#i will never forget this show but ill never forgive it either

[arakkiisuperstar]

[sku11s1asher]

idk if you do poly relationships but can you do a wrio and neuvi cuddle/movie night?

neuvillette & wriothesley x nb/male reader

notes: gulp… pretend i didn’t neglect yall for months! i had a rough patch mentally, but im now starting to get into writing again so yay!! ill post an apology for you guys, make up sex or whatever you guys want idk im on my knees begging for forgiveness 😓 ily (say it back)

cw: ooc wrio + neuv (or are they just in love?)

Neuvillette and Wriothesley, two of the hardest workers in Fontaine, at least in your opinion. Every time they came home, they were beyond tired, barely undressing themselves before joining you in bed at 1 in the morning, just to wake up in a couple of hours. The cycle was as tiring for you as it was for them, you rarely got to see your lovers, and when you did all you saw was them on the verge of passing out.

It wasn’t like they didn’t try to make it up to you though. When they got an off day, which was rare, they would always show you how much they loved you in different ways: sex, cooking, cuddling, dates, etc. Today was surprisingly one of those off days, you expected to wake up by yourself with just the leftover warmth from them next to you but instead, you woke up with a pair of arms wrapped around your waist. You let out a yawn as you opened your eyes, you could see a mop of black hair lying on your chest.

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion as you tried to sit up, only to get pulled back down. “Don't move.” a deep voice mumbled. “Wrio?” you asked in a sleepy voice, one of your hands going to rest in his hair. You looked toward the window, you noticed Neuvillete staring outside, drinking a cup of tea. You felt more confused than ever, why were both of them home? It's not like you were complaining about it, you were glad, just confused. It wasn't your birthday, nor either of theirs, and it most definitely wasn't your anniversary.

“What are you guys doing at home?” you asked Neuvillete while your hand subconsciously started petting Wriothesley's hair. “Have you already forgotten? I marked it in the calendar.” Neuvillette responded in an amused tone, slightly turning to look at you. He loved the way you looked when you first woke up, eyes all droopy, hair messy, that cute confused look on your face, how your voice dropped a bit, just everything about you. “I would never forget anything you said.” you lied while flopping back on the bed, and going back to sleep.

—

When you finally woke up, it was noon, there was still someone right next to you. A groan came from you as you pushed them away, you could tell it was Wriothesley by the way his deep voice said some complaint. “It’s 12 in the afternoon, I’m getting up.” You told him as you tried to get up, only to feel a hand grab your arm. “Five more minutes, please?” He begged, gently pulling you back. But before you could respond or he could open his mouth to try to persuade you anymore, the door to the bedroom opened, prompting the both of you to look towards it.

“Both of you need to get up,” Neuvillette spoke, “shower then come to the living room. The movies are ready, I'll start the popcorn when you both decide to join me.” Once he walked out, Wriothesley sat up in bed, prompting you to fall off him. You looked up at him as he rubbed his eyes, he looked so cute, almost like an actual puppy. You decided to get off the bed, stretching as you stood up, letting out a small groan. You walked to the dressers, grabbing a pair of sweatpants and clean boxers before heading to the bathroom. Halfway through your shower, the door opened and the sink turned on, you didn't have to look to know it was Wriothesley.

When you finally got out of the bathroom, you could hear popcorn popping which made you quickly go to the living room. It looked like Wriothesley made Neuvillette his new cuddle victim, the black-haired male had his head on Neuvillette's lap while his hands were lightly touching the other male's leg. “Hello, dear,” Neuvillette greeted you, turning his head towards you with a soft smile, “I’ll go get the popcorn then we can start the movies. Take a seat.” You made your way over to the couch, letting out a soft chuckle when you saw Neuvillette gently take Wriothesley off his leg. Wriothesley scooted over on the couch, pulling you into the spot next to him.

—

A bowl of popcorn was on the table in front of you, Wriothesley was lying across both your and Neuvillettes laps, while your head was leaning on Neuvillette’s shoulder. The movie that was playing was a random comedy that you weren't really focusing on. Instead, you were focusing on how Wriothesley was playing with your hand: lacing and unlacing it, squeezing it, making shapes on it, laying it on his stomach, all types of things. You slightly moved your head, getting a small glance at Neuvillette, seeing how he was engrossed in the movie. He looked so handsome from this angle, like a true angel. His hair was up in a ponytail, he had a relaxed look on his face which came with a slight smile, no makeup on, just looking amazing.

Neuvillette looked at you, gently moving your head to kiss you, “You stare a lot.” he teased before letting you go back to your previous position and turning his attention back to the movie. He always knew when to catch you off guard, he loved seeing the slight blush on your face and how your body got slightly warmer. A small chuckle came from Wriothesley, “This movie is pretty hilarious.” he stated, which made Neuvillette hum in agreement. “You laugh at the corniest shit, Wrio.” you teased, pinching his stomach. “Yeah, I always laugh at your corny jokes.” he countered which made you pout. “Rude,” you mumbled before finally turning your attention back to the movie.

You were on the fifth movie, the popcorn long gone but neither of you felt like moving to get more. You felt yourself start to get tired, slightly moving yourself to get comfortable before letting out a soft sigh. You felt content, your boyfriends had you practically trapped in between them, their scents surrounding you, and both of their bodies were warm, it was true heaven. You felt your eyes slowly start to close, you didn't feel like focusing on the movie anymore, or anything for that matter. Wriothesley was quiet, not making any comments or a chuckle anymore, which meant he was most likely knocked out. Right before you fell asleep, you felt Neuvillette’s head slightly drop on yours and heard his breathing even out. Looks like all of you are going to sleep on the couch tonight.

[smiledtothedog]

Some of you don’t want to hear this but Mathias hasn’t always been uwu baby protect at all costs 🥹, in seasons 1 and 2 he actually did some heinous shit just like every other character in this show, because that’s the point. They’re teenagers and they’re imperfect and they fuck stuff up. I’m not really vibing with the collective forgetting of everything Mathias did to Sara in regards to outing her mental illness/breakdown and literal stint in a psych ward to the whole town, basically, out of spite and without her consent, and then never apologizing or taking accountability for that. The fact that she was able to forgive him for that without any sort of apology is kind of a miracle tbh. Anyway the fact that we now see Mathias in a different light and feel the need to *gently hold* is a testament to character development and seeing him as a whole person with his own serious issues that are worthy of attention, and I think some other characters deserve that same grace.

The point being that no matter how bad you think Erik and Olivia sleeping together is, that doesn’t mean that either of those characters are going to be completely irredeemable because of it.

tl;dr none of these characters are supposed to be fully “good” or “bad” they’re just human teenagers except Felix, he fully sucks and can go die in a hole

[aziraphales-library]

Hi there!! Hope you’re having a good day-

I was just wondering if you had any recs for some exes-to-lovers aziracrow fics??

Specifically any that are longer and multi-chapt, or maybe any that are human aus?? Any rating is fine.

Thanks a lot!

Check out our #reunion tag for loads more fics like this! Here are more to add to the collection...

Come, They Told Him by madrabbitgirl [E]

Crowley is having the comeback of a lifetime. He's been through rehab, he's playing arenas again and he's at the top of his game. Sure, he's burned some bridges along the way but everyone loves a second chance, right? He's not going to screw it up this time. Except, his new drummer Newt has contracted food poisoning and he can't afford to cancel his big show. Thankfully, Gabriel knows a guy who is very familiar with Crowley's ... body of work. And Crowley gets another second chance he never saw coming.

Stronger Than Hurt by TawnyOwl95 [E]

Everything changed the summer that Crowley fell off the Eastgate's garage roof and broke his arm.

Fourteen years later he stood outside a tattoo shop with a picture of the drawing Aziraphale Eastgate had done on his cast, and hoped for a second chance.

First Thing In The Morning by FeralTuxedo (E)

Aziraphale Fell, erstwhile nerd, now successful fantasy author, is signing books at this year’s Heaven and Earth convention when he spots a red-headed man in the crowd. Someone he hasn’t quite been able to forget since his school days. And as luck would have it, Anthony Crowley, former troublemaker, now responsible adult, seems keen to reconnect.

Love, Syncopation, and Other Key Elements of Jazz by feathereddino (T)

The jazz duo of A.J. and Fell are an unstoppable force well into their mid-twenties, but when Crowley's illness causes the pair to step back from the spotlight, an enterprising music manager scoops up Aziraphale's career. Dazzled, Aziraphale will abandon all of his former life to be Gabriel's perfect star but lose himself and his happiness along the way. It would take a very steady and forgiving heart for someone to love him through it all... (An ode to that ridiculous hat that Michael Sheen wears... seriously, that's where this came from.)

Dark Literature by UnproblematicMe (E)

Anthony J. Crowley, part owner of a large publishing company, is not happy when his partners hire his ex-lover Aziraphale Fell as an editor. Aziraphale does not exactly find the situation ideal either, but he needs the job. The two former lovebirds have to set their problems with each other aside when something dark and old awakes in the building they work in.

~Mods N & D

[spenobis]

So like do the boys have cloaking brooches or do they go out in disguises like in the show? Also why don't they wanna watch Lou Jitsu movies?

:Abandoned AU:

The thing is, they don't know that a hidden yokai civilization exist at all, therefore, they do it the old fashion why- wear as much clothes as you can when going outside, that means wear a hat, a mask, with your big oversized hoodie up, and black gloves. It's not hard for them to blend in, and even if people did notice their green skin, a bump in their back, and raph's spikes.

People will not ask about it cus there's this thing called in society that people collectively agree with silently, that is "do not ask what that is or what happen because that is insensitive to do." Or if their is a few people who did ask about it, Carol, April, and the Boys will perform what is called "Make them uncomfortable." That means full on sadness and despair cus "I was born a wee lad, we never ask to be this way but oh golly gosh the world is cruel to me-" till they either try to now finish up that topic or try leaving the conversation.

Another trick is casually saying you have a very rare illness and if they ask that illness the turtles will say the most longest and hardest word to ever spell or pronounce "what's your illness?" "Oh! It's ihameturmothainlehousalasnightis" "....what?" Or they could just intimidate you, like full on twitter mode "why is you skin green?" "What? R u racist against green skin? MMMM??"

And the whole Lou jitsu thing? Well to summarize it up "Your former parent came on screen, you look away, you turn your volume off, and try to forget the moment he left through that door." For more information! Here!

https://at.tumblr.com/spenobis/abandoned-au-where-splinter-escaped-from-draxum/992rnq3mrtfx

https://at.tumblr.com/spenobis/abandoned-au-i-looked-up-to-you-he-shouted/2s9c789pgtbe

https://at.tumblr.com/spenobis/so-abandoned-au-mikey-he-would-forgive-lou/bf7oo84henq6

[ca-suffit]

How do you rationalize the violence of the characters on this show? Imo, it's easier when it's self defense or when they're just killing to feed, specially the latter since most are just extras and we don't get to know or be attached to those characters. But there are more complicated cases, including physical and psychological abuse and literally everybody has been the abused and the abuser at some point. Not to/with each other, but definitely other people. There is power imbalance in all of the dynamics. Some may forget that since they keep jumping through timelines where things are perfectly okay or they're closer to making amends and making up. And also because the actors are friends and have chemistry on screen (speaking about the whole cast, not any duo in particular). But technically all main characters have abused each other. Nobody is "safe". So, where to draw the line? Psychological abuse? Physical abuse? The severity of the action (like continuously torturing someone who can't respond or match your strength is definitely worse than one punch, for example)? The frequency of the action, like, as long as it happened once it's okay? When a character is still redeemable/forgivable giving the fact they are immortals, so, in theory, they have eternity to better themselves and see if they can make it work? Or should they all be narratively punished (end up alone, suffering, locked up, dead etc)? What are your thoughts? Btw, I'm genuinely asking. I've become obsessed with this show recently and I haven't been able to talk about it with a lot of people, but I have these questions in my mind. Personally, the more I think about it, the less I know, tbh. It's part of why I love the show and I'm asking, btw. I want to see if I reach some conclusion lol. P.S. I understand if you can't/don't want to answer and I'm sorry this got too long. And if you do answer, feel free to make it long as well if you want, even if you want to make comparisons, add interviews etc. I love reading people's takes hehe. Anywa, thanks!

I don't try to rationalize it tbh. I think that's a goal of the show and the original books as well. What are u supposed to do if u have to "endure" each other forever? What still holds meaning if ur all immortal, how do u have relationships, hobbies, not get bored? Especially when everyone is born from trauma and sometimes that trauma was yesterday and sometimes it was 1000 years ago or 5000 years ago from a society u don't understand at all. How do u bring together so many ppl like that and not erupt on each other?

Trauma and mental illness and whatever else is not always pretty. Violent reactions to things are common and, at least in a society where punitive justice is the norm, we get used to putting these things in these boxes. "u did this bad thing so now ur going to jail / hell." The eternal question of the VC books is where do vampires belong, anyway? Where do they go when they die and for what reasons? Anne Rice never gives a v clear answer on this and it's not just bcuz she wasn't a good writer, the point rly is to just ask the questions. We don't have these answers as humans now, we can't confirm or deny if there's an afterlife and whether these things we do matter for a "soul" or not. We create social rules for many reasons but even those are not actually built on the back of "justice" the way ppl are made to think they are.

I don't think these stories are asking u to find a true "good" or "bad" character or characters. I think we're just meant to watch their choices and reflect on them, reflect on our reactions to them. The fandom's desire for Louis to have done something to "deserve" the drop is all about racism and nothing else. They blame Claudia for "manipulating" Louis into killing Lestat bcuz a black girl is never allowed to be a victim either. She's not even a girl to them anyway, adultification of black girls is another angle they use all the time ("she doesn't look 14 to me!"). They'll say look what Louis did to goad Lestat into fighting him more but they'll never say look what Lestat did to hurt Claudia and push her to that point, as someone who was acting as her parent for most of their lives together. That's always "ooc Lestat." What's happening on screen is a rorschach test for us as the audience and as individuals.

Like I wrote, I don't believe in punitive justice, so I don't think long term these stories are going to focus on that much. The trial was a sham to begin with and Lestat was never "rly" dead or meant to be gone forever. They're going to hurt each other and isolate each other in different ways, but if the show wants to focus on any real character growth, it needs to focus on ways the characters can learn to understand each other instead of banishing / killing each other. Relationships take real work like this too. Anne Rice could never write any of this but I'm hoping the show does. Seeing Lestat have awareness of the pain he caused Louis and the reasons he did it fr was a step in the direction I was hoping the show would go. The big question *is* how does a relationship recover from that? For immortals? How will it make others feel too, particularly Armand, if Louis and Lestat get back together? Will Armand reflect on his own abuse too? They all have a lot in common and they all want to be loved. If that's brought out into the open and treated with kindness and understanding, then the desire to maim and kill each other will greatly diminish tbh. Everything these vampires do to each other originates from a place of personal pain, feeling unlovable. "love is a monster" is one of the taglines for a reason.

[tamaruaart]

YOU

Grant us your oc’s delicious lore, anything that comes to mind first-

Ah tysm for asking

(btw I apologize for this being long af 😔)

So I feel like I should prep this by saying before I figured out about LMK I was super into OPS's jttw series. So I made Zhao with the context of the book, and the book doesn't sugar coat things so Zhao's backstory is a bit uhhh, mature? There's no nsfw stuff but there is a lot, lot, loottt of angst (even though the backstory is kinda "simple"), so forgive me :'(

I did change up her backstory a bit for the LMK version because it is a kids show and I don't feel like the creators would stick with the dark tone of the original. Whenever I write OCs for sertant shows I try to write it with the context of "How would the creator tackle this if my oc was a Canon character?" Yk? You don't write a depressed, emo, Greek hero for a light hearted magical girl show.

So ye, this first segment will be her JTTW backstory sum-up and I'll note what is changed in the LMK version at the end👍

JTTW/original backstory(this is long, read at your own risk)-

-Zhao wasn't raised in the best household.. Not only was her father a total womanizer with 3 wives (at the time of her birth, by now he has 7) and who knows how many mistresses, but her elder family member were pretty verbally abusive. I mentioned before but Xiaotian and Biao-Qi (Zhao's father and grandfather) wanted Zhao to be born as a male because in their clan its essential for the first born of every generation to be a boy, so when they found out about Zhao being a girl they were really salty and thought of her as "The disgrace" of the family. (hence why Zhaoyan is a name generally given to Chinese boys, which yea Xiaotian is the type of douche-bag to chose the name of the child at the start of his marriage without the mothers approval)

-Zhao was the one basically raising her younger siblings because her parents couldn't be bothered to, Pangfua (Zhao's mom) couldn't even bare to look at Xiaotian's face so the last thing she cared for was some random children of him and his mistresses, and Xiaotian's other wifes didn't really care for the children either. However, Zhao ADORED her siblings because she was always good with little kids. But as time went on and on, with so many children coming in to the household she started getting tired, but what could she do? At the time she was barely a teenage girl, if she complained to her father she could legitimately be at risk to lose her head. Like I said, Xiaotian couldn't care less about Zhao, he doesn't give a damn if she likes taking care of her siblings or not.

-Eventually Zhao grew too tired of her family, and decided to leave. This might seem selfish but holy frick, the girlie felt like a maid, and it's not like she doesn't care for her family, it's that they couldn't care less about her. All of her siblings were old enough to take care of each other and the other family members treated them well, why shouldn't she be able to "go live her own life"?

- The first place she went was to a temple dedicated to the Chinese tiger spirit- Hu Ye. The reason she went to him specifically was because he was sort of the protector/symbol of Zhao's family (for context think about how Apollo was the protector of the Trojans in the Iliad), she prayed to him all night, she asked humbly to become a Jade Maiden that serves Guan Yin (because that was probably the best option. Also just so you have context- Hu Ye blessed the girls in Zhao's family with a healing gift. So basically they could heal any illness, wound, missing limb etc...). But to her surprise Hu Ye saw what she did as "unforgiving". You shouldn't leave your family who loves you so much, not cool >:( (cut him some slack tho, whenever to family would worship him they would make them self's seem like the most perfect people ever). And so in short he gave her flaming orange hair so she never forgets that she is a Tiger Maiden (bcz orange=tigers and he just be petty like that bro).

-Eventually she went to the woods but she was found by Lánhūa- a forest spirit. Lánhūa took pity on her and decided to take her in as one of her nymphs. Because Zhao had the healing gift she was a great addition to the palace Lánhūa lived in, Zhao was always the one making sure everyone was healthy and the worst someone suffered was a common cold, and even those wouldn't last long.

-However one day while she was collecting fruits for the palace she stumbled upon a strange noise near a mountain, she went to check what it was and wouldn't you have guessed its good ol' Sun Wukong. The pair fairly quickly became friends, Zhao would often tell him stories and keep him company and Sun (who was under that damn mountain for 346 years by the time he and Zhao met) would listen and tell her his life stories.

-At the early stages of the jttw Monkey actually did try and convince Zhao to come with him and the other pilgrims, she would be the one taking care of Tripitaka and making sure he stays healthy. Zhao refused at first but after some time she agreed. Her and Tripitaka were very close because they were both kinda the "sane ones" of the group and Zhao took her position very seriously. Sanzang eventually noticed that this was a bit weird considering how layed back the other pilgrims were, so he confronted her and Zhao opened up to him. And that's how I'd show her backstory in the book.

So in short: Girl leaves abusive family and prays to god, god makes her a ginger and she gets adopted by a hot forest spirit. A monkey befriends her and convinces her to give free health care to his friend **emotional**

Holy crap that took so long to write/ Notes on how her backstory would probably be changed in the lmk version:

In the lmk version I think they'd tone down how bad her family was just a bit, again it is a kids show. I think the start would generally be the same but that Hu Ye would grant her wish. But instead of a disciple for Guan Yin I think they'd change it into a Peach Maiden, so that she could meet the brotherhood and befriend Wukong like she did in the original backstory. They'd probably remove Lánhūa as well (because she is a very minor character in Zhao's backstory). So yea in short of what I think the creators of LMK would do with her character: -Hu Ye grants her wish of becoming a Peach Maiden. -Orange would be her natural hair color(bcz tigers woo). -I honestly think they'd give her a sort-of survivor's guilt because of the whole "leaving your family" thing instead of "Ama give u tiger hair so you never forget how you left your family >:(" -She meets the brotherhood through their lil' rebellion -Healing powers would probably be toned down a bit so there's still some risk

So ya-

Again thank you SO much for the question and thank you for coming to my Ted talk

[mikuni14]

Twins - Ep 10

So, I'm the type of BL series enjoyer, who can forgive a lot as long as the series gives me something in return and makes up for its issues with something else. Twins was a very silly show that I liked anyway because it made up for its dumbassery with other things. I really liked Twins a lot, in some way I still do, I LOVE SPRITE my babyboy, but what has been going on in this show for the last two episodes is beyond comprehension and is turning my hair gray. In general, I have the impression that the last two episodes were filmed just to somehow fill the time and wait until episode 11 OF DOOM, in which the shit will finally hit the fan. And it's very, very stupid, because Sprite could have confessed the truth to First in this episode, he could have spent the entire episode 11 regaining First's trust, and in episode 12 we could have had a happy boyfriends era, like they did in Laws of Attraction, for example 😶

Watching the last two episodes is actually painful because what's fun about watching First suffer? The worst thing is that Sprite SEES IT and DOES NOTHING ABOUT IT. THIS EPISODE HAD A FEW MOMENTS WHERE ANYONE WHO HAS A HEART WOULD JUST TELL HIMTHE TRUTH. The weirdest thing is that there is absolutely NO reason to continue this sick situation, the series, as far as I know, never explains it, apart from this being a Zee's whim, which everyone just agrees to, instead of smacking him on the head and telling him to get his shit together. That's why I don't understand and I can't forgive Sprite for what he's doing, because at this point he's putting himself, his fucked up family, and I don't know, Zee's volleyball career?? which I don't even know if he wants to continue?? instead of the guy he loves, who is worried, confused, hurt and probably a little scared. Nothing about this situation makes sense, what is the purpose of all this? What are the true intentions of Zee and Sprite? Do they want to continue this…. FOREVER?? omg lol

Moreover, simply pretending to be someone else, making someone fall in love with you by pretending to be someone else, having sex as someone else is simply morally unacceptable. I would understand it maybe in some life and death situation. This is NOT such a situation, they are just selfish and extremely stupid. And First could simply start to suspect that either Sprite or he himself is ill, hallucinating, or having a split personality, WHAT'S ROMANTIC ABOUT THAT??? Does Sprite really not know what Zee is like and what he is like towards First??? Doesn't Salmon know this??? Sprite is so worried about his relationship, he wants to be with First, he begs him to ignore his "strange behavior", but at the same time he forgets that Zee can destroy this relationship with ONE WORD. Gods, this pisses me off so much. Let's remember that these are students, technically they are adults. If each of them took 1 (one!!) minute to analyze this situation, they would realize how stupid what they are doing is. AND THAT THIS SITUATION HAS NO FUTURE. I was sort-of ok with the whole twins swap at first because I understand the convention of this series (although I hate this trope). But now it really doesn't make sense and is just TOO stupid!!

*screams*

The best thing about this ep is their date (when Sprite is like he was when I first fell in love with him, with his goofy, dumb smile and attitude) and the cross pendant dangling between their naked bodies as they have sex, which basically is a

✨poetic cinema✨

Also. Drunk sex. Really? Are we still doing this in my BLs? Ok, I'm not very strict about this, there are different situations, sex is not always perfect. But this is not a situation where someone is only slightly drunk, where the relationship is already "in progress", where both are attracted to each other and are aware of each other's attraction, and alcohol only somehow gives them a "boost". Sam was drunk to the point that he couldn't stand and he doesn't remember anything, wtf.

So. Twins. *screams*

[sophsun1]

No other episode is guaranteed to make me ugly sob within seconds than brian's father's death. god, i relate to it and brian so fucking much and gale's performance throughout and at the end always, always breaks me in half. The thing that pisses me off is people's reactions to children of abusive parents. You see it in the episode and in life in general wherein you're almost guaranteed to hear a version of "I'm sure they loved you in their own way/they didn't know how to show it/they had a bad childhood themselves/how the child should be the bigger person and forgive them/the classic, but! they! were! still! your! mother/father!"

As if just because you were born through no choice of your own that you end up owing them, you have to constantly forgive and forget, having to be the parental figure over and over and it fucking sucks.

What I appreciate about this episode is the writers actually show the two sides to the reality of being that child. It feels so human and relatable and I'm not just watching another episode of my favourite show, but I can look at it and say fuck, that's me I have felt that. On the one hand, you have people like Michael and Justin who comment regardless of what Brian's father did and how he treated him he was still his dad and it trumped any feelings of hurt Brian had over it. The simple "blood is thicker than water" ideology that as his father it gave him the power to be respected and Brian should wave away any wrong he did. How quickly people want to brush off any feelings of ill will when a person dies, how they become immortalised as someone who never did a thing wrong. How quick they forget.

We see versions of this in relation to Brian in the show and I hate it. For example when Brian first finds out that his father is sick and Debbie encourages him to tell him he's gay, more or less putting the burden on Brian and insinuating he owed his dad this part of himself (what the fuck!) and what happens? His father says he wishes Brian was the one who was dying. When his mother finds out he's gay and he's putting on a front at Woody's telling the guys how she was horrified by it and him but he doesn't care, fuck her. Michael pipes up saying that maybe she will come around in time, as if anytime Brian expressed hurt and anger towards his abusers they could never just accept it and let him have those feelings it always had to be countered in some way. I guess some part of it is when you come from a loving home either as the child or parent it's very difficult to understand the inner workings of the life of abusive parents and the impact on their kids. Not forgetting Debbie taking it upon herself to tell Joan that Brian had cancer!!!

I love that they didn't shy away from the other side, the side that's not deemed as maybe socially correct and you should keep that stuff behind closed doors. But I completely sympathise, agree and relate to Brian's behaviour how he refused to bow down to everyone's expectations of how he should grieve because they felt he wasn't doing it the right way. Michael deducing that just because Claire was sobbing like a demented banshee that meant she was obviously feeling it so much worse than Brian who hadn't shed a tear. In reality Brian told him that his father hated her. Yet Brian who was openly abused by them, always tried hard to be respectful and show care for them both in spite of what they did, which again is so relatable as a child of that.

I cheered him getting to tell the story of how his dad wanted him aborted, how he continued to go to Babylon and fuck around, that was his grieving process it might not have been what Michael thought was right and proper but it was his way.

The poignancy of him getting a do over of the joy of hitting a strike with Michael as kids, now as an adult and giving zero fucks and getting the celebration he was robbed of! The haunting finale with the bowling ball down the alley, the sombre so long Jack, and then finally on his terms releasing some of the burden, letting the tears flow.

Special mention to my two favourite lines of dialogue in the episode - "If you don't earn respect when you're alive, you don't deserve it when you're dead" and "Can you imagine growing up in that house, how did he ever survive? Who's to say he did?"

[dollfaceksj]

because i cannot understand his hypocrisy. He fucks other girls with an intention to try to move on from reader. But still ends up at her door and to some extent its okay, but still even saying I love you to her doesn't seem at all like he is even trying to move on.

Not to offend someone but if I were in reader's place, I would've gladly let him fuck me (cuz why not!) But yeah that's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Even if I would still have feelings for him, that doesn't me a I would walk straight into his toxicity.

He really puts blame on the reader even when he knows she broke up with him for his own sake and there was even full conversation of it, so it also doesn't leave the option for any misunderstanding either.

She even told him that she would be there for him while he is learning to improve himself. She is kind. To me what he does is plainly an asshole move and is making no redemption for it and his moves doesn't make sense to me.

Like what does he expect from the reader now? Seriously reader should also fuck with others if he is doing it. It should be from both sides. Only him doing so and still if reader takes him back, would only prove that she is blinded.

They should just break it off for real

dang this is crazyyy

something tells me u didnt really get the story so ill explain it to you again:

as mentioned, jungkook has never been by himself. he comes from a line of short relationships and situationships and his first actual love is y/n. he is extremely, extremely attached to her.

jungkook has never once blamed y/n, he has only stated the fact that she walked out on him which is true, she did choose to break it off with him. he doesn’t blame her for it, not at all, in fact he understands. he only reminds her that she has no right to fuss over what he does when they are not together anymore and he is right.

you say that y/n should just ‘start fucking others too’ and that it should ‘come from both sides’ but that’s where you’ve lost the plot.

again, jungkook has never been by himself. so his attempts at moving on is looking for affection some place else, he can’t imagine living without it because he never had to nor has he experienced it. (until y/n broke up with him.) he is scared of being alone.

y/n on the other hand, has a healthy relationship with herself as stated in pt1, doesnt cling to the past, forgives anyone that has hurt her without a second thought, always trying new things, always looking for change. the thing with her is that she has fallen deeply in love with jungkook but she isn’t terrified of being alone like jungkook is so for her to start sleeping around doesn’t make sense, she doesn’t crave that. you saying that just tells me you read reminder in a very black and white/one dimensional mindset when its much more complex than that.

i do agree that jungkook saying ‘i will never let you forget about me’ is narcissistic however he never once claims ‘i will never let you move on from me’. yes, he doesn’t want her to move on from him but that doesn’t mean that he’ll actively prevent it.

yes, he keeps showing up at her front door. yes, he knows she can’t resist him. that is selfish of him.

but its been made clear that if she tells him to stop, he will stop. jungkook will listen to whatever she says. he couldve thrown a way bigger tantrum when she first broke up with him but all she had to say was ‘stop’ and he stopped. he processed her words. he asked for one more night and he left without another word.

because he trusts her with his life. he loves her too.

every single time he returns to her home he very clearly asks if he can kiss her and if he can have sex with her because she can decline, she can tell him to leave and he’ll obviously respect that. she just cant bring herself to make him leave because she still loves him, still wants him, still craves him.

so that being said i hope i gave u more insight because i wholeheartedly have to disagree with what ur saying. i respect people’s opinions and thoughts nonetheless and i always encourage my readers to share their thoughts and reactions but you completely misunderstood the story and i just wanted to take the time explain it to you.

[kentuckycaverats]

Essentials 6, 9; life 4; death 5, 12 for del bc i love del

essentials 6 - what level of humanity are they? has this changed over the years they’ve been dead?

answered prev but the abridged answer is humanity 6 and not much lol

essentials 9 - what are their Convictions?

never forget, never forgive

mortals are to be pitied

life 4 - did they have any vices, addictions, or mental illnesses? which carried over into death?

tw: abuse, suicide mention

in life this girl has had PTSD, C-PTSD, and intense paranoia since she popped out the womb. bio parents: abusive, transphobic, sabbat ghouls who sold her out. teachers, peers, classmates: transphobic, bullied her until delphine showed up to keep them in line. sabina: abusive, tortured her for fun, isolated her from the few casual friends she did have. she was actively suicidal for most of her life and did succeed in her attempt, but. sabina wasn't going to let her get away so easily.

in death much of this has held true. still uber traumatized and paranoid, and though she hasn't consciously realized it yet, on some level she's shifting towards final death maybe not being the answer. maybe there are some people things she wants to stick around for. maybe.

death 5 - which of their clan’s stereotypes apply to them? which do they act against, or embody the opposite of?

thin-blood posing as brujah so im gonna answer for both

thin-blood: i feel like there arent as many stereotypes about thin-bloods as the other clans, because theres such a wide range of what they're like. but in terms of kindred society largely believing the duskborn are heralds of the end times, she fits that pretty well. she's recently learned that her fae soul (ael) is destined to either defeat ancient fear demon foebok and make the world a whole lot less shitty, or be eaten by foebok and thus plunge the world into perma despair. no pressure :) also she doesn't use any of the thin-blood alchemy because she's (1) trying very hard to not get clocked as thin-blooded and (2) mortal prey exclusion makes that tricky anyway

brujah: stubborn, anti-authority, short-tempered and prone to impulsivity when angry, easily moved to violence, fiercely loyal

death 12 - regardless of whether or not they adhere to camarilla rule, have they ever broken any of the Traditions?

literally half of them lmao. domain (she's beaten kindred up on their own turf a couple times); hospitality (coterie purposely did not present themselves in glasgow), and destruction (diablerie). between these + lying about her clan + the prince being a toreador who's especially fond of invading others' thoughts, every moment spent in elysium is nightmare hell stress. and the coterie gets hauled out to elysium at least once a week

[chococookiez]

I FUCKING MISSED 4/13 I COMPLETELY FORGOR BUT IM POSTING ANYWAY

i was holding off on posting it until i had more content but i did a fantroll :]

some other art/shitposts i did with it (+ my other ocs)

and here's bonus ooc shitty doodles i did for my dying tiktok account

i haven't properly drawn anyone other than aradia and sollux (and eridan partially but i've only done march eridans for some reason) and the one with all of them was . the first time i drew any of them other than eridan please forgive me

words under the cut. i must ramble

so . homestuck huh

how did i spend my first 4/13 you ask? got up at 5am to fuck around with my (slightly drunk) friend on vrc until we got tired, had various revelations, a whole crisis that i do not wish to unpack... im forgetting something

oh yea

dumb of ass moment: i played that one fucking solkat vn literally just for the hell of it

I haven't read the comic yet BECAUSE im planning to binge read the entire fucking thing over the summer with my friends and i am fucking HYPED i have the unofficial collection downloaded on my pc already in preparation and we're planning on doing a massive party once we're done we are going to have a fucking ball with this . technically i've only been properly interested in homestuck since february which i find really funny cause my brain made the switch so fast it gave me fucking whiplash. i've literally never had an interest hit me THIS HARD in my life especially with how little canon content i have to work with currently since im saving it all for the summer (the restraint is so hard y'all have no idea)

highlights of shit i've done to do with homestuck other than art so far:

made 2 extended zodiac pins out of pre-existing pins i had, one for myself and one for my irl friend

said irl friend had to suffer through a 2+ hour long infodump where i just showed them all the main characters i had knowledge about (beta/alpha kids/trolls, ancestors and cherubs), did a hussie and had The Quadrant Ramble™, shittily explained classes and aspects and tried my best to explain The Weird Time Bullshit™ (it was very fun for me . he also said it was fun but i have my doubts)

speaking of quadrants i've made 4 quadrant keychains (erisol spade, cronkri heart, meowrails + kurtuna diamonds) (currently only displaying 3 of them since the meowrails one fucking SELF DESTRUCTED as in the paint fucking peeled itself off and ive been too lazy to remake it rn) and i've been slightly tempted to add a solkat one but i have no clue what quad i'd put them in tbh and that's the only thing stopping me (oh and a meuloz heart . just because)

very very vaguely hinted at this once before but i made a shitty character playlist. not linking it or saying who it is. y'all can just guess

i made... an eridan osu skin. out of one i had already that i liked. and i've been tempted to make a sollux one. did you know im mentally ill (something did spark this: i had a map of eridan's theme that had a skin on it, so decided to make a full one out of it to fuck with my friend who likes him)

im planning on cosplaying A Troll but have no sodding clue which one. my internal options rn are kanaya, vantases (have their outfits/something like them on hand already, plus vantases have easy horns), leijons (associate myself with them a lot (one of my favourite vrc avatars to use rn is a meulin edit even), especially considering im a leo myself), eridan, aradia and feferi (they'd be hilariously fitting for reasons i wish to not explain, especially eridan)

am probably gonna land myself with a pile of homestuck merch, either from birthday gifts or my own stupidity

so yea, just a few words. i couldn't fight the homestuck

[plantwithoutplot]

How are you?

How is your day going?

My manager finally released me from limbo and told me I'm in but I have to be tough with the other team members to get my stuff early & not be late like every time

Which fair, but also this is an introvert you are talking to, like I considered quitting when I realized that 70% of this job is emailing, texting and calling people I don't know and pressing them to do their jobs so I can do mine I was at 99% social battery all the time

But fair I guess

Then my body decided that okay? We are good? Here the start of a cold if you don't take a rest at the same time I was given like 4 new projects

It's fiiine....

ANYWAY

In celebration:

Do you think Garp & Ace actually knew that Roger was terminally ill?

I always thought Garp knew but I reread the flashback part again to make sure and nothing says he does know?

And I love this

I want him to not have known

I want Garp to think that the man he respected just decided to be that stupid and abandon his family

I want him to want to defend him but what he did is unforgivable in his eyes

I want him to want to defend Roger to Ace but not know how

Because no matter what kind of person he was

He chose to die rather than protect his family

And for that Garp can never forgive him and Ace can never not hate him

I could be wrong and that he knew and Ace still hated Roger anyway but isn't my option nicer? >:3

Hiiii !! My day is going great, thanks! (*´ ˘ `*)

(imma work on chapter 9 today ahah)

GOOD LUCK AT WORK BUT CONGRATS ON DOING GREAT WORK 🥺🥺🥺💕💕💕

(↑↑↑ this is me and Garp giving you crackers as a reward)

Little stupid advice from a fellow introvert who used to have to talk with more people than she wanted to at work: imagine you're a NPC with a few set of lines/tones you can use and nothing else, it takes a lot of stress away 🤣

Don't forget to rest well, drink well and eat well so that you win against that cold 🥺💕 (simple onion soup with buttered bread is a great lazy meal to have after work!)

OKAY FOR THE QUESTION

I think that Garp wouldn't have 'known' per se but would have been aware that something had to have happened for Roger to have gone and let the government arrest him. After all, Roger didn't tell Whitebeard either for a long time.

Also I believe that Roger didn't want to be remembered as a dying man but as a strong pirate who conquered the Seas, and that would include wanting Garp to remember him as his great rival or even as a friend, rather than as an old, condemned man 🫠

But Garp is far from being as stupid as he likes to pretend (which has been proved many times) and most likely found out one way or another, and kind of doomed himself into not talking about it as a show of respect to Roger's will.

Which brings me back to your amazing idea 👀✨

Because in the end, no matter what Garp could say to Ace, the only thing that would have mattered for his grandson would have been that his father gave up on his family. He could have spent his last weeks/months with his wife, possibly even with his son ― but he went and got executed instead.

The worse is...

... could Ace even hate him for having picked Freedom over anything else, up until his last breath?

Freedom matters so much to all of them ― even to Garp ― so could they really resent him? When all they've ever wanted was to be just as free, up until the end?

[destinybcnds]

"You're not originally from this time either, correct?" He didn't bother introducing himself, or asking if they could talk. According to the other people he'd met in this time, she didn't seem very approachable, but that was why Emmet approached her like he did. It was better to ask for forgiveness than for permission. Though he wasn't very likely to ask for the former, either. Regardless, if he didn't ask for permission, she couldn't say no. Whether she dignified him with a response or not was anyone's guess, but either way he'd make it further down his track by skipping the pleasantries. Hoping it would help convince her to answer, he put his hands up, both palms facing forward in an attempt to show her that he didn't harbor any ill will.

"If you are not, I would just like to ask how much you remember from of your original station- I won't ask anything of you beyond that if you rather I do not. I am just trying to make sense of something." But he wasn't going to get into his own personal issues with her unless she asked. He figured it was best to keep this as short and concise as possible. "Anything you do- or do not- remember would me very much."

(bothering katsumi <3 lmk if this doesnt work for any reason)

Though her expression was unreadable, even without the mask, there was a spark of something behind her cold eyes as they fell over the talkative man. Expression aside, he looked just like Ingo... Already that put him in better standing than most strangers she came across. As long as she'd known him, Ingo seemed to get lost in broken memories, trying to recall someone or something.

If this was that someone, then she was more inclined to trust him against her better judgement.

"You're right." Though you'd never be able to tell at a glance from how she'd integrated herself into the fashion and the culture.

Normally she didn't entertain questions about her past.

But she'd make an exception here.

"I don't remember much of anything, actually. Even my family are a blur in my mind." She shakes her head. "I've been here so long that my old life feels a million years away. I remember that I came from Johto... and battling against a series of strong trainers to collect... something. The world felt smaller in a way with all of the towns. Pokemon were easier to deal with too..."

She shakes her head.

"Sorry to disappoint you. I think the longer you're here, the more you'll forget."

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS Para-Selene Vol.4 Tsukinami Shin [TRACK 5]

Original title: いつもの日常

Source: Diabolik Lovers Para-Selene Vol. 4 Tsukinami Shin [CD not owned by me]

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Morikubo Shoutaro

Translator’s note: Look, I actually had high hopes for Shin. He often calls out other characters on their bullshit in tokuten CDs and seems to be decently intelligent. Unfortunately, he didn’t exactly appreciate the MC forgeting all about it and thought it would be a good idea to absolutely traumatize the poor girl in an attempt to help her regain her memories. At least he does snap back to his senses during the final 2 tracks and there’s some genuinely sweet moments which await. uwu

Track 1 ll Track 2 ll Track 3 ll Track 4 ll Track 5

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

TRACK 5: EVERYDAY LIFE

*Rustle rustle*

“Nn…Ah…Huh? This is…the balcony…? …!! Hey! Are you alright!? …Hey, wake up!”

You wake up.

*Rustle*

“Phew…Thank god. …Wait, no, this isn’t good. I don’t know how, but we ended up outside somehow. Your cold will get worse. Let’s head back inside.”

You shout.

“...!! Why are you shouting all of a sudden?”

You explain.

“Haah…? You remembered…? …What exactly? …Huh? You mean your memories have returned!?”

You nod.

“For real!? Thenーー What’s my name?”

You answer his question.

“You’re speaking the truth…But how? After you forgot everything…”

You tell him you feel better too. 

“Haah…? You have to be lying when you say that your fever’s gone. Show me your forehead.”

*Rustle*

“Hm…? …!? It’s not hot…You got better? Huh? Then…Everything is back to normal!? …Ah. What the fuck!? Ahahaha…”

Shin drops down on the floor.

*Thud* 

“I’m fine. My legs just gave in for a sec. What was all of that bullshit!? Ah, godーー! I said a bunch of really embarrassing stuff…!!”

You chuckle. 

“Haah? What? You were happy hearing me say those things? Excuse me? Shouldn’t you apologize to me first?”

You say sorry. 

“...!! That won’t do at all! I can tell you don’t actually mean it at all. Come on, take two!”

You repeat yourself. 

“...! …I’d prefer for you to lower your head a little more but…Oh well. Guess I’ll forgive you this once.”

*Rustle*

“You better believe I won’t be nursing you back to health or anything next time. I won’t try to recover your memories either. I’ll just push you aside and abandon you. …So don’t you dare ever forget about me again, okay?”

You promise.

“Mmh. …Say? Look this way…”

*Rustle*

“I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully, okay? …You’re the only one for me. And that will never change. …Mmh.”

*Smooch*

*TIMESKIP*

You are cooking in the kitchen again.

“...Making pasta in the middle of the night again? You never get tired of that stuff, do you?”

You turn around in surprise.

“Hehehe…I don’t know whether to call you a fool or just slow but this isn’t the first time I’ve surprised you like this so don’t you think it’s about time you grow used to it?”

You insist that he simply caught you off guard. 

“Liar. You get jumped super easily, even if you’re not focused on cooking, don’t you?”

You ask if he’s here to tease you.

“Hehe~ Exactly! I’m here to pick on you. ーー Or actually, that’s a joke. I remembered something about what happened the other day, so I came to inform you. I figured it’d be pretty sad if you never found out why you were suffering from amnesia.”

You ask Shin if he found out something. 

“Yup. Nii-san actually told me about it quite some time ago. Could it be that you were watching the moon right before you lost your memories?”

You nod.

“See? I’m pretty sure it looked as if there were two moons. It’s a phenomenon called the ‘Paraselene’ and it’s quite the pesky one at that.”

You tilt your head to the side.

“Exactly. You were affected by the disease it brings forth. …If I recall correctly, it’s called the ‘Paraselene Syndrome’. It’s an illness which causes hallucinations. Since you had contracted it, I got caught up in those illusions as well. Honestly, it’s such a ridiculous disease. Ah, right, right! You’re forbidden from looking at the moon for a while.”

You protest.

“What? You can’t do that much? I bet you wouldn’t want to get sick with such an annoying illness again, do you? …Don’t worry. I’m not asking anything difficult of you. I came up with the perfect strategy which even a doofus such as yourself should be able to manage. That isーー”

Shin embraces you. 

*Rustle*

“...Heh. All you have to do is keep your eyes on me instead. Easy, no?”

You nod.

“Hehe…You nodded, didn’t you? There’s no backing out now. If you dare avert your gaze, a severe punishment will await…Understood? Mmh…”

*Smooch*

ーー THE END ーー

[forgottenarthur]

If Arthur wasn't mistaken, that was fury kindling in Cassimir's dark eye and, despite himself, Arthur smiled to see it take stony hold of his rival's expression. Good. Arthur saw the man as a tyrant, ruling over this household with an iron grip. It seemed to him that Eithne displayed signs of fear, at times, when dealing with him or speaking of him, as if he might do her harm and, while Arthur didn't suspect him of outward violence -- Arthur also viewed him, like many bullies, as a coward -- he believed that more than enough emotional violence filled this household which, he suspected, had not been there when Cassimir had arrived.

In truth, Eithne sometimes spoke of Valentina's influence when Arthur alluded to such things, but Arthur knew better. It was not women who held sway, truly, but men. Valentina could be as pernicious as she liked, but Cassimir was the man of the household: he had to permit it and, thus, the blame was his as much as his mother's influence.

Arthur's own smile was stony, his eyes like flint even as satisfaction washed over him. It was a ridiculous thing, this request. By custom, after one acknowledgement of 'Your Imperial Highness,' anyone could drop the term 'Imperial,' and in fact Arthur permitted Eithne to call him by his given name meaning that to some extent the entire household was on a familiar basis to him, but Arthur was in an ill temper, and he wished to make it felt by Cassimir and his mother, and this was, by his way of thinking, a remarkably pleasant means to doing just that.

"See that it doesn't," he barked back, his tone unwittingly slipping into one his father often employed. "I do not forget impertinence when it is shown, and I will not prove so forgiving if there is ever a second instance."

Was it rebellion glittering in Cassimir's eyes? Good: that meant he was resenting his treatment, something that further meant he was feeling it and, this time, when Arthur sipped at his glass, he smiled.

As he spoke of Guinevere, Arthur shook his head. In truth, he wasn't sure what Cassimir's true intentions might be. It seemed to him that he must be toying with at least one of the women to whom he showed attentions, for everyone knew that only the men of House of Varmont might take more than one wife. Cassimir could not wed both Eithne and Guinevere, and surely he meant to make his sister his wife, for who would be so foolish as to trifle with the affections of a daughter of Roderick, if they did not mean to make the risk of his wrath worthwhile? No, surely he was either toying with Eithne...or, worse, he meant to turn his own sister into his mistress, as disgusting a thought as Arthur could think of. There was nothing at all to like, Arthur thought, in the man before him.

Hearing the hollow laugh, Arthur's eyes sparkled, grim satisfaction spreading over him, a bitter pleasure stealing over him at Cassimir's discomfort. In truth, Arthur had no idea what secret Cassimir was keeping, but it was clear to him there was something, and needling him seemed as good a means of getting at the heart of the matter as any.

"Oh, yes," replied Arthur, turing back to the table to pour another glass, and putting it into Cassimir's hand, before pouring another for himself. "Their friendship is, indeed, a boast, even to myself and to my siblings," he said, catching Cassimir's eye. "We would never allow them to suffer mistreatment unavenged. Do not forget it."

He smiled softly, casting a glance towards Valentina, who was now leaning even closer to Edmund, one hand on Sonya's shoulder, who was, herself, either blushing or suppressing laughter at whatever her mother was saying. "Oh, yes. I've no doubt she knows quite precisely," he agreed. he had long suspected that their occasional absences just when the princes seemed to arrive was no coincidence, which was why he had taken of late to calling unannounced more and more often than he ever had before. Princes were easier to seduce when there was no rival for his affections present, no doubt.

"Perhaps, when the ladies retire, if they are still not returned, you and I shall scour the countryside for them. It is hardly fitting that they should be out so late unattended." Arthur watched closely for Cassimir's reaction to this. It was Arthur's own suspicion that they were, in fact, locked somewhere inside the house, perhaps in their bedchambers -- he couldn't say -- but he suspected mistreatment of some kind very strongly. There was something that none of them were ready to say, and all of them were trying very sincerely to conceal. He tilted his head, eyes narrowing. "It is, after all, the role of an elder brother to protect the ladies beneath his roof, is it not? And you are, after all, their brother."

Stay Away | Arthur & Cassimir

Arthur Varmont often had a rather annoying habit of showing up at inconvenient times. And while Cassimir supposed they should be always ready to take advantage of this particular situation (what better time to throw Sonya in his way?), it often meant that either he or his mother was not around to keep him separated from Eithne.

Today, however, was different, as he was there on invitation -- which meant that Eithne had been sent to the market with an impossibly long and complicated list of items that would ensure she would not return until the prince had left. (This left Cillian and Aoife in charge of the kitchens, but better that than to have Arthur Varmont distracted all evening).

The invitation had been extended to all five of Varmont's children, but only Arthur and Edmund had come. (The fact that they would have all come to see his sisters but would likely only have himself and his mother for company, did not strike Cassimir as a possible reason for their absence).

Cassimir always tried to remain agreeable whenever in Arthur Varmont's company and while this was a far easier task when Eithne was not near, tonight Cassimir had been drinking. It had been in an attempt to avoid dwelling on a recent memory of Arthur and Eithne together. In the end, he found that it had only made it worse to escape it.

It had been mere days ago -- Cassimir had returned from being in town to see that Arthur had been at his home while he was away. Eithne was bidding him farewell as Cassimir rode up towards the house and he saw the way Arthur had managed to make her smile and laugh -- and although it only lasted a moment -- Cassimir caught a look in her eye that he had never seen before in his own company. He was overwhelmed with the desire for her to look at him, as she had been looking at Arthur and had abruptly filled with both anger and jealousy.

The servants did not know the cause of this particular temper flare, but they all knew enough to stay out of his way that evening.

Cassimir had been uncharacteristically quiet since the princes' arrival, but now he could stand it no longer and he approached Arthur.

"Where is your sister, Your Highness? I had hoped she would be accompanying you this evening. I always enjoy her company." Cassimir's voice was cheerful enough and he even managed a smile, but it did not reach his eyes.