#it was totally a labour of love i really cherish being a part of it

[furbhii]

a piece i did for aleena over on twitter in lieu of stickers from my raffle, given that she already owns most of them LOL

they requested flug in the camp leader outfit from the Elmore short, and given that that's probably my favourite short i was more than happy to oblige!

(considering making that middle one into a sticker... he's just so cuuuuute)

[kitkat-writes-stuff]

The Worst- Part II

part I, part II -Masterlist -Pairing: Luke Castellan x fem!Reader -Wordcount: 1.2 K (we are getting to a decent amount bois)

-Warnings: a broken nose, kids training to be soldiers, kids feeling like their duty is more important than their feelings (only hinted to), kids being oblivious… a lot of kids -Also putting this here bc it will already be a flop: i decided that i'm gonna accept requests for imagines! ''the worst'' will be two more parts long (four in total), and I already have a oneshot planned, but I can honestly use some inspo so hit me with your fantasies darlings

-Summary: Clarisse la Rue loves her sister dearly, don’t get her wrong. But there is only so many “I hate him so much” that a girl can listen to without wanting to punch someone

In the midst of the crowded training grounds, Y/N's exasperated proclamation reverberated through the air, echoing the sentiment of her frustration, and even making a few heads turn "I hate him! Like, if I had access to a phone, the first thing I would do would be slandering him on Twitter." Her words hung in the air, punctuated by the rhythmic sounds of her laboured breaths, a testament to the emotional intensity of the moment. It was meant to be a normal training session, but here they were.

The training grounds, typically the cherished domain of Clarisse, witnessed an unexpected twist as she extended an invitation for her sister to partake in the martial exercises. Little did they anticipate that this seemingly innocuous decision would unfold like a tragic tale, akin to the consequences of staring into the eyes of the mythical Gorgon, Medusa.

Contrary to what her laid back usual behavior could have people believe, Y/N wielded not just competent but formidable fighting skills, and perhaps even more than that, although she chose to downplay her own prowess. She really needed an ego boost, poor girl.

 Surprisingly, Clarisse, typically known for her brazen attitude, found herself offering advice on channelling pent-up anger, creating a paradox within their dynamic.

"Look, I can't believe I, of all people, am saying this, but you need to get out some pent-up anger," Clarisse urged, her eyes locking with Y/N's, a glint of determination reflecting in both their eyes. Y/N might have had the experience and the sheer strength as an advantage, but Clarisse was not one to go one without a fight.

In response, Y/N met her sister's gaze, revealing a distinct red glint in her eyes that bore the weight of their divine lineage, a visual and rather unsettling reminder of their connection to the god of war.

"Says the girl who tried to dunk a twelve-year-old's head in a toilet," Y/N retorted, unearthing an incident that had yet to be addressed between the two.

Undeterred, Clarisse countered with a potent argument, "Says the girl who loudly threatened to cut off a fellow head counsellor's fingers," opting for a strategic move to deflect Y/N's accusation.

Their swords clashed in the midst of this verbal sparring, the resonating sound capturing the attention of onlookers within the camp. Despite Clarisse's unwavering determination, even she couldn't deny that in a direct confrontation with Y/N, her sister held the upper hand, boasting both strength and exceptional skill. Well, Clarisse wasn’t the one who had devoted her life to beat another guy at sword fighting, so...

"He was tickling me," Y/N grunted in her defence, attempting to justify the seemingly drastic threat she had made.

With an eye roll, Clarisse retorted with a smirk, "Somehow, someway, darling sister, I find myself believing that you would much rather prefer for his fingers to be on you more, not less." A friend in Aphrodites’ cabin had her watching Pride and Prejudice. She might or might not have picked up on the language.

The verbal exchange evolved into a physical intensity, with Y/N delivering each blow without restraint, unveiling a relentless determination that hinted at a deeper conflict brewing beneath the surface of their sibling rivalry. The air pulsated with a charged energy, making it abundantly clear that this training session was more than a mere exercise: they might have been sisters, but their father only chose one favourite every generation. And there was only so far sisterly love could go when compared to the approval of the god of war. 

In the aftermath of the tumultuous clash that reverberated within the expansive training grounds, Clarisse found herself holding an ice pack to her nose, attempting to salvage some semblance of composure despite a burning pain. Y/N's apologetic words resonated in the air, "Clary, you know I didn’t mean to actually like... break your nose, right?" Clarisse couldn't help but reflect on the irony that her usually death-promising gaze might have been far more menacing if not for the ice pack an Apollo kid had provided.

It was a stark realisation for Clarisse—one thing to possess a temper worthy of Ares, the god of war, but an entirely different ordeal to have her nose inadvertently shattered by her crush-stricken big sister. Oh yeah, Clarisse knew about the crush. And if it fueled her sister like that… she needed to express it somehow.

Amidst the physical discomfort and emotional tumult, Clarisse couldn't ignore the revelation that had dawned upon her, independent of any disclosure from a certain daughter of Aphrodite (yeah Silena was the only reason she understood anything about social life). The truth became undeniably clear: all those seemingly vehement words of hatred were mere echoes of a deeper connection. Well, Eros and Thanatos were brothers or something, so it wasn’t a surprised that an emotion as deep as… the L word… could be mistaken for a hate as deep as the Underworld.

But the realisation didn't stop there. Clarisse delved into the motives behind Y/N's persistent obsession with surpassing Luke Castellan. Y/N was relentlessly driven to excel, that was for sure, but… that quest for superiority might have been an unspoken method to spend more time with him. She was good at expressing feelings like that. Her nose was a witness, or rather had been before it got shattered.

As the narrative unfolded, an unexpected player stepped into the intricate story: Luke Castellan, best friend to a daughter of Athena. Of all goddesses, Athena? His arrival injected a fresh layer of complexity into an already intricate tapestry. Y/N's pouted plea for forgiveness resonated in the charged atmosphere, and though Clarisse couldn't suppress an eye roll, a reluctant nod escaped her. Temper or not, she acknowledged that familial bonds, no matter how tumultuous, possessed a resilience that transcended momentary conflicts, solidifying the intricate strands of their sisterhood within the dynamic of Camp Half-Blood.

However, the scene took an unexpected turn as Luke Castellan entered, his eyes widening at the sight of blood on Y/N's clothes. "What happened here?" he inquired, concern etched on his face. He didn’t even try to hide it! Gods, had she really been that blind?

Caught in the unfolding drama, Clarisse, with an air of suspicion, eyed Luke. "Y/N accidentally broke my nose. You care or something?"

As Luke rushed to deny it, Clarisse couldn't shake the inkling that perhaps there was more to his worry than mere friendship. The charged atmosphere hinted at an unspoken connection, and Clarisse couldn’t help but wonder if that boy was really as dumb as he was sounding right now.

‘’Okay, I’m gonna go, Clary. I think Chiron will have some kind of punishment to deliver to me’’ ever dutiful, ever penitent Y/N. She might have wanted her father’s approval, but it came second to following the laws.

Clarisse didn’t know a lot of Latin, but she was sure that ‘’dura lex, sed lex’’ was something that could be applied to her big sister.

She just hoped that it wouldn’t conflict with her emotions, because seriously, there was only a number of noses she could get broken and of ‘’he’s the worst’’ that she could hear.

A/N: OK WE DID IT!!!! Srs though thank you for the support it was really unexpected. Ok so thoughts and prayers for Clarisse’s nose! Also I couldn’t resist making the reader hint at Twitter bc Ares talking about it in the show has me screaming crying and laughing. That’s all! Next part will be out… eventually. Taglist: @2hiigh2cry @mxtokko @niktwazny303 @honey-ambrosia @luvvfromme @lostinhisworld (that should be all but i might have forgotten someone! If i did please forgive me and make my crucifixion fast)(also lemme know if you want to be tagged in the next parts)

[blu-b]

So many Georgibeth moments in this week's episode but some of them were rather odd? Like why is Elizabeth suddenly so keen to leave Trenwith? She seemed well at home there. And the way she suddenly treats Geoffrey-Charles! Also, the kiss between her and George looked somehow fake LOL And what's all this about those magical drops and her turning to drinking? Thoughts?

​Ooooh boy, yes, thank you for that! This is probably gonna get long, and full of spoilers, so I’m putting it behind a cut at some point.

First of all, I’m talking about this solely from the character’s POV and I’m not going to try and understand or explain why Debbie H. made certain changes to the books that make no sense, for example altering the character of Elizabeth so heavily. Basically, my outlook is that those changes were made totally at random by the writers and what we see the characters doing on screen in terms of gesture, facial expression, underlying tones etc. is the actors trying to bring some sense into it.

So, let me talk about Elizabeth first, because I feel she is again getting some very unfair criticism mainly because people don’t understand her motivation.

Trenwith, by this time in the show, is starting to turn into dangerous territory for Elizabeth. Ross living so close by is not only a distraction for her, who still isn’t sure about her feelings for him. He’s also becoming a threat to her safety. Ross is very well known in the area, so any real or rumoured similarities between him and Elizabeth’s new baby are prone to spread like wildfire. Remember that instance when Jud said there were rumours that Ross is the father of Jinny’s child, because it looks like him? Talk like this spreads quickly. And Ross himself is a risk, too - Elizabeth probably suspects he has an inkling that the child is his, or that Demelza at least knows who the real father is. And Demelza has every reason to be upset with Elizabeth, so what if she goes blabbering to someone? What if Demelza outright marches up to George and tells him (for whatever reason)? Then there’s of course Agatha, and even Geoffrey Charles made a stupid remark about Valentine looking like Ross (although I doubt he did it out of spite).

George must never hear any of this, and thus Truro would be much safer for Elizabeth. Ross is less well known there, her new husband is far removed from the possibility of running into Ross at any given moment, and the chance for gossip is not as high. Of course she has to sell this to George, and indeed it’s his own idea that lets her realize that this is her chance. Naturally, she has to act a bit skeptical at first. 

“But what of Geoffrey Charles?”, she says, apparently thoughtful.

George, quick to take his own chance now that Elizabeth seems genuinely hooked, doesn’t breach the subject of boarding school again. There’s no need to, the boy can while away his days in Trenwith with Agatha for all that George cares. So he seemingly makes a concession to his wife by allowing GC not only to stay, but basically to do what he wants. And Elizabeth agrees, even though it costs her dearly (and Heida plays that really well). 

“I shall miss him, of course….” 

She means it, but she’s pondering her options.

Why is she suddenly so cold to Geoffrey Charles, people ask. She’s not! Elizabeth is playing a game. She fought so hard against the separation from her son and for nothing in the world would she leave him…..but Geoffrey Charles’ rebellious teenage streak endangers not only Elizabeth and Valentine, but GC himself. She acts this way because she seeks to protect him. Some may argue Elizabeth only keeps Valentine’s parentage a secret because she does not want to lose her newfound wealth, but there’s more: she’s genuinely afraid that if George finds out the kid is not only not his, but Ross’, he may well throw her out and get a divorce…and what of Geoffrey Charles then? Elizabeth wants to keep the Trenwith estate for her firstborn son, and that’s why she even accepts drastic measures such as bearing separation from him and acting ‘cold’ (“shake my hand, it’s what gentlemen do”, instead of a hug). She needs to signal George that she is ready to part with her child and has accepted all this educational bullshit about 'becoming a gentleman’, thus pushing all of George’s own 'gentleman issues’ buttons.

Anyway, now Elizabeth has to pretend-find a reason for her sudden temper, and Ross is a welcome scapegoat even though she probably knows Ross has nothing to do with this. She met Demelza on her own earlier when she, Elizabeth, was in the carriage. Every time she has met Demelza on her own, it was either without Ross’ permission or in Ross’ absence. Elizabeth is smarter than she looks, she knows about the missing ships and Dwight’s missing, she probably can add that all up and guess correctly that Ross has gone to France. In any case, even if she knows nothing and assumes Ross is behind it, she’s clearly not as upset as she pretends. Heida somehow manages to convincingly play someone who is unconvincing. LOL. I mean, even a blind man could see that Elizabeth was pulling an act.

Her sudden resolution (“The sooner the better!”) is just as fake as her anger, but again, she needs to do it because she needs to convince George that she is absolutely serious. So, where she previously only had a lukewarm kiss on the cheek for him, he suddenly gets the full treatment. George is, to say the least, surprised by Elizabeth’s sudden attack of passion (i.e. the kiss) but he doesn’t question it. He has learned to cherish whatever small token of affection he can get from her.

The ‘magical drops’. For one, I believe they’re meant to show Elizabeth’s increasing feeling of guilt towards Geoffrey Charles (the first time the drops appear, it’s right before a scene of a carefree GC at the beach) and how much the subject of Valentine is putting pressure on her (the second time the drops come into play is after the court trial when George sits next to her on the sofa). Basically the happier George gets and the more he settles into his married life, and also the more attached she becomes to him, realizing that she does indeed like him, the more afraid Elizabeth becomes that this bubble will burst when the truth about Valentine comes out. So the drops are there to calm her nerves and to keep her from accidentally blurting something out.

On the other hand, I’m also convinced that the drops will play a role later on in the series. They’re prescribed by a doctor. - Book spoilers, tw character death -

In the books, when pregnant with her third child, Elizabeth again looks for a way to induce early labour so as to convince George she’s just genetically prone to premature births. She gets prescribed a certain undefined ‘herb’ by a doctor and is advised to take it in the seventh rather than in the eight month for a number of reasons. In the course of the book she decides not to take it, but through some unfortunate circumstances she does take it in the end and delivers her child early; however the herb causes postpartum problems and she eventually dies of gangrene. 

- end of book spoilers -

I believe that the magical drops are going to replace that undefined ‘herb’ and at some point the doctor is going to mention that she must not take them while pregnant, because they can induce labour….re the rest of the story as above.

As for George….You know, it makes me so sad to see that people generally just recognize him as the bad guy and fail to see all of his layers and especially his motivations. Yes, he is the “bad guy” in this setting - then again, remember that the actual hero is also an actual rapist, smuggler, liar, adulterer and all in all a pretty shady character, too (I love you Ross, I really do, but….). Anyway, George is not your typical villain because be’s not evil simply for the sake of it. I have a problem with those deus-ex-machina villains who always pop up out of nowhere when someone needs to do the dirty work, and no one really knows why they’re so evil. For example, take the Black Jack character in Outlander. He is always explained away as “oh well, he’s a psychopath, that’s why he’s so evil”. Meaning he just enjoys being cruel, spiteful, evil, revengeful and generally shitty without a real reason behind it.

George is not inherently cruel. He can be when given reason, and yes he does quite enjoy serving revenge cold to those who upset him in the past (now isn’t that something we all would enjoy a little if we came into power and influence? There’s this one girl who used to bully me at kindergarten, if I was a judge and she came before me in court……*rubs hands*). But he’s not a murderous, insane psychopath who enjoys tormenting people for his entertainment. George is caught between so many factors - his uncle’s influence, for one, his own pride/ambition, for another. But he is not a bad human being through and through.

Let’s take the most obvious scene from the last episode, the one at court. George announces previously to both his uncle and to Elizabeth that while enforcing the law he also intends to pass fair judgements. That’s in line with his previous conduct, as we have never seen him accept bribes of any sort. Jack Farthing said somewhere that George usually plays a fair game when he can, because he likes winning by his own achievements and not through some third person twisting the odds in his favour. Consequently, when he receives the letter from Lord Godolphin, he’s at first pleased about the invitation (well-earned by his hard work and rise in social standing, in his opinion), but he quickly realizes that there’s more to it and that he’s being used. See how his expression changes in these two frames:

Immediately, he explains the matter to Elizabeth. And yet again she fails to realize the power she could exert over him. Just one word from her, one sentence - “Oh George, surely you would not do that….!” would be enough moral justification for him. He is looking to her for help. She’s his moral compass - it was her example that led him to try and convince Cary that being lenient towards people could actually increase the Warleggans’ popularity. He doesn’t have the innate moral instinct for right or wrong like Ross does, and he never learned to be kind or compassionate (being raised by Cary must be a tough fate), but he is willing to try, his aim being the standards that Elizabeth sets. He’s ready to do whatever she considers right and proper because he considers her the ultimate authority on these matters (further proven by the way the tenants on the way to church approach her with respect and thankfulness). Of course George doesn’t ask her openly for help, that’s not his way (and I doubt he could bring himself to do that because for him that would feel like admitting defeat - remember the wound cleaning scene? He’s used to fighting his battles alone, both literally and figuratively). But she says nothing, too caught up in her own web of lies and affairs to realize that she herself holds the key to making her husband a better man.

Someone like this Lord in question may have the power to bring George down from his new place in society, and that’s what he fears. Coming from such low roots and having climbed so high, it’s the one thing he really fears. But it’s not the only reason for this decision.

George does not know what to do. He has never learned how to compromise or how to find a middle way. He has also never had to stand in for his decisions, because he usually hid behind his money, his bank, his family. Between Elizabeth’s three men, he’s the one extreme while Ross is the other. Ross would have chosen to believe the victim, fiercely advocating punishment for the perpetrator even though they’re from the same social class; while George chooses to side with the more powerful fraction so he won’t lose his own new power. The only one with an ability to find a middle way was actually Francis. He passed punishment for the guilty without being too mild or too hard, and at the same time pleasing the authorities. Also, a funny sidenote is that George has only started to break the law after he became a judge.

Consequently, caught between his own moral conscience and the new expectations of the society he’s now a part of, he makes a mistake. He chooses ambition. And he KNOWS he made a mistake. It’s not like he can ignore it, or doesn’t have pity for the poor girl. The way he pronounces the verdict, he doesn’t even try to believe what he’s saying. His face looks like he’s ready to vomit.

Back home, he tries to gloss over his deed by focussing on mindless blather about how he was complimented on his robes etc., which appears totally superficial at first sight. But again he’s trying to get a reaction out of Elizabeth, either condemning what he did or backing him up by corroborating his reasons. Again, she does nothing.

This is world-class acting there and I just want to give Jack Farthing all the awards in the world for the way he brings out all these sublteties that make up George’s character. Some of it may be Debbie Horsfield’s achievement, but while the scripts have some detailed stage directions not only for George, there are also parts where there’s no direction at all and it’s all up to the actor. Coming from a screenwriter background myself (my niece is in the business) and having worked in theatre, I know that most times you’ll have actors who need very clear, easy directions, something like [he laughs maliciously], [she smiles brightly] or [she fusses with her hair], something like that. Debbie’s directions are sometimes pretty abstract, and you’ll need a really good actor who can work with something like [he has never felt like this before] or [how has she never realized this?] - I mean, how do you play never having realized something before?

So, yeah, all the praise to the man behind ol’ Georgie, he does a great job with this character and it’s the reason why I love George so much, because he’s arguably the most human of them all.

Sorry for this essay though….