called in ‘sick’: More than likely the reason why you were fired. 

(Which was kinda stupid, because you were pretty sure you couldn’t be fired in places outside the yours and the company’s working hours, as per company rules.)

But you had been humiliated, stripped of your role, and fired nonetheless- All in front of your friends.

You had bolted home, ignoring the horns of passing cars and slammed the door shut behind you. Your phone had been switched off for several minutes, before you unconsciously made the decision to call Shingen.

And he was home now, preparing a simple action movie and caramel popcorn (something you had made a compromise over-). It was stay-at-home time, tonight.

But you had crawled over to him impatiently, clinging onto his back still crying.

And he’ll freeze, before drawing your arms tighter around him.

“My dear angel, weep not for the loss of your job, but for the freedom in being in mine”

And if that line didn’t address all your concerns, then who knew what would?

Be prepared for the sweetest kisses all over your face, silver words whispered in your ear and sweets. Lots of sweets. And pampering. He’ll do that too.

(Shingen’s the type to drop everything and anything for you, and that underestimates what he wants to give you.)

And when you’re ready again, he’ll give you a job in the design team. Be sure of it. Whether it’ll be clothing design, interior design- you qualify in most areas, and he’ll come to you first.

Bonus: Watch him utterly crush your old company to pieces with his words. It’ll be the best thing to watch ^-^

Hideyoshi:

…. Is the type to arrive home after you do.

To be fair, you don’t blame him when he does- His devotion to Nobunaga is admired amongst many employers, both inside and outside the company. And so is his devotion to you, though very few people know about that.

So when he finds out you’ve essentially collapsed on the fluffy rug in the living room, he begins panicking.

He’s genuinely, utterly distressed at the sight of your condition, and he perhaps doesn’t even notice the tear-stains on your face… Until he turns you over in his arms.

Oh. Ohhh.

Your skin is worryingly pale, and aside from your tear-stains, your lower eyelids are darker than your norm.

And he just sits on the ground, leaning against your shared couch, as he cradles you in his arms, not at all concerned at how uncomfortable he is in the position and the clothes.

It takes him several moments before he hesitantly decides to lay you gently on the couch (shoes and socks removed) and cover you with a nearby grey overthrow, before retrieving a warm, damp cloth to wipe the stains from your face.

You stir slightly and wrinkle your brow, murmuring his name quietly against your lips when he does this, but he can see the colour returning to your face. The crinkle in your eyebrows remain though, and he brings his fingers up it, smoothing it over gently.

And that’s when you truly relax, shifting slightly to a more comfortable position and with a more satisfied look on your face.

He leaves you then, but only for a few moments before he returns, now in a more comfortable nightwear than a stiff suit and tie.

When you wake, he’ll be seated beside you, watching you with a kind look on his face. He won’t ask you how your day went, because he knows that it was downright terrible- Had it just been exhaustion, you would collapse on your shared bed otherwise. 

And he just holds you, until you’re ready to talk; until the tears have truly dried. 

You mumble everything out. How you were accidentally late, how your day spiralled down from there, how you were burnt by someone’s extra-hot coffee and how you managed to almost ruined an idol’s new item of clothing. And it wasn’t even your fault.

But he just listens, letting your head lean against his broad, muscular chest. His heartbeat is what soothes you and you rest, once again closing your eyes and falling asleep, though much faster and much more peaceful than you had just moments earlier.

“My love, none of that matters at the end of the day. Do not let their words and actions harm you. I’m always here for you. Next time something does happen, come and find me okay?”

And if you both worked for the same company (Which is more than likely, by the way), he’ll ensure that your boss becomes fired… Valid reason or not.

He’s second in command. Vice-CEO, if that makes sense. 

Also be sure that he’ll make you take the next day off and pamper you with anything and everything :3

Mitsuhide:

…. Is the type to be spontaneous at times. Surprisingly sweet, too, if you’re not careful.

Though you work for the same company, you come home at very different times, given the differences in your departments.

You work as a member of the design team, while he works in the communication’s team, because that’s what he’s best at, right?

And though you technically work together, there are just times where he can’t see you for various work-related reasons.

And that includes today.

You’re home before him, though he hasn’t noticed as your shoes, usually neatly placed by the door, aren’t there, even though it’s already 9 in the evening.

Something’s wrong, he can tell, though he’s not quite sure just what… Until he spies your leather satchel, your favourite, thrown scandalously on the wooden floorboards of the living room.

He strains his ears, listening to your hyperventilating breaths and quiet sobs from above him, and he knows you know he’s home. 

He sighs, gently taking his time to return upstairs where he knows you’re attempting- and failing- to hide your distress from him. It’s okay, though. He knows you’ll be fine…. Eventually.

His footsteps are loud against the wooden steps, each soft thud drawing you to take several deep breaths to hide your emotions.

When he does arrive at the door of your shared room, you falsify reading a nearby book, one that had been placed on your bedside table.

“Oh! Mitsuhide! How was work?”

Your voice is falsely peppy for someone who had been crying just moments before, and it takes him two large steps to reach where you now sat on the bed. 

Gently and wordlessly, he wrenches the book from your hand and close it, returning it back to the table, before pulling you into a standing position.

And he draws you in, wrapping his arms around you as your face is pressed into his shoulder. You freeze as he hushes you, before collapsing against his arms in a shuddering mess.

Your tears gnaw at his heart, though he lets you wet his shoulder until your sobs slow to a stop.

When it does, he removes you from his shoulder and cups your face in his hands, thumbs wiping at the tear marks on your otherwise red cheeks. It’s embarrassing, he knows, but he won’t tease you. Not now, when you’re hurting. Not now, when he’s hurting because you are.

“Look at you, Darling. To think you would ask about my day when clearly yours was abysmal!”

Your lips curl upwards slightly, thinking about how incredulous it sounds, hiding your cheeks behind locks of hair.

But he just places a chaste kiss on your lips, before taking a seat beside you on the bed and drawing your shoulder and ear to his chest. His fingers run through your hair soothingly.

“When you’re ready, I’ll listen. When you’re ready, I’ll ensure whatever happens to you won’t happen again. I promise.”

[jeremys-blogs]

Lapis: Steven’s Breakout Gem

The inclusion of new characters into an established cast is a fairly risky prospect, as you never really know how audiences will take to them. There is always the chance that your attempt at a shake-up will be received poorly, and that no matter how good your character may be in your eyes, those who watch your fiction simply won't see it that way. And then there's the other side of the coin. The characters who get introduced and, almost overnight, become so beloved and popular that they wind up overshadowing everyone else you've created thus far. For Steven Universe, this latter type of character definitely occurred with the introduction of Lapis Lazuli in the show's first two-parter, Mirror Gem and Ocean Gem. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that her arrival onto the scene was a big thing for both the show and its fans, and immediately she was accepted with open arms by those watching it, becoming one of, if not the most popular character Steven Universe had to offer. But as I mentioned earlier, it's always iffy whether or not new cast members will be accepted or rejected, and I feel that Lapis here is actually a good example to really stop and consider what it might take to really make a new character gel with your audience, which is what I'll be discussing here today

First things first, there is no getting around the fact that Lapis' introduction into the show was a massive turning point, both for the overall story and the other main characters. Before this, Steven Universe was largely a show about a happy-go-lucky child with magic powers being mentored by a trio of similarly-powered presumed superheroines. But then Lapis comes along and that entire premise gets called into question. We learn that not only are there others like the Crystal Gems out there, but that our three don't exactly have the best of relationships to them, even to the point of being outright enemies. We learn also that the gems are not, as previously assumed, just strange beings, but aliens from another world. And most importantly of all, we find out, right along with Steven himself, that there is far more going on in this story than what we'd been told. There's this whole other backstory that had yet to be laid out for us that we've only now become aware of. Secrets had been kept from us, and potentially massive ones at that. That's a lot for one character to lay out on the table all at once, yet Lapis, simply by being there, did all of it. So yeah, that's definitely a Hell of a first impression to make for your audience.

And of course, going hand-in-hand with her bringing changes to the overall story and tone of the show, Lapis also has the honour of being the one to up the stakes and general action that Steven and his friends have to go through. Before her introductory two-parter, the show was largely a monster-of-the-week scenario, with every respective threat able to be dealt with in the span of a single episode. And the foes they faced? Basically mindless beasts, at least at this point in the show, that could be overcome as long as the team was on the right wavelength. But Lapis was a whole other weight class. She wasn't some brutish creature, she was a Gem like they were, and one that was capable of, quite literally, matching them blow for blow. This was the first time in the show's run that our heroes were going up against someone who actually had it in them to completely wipe the floor with them, and as such it took more than simple strength to be able to stop her from doing what she was doing. That kind of threat escalation is always going to leave an impression on an audience, and while it might be a stretch to say that Lapis began the journey to make things worse and worse for our crew, she definitely laid the groundwork for it.

In fact, looking at the previous points, I think the argument can be made that Lapis is, for lack of a better term, the Green Ranger of the entire show. I realise that term gets used a lot with plenty of other characters in other shows and can be argued to better fit an actual green character who shows up later on, but here it fits her well. She comes along as an antagonist and presents a threat unlike anything our group has ad to deal with before, but eventually joins their team. Granted, her officially joining the Crystal Gems doesn't happen until several seasons later, but they are more-or-less on the same side by the point this first season draws to a close. And since her arrival also heralded a massive shift in the status quo, that too fits in with the Green Ranger archetype. The only thing that really differentiates her from other such characters is that she was never really a bad guy, simply someone in opposition to our heroes for personal reasons. And in truth, that actually makes her stand out like a sore thumb against other characters that Steven and the Gems would eventually go up against, since her motivations were largely about ensuring her own escape and safety from other, more malicious forces.

But while Lapis' changes to the story and general level of action are all well and good, I think it's also worth noting that a part of her appeal could just be a result of aesthetics. Put simply, Lapis' overall appearance is, quite possibly, the most traditionally pretty of any of the recurring Gem characters on this show. While others, like Pearl or Amethyst, were noted to have unconventional appearances as far as female leads for children's shows, Lapis is actually fairly typical, which is one more thing that makes her stand out. That's not to say those other characters don't also have an appeal of their own, but if you were to ask someone to take the idea of making their own Gem character, with the caveat of them having to look like someone that others would cite as "the attractive one", Lapis is likely what you'd come up with, helped along certainly by things like her typically feminine-looking outfit and quasi-angelic design. Now, I'm not co cynical as to say that the draw of her character lay solely in her position as being "the prettiest of the bunch", but I think I'd be remiss in this character analysis if I didn't at least acknowledge that the point is there all the same.

However, perhaps the biggest draw of Lapis as a character is the fact that, throughout the whole of the first season, she earns herself a tremendous amount of sympathy. She's introduced to us as a prisoner of a magic mirror that she's been stuck in for presumably thousands of years, which is an already terrible situation. From there, we learn that the damage to her gem has resulted in her being unable to escape from this planet she's come to see as just some wider confinement, and then, when she finally gets to the home she's been longing for, she discovers that not only is it nothing like she remembers but that those there have taken her to be once more confined and interrogated. And to cap it all off, the season ends with her putting herself into one more prison, tricking Jasper into a fusion so she can stop her and keep the both of them at the bottom of the ocean. In all of her early appearances, Lapis went from bad situation to bad situation, with her only driving motivation being to try and get away from all of it. That is an instantly understandable and sympathetic thing for a character, and we in the audience can't help but root for her and hope that she can find the freedom she longs for, even during those times when her attempts to get it put others in potential danger.

Putting all this together, Lapis Lazuli just comes across as the perfect storm of things that can get a show's audience to connect with a new character. She was a capable, surprising and sympathetic being whose mere arrival into the story heralded a massive turn in how the whole thing would go. You can probably even mark her introduction as the point where the show evolved into a completely different animal from how it started. It was as if the audience went to sleep in the episodes prior, and then, when they woke up, this lady had shown up and brought a brand new cartoon along with her. Gone was the days of Steven Universe being about nothing but the silly antics of a cheery child getting used to his magic powers, and instead we were treated to a scale of a story we never knew was coming. A big space opera, with Lapis as its herald. From the fact that her introduction is regarded as one of the best episodes of the first season to the fact that she was kept out of the loop just enough to make her return a special occasion, Lapis was undoubtedly a character seemingly crafted to be beloved from the moment she arrived, and even now, with so many other great characters having shown up to connect with audiences just as much, she remained the first, and arguably best of all of them 😊

[hellzyeahwebwielingessays]

The Not-So-Amazing Mary Jane Part 31: AMJ #4.3

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Master Post

Now I’ve torn perhaps the worst set of pages in the entire story a new one, we can continue with the rest of the issue.

Let’s move onto the next page. 

So Beck asked Screwball to lay off the drones but she’s still having fun. This ‘fun’ involves continuing to harass the paparazzi. I actually don’t have a problem with that. Turn around is fair play and she isn’t hurting them in this specific instance.

Anyway, the Savage Six show up and explain they share the paparazzi’s interest in Sonny Diperna(specifically because he’s playing the Vulture). The Six cut a deal with the paparazzi. They will provide the paparazzi state-of-the-art military grade photo-surveillance gear. In exchange the paparazzi will use this to bring the Six information on McKnight, the movie and it’s location.

Okay, so presumably Screwball’s drones are fitted with camera to enable her to control them with that in mind wouldn’t she be able to observe the Six? I’m willing to let that pass because the Six might be out of sight of the camera or Screwball might’ve called off her drone between panels.

However, how did the Six find these paparazzi? The answer must be that they were following them. The paps were following Sonny themselves and were only stopped at this point by Screwball. So there is no way for Vulture to have known they’d be at this location at this time without having followed them himself.

That being the case then, why didn’t Vulture (or one of his minions) follow Diperna’s car? Why didn’t they follow the drones? Or this one drone lagging behind? Couldn’t Vulture, being a genius, invent some kind of tracking device to follow the drones signal or plant a tracer on them or Diperna himself?

Why on Earth are using paparazzi journalists the best route to finding the location of the set?

I understand that this is a story steeped in the world of Hollywood, but you still need to justify the logistics within that. If Williams wanted a story wherein paparazzi (an infamous component Hollywood) are integral to the story she should internally justify it within the narrative.

Anyway, what exactly is this military grade photo-surveillance gear?

Well, it’s literally just the Vulture’s wings and flight tech. The paps use it to enter the offices of the potential investors from issue #2. They also use it to emerge from the locker of the actor who was originally going to play Mysterio. Wherever they go they take pictures and ask invasive questions about Cage McKnight, in particular about his aggressive attitude.

‘God where to start’ might as well be my catch phrase for this issue.

Let me start off by saying I get  Williams’ intent here. She’s satirizing the invasiveness of the paparazzi. The thing is in an established narrative (which the world of Spider-Man is) if you are going to do a satire you need to do one of two things.

Either you make the satire a self-contained off to the side project (which AMJ isn’t) or you make it work within the verisimilitude of the established universe (which AMJ doesn’t).

In this situation the Vulture wants information on the movie. To an extent seeking the help f paparazzi makes sense to that end, as does outfitting them with technology to make that easier. Butt he technology he gives them is not used logically

I can buy that it’s military grade because S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives (like Peter’s sister Teresa) uses similar technology. But it’s not at all photo-surveillance tech. That’s like calling a jetpack photo-surveillance tech. Even if he was making a weird joke the gear he gives them is not all that helpful.

At best, they could use it to spy on people from high up or follow them. But the Vulture himself could do that or his hired goons could do that. Why does he specifically need paparazzi photographers to do this? They aren’t even using the flight tech for that though. They are just using it to invade private property, presumably from open windows. Then they just harass people by taking pictures and asking annoying questions. Why not have them relay their leads to Vulture prompting him to abduct and interrogate these people? Wouldn’t that be more effective? What does taking photos of them accomplish for Vulture. How could Vulture confirm anything the investors told the paps be legitimate and not something to get rid of them?

Not to mention I don’t even know how that last pap fitted into that locker with the wings…or why he even needed those wings to do that!

Also, this is yet more evidence of McKnight’s reputation being dragged through the mud because of Mysterio.

Also, also this is the first time in story that the name of the movie is actually mentioned. It’s not even the full title either.

On the next page we see Ken holding a press conference, begging Cage McKnight to get the paps off his back as they won’t leave him alone. MJ and Mallorie see the news and realise the Six are desperate and back on their trail. MJ reassures Mallorie that once they’ve finished shooting Ken’s family will be safer.

Meanwhile ‘McKnight’ is telling Deperna about the role of the Vulture. He explains that the Vulture and Mysterio are two sides of the same coin and could’ve wound up the same way. Unfortunately Deperna has to leave for a talk show interview. He figures if he’s being hounded anyway he might as well put the P.R. to good use.

So…Mary Jane is a selfish b-word here.

Instead of ceasing production and finding a way to deal  with the threats to Ken and his family she’s content to just keep going and thereby continuing to endanger them. And to be clear the word used is ‘safer’. Not safe. Ken and his family will still be in danger…from super villains.

What.

The.

Fuck.

I shouldn’t have to spell this out. I shouldn’t even need to refer back to part 16. But I will anyway.

Mary Jane would never prioritise making a film over the safety of innocent people.

She especially  wouldn’t considering she’s been the victim of stalkers and unwanted press attention herself. Back in ASM #521-522 MJ had her big stage debut, a night that was ruined when a paparazzi started a story about her having an affair with Tony Stark. This slander reduced her to tears.

Compared to what Ken is going through, MJ’s experience pales in comparison. So why is she so unconcerned about him (let alone his kids) when they are being harassed and in the crosshairs of super villains?

Additionally, Ken and these rich investors are being harassed by people in glorified jetpacks. We see that Ken at least has bodyguards. Can this handful of paparazzi shutterbugs really not be handled by the authorities It’s not like they are particularly stealthy, couldn’t the cops see them flying away and shoot them down? They aren’t wearing armour or anything. And given how they are civilians using illegally obtained military grade hardware isn’t that grounds for getting S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Avengers involved?

I grant you neither Ken nor the investors might be aware the tech is military grade but at the same time that technology is not publically available so surely someone would suspect it’s illegal for them to own and use it? They wouldn’t even need to know that it’s technology used by a confirmed super villain like the Vulture. The mere fact that no civilians have ever used tech like that would be enough grounds for the victims to ask the question at least. Additionally, I don’t know the law of L.A. but isn’t it fairly common in America for someone to use gun or force if their property is invaded? Fuck, they aren’t wearing masks can nobody identify them and report them to the police?

How have these paparazzi losers been evading comeuppance for all this time? Shit, Ken in the above page has a racket, just hit  them! One of the investors was shown trying to do just that on the previous page.

And if MJ knows these innocent people are in the crosshairs of super villains why isn’t she doing  something to protect them? Call Peter, the Avengers or ask Peter to call Cloak and Dagger again. She’s simply content for these people to be mentally and potentially physically harmed provided it’s for a few more days.

Except it won’t be.

They won’t be safe, merely safer. Even if they wrap up filming in a few ore days, how much longer will it be until they finish post-production and then from there actually release the movie. All the people being harassed will still be in harm’s way for all that time; as will the crew. The Six don’t merely want to stop the film being made. I’m sure Vulture is opposed to anyone being paid to play him on principle. I’m sure he’s opposed to a Mysterio biopic on principle too. But the bigger issue for him is that it will be released to the general public. He’s going to want to stop that and has plenty of time to try.

During this time Ken, the investors, the crew, former crewmembers and the loved ones of all of them (like Aunt May or Aunt Anna) are potentially going to be in harm’s way. There is no guarantee the Six will stop after the film is released either. Surely MJ must consider some of the Six are capable of holding a grudge. If they don’t like something about the movie they may well continue to target anyone who worked on it or was associated with it.

The only  ways to serve the greater good here is to either placate the Six somehow (e.g. by not making the movie) or by neutralizing the threat they pose (e.g. by capturing them). Instead MJ and Beck are simply running and hiding when there is no reason or justification for them to do that!

Moving on, the stuff with Diperna is dumb.

Beck claims that ‘Mysterio’ could’ve ended up just like Vulture if circumstances had gone differently. Except…they did. They are both bitter, egotistical, selfish criminal murderers who happen to be genius inventors. It makes sense for Beck to not view it that way of course. Anyone reading the script where Mysterio is framed sympathetically might not even see it that way. But I personally have a suspicion that Williams herself honestly views it that way. As in, she honestly thinks there is a huge difference between where Vulture wound up vs. where Mysterio wound up. There is, but it’s a nuanced difference, not a two sides of the same coin sort of deal.

Finally Diperna is going to a talk show to promote the movie. Isn’t that a massive security risk?

The paparazzi are already hounding him, the Six are after the movie and he’s one of their bigger targets connected to it. He knows this. MJ and Mallorie know this. But they are still going to let him leave the security of the set and go to a location where surely his attendance has been recorded. Or at least some people know about it?

But of course MJ isn’t concerned, merely excited that he’s going to promote the film. The film that’s name dropped again, but still not with it’s full title.

On the next page we see Sonny’s interview; with an obvious Conan O’Brien stand-in. 

At the interview the host asks Sonny about the rumours regarding MJ. Apparently, an anonymous source claims she’s a terror to work with on set. Sonny dispels these are totally untrue. This enrages the Six in their hideout, who admit sending blind items to the press about MJ was a dumb idea.

I have to concur with Tarantula, it was a stupid idea. What the Hell was it ever going to accomplish?

Best case scenario, MJ’s reputation gets slandered. Then what? The people working with her will know it’s bullshit and do nothing. MJ herself will know it’s bullshit and maybe get very upset.

But anything beyond that relies  upon MJ being so upset she (or a representative of the movie) would appear in person publically. Except MJ is aware the Six are after her and the movie, and the Six know she knows. Therefore no one would appear publically in order to safeguard themselves and the film.

Okay, maybe  the Six really believe MJ is that stupid or that incapable of controlling herself. But in this day and age why the Hell would she ever need to appear publicly at all? One social media post or a phone interview would enable her to respond to the rumours. Maybe the Six are hoping for that, the plan being to use technical wizardry to then track down the location of the film somehow. 

But the film already has social media accounts. We learned that last issue. Clearly if they have been trying that route it’s not been working. So why would they attempt to coax MJ into posting online? And as for a phone call, there is no indication they’re going to use that to find MJ. It wouldn’t even be a reliable plan as they couldn’t possibly know what journalist she’d talk to and therefore not be prepared to trace the call when it comes in.

No matter how you slice it this plan is idiotic (and thereby out of character for Vulture) and accomplishes nothing beyond being petty.

I’ll also add I am personally not keen on MJ being as famous as she’s being implied to be in this scene. I prefer Peter and MJ to at best be modestly famous if at all. It keeps them more down to Earth that way.

On the next page Vulture implies the asinine slander attempt was probably his idea. He then goes on to claim that aweul rumours would’ve forced MJ to surface. I’ve already addressed why this is dumb and OOC for Vulture.

He then tries (and fails) to justify his almost-as-bad idea of arming the paparazzi to find the set for them. Back on TV, Sonny claims the difference between Mysterio and Vulture in the movie is that Beck cares about redemption whilst Vulture doesn’t. This further fuels my theory that this distinction is Williams’ own perception of the characters.

Also, one of the paparazzi approaches Vulture with a picture that delights the old bird.

On the next page we find ourselves with Peter at an ESU lab, where he answers a call from MJ. 

He says he’s not great and very confused. He says it might be confusing for her too depending upon the context of the photo she sent earlier. The photo in question is of MJ in Spider-Man’s costume. MJ explains that she’s filling in for the Spidey actor who quit then tries to explain about working with Mysterio.

Unfortunately something important is happening in the lab and the scientists are demanding Pete’s attention. He asks to leave but reaffirms their arrangement for a video chat the next night. Sadly, MJ says goodbye as Peter hangs up. Just then Beck calls MJ over so they can rehearse her Spidey scene.

They begin with the Electro fight choreography MJ learned earlier. Abruptly the fake Electro attacks surprising MJ.

So let me get this out of the way. I do not know if Gomez or the inkers or the colourists were putting extra effort into these pages or not. Regardless, the result is simply stunning. I’m not being ironic or sarcastic in the slightest. Seeing MJ in Spider-Man’s outfit looks superb and I think Gomez was having fun depicting it. It’s something that cosplayers, fan art and covers have depicted to no end for decades and (IIRC) this is the very first time it’s happened in canon. Maybe that was why these pages pop as much as they do.

Or maybe Williams and/or Gomez just found the idea sexy. The dialogue certainly implies Peter might. Much like issue #1 stuff like this is where Williams on AMJ shines. She can capture many of MJ’s personality traits very well and among those is her flirtatiousness and the sexual chemistry she has with Peter. So kudos on that front.

As for the rest of this page, I should fully disclose I’m woefully behind on my comics. The last ASM storyline I read (as of this writing, but not necessarily of this posting) was the 2099 centric one. So I do not know if Peter’s dialogue is reflecting events that were contemporary at the time of AMJ #4’s release. Nor do I know if it made any huge mistakes in doing so. Maybe the dialogue was supposed to just be funny/cute because seeing MJ dressed as him was weird. Or maybe there is some big event in ASM that has thrown Peter for a loop. I just do not know, so inform me if I’m missing something.

Apart from that there is little to say about these pages. It just represents systemic problems with the story by this point. MJ shouldn’t be lying to Peter. It’s stupid for MJ to be playing Spider-Man.

As the rehearsal continues MJ realises Electro was just an illusion. Mysterio begins lecturing MJ on Electro’s abilities and critiquing her fight choreography, specifically her speed. MJ says she’ll just practice until she can do it as fast as Spidey. Mysterio though lectures that she doesn’t understand how frustrating it is to fight Spider-Man. He begins explaining how he dodges before his opponent commits to an action. How his webbing gives him access to another plane of movement (which MJ chimes in on). How his experience fighting the Sinister Six enable him to predict their movements

However, Beck clarifies that Spidey doesn’t always win because he’s noble and virtuous. Rather because ‘he’s good’. He asks MJ to try fighting again as though she wanted to really win. Mysterio continues to lecture, stating Ock is nothing without his suit so MJ shouldn’t be afraid to get up close and personal. They then begin rehearsing to fight one another, with MJ admitting she can feel Beck pulling his punches. Finally Beck tells MJ that if she compromises Vulture’s harness he’s just a vulnerable old man.

Elsewhere Vulture eyes up Charlie as he walks alone at night. The entirety of the Savage Six (which really seems like overkill) confront him. Charlie folds immediately and promises to tell them where the set is.

The positives of these pages amount to Williams demonstrating a good grasp of some of Spider-Man’s fighting technique. Ironically she echoes some of my own points from parts 21-22.

Let’s also be charitable and say MJ wasn’t being strictly serious when she said she’ll be as fast as Spidey. But if Williams intended that to be serious that’s real silly. No human can be as fast as Spider-Man.

That’s where the positives and charity ends though.

Let’s start with the fact that Mysterio has all this knowledge about the skills of Spidey and his foes. Does MJ not think Beck such a good observer is rather dangerous given his history and abilities?

Isn’t she concerned that someone who has tried to harm her lover on multiple occasions (and is demonstrating  such attempts right in front of her) has such knowledge of how he fights? Isn’t she unsettled that he is referring to him as infuriating? Does she not even raise an eyebrow that Beck is showing her all this and has yet to express any  remorse towards Spider-Man himself? Spidey being the man he framed as one of his first major crimes and whom he nearly killed in very recent history?

Apparently not.

Furthermore some of his assessments are not accurate.

‘Ock is nothing without his suit’???????

Otto doesn’t wear a suit. He has a harness with tentacles attached. And even if that’s what Williams meant it’d still be wrong. I’m not going to bring up obscure stuff like Otto’s long forgotten force field from the 1990s. Nor even the fact he can still throw a mean punch (see his debut). It’s the fact that the guy is dangerously intelligent. That’s one of the most famous things about him and he even tells you that in his name; Doctor  Octopus! How many times has he created an invention or outsmarted his opponents. MJ and Mysterio were both witnesses to his formidable intellect in ‘Ends of the Earth’ alone!

And as for the Vulture, his harness really isn’t everything. He too is clever, crafty, nasty, his wings are razor sharp and his current outfit has equally sharp claws. Anyone just looking at him should be able to tell the strength and flight his harness provides isn’t the only thing that makes him dangerous. I’m also pretty sure that Beck would know enough about Toomes’ personality to know he’s not just a harness old man in a harness, but I admit I can’t think of any examples for that off the top of my head.

The foolishness doesn’t stop there though.

Beck’s off base about Otto and Vulture but also arguably about Spidey as well. He says Spider-Man doesn’t win because he’s noble but because he’s ‘good’. This is a contentious criticism because it depends upon how you interpret that line. Beck/Williams’ intent might’ve been that Spidey is skilled, he is ‘good’ at fighting. Which would be perfectly fair. However, if that was not the intent then the dialogue doesn’t make sense. Being noble/virtuous and being good (morally) equate to functionally the same thing. The writing has been so all over the place in this series I honestly wouldn’t put it beyond Williams to make such a mistake. But even with the benefit of the doubt, she or the editors should have tweaked that line so it’d simply read better and avoid all confusion.

E.g. “But Spider-Man doesn’t win every time because he’s noble and virtuous. He wins because he’s a good fighter.”

Moving on, I already talked about how dumb it is for Beck to not simply use his illusions to finish the movie. But this page really brings it home because he is literally using very convincing illusions of Spider-Man to show MJ what to do. Just use those! Why waste time and effort on practicing with MJ so she can do this when you are obviously going to use your illusions to map over her body anyway?

From MJ’s POV though she’s wasting all this time practicing to film the final scene (which still needs to be finished in post-production). Isn’t that yet more time she’s endangering Ken and his family? More time during which they are coming to some form of harm? By convincing him to use his illusions she’ll speed up the process a lot and thus reduce the time they are at risk. But she’s been selfish throughout this whole amn story so why stop now I guess.

And hey, it’s not like the process is taking as long as it realistically should take. Just look at how quickly MJ has learned fight choreography and how to move like a gymnast. That last pose is very impressive for someone with no super powers, no formal training in gymnastics and at best some very basic self-defence classes…God…

If Beck wants someone who can nail fight choreography, move fast, gets what it’s like to fight Spider-Man and is agile why not use Screwball?! She’s been performing gymnastic moves for no reason in almost every one of her scenes. True, she has a female body build, but so does MJ!

Finally, Vulture targeting Charlie is a perfect illustration of what I’ve spoken about before. Charlie was a loose end Beck and MJ idiotically left dangling. Shit, Charlie himself was a moron for not considering he’d be a target.

So all in all this issue was another fine fucking mess.

I’m not even morbidly curious as to how the arc will end next issue. I just want to get it over with.

P.S. Peter still hasn’t shown up in spite of six of his enemies being very publicly on the loose and nearby his girlfriend.

P.P.S. The fact that MJ’s scene as Spidey involves her just doing action stuff further proves how they never needed someone who could really act. Just someone who could pull off stunt work. Making MJ’s role as Spidey even more redundant.

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Master Post

[gizkasparadise]

Prompt if I may! Tyrion/Sansa post-war, married but having a long distance relationship while he's in King's Landing. He visits and those times are good, but she's content with her freedom in Winterfell all the same. They write letters.

co-written with the amazing @starforged, who did all the sansa parts

Sansa,

While I wish this raven be well received, I fully expect it finds a final destination in the belly of a fireplace. Should the former happen, I will do my best to make this message as short and unclever as possible--a considerable effort on my part in both accounts..

I am sure the intent of this letter will not surprise you, as we briefly discussed the matter before I departed Winterfell. The septon has reviewed the legality of our marriage. It would stand, should you wish it. I trust you see the benefits of such an arrangement, of which I offer with no expectations. But there are worse things than marriage based on what I hope is a friendship.

I await your response, or at least the live return of this raven. Birds willing to fly North are difficult to come by, this time of year.

Your husband in a tentative sense,Tyrion Lannister

--

Tyrion,

I would not so easily discard any letter from an ally, much less one I could consider a friend. There are so few of them left these days in Westeros.

An interesting turn of events, all things considered. Tell me the truth, did you manage to use that famous Lannister persuasion on the matter? I suppose either way, it doesn’t truly matter how it comes to be that I rid myself of one husband only to find myself still married regardless. Which is not the worst thing that could happen.

Things still stand as I said them before: you are Hand to the Dragon Queen, and I am not willing to leave the North after - all of it. The North is mine, Winterfell is mine, my family is mine.

How would a clever man such as yourself reconcile these obstacles?

I hope you are doing well, and that the warm weather of King’s Landing sits better with you. And the birds.

Your hesitant wife by circumstance,Sansa Stark

--

Sansa,

It would appear that Lannister charm only goes so far after a tyrannical rule in its name. Thankfully, there is always money.

And now, I believe, it is time for a confession: King’s Landing is truly miserable in the summer. Knowing there is a cooler climate where I might visit is tempting. If for no other reason than a break from the smell of hot shit in the streets.

So, dear Sansa, would you do me the honor of staying my wife from 1,500 miles away?

Tyrion

--

Tyrion,

Decorum would say that I would take the name Lannister, as I have before, and as I have been a Bolton.

I do hope you will keep this a secret between you and I, but in the wise words of my sister: fuck decorum.

I will stay your wife if you do me the honor of allowing me to remain a Stark.

Fondly,Sansa

--

Sansa,

Yours is a good name. Truly.

I’ll make the necessary arrangements. I understand there’s to be a tree involved at some point?

Tyrion

--

Tyrion,

Thank you. Words cannot express the relief this gives me. Both in name and in not having to deal with suitors attempting to gain my hand again.

In the North, there are always trees involved. You will have to get used to our strange customs.

Sansa

--

Sansa,

We are to depart in a few short hours. It will be a small party of myself, Jaime, and fifteen soldiers. Purely for gravitas, of course.

I suppose the next time we talk shall be at our wedding.

The second one, that is.

[a blot of ink, as though the pen rested too long]

Until then, I wish you well.

Tyrion

--

Tyrion,

Life is beginning to settle in the north. Many of the families here are gone, their estates empty, and I have many more mouths to feed than expected. It would seem prudent to grant titles to smaller families or let wildlings take homes that have been around for centuries.

You’re sure to have reached King’s Landing by now, and I suppose that I don’t have much to say in the short time we’ve parted. But since you are part of the north, officially, I’ll have to keep you informed of its going ons.

It’s quieter here with your absence.

Brienne seems to be in a mood now that your brother has also left. Anytime I bring him up, she goes quite stony and mumbles. The world may have ended as we knew it, but some things seem to stay the same.

I hope your trip back was quiet.

Sansa

--

Sansa,

Ah, Jaime reveals himself as a romantic yet again.

The journey was far less entertaining than my time spent in the North. Too much sun, not enough bearded, taciturn men. A pity, really.

As for Winterfell, it’s in more than capable hands. I understand the offer will not be accepted, but know that should there be a need of it, I do have access to coffers. A few of them, actually.

You looked well, Sansa. Happier.

[again, another ink blot]

It was good to see you.

Yours,Tyrion

--

[this letter is a few weeks out after]

Tyrion,

We are overflowing with bearded, taciturn men. I would say I could send you a few to keep you company, but we have need of them more and I am not that generous.

I [an ink blot] thank you for your support and your words. They do mean a lot, even if it doesn’t seem so. You’re right, husband, I won’t accept the charity but perhaps a trade could be made. I’m proud, not foolish. And I am well aware of what it means to marry a man of wealth.

I feel more content than I have in some time. Ever, maybe.

Don’t get in too much trouble,

Sansa

--

Sansa,

I do believe this is the first time you’ve wished self-preservation on me. In return, enjoy your anniversary present. I wasn’t sure if I should go by the first or second wedding, so expect another about ten months from now.

[attached to the raven is an inventory list: grain, salt, livestock, and the promise of one wolf-shaped pin]

Happy marriage,Tyrion

--

Tyrion,

Being widowed or disgraced twice over would cause unsavory rumors. Wishing you well is the least I can do.

The gifts were well received. Salt is a romantic gesture in the North, did you know?

[she wears the pin but she doesn’t bother to write that]

How are things faring?

Sansa

--

Sansa,

What a strange custom. Fitting, I suppose, though I’ve never heard of it.

As for me, there were only two attempts on my life this month. I dare say I’m becoming popular, in the good sense. For once.

It is a pleasant time to visit King’s Landing, should you be inclined to do so. Flowers, sunsets, multiple stores of salt.

Yours,Tyrion

--.

Tyrion,

There are assassination attempts? Were they fed to the dragons? I have it on good authority they eat whatever they want.

I would put my life in Arya’s hands, but I would not trust her nor Bran to do what it is I do. Leaving is a poor choice. Do enjoy the salt and sunsets for me.

Sansa

--

Sansa,

I suppose this is where you make me defend my Queen’s honor. I assure you the dragons are being properly fed. On livestock.

Well. I suppose there’s always summer, should I be welcomed.

Tyrion.

--

Tyrion,

I would never besmirch the Queen or her honor, merely repeating her words. She is the good authority.

Summer is lovely. You are always welcome here, Tyrion. Even if you weren’t my husband.

Sansa

--

Lady Stark,

I write to you on behalf of Tyrion Lannister. It was expressed to me that despite appearances, your marriage remains amicable.

All measures are being considered for the Hand’s health. We shall write to you in either possible event.

Good fortune upon you in these trying times, my Lady.

Varys

--

I do require much more information than was given to me, as it has been some time since I have heard from Lord Tyrion himself. Measures for his health? What has happened, and if it is dire, why was I not contacted sooner? Regardless of the state of our marriage, we are still married.

I am sending my knight, Ser Brienne of Tarth, to check up on this matter personally.

Sansa Stark, Lady of Winterfell

--

[about a month after the last raven]

My Lady Sansa,

As suspected, all is not well in King’s Landing. Lord Tyrion has been the victim of an assassination attempt, and is currently recovering under the maesters’ careful supervision.

After several inquiries, Jaime Lannister was able to secure a visit for me to see Lord Tyrion. On your behalf, of course. He is [a scribble]. I cannot lie to you, my lady, he is still weak. From what I understand, there are rumors that Her Grace could send him to Dragonstone for the remainder of his treatment, and until the assassination conspiracy is resolved. I promise you I will not leave the Red Keep until I can assure your lord’s safety.

Yours in service,

Ser Brienne of Tarth

--

[a week later]

Sansa,

Am I to assume the suffocating protection of Ser Brienne is a gesture of good will? I certainly hope so. I doubt I have the stomach for another assassination attempt--literally or figuratively.

For future near-death experiences, let me assure you there’s no need to worry on my account. Assassins have healthy employment in King’s Landing. I’m sure you remember.

...But I do apologize. For not writing earlier.

Yours,Tyrion

--

Tyrion,

You continue to amaze me with how foolish you can truly be, and how childish I was when we were first married years ago. There is plenty to worry about, in your position and stature. The world is precariously balanced as is without you at the helm of the great queen.

I have already sent word to Ser Brienne to escort you to Winterfell. Come home.

Sansa

--

Dearest Ser Brienne,

It’s time to return with one husband in tow. Do make sure he understands that there is no choice in this matter.

Lady Sansa

--

Sansa,

Winterfell is far more agreeable than Dragonstone. At least in company.

You should know it could be a longer stay, this time.

Yours,Tyrion

--

Tyrion,

I’ll make sure there is plenty of drink to go around then.

Yours,

Sansa

--

Sansa,

Marriage is certainly more agreeable than previously imagined. I must commend you for your tolerance of an old man.

Yours, and bound for the North,Tyrion

[too-loud-but-not-enough]

Know when to breath (Robbie Reyes x Male Reader)

Hey guys, I just wanted to say something about my last post even if some people don’t think its a big deal. 

I want to say sorry for the GIF I used for my last imagine story. I should have used a more diverse set to represent the male reader instead of just putting someone who has a similar skin tone to myself. I was putting myself into the story when I should have made it open for all because thats what I want. I want everyone to be able to imagine themselves as part of the story and be valid.

Imagine: You feeling like people take you for granted yet still wanting to be generous in helping your friends. Robbie notices and you two share a one on one.

The feeling of neglect weighed heavily on you. Whether it be when the space joining your neck and shoulders ached, your cheeks seemed to sag and your eyebrows felt like they were pushing themselves down, even when you felt a grasp around your ribcage, as if someone was hugging you from behind while prying your chest open from the front. Sometimes it would feel the opposite. Like your ribcage would fold in on itself as if you were wearing a corset. It wasn’t fun yet you felt it was a necessary evil. You were a listener. 

You hardly ever felt the need to speak up for what you identified as trivial unless it was for your friends. Quite hypocritical but that was how you worked. To your friends, all throughout your school years and into your adult life, you were the designated therapist of the group. When they had something to say, they could go on for hours if they so pleased. Sometimes they would even act as if you owe them a listening session when you were unavailable. It got on your nerves yet you didn’t want to cause conflict. You were very aware of the one-sided relationships you had and knew if you were to bring it up, they would most likely feel attacked. 

This is why you kept to yourself a lot. Not that you closed yourself off or anything but didn’t completely go out of your way to see your friends like you used to. You couldn’t help but feel tired though. You were one of those people who thought too deep into things and it usually spent the energy you needed to get through the day. 

Right now you were walking home from your job. Today had been fairly active, what with one of your friends coming in to your workplace to talk about this boy she’d been dating for months. As much as you liked being the listener to her problems, was there literally nothing else she could talk about? You’d met the guy and he seemed alright but now she just kept talking about missing him after a day apart. Also it didn’t help that she once outed you without your permission by loudly claiming you were her gay best friend. 

You were still waiting for that apology. 

That aside, you were able to listen and now you were home free. The keys jingled as you twisted them in the lock. The house was empty when you walked in. No Robbie or Gabe which dampened your mood a bit more since they were people you had absolutely no problem listening to. You decided to busy yourself and bake to pass the time. 

You spent your time mixing flower, milk, eggs, and other ingredients including broken up chocolate bars into a boll to make the mix for a batch of cookies. After carefully laying them out on the tray, you placed them in the oven to bake. Just as you were setting the timer, you nearly jumped out of your skin when you felt a pair of leather clad arms find their way around your waist. While you emerged yourself in producing the treats, you’d become oblivious to Robbie and Gabe entering the home. 

Both seeing you completely immersed in baking that you hadn’t noticed them walk in. Robbie content in just watching you. Loving the sight of you focused on something you enjoyed without a worry to anything else, different from how he saw you throughout the day whenever he came to check or when you dropped by the shop to make sure he was ok with the stress you knew he went through. Gabe smiled at the both of you, enjoying the view of something somewhat domestic, something he hadn’t really considered would happen but then again, he hadn’t really expected Robbie to find a guy as caring and accepting as you for a boyfriend. Then again, Robbie would of course find someone who he’d be expected to protect. Thing was thats exactly what you did instead. Guiding him through stressful situations to which Gabe was grateful. He caught Robbie’s attention by cocking his head in the direction of his room, signalling he’d leave them be.

Robbie nodded his head in thanks. After his brother rolled off to his room somehow going unnoticed by you still, The mechanic snuck up behind you as you were closing the door to the oven. He grinned when you jumped at his touch. Happy that you felt safe enough to not have noticed his arrival. You reached your arms around his to return the hug “Hey, sorry I didn’t hear you come in”. The feeling of his stubble on your neck accompanied by his lips caused warmth to spread through you, having you revel in his touch. 

He smirked at your apology, knowing it was one of your habits. "I didn't want to stop you while you were at it". Placing a kiss at the nape of your neck, he paused when he felt the stiffness under the skin. "Mi Amore," he gave you a concerned look, lightly rubbing his hand between your shoulder and neck "you're all tense".

You almost didn't hear him. The pressure and friction his hand made with your muscles pulled you into a little world of your own, like you were in a soothing wirlpool that threatened to swallow you whole. Melding with it without a care in the world. The feeling almost made you moan. 

Robbie's concern mixed with a smile as he felt you leaning into his touch. “Y/N?”.

“Oh!” You startled out of your mini trance, you seemed to be doing that a lot “Sorry, just been a bit busy at work and stuff”. Your dismissive response earned a frown from your boyfriend. 

“What stuff? Like friends?” Yeah Robbie knew about your friends and your listening habits, another reason why he loved you yet one of the reasons he worried. Sneaking his hand back around your waist, he hooked his chin on the nape of your neck where he’d been pressing. “What happened?”.

You sighed, feeling him against you always got you into a calmer state. “Nothing much, just some talk, honestly its nothing”. At that you heard him give a growl of sorts, not of anger, you knew that but a mixture of concern and frustration. You were prone to neglecting your own feelings for the sake of others. 

“Y/N” he growled out, squeezing you closer to him “you can’t just say its nothing when it takes a toll on you”. 

He checked the timer on the oven and saw that it had another 18 minutes to go. “Come on” he said pulling you with him out of the kitchen and guided you to your shared bedroom. You sat on the bed with your legs crossed waiting as he went to ask Gabe to handle the cookies before walking back into the room and seating himself on the bed across from you. 

“Now” he said looking you dead in the eyes as a method of letting you know he wanted you to speak “what happened?”.

You didn’t feel like you could brush this off like usual so you decided you’d at least give some detail. “I guess I’m just tired” you stated which he nodded at. 

“Tired of what?”. 

“Tired of feeling like I work two jobs instead of one, like every time I go to work. I just want to do that, work” you sighed. 

Robbie gave you a look of sympathy as you had done for him plenty of times when he vented which prompted you to go on. “But even then, people keep coming to me and saying things at me which yeah I’m happy to help but I also have a job to do. Then with my friends I feel like I’m just there trying to figure out what to say in response to what they’re saying but its so dull! Like how many times do I have to hear jasmine talk about her fucking boyfriend? Like I want to tell her that if she considers breaking up with him so much then she should shut up and do it but then she’ll get depressed and whine about missing him for a year until someone else shows up!”. You realised your voice had risen to the point where you were sure Gabe could hear you from the other room. Your posture had straightened up making you seem taller than before and your face had done its natural brows down murder look. All the while you’d begun to look down at the bedsheets as if you were speaking to them instead of Robbie.

Looking up, you saw Robbie’s face in a state of silent surprise and sympathy. You hate how you lost your temper and caused that look. You hated seeing when someone had a look of shock or disgust and it was aimed at you. To you it always meant that you had failed their expectations and that you weren’t worth their time anymore. 

“Sorry”

“Wait what?” Robbie didn’t know what you were apologising for. He new it was one of your habits but he got why you would be frustrated. He reached over and rubbed a hand on your bicep “you’re allowed to be frustrated and I would be too if someone went on about the same thing over and over again”.

He was always so sweet to you but you still felt guilty for the outburst. “Yeah, I just feel like all I do is listen and they don’t really listen back and when they do they keep getting it back to them.”

You realised how light you felt after saying all that, all the stress leaving your body. You realised it had been a while since you felt like this. Not that you didn’t have moments like this with Robbie and vice versa. It was just wasn’t this type of thing that you got to do often with other people. You tried your best to get through it. You kept a journal yet you can only write so much and place so many feelings into the pages that it was expected you’d still have some to brew over. With Robbie though. Talking to him like he did to you felt like a whole breath of fresh air. No. It felt as iff you’d been swimming in a sewer, finally slipping into cleaner waters without all the pollution gripping to your skin like algae. 

Robbie moved over next to you, wrapping you up in his arms as he nuzzled into your neck. You couldn’t help the giggle the escaped your lips when you felt the softness of his lips mixed with his stubble brushing against your usually shaved neck. You felt content and he could tell. You were so relaxed now he was ready if you were to fall asleep right there and then. The sound he got from you made him smile into your skin. He was so happy he could give you the release you craved even when you didn’t ask for it. 

He never wanted you to ask for it. Because you deserved it even when you felt you didn’t. 

It was the same for him and you never wavered from supporting.

The two of you stayed there, peaceful and happy before you shot up to the smell of burning.

“THE COOKIES!”

“GABE!”

[sweetteaanddragons]

Ancient History

Bruthir glared down at one of the small cakes his landlady had made in honor of the occasion and tried to ignore the sounds of jubilation in the street outside the alley he was sulking in. It was harder than it had been for the past few hours; the noise had swelled, first with music that had very nearly lulled him out, then with shouting once the music ended. A few people had run into his alley, looking around wildly, but they had left quickly enough when they had seen that there was nothing more interesting than him sitting on his barrel, glaring at his last cake. His curiosity had nearly provoked him into asking who or what they were looking for, but that would have required ending his sulk, and he still had several hours left in which to do that. That had been his deal with himself: today he could sulk, and tomorrow he would have to get back to work.

Not even today, though, could he ignore the cloaked man who came running into the alley via an even narrower one. The man’s face was shadowed, but his head turned frantically, and it froze in place when Bruthir came into its view.

“Don’t mind me,” he called glumly. “Unless you’re planning to set the whole city ablaze, I don’t much care what you’re running from.”

The figure relaxed and moved closer. “Nothing so bad as all that,” he said a bit hoarsely, and Bruthir got a glimpse of a harp under his cloak. “Merely a disappointed audience.” He hesitated. “And in the interest of complete honesty, possibly the city guard if they’ve decided I disturbed the peace.”

Bruthir was almost certain he was missing something, but he was even more certain he didn’t care. “Pull up a barrel then.” Sulking had started to feel a bit lonely, so when the man lingered in the shadows of the other alley, he lifted up his cake enticingly. “I’ll share my cake.”

The stranger laughed. “It has indeed been a very long time since I’ve had any cake. Thank you, I accept.”

Bruthir tore it in half and handed it over. “If only it was for another occasion.”

The stranger paused, and there was not so much an air of hesitance this time as tension. Bruthir gulped and resisted the urge to lean back.

“You don’t approve of the king’s marriage?”

The stranger’s hood had shifted, and Bruthir managed to catch a quick glimpse of sharp, gaunt features and the beginning of a pointed ear. In a moment it was gone, but it had been enough. Bruthir might be more accustomed to them in books than life, but he knew an elf when he saw one. This must be one of the ones that had come for Lady Arwen and the marriage, though he couldn’t imagine what the elf was doing this far from the main event. Regardless, the last thing he wanted was for this elf to carry back tales of discontent to the new royal couple.

“The king’s marriage is fine,” he said hastily. “He’s every right to marry whoever he likes, and I’m sure the Lady Arwen is an excellent choice.”

The elf was still regarding him silently. Apparently an explanation of his sullenness would be required.

He sighed. “It’s just made my thesis very awkward, that’s all. I’m probably going to have to start all over if I’m to have any hope of it being approved.”

“Your - thesis,” the elf said disbelievingly, but he had at least relaxed enough to take a bite of the cake.

“I want to be a scholar in the citadel,” he explained. “I’ve been studying for years. All that’s left is the thesis which has to be approved by my elders and - if it meets their approval - either the steward or the king. That last step is more of a formality than anything else really, everyone I’ve talked to has said that Denethor certainly never did more than give them a cursory glance, but at the very least they’ll surely read the title.”

“And the title is not complimentary towards elves?” the stranger asked. He seemed more amused than offended, thankfully.

“It’s not that,” he said. “It’s just . . . complicated.”

The elf took a seat on a nearby barrel and leaned back against the stone wall behind him. “Tell me about it,” he suggested. “Maybe I can help.”

Well, why not? Maybe he could. At the very least, he needed to get out one good rant.

“There’s been a lot written on the changing view of the elves in Numenor,” he began. “Quite naturally, as that view was generally tied to that of the Valar and thus was tied with the fall, a subject that continues to preoccupy many. I decided to focus on a more specific group of elves: those involved in the myths surrounding Sirion.”

The elf let out a strangled noise. “Myths?”

“Well, we know it was real, but exactly what happened has become rather obscured by time . . . “ His voice trailed off. “Although not for the elves, I suppose,” he said with fresh interest. “Did you know anyone who was there?”

“Yes,” the elf said shortly. Bruthir briefly wrestled with whether or not to pry before remembering that his thesis was useless now anyway and slumping down again.

“Elwing and Earendil held a special place as King Elros Tar-Minyatur’s parents, of course, but the Feanorians were also a subject of considerable fascination to the Numenoreans. By the end, all elves were scorned by all but the Faithful, and the Faithful had become a little uncomfortable with both groups since both had defied the Valar.”

“The Feanorians I can hardly argue, but surely Elwing and Earendil - ?”

“But they sailed,” Bruthir said, shaking his head. “And with both of them half-mortal too! It worked out for them in the end - or so we think, there’s some interesting subversive readings about exactly how literally we should take Earendil being a star - but they still sailed to the Undying Lands, the very thing the King’s Men wished to do. You can see why the Faithful didn’t wish to promote that tale.”

“I suppose so.”

“For those very reasons, in the transition period when the King’s Men didn’t take quite such a hard stance against elves, the Feanorians and the half-elven were treated as honorable exceptions for their defiance and, in the latter case, for their connection to mortality and their kinship with the first king. Later in that period, Earendil and Elwing were considered to have sold out to the Valar while the Feanorians lingered on as a symbol of defiance and the right to sail where people willed whether the Valar willed or no - Are you alright?”

The elf’s hooded head had fallen into his hands. “I’m fine,” he said, sounding rather muffled. “Keep going.”

“If you’re sure,” he said doubtfully. “Further back, there’s a much less complicated veneration of Earendil and Elwing and the Feanorians were less prominent except for those engaged in studies of history or who enjoyed the occasional tragedy at the theater.”

“Theater?” The elf asked, his voice a mix of interest and dread.

“We have a few surviving fragments,” Bruthir said, “though of course so much was lost that it’s hard to be sure of conclusions. We could be missing something critical. Which is what made the final section of my thesis so risky.” He ate a bite of cake despondently. “I was tracing it all backwards, you see, so the final section was on what King Elros himself thought.”

The elf’s head shot up so quickly his hood fell off. He really was quite gaunt. Dangerously so. He hadn’t thought elves suffered from scarcity. “And what did you conclude?”

“Well, that’s the interesting thing,” he said, getting caught up despite himself and leaning forward. “There’s almost nothing. Granted, it could have just been lost, but those early records were among those texts prioritized for salvation. We have plenty of scraps about the war, and those mention all of them, but in the praise poems and genealogies . . .  You’ll find some things about Gondolin, but very little about Doriath, and even less about anyone at all involved in Sirion. The one scrap we thought we did have is a letter where his daughter comments to a friend that a bard had sung of her grandparents and the Feanorians, and that the king had been ‘very much displeased, and not nearly so diplomatic as usual about it.’ Which is interesting, but hardly conclusive. Were they too flattering to parents he resented? Not flattering enough to parents he idolized? Too prone to glorifying his kidnappers? Too prone to vilifying the men who must have played a large part in his raising? Was it too accurate and raised up bad memories? Or was it all wrong and offensive for it?” He took a deep breath. “You see the problem.”

The other man slumped. “I do.”

“Then I made my discovery. Apparently, he was a bit of a musician himself, and on the back of a rather more historically significant document, I found what I’m almost sure are quickly sketched drafts of his own attempt to memorialize the events. He seemed very . . . frustrated. With both his failed attempts and with everyone involved in the actual event. But he also seemed very wistful. Fond, even.” He sighed. “So that was my conclusion. But while it’s one thing to present such a thing to a steward, and even an acceptable thing to present such a thing to the king about his far distant ancestor, it’s quite another to hand it off for review when it’s talking about the queen’s uncle. And her grandparents, for that matter.”

The elf swallowed hard. “Yes,” he said hoarsely. “Quite. She never met any of them, but I’m sure her father has told her much.” He looked away for a moment, and when he turned back, his face was more cheerful. “Perhaps if you dropped the parts about the far more controversial Feanorians and concentrated on her grandparents that would be better? You could add in something flattering about how they’re thought of now.”

“I’m not much good at flattery,” he said doubtfully, but hope was rising in him regardless. Perhaps not all his research would have to be thrown out.

“Turn it in as is,” another voice recommended. “I, for one, am very interested in reading it.”

Both of them spun to see that another elf had slipped in through of the mouth of the alley while they were distracted. Some strong emotion lurked almost hidden on his face. His splendid clothes opened Bruthir’s eyes to just how ragged his first companion’s were.

Said companion had gone very pale. “Elrond.” He dropped off his barrel and began to back away.

Elrond? Not - Surely not the Elrond that was the queen’s father -

“Don’t,” Elrond pleaded, reaching out a hand. “Please don’t run, Maglor. Not today of all days.”

Maglor. Not - 

Did you know someone at Sirion?

He had not asked that question of Maglor Feanorian. That was impossible. He was dead. Or wandering lost somewhere that wasn’t Gondor’s back alleyways.

But surely no one else would have chosen that name for their son?

Maglor, son of someone who was not Feanor, slumped and held up his hands in defeat. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” he said. “I am - very sorry to have disturbed you today. So very sorry. I only wanted to give a gift of song, even if your daughter wouldn’t hear it. I hadn’t realized I would draw such a crowd as to cause a disturbance, out of practice with performance as I am.”

Elrond was the first elf Bruthir had ever seen look exasperated. It was a very human expression on him. “Maglor, you remain the greatest bard the Noldor have ever produced. Of course you drew a crowd. A crowd that is now very disappointed at how you vanished when the city guard got lured in to listening, mind you.”

The greatest bard the Noldor had ever produced. 

So this was Maglor Feanorian.

He had just ranted to Maglor Feanorain about his place in the Numenorean imagination. Historical ecstasy hit self-preserving nausea and roiled unpleasantly.

“Someone mentioned the incident to Faramir. I was lucky enough to overhear,” Elrond continued. “And when I heard that a ragged elf had enchanted half the city with songs for the wedding . . . Well, it was either you or Daeron, and I liked my chances.”

Maglor’s head fell. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I should have realized my good intentions would still turn to the ill.”

“The ill?” Elrond laughed, and Bruthir abruptly realized that the hidden emotion was joy. “Today I have had to give away one family member to another, but I’ve found another at long last. Surely a small disturbance, already calmed, is worth that!” He stepped forward, and Bruthir half-expected Maglor to bolt, but he looked up with cautious hope instead.

“Elrond - “

Elrond was close enough to touch now. He held out a hand in entreaty. “Come back to the celebration with me,” he said. “Please. Arwen would surely like to hear your songs for herself, and Aragorn too. There’s no one here who will cause any trouble over it.”

Maglor hesitated. 

It seemed another push might be needed. Presumably that was why his mouth opened and said, without quite obtaining his consent, “You might as well go. I’m sure they’ll have better cake.”

That actually startled a laugh out of the Feanorian. “If you wish it then, Elrond,” he said quietly, clasping the outstretched hand.

Elrond’s answering smile was brilliant, and it turned grateful when he looked over to Bruthir. “You must come too, of course,” he said. “I really am quite interested in your research.”

Why not, Bruthir though blankly, his day had certainly been strange enough for it.

It would certainly be more interesting than sulking.