#i feel like he genuinely doesn't want to be pope even with that

[grabyourpillow]

I've been thinking about the moment Lawrence tells Bellini about his papal name "John. I would choose John".

On one hand the words of Conclave writer Peter Straughan bounce around in my head like a windows xp saving screen: "Lawrence admits he has harbored that ambition, that he has prepared his name. It's true what Bellini said about him. It's true about all of them -- except for one person, of course."

And on the other hand it's such a tender little moment. Lawrence could just, not say it and retain the moral high ground literally forever. And as always, always, he chooses to step down, and comfort his longtime confident and friend by looking at him, holding his hands and telling him "look. I'm down here in the muck with the rest of you. With you." And also, perhaps even more importantly "you did not read me wrong. You do, know me."

Going insane

[pintrestgrl]

you said angst so... jj x kook!reader JJs starts pushing pogues and reader away and when reader tries to get through to JJ, he says awful things to reader hitting her/them below the belt by bringing up her trauma and the fact she/they are a kook. maybe she completly ices him and the pogues out(bc the pogues forgave him) and start hanging out with kooks. maybe the topper/rafe/kelce trio to really drive home she doesn't care about them anymore. maybe she's even there when pope and jj get beat up? IDK i thought this up off the top of my head. i don't reader crying in the shower heartbreaking sob fest angst. also i left what her supposed trauma up to you bc i don't know how far you're willing to go with that.

-💐

okay i lied. i’m doing this one bc it intrigued me.. lol. but also hi 💐 anon !! ur not overwhelming me i love all the asks, it’s just a matter of energy lol. but love u !!

i actually am proud of this and how i wrote it, i rlly like it 🥹.

i will get out more posts today, likely 2-3. 4 if i get drink an alani lmao.

mean!jj x sensitive!kook!reader.

you had always known jj, due to the small size of the island. however, you just started getting closer with him the past few weeks.

you had always seen into him more then others did, even from afar.

you noticed the bruises on his cheeks, and how they’d fade over the next few days. you noticed when he’d gotten a haircut, likely from john b. you didn’t know why, but you found him interesting.

you probably shouldn’t have, considering your brother — rafe, absolutely hated him. he was a bad kid, you always saw him getting arrested with the rest of the pogues.

the reason you two started getting closer, was due to a drunken hookup you had a misunderstanding on. clearly, he looked at it as any other girl he would hook up with, no feelings and not a thought about it again.

you however, looked at it way different. you really genuinely liked him, truly. you didn’t care about any of the bad rumors about him, you didn’t see him as just the bad. you saw the good too.

a few days ago, you went to the chateau to see jj. you hadn’t talked to him since the hookup, expect for minor greetings. you wanted to get to know him more. understand him, fully and completely.

it’s safe to say it didn’t go well. you sat him down, explaining how you really did like him. he listened at first, but as soon as you started trying to open him up, he immediately tensed.

you asked him about how come he always has those bruises on him, and where they’re from. he stood up immediately, scoffing at your attempt.

“you’re fuckin’ serious? you just came here to make fun of me?”

you shook your head quickly at his misunderstanding, explaining how that’s not what you meant at all.

“y’know, it’s not shit you would understand at all. you’re too much of a dumb pretty little ‘kook princess’ with no thoughts in her head to figure it out.”

you swallowed at his harsh words, tears filling your eyes. you opened your mouth to speak, but he just kept spewing more words out.

“ever think that’s why i didn’t talk to you after we hooked up? because we couldn’t ever be anything. i could never be with somebody like you.”

tears fell from your eyes at his words, trying to take deep breaths. you attempted to speak again, before he interrupted you.

“just save it, okay? go back to figure 8 where you belong.”

you let more tears fall, listening to him and gathering your stuff and leaving the chateau.

you walked home with tears down your face the whole time, thoughts stirring. was that really all he thought about you? just a kook who never had to worry about anything?

your tears eventually faded, feelings going numb from exhaustion.

when you got home, you pushed your way past your family, going upstairs to shower.

when you got in, you immediately broke down again. tears filling your eyes and streaming down your face.

you wanted jj to like you, you really did. but if he really had those thoughts of you, you needed to let him go. you couldn’t go on thinking about him, worrying, if your feelings weren’t reciprocated.

over the next few days, you left jj and every pogue alone. you noticed him around, though. you didn’t see the pogues around him, either. it seemed like he was avoiding them, just like you were avoiding him. he looked almost upset, everywhere he went too.

after a while, he got over whatever little mood he was in and you saw him laughing, running around with his friends again.

you however, were not over it. his words really hurt, and you couldn’t get them out of your head. but you knew you needed to give him the same treatment back.

so you decided to start hanging out with your friends too. you started going to the boneyard with topper, kelce, and rafe. you knew jj hated them, but you couldn’t bring yourself to show any care if you weren’t receiving any.

you left him alone for a while after that, silently thinking and worrying about him in your head instead.

you opted for watching from afar, both of you making awkward eye contact at times.

you still wondered where those bruises came from, and if you would ever know at all.

[mosaickiwi]

After reading your Ren/Angel writings (love them all ❤️)an idea poped up. Mc doesn't like the taste of artifical cherries so they avoid eating any cherry flavored candies. Ren knows this. But somehow Mc notices Ren seems to secretly love cherry candies so Angel surprises them with a variety of cherry candies 🍬

💝 Wondering how they find out hmm. Cherry scented cologne hidden in the bathroom? Ren taking 0.25 seconds longer than usual to pick a little treat in line at the grocery store? Detective Angel is on the case...!

14 Days With You is an 18+ Yandere Visual Novel. MINORS DNI

💜🖤💜🖤💜🖤

Very Cherry

The rustling of plastic bags was unmistakable as you opened all the things you'd bought, but [REDACTED] dutifully kept his eyes closed. You accidentally knocked one bag over and sent a few lollipops careening off the table with a loud clatter. A few fell into his lap. He pretended not to notice.

“Y’really don't want any he—”

“No!!” you quickly interrupted him, already picking the candies up. “It's a surprise.”

Finally, after discarding a few damaged goods, the bowl you'd set before him was full. All sorts of colorful sweets were piled together. Gummies, chocolates, hard candies and more, each with a cherry flavor to them that you were certain he’d love.

You made a face at the pile, but thankfully none of it was for you to snack on. “You can open your eyes,” you said, but changed your mind immediately. “Wait! Wait—” You ran around to sit opposite of them at the table. Seeing his reaction was all you could think of for the past few weeks. “Okay, now open them.”

Their eyes opened, neither shocked nor surprised, but excited nonetheless. “‘Was wonderin’ what y’were buying all this candy y’don’t even like for. Seemed like too much for the kids at the library.”

“Hey!” You didn't expect him to admit to stalking your internet history. “I thought you'd learn to stop snooping by now. Act surprised, or else.”

They grinned before doing their best soft and shy Haruko impression—a mockery of an act they'd long since dropped. “O-Oh, a gift? You're so sweet, Angel!! I can't believe you bought these for me. I promise I'll treasure it!”

You rolled your eyes, but answered with sincerity, “You're worth every cent. I like seeing you happy, Ren. And I like making you happy.”

“Shit…” [REDACTED] muttered and rubbed at his jaw, almost at a loss for words. “I... Thank you. Really.”

In spite of the genuine blush forming on the hacker’s cheeks, you could tell he had mixed feelings. Of course they'd be grateful for anything you gifted him. But if it was something that you were open about hating, the item in question would be avoided altogether. Regardless of his own feelings on the matter. It was a strange tendency they couldn’t really let go of just yet. 

Encouragement, and a little pleading, would do the trick, though. 

“I worked really hard to find all of these. And I was looking forward to seeing your face when you finally had some,” you said, practically pouting at them, your chin resting in the palms of your hands. “Just a bite?” 

Both the statements were true. Since you couldn't stand the flavor you thoroughly scoured all the online reviews before enlisting the pickiest of your friends to taste test, then repeated it all to find candies that suited him. Enough to get a wide variety. So the results from all that effort were very important to you.

Incapable of ever refusing the smallest request, your partner grabbed a wrapped candy at random from the bowl. It was a half moon shape, and a bright shade of red with a white line along the round edge. Kiara had suggested that one—but only after telling her all the expensive candies she sent would use up a huge chunk of your budget. 

You chose to keep that information to yourself as he carefully unwrapped the gummy candy. Any mention of another person would no doubt sour his mood.

[REDACTED] held the candy up to their lips, and instead of eating it whole, they took the tiniest nibble you'd ever seen. Still, his face lit up at the first sample. He took another tiny bite, then another and another. As if he couldn’t decide between savoring or devouring it completely.

“Do you like it?” You leaned forward on the table, relishing in his reaction. 

He swallowed to answer you right away, putting the candy—with not even half of it missing—back in its paper. “Yeah. ‘Like it a lot, actually.” 

The bowl’s many candies crinkled as you fished through it to pull more of the same type out. “They have a sour version, too. I'm sure you'll like that one even better,” you said. In the small pile of half moons you made, there were a few speckled with white sugar. He took another. “I'll order some more so you don't have to eat them like… that.” 

“‘M not trying t’save ‘em,” he mumbled, though the delicate way he unwrapped a sour gummy and started nibbling again like a hamster said otherwise. It was a fascinating sight, if not completely silly for the man decked head to toe in black clothes, intimidating accessories, and silver piercings. You had to keep yourself from giggling and he insisted again. “Really, Angel. I jus’ wanna be able to thank you properly when I’m done.”

You smiled at their consideration. All too easily, you could imagine your face scrunching up at the cherry taste sure to linger on your boyfriend's tongue if he kept indulging. “I'd still kiss you even if you taste awful,” you teased.

As if to test your confidence, he popped the candy into his mouth and watched you pointedly. They took their sweet time to chew it, giving you time to reconsider the idea while he fiddled with a lollipop from the bowl.

Your nose wrinkled as the faint cherry smell finally wafted over, the fruity scent stronger than you anticipated. “... Maybe only on the cheek, though.”

He noisily stood from his chair, and you knew right away he was leaving to brush his teeth.

[euniexenoblade]

Favorite Movies 2024

I do one of these every year, even though I see less and less of the current releases every year. But, I've been doing it on tumblr since 2012, so it's a tradition and everyone else does it so, why not?

There's a lot of movies I haven't gotten to see yet. Like, as far as I can tell Queer isn't available anywhere even though it's one of those movies I'm sure I'd love. Everyone seems to like The Brutalist, but I don't want to watch a bad cam recording. I don't usually see most non-American movies until the next year. Really excited to see that movie Viet and Nam.

That said, some honorable mentions:

Past Lives was a really beautiful film about a family immigrating to the USA from South Korea and how that affects their daughter and her friend's relationship, not to mention her identity. It's 5/5 for me but it's technically 2023 and it feels more fun to highlight the films I chose.

Perfect Days is a Japanese movie about a guy that works for a toilet cleaning company and it's really a beautiful movie. Like the previous mention the only problem is it's from 2023 and I think it'd be fun to highlight the films I chose.

Conclave is fun! Who would have thought picking the pope was exactly like high school cafeteria drama!

I'm sure no one cares for Speak No Evil, considering this one is an American remake. But, personally I had a lot of fun, James McAvoy is hot and honestly the family deserved it for diving a Tesla.

Drive Away Dolls is a really funny gay comedy. It's not good enough to make a "best of" list, but that doesn't mean it's not worth a watch. In that same respect, Bottoms was really funny. But again, not best of the year worthy, and it's from 2023.

Anyways! The list!

10 - Heretic

Heretic is one of those edgy pseudo intellectual movies that thinks it's so much smarter than it actually is. And I love it. Do not go into this expecting a horror movie, expect it to be some dude trolling some Mormon girls. Don't take it seriously and just enjoy the ride. It's funnier than it is scary. When the guy compares the Book of Mormon to Monopoly, or compares Jesus Christ to Jar Jar Binks? Hysterical.

9 - Alien: Romulus

I don't really have anything to add on to the letterboxd review. As a Alien lover, a Xenomorph fucker, and a die hard fan of the series, I really loved the atmosphere in this one. The world building was great. I'm happy we finally got a decent installment, finally.

8 - Challengers

Again, said most of what I need to up there. Challengers is not the movie you expect it to be. Funny as hell, interesting as hell, melodramatic as fuck.

7 - Will & Harper

Will & Harper is a breath of fresh air in today's transphobic climate. I didn't expect Will fucking Ferrel to be the trans ally of the year, but damn, he tried his hardest to keep Harper happy even in the darker moments. Will Ferrell's best movie (lol).

6 - Love Lies Bleeding

This fucking movie is insane. If you want to see a real lesbian crime thriller, this is it y'all. Music is excellent, acting is astounding, and they throw in some fucking curveballs to fuck with you. Underrated cinema.

5 - Monkey Man

Do you need another reason?

An amazing action flick in a similar vein to John Wick. Brutal, violent, but has so much heart. And we get amazing trans representation. This film looked beautiful, I'd argue only one other film had a visual aesthetic nearly as cool as this in 2024 (it'll come up later). Dev Patel wrote, directed, and starred in this, that's insane. He clearly had so much love for this project and it shows through.

4 - Look Back

I don't usually put anime movies on this list, but I don't know if I'll do an anime list this year so it has to be included.

From the creator of Chainsaw Man, we get a beautiful movie about friendship and loss. It's genuinely a beautiful piece of art.

3 - Femme

I'm not adding my letterboxd, it has spoilers in it and I don't want to ruin the ride. Technically a 2023 movie, but it's on John Waters favorite movie list of the year so it fucking counts.

A brutal look at internalized homophobia and the ways we hurt each other in our own communities. I can't recommend it enough, but trigger warnings for homophobia, assault, and abuse. It's really hard to get into the meat and potatoes of this movie without spoiling it. But, it's fucked up and well made.

I loved this movie. It looks so beautiful, the actors inhabit their characters so well it feels like it's all real, a gay horror movie if I've ever seen one.

2 - The People's Joker

Also technically not 2024, but this is the year everyone got to see it. But, The People's Joker is such a triumph of trans DIY bullshit. Making a movie about a trans woman Joker without the permission of DC sounds so stupid, but it comes together as one of the most interesting pieces of art to come out in the 2020s.

My first experience with this movie was unforgettable. I had no idea it existed, but my girlfriend who worked at a movie theater was like "this movie exists let's go see it!" And I was like, ok that's chill. I was hitting the weed vape so hard before going into this and killed me.

Live action, CGI, animation, this movie is a bizarre amalgamation of styles, built as this weird, indie love letter to Batman. Inside this shell of mixed artforms you find a very basic story about a trans woman finding herself and fighting for the respect of the people around her. And beyond that you can find comedy revolving around Batman lore or comedy revolving around inter community bullshit.

Outstanding movie. Would happily watch it 800 more times.

1 - I Saw The TV Glow

It couldn't be anything else.

Similar to previous, my movie theater girlfriend got a huge group of people together to go see this. I had seen trailers but I figured it was going to be a normal horror movie in the style of Candle Cove type shenanigans. I was very, very, very, very high when I saw this. Of the 15 or so people (all trans) that saw this, the majority were crying, a few were shell shocked and just left, and I'm there laughing about Phoebe Bridgers in the middle.

I don't think there's anything I can say about this movie that isn't already super well known. A transgender horror story with the message "it's never too late." As frightening, as sad as it is, it's also just the beginning of the story that'll have a happy end.

It's beautiful. Looks beautiful. Great soundtrack that fits the vibe. One of the best movies ever made, honestly.

[xoxoavenger]

Running Like Water

pairing: JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

summary: 'Cause I knew you/Steppin' on the last train/Marked me like a bloodstain, I/I knew you/Tried to change the ending/Peter losing Wendy, I/I knew you/Leavin' like a father/Running like water, I/And when you are young, they assume you know nothing

word count: 1477

cardigan masterlist main masterlist

When Y/N wakes up, she's sure the fuzzy memory of JJ going to Australia must be a dream her drunk brain conjured up. She doesn't remember anything after she threw up, but she sits up and looks around the still-dark room. There's two beds in the room including the one she's on. She realizes that Sarah is next to her, Kiara on her other side. Pope and John B are in the other bed, but JJ is no where to be found. She coughs, which makes her feel nauseas. Her headache comes crashing down, and she winces as she grips her head. Her mouth feels dryer than the desert.

"Here," She jumps as she turns back to Kiara, who is now awake and holding a water bottle. Y/N takes it gratefully, finishing the whole bottle as Sarah stirs awake.

"Hey," She smiles, but there's something else in the smile. Y/N frowns.

"What happened last night?" Y/N asks. She knew they weren't supposed to get a hotel room, but she does remember John B and Sarah being pretty drunk and she threw up, so it's probably a god thing that they ended up in one.

"How much do you remember?" Kiara whispers, the boys still not awake.

"Not much after the last bar. I know I thew up." She looks around once more. "Where's JJ?" She turns to see Sarah, who's never been able to hide her emotions well, looking upset.

"At the last bar, John B accidentally told everyone that JJ got a job in Australia." Sarah says softly. Y/N blinks.

"It wasn't just a dream," She mutters, barely audible. She pushes the covers off her and crawls to the end of the bed, jumping off.

"Y/N," Kiara calls, waking the boys. Y/N doesn't listen, just opens the door and walks out into the corridor.

"Where are you going?" Sarah follows, genuinely scared for Y/N, or maybe more for JJ if she's able to find him. She doesn't answer, which causes Sarah and Kiara to exchange a look, still following. "Y/N!" She turned around like this, the others skidding to a stop.

"I might kill him."

"No," Kiara started, not letting Y/N get the rest out. "I know that he's a dick. I know that you're upset, which is completely valid. But I think that killing him may be a little over dramatic."

"I think I'm being the exact right amount of dramatic considering the circumstance." Y/N had the crazy eyes going on, scaring John B and Pope, who had heard the noise and came out of the hotel room. "And killing him is the exact right amount."

"Wow, okay." Pope says, not sure what to do in this situation.

"I'm sure he had a reason, so maybe we should let him explain." John B suggests, but this only makes Y/N more angry.

"Maybe he should have explained when he told me." Y/N shrugged, turning back around. "Oh, that's right, he didn't!" She walks around the corner, and this time no one follows him.

"She's not actually gonna kill him, right?" Pope asks, genuinely unsure.

"Honestly?" Sarah turns to the rest of them. "I'm not sure."

~

Y/N finds JJ back at the Chateau. He's drinking a bottle of tequila, no ice or even a glass, just straight out of the bottle. She thinks briefly about punching him, but decides against it at the last moment.

"I want to kill you." She says honestly, trying to keep herself from shaking in rage.

"That makes two of us." She leans forward and hits him for that one, slapping him across the face and making him drop the bottle. "I deserved that."

"You deserve more than just that." She spits, anger apparent in every syllable.

"And you deserve more than just me." He whispers, putting his head in his hands.

"Jayj," She says softly, getting on her knees. She's still upset, but her anger is moving to sadness quickly. "Why didn't you just tell me when you found out? Why didn't you tell me when you were applying?" She's never been this mad at him while still being upset with him.

"I knew you'd be upset." He shrugs, leaning his head back. "And I didn't think I'd get it. So when I did, I knew you would be upset but tell me to go and I didn't want to be the reason you were upset."

"When do you leave?"

"Two days." They stare at each other in silence, neither knowing what to say. She would think about hitting him if she weren't so shocked.

"So you were just not going to tell me until you left?" She doesn't need him to confirm it, she knows he wasn't going to tell her.

"I didn't want to hurt you. That's why I held off." He wasn't quite sure what she wanted. He knew it wasn't what he was saying, but he couldn't make this better.

"But you told John B and Pope." She raised her eyebrows. "I'm more mad you kept it from me. It honestly feels like you're running away from me." She lets out a sardonic chuckle.

"I knew you'd be upset, but I thought you'd be happy for me! Ya know, as my girlfriend!" He yells, standing up. She steps back a bit.

"You are running away." She whispers, tears springing to her eyes. "Why are you running away?" She doesn't understand. She thought everything had been going good.

"I have never been even out of the state! I need to experience the world! This is the best job I'll probably ever have the chance to have." He can't tell her the truth, can't tell her that he feels things for her that he's just a little afraid of.

"You're running away!" She repeats as she gets closer, tears falling down her cheeks without her even having to blink. "You're doing the same thing your dad did." She whispers. He wishes she had slapped him again. It would have hurt less.

"This isn't the same." He tells her lowly. She shakes her head.

"It is. It's exactly the same because you're leaving your problems behind. You're leaving me behind." She wants to scream and cry and figure out how to get all her emotions out.

"I'm sorry." He can't lie to her. He can't tell her exactly why he's leaving but he can't lie to her.

"I'm sure you are." She mutters softly, wiping her tears. "And so am I." She walks out the door, JJ following her.

"Why are you sorry?" He calls, running down the stairs as she speeds over to her car.

"I'm sorry to myself. I'm sorry I let myself lean on you so much. I'm sorry I put myself in the position to get hurt." She turns to him and shakes her head. "I'm sorry I let myself fall in love with you." She gets in her car, letting him watch her drive off.

~

She goest back to the Chateau two days later, after disappearing from her friends. When she walks through the door late in the afternoon, everyone is sitting around as if they're waiting for her.

"He's gone?" She asks, slumping.

"Yeah," Sarah says softly as Kiara stands to go to her side.

"He left." She whispers, head rolling back as her knees collapse underneath her. John B jumps to help Kiara hold their friend up.

"It's alright," Kiara comforts as they set her on the vacated couch, pushing her hair back. Y/N is sweating and shaking, and Kiara realizes her forehead is warm. "I think she's sick."

"Shit," Pope mutters, putting a hand to his head.

"Have you eaten anything?" Sarah whispers to Y/N as she crouches down. Y/N opens her eyes, but she doesn't quite look coherent. "It must've taken everything to get here." The four of them stand there, looking at their friend who had been heartbroken down to the bone.

"They're not going to survive this." Kiara mutters. They had seen JJ before he left, had noticed how he was always drunk and upset and barely made it onto his flight.

"He had to do it." John B told them. "He had to leave to see how good he had it. He had to leave and hope that she takes him back when he comes back home."

"That makes no sense." Sarah said, crossing her arms. "He ran away."

"Because he's in love and he's scared." Pope explains.

"They've already said 'I love you'. It's not that." Kiara looks over to see Y/N asleep, so she puts the blanket up on her.

"She wants to get married." John B said. The way he said it, everyone knew that JJ had told him.

"And that scared him." Kiara understood now. They all knew their friend had issues with commitment, but they thought he had gotten through them with Y/N. "He ran."

"Shit," Pope repeated, and they all silently agreed. 

//

tags: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187  @one-sweet-gubler @theoraekenslover

[hello-nichya-here]

Do you think Juan was in love with Lucrezia too and that's why Cesare hated him?

When I first watched the show, that was the furthest thing from my mind, mostly because Juan annoyed me to no end, but after seeing an interview in which the actor said he always felt his character was upset that he couldn't join Cesare and Lucrezia, I paid more attention to him on my rewatches - mainly to Juan's pattern of trying to murder the men his sisters falls in love with.

Because of that, yes, I think Juan, whether he knew it or not, was likely interested in sleeping with Lucrezia, but he was not in love with her - at least not in the same way Cesare was.

It's no coincidence that Cesare humiliated and killed Lucrezia's abusive husband as revenge for raping her, while Juan didn't do shit about it. That Juan threatened Lucrezia's son, while Cesare was fighting for her right keep him around after remarrying. That her first two love interests died by Juan's hand, while Cesare tried to save them and even hesitated to kill her second husband (until he started posing a threat by making it clear he'd snitch on them about the incest) because "I would not harm that which my sister loves."

Both relationships can be summarised by Lucrezia's line of "Only a Borgia can truly a Borgia." For her and Cesare that means "As family, we understand and care for each other in a way no one else could, we have to stick together", while for Juan it means "Everyone else is inferior to us."

Juan has one hell of big ego and is constantly trying to seem more competent than he actually is - to the point that he doesn't want to marry A KING'S DAUGHTER because she's illegitimate, even though he couldn't stop fucking her, even after she married the youngest Borgia (and was then written out of existence with him).

He literally corrects a prostitute who called him "The Pope's bastard" by saying he is the Pope's SON. And when he acts with disgusted towards Lucrezia's child for being illegitimate, he dismisses her point about him being a major hypocrite by reminding her "I'm a BORGIA bastard."

Juan's family is important and he's well aware of it - he uses it as sword and shield for everything. It would not surprise me if he either became interested in Lucrezia because she's the one woman that isn't "lesser" or at least uses "Well, I'm a Borgia" to avoid any guilt he could feel over his attraction towards her.

Now, don't get me wrong, he DOES have that strong feeling of belonging, understanding and family as well - but he has it towards RODRIGO, and to a lesser extent, Cesare himself.

He looks genuinely afraid and devastated at the rumor that either him or Cesare isn't actually a product of their mother's affair with Rodrigo, but rather the legitimate child she had with her actual husband (again, that's despite the fact that Juan has a complex about being a bastard, which says a lot), he clearly wants his father's approval, and his death happens after he tried to give CESARE a way to get rid of all his pain through drugs.

But while he can show affection towards Lucrezia sometimes, he doesn't show the same reverence and respect (however grudging, like with Cesare). I think that happens for a few reasons:

1 - Misogyny. Juan was always very aggressive in any sexual situation, and we see that he is not at all above full on assaulting a woman to deal with his anger - hell, he rapes an innocent girl that just happened to walk past him because he's mad at a different woman for humiliating him, and since said woman is not around, he just grabs the first vulnerable peson he sees.

Lucrezia might be spared of that because she's family, but you can't expect a violent misogyny to ever be too kind to any woman. Again, that's why he killed two of her lovers and threatened her child -Juan is being violent towards the men (or boys) around her because he can't/won't give himself permission of being violent towards her directly. Lucrezia is to him what Ursula was to Cesare, an object of affection/obsession, not an equal.

2 - Lucrezia's age. Not only is Lucrezia the youngest (at least after Joffrey was written out of existence), at the start of the show she's still 14 while both of her older brothers are already adults. Juan is not going to take a literal child seriously. It's just not gonna happen. And because the age gap is much larger, I think part of him will always see her as a little girl (even Cesare feels like that to some extent).

3 - Lucrezia's (former?) kind nature. There's a reason he looks shaken when she tries to kill him, even though he just murdered the father of her child. Juan legit did not know his sister was capable of matching his violence if he pushed her too far - and Cesare only killed him after LUCREZIA basically gave him the order/green light. This man was playing with fire and had no fucking idea. To him, she was just his naive, innocent, harmless younger sister. She's to be cherished and protected, not taken seriously like their father and brother.

Now, while I think the fact that Juan 100% knew something was going on between his siblings (he was even the first character to openly acknowledge it, for God's sake) mostly likely played a role in why he loved pissing Cesare off so much, I don't think Lucrezia was in anyway a factor on why Cesare hated Juan (again, until he started hurting her by harming the people she cared about) because:

1 - Cesare might be in denial sometimes, but he knows damn well he is his sister's soulmate. She even say's "I could never love a husband as much as I love YOU." Their brother was far less of a threat than her already mediocre lovers, whom Cesare didn't really have too many issues with - and honestly, Juan probably took NOT being seen as a legitimate rival on that regard as a deep insult.

2 - Cesare, just like Juan, desperately wants Rodrigo's approval, and his whole complex is about their father giving his brother far more freedom and praise than he ever got.

They had the Caim and Abel vibes for a LONG time.

[heybank]

DENY PART TWO

ok i think i might make a series about my jj x reader x pope fic

also kind of dedicated to @starfxkr bc their blog gets me through the jj pope drought that is on tumblr (if you don't wanna be tagged i'll totally delete but i luv you even tho i don't know you

this isn't technically a part two but it's inspired by my previous fic deny

i'm hoping to maybe fully flesh out a whole mini story about them bc i love jj and pope so bad and i wanna kiss them both and have them kiss each other.

please send me prompts or if you have any ideas or you just wanna gush about jj and pope 💜

i'm a cancer, ok

you've always felt your emotions more deeply than others. you have a lot of feelings and it's not uncommon for you to start tearing up at random times throughout the day when you see something that elicits a strong feeling from you.

kie says it's because you're a cancer and while she's so true because you are the stereotypical emotional water sign, you're not sure how much of your mental state is because of your astrological sign or if you're genuinely a few screws loose in the head.

you remember hiccuping and sobbing into jjs shirt for the better part of half an hour- staining his sleeveless tee with your tears all because you saw a seagull missing a foot and he seemed to be running slower than his other seagull friends. your only relief from the obvious heartbreaking situation was jj softly murmuring comforting words in your ear, his strong arms around circled around your waist, your body snuggled onto his lap. the scene isn't uncommon for the pogues to see. the two of you have always been more affectionate than most.

all of this leads you to where you are now, curled up on your bed sobbing. soft sad music playing in the background making you sob even more. you put on a brave face with your friends but in the sanctuary of your own bed is where you can finally let your feelings free.

seeing pope and jj kiss hurt you more than you originally thought. your mind keeps replaying the scene of the two boys kiss, their lips moving together sensually, saliva being shared. you're sure that if you hadn't interrupted them, the kiss would lead to something more and involving less clothes.

hey google, play "that should be me" by justin bieber.

what if when they start dating they drop you? what if pope isn't comfortable with how touchy or affectionate you are with jj and he stops your cuddles or what if jj doesn't want you to hang out alone with pope because he knows you two kissed. what if they stop needing you because they have each other?

the thought makes a sob crawl up your throat and fat tears roll down your cheeks. you feel like your head is going to explode from how hard your crying. you need them like air, you felt like that even before you and pope kissed and before you realized you're in love with jj. you need them because they're your closest friends- they're the family you so desperately crave because your own doesn't care much for you and you're so scared if they start dating each other then they won't need you.

it's why you give out your love so freely, the feeling of being needed by people is something that is so deeply and inherently buried in your bones. when someone needs you and you can help them, it feels euphoric. a psychologist would probably have a field day with you because if you're not needed, what good are you?

----

"i'm really confused after our kiss" pope mumbles, nervous to look at jj in the eyes.

"good or bad confused" jj responds.

"is there such thing as good confusion?" pope asks, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed. "i didn't think i was gay or bi or whatever and yeah i think some dudes are hot but like i've never wanted to kiss them but i wanted to kiss you!! and then we kissed and it was like... nice but different and i couldn't help but think about gracie and how she and i kissed and how good that also felt and then i felt guilty and-"

"pope, take a breath" the maybank boy utters, effectively cutting off popes rambles.

"i liked kissing you pope. i never let myself be attracted to dudes but it's you, ya know?" jj continues.

"but i also understand wanting to kiss grace. i... well i want to kiss her too." he finally confesses. he's never said his feelings for his grace out loud before.

pope gently stumbles over to where the maybank boy is perched on his bed, he leans in to grab jjs fidgeting hands, grasping them in what he hopes is a comforting hold.

he leans forward so he can give jj a small peck on the cheek. reassuring him that they're ok, that they'll make it through whatever turmoil they're feeling right now.

jj grabs popes face and brings him in for a deeper kiss, lips and tongues touching. it makes jjs stomach burn with desire. after several minutes or maybe hours of kissing, he's not sure, pope reaches up and pulls on jjs soft blond tresses, tugging on the boys hair a little to pull him away from popes lips. they both let out little gasps when they disconnect.

"have you heard of polyamory?" pope asks jj... a shit eating grin on his lips.

---

giggling and kicking my feet. i love them 💜

[ren14554]

Want to start from the beginning? Chapter 1

Eternal

Chapter 19: Mexico - Too Late to Say Sorry?

She slept a little better last night. Thinking back to Rafe—his genuine hurt at keeping her in the dark about his past—made her feel like maybe he understood the weight of who he says he was. What he did.

But that doesn't mean she will let him back in that easily. She's kind, not dumb.

Breakfast is a little less tense today. Sofia and Rafe still sit at opposite ends of the table, and she still converses with the others, not caring how Rafe broods about it or not. When Pope announces they're ready to head to the museum, Sofia practically jumps from her seat, eager for a distraction.

It should have been a simple trip.

Should have.

"Shit." Sarah groans from the top of the museum steps, stopping so suddenly that Sofia nearly bumps into her.

"What?" Sofia asks, scanning their surroundings as Cleo and Pope catch up. At first, nothing seems out of place—the museum's towering walls, the heavy glass doors, and a couple of stragglers milling around the entrance. Then, she follows Sarah's pointed finger to a sign taped beside the door.

CERRADO POR MANTENIMIENTO  -

Reapertura en dos días

CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE -

Reopening in two days

Sofia's stomach sinks. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Seriously?" Cleo mutters, placing her hands on her hips. "This just had to happen now."

Sarah sighs dramatically, tilting her head back toward the sky. "Of course it did. Nothing about any of this can be easy."

Pope rubs a hand over his face. "Two days. That's shit. Groff is gonna get there first."

Sofia frowns. "What exactly is he gonna find outside of this? If it's just information, wouldn't he want access to all of this, too?"

"He's no doubt got connections," Pope replies, his tone tight with frustration. "Which means he might already know about it. This was supposed to be our chance to get ahead."

Sofia glances at the museum's locked doors and then back to the group. "So… what do we do? Just sit around and wait?"

Cleo exhales sharply. "Or we find another way in."

Sarah shoots her a look. "You wanna break into a museum?"

Cleo shrugs. "Not like we haven't broken into worse."

Pope shakes his head. "Too risky. If security catches us, we're screwed. Dont need to be held up for longer."

Sofia exhales, rocking back on her heels. She doesn't like this—not the waiting, not the uncertainty. But there's no real alternative. "Guess we've got two days to figure something out."

Sarah groans again but suddenly perks with a smile.

Cleo glances over as they trek back to the Airbnb, "What?"

"I have an idea."

~~~~~

They return to the house with the bad news, Pope leading the way as they enter the door. Rafe, John B, and Kiara emerge from different parts of the house, their expressions falling into the same disappointment currently reflected on their own faces.

"Well?" John B asks, already sensing the answer.

"Closed," Pope sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "For two days."

Kiara groans. "You're shitting us?"

"Nope," Cleo mutters, dropping onto the couch. "Groff's probably already ten steps ahead of us."

A beat passes, frustration settling over all of them. But then, as if utterly unfazed by the setback, Sarah suddenly brightens, a grin stretching across her face.

Sofia raises an eyebrow. "What?"

John B looks just as wary. "Sarah. Sweet pea, why the crazed happiness?"

"I'm hungry—"

Pope and Kiara groan at the same time while John B chuckles. Even Rafe looks like he's fighting a smile.

"Hey! I have to sustain myself and this little nugget," Sarah defends, rubbing her stomach briefly. "And you know what? I think the girls and I should go to the market. Let's have a cookout."

Kiara tilts her head. "A cookout?"

"Yeah," Sarah says eagerly. "We get some good food and take a break from all the stress. Win-win for everyone. The girls and I can go grab food, and you boys can grab charcoal somewhere."

"Sounds like a good time," Cleo agrees with a nod. "Not like we've got anything else we can do anyway."

John B smirks. "And beer?"

Sarah shoots him a knowing look. "How about you guys get charcoal and beer, and we'll stick to the food?"

"Sounds good to me," Pope says, already stepping toward the door.

Sofia exhales, shifting her weight as her gaze flickers to Rafe. He's standing slightly apart, scratching the back of his head like he doesn't quite know where he fits into the conversation. For a brief moment, he hesitates, but then he nods, stepping closer to the guys.

Sofia doesn't say anything, but she notices.

She's just smart enough to observe it for now.

~~~~~

The sun is high in the sky as Sarah, Kiara, Cleo, and Sofia weave through the narrow streets toward a small market. The air is thick with the scent of grilled meat from a nearby street vendor, and life doesn't feel as grave for the first time in days. Almost as if she can actually be carefree for a little while.

Inside, the store is crowded but manageable, packed with fresh produce and shelves stocked to the brim with local fare. Sarah grabs a basket and immediately heads toward the small meat section.

"Alright, we'll get the basics," she says, scanning the options. "Burgers, stuff for sides, maybe some fruit—"

"I'll go grab the buns," Kiara says, disappearing down another aisle.

That leaves her standing with Cleo and Sarah in the middle of the store. Sofia lingers behind them slightly, fingers brushing over a row of avocados as her thoughts wander. She barely registers Sarah and Cleo debating the best type of meat for grilling. Her mind is elsewhere—still stuck on the past couple of days, on the mess of it all.

Sarah notices.

"Hey," she nudges Sofia gently, voice softer. "How’re you holdin’ up?”

She exhales slowly. "I don't know." Sarah's head tilts, waiting. "It's a lot," Sofia finally admits.

Sarah nods, tossing a head of lettuce into the basket. "Yeah. My brother can be… complicated."

Sofia lets out a small, humorless laugh. "That's an understatement."

Cleo scoffs, tossing in some seasonings. "That boy's a walking red flag."

Sarah sighs but doesn't argue. "I'm not saying what he did wasn't bad. Because it was. And I get why you're mad, Sofia. If I were you, I'd feel the same way."

Sofia observes Sarah carefully. "But?"

Sarah lifts a shoulder. "But… I also know he's been trying. He's still got a long way to go, and honestly? I don't think he even knows how to fix everything. But the fact that he told you—even if he wasn't the originator of the news—means something. Right?"

Sofia exhales slowly, unsure how to respond.

"She's right," Cleo adds. "Rafe's not a saint, but I've seen worse men try less. Just don't let him off easy. Make him prove it."

Sofia huffs a small laugh. "Oh, trust me, I'm not."

Just then, Kiara returns, plopping a bag of buns into the basket. "Okay, what'd I miss?"

"Sarah defending her brother," Cleo smirks.

Kiara rolls her eyes. "Shocker."

Sofia actually laughs, the sound surprising even herself. For the first time in days, it feels genuine.

As they approach the front, she stops by the first aid section, grabbing a pack of butterfly bandages. Her incision is finally starting to scar; the ointment she received back in Tokyo works wonders after repeated redressing over the past week and a half. The raw redness has begun to fade into a softer pink, the scar blending increasingly into her hairline daily.

When they return, the sun has already started its slow descent, casting the house in warm golden hues. The guys have begun figuring out the grill on the back patio—Pope adjusting the heat, John B cracking open another beer, and Cleo swiping one for herself without hesitation.

Sofia lingers for a second, watching.

Rafe stands near the grill, beer in hand, fiddling with something on the side. To Sofia's surprise, he makes a comment, and Pope laughs heartily. Even John B smirks, clinking his beer against Rafe's in some unspoken truce.

It's small. But it's there.

And, just briefly, the corner of her lips turns up.

__________________

The evening air is thick with humidity, the scent of charred meat and salt lingering as Rafe steps away from the small gathering. The distant murmur of conversation fades behind him, swallowed by the quiet hum of the Mexican night. His shoes crunch against the grass as he rounds the side of the house, drawn forward as if on instinct.

She's there.

Kiara sits alone in the corner of the yard, curled into herself in a way that feels out of place. She's staring off at a bush currently bursting with bright, unfamiliar flowers—vivid reds and oranges, their colors almost unnatural in the dim light.

Rafe hesitates for half a second before pushing forward.

"Hey."

Kiara jolts, nearly jumping out of her skin.

She whips around, brown eyes flashing—wary. Guarded. Her shoulders stiffen, her arms curling tighter around herself like she's bracing for impact.

Yeah. He deserves that.

Ignoring the tension simmering between them, Rafe lowers himself into the rickety lawn chair across from her, wincing slightly when it creaks beneath his weight. Kiara doesn't relax and doesn't soften. She just shifts slightly, her gaze steady, watching him like she's waiting for whatever game he's about to potentially start.

Rafe exhales, running a hand through his short hair. "There's probably a lot of things I should say." His voice is rough and raw in a way that he doesn't quite know how to fix. "More than you probably have the energy to listen to."

The silence stretches between them.

"But, uh… I scared you." The admission leaves his mouth before he can second-guess it. "I— hurt you. And I think back sometimes and wonder why I wasn't just a decent human being. We both know I wasn't decent. I don't even think you could consider me a human back then."

Kiara scoffs, low and quiet. "Agreed."

Rafe lets out a dry laugh. He walked right into that one.

He drags a hand down his face, exhaling. "I, uh… I'm sorry." The words feel foreign on his tongue, stiff and unpolished but genuine all the same. When he finally forces himself to meet her gaze, it's unsettling, the way she holds it—blue clashing against brown, guarded but searching.

"The things I did," he continues, voice softer now, "I wish I could take them back. But I can't. And I know you have everyright to hate my existence for the rest of your life. It's warranted."

Kiara says nothing. She just… watches.

She's reading him, analyzing—searching for holes in the apology he's laying out for her to scrutinize. And honestly? She has every reason to.

"I just—" Rafe exhales, voice rougher than before. "I hope that maybe, one day, you can at least forgive me for the person I was. That you can see that, despite better judgment, I'm trying." He hesitates, his jaw tightening for a split second before the truth tumbles out. "Sof makes me want to try."

Kiara doesn't even blink. "She's too good for you."

Rafe lets out a weak chuckle. "I, uh… yeah. I agree."

"If I were her," Kiara continues, voice unwavering, "I would've already run for the hills and never looked back."

His stomach twists. He shifts in his seat, glancing away briefly—because fuck if that thought hasn't already haunted him. That maybe Sofia already has.

"But," Kiara adds, "that would've been for the Rafe of two years ago."

His head snaps up at that, startled.

She's watching him again, something unreadable flickering behind her gaze. It's not forgiveness, not yet, but it's something softer than before.

"Thank you," She murmurs. Then, the corner of Kiara's mouth twitches for a second, the ghost of a smirk playing at the edges. "I can see fourteen-year-old Rafe in there somewhere," she muses. "Before puberty and loneliness scared the shit out of him."

Rafe huffs out a laugh, shaking his head. "Ah, yes. Weak teenage Rafe."

"He was a good one." Kiara's voice is quieter now, almost thoughtful. "Is a good one."

Rafe stills.

Because he knows what she's saying. What she means.

That the version of him that cared—the one that wasn't trying to live up to some impossible, empty legacy—that version wasn't weak. The way he had buried that poor kid, shoved him so deep no one could recognize him anymore. People wanted a leader. They wanted someone who wasn't afraid, so he pretended he had no feelings. You look out for number one. That or you look out for Ward Cameron. And anyone against that was the enemy.

Maybe it was all just fear.

A breath leaves his chest, lighter than before. He swallows. "Thanks for hearing me out."

Kiara shrugs, stretching out her legs slightly. "Actions speak louder than words." Then, after a beat, "But I guess everyone deserves a second chance… or fifth." She quirks a brow, smirking slightly. It's still reserved, but it's there.

Again—deserved.

Rafe smiles. And for the first time in years, his sister's best friend—the girl he's known for the better part of his entire life—actually smiles back.

Something shifts inside his chest.

The weight isn't gone, but it feels… better.

Even just a little.

Now, if only he could prove it to Sof.

__________________

Sofia's gaze drifts as she listens to Pope and Cleo joke about something ridiculous and John B expertly flip the burgers sizzling on the grill. Over at the side of the house, Sarah stands awkwardly near the corner, wedged between a few potted vegetables and some gardening equipment.

Sofia's eyes narrow.

Slowly, she peels away from the others, gripping her beer bottle as she approaches. The closer she gets, the more she can make out Sarah's posture—rigid, eyes flicking between her and something out of sight.

Then, as soon as Sarah notices her, she lifts a finger to her lips.

Stay quiet.

Sofia stops. Rafe's voice carries in the air. 

I'm sorry I hurt you. The things I did… I wish I could take it all back. But I can't. And I know you have everyright to hate my existence for the rest of your life. It's warranted.

Sofia swallows.

Beside her, Sarah casts a sidelong glance, gauging her reaction. But Sofia doesn't move, doesn't breathe, just listens.

I hope maybe one day you can at least forgive me for the person I was. 

Her heart stirs. Just slightly.

Kiara's Thank you.

She and Sarah stare at one another, neither giving much away. Still, they stay silent as Rafe and Kiaras' soft laughter carries with the wind. They glance around the corner. Rafe and Kiara are still a little stiff, but they're not hostile.

Not angry.

Not enemies.

Sarah exhales, smiling softly. "Wasn't expecting that."

Sofia wasn't either. To be honest.

She smiles.

~~~~~

The cookout has settled into an easy rhythm. Smoke has long since curled into the dusky sky, leaving only the lingering scent of charred meat and roasted vegetables. The air is thick with warmth, laughter rolling lazily across the yard, blending with the low hum of conversation.

But Sofia's attention is elsewhere.

"What are you doing?" She quirks a brow at Pope, watching as he frowns at the old broken stone pendant, clearly deep in thought.

He exhales sharply through his nose. "Trying to figure out how to keep this thing together so we don't lose a piece."

John B chuckles from his spot, beer bottle balanced loosely in his grip. "Pretty sure this is the most mundane thing I've ever seen stump you."

Sofia inches closer, her gaze flicking over the four fragmented pieces spread across the table.

Pope sighs, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "Yeah, well, stone's hard to put back together once it's broken."

Sofia tilts her head, and then suddenly, she has an idea.

She quickly slips away toward the side of the house, where those few potted plants sit in varying states of despair. Near them, a thin wire coil peeks out, meant to support tomato plants but perfect for her use. She also snags a pair of rusted pliers, the metal firm in her grasp.

By the time she returns, Pope and John B are still deep in thought, frowning at the artifact, which they think might suddenly reveal its secrets if they stare hard enough. Or magically mold back together.

Sofia squeezes into a spot at the table next to Pope, setting her beer down with a quiet clink. She takes another swig before plucking up two diagonal fragments, turning them over in her hands.

Pope glances at her, brow furrowed. "What are you doing?"

She doesn't answer immediately, instead unwinding a portion of the wire—probably more than she needs—and cutting the end with the pliers. With a steady hand, she aligns the pieces, slipping the wire around, twisting and tying, and adjusting until the pieces hold. She carefully and deliberately works on the other two when it makes sense.

Finally, she leans back and holds it up.

Pope takes it from her hands, inspecting how the thin wire wraps around the carved stone, holding it together with delicate percision. A slow smile creeps onto his face. "Where in the world did you learn that?"

John B gives a low whistle, tipping his bottle toward her in approval. "Nice."

She shrugs, taking another sip of her drink. "Sometimes, I make earrings and necklaces for friends and family. Thought maybe it might be a great, albeit larger than needed, pendant of sorts."

Pope dangles the larger than needed necklace of sorts in the air. "Very rapper of you," Pope jokes, grinning.

She and John B laugh at the off branded comment.

"This is amazing," Pope adds sincerely, turning the pendant over in his fingers. "Thanks."

"No problem."

John B stretches his arms over his head before nodding toward the pendant. "You think this thing is still needed?"

Pope hesitates, then shrugs. "We technically haven't needed to use it yet. But it doesn't hurt to hold onto.”

Sofia studies the artifact, feeling its weight in the air. "What do you think this all leads to?"

"I hope something worthwhile," Pope says after a moment. "I don't know. We've seen a lot in our time. I'm ready for something more, I guess."

Sofia hums in understanding, then asks the question that lingers in her mind. "And Groff?"

John B grimaces. "Groff thinks whatever this is, it's worth the chase. Even after we took it out from under him. Kiara wants revenge, and I guess Rafe is still after his money."

"We won't know until we know," Pope says firmly. "We're still in this regardless. We just need to stick together."

Sofia nods, letting his words settle between them.

There's a beat of silence before John B smirks, leaning forward with a playful gleam in his eyes. "Y'know, Sofia, if this artifact-hunting thing doesn't work out, you might have a future in jewelry-making. Could be the next Cartier."

She rolls her eyes, laughing despite herself. "Oh yeah, because that's exactly what I aspire to be."

Pope grins, tossing an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, I'd buy from you."

Sofia shakes her head with a chuckle, feeling the tension ease. Laughter something she willingly seeks out as of now.

__________________

His sister shoots him a soft smile before following John B up the stairs, disappearing for the night. Kiara had already retired earlier, and Pope and Cleo linger only briefly, finishing up in the kitchen, their quiet conversation blending with the faint clinking of dishes.

Sofia laughs softly at something Cleo says. The sound twists something deep in his gut. Jealousy. He used to make her smile like that and laugh without hesitation. But tonight, all she's given him are short glances and wary hazel eyes.

Fuck.

She bids the couple goodnight, her voice light but distant, before turning toward the stairs, ready to disappear like the rest.

"Sofia," he tests.

She halts at the first step, turning just enough to regard him.

"If you need anything, just let me know," he offers, his voice steady but uncertain. "I can grab it for you, so you don't have to come back down."

Her eyes analyze him carefully. Still guarded.

He knows his offer is selfish—some desperate attempt to keep her near, even for a moment longer—but the meaning stands. Should she ever need anything, he'd be there.

He's sticking by her.

She nods curtly, blinking. "Thanks, but I think I'm good."

He nods. Finality in Sofia's tone. He stares down at his hands, wringing between his knees, before her voice hits his ears.

"Good night, Rafe."

His head snaps just in time to catch her retreating form, the soft patter of her footsteps carrying her away.

He exhales. "Night, Sof."

Sleep doesn't come quickly. But at least tonight, Rafe gets more than the night before.

__________________

Next part: Chapter 20

[cortegiania]

this is going to be a bit long, but i read your criticism tags under my gifsets, and i realized how much our views align. i also find it odd how neil jordan didn’t lean into exploring cesare’s self serving machiavellian nature, especially how he manipulated his father and gaslit his brother after double-crossing him during the battle of forlì to push his own agenda. the whole thing was both a betrayal of the family (despite his proclamations of devotion) and an act of deceit, yet it was largely overlooked. even his murder of juan was fundamentally part of his descent into darkness (as jordan and françois discussed in the dvd features).

anyway, while this doesn't take away his misdeeds which anyone with critical thinking would notice, the narrative of the show also doesn't help by glossing over cesare’s darker actions, sometimes at the expense of other characters but especially juan. juan wasn’t truly a villain within the family. at his core, he genuinely believed he was acting in their best interests. while it’s true that some of his methods were cruel and extreme stemming from his desire to prove himself and validate his role through misguided beliefs—they were sometimes influenced by his own twisted emotions (like the killing of paolo being not just about protecting lucrezia’s honor but also about psychosexual jealousy and wounded pride).

that being said, juan shaped up and strived for self betterment upon his return from spain, even trying to make amends with lucrezia (though to no avail). yet the narrative unfairly painted him in his final episode as a loose cannon who needed to be put down (something the actor himself highlighted when expressing confusion about the sudden massacre of his character with no build up). his heartfelt speech about being in pain all his life and wanting harmony was like a saving grace. it just raises the point that jordan didn’t have faith in the audience when it came to cesare. he let cesare walk unscathed through the narrative by portraying him in an overly sanitized manner compared to others. which i find mindboggling because the audience was already devoted to cesare’s character and françois’s portrayal and they would have absolutely remained invested even without whitewashing cesare’s actions. to me, cesare feels inauthentic as an individual when his characterization relies on nerfing other pivotal characters to make him stand out (oakes saying cesare always having the writing on his side). this is also why i prefer cesare as a more dynamic character, especially in the context of his relationship with lucrezia, who is the most compelling part of cesare’s character.

my criticism of the show comes from a deep love for it. i’m so attached to the characters and how passionate the actors were about their roles and the story. but for a show about the pope and his children wrapped in murder, poison, incest and sexual scandal, jordan sure did hesitate to fully commit to its sacrilegiousness, especially since most of us clearly weren’t watching for conventional morality. ironically, while jordan tried to make cesare sympathetic, he unintentionally made him the opposite with his coldness, self-absorption, and his almost complete lack of compassion (except in his moments with lucrezia, where his warmth stands out). his desires, being solely tied to power and ambition, didn’t help either and limited his emotional depth. meanwhile, despite the show’s attempts to make juan despicable and dump cesare’s historical misdeeds onto him, juan ended up being the more relatable brother because of the complexities given to his character. his genuine desire for a sense of belonging, his great fear of not being loved by his family rather than of dying and his greater self awareness made him a more raw and human character. credits to david oakes for his own approach to the character (who was initially intended to be a one dimensional plot device for the lead brother), and also fair credit to neil for allowing david the freedom to improvise.

it just raises the point that jordan didn’t have faith in the audience when it came to cesare. he let cesare walk unscathed through the narrative by portraying him in an overly sanitized manner compared to others. which i find mindboggling because the audience was already devoted to cesare’s character and françois’s portrayal and they would have absolutely remained invested even without whitewashing cesare’s actions.

my criticism of the show comes from a deep love for it. i’m so attached to the characters and how passionate the actors were about their roles and the story. but for a show about the pope and his children wrapped in murder, poison, incest and sexual scandal, jordan sure did hesitate to fully commit to its sacrilegiousness, especially since most of us clearly weren’t watching for conventional morality.

despite the show’s attempts to make juan despicable and dump cesare’s historical misdeeds onto him, juan ended up being the more relatable brother because of the complexities given to his character

you said it all perfectly. at the time, i was also hugely critical of the show on my personal blog which got me some hate mail and blocks lol. but, like yours, my criticism has always stemmed from love for the show itself. my passion for the borgias, historical and fictional, defined a whole chunk of my life. i wanted it to be better.

part of it came from the fact that i expected the borgias to be like the tudors, which almost never had a cookie-cutter approach with its many characters despite the fact that virtually all of them were at odds with each other. they all got to be sympathetic to an extent and also incredible pieces of shit at the same time, and seeing them fall got to be both satisfying for some reasons and tragic for others. i believe that's the best way to make good storytelling, and it's no wonder the better seasons of game of thrones were handled like that.

the sake of storytelling aside, what i truly hate is when someone's writing takes sides to the point of becoming manipulative or at the very least too transparent, especially in a historical drama that's based on true events. i don't want to be spoon fed or played with. and the issue with the borgias is, not only was cesare justified or exempted from actions that are historically pinned on him, but some of his more egregious actions or less pretty moments, such as sleeping with his little brother's wife, killing lucrezia's lover, threatening caterina sforza's son, syphilis, were transferred to juan, who as a result was unnecessarily villainised for no reason other than the presumed necessity to make cesare not only more sympathetic, but also..... healthier? what the hell was that? what purpose did that serve?

add to all this that his character completely changes between seasons with no reasonable explanation, and the writing gets even lazier. to be honest, i don't believe neil jordan actually had a long term plan for this show at all. he certainly couldn't make the transition from season 1 to season 2 seamless at all.

i also hated that juan didn't get a proper background. the little insight we have is certainly sold by david oakes's talent, but we never learn anything about juan's wife, his life in spain, how he even got sick. rodrigo, who let's face it isn't the sharpest pencil on the show nor a particularly consistent character, is the only person to mourn him on screen. which is funny if you consider giovanni was most likely named after him.

of course, juan does get some compassion. neil jordan wasn't completely heartless about him. but because his death had to feel like a liberaton, that compassion is never allowed to outweigh the sense of relief of knowing baby giovanni is safe, lucrezia is happy and cesare is now just vaguely morally gray anti(?)-hero who saved the whole family from tragedy and disaster.

there was no sensible reason for the writing to be this unbalanced, bending historical record to narrative biases and sacrificing literally everyone on the altar of cesare and lucrezia's relationship. anyone with an ounce of critical thinking had to see it. in fact, david oakes himself shared post of mine where i was ironically complaining about his characterisation, saying it made him giggle.

i think maybe if the show were to come out today it wouldn't be written like that. it was one of the last early 2000s-style instances of biopic writing which probably would have served as an excellent oscar bait in like 2001.

[sugarlesswriting]

After the leak for the new Batman issue came out I've seen some Batman fans make some.... choice opinions.

Be to be fair they always have some... choice opinions.

Like guys idk how to tell you but the writing is not making him the good guy here. It's like the whole Tower of Babel incident and how fans misinterpreted the plot.

Some of the things that I have read and made me roll my eyes

'Jason deserved it.'

He did in fact not deserve to be mind fucked because he decided to work with Selina. Batman made him a god damn agoraphobic. We see him sitting down, in a prison cell, trying to convince himself to get up but can't because he is in so much fear. Have you guys ever been in a position where you know you need to move but can't because your anxiety won't let you? Let me tell you it sucks and I know that this is fiction but it just rubs me the wrong way to see how people treat this situation. (Probs because that type of anxiety hit to close to home)

'Bruce has been betrayed by his entire family so of course he's going to fight them.'

Shut up. Just shut up. We all know that it's Zur en arrh that's making him think that what he's doing is rational but no it's not. The writing shows that he is not in the right for doing so. Reading comprehension is nice and you guys would be lucky to have it.

'Selina's a dumb whore and Tini Howard is the one who made this plot happen.'

Selina's plan is dumb but your misogyny is just POPING with that one. And you guys know how I feel about people saying Howard forced the Selina plot. No Editorial told them that they wanted an event with the batfamily because it would sell a good amount of comics. That's what these events are for. Please, guys, you have to understand how marketing works. Comics have been doing this for a long time.

I feel the same way when fans bitched about Tom King and how he ruined the wedding. No editorial ruined the wedding because THEY WANT TO SELL COMICS 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻. (And this is said by someone who also doesn't vibe with Kings Batman)

I just think Zdarsky had more to work with when it came to the plot because he wanted to continue his Zur arc. Idk if Howard had anything to bring with Catwoman, but if someone who's read her work let me know if she could have done something else (genuinely curious not being a jerk lol)

I also find the premise of the batfam going against Bruce himself interesting. I just think it's neat. I liked to see how everyone reacted to what Bruce did to Jason. Like, when Dick came down HARD when he found out about Jason. How he was about to just beat the shit out of Bruces face even if he passed out. Dick had to be stopped by Tim who was trying to be the voice of reason. Damien was ditched by Bruce and we had the moment with Tim hugging Damien and telling him it's going to be okay. Then you have Bruce slightly coming back to his senses by throwing the batarang down for Dick to use.

Was the Selina vs Bruce a bait and switch to what the actual war was going to be? Because the Gotham war that involves the batfam going up against a Batman who's a danger to himself and others is a plot that I like.

[explodingchantry]

There is something I've been thinking about that I want to mention in The Anders Essay, as I've been calling it - about how da2 specifically doesn't give you as much say in your companions' fate as you usually tend to expect.

Whilst Dao lets you make one of your companions king, or impregnate another, and whilst inquisition lets you turn either a companion or an advisor into the fucking pope, or decide whether or not a companion kills their entire company or gets exiled from their country.... Da2 doesn't give you quite as much of a choice.

You don't even get to truly choose your sibling's fate. It's only a choice if you know in advance what happens if you take them to the deep roads or not. What happens to them is a consequence of your actions, sure, but it isn't necessarily a "choice" in the way you would expect.

No matter what you do, Merrill will work on that eluvian using blood magic. Your decisions will only change how she feels about you and what happens with her clan. No matter what you do, Aveline will become captain of the guard. I'll admit I've never purposefully tried to ruin her thing with Donnic but I would be surprised if you can genuinely get them to not end up together.

The elephant in the room is that you can choose to give Fenris back to Danarius and you can choose to give Isabela to the Qunari. And I think it's.... Interesting.... How the two companions of color are the two that you can... Basically sell off......

But... Trying to... Ignore... That... As much as one can ignore the uh, very... Let's say misguided writing choices here - it's INTERESTING. like it is an overt decision to take this control away from you. And in my opinion, it's mostly a good thing.

Da2 faces a lot of backlash for restricting your agency and not really giving you a choice in the role you play. You can customize your Hawke but you will always remain a human with two siblings and a dead mage dad. Your mom will always die. Etc. And of course it does kind of suck, but it also really reinforces how personal da2 feels in a way. I don't know. That part is definitely biased on my part because I love da2 so much and love Hawke to bits lol

But either way - not giving you as much control over your entourage's fate does feel like a deliberate choice since it's much different from what you can do in the games that came both before and after da2. And honestly, it makes sense? I don't know, I'm always left feeling a bit strange when I realise how much control I have over characters whom I'm not playing in choice based rpgs like this. In truth it's basic ludonarrative dissonance: a way that the medium of video games actually hurts the realism and sometimes impact of a story. But da2 takes a very deliberate step in taking away your control in a way that works both to disempower you the way hawke would feel disempowered, but also to make your companions and the rest of the characters feel like their own people.

I'm thinking of it ofc because: no matter what you do, Anders will blow up that Chantry. And as much as I criticize bioware for a lot of their writing esp around Anders, I really, REALLY appreciate this. It was something he believed in, something he decided to do. And he did it because it made sense for his character, without any chance for you to talk him down from it because it's a choice HE made independently of you, because he's his own person and because his convictions are that strong. Da2 would be a worse game if you could talk Anders out of blowing up the chantry both because it would obviously remove its final act but also because it would immediately flatten and rob Anders' character and his agency.

And I think this also ties into why people do feel as betrayed as they do when Anders does it - we're used to having more control over our companion characters in choice based rpgs. If you were playing Bg3 and Astarion decided to ascend no matter what you did or said before, you would feel betrayed. Perhaps less if he always made his intentions clear AND never gave you the opportunity to talk him out of it. But still, you would feel betrayed BECAUSE you weren't given a choice. Because you're so used to having a choice.

I think in analysis of dragon age 2, more time should be given to this very specific decision bioware made, to take away your agency over characters who aren't yours (and obvs also the one who Is, supposedly, yours). I think it's a fascinating choice.

[futuremrscameron]

https://www.tumblr.com/futuremrscameron/773247130308657152/foxy-and-pope-are-really-each-others-foils-hold

Could you expand on this (if you haven’t already ofc) bc I could see pope having a bit of secret hero worship of foxy bc she’s essentially what his parents would want for him - a black kid that made it out of the cut through her intellect. I would assume apprehension of her and her motives would probably take precedent till she distances herself from the Camerons.

But foxy is interesting bc though she “made it out” like pope is expected to, the class and race discrepancies within the obx universe is so steep that even she is still a bit at the whim of the kooks that she comes into contact with. She lowkey reminds me of the pet to threat phenomenon that a lot of black women face in the work place. Also I see them being parallels in the sense that both seem to be stuck in a cycle with people they care for but will never fully get them. This is probably more for foxy bc she’s never gonna really be “one of them” despite her proximity to ward. While I do think the pogues genuinely love pope (and now he has Cleo), there’s always going to be a fundamental disconnect with him being a poor black kid. Roxy’s case is a mind fuck bc she’s likely filling a pseudo daughter role with ward and then a psychosexual role with rafe bc he’s… rafe.

It must be so insidious watching rafe melt that cross down for her as someone that’s been in pope’s position. Everyone always focuses in on the jj/rafe beef but rafe seems to have an almost pathological need to humble pope. Hell, though it wasn’t under altruistic motives, even Ward was side eyeing rafe for melting what was something special. I feel like people over look that piece bc it would lead to the uncomfortable convo of like hmm why does rafe act so weird with pope (and by extension kie). Lowkey can’t even blame them bc the show doesn’t even go there fully.

*tangent but I wish we got more about what pope would’ve done if this whole treasure hunt didn’t derail things. We get the scholarship piece and we get that running gag in s1 of him wanting to be a coroner/interested in death. That’s a pretty niche profession and his parents seem like very practical people, like how did he come to that? But that immediately gets dropped and only seemed to be played for laughs/to drive home he’s a bit weird. I would’ve loved for that to be tied to the cross. Possibly a supernatural element of him feeling connected but not knowing just yet*

Anyway I’m sorry this is long 💀 just my two cents ❤️☝🏽

i talk about rafe's anti-blackness and how he treats pope and kiara here and here

(so glad you asked, i've been meaning to follow up on this)

foxy is a "success story", she's the first in her family to finish college and for the heywards she's proof that smart black kids can "make it out" if they work hard. bobby and cara are always telling pope that he should be more like her, pope hates when his parents do this but he does thinks she's cool. "anomaly" is the best way to describe how pope views foxy, she's successful and living the life that most in the cut can only dream of but she looks miserable.

whenever he sees her in the cut while she's visiting her family she looks so happy but in figure eight she seems cold and distant like she's wearing a mask of indifference to hide the anger and grief she feels. the figure eight residents and the camerons aren't special she's met hundreds if not thousands like them her whole life so their comments on her intelligence, appearance, and qualifications don't bother her as much.

she gets more homesick as the seasons go on but like pope she feels like she can't "fail" because it would spit in the face of everything their families have sacrificed for them. she sees herself in pope and wants to stop him from repeating her mistakes so she unofficially takes him under her wing. they both know the hard truth that it doesn't matter they never truly "make it out", it's a change of scenery (and economic status) with the same problems. sure they're not struggling to make ends meet anymore but they're still the other™️

her relationship with the camerons is all over the place; hostile (rose/rafe), sexual harassment (rafe), emotionally manipulative (ward), mutual understanding (sarah), babysitter (wheezie)

rose sees her as a threat and thinks she's full of herself. rafe, i go into depth about how his brand of white guy treats black women they're attracted to here and he's lucky they're not coworkers cause he'd be reported to HR. he's not hostile like rose is, constantly (turning her nose up at her and questioning her qualifications) but he doesn't invade her space, give unwanted compliments, and remind her of her position when she "steps out of line". he also sees her as extra competition for ward's affection which fucks with him almost as bad as sarah getting all his attention cause she's an "outsider".

ward has treated her like a psuedo daughter since she started working for him. he's the type of white boss to say he sees potential in her and blur professional boundaries but the moment she undermines him or surpasses him here comes the strict no nonsense boss and cold distance (i know some people don't think ward is a master manipulator, just a father trying his best but i call bullshit he knows what he's doing, basically pitted all his kids against each other for his love and affection) sorry for the tangent. even when foxy seems to finally be free from their grasp when she quits, they still find a way to drag her back in (trying to stop rafe from melting the cross, helping an injured ward)

rafe melting the cross down was probably the most racist thing he did in that show, tied with hate criming pope. she's been helping pope with the legal aspects of finding and reclaiming the pope so when she finds foxy feels responsible even though she tried to stop him and it acts as her final straw. she's especially broken up about it cause she knows pope was doing this for his family/ancestors, it's about keeping their memory alive and making sure they're not written out of history not for thr money or recognition. in this universe she's the one to tell pope and tells him she will defend him in court if he kills him and gets caught.

"rafe seems to have an almost pathological need to humble pope"

his beef with pope is purely racist despite what others (white rafe fans) want you to believe. he jumped pope for no damn reason, if he really wanted to get revenge for topper he would've beat up jj, pope had nothing to do with it and i don't think rafe is emotionally intelligent enough to hurt pope to get to jj (emotionally/mentally). literally told him to stay on his side of the island and to know his place, whether the creators and writers realize it or not.

he was late to the hunt for the cross but it is not a coincidence that he and pope were after the same thing at the same time (i believe the writers knew what they were doing to some extent) and when he later melts it down sure it was to spite his dad and prove his worth to him but he was also glad to get one up on pope you can't tell me it wasn't. he knew at that point that the cross was a historical artifact and rightfully belongs to pope and his family.

the writers don't care enough about the black characters to even consider the implication of melting a cross that belongs to a black family. i truly believe their knowledge of racial dynamics maxes at "racism bad." no thoughts about the many microagressions from rafe or what it means to have the camerons live on a plantation so i don't expect them to understand or care about pope's character and why he wants that scholarship so bad (feels he needs to get out but suffocating under the pressure) or explore his home life or interests or drives or the xenophobia directed at cleo by that random kook guy in s4

(sorry i was all over the place i hope i answered this to your satisfaction i really loved this ask)

[thequietkid-moonie]

NSFW headcanons w/ Fafnir

[ Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid / Kobayashi san no chi maid dragon ]

⚠️ +18, This contain sexual themes, feel free to dont read if it makes you uncomfortable

The idea of how he would definetly bite his partner poped in my head and then I just couldn't stop myself from writing this

Hehe

Fafnir can be someone dificult to deal with, he normally doesn't express himself directly or simply let himself get a bit carried by his dragon side, but, at the end, he genuinely tries to be a good boyfriend once you two get together (in his own way, of course)

Fafnir is not the best at being affectionate, he normally just shows the love and care he holds for you in his own way, thats also why it isn't always easy to turn him on or convince him, still he is quite prideful and possesive so he can easily be trigger by jealousy. In any case, once Fafnir is turned on there is nothing that will stop him to take you

Its more likely that Fafnir will be the dominante one, its just him following his desires and insticts, but if you manage to take some advantage and stay on top of him before he can fully grap his mind around what is happening he will just end up giving up and follow what you say, he can be a bit grumpy when this happen and even act a little bratty but it never take him too long to simply give up and start behaiving in hopes to get lost on the pleasure

Normally Fafnir isn't slow nor gentle, once he is turned on he doesn't take much before getting what he wants, specially when feeling irritated and jealous, he tents to take that on you but, somehow, he is actually good during sex so there is not doubt that despite being a bit harsh you will completely enjoy it too

Despite everything, Fafnir prefers to don't do it when having little time and in a rush because he likes to take his time to appreciate your naked body, he is quick to get in the act but at the same time he slowly appreciate your whole body, passing his hands trought your skin, licking your skin before biting and kissing you, he takes time to play with the rest of your body almost devotedly without even losing the rythm on his hips

Fafnir is possesive, he wants to leave as much marks on your body as posible and, honestly, he doesn't mind at all if you do the same, you are more than welcome to do so since for him is just another way to show off that you are his and he is yours (not that he will actually let anyone see those marks, he is possesive to the point that he won't like anyone seeing those marks, neither in his body or yours)

Fafnir will hate for anyone to see you two in such state, that sight is only for his eyes and his eyes alone, however if you want it he wouldn't mind doing it all around your shared house, in the bedroom, while taking a bad, the living room, whenever you want to do it, when he is turned on he won't really care where it is as long no one else will see you nor hear you

It gives him a weird sense of pride leading you to the orgasm so even if you are the one dominanting he needs to pleasure you somehow, you are his and he must take good care of you after all. Also, he has a high stamina and strength so he can last for quite a while, he won't stop until you and him are fully satisfied, more than once one of you probably end up overestimulated and in tears but he doesn't really care, the important here is reaching the clímax together

Even once you two have reached the climax Fafnir take a moment to stay still and try to catch his breath before even trying to move, staying in the same position a little longer before separating just before laying at your side and hold you close, even if his mind is blank right now his possesiveness quickly kick in again, making him imediatly try to cover you with his arms or even the blanket, he doesn't want anyone seeing you like this after all

[golbrocklovely]

I need to know what you thought of Colby and Malia's costumes (once all of them are out, ofc lol)

this is an old ask

of course, anon. i gotchu lol

everything will be in the keep reading since i included pics

tin man and dorothy

this one was really cute imo. i know there were some ppl up in arms about malia wearing a sexy version of this costume bc "dorothy is a child in the movie" and to that i say.... she's not real. she's a fictional character. sexualizing a person that isn't real shouldn't upset you. if you genuinely are upset about something like this, you must have a very easy life or a lot of time on your hands. but that's just me

his costume is surprisingly really good. i would have never thought he would wear face makeup and the whole nine for the costume. the only downside is the shoes.

also if we were gonna go off the lore of the movie, really he should have been the scarecrow but i digress lol

overall rating: 3.9/5

there's a couple little things here and there that i would have changed, but overall a great start.

possessed priest and nun

imma be so forreal i never in a million years would have thought a, that he would dress like this or b, that ppl would be so upset about it lol

i literally got my degree from a catholic university, so i've known quite a few catholics in my time. the actual and current pope came to my university, and blessed a statue on campus. once everyone was allowed back on campus, students touched, groped, and made out with the statue bc the pope touched it.

safe to say in my own personal opinion, catholics do more harm to their own religion than those "mocking" it lmao

if you are catholic and upset by this, whatever. feel how you want. if you don't believe in catholicism, your opinion is invalid. sorry. don't care.

that being said, i genuinely like this costume. it's a little basic, sure. but i think it's fun. also the fact that everyone got upset at it makes me kinda like it more, just out of spite lol and as someone who has always loved gothic shit, this is right up my alley.

overall rating: 5/5 iconic bc of how many ppl were pissed about this lmao

big bad wolf and little red riding hood

again, as i've established, being offended over the "sexualizing" of a fictious character is weird. not only that, but i genuinely don't think i've ever seen a little red riding hood costume for adult women that wasn't sexy in some capacity. if your gripe is that, that's a whole different argument to be had. but yelling at malia for wanting to dress in clothes like this isn't really what we're talking about then.

all that being said, this costume sucks lol

his looks so weirdly bad. when he talked about dressing up as this, i was excited to see it, but it looks like an off broadway version of cats in the worst way. maybe more like a community theater production of it. and hers is... fine? that's barely a cape and would have been better if it was an actual full length one.

overall rating: 2/5 just bleh

sexy nerds/professor and student???

look, this one i can understand ppl actually being upset about lol personally i don't like teacher student costumes. it's weird.

HOWEVER, the one leeway i will only slightly give is that without the briefcase (which we didn't even see until well after they wore this costume) i would have thought they were just dressed as nerds. which is basic and boring enough. but with the briefcase, he looks like a teacher. which then i can understand the frustration from.

but he didn't wear the briefcase out, so imma just say they were nerds.

and that doesn't change how i feel about this costume which is that it's BORING. if you take off one piece from your costume, and you basically look like you're wearing regular clothes, you're not wearing a costume. like if they took off their glasses, i would just think they are dressed differently than they usually would. i wouldn't think they were in a costume. so....

overall rating: 1.9/5 try harder next time

hefner and a playmate

this was fine. i didn't hate it or love it. idk how the hell malia can wear so many lingerie sets as costumes and not feel even the slightest bit cold or exposed. but hey, if i had a body like hers, i too would be showing it off lmao

overall rating: 3/5

nathan drake and lara croft

i love this one. and the reason i do is bc colby has wanted to dress up as this with a partner for YEARS. literally talked about it in 2019 so you know he's been dying to do this.

and they both look so good. personally, i would have liked if he had pushed his hair back or maybe a little less guyliner lol but this is definitely my favorite costume

overall rating: 5/5

[catholic-character-tournament]

Round 1 - Resurrect Bracket (Losers Bracket) Side A

ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to [make it to the finals]

Propaganda below ⬇️

Temenos

so his whole thing is he's an inquisitor who is just fundamentally bad at being a priest on account of he does things like forgetting scripture and not being able to help but doubt the institution which gets everyone hes ever cared about killed. he's gay. he says shit like "careful, i bite". he's in yuri with a holy knight. he's one of my favorite characters and i want to beat him over the head with a cast iron skillet

fucked up gay little cleric who was supposed to grapple with the fact that the institution he serves is corrupt except he has been in doubt from the very beginning and very clearly doesnt put much stock in the scripture hes made it his lifes work to preach. hes kinda a freak with it. every line he speaks is said with the cadence of a gay guy checking under his nails while ignoring you as he talks. i have to hit him with mallets and shatter him into pieces.

This man is the world's worst clergyman. He's a high ranking member of the holy inquisition, but nobody respects him and he mostly just uses his position to investigate random murders for fun. He regularly forgets how the bible goes and little kids have to correct him on how the plot goes of the jrpg equivalent of jesus's resurrection. He has a holy knight for a boyfriend. He tortures people for information any other character can just ask for. His best friend out of the rest of the main 8 is an assassin and gang member. He tries to get people to commit crimes with him. His story is about uprooting the corruption in his church and killing high ranking church members and also Literal Fucking Jrpg satan. He regularly blasphemes and everyone around him looks in horror as he shouts at god and encourages people to become atheists. His catchphrase is "doubt is what I do." He is still somehow the most devout character in the entire game despite being a total fuck up of a cleric who does not deserve to be here whatsoever. Pls let him win it'd be SO FUNNY

Hes genuinely just the funniest guy. Very little about his story has to do with the faith but like. He routinely roasts the entire pantheon of in-universe gods. He beats people up (metaphorically of course) as one of his main game mechanics. He got stamped as the resident gayboy SO fast. His starliner definitely has higher intelligence than wisdom even though clerics use wisdom. Every chapter he appears in he solves a mystery by zoning out so hard his god blesses him with extremely vivid hallucinations. He's so deeply fucking traumatized. One of his battle skills is fully just beating his enemies up with his staff. He ends up defunding the police. He can very casually become a thermonuclear bomb but in a very holy way. His best friend is a 23-year-old assassin that exclusively calls him "Detective". Is he Catholic (ish)? Yeah, but he certainly doesn't always act like it.

He constantly commits heresy and doubts the gods but is still the not-Pope's right hand man

Listen, imagine you'd go to church and your priest gets roasted by kids for forgetting how the bible goes. That's him, canonically even. He's like if a redditor who wants to be a detective was cosplaying as a holy man. He's someone whose whole thing is doubting the gods and the church, to the point where he makes another person question his faith too, even though he is technically The holy man. He's absolutely unhinged and gay. He's 30 years old and absolutely does not look like it. He's traumatized, and cannot be sincere and honest about his feelings even once. He should go to therapy actually. Like desperately. For his sake and everyone around him.

he is from the faith but he doubts everything around him to find the truth through it........ also i'd like to see him torment the crotchety priest i had to do a face-to-face confession with in high school. it'd be funny.

FATHER BROWN BUT MAKE HIM GAY AND PLAGUED BY TRUST ISSUES. This man will forget his own sermons, beat people up for infos and, at the same time, gets to be the fantasy equivalent of a youth pastor. He somehow manages to be the most unhinged person in a party that includes a vengeful math professor who can and WILL mug people. He might not be the most devout Catholic of them all, but he is definitely the *funniest* one. Give it up for the world's shittiest priest!

i’m gonna be honest temenos is a TERRIBLE catholic but he’s funny and i love him. he also has a weird gay thing going on with a paladin it’s great.

Link

Well, maybe not specifically catholic. But behold, OFFICIAL ART: https://cdn.wikimg.net/en/zeldawiki/images/a/ab/LinkPraying.png

in the original legend of zelda game there’s a bible (localized to the book of magic due to nintendo of america’s guidelines), a cross in the adventure of link, and in a link to the past, there’s art of him kneeling in front of a crucifix. hyrule has its own religions but there are undeniable christian roots.

[allthedamnlove]

What’s something you’re looking forward to with Szn 5?

Ooooh good question

5) kie going batshit crazy for revenge...madison got stuck with the whacky ass partner ever (rudy my beef is not over with you) so I want kie to shine thru WITH NO MEN. NO MEN. IM SICK AND TIRED OF THOSE PSYCHO ASS SHIPPERS. NO. NO. NO.

4) popes future.....my man's has shot someone, has a arrest belt on him, left his parole and probably will go to the marines even if everything gets sorted out....I know cleo and pope are going to be strong as ever. But I'm invested in their individual lives

3) how grief is going to hit the pogues all at once. Jj was an integral part of the group and were going to see John b go through intense grief as he prepares himself to be a dad. Feels like the first half of obx5 is going to be serious as hell with all the death and heartbreak. Its going to be interesting how they navigate grief? Will they actually take revenge? Cuz if they do....then they all going to jail cuz they promised shoupe Groff alive....

2) Sarah's pregnancy and rafe and Sarah's reconciliation. I feel like since jjs gone, in obx5 the pates will try to include more scenes of them trying to rebuild their very broken relationship. Also since she's pregnant...rafe may (again may...cuz rafes such a wild card) be more protective of his one living blood family (I'm saying blood cuz sofias kinda his entire world).

Also there's this big storyline that the pates have touched and went in obx4 ep6...the merchant gold that rose has and wheezie....everything started because of the gold so I feel like rafe and Sarah may try getting atleast wheezie back. I don't even know how that storylines going to go

And obviously jarah my cuties they about to be parents.

1)Nowww the most most important thing that I'm desperately craving for in s5 is of course....rafe and Sofia. Atp they're kinda my main reason I'm even invested atp

There are so many routes where their story could go now since they deliberately shot the breakup scene so abrupt. Jonas said he's not done with them meaning we don't even know how is it going to go....I have a feeling that Sofia might be kidnapped by the mercenaries cuz I'm so confused on how Sofias dad, a pogue knew hollis a big shot realtor....I know I'm going on tangents but these are genuine questions that need to be answered

Also we have seen rafe angry crazy even sad but never heartbroken to the core. We are also going to see Sofia lose her love her fiancs, her job in a minute....the angst with the endgame is going to hit like crack to me

There's so much to unpack yet so little time...Will rafe show his past crimes and will Sofia not care about them. Will rafe try to overcome his insecurities of not being to announce that he doesn't care about kooks and pogues division and beg her to take him back....I'm that crazy that I'm thinking maybe Sofia can be pregnant when rafe comes back (again I'm so delulu so). I want them to get that angst with endgame soooo sooooo fucking bad you don't even know. I want him to beg, cry on his knees praying to her to take him back. I know I'm asking for too much but I want that wedding sooo bad. But I'm si scared that they're going to screw them over. If that happens jpates will see HELL NOT EVEN FUCKING JOKING

Alsooo drewfiona bts and the wrap parties, (praying to god SOO BAD THAT THEY DO PRESS TOGETHER) and premiere. If I see any pic of them together these coming months I may become a different person.

Hope that answers your question