#nadjas change in reactions

[sallyrhubarb]

When he's your familiar

When he's OUR familiar

[uhnoobuhhs]

My thoughts on these last two episodes:

Though things seems to have gone back to what they were, I believe they are also completely different at the same time.

Because although being a vampire was Guillermo’s dream, I think in the years he’s spent with the vampires, the main reason he wanted to be turned was so he could be considered a valued part of the team

He wanted the vampires to see him like family, to care about him the way he does for them.

And that’s come true, all the vampires care and love and worry for Guillermo now.

They all demonstrated this in their own different ways this season:

from Laszlo actively trying to help Guillermo, showing up at his motel to apologize for not being as helpful (which was actually very sweet of him) to that final scene with Derek

to Nadja taking Guillermo to the vet and protecting him from being harmed

To Colin stopping by the motel to give Guillermo a farewell gift.

They all were worried about him. They all didn’t want him to get killed, that’s why they kept his secret despite knowing how hurt and upset Nandor would be. It’s such a three sixty from the beginning of the series. The found family vibes really made me want to cry in the best way.

(But since I am a huge nandermo shipper I saved my Nandor points for last because I’m gonna dive in DEEP)

I knew that we wouldn’t get a love confession this season, I believe that Guillermo will either be turned into a vampire in a last ditch effort to save his life (hopefully by Nandor)

Or he’ll eventually change his mind and ask Nandor again to be turned and I think if he were to ask again (after everything that’s happened) I think Nandor would do it if he believed Guillermo was sure.

Guillermo did mention to Nandor at the fake ceremony that he really still wanted to be a vampire. (So who knows I wanna keep hope alive)

But overall, I loved this season.

We got a rare peak behind the curtain at Nandor.

He not only deeply cares for Guillermo and can’t imagine losing him but he also knew all along that Guillermo was not ready to be a vampire.

(Remember that scene in s3 where Nandor tells Guillermo that vampirism is a curse? And that he cared too much about him to do that to him?)

The fact that Nandor memorized Guillermo’s letter to him when they first met just speaks volumes about how much he actually loves Guillermo.

Nandor has grown so much this season, it was so refreshing to see. I mean all those self help books really paid off. Cause, not only did he set his own hurt feelings aside and forgave Guillermo despite how important loyalty and honor are to him but

he also didn’t act impulsively when it came to Guillermo transitioning. He let Guillermo experience vampirism and observed his reactions and emotions before stepping in.

(I hope we continue to see more character growth like this and that hopefully in s6 we finally get some romantic plot for these two because fuck I’m in too deep to quit this show/ ship lol)

[philomenie]

KILLING ME SOFTLY

Hitman!Jolly - Part 1

CN murder, violence, sex, organized crime, blood, angst, 18+

@jilliemiw86 @nojoyontheburn @reyadawn @dsireland86

Fourteen

Jolly wakes up because his cell phone is constantly buzzing and vibrating next to his head. Tired, he reaches for it. “Yes?” he grumbles sleepily. “We need to talk... come here!” explains Kolja in a gruff voice. “What about?” Jolly wants to know, suddenly wide awake. “I have to settle my father's affairs. You have to help me!” Kolja replies, his voice different than usual. “OK, I'll be with you in half an hour!” nods Jolly. “Good! I'm in..... in my new office!” swallows Kolja. “I see... I'll be right there!” explains Jolly and hangs up. FUCK....

Jolly rubs his face, then dials Doi's contact, waits. “Congratulations....” smiles Doi, ”Volkov has passed away!” “As discussed.....” nods Jolly. “That leaves Inga and Kolja....” Doi waits, lurking. “It might take me a while to finish them both off!” explains Jolly. “Well.... I thought you wanted to get out of here as soon as possible?” Doi wants to know. “Plans have changed a bit....” Jolly evades. “Your girlfriend?” Doi follows up.

“She.....” Jolly breaks off, “It'll just take.....” “Let me guess... she was mad at you?” asks Doi. “Let's leave Liv out of this!” grumbles Jolly firmly. “Well.... Do you still need papers for her then?” Doi wants to know. Does he still need papers for her? Jolly is suddenly not so sure. Not after Olivia's reaction yesterday. “Um....” gulps Jolly, ‘Get everything ready!’ he then explains. “That's what they're doing! Everything's ready for you!” smiles Doi. “Good... have you thought about the succession? Considered Nadja as a suitable candidate?” asks Jolly. “Yes... I have and I've come to the conclusion that I think she's suitable!” Doi explains seriously. “She has support within the organization. Especially with the younger ones and some of the older ones, because of her position.” explains Jolly. “Well, then I should pledge my support to her, make it official as soon as Kolja and his mother are dead!” smiles Doi. “Hmm” nods Jolly, ‘I'll take care of that in the next few days!’ and hangs up.

As Jolly leaves his apartment, he sees Olivia getting on the elevator. Without giving it a second thought, he rushes after her, just managing to slip his hand between the closing doors. Startled, Olivia flinches and when she recognizes him, she quickly looks down. “Liv... please, let's talk!” Jolly squeezes out with difficulty. His heart is pounding in his throat. Another woman present, who could have been his grandmother in terms of age, looks curiously from Olivia to Jolly. “Joakim.... I have to go on duty!” Olivia swallows, not looking up. Jolly squeezes into the elevator, “Liv, please!” he pleads. “Honey, give yourself a break! If you talk to each other, almost everything can be solved!” the old lady smiles encouragingly at Olivia and nods towards Jolly, ”You look terrible, and so does he, if I may say so!” Jolly doesn't know what to say, smoothing back his hair, which hangs stringy in his face, “Liv, please.... I..... please let's talk....I know I made a big mistake by not being honest with

you!” he tries again. The old lady smiles at him. Olivia looks at him and Jolly's heart clenches. Her eyes are red and thick, as if she's been crying all night. “Liv....” he swallows and just takes her in his arms, ”I'm so sorry.... Please forgive me!”

“Damn....” Olivia gasps and wraps her arms around his neck, ”You fucking.... Swede!” Jolly laughs softly, kisses her. He looks at her lovingly, “Your fucking Swede!” “Exactly, MY fucking Swede, who's not supposed to do shit!” hisses Olivia and Jolly sees tears glistening in her eyes. “Don't worry, min Liv, everything will be fine!” “Well bravo!” smiles the old lady and pats Jolly's arm, which is still wrapped around Olivia's waist, ”Talking is always good.... Kissing even better!” Olivia has to stifle a laugh and buries her face in Jolly's neck. “I have to agree with you!” nods Jolly. When the elevator stops, the old lady winks at them both again before getting out. Olivia looks at him, “I really have to get to work!” “I'll drive you.....” Jolly declares and the two of them leave the elevator in a tight embrace. Before Olivia gets into the car, she gives him another stern look, “Don't ever lie to me again!” “I promise... I swear to you!” Jolly nods immediately. “What about Semjon's wife and son?” Olivia wants to know as they drive off. “Hmm” shrugs Jolly with his shoulder, ”I'll get them both out of the way!” “Joakim.......” Olivia shakes her head, ”FUCK, why? I mean, you don't have to do this anymore...you killed Semjon...which I can totally understand. But his wife and son?”

“I have to do it... for various reasons!” growls Jolly. “What are they?” Olivia wants to know. “One is the agreement with Doi!” explains Jolly, ”And then to rearrange the succession!” “What else do you care about the succession?” Olivia wants to know, irritated. “A few things... Doi wants Nadja and I think she would be ideal. That way I'll make sure she does. Besides, she'll leave us alone, which neither Kolja nor Inga would do!” Jolly explains calmly.

Olivia looks at him thoughtfully, “What if I ask you not to do it? Just ask you to go to Doi now, get our papers and leave?” “Älskling....” sighs Jolly and reaches for her hand, squeezing it, ”Please try to understand. If Nadja runs the organization, we'll really have peace. She won't let us, she won't let me....” “I'm scared shitless,” Olivia gasps, ”Scared you'll get caught, get killed!” “I won't! I know how I'm going to do it... It's not going to arouse any suspicion at all.” Jolly explains seriously. “How?” Olivia swallows and looks at him. “Do you really want to know?” asks Jolly. “No... not really....” she then whispers, ‘But.....’ she doesn't finish the sentence. “Liv, you'd only drive yourself crazy!” Jolly then explains. “Hmmm” Olivia nods quietly.

“Liv... I don't want you to worry about it! It'll all be over soon.... Then I'll be free, really free! And we can start our lives over together!” emphasizes Jolly. Olivia leans against him, “Promise me you'll be careful!” she whispers in a husky voice, “I don't want to lose you!” Jolly kisses her on the crown of her head, “You won't get rid of me that quickly! I swear to you!” “That's what I want you to know!” she hisses and presses herself against him. After Jolly has helped Kolja with the paperwork and a few vodka shots later, he informs Doi about his next steps and what he needs from him. “It can be done!” smiles Doi, ”When do you need everything?” “As soon as possible!” Jolly explains seriously. “Good, tomorrow. Where should I have it taken?” Doi wants to know. “To the parking garage near the hospital. Where my car was parked! I'll be there tomorrow at about 4pm. If you drop it off there promptly.....” suggests Jolly. “Hmm, good! Anything else?” asks Doi. “Yes....For if that doesn't work out and I get killed, I want Liv, Olivia to be under your protection, get the money, new papers and be free to decide what she wants to do. Leave or stay. But nothing must happen to her!” Jolly presses out.

“Are you worried it might go wrong?” Doi wants to know. “No, not that!” growls Jolly, ”But I want to be prepared just in case!” “I see.... Yes.... You have my word of honor that if you don't get out of there alive, everything will happen that way!” Doi explains seriously, ”Your girlfriend will be under my personal protection!”

“Thanks!” growls Jolly, ”That was important to me!” When Jolly picks up Olivia the next day, his trunk is full of the things he needs to be free. But he has something else in his jacket pocket. Something that will more than sweeten his freedom. “Liv, let's go out for dinner tonight!” he smiles at her. “Eating out? In a restaurant?” Olivia wants to know from him. “Not quite... it's a surprise!” Jolly smiles and puts his arm around her, ”I've already got everything ready for it!” “Hmm, you're making me curious!” Olivia kisses him on the cheek, but suddenly becomes serious, ”Isn't that dangerous? I mean, what if someone sees us? Someone wrong?” she looks around uncertainly. “No one will see us there, min Liv, you don't need to be afraid. Even now, we're not being watched. I checked beforehand. Believe me, I'll never be so careless about your safety again!” he growls. Olivia snuggles up to him, “Good....” she sighs in relief, “Then, do we have a date tonight?” she smiles. “We have a date tonight, min Liv!” grins Jolly, kissing her on her cheek. “What should I wear?” Olivia wants to know from Jolly when they get back to her apartment. “Whatever you feel comfortable in!” he smiles and Olivia rolls her eyes at his answer. “I'm hardly going on our date in a sweatshirt and sweatpants!” she growls. “Totally don't care!” grins Jolly and wraps his arms around her from behind, resting his head on her shoulder to kiss her neck, ”You're always stunningly beautiful!” “Hmm,” Olivia mumbles, leaning her head against Jolly's, ”Now tell me.... WHAT am I going to wear?!”

“Jeans, sweatshirt, boots, jacket... it's colder in the evening now and I don't want you to freeze!” replies Jolly. “Where are you taking me?” Olivia laughs. “Are you going to let me kidnap you?” Jolly teases her. “Hmm, let me think about it.....” Olivia teases him and puts her finger to her lip thoughtfully. “Beast!” Jolly laughs and lowers his lip back to her neck to suck lightly on it. “Fuck..... if you keep doing that, we're not getting out of here!” gasps Olivia. “Hmm, we'll have to save that for afterwards then!” grins Jolly, biting her neck tenderly once more. “Get dressed!” he grins and gives her a slap on the butt, ”You won't regret it!” “YES sir!” Olivia bursts out. “Hmm, say that again...” grins Jolly with lowered eyelids. “Sir?!” Olivia teases him, ”You want me to call you sir?” “Hmm from time to time...... that certainly doesn't sound bad....” smiles Jolly. Olivia walks over to him and reaches into his long hair that falls loosely to his shoulders, makes a fist and pulls him towards her, making him gasp slightly, “Hmm, like that, SIR?” she whispers harshly in his ear and Jolly notices how he hardens. He would have loved to grab her now and take her to the bedroom, but.... “Exactly... like that!” he replies instead. “Ok” Olivia smiles innocently and lets go of him, ‘Then I know now!’ and saunters into her bedroom to get changed. Fuck, Jolly thinks to himself and has to adjust his crotch, this could be a really interesting night.....

“Damn, WHERE are you going?” Olivia wants to know from Jolly. “Wait and see, min Liv!” grins Jolly and lets the car rumble further along the uneven forest path. “Your word in God's ear!” growls Olivia quietly and holds on tight again so as not to be completely shaken. When Jolly finally stops the car, Olivia is speechless at first, “WOW!” she exclaims. Jolly gets out, opens the passenger door and holds his hand out to Olivia, “Come on!” he whispers tenderly.

Olivia lets him help her out of the car and they walk hand in hand along the clearing until the terrain drops off abruptly towards the sea. The waves crashing against the cliffs are clearly audible, but otherwise there is a pleasant silence. The full moon bathes everything in a wonderful play of colors.

“It's beautiful here!” Olivia breathes ecstatically, ”How did you find this place?” “Hmm,” Jolly shrugs his shoulders, ‘When I want to think, I like to go to the forest ....’ he explains with a smile and wraps his arms around Olivia, kissing her temple. She snuggles up to him comfortably. “Wait here... I'll just get what I brought!” whispers Jolly and breaks away from Olivia, walking back to the car. Olivia is mesmerized by the surroundings and surrenders to their impressions. Jolly returns with a large basket, two lanterns and a thick picnic blanket, which Olivia smiles at and beams at him. Jolly spreads out the picnic blanket in a cozy spot under a sprawling oak tree, sets up the lanterns so that they have enough light and lights them. “Can I help you with anything?” Olivia wants to know. “No, min Liv!” Jolly shakes his head with a smile and kisses her on the nose, ”Just sit down!” Jolly takes the food he has prepared from the basket and, last but not least, the dishes, glasses and a bottle of wine, which he opens first. “Just to be on the safe side, I took the bottle from your wine rack!” Jolly grins as he pours Olivia a glass of wine, which makes Olivia laugh and warms Jolly's heart. “Here's to us!” smiles Olivia as she clinks glasses with Jolly. “What delicious things did you take with you?” she then wants to know. Grinning, Jolly opens the lids of the boxes and tins in front of him and heaps the delicacies he has conjured up in advance in the kitchen onto two plates and hands one of them to Olivia, “Here! I hope you like it!” “I've liked everything you've cooked so far!” she winks at him and starts to eat.

“We should do this more often!” Olivia smiles as she later lies on Jolly's lap in his arms and lets him warm her. “Hmm, definitely!�� he nods and kisses the top of her head, ”We'll have plenty of time for that!” Olivia looks up, stroking his cheek, “Where should we go first?” she asks him gently. “I would like to go to Sweden first.... Show you where I come from, where I've lived. I can still see it, our house, the restaurant... I'd also like to visit my family's grave... if it still exists after all this time!” Jolly explains roughly.

“Then let's do it, my darling!” Olivia whispers tenderly, reaching for his neck and pulling him towards her to melt into an intimate kiss. Jolly gently cradles Olivia in his arms until he suddenly pauses. “Hmm?” Olivia looks up at him questioningly as Jolly starts to rummage in his trouser pocket. “All good!” he smiles and rocks her gently back and forth again until he bends down to her neck and kisses it softly, making Olivia shiver pleasantly.

“Min Liv....” he whispers tenderly in her ear, ”You mean everything to me in the world and beyond! Every single day with you is a precious gift for me and I can't imagine my life without you. You are my North Star, my heart and my soul. The fact that you want me, even though you know WHO I am, WHAT I am, giving up everything for me just to be with me, is unbelievable to me.....” Olivia straightens up so that she can look him in the eye, gazing at him with wide eyes.

Jolly clears his throat before he can continue, “So I want to ask you to be my wife?” he whispers harshly and opens his hand, which contains a ring. Stunned, Olivia continues to stare at him, then at his open hand with the ring in it. Jolly clears his throat again, “Do you want me?” he asks shyly. This brings Olivia out of her stupor and she wraps her arms around his neck, “Yes, God, YES!!!” she sobs, “I want you, I want to marry you, I want to be your wife!!!” and kisses him stormily on his soft lips. Jolly also wraps his arms around her and hugs her to him, “God, Liv!” he gasps, tears streaming down his face.

He had hoped for this reaction so much and now that it has come true, he doesn't really know what to do with his feelings. Sobbing, he presses himself against her and rests his head on her shoulder. “I love you, you big, fucking, crazy Swede!” Olivia gasps and runs her fingers through his hair, pressing him closer, gently stroking his scalp, ”And I'll be damned, but I WANT to spend my life with you, the rest of my life! Do you hear me?” Jolly can't answer, so he just nods, still needing something to get all his emotions back under control. After a while, he lifts his head and looks at her. Smiling, Olivia wipes away his tears and kisses him lightly on the lips.

Jolly takes Olivia's hand and puts the ring on her ring finger. It fits like a glove. A simple silver ring with a diamond in a star-shaped setting. Olivia looks at it admiringly. “Do you like it?” Jolly wants to know shyly, ”I thought it was so suitable for you... my North Star!” “It's beautiful!” Olivia breathes, ”And it fits perfectly! Where did...?” Jolly shrugs one shoulder, “I took one of your rings with me when I bought it to make sure it fits!” Olivia smiles at him, “You always know how to help yourself, don't you!” “Hmm,” Jolly shrugs his shoulder again, ”I've learned!” “You know you don't have to carry everything on your own now.... You're not alone anymore, darling! You've got me now! I'm here for you, I'll ALWAYS be here for you!” Olivia whispers earnestly, which brings tears to Jolly's eyes again. Olivia tenderly wipes one away with her thumb, “Let's go home!” she whispers tenderly before leaning in to kiss him again.

The night WAS interesting and Jolly gets hard again at the mere thought of it, so he snuggles up to Olivia who, like him, is still naked. “Hmmm,” she smiles sleepily as she notices his hard member against her bottom and turns and wraps a leg around Jolly's waist, pulling him closer. “You don't seem tired anymore?” she teases him and kisses his lips gently. “Not really!” he smiles and puts his hand on her bottom, pressing her against him. His lips find hers, just as their tongues explore each other. Olivia pushes her pelvis against him, arching towards him with a moan. Jolly teases her clit with his tip, supported by his hand. Olivia becomes more and more impatient, pushing herself even further towards him until Jolly slowly penetrates her. Olivia wraps her arms around him, not moving any further.

“I wish I could stop time right now!” she sighs and snuggles up to him. “Hmm,” Jolly mumbles blissfully and rests his head against hers. Just as he's about to move inside her because he can't take it anymore, his cell phone buzzes. “FUCK!” he hisses in annoyance and Olivia's eyes widen too. Jolly fishes for his cell phone and without paying attention to WHO exactly is bothering him, he throws it against the wall with all his might. “Are you serious?!” Olivia gasps, partly amused, partly shocked. “I'm fucking serious!” growls Jolly, taking her leg, putting it over his shoulder and starting to thrust into her.

Jolly stares at his ruined cell phone display with his lips pressed together. “Is it still working?” Olivia wants to know from him, who is kneading her wet hair dry in a towel. “Hmm!” nods Jolly. “Was the call important?” she wants to know tonelessly. “Hmm.... Probably.” Jolly sighs. “And now what?!” gulps Olivia. “Now I'm going to call the little asshole back and explain to him that I was out and about and my cell phone fell out of my pocket and broke!” growls Jolly, annoyed. “Little asshole?” Olivia follows up. “Kolja!” growls Jolly in disgust and dials the appropriate contact. Olivia nods silently. “Why are you only getting in touch now? Why didn't you pick up before?” Kolja immediately wants to know. Jolly rolls his eyes, “There were problems, my cell phone is broken.... What do you want from me?” “I'm actually waiting for you... in case you've forgotten!” Kolja taunts. Jolly turns cold as ice. FUCK, he actually forgot THAT, “Don't forget.... Like I said, I had a little problem to solve, I'm on my way!” “That's better!” Kolja grumbles and hangs up.

Jolly jumps up from the bed, which earns him a befuddled look from Olivia. “Semjon's fucking funeral.... It's today! I've completely blocked it out!” hisses Jolly, gathering his things. Pale Olivia nods at him, then clears her throat, “Is it ONLY a funeral, or.....” “I don't know yet!” Jolly shrugs his shoulders, goes to Olivia and kisses her, ”I have to go now!”

“Like this?” irritated, she looks down at Jolly, who is only wearing his jeans, the rest of his clothes in his hand. Jolly rolls his eyes in amusement, “I'll change first!” he smiles. “Take care of yourself!” gulps Olivia, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Always!” promises Jolly, kissing her before he breaks away and walks from her apartment to his, where he quickly changes his clothes. Before he leaves, he goes back to Olivia, who has also finished dressing and is in the process of making coffee. “I love you, min Liv! I'll be back as soon as I can!” he whispers tenderly. “Hmm, I'll wait here for you!” Olivia nods, suppressing the urgent urge to hold him, to beg him not to leave, but instead she kisses him goodbye and smiles at him. As the door closes behind him, she has to sit down as her legs buckle and another panic attack rushes through her body. Please don't let anything happen to him, she echoes in her head.

Before entering the cemetery grounds, Jolly has gathered his hair into a bun. He walks with a measured stride towards the funeral hall where Semjon's coffin is located. Unlike Oleg, who was cremated after the blessing and whose ashes must have arrived in his home country by now, Semjon always wanted to be buried here. The funeral hall is filled to capacity with mourners. As far as Jolly can tell, there are men all over the grounds to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Jolly pushes his way through the crowd to the front row and stops next to Alexei. “Where the hell have you been?” he hisses. “Had problems, had to solve them first!” Jolly growls back quietly. “Which ones?” Alexei asks, startled. “Later!” Jolly wriggles out of the question, ‘I want to say goodbye to Semjon!’ and walks forward to the open coffin. As he stands in front of it, he lowers his head and his eyelids, staring at the waxen face of the man to whom he owes so much pain, misery and violence. I hope you rot like Oleg in hell, he thinks to himself with a petrified face. After a while, he turns around and sees Kolja nodding at him and pointing to the empty chair next to him.

FUCK, that didn't have to be, Jolly thinks to himself, but takes a seat next to Kolja, nods to Inga next to Kolja, who is leaning against her son, slumped over in grief at the death of her husband, and doesn't seem to notice Jolly at all, just like all the other people around her, as her gaze is focused solely on the coffin in front of her. One by one, all of Semjon's close confidants have their say, addressing last words to him, and after Kolja has spoken, he nods to Jolly, who is thunderstruck. FUCK, why should HE speak last words now, he thinks in horror. But all eyes are on him and so he slowly stands up and walks to the lectern with a racing heart. He can't form a clear thought, let alone let a sensible sentence pass his lips, especially as all eyes are fixed on him expectantly. Jolly clears his throat to gain time, feverishly thinking about WHAT he could say now. God, the day couldn't be worse!

“Um....” he swallows, ”I..... Hmm, as many here know, Semjon took me in so many years ago.....” he breaks off, because he can't say what he really wanted to say here without his hatred for Semjon, the Russian mafia, becoming obvious. “So... taken in.... Took me into the family as an orphan....” Jolly feels sick at his own words. “He gave me a home....” he presses out further, having to hold him to the lectern so that his knuckles shine white through his skin. “Provided for me, taught me and gave me his trust....” the fucking bastard, Jolly adds in his mind. “So I want to thank him today, especially for that.....” Jolly almost throws up, turns pale. “He was a second father to me...” Sweat breaks out of his pores and he feels like he's choking on his own words. “So, thank you... for everything!” he chokes out, before he leaves the lectern almost like a curse and sits back down in his seat. He stares dully in front of him until he notices Kolja squeezing his arm. Jolly looks up, sees Kolja nodding at him, “Brother!” he whispers with emotion and Jolly becomes even more nauseous.

The subsequent funeral is full of tears, but without any special incidents. Afterwards, everyone drives back to Semjon's house outside the city, where the funeral feast and a final farewell are to take place. “You looked like you were about to puke on the floor during your speech.....” snorts a voice next to him. “Hmm, I almost did!” Jolly nods grimly and looks at her, ”So, did you get rid of your father's ashes?” Nadja shrugs her shoulder, “Yes... but not the way he wanted it!” she smiles mischievously. “Do I want to know what you did with it?” Jolly snorts in amusement. “Well.... I flushed it down the toilet and then just poured ashes from the fireplace into the urn.... It was then buried in the fucking family vault!” smiles Nadja coldly. Jolly has to stifle a laugh and looks at her with amusement, “You really hated him!” “Yes!” she growls, ”After what he did to my mother!” “Yes... of course!” nods Jolly, who remembers very well that Oleg murdered his wife and Nadja's mother in cold blood after it came out that she was having an affair with her bodyguard. “And you? How do you feel? After you got your revenge on my father and Semjon....” Nadja casually wants to know. “Hmm,” Jolly shrugs his shoulder, ”I'm not done with it yet!” “I see... then I won't keep you any longer.... You know I'm here for you if you need me!” she emphasizes. “Thank you, Nadja! By the way, my friend would love to get in touch with you!” Jolly then explains. “Tell him anytime!” Nadja smiles and goes back to her fiancé.

[ineffably-human]

Hey there, vampire family, let's talk about sex. (Again. Because I think I've written some of the broad strokes here once before.)

I see a lot of people saying Nandermo is on its way because Nandor realizes how he feels now. And I am not trying to kill the party vibe, seriously I'm not. But I think he's still got a lot of dots to connect. Nandor knows 'Guillermo matters to me' and 'I am doing this thing to impress Guillermo' and 'I am mad Guillermo finds this other person more interesting', all of which says Guillermo is a very important friend who can make him do stupid shit - but certainly isn't someone he loves or would consider a romantic partner.

On the flip side, and this may be contributing to Guillermo's status as a vampire: I think Guillermo's sexuality is blossoming, but he's still holding back. Guillermo has always framed sex as something he doesn't want to talk about, because that's an inhibition he was raised with (and he was closeted to boot). He has heart-eyes aplenty for Nandor, he's been jealous of Nandor's relationships, but it's never clear he's yearning for anything more physical than a hug.

I still don't think he knows that's something he wants from the relationship. In fact, he wants to close his eyes and walk away from most sex he sees - even though he's been surrounded by the weirdest, kinkiest, most casual sex for well over a decade, as part of the very lifestyle he wants. (And Nadja's now confirmed, the vampires fuck each other all the time.)

That doesn't even change with Freddie, by the way, where they awkward-hug hello and walk arm in arm. Then we cut to him walking in on Freddie and Nandor snuggling naked in furs. He doesn't ever kiss Freddie, but Freddie's clone does. The contrast could not be more clear.

Guillermo's said that he doesn't feel any sexier, like he expects being a vampire to change that for him. But does that mean it would make him more desirable or more open to desire?

(And if Guillermo is some form of ace that's totally fine too, of course, it'd be so cool to have an ace vampire of all things. But I don't know if the show's going there. And it'd be weird if Guillermo's dream this whole time was actually some kind of forced self-conversion therapy.)

But he's making inroads. Last year he came out and had a boyfriend, however chaste that was. Whether Guillermo is a virgin or not, his bungled turning is treated like a horrible first sexual experience - we've all talked about that by now. And if you contrast that with Guillermo's Pride experience...

Even in the scene before the space thing, his conversation with Nandor hits different. Guillermo's vibe with Nandor is different than everyone else in the house, and his reaction to Nandor going to space feels downright flirty. And I am fascinated with how the show frames Nandor's descent: Guillermo reacting to Nandor crashing with 'oh my God' (and the vampiric reaction that gives him, a sudden puff of smoke, aka heat!). Nandor looming over Guillermo naked to gloat, before he ever approaches the crowd. For a moment, the joke isn't that Nandor's a bare-assed flaming disaster in front of everyone. It's something that's completely between the two of them.

And then they're walking side by side, a true duo again for the first time in a while, when they come across the rest of the household - and Guillermo immediately nopes out. Which, well, is understandable. There's a lot of reasons he doesn't want to touch that, literally.

But Nandor asks, "are you sure?" Because in his head he just got his friend back, and sex to Nandor is as casual as breathing.

Sex as a vampire is just something you do, and any deep emotion is secondary and special. I think it's a mental hurdle Guillermo has to navigate, either by some sort of supernatural change or (I suspect) just understanding what that means to him. And I think they're going to sleep together in a casual way - maybe as part of that sexy-gross episode Paul Simm has been teasing, which certainly sounds like a vampire orgy to me - before Nandor realizes he's feeling anything like love.

But it's going to feel different than anything else in the room. And that's going to uncork some things for both of them - very different things, but both coming to the same conclusion.

[godfuckingnamehelp]

Why did Guillermo decide that the lives of people he knows for 2 days are more valuable than the lives of unfamiliar vampires? In episode "the curse" Guillermo decided to save the mosquito club by killing a lot of vampires.

And that's a very interesting part of Guilleromo. Despite the fact that he considers Nandor, Laszlo and Nadja to be his family, other vampires are impersonal to him, he sees them as a danger. Guillermo wants to become a vampire, but he is human and instinctively takes the side of people. In episode "the night market" he categorically does not want to kill human familiars, but when it came to killing a vampire, the only thing that stopped him was the reaction of the public to his power.

That is why it is very interesting to see how Guillermo will change if he becomes a vampire.

[mr-nauseam]

Ladja is separating.

No. Don't worry I don't think they're getting divorced or anything but it's obvious since the vampire council thing their lives have separated somewhat. They no longer are ogether 24/7 or talk to each other all the time. They do separate activities.

They exist separately.

Laszlo before his relationship with Sean himself lacked significant relationships with the other vampires outside of his good wife Nadja. Sure he was friends with Nandor or something but they argued a lot more before because Nandor was unbearably bossy. Colin was too boring to be around and Gizmo was a pathetic bootlicker who only followed Nandor around.

Sean was an annoying and idiotic human neighbor but then he isn't. Eventually he is nice and funny until one day he is the good time boy and his best friend. From a visit where Nadja accompanies him to spending time alone with Sean.

Then Colin is going to die and must accept he cares, then more importantly Baby Colin shows up and decides he is important enough to let Nadja go on her own while he stays to take care of him. And that changes him profoundly.

He loses him but the traces of his impact are there. He talks things over with Nandor, they go out together and he's important enough to want to protect him from what Guillermo did while Laszlo is helping Guillermo too because he's worth of it. Colin is complicated now but will surely help him if he asks or requires it.

When faced with a crisis his reaction is no longer to run away and be Jackie Daytona (which oddly enough was everything this Laszlo is now)... but to make a plan, a foolish one, but a plan to resolve the situation.

And Nadja then takes the Jackie Daytona path with a twist but we'll talk about that later...

[beansprean]

Your post about Nandor and alexthymia actually goes with a theory that I've been thinking about. The theory is that ALL vampires, when they are turned, lose their empathy, along with outgrowths of it, like theory of mind and understanding of emotion in general. This lack mostly applies to humans, but it can also extend to vampires.

Throughout the show (and a lot of the movie), all the vampires have trouble fitting into society. Not because of their fangs or grey skin, but because they are painfully socially awkward. Vampires not only flout social norms, but also seem to be unaware of them. You can see this with Nandor at the gym. He doesn't pick up on modern gym norms, and instead enacts the norms from when he was human.

That's one of their methods for fitting into society without theory of mind. When they turned into vampires, they lost the ability to pick up on human social cues, so they think back to when they did have them, and instead of remembering the way they read humans, they simply remember the rules. They don't feel anymore, so they use rules to compensate. This is when they try to fit in.

When they don't try, they don't bother with the pretense. They are completely unable to put themselves in humanity's shoes. You can see this in the movie, in a particularly memeorable moment. The vampires like to play tricks of the visitors by turning spaghetti into worms, when the guests are eating it. There are two guests, and right after she saw the vampires play the trick on the other guest, they try it again. Now, this was played as a humorous moment, but it does exemplify the vampires' inability to conceptualize human minds.

But, vampires are capable of change, as we see in the show. The vampires actually show a rudimentary form of empathy to Guillermo on occasion. I'm thinking of Nadja's moment of empathy with Guillermo, right after she lets his family go. She says something like 'I suppose I didn't like it when my family was murdered, so I guess Guillermo won't like it either'. That's empathy, that's perspective-taking, but it's rudimentary—it sounds like a thought a toddler would come up with, when first starting to conceptualize other minds. Their sense of human empathy has been reversed and stunted.

This is one of the main reasons for vampiric immaturity in the show. We don't see any of the elegant, manipulative vampires that are so prevalent in other media. They are evil, yes, but out of carelessness and inability. None of them can manipulate a human to save their lives. The vampires are also unable to empathize with other vampires, to a lesser extent. Because when a vampire dies, and other vampires are horrified, the horror stems from logical self-preservation. The reaction to these deaths is overwhelmingly 'meh' and 'against the code'. There's some rituals of grief (that memorial from the Theatre, for example) but they lack emotional subtext. This selfishness and lack of grief can also stems from an underdeveloped sense of empathy.

(A note on Nadja and Lazlo: they do have a persistent understanding of each other, but that still tends towards the simple. Note Lazlo killing Jeff because he makes Nadia sad. Also note Nadja brushing past Laszlo's objections to the UK by making a surface level read of his motivations: the vow doesn't matter because now they are more powerful. Luckily, this works for both of them because the receptive partner sees it the same way. This is an example of this rudimentary empathy expanding to their own minds as well, i.e. alexthymia)

There are a lot more examples of this in the text, those were just the ones I noticed. But anyway, this is why I agree with a lot of the fandom wanting to give prizes to the vampires for basic human decency. Because they are not human, their minds have changed and made decency a lot more difficult. Few people realize how much we depend on those centers of our minds for functioning in society and being in relationships; we only notice when coming upon the glaring lack of those centers. And there is a lot more to say about this, but this is really long already. I might write an essay.

This is SUPER INTERESTING

I would counter, however, and I'm not sure if this was your intended meaning, that these things do not automatically happen to vampires upon their turning. Instead, their sense of empathy is damaged and warped by hundreds of years of disassociating themselves from humanity, generally facing no consequences for their actions, and needing to kill to survive.

Kinda like billionaires

[thebennsofdallas]

Look out below (Someone’s gonna fall)

For four and a half seasons, the heartbreak in this show has mainly centered around Guillermo’s travails— his longing for a life as a vampire that seems increasingly out of reach, his guilt in neglecting the family he loves, his devotion to his other family who only grudgingly acknowledge him.

But this season, I can’t help but watch with a lump in my throat at the heartbreak that’s heading straight for one clueless character — Nandor. 

The Nandor we know from the first three seasons is insecure and eventually, outright depressed. He’s lonely and his search for an eternal partner, of the kind his housemates Laszlo and Nadja have in each other, are laughable failures. His moniker, The Relentless, doesn’t accurately describe him anymore. Whether he’s whining about not being an American citizen or letting Nadja bully him into finding her Dolly or seeking the guidance of a false prophet in Jan, Nandor is unsure of what to think or do or feel. He’s searching for THE answer.

But in the fourth season, he seems close to finding it. From the first episode, when Guillermo falls through the rotten floor and Nandor, without a second’s hesitation dives in to save him, it seems clear that Guillermo is the answer to Nandor’s loneliness and yearning for a partner. They have rainy day movie time and Nandor proudly enters Guillermo into the familiar fights. He chooses Guillermo to be his best man at his wedding, where Nandor confides his fears and doubts about the marriage. More than once, he hopefully accuses Guillermo of being jealous of his romantic endeavors. And through Marwa, it’s revealed that Nandor doesn’t know what he would do without Guillermo in his life.

Even in the aftermath of the shit show that is Freddie, Nandor makes a huge leap by realizing that his actions caused Guillermo pain and he changes course with the sole purpose of making it up to Guillermo. But then, when Guillermo doesn’t show proper appreciation for his sacrifice, Nandor hides behind a stack of books to avoid further hurt. It’s his best, longest-serving technique to protect himself.

But then, in this season, something good comes of that strategic retreat. He reads a book that appears to change him for the good. The Nandor of season 5 is a new vampire. He’s relaxed, he’s confident. He remembers that he was viceroy to multiple nations and a leader of men. He LAUGHS. And he is observant enough of the surrounding world to see that Guillermo has not only changed but appears to have lost interest in him. And it hurts Nandor. With someone else, we might say this has to do with Nandor’s ego but we know better. We know that Nandor cares deeply for Guillermo, his closest companion for over 13 years and now, he fears he’s losing him.

It hurts enough that Nandor, for the first time, begins actively vying for Guillermo’s attention, especially when it becomes clear (to Nandor) that Guillermo has turned his affection from Nandor to Laszlo. He seeks Guillermo out at home, only to be avoided. He watches Guillermo and Laszlo and their not-so-secret meetings and he is helpless to stop them. He tries to shoehorn his way into their activities only to be mocked and rejected. He goes to fucking SPACE to win Guillermo’s favor and Guillermo’s reaction is “put your damn clothes on.”

When the vampires perceive that their undead lives are in danger and despite the divide between them, Nandor still wants Guillermo at his side. He wants Guillermo’s guidance, he needs it. But when Guillermo doesn’t come, Nandor falls back on his recently rediscovered military skills and pulls the household together on his own. When Guillermo finally shows up, ready to take charge, Nandor pushes back with angry words meant to wound and the words hit their target. Guillermo walks away, leaving Nandor to deal with the evil doing of Channel 8 without him.

So. That happened. And that hurt. But we all know that there is worse in store for Nandor. He doesn’t know it but the reason for Guillermo’s distance has nothing to do with Laszlo but with a devastating secret that has the potential to literally destroy Nandor. All the progress Nandor has made this season — the strength he’s gained, the changes he’s made — are teetering on the precipice, only Nandor doesn’t know it. He’s not going to see it coming. He has no idea that his Guillermo has betrayed him. I’m sure he can’t conceive of the possibility. 

So when you see Nandor smile and joke and try to get Guillermo’s attention, swallow hard and brace yourself. The Relentless one is in for a very hard fall.

[megaawkwardhuman]

GUESS WHAT'S FINALLY HERE BITCHESSSSSSSSS!?!?!?

after a rollercoaster of a week for me y'all have NO IDEA how happy this makes me to say but

THE TRAILER FOR SEASON 5 IS OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and that means looking far too much into it!!!!! :D

OK so I have A LOT of thoughts so I'm going to do bullet points

right off the bat (hehehhe bat) nandor never fucking change XD love how he thought that would work

oh yeah speaking of nandor we have a scary lack of him in the trailer or at least what he's going to do this season (mom pick me up I'm scared for my cringefail)

to say what's on everyone's mind OH MY FUCKING GOD FINALLY LET'S GOOOOOOO

MY BOY DID IT HE'S GOING TO BE A VAMPIRE DFOJWEBOKFHEJBKGREHIWLGJHIGKFEIYWLEGUKFELIQPEGDFKIELYUQ;OWDGFKLHI3U1;O

well at some point? by the looks of it we're kinda getting a have your cake and eat it too when it comes to guillermo being a vampire and ngl kinda upset about it if it's going how I think it's going

I swear if he's practically normal until the very fucking end I will raise HELL

also I love how chaotic his turning is XD

"I WASN'T READY" NOBODY IS

colin for office babyyyyyyyy

I see everyone talking about colin and nadja BUT WHY IS NOBODY TALKING ABOUT THIS IJRBH302HGOUFRHI3YGUFE3HI2PUO LMFAOOOOOOO XD

also (DON'T QUOTE ME ON THIS) I think this is the first time we're seeing colin flirt/do anything remotely romantic or whatever to a dude in the show (which confirms that every main character is queer but we already knew that lol)

the scene with the microphone woke me up (well so did vamp guillermo but the mic REALLY woke me up)

so the guy in the promo WAS nandor huh

WLW NADJA LET'S GOOOOOO

love how outdated laszlo's medical stuff is

YAY HE'S NOT GOING TO WEAR ONLY SWEATERS SO HE'S POSSIBLY NOT GOING TO GO BACK IN CHARACTER AS I FEARED

d-did nandor bring guillermo to a basketball game out of jealousy?

IS THAT A HAMMER!?!?!

NANDOR WTF ARE YOU GONNA DO!?!?!?!?!?!??!

nadja pouring coffee on her date's plate XD

ayyyy the sire!

ok I'm assuming part of nadja's and colin's plots will revolve around getting a date??????

THE MALL

I'VE BEEN WANTING TO SEE THE VAMPIRES AT A MALL FOR A WHILE NOW JBIFEWE2OBJFEOGHPI2EFBEJOHIP2E THIS MAKES ME SOOO HAPPY

I'm assuming the store nandor is at is a hot topic/spencer's stand in

if it is PLZ LET THERE BE A LOOKING AT THE BACK OF SPENCER'S SCENE (for those who have never step foot in a spencer's it's basically a common mall store that has edgy shit and the back is known for having sex toys and other nsfw shit in it think of it as the edgy older brother of hot topic)

"that's how we all learn" UHHH TF!??!

glad to see laszlo accept guillermo and help him learn how to vampire :) (let's hope the others will)

also NANDOR YOU SAW NOTHING

DAAAAAAMN COLIN JESUS FUCK

by the looks of it nadja and colin's plots will at some point involve dating??????

AWWWWWW charmaine is supportive of sean

this has been said a million times but NANDOR IS FUCKING CUTE IN HIS SEAN COMING OUT OUTFIT!!!!!! THE LITTLE BELLY!!!!!!!

if I remember correctly (AND I REALLY HOPE I'M WRONG) but the last time we saw nandor THIS happy was during the wellness canter cluster fuck so I'm REALLY glad he's going to be happy this season

YOOOO SEASON 4.5?????? (1 I know it was a talk show in 4.5 2 yeah I made this joke already XD)

WHY IS NADJA A BLONDE?????

theory: whatever happened the guide is happening to nadja

the only thing to back it up: they both be blonde

AW SHIT WHY IS THERE A COP CAR?????

THE GUIDEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COLIN X NADJA!?!!!?!?

I MEAN SURE I GUESS???????????????

YEAH SAME GUILLERMO

I'm assuming that what he said is in reaction to him being told he's a dhampir or he's immune or something like that

SHE'S TRYING TO GET SOMEONE TO FUCK HER GHOST

hUh weird but ok????

and finally WHAT'S WITH THE MOON SHIT?????

theory: guillermo only shows signs of being a vampire at night which is why he can go out during the day without being burnt to a crisp

overall IJOHEU2P1HIWJBGEU21RPHI2JLGRHILUFHIPUWEQJFU9WGFJDKHIEPQKFVDVGJR THIS HAS BEEN ON MY MIND ALL DAY HOW TF AM I GOING TO BE NORMAL I HAVE A PARTY TODAY?????? 😭😭😭

CAN'T WAIT DEPOJWBJDOEEFBOOEFONFEONFE

[duckapus]

The Union of Scorned Avatars

Barry

Protagonist of the puzzle game "Blook" and leader of the Union. If you saw my posts about the first arc of the Origins Interrupted au you know what his deal is.

Lord Ramagog

A massive generic-looking demon who is the villain protagonist of Tactical RPG "Hellking." The Admins overestimated how much the memes would dampen his evil nature and lust for conquest.

Red

From Angry Birds. No one's entirely sure why he joined the Union since he only talks in bird noises.

Frenzy the Chupacabra

From a blatant Sonic ripoff. His story is similar to Barry's, with neglectful guardians and a bad reaction to meme energy resulting in nearly all his friends getting driven away. It was made worse by the fact that he was already a little unhinged and violent to begin with.

Doppelganger Arle

This is gonna take a bit to explain.

So in the series lore(at least as much as I understand it), the change in tone between the original Madou Monogatari games and the Puyo Puyo games is because the world got destroyed by God and then remade by the series' main villain Satan. Yes, those God and Satan. The only survivor of the original world's destruction besides Satan was the main protagonist of both series Arle Nadja, or at least her soul. After Satan remade the world using both of their memories as a base, he inserted Arle into it with no memory of the previous one, or at least...part of her.

It turns out her soul got split in half when things went boom, and the half that got left behind was just floating in the void for what it perceived as thousands of years. That soul piece eventually found its way into the new world and was extremely unhappy with getting forgotten and replaced(neither Arle knows that they're two halves of a whole, they each think the other is a copy), so she set up a trap to get revenge on Satan and defeat Arle, since in their world two of the same person can't exist for long at the same time, so whoever's considered strongest gets to stay.

Anyway, Current Arle managed to beat "Doppelganger" Arle and free Satan from her mind control, and Doppel fades away like you'd expect...only to show up in other things down the line, since she's both not a normal copy and too stubborn to die.

Anyway, back to SMG4 stuff, because both of them are Arle Nadja, the Avatar Code got split between the two of them, and the addition of Meme Energy Adaptation Insanity and two more Arle lookalikes did not help with Doppel's already horrible mental state.

Also, due to the Avatar being two halves of a whole idiot, their universe is a little unstable. Not enough to be immediately dangerous, but still cause for concern.

[thegeekyartist]

I've been rewatching wwdits start to finish, and while I know there were some mixed reactions to s4 - specifically about Guillermo's attitude change - I honestly think it's pretty believable?

The guy was promoted to bodyguard after twelve years of barely being considered a person and dove HEADFIRST into the position, doing way more work than he ever did as just a familiar. (I'm thinking specifically of the plan at the casino, getting the soil, helping to find the sire, the wellness center, the super slumber...boy was BUSY).

Then after ALL of that, after finally getting a real chance at what he's been promised all this time, he gets shoved into a crate like he's luggage. Like he's STILL not a person to them (namely Laszlo, but clearly Nadja didn't feel much remorse for it either, doing it a second time).

He comes into s4 after a year of being away from the majority of the household, and I think something in him finally snaps to realize that he's never been treated with respect. He's still there, helping the vamps, putting up with their bullshit, but his responses feel more unfiltered, like the micro versions we've gotten over the previous seasons (him being bitchy about Jenna, trying to convince the vamps of their danger in s2, the witches episode, starting to talk back a little in s3). It's like in s4 we finally get the Real Guillermo™ after him holding back for so long. He doesn't need to hold back anymore, he knows how the vamps feel about him and he knows he's just as important to the household as they are.

My ONLY complaint is not getting to see more of it happen on screen. We didn't get to see any of his time in London (and frankly we barely saw any of Nadja's too). I hate time jumps, especially long ones like this, and while I can clearly see the choices made, it still sucks to have to fill in the gaps ourselves. Fingers VERY tightly crossed they don't do that again in s5.

[sayakxmi]

[Magi rewatch] Episode 6: Warrior Tribe Fanalis [Part 2]

Again, Ohtaka, for fuck's sake.

Morgiana having visible scars >>>

No, fr, anime ppl should really just. Start drawing scars in general. Especially when it comes to the female characers. I feel like at least male characters get to wear theirs, but female ones have to look perfectTM. Just draw women with scars ffs.

I'm trying to make sense of her eyes here, ngl. Like, it's probably a dream effect or sth, but made me wonder if Fanalis eyes become red with time.

It's still a pretty depressing scene, but my mind works the way it does.

Cute, but, again, I kinda liked the manga version better, mostly cuz I liked how Morgiana's first reaction was to try to stop whoever was trying to touch her. That wariness made a lot of sense, y'know? Anime Morgiana comes off as a little more helpless here, the manga one still had the instincts to protect herself.

Small change here, in the manga iirc Nadja and her parents were leaving Balbadd bc of the conflict, but here she just says that they were living there, and then got caught by some scary guy. Like, damn, how bad was the situation in Balbadd for something like that to happen. Though, to be fair, it could've happened, given that mess and all.

Is there a Magi character that had, like, a good life. They're all just flesh bundles of trauma.

She's trying.

Small change. She just smiles here, then pats Nadja's head. I like how in the manga her smile fell the moment Nadja wasn't looking. Cool characterization moment. Morgiana is reassuring her, but she's also very serious and understanding of their current situation. It's not good.

Gdi these rugs. I have flashbacks. But anyway, it's actually pretty cool - Leila is panicking, searching for Morgiana.

It's so cool, actually. Leila freaks out that Morgiana might've been attacked, and rushes to help her, but gets stopped here. And she's furious that somebody's trying to stop her from helping her friend.

Nadja's sick.

In the manga it was less dramatic, lmao.

This looks. Kind of silly.

G O L T A S

There is one god, and his name is Goltas.

They ruined my cool flashy birds with that yellow bg. This is why I don't like yellow. Ironically, a lot of my fav characters are yellow. I'm confused by that, too.

Jokes aside, the flow, obviously.

There he is.

Up we go.

It was a cool moment, and, again, we should get much more of this.

That sun behind her. Awesome moment.

Listen, I won't do that fight scene justice with screenshots. You know what happens. I know what happens. Let's leave it at that.

That being said, it was still a bit funny how Morgiana was just lowkey flying there. Gravity who?

Ok, but the choice of words there. "I am Fanalis. One of the rulers of the Dark Continent. One of the strongest slave tribes." Em.

Small disservice to Morgiana, again, here she just straight up breaks the door. The manga shows that while she's fully capable of handling that kind of stuff, she's also not above less violent ways of dealing with problems. She tried to use the key, but since it didn't work, she opted to kick the door. In the anime she just kicks the door like that. I wouldn't say it's bad or anything, but in the manga Morgiana seemed more poised, even in such a dramatic situation, which, imo, was both a little funny - her being polite in such circumtances - and just a cool character trait. But oh well. I'm not faulting anime!Morgiana for not bothering with pleasantries.

Y'know, cool of the anime to address the fact that Nadja's sick. The manga kinda forgot abou it, lmao.

He's just. Sitting there. All '-'

Like, in the manga he made friends & was vibing, but here he looks so sad and lonely, come on.

He's happy to see Morgiana, tho.

Ok, he did make friends with them. But they looked more chill, which was funny af. Here they're serious, eh.

Idk what this is but it's AWESOME

WAIT, THEY HAVE MATCHING SCARS

Them.

[fangoffenrir]

That's a perfectly reasonable reaction. A little sobering, honestly. The burden of proof should be on him.

At least she wasn't still angry. Probably not a dream, then. Also, doppelgangers aren't usually this hesitant to mess with your head after pulling something from it.

"First, let's just cover our bases... I'm Fang Skye, a demon lord of the 579th layer of the Abyss. Your mom's name was Isolde. She was an instructor at the Imperial Arcanists' University until about a year after you were born, when she was ousted during a regime change. We named you Nadja, but Sel is fine because it's yours and you found it."

Honestly, Fang was always skeptical about Nadja ending up average height. Even keeping in mind that Fenrir messed with his growth, he was still supposed to end up around two meters tall.

However, Isolde was all of 5-foot-nothing, and he'd learned Elans were as great at molding flesh as they were turning back aging. The demon had to duck through all kinds of doors and walk hunched over in some buildings, it might've been a convenience thing.

Her dad was also stuck looking like he was in his early twenties, so that was another layer of absurdity.

"There's a lot of hocus-pocus BS in our blood, I'm technically only half of your dad and the demon part isn't going to match anymore... I have a lot of pictures of you, your mom, and me from pregnancy up until a little after you turned seven. I also have two pictures of you that I took from a distance looking just like you are now, in clothes I'm sure you don't still own."

"If you're willing to stay here for three minutes or just tag along, I can show you those albums from my home."

"I - uhm..."

Well, this was... unexpected. Never had Selina expected to just run into family like that. She wasn't sure whether to feel relief at finally not having to wander aimlessly anymore or to be angry about the fact that she had to be the one to seek out any relatives, not the other way around. In the end she just felt nothing at all.

"I guess, uhm..." What did you say in a situation like that? This was something she never thought about before. For some reason she thought the memories would just come flowing back naturally after being found again. This still felt strange.

"Are you sure about that? Like, I'm sorry but I still have no idea who you are."

Was it strange to ask for a blood test in this situation? Or a family photo perhaps? Why was she getting suspicious all of a sudden?

[mulderscully]

we have all been really focused on nandor this season and his changed behavior toward guillermo and his feelings etc because we already know that guillermo has been in love with nandor for years, but i've seen some people kinda imply that guillermo is genuinely over nandor and over wanting to be a vampire and i just do not think that is the case whatsoever.

i think guillermo is in self preservation mode now. i think in s3 he really fully realized that he is deeply in love with nandor, and perhaps in their time apart he convinced himself that nandor would never feel the same, esp after he met this mystery boyfriend. (who, btw, is essentially non existent in the plot so far. they've made no effort to make us care about freddie almost half way through the season which has to be a deliberate writing choice. we know the djinn more than we know guillermo's bf!) i mean, why didn’t nandor come and find him? 

i find it interesting that they haven't addressed the fact that nandor was going to turn guillermo at the end of their trip around the world. last episode they mentioned the fight, but not that part of it and i really think it has to be because they're saving that for something momentous. nandor thinks that if he turns guillermo, he won't stay. but guillermo stopped staying for that a long time ago - he stayed because he loves nandor. and this fact is why guillermo is slowly pulling away. it's not that guillermo doesn't want the things he has wanted for 13 years, it's not that he doesn't love nandor anymore. he's just protecting himself for once - as he should!

i say this because if you pay attention to the scene where nandor asks guillermo to be his best man, you see palpable disappointment from guillermo that that is what he said and not anything about their trip or their plans. and then you see him make peace with it. like he loves nandor and he wants to be a vampire, but he's tired of waiting and getting his heart broken.

i know there is this idea that nandor "doesn't deserve" guillermo and i think that's boring because this is a show about vampires. all the relationships are morally corrupt to some extent! that's the FUN of it. but i DO think that it is absolutely essential for nandor to realize the depth of his feelings and to pine for guillermo for a while, because nandor always want things to come easily for him and loving someone the way nandor wants love is hard work. remember laszlo telling colin that it took him and nadja CENTURIES to get where they are? and nandor wants that. he wants that degree of companionship for his eternity, and i think he wants it with guillermo but he afraid at the same time. which is a Delicious plot!

i'm excited to see how this unfolds. to see nandor realize/accept his own feelings and then maybe confess them and see guillermo's reaction. i honestly expect guillermo to be angry at first. like i've been here for 13 years and NOW you want me? and then that evolving into nandor having to work through his fear of guillermo leaving him, whether it being from nandor losing his importance if guillermo is also a vampire, or him finding someone else or by death! no matter what, guillermo could leave him and i think that's another big realization he needs to have.

this is all just for them to even out their dynamic, and since nandor has been "above" guillermo for so long, they have to have him grovel and suffer on the floor for a while before they can be together as true equals.

also, this is just like absolute pooorn for people who have been in unrequited love for years. who doesn't want the person they have wanted and thought would never want them back just down atrocious for them for a while?? it's what he deserves.

[1im-perfect1]

Thinking about Nandor and his word choice how much of an open book in a foreign language he is, how he wears his heart on his sleeve while not even comprehending his own decisions and motives and him being dumb not stupid.

The sound effect in 3x08 when he says “I relinquish you of your service” it’s genuine all of season 3 is him slowly changing his behavior with Guillermo and the whole “vampirism is a curse” feels real and genuine because he’s being disingenuous, he has to tell 1 truth and 3 lies “I care about you” drowned by “My cold dead heart” a lie “your just okay personality” another lie “just a little bit” the biggest lie after the heaviest truth, from then on familiar is used as an insult he doesn’t really think of Guillermo that way, 3x09 and 3x10 are all about Nandor playing a part (and all of season 4), 3x09 is pure survival and self-preservation he’s hurting so it means it’s everyone else’s fault, they’re all beneath him and still underneath all the coping there’s tenderness that spills out with Guillermo (that he was so scared was gonna grow apart and instead Nandor is the one that constantly tries to get away).

3x10 is the most strategic Nandor and the most serious we see him, he’s carrying out a plan and that’s why I don’t think Nandor is as stupid or oblivious (as the show might make you think) he knows Guillermo enough to play him, he starts talking about leaving when he hears the door opening, he knows he hasn’t told anything to Guillermo (he would have been the first to know), he mocks him about not being a vampire and giving him one last duty, but at the same time has already a goal in mind he finds someone to plan the journey to rid Guillermo of having to work, he gets a little too excited when he sees Guillermo because he’s getting really happy about it to then before the fight recompose himself and go back into character telling things that would make Guillermo mad, the “You shooed away some assassins who gives a shit” is such a dead giveaway after him fighting a whole month to save Guillermo’s life and how grateful he was about having his life saved also I’m 75% convinced that he knew about the hypnosis...tiny problem he underestimated Guillermo’s reaction but I also think that’s why Nandor is so interested in him, he’s unpredictable.

But Nandor can’t predict others’ actions (Laszlo’s) and can't see through anyone else's lenses so the only way he can explain to himself why Guillermo didn’t come is outright rejection, it’s setting yourself up for failure "the worst outcome" accepting it without listening because you have to come to peace with it, knowing that if you heard it from that person it would tear you apart so you forgive because you don’t want to hear it. But how does he get Guillermo to stay now? He relinquished him of his service in 3x08 so he’s not his employee anymore and in 3x10 he gave him his last duty...mmm he’s been really lonely lately...without...him...check mate, he’s gonna propose in the same exact way as last time but this time to be his best man hoping that he will be jealous...he isn’t...Guillermo’s gonna stop him because it’s too hasty and ridiculous...he doesn’t...he’s gonna ask him impossible stuff for the wedding...he gets everything and also gets Nadja and The Guide to help him...he’s gonna object to the wedding...he’s the only person that doesn’t, well at least Nandor got what he wanted but his wife stops him from spending time with Guillermo and he has a boyfriend, if Guillermo likes his boyfriend what if he likes Guillermo’s boyfriend too but he can’t steal him away that would be cruel and he’s not a cheater, if there’s 2 of the same thing are there 2 or just 1? Everything is resolved him and Guillermo like the same thing but they’re not the same thing but they are, Guillermo is being confusing first he says they are the same thing but when Nandor tries to give him his Freddie he says it’s different, this isn’t fun anymore...well everything is back to normal and it’s wonderful isn't it? Guillermo isn’t his familiar, nor bodyguard, nor best man but here he is and single too...should he question why he’s still there or why he wants him there...nah

[rayofsunshinc]

❝I'm sure I'm fine.❞ Cassidy insisted. He might've been coming off of a bender, but it didn't change the fact that he was a vampire. He was perceptive enough to notice Nadja's unease, feel the anxious energy. So, he posed the question back at her. ❝Are you okay?❞

Though he was almost positive that she was uncomfortable because of where she'd found him, how she'd found him. He glanced down at himself, disheveled to say the least, in dirty clothes that didn't match. His fingers tightened around the umbrella, a subconscious reaction to the vulnerability he felt.

Recognizing the unspoken question in Nadja's eyes, Cassidy finally addressed the obvious. ❝Partied a little too hard, I guess.❞ He said, his tone light and trying to play it off, laced with a hint of self-deprecation. He turned his gaze away, focusing on a distant point ahead. ❝It's easy to get carried away when you've got ten times the tolerance of everyone else around you.❞ Cassidy's words carried a tinge of regret. Only because he'd been caught. Or maybe because he didn't really want to be like this.

NADJA WAS A VAMPIRE — that, of course, meant that she was very good at tracking down individuals when they were missing. She had followed the breadcrumbs that led her to Cassidy, albeit in a very unsavory place. She made sure not to let how uncomfortable she felt show on her face. Instead, she focused on feeling relieved that she found him and he was okay. As okay as could be considering where he was, how he looked, and even how she smelled, but she wasn't going to point that out to him. Besides, being a vampire heightened those kinds of senses to begin with.

❝ Are you sure you're fine? ❞ She asked him, a gnawing feeling inside of her that really doubted he was as fine as he claimed he was. If that was okay, booze and drugs wouldn't be seeping through his pores. Nadja lifted the hood to her jacket up, making sure that she was protected from the sun as they stepped outside. She was tempted to reach for the sunglasses in her pocket but the rays didn't feel that bright, her eyes weren't that sensitive.