#malfi

[jinxthejubilee]

Hi, how are you? It's been a while since I've asked a question. I wanted to ask how do you think each of the recruiters would be if they were in love (with whom doesn't matter, it's a hypothetical situation). What kind of person in love would they be? What romantic gestures do you think they would have towards their partners?

Oh hey! Welcome back! Don't worry, it's also been a while since I've even talked about the Recruiters, so thanks for giving me a reason to!

In love, you say.....

Apple Poison 🍎

He probably wouldn't be able to identify his feelings for a while.

Whether you go by either idea of his state of being as a homunculus created by the Evil Queen or as an indoctrinated orphan taken in by his mistress, both could explain his cold-hearted exterior.

He's never had to consider self-reflection, so it doesn't come naturally. But for him to become so attached to this person in such a way... Apple is a man of action. He'd confront his emotions and the person of his affections to figure out a solution.

Once they solve that issue, I believe they'd fall into a classic, professional couple romance. Or, at least, Apple likes to think so.

Nothing too over the top, but bouquets of flowers, long talks over dinners, reading over the fireplace, and cozy dark academia-esque activities are staples.

Apple puts his all into being the perfect partner, so long as said partner does the same.

Jack Heart ❤️

Unlike most of the folks on this list, Jack is pretty forward in his desire to be with his s/o. In Wonderland, everyone is a blunt as can be. Practically no secret is kept, especially pertaining to love.

He'd flirt with them often, tell or do anything to make them laugh, bond over their favorite activities; just anything to help him get on their good side.

He will get flustered every now and then, should his s/o say or do something truly sincere or catch them off-guard some other way. But overall, it's a pretty sweet romance.

Gift giving and words of affection are his love languages, so both are big priorities for him. He just adores them so much, and they should know it!

Malfi/Malfie 🪞

Malfi is a man of ego whose main priorities in life are beauty, power, and his mistress. At least, that's how he appears.

The raven will sing his own praises 'til the cows come home, but should anyone, especially his love interest, give a sincere compliment or show genuine care of his well-being, he will spiral.

And that's part of the problem: Malfi's insecurities stem from his kill-or-be-killed worldview he grew up on as a young fledgling cast from the nest for being weak, as well as his belief that he's ugly and unworthy of true love. The man thinks he's legitimately irredeemable.

It may take time for him to acknowledge that his partner likes him for him, but once they get past that phase, he's a wonderful partner.

He's a little tricky, prickly, and showboatish at times still, but he adores his s/o to death. He's very physically affectionate; he just loves being in their presence. Cuddles are a must.

Picnics, walks or flights around the forest, skincare routines, and dress up parties together are what he looks forward to.

He simply couldn't live without you....

Eight Foot Joe 🐙

Joe understands love enough. He might have loved before, but this is different.

He feels...less tired when they're around. Lighter; less burdened.

He wouldn't go into a state of denial per se, but he wouldn't be too happy about it. Love is distracting and complicated. How can he perform as a recruiter for the Sea Witch if he can't stop thinking about them?

So he puts all of his feelings on the back burner to ignore it. It goes about as well as you expect.

The s/o would have to confront him first about the issue, which he would readily deny and cause a fight, but should they fall into a romance, it's very sweet.

Late nights doing paperwork, exploring the city, trying new foods, and other stuff of the sort. Maybe he'll take them to see his home under the sea someday.

When the relationship is at a point of absolute trust, he'll reveal his octopus form to them. He'd be embarrassed by their curiosity at first, but the fact that they accept him in any form brings tears to his eyes.

Mr. Dalmatia 🐾

Although Dalma, should you ship him with Pretty Scar, is a massive tsundere when it comes to love, depending on the circumstance he may not be.

If Dalma is in love, he will chase after it like a dog to a bone. He will do everything in his power to prove how good of a boyfriend he'd make.

Acting overly gentleman-like, such as opening doors, pulling your chair, protecting them from the mailman. Things like that.

It's a bit superficial at first, but that's probably due to the puppy-love nature of it all. But should the relationship continue, Dalma mellows out, and his tsundere tendencies may come in.

Even so, his favorite thing to do together is eat dinner, watch their favorite movie or show, cuddle up on the couch, and fall asleep. It's simple, but such a relaxing thing to do that's not overly physically affectionate.

Pretty Scar (Mzuri) ✨️

In love with Dalma or not, it's really all the same with this girl.

Overly lovey-dovey, overly affectionate in all aspects. Just very overwhelming at first.

Should the person like her too, boundaries are set right away. This may cause some friction as she may cross the lines a few times, but if she loves the person as much as she claims she does, she must respect their personal space.

Her over the top nature comes from her deeply rooted fear that if she isn't, she'll end up alone from being too boring and not standing out. It's difficult for her to not be such a try-hard when her family back home despises her for not being strong or capable enough to be a defender or leader of the pack.

But should she and her s/o cross that hurdle, Mzuri will be much more relaxed and understanding. She's still the most physically affectionate out of everyone on the list, but she'll mature and be better at reading the room.

Ms. Hades 🔥

Ms. Hades' understanding of love was taught in the movie Hercules' version of Ancient Greece. Even Disney-fied, that's not a great place to start...

MH is the embodiment of fire: all-consuming and dangerous, yet vibrant and comforting. While she may be indifferent and professional, she's curious about the concept of love and it being described often as a "spark," a "kindling flame," and other adjectives relating to her element.

She'd admire them from afar at first. She's studies human behavior regularly, so it wouldn't be so strange to anyone else, and no one would know this is different unless they paid more attention. Little would she know they'd study her right back.

Progress would be slow but passionate. Compliments, dances, and candle lit dinners.

Once they've settled and MH has realized her feelings are legit, they settle more comfortably. Late work nights, stories of long forgotten Greek myths, bashing and sh** talking the gods.

Oh yes. The tired mother of the group has found her peace.

Veil 🔔

Veil would probably be excited at the prospect of dating, but she'd immediately turn down any opportunity due to her unwavering duty and loyalty to Frollo.

Of similar reasoning to Joe, Veil views true love as a distraction, though Joe is significantly less loyal to Ursula. He fears her more than anything. Whilst Veil is almost obsessed with pleasing Frollo.

She'll strongly deny her feelings and insist she could never care for them like that. Not in the way they deserve anyway...

It takes a while for her to figure herself out, but once she does, words of affirmation become her love language.

She'll sing them romantic songs from France, or any song she knows is their favorite, acknowledge their hard work and dedication to whatever they set their mind to, or simply tell them how much she adores them.

Lady Hock (Hook) 🪝

Lady Hock would probably be the most unbothered by it all. She seems like the type to have a few flings here and there. But I'd like to think that she'd be a bit unsure should things get serious.

Stability is something Hock's never had, so she's not sure what to do with it. Though, she'd be a lot less indecisive than the others. Once she sets her heart out on something, she'll go after it.

Adventures await for the two of them! Whether that be finding sunken treasure to enduring cookout get togethers with family members. Nothing is boring when they're by each other's sides.

Faja (Farja) 🌹

Tsundere all the way, baby!

This spitfire magician can not handle ANY emotion, much less love of all things.

The denial doesn't last as long as Apple or Malfi's, but it does take some time. She's terrified of rejection and doesn't want to risk getting heartbroken.

She knows she's not as elegant as Ms. Hades, or as charming as Apple and Malfi, or as fun Jack, PS, Dalma, and Hock. So what's the point in trying when all she'll be is a disappointment?

Once the s/o makes it clear that they like her for who she is, she'll fall even harder.

Food and flowers are her love language, so you bet she'll make their favorite dishes and arrange beautiful center pieces.

Faja is passionate, and should her love interest reciprocate that passion, she'll be loving til the end.

Thank you for the ask! Sorry this was so long, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

[detournementsmineurs]

Un "Don Juan" par l'artiste Ruben Carrasco remplace la fresque olympique de l'artiste César Malfi sur le M.U.R Bastille, octobre 2024.

[christo03willy85]

[weirdlookindog]

Henry Weston Keen (1899-1935) - Skull Crowned with Snakes and Flowers, 1930

illustration for John Webster's 'The Duchess of Malfi'

source

[littlesistersti-backupandspam]

Do Ms. Villa and Mr. Polite have signatures?

Signatures

Quick compilarion of the recruiters signatures :)

[lomopolar]

[uwuttaker]

production photos of jodie in the duchess by marc brenner

[blackpoison66]

Art : Memo

[nomilkinmyteaplease]

The cast of The Duchess in rehearsals

[toadminako]

The Duchess [of Malfi] at the Trafalgar Theatre is a rather messy adaptation that I wasn't super fond of. The semi-modernised dialogue felt impossible for the actors to deliver, the music was implemented clumsily (although I loved getting to hear Jodie Whittaker sing), and the mid-20th century setting just undermines the themes of the play IMO.

BUT THAT BEING SAID

You do also get to see Paul Ready with a clipped beard in various priest outfits delivering lines like:

"Turn around, bend over, touch yourself and tell me you love me more than him"

So uhhhhhh nevermind 10/10 show actually it was perfect no notes!

[nem0-nee]

TWST x Villain Recruiters: Hijinks Ensue

I saw on Twitter that it's implied that Jack Heart is Ace's brother and mygod that idea has such a grip on me. The villain recruiters being in TWST!?!?!? Sign me the FUCK up!!!

Plus Malleus finally being able to wear a hat without cutting holes in it is 😭😭

Bonus: little cheebs

[jinxthejubilee]

Hey it's been a while! I wanted to ask a question in a universe where the DVRs got a happily ever after with their movie's heroes/princesses but since I don't really know how some would somehow leave their villain halfway through the film and be a part of the good side (like for example is Ms Hades becomes part of Hercules' family or something instead of tied to Hades) so I'll instead ask this: What do you think will take for the princesses to fall for the male recruiters? This mostly for Malfie and Aurora and Snow White and Apple Poison (I actually don't know where you stand in that ship tbh). Joe and Ariel can be added as romantic or platonic if you chose to since I understand you aren't the biggest fan from what I've seen!

Hey! Welcome back. Sorry it took a while to get back to you. Before I answer your question, allow me clarify my take on their relationships first:

Depending on how you view Malfie's age, I can see him and Aurora getting together. Once again, I personally see the recruiters as young adults, but given their personalities, I can see Jack, Dalma, Pretty Scar, and Malfie as older teens.

Snow White and Apple Poison is an interesting case. Despite the popular rumor, Snow is not 14 years old. She was never given a direct age. But given the canonical ages of the other princesses (ranging from 16-19), I can see her falling into that bracket. In my mind, Apple is at least late 20s, but that's likely due to the stage actor's appearance and characterization of him.

Jack and Alice having a romantic relationship is completely out of the question. She's 12. It's creepy. I don't need to explain further.

According to the stage actor whilst playing Joe, our tired octopus friend here views Ariel as a "little girl," meaning he sees her as a kid. So, at least to me, that ship has sunk.

And finally, unless you count Anita or Perdita, one being a human woman and technically the pup's grandmother/owner, and the other being the adopted mother-figure he was supposed to have, Dalma is out.

With that out of the way, let us begin!

Apple Poison and Snow White 🍎:

Following the idea that Apple was a humunculus created by the Evil Queen (Grimhilda), he was definitely the second person ordered to watch Snow like a hawk as she went along with her tasks. He can sit still for hours at a time, so naturally, he'd be perfect for the job.

He'd most likely grow curious of her caring, hopeful nature despite her circumstances. So much so that he might just confront her himself just to get some answers.

She confuses him, truly. What is there to hope for when your stepmother has ruined your life and reputation as a princess? How can one be so pitifully naive?

But she's not. She just simply refuses to give up.

Sure, she could escape and find shelter elsewhere, but how can she when her people are equally as miserable under her stepmother? Should her country need her one day, perhaps she could help a distant relative or her own child take the throne, as she herself might be unfit due to her lack of education as a maid.

That's why she stays. She has hope.

He'd probably be sent off to find her after she disappears. He may bond with her more, alongside the dwarves. Maybe he tries to kill her himself so she won't suffer under the queen, but decides against it. (You could bring in the original fairytale's three ways of killing her off: The comb, the corset, and then the poison apple).

In the end, Apple would become a dear friend or even an older brother towards Snow White. So much so that when she leaves to marry the prince and becomes the new queen, Apple stays behind to rule as the new king. An alliance built under the strongest foundation: family.

Malfie/Malfi and Aurora🪞:

I've definitely talked about this before on an ask talking about their biggest insecurities, and on Malfi's Personality Page, so I'll add a bit more here.

They'd most likely meet out in the forest one day. He wouldn't know she's the young princess his mistress has been looking for at first, but it becomes pretty apparent later on as they become closer.

At this point, he's desperately in love with her and is inspired to be a better person because of her. His manipulative and jealous tendencies are put in check, as he's willing to give up his happiness for Aurora. Even if it means she won't be with him in the end.

While I personally love the tragic angle with Malfi's story, if we were to give him the win here: He'd help Prince Philip defeat Maleficent, turn back into a bird due to his deal with his mistress being broken, but instead of leaving right after, he stays and follows the group back to the castle.

Prince Philip tries to wake her up, but it doesn't work. The fairies grant Malfie a temporary humanoid form, but he will change back, as their powers are not as powerful as Maleficent's. He agrees anyway and kisses her. Not only does it work, but the kiss gives Malfie a permanent form, although some of his powers have diminished (interpret that how you want)

While the families are ecstatic to have their children home safely, they understand that after years of living separate lives, Aurora has found a new love. Maybe someone might object to her and Malfie's union, but Philip would step in to say that Malfie's earned his respect and deserves Aurora.

Everyone gives their blessing, and Malfie finally gets what he's always wanted: True love.

Much of the others' cases have been discussed before, and I was interested in Apple and Malfie specifically, so I left the others out. Hope you enjoyed reading anyway! Thank you for the question :)

[detournementsmineurs]

Et la fresque olympique de l'artiste César Malfi vient remplacer “Fin’ Amor” de l'artiste Jérôme Rasto (2024) pour fête les Jeux Olympiques de Paris sur le nouveau M.U.R Bastille, juin 2024.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

What are your thoughts on drarry?

spireasalix asked:

Hi! I just found your blog and find your theories really interesting. I don't know if anyone has asked you before, but what do you think of Draco Malfoy? Do you think he would have a chance with Harry? Could they fall in love or there is too much history between them? Let's make Harry/Draco canon! Hahahaha

Hi, thank you so much! 😊

Since it's a ship/character ask I want to preface that everyone can ship what they want and like whatever characters they want and this is my personal highly subjective opinion.

I'll start with my thoughts on Drarry, as I had an arc there, like, back when I just got into the fandom I really liked the concept of Drarry, so I read some Drarry and didn't like most of what I found back then. That dislike kinda colored Drarry and Draco's character as a whole for me, so it was kinda like: "I can see the appeal on paper, but I don't like it". More recently though I read a lot about canon Drarry from @iamnmbr3 and she honestly got me rethinking my opinion on Draco and Drarry.

As I stand on it now, I'm not invested in Drarry, but I see them occasionally on my dash and sometimes I like what I see. It's the: yeah, I can see it happen, but it's not a pairing I'm passionate about.

Now, to @spireasalix more specific questions.

Draco Malfoy is an interesting character in theory but I don't think it comes across in the books as much as it could. Like, in books 1-5, I find him an annoying spoilt little brat. It can be entertaining when he comes on the page, and I know he'd be whining and dramatic and make a scene. And it makes sense Draco is this way, he's an only child of very rich parents who love him, he looks up to his father like Lucius could do no wrong, but he is lonely and attention-seeking. This need for attention is interesting and is part of why he is so obsessed with Harry. It shows he wants approval and is actually quite insecure under all his pride and mean attitude. He was raised to be a blood-supremacist spoilt jerk, and he does a decent job at being a schoolyard bully without crossing any super major lines.

Younger Draco can be a fun character, he's a problem Harry feels comfortable with because he knows how to deal with him, unlike his other problems (of which he has a lot). I think part of why Harry focuses on Draco as much as he does is because Draco is a predictable problem, one Harry feels he has control over how he wants to deal with him. Which is comforting considering how little control he has over literally every other area of his life.

Then in books 6 and 7, that's when Draco starts actually having his character development, and there are interesting things there, or the potential for them. I love what he goes through, becoming a Death eater only to realize, that: no, he can't really do violence. The constant fear for himself and his family, the torture he most likely goes through, being a prisoner in his own home, like, there is so much potential good angst there but I don't feel like the books really take it as far as it can go.

I recently finished my reread of HBP, and Draco in it was having a crap time, truly. He partially brought it on himself, but he really was thrown into the deep end and he is flailing around to keep his head above water regretting ever asking to leave the kiddie pool (because make no mistake, he asked to be in the grown-ups' pool). And you see how he matures there, going from a spoilt brat to a terrified teen. In one summer he went from the top of his own little world to seeing how powerless he actually is. And, like, out of everyone, the person he apparently confides in is Moaning Myrtle, like, idk, I love that, I think this friendship should be mentioned more. Like, Draco is having a crisis over his family, his worldview, his own worth, being a Death Eater and what it means, and his confidant is the ghost of a muggleborn girl who Tom Riddle, his new master, killed. Like, there are some implications.

I find it fascinating Myrtle says this about Draco:

“No,” said Myrtle defiantly, her voice echoing loudly around the old tiled bathroom. “I mean he’s sensitive, people bully him too, and he feels lonely and hasn’t got anybody to talk to, and he’s not afraid to show his feelings and cry!”

(HBP, 462)

That combined with the fact that Draco doesn't ever really try to harm Harry too badly (@iamnmbr3 wrote many great posts about this). Like, at the beginning of HBP, he has Harry petrified and he just breaks his nose. And this is already after he becomes a Death Eater. He also helps Harry multiple times throughout Deathly Hollows, something that places him and his family at risk.

And, yes, he makes some attempts to kill Dumbledore that harm others (the cursed necklace that hurt Katie Bell and the poison Ron drank) but I think the methods he uses are telling. Draco attempts to kill Dumbledore with methods where he himself is far away from the action. You can say it's due to a Slytherin sense of self-preservation, and that's part of it, I'm sure, but I think the main part of it is that Draco is averse to violence. At the end when he was face to face with Dumbledore he couldn't bring himself to cast the curse. Dumbledore was disarmed and surrounded, there was nothing he could've (or would've) done to hurt Draco, but Draco still hesitated. He couldn't kill him even when his own life and his family's were on the line. Harry also talks about how much Draco is likely hurt from having to torture others on Voldemort's orders in Deathly Hollows, and I think Harry is spot on about it.

If we look at the bullying of younger Draco, he doesn't act out violently. He is the cruel words and insults type, and I remember being honestly surprised he physically hit Harry in HBP because it's not the sort of thing Draco does. So, while Draco as schoolyard bully is mean, he practically is never shown to be physically violent, at least not that I remember. He only starts being more of a physical threat in HBP, and in the cases of Ron and Katie, he does so from a distance in a way he isn't directly involved in the violence.

That being said, while what he goes through is interesting and has plenty of potential and I do like his character, I find him kinda annoying. Like, in my very subjective opinion, I find his whining in the early books incredibly annoying and I find him, even in the later books, kinda underwhelming. Like, I want more out of his character, idk. Like, really, all power to you for liking Draco, he just, unfortunately, doesn't make it into my top Harry Potter characters purely because of personal subjective bias.

Like, for all of Draco being a Slytherin from a long line of Slytherins, he doesn't showcase many Slytherin characteristics (yes, that's something I dislike about his character, go figure 🤷‍♀️). Like, Draco isn't cunning, like, at all. He's smart, I'm not saying he isn't, he gets good and even outstanding grades in various school subjects, and he fixes the vanishing cabinet he knows nothing about on his own. He is skilled and talented magically and he can figure out complex magic on his own, but when it comes to long-term planning or general cunning... yeah, I don't think that's part of Draco's arsenal.

He acts out on useful information on the first opportunity he has, with very little thought about timing or how to best use it and very little forethought in general. In 1st year he gets Harry and Co caught outside after curfew but doesn't think his plan through so he too, is caught out after curfew. And sure, he's 11, but 11-year-old Harry wouldn't have made that mistake, I think (neither would Ron or Hermione). In 3rd year, his plan against Buckbeak and Hagrid was laughable and only worked because Lucius could pull it off. I mean, Draco wasn't even doing a good job at faking an injury compared to Harry who could believably pretend to be the Bloody Baron to scare off Peeves at 11, not to mention lying reliably to McGonagall at 12. In GoF he makes these Potter stinks badges, which are magically impressive (considering they still work 3 years later) but are again, an example of Draco acting on something immediately because that's how he tends to operate. Like how he goes straight to Harry every time he finds something in the Daily Prophet to make fun of.

Even if we look at Draco's later plans, like in HBP, he was mostly trying to buy plans rather than think about how to solve his problem. Because Draco knows how to buy his way out of problems, not think his way out. And while all this does make for an interesting trait for him to have in his rule in the story and he has an invisible arc to break away from this thinking pattern and that does lead him to the vanishing cabinet eventually, it does make me like him less. I'm biased, I can't help it.

His ambition is another thing, I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion, but I don't think Draco is particularly ambitious. Like, he wants to make his parents (especially Lucius) proud, he wants people to like him, and he wants to be popular, sure, but he doesn't have any long-term plans or specific goals in mind. He grew up already having everything, so he doesn't really have any ambitions bigger than that. I'm not saying there needs to be, Harry isn't particularly ambitious either, it's just interesting to me that our poster Slytherin in Harry's year isn't that much of a Slytherin at all.

As I mentioned earlier, Draco also seems to be averse to violence and doesn't have as much of a ruthless streak as his house is usually associated with. Draco, at the end of the day, seems to me like a very sheltered kid who idolized war when he heard about it in stories up until he had to actually take part in it. He is one of the softer characters in the books actually, in my opinion.

While I think he definitely values the traits of house Slytherin as he grew up learning to appreciate them, he doesn't actually possess them, at least, not in abundance. Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but honestly, I think Draco is more of a Gryffindor than a Slytherin considering he is brave (in the last book especially. I want to note he isn't the same brave as Harry. Draco fears a lot more than Harry does, but when push comes to shove, he keeps going despite his fear. He's more similar to Neville in that regard), bold, and definitely has his personal code of honor and chivalry he acts according to, but I digress.

My personal issue with Draco is the main issue I have with Drarry as a ship, because, like, I can't be actively invested in a ship when I find one of the characters annoying. I have a similar stance on Romione as I have on Drarry. I like Romione well enough, I enjoy the fanart of them I see, but I wouldn't actively search for fics of them. Neither would I write fics where they are the main pairing. In Romione's case, I love Ron but find Hermione kinda annoying, I don't hate her, I don't even dislike her, I actually like her, but she annoys me. Draco is the same way, I like him, but he just gets on my nerves sometimes.

To summarise, I see the appeal of Drarry, and I can see how it could work on paper. I don't think Harry and Draco ever truly hated each other in the books, so, yeah, I think they could get together. They could definitely forgive each other everything, hell, the books practically outright say they forgive each other everything in canon. I think you can build a very compelling love story for them, it's just not a story I'm invested in reading/writing mostly because Draco isn't a character that I'm overly invested in.

[king-alfred]

Happy birthday David Dawson (b. 7 September 1982)! 👑

[kingslionheart]

David at the curtain call for The Duchess of Malfi - Shakespeare's Globe, 2014