#or coming after people for rightfully questioning his actions or just not grieving him the way YOU feel they should

[makorragal-312]

Given today's news, I feel like I should put this out there:

"Liam Payne was one of/my favorite member in One Direction and was a big part of my childhood, so a part of me is sad that he's gone and I'm sad that he passed the way he did"

and

"Liam Payne did a lot of terrible things that hurt a lot of people and as sad as his sudden death is, it doesn't absolve him of his actions for me"

are two ideas that can and should mutually coexist with each other.

Liam did awful things and ended up hurting people with his actions, but I know he was also a part of a lot of people's childhoods when it came to music and boy groups and was a favorite member to people (me included) and was considered a safe place for others. So it's completely understandable to have mixed emotions or even just genuine sadness at him dying so tragically.

So please, don't feel guilty for having mixed feelings about this. Just feel how you feel and take care of yourselves.

[2rats1gogh]

First point: Alicent got angry at Rhaenyra for wanting her son to be “sharply questioned” (tortured) and was more preoccupied by the fact that someone was (rightfully so) questioning the legitimacy of her children instead of at least calling out to Lucerys that just cut Aemond’s eye to at least make a good impression. Not excusing Alicent’s actions here. But! 1) At least Alicent regretted her actions and 2) A scar on an arm is not the same as losing a literal fucking eye.

Also, I don’t think they should’ve cut Lucerys’ eye as well. But he should’ve got at least some type of punishment and AT LEAST make an apology, that’s the bare minimum.

Second point: I know that children tend to be violent but come on now, what did he think was gonna happen when he hit Aemond in the face with a knife aiming for the eye? Seven year old is elementary school age. People must know what the consequences of using a knife are.

Imo, as soon as they saw Aemond with the rock, they should’ve run away. No one would get hurt, and they would look innocent, instead of attacking him and coming back with a knife soaked in blood and a bleeding Aemond. And again, Aemond only took the rock after he was beaten up by four people his age, his actions were in self-defense first.

Third point:

1) Baela and Rhena didn’t bring or used any knives.

2) They were grieving the loss of their mother so you gotta consider that, they were angry.

But still, beating up a kid just because he “stole” something is not a good thing. You can’t “steal” a dragon.

Fourth point: I always interpreted that scene as Aemond trying to calm down Alicent. No one sided with her that night after their fight, and he tried to make the situation slightly better. But I think the reason to why he got pissed at Luke “six years after” was 1) because Luke laughed at the pig, which means he had no remorse in bullying him when they were children and 2) he was still angry over how his mother was treated that day and only wanted to cut his eye to bring to Alicent. Not saying this is right!! But it’s underrated.

Also, Aemond was never a bully, Luke was. Aemond just became a psycho after the loss of his eye. Again, aologizing to Aemond was the bare minimum Lucerys could’ve done. No revenge needed, no duels. Just an apology that Aemond didn’t get.

“Luke was such a sweet and innocent boy!”

Girl, he literally mutilated another child *for life* by fucking cutting his eye out at the age of 7 and didn’t even feel remorse when he grew up. He never apologized. He never felt bad. And fucking stop using his age as an excuse. Never in my life, not even at 7 years old I thought that cutting someone’s eye was a good idea. Especially because it wasn’t really in self defense, the Strong boys just got angry at Aemond cause he called them bastards (and was right). And may I remind you; he never felt remorse. Not for a single moment he felt bad about bullying Aemond and mutilating him for life. After all those years he was still gagging about it. How tf is that “sweet innocent boy” behavior?

I would’ve felt sorry about him dying if he showed just a little remorse. If only he apologized to Aemond. But he didn’t. And i don’t care about him dying. He was a violent bully since childhood and never grew out of it. What is there to feel sorry for?

“He was just a child!” So was Aemond. Stop pretending like he lost his eye in his 20s or something. Him being a couple years older than Luke doesn’t change the fact that he was a child as well when he got mutilated in such a horrible way.

[youarejesting]

Wash Out.22

[Master List]

Banners: @purpleskies1999 Pairings: Dolphintrainer!Taehyung x SharkDiver!Jin,  Mer!Jimin x Reader, Scientist!Namjoon x MerKing!Jungkook, Mer!Yoongi x Mer!Hoseok. Rating: 16+ Genre: Mystery, Romance, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, little bit of Action, Slice of life, Enemies2Lovers, Friends2lovers, Social media au, Fake Texts, Fake Subs.

Summary: Taehyung and his best friend Y/N are Dolphin trainers at Wash Out; Marine Wildlife and Theme Park. When the nerdy marine biologist and resident veterinarian Doctor Kim Namjoon goes missing; the two friends form a ragtag team with Taehyung’s rival Seokjin and a…. Fish?

[Prev] 

There was no limit to which Taehyung could grieve. But there was a limit to his bank account. The new CEO Tom was a kind man, offering them a chance to mourn their losses and collect themselves before returning to work. There was a small funeral and memorial for Mr Schmidt within the theme park. 

Although the employee’s were respectful they remained impartial to the change of leadership. With new management came more appropriate wages. 

Waking beside Y/n reassured him things would be okay. You were the only reason he got out of bed and Taehyung suspected you felt the same. Uncanny how the two of you were sporting matching puffy eyes and pink tipped noses. Taehyung gave a soft smile, you had been supporting him while he broke down assuring him that Seokjin would return. 

It was time to show Y/n that she had someone to lean on. Knowing you had lost the first person you had developed such a strong bond with. There had been a few before Jimin and there may be more to come, but like magic the two of you had a special kind of love. The rare kind that happens only to few.

Taehyung wondered what you were thinking, if you were really okay, or just saying you were because that's what people wanted to hear. Dressing quietly he noticed you stir out the corner of his eyes. Begrudgingly pulling yourself out of bed and getting ready in the bathroom.

The playful banter on the way to work became silent pondering of thoughts. Hands reaching for one another if those thoughts turned dark. Taehyung was grateful for the company, grateful for the silence. He had no pressure to act like things were okay when they weren’t.

In saying that pulling into the employee parking lot Taehyung cut the engine. Pulling the visor down to look in the mirror, he tested a small smile. Almost foreign and unfamiliar to him, the muscles seemed to have weakened.

How many days had it been? Two and a half weeks later, as the days passed any hope of Seokjin or Namjoon’s return dwindled extensively. 

“Tae, we should go in,” Y/n smiled hand ready on the door handle braced for work like it was war. 

“Yeah, sorry.”

The security seemed awkward greeting them, rightfully so they had been accused of stealing money from the theme park. It wouldn’t surprise them if everyone kept their distance. Dolphins on the other hand seemed to understand their feelings better than humans. Bubbles, Captain, Dolly and her new pup Hopster came up to greet them, sensing their mood and trying to cheer them up with little jumps, squeals and splashes.

It pulled soft genuine smiles from you both, it was mid practice when a voice called from the bleachers behind the show tank. “You know Joonie, I have never seen a dolphin show, but it looks pretty lackluster, the dolphins are doing all the hard work. The instructors don’t really feel committed to the show.”

“I think they have been having a rough week, maybe they might have lost someone close to them.” Namjoon said softly. “You can never know what someone else is going through without asking.”

“Should I go ask them?” Seokjin said, standing and strolling over, the two looked clean and fresh like they had just come back from a vacation and not the bottom of the ocean.

Taehyung had broken down in the water, crying as the dolphins playfully bumped him with their noses trying to stop his tears. You pulled yourself out of the water and ran over, hugging Seokjin. His whines echoing around the small amphitheater.

After practically suffocating Seokjin in a firm hug you pulled Namjoon in as well, he was surprised by the action. Probably because the two of you were never really close but unlike Seokjin he didn’t complain about the wet patches left on his clothes.

Taehyung had practically crawled out of the dolphinarium show tank, the dolphins wiggling on their bellies beside him on the small raised surface. Seokjin walked towards him sorrowful and compassionate, opening his hands for the young dolphin trainer and groaning when he was pulled into the knee deep water. Letting Taehyung clutch him tightly, his complaints ceased when he felt the younger man shaking in his arms.

“It seems you must have been suffering with me gone.” He tried to coax Taehyung’s head from where it had buried into his neck, but it only encouraged him to grasp tighter and bury his face deeper into Seokjin’s chest. “Hey, you can’t be crying like this, you are going to make me sad.”

“I thought you had died,” Taehyung whimpered voice broken and small, his hands clutching the soft sweater fabric pulled tight over Seokjin’s shoulders. Taehyung looked up, eyes wet, puffy and red for yet another time this week. “I thought I lost you, before I had a chance to tell you properly.”

“Tae, I can barely understand what you are saying,” Seokjin wiped his sleeve under Taehyung's nose, “You have to speak clearly, don’t ruin my good pants for nothing.”

Taehyung pulled him forward kissing him passionately. Taehyung was thrilled to have Seokjin back in his arms. He was unable to stop himself from slowly walking backwards more and more until he reached the edge of the water. Seokjin was too distracted by the kiss to realise until it was too late.

Pulling the older man into the dolphinarium and giggling when they resurfaced. “Ya!” Seokjin shouted, “We were going to dinner after this, I was dressed up and everything.”

Taehyung was apologizing, his grin never faltering as he chased a soggy Seokjin back to the locker rooms. The three of you emerged from the change rooms spotting Namjoon standing awkwardly by the entrance.

“Are you ready to go?” Y/n asked, slapping his back playfully, “I hear Seokjin is paying for dinner tonight.” 

“What, you wanted me to come to dinner?” Namjoon said his words, stumbling unsure and confused.

“You don’t want to come to dinner, Namjoonie-Hyung?” Taehyung grinned up at him, before the two of you took Taehyung’s car following Jin’s from the parking lot to the restaurant. It was a small barbeque place, it was a secret treasure known to only a few.

The drinks started flowing. Namjoon seemed awkward at first but he was soon laughing with the rest. “I have never really done this before.” He admitted sheepishly.

“Drank?”

“No, I haven’t had dinner with friends before,” His ears were pink and your smile fell, Taehyung felt like the worst person to ever exist. “I know Jin and I tried but there were always things getting in the way.”

“Hey, we are your friends now, we were just rude idiots. We didn’t know about how cool you were until Seokjin told us how special you meant to him.” Y/n explained pouring him another drink.

“You weren’t rude, I just am really awkward and I know I talk about crabs a lot. It isn’t the most appealing conversation people want to have.” Namjoon waved his hands trying to calm the sad looks around the table, “I am just happy you think of me as your friend.”

Seokjin gasped, pulling a small cloth from his pocket, “Jimin asked me to give this to you.” He placed the cloth in your palm and you opened it slowly. “He got back safely and was definitely worried if you were okay,”

Opening the cloth to reveal a necklace, a cream shell spiraling in a cone shape and in the opening fitting perfectly secure was a gold Pearl. Taehyung leaned over, taking the necklace and helping you secure it around your neck.

~

You were called into work early one morning by Namjoon, he said something was wrong with Dolly and her pup and he needed help. Taehyung was outside and you sleepily let them drive you across town. You were being pushed into the old marine clinic, Taehyung threw you some swimmers and pushed you into the change room.

Moving quickly you followed Namjoon who was talking about the pups condition seriously, “This is our last chance, just go in first and check on how he looks and appearance and then we will begin the treatment, make sure you keep him calm and make him feel safe.”

You nodded, slipping slowly until you were treading water by the catwalk, about to ask a few questions when you were pulled under by the ankle. Confused and scared, you spotted Jimin in the water, his face showing how happy he was to see you. He swam at you grabbing your waist and resurfacing. You started crying and you wiped your eyes laughing and coughing from the water you had partially inhaled in shock.

“I am leaking,” Jimin touched his cheeks and you kissed him happily. 

“How did you get here?” You sniffed, “We have to get you back to the water.”

“Hey, it's all good I have something special with me this time, it allows me to walk on the ground just like you. Our king Jungkook gave it to me. He says I can visit whenever I want, because you are my promised.”

[Prev] THIS IS THE END! YAY! I hope you enjoyed it.

Tags: @backinblack1967 @miriamxsworld @moccahobi​ @simplymemyself @a-gayish-unicorn @ella-mella @vjinfan23

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[josefavomjaaga]

A bit of a misunderstanding

Briefly (okay, not really) back to family trouble and that truely complicated almost-father-son-relationship between Napoleon and Eugène. In mid-February, as related earlier, Napoleon had had Josephine write to Eugène in order to repeat to him an order to evacuate Italy. This had wounded Eugène deeply as he – probably rightfully – saw this as distrust from Napoleon's side. Distrust in Eugène’s loyalty; apparently, Napoleon had felt the need to bring Josephine into this, in order to give Eugène sufficient motivation to remain in Napoleon’s camp.

And, as has also been said, Napoleon in truth had ample reason to question where Eugéne really stood in this struggle. From his private correspondence it becomes pretty clear that Eugène’s only hope for the empire to continue lay in Napoleon making peace, not in him winning. Eugène refused to go along with the plan to evacuate Italy (even if for good reasons), he had never completely given up his correspondence with the enemy (i.e., with his family in Bavaria), he continued to negotiate with Murat (in a way Napoleon could not directly oversee), and he had on several occasions even contacted his Austrian opponent Bellegarde, both on business (armistice) and in private matters: about his family.

The one thing Eugène truely worried about was the fate of his wife and children. He had four kids at the time (three daughters and one son), and Auguste was due to have her next child in mid-April. Eugène was mortified at the idea that Auguste might fall into the hands of enemy troops (or possibly of rioting Italians?) without him being able to come to her aid. (Maybe that’s his childhood memories resurfacing. He had grown up during a revolution, after all; he had lost a father on the scaffold.) In order to make sure nothing would happen to her, Eugène had contacted Bellegarde early on, and Bellegarde not only gave all sort of promises for Auguste’s safety and liberty, but even contacted his emperor. Who actually sent the following note:

Emperor Franz of Austria to the Vice Queen. Troyes, February 18, 1814:

Madam my cousin, Marshal Bellegarde having reported to me the determination of Your Imperial Highness to fix her stay momentarily at the castle of Monza, I pray her to be convinced that this general has perfectly fulfilled my intentions by anticipating all that can be pleasant to Your Imperial Highness. I have just ordered that a guard of honour be formed for your suite: your suite will in any case enjoy the most complete freedom, and I can only regret the reasons which force you, Madame, to a decision which would flatter me in all other respects. I beg you, Madame to accept the assurances of the very distinguished consideration with which I am, Madame my cousin, of Your Imperial Highness, the good cousin,

François.

This letter would reach Eugène and Auguste on March 2. On a sidenote: How all these good cousins and other relatives managed to write all these polite letters while having people fire at their recipients is beyond me. - Anyway, this is the letter Eugène asked Auguste to tell her father about in order to calm Max Joseph’s fluttering nerves.

It should also be pretty clear that this sort of amicable conversation between enemies was not what Napoleon had in mind when it came to defending the borders of his empire. And so, right after having sent off his own letter to Napoleon, defending himself about not evacuating Italy, Eugène received yet another missive from his imperial step-father.

Napoleon to Eugène. Château de Surville close to Montereau. February 19, 1814 My son, the vice queen must immediately go to Paris for her delivery; my intention being that under no circumstances she should remain in a country occupied by the enemy: therefore, make her leave immediately. [...]

This is when for Auguste and Eugène the proverbial shit really hit the fan. What could this be, other than Napoleon’s reaction to Eugène’s disobedience? Napoleon was basically taking Auguste hostage, in order to make sure Eugène would remain loyal to him!

On top of that, Auguste was already approaching the last five weeks of her pregancy, and as she had suffered of bad health after giving childbirth before, she had really not planned on travelling in her state, particularly not on winter roads. But that was not really what infuriated her. She had already been angry about Napoleon before, about the divorce, for him having stripped Eugène of his right to the crown of Italy, and especially for the reproaches regarding the evacuation of Italy. The way Auguste saw it, Eugène was always there, always Napoleon’s last resort, was always called in to clean up other people’s mess, and never did he get any reward for his efforts. In an earlier letter to Eugène she had already written:

I am appalled, my dear Eugène, and I am no longer surprised that the Emperor is abandoned. Is it possible to be more ungrateful than this man is? You who sacrifice everything for him, who have done wonders, to receive reproaches as a reward! No, my friend, I did not expect this last blow which crushes me, I feel all that you must feel at this moment, I am disgusted with this world and with men; it is clear, the family of the Emperor, and perhaps the Emperor himself, is jealous of you, they would like to see you make mistakes. The King of Naples will be forgiven his treason, but they will never forgive you for the reputation and esteem you enjoy. [...]

And now Napoleon ordered her to Paris. Under a pretext, obviously – after all, France was just as menaced by enemies as Italy! The Allied armies were closing in on Paris already. This really was too much!

Eugène’s own reply was still somewhat toned down, stating basically »Okay. I’ll tell her. She won’t like it. And I really don’t know what I have done to deserve this.« However, Auguste this time took to the plume as well.

Auguste to Napoleon. Milan, February 27, 1814.

Sire, Eugène has just communicated to me the order given to him by Your Majesty: it surprised me greatly, for I did not expect that after all the proofs of attachment Eugène never ceases to give you, you would also demand of him to risk the health and even the life of his wife and children, the only asset and consolation he has in this world. If he does not speak on this occasion, it is for me to do so. Without doubt I know his and my duties towards Your Majesty. We have demonstrated this to you often enough, and we have never failed to do so; our conduct is known to all; we do not resort to intrigue, and we have no other guides than honour and virtue. It is a sad fact that our reward has been nothing but sorrow and mortification, which we have borne in silence and with patience. Although we have done no harm to anyone, we have enemies, I cannot doubt it, who seek to harm us in your Majesty's mind; for, if you would open your heart, you would not treat us as you do.

What have I done to deserve such a harsh order of departure? When I got married, I never thought that things would come to this.

My father, the king, who loves me dearly, had offered to take me in when things were going so badly, so that I might be able to give birth in peace. But I refused, fearing that this step would cast doubt on Eugène's conduct, although his actions spoke for him, and I intended to go to France. I have since been ill, and the doctors told me that I would be risking a great deal if I made such a long journey at this time, being already in the eighth month of my pregnancy, and so I decided to retire to Monza, if Eugène was forced to leave Italy, believing that Your Majesty could not find it bad; but I see that you no longer take any interest in what may happen to me, which grieves me deeply.

In spite of this I will obey your orders, I will leave Milan if the enemies should come here; but my duty, my heart, makes it a law not to leave my husband, and, since you demand that I risk my health, I want at least to have the consolation of ending my days in the arms of the one who possesses all my tenderness and who makes all my happiness.

Whatever his fate will be, I will share it, and it will always be worthy of envy, since we will be able to say to each other that we have deserved a happier one, and that we will have a conscience without reproach.

In spite of the sorrows which Your Majesty is causing us, I shall never cease to rejoice in His happiness, and to wish for that of the Empress.

However, this time, they probably really did Napoleon an injustice. He, but also Josephine and Hortense had talked about Auguste coming to Paris for the birth of her child on several occasions before (apparently, all French ladies were convinced that life outside of Paris was unliveable). And Napoleon never made much words about personal matters. (This at least Eugène could have known – Eugène’s invitation to his own wedding had basically read: »Be here! Yesterday, if possible!«) Napoleon indeed answered Auguste very politely:

Napoleon to Auguste. Soissons, March 12, 1814.

My daughter, I received your letter; as I know the sensibility of your heart and vivacity of your mind, I am not surprised by the way in which you have been struck. I thought that, with your disposition, you would have a bad time in a war zone and among enemies, and that the best thing to do for your safety was to come to Paris. I did not tell you this earlier, because Paris was then in danger, and I saw nothing to gain by placing you in the midst of the alarms of Paris instead of those of Milan. But, as soon as the danger of Paris was over, I thought that this journey had all sorts of advantages for your state. Acknowledge your injustice, and it is your heart that I hold responsible for punishing you.

It was – who else - Eugène at the receiving end of the imperial wrath:

Napoleon to Eugène. Soissons, March 12, 1814. My son, I have received a letter from you and one from the vice queen, both of which are extravagant! You must be out of your mind. It is by reason of human dignity that I wished the vice queen to come to Paris to give birth, and I know she is too delicate to find herself in this state among the Austrians. At the request of Queen Hortense, I could have written to you earlier, but then Paris was threatened. From the time when that city is free, there would be nothing simpler today than to come and give birth in the midst of one's family and in the place where there is the least cause for concern. You must be mad to suppose that this has anything to do with politics. I never change my style or my tone, and I have written to you as I have always written to you. It is unfortunate for the century in which we live that your reply to the King of Bavaria has earned you the esteem of the whole of Europe; as for me, I have not paid you a compliment because you have only done your duty and that is a simple thing. However, you have already been rewarded for it, even in the opinion of the enemy, whose contempt for your neighbour is in the highest degree. I am writing you a letter in figures to let you know my intentions.

»What’s up with you two? You gone both totally bonkers now? All I said was: come to Paris!«

This was basically the last »family« interaction between Napoleon and Eugène. At least for quite some time. After Napoleon’s abdication, Eugène did try to contact Napoleon, before and after Josephine’s death. There are three letters from that time, none of which seem to have reached Elba. As for later communications, during the Hundred Days and on Saint Helena, I know there was some, but this seems to have been almost completely about financial issues, at least from Napoleon’s side.

[365days365movies]

February 28, 2021: West Side Story (Part 2)

Got my popcorn. Sweet, sweet popcorn.

Can I just say how much I genuinely miss movie theatre popcorn? And I don’t mean Orville Reddenbacher, or Pop Times, I mean real movie theater popcorn. One day soon...ONE DAY SOON...anyway, this movie is absolutely awesome, and I’m excites for Part 2, so let’s get into it. Part 1 is right here!

Recap (2/2)

We go to Maria and her friends Anita, Consuela, Rosalia, and Fransisca (Yvonne Wilder, Suzie Kaye, and Joanne Miya) at their seamstress jobs, as an entranced Maria begins to prepare herself for something that she won’t divulge. When her friends ask why she’s so happy, she responds with what else: a classic song (”I Feel Pretty”)!

After said classic song, Anita reveals that there’s a brawl that night, and notes that they fight to “get rid of their feelings” That sounds like toxic masculinity, but I’m no expert. Anyway, Maria tries to get Anita to leave before Tony shows up. Then Tony shows up. Whoops. Well, Anita’s in on it now, and she promises Maria to keep their love affair secret.

Now that Maria knows about the duel, she asks Tony to stop the fight, as any fight between their two factions isn’t good for them. He agrees, and the two spend time together playing pretend with manakins representing their families, and their perceptions of the couple. It’s extremely cute, and it ends in a play wedding, culminating in another duet ("One Hand, One Heart”).

Again, it’s very sweet. But there’s no time for that! The Jets are gonna have their day tonight! And the Sharks also have a surprise in store. The two gangs prepare for their fight, each plotting something dirty, just in case. Anita prepares for Bernardo to come home and engage in a night of passion. Meanwhile, Tony and Maria each sing for the end of the fight, and their future together. And, of course, Schrank and Krupke are trolling for any fights between the gangs. All of this is, of course, in an ensemble song for the entire cast (”Tonight Quintet”)

Time for a fight. And if you know the original play...this won’t end well. This will end VERY badly indeed. If we’re following the play, there’s at least one death coming, and maybe two, depending on how we do it. But let’s find out, as the two gangs face off underneath the highway.

Bernardo represents the Sharks, while Ice (Tucker Smith) represents the Jets. But Tony attempts to interfere and make peace with Bernardo and the Sharks. Tony refuses to fight the group, and once the fight escalates, Riff steps in and hits Bernardo. Looks like Tybalt and Mercutio are finally going to battle. And that’s when they draw their swords.

Tony screams for the fight to stop, to no avail. And at a certain point, of course, the fight turns against Riff...and Bernardo kills him. And that’s when an enraged Tony retaliates and kills Nardo in turn. Two deaths. And the sirens wail in the disance as the gangs escape, leaving the bodies of the two leaders behind, alongside a beaten Tony, who realizes now what he’s done. Damn.

On the rooftop, Maria waits for Tony to return, blissfully unaware of what’s just happened to her brother. However, Chino arrives and tells her what’s happened. She immediately asks what happened to Tony, and he angrily tells her that he killed Bernardo, and runs off. She doesn’t believe him, but it’s confirmed when Tony himself shows up and explains. She’s initially enraged, but understands that it wasn’t all Tony’s fault. They realize that the world around them won’t allow their union, but they don’t care, and express their love once again through song (”Somewhere”).

Yeah, fuck Luhrmann’s version of this story, this is clearly far superior. I mean that. But Schrank and Krupke don’t think so as they continue to roam the streets, looking for the gangs. The Jets are staying out of sight, and two of them, A-Rab and Baby John (David Winters and Eliot Feld) share their feelings, with Baby John being absolutely terrified, having seen Riff and Bernardo’s faces as they died.

The fact of the matter is, nobody was supposed to die, which should’ve been a sign for them to stop the fighting. Unfortunately, Action (Tony Mordente) aren’t satisfied with that, wants to get revenge on the Jets. This riles up the Jets, except for Baby John, who doesn’t want to keep doing this. However, as they start arguing and raging, they’re cooled down by Ice, who tells them all to...stay cool (”Cool”).

Looks like Ice is the new leader of the Jets, and the gang plays it cool as they exit towards the street. However, that’s when Anybodys (Susan Oakes), a Jets wannabe, shows up with news that Chino’s searching around the city looking for Tony...with a gun in hand. The hunt is one for Chino, as he’s hunting for Tony. And escalation continues.

But not in Maria’s room, as the two have slept together. However, Anita shows up, grieving the loss of Bernardo. She comes to speak with Maria, but catches Tony running away from the apartment. Given the fact that Tony is Bernardo’s killer, she’s not happy about this. However, of course, Anita doesn’t understand the entire situation, and her pain is clouding her emotion. Maria counters her with a song of her own, detailing her love for Tony (”A Boy Like That/I Have a Love”). This wins a tearful Anita over.

Anita warns Maria about Chino, and as Maria heads to warn Tony in turn, who should show up but asshole Schrank! He’s there to ask Maria a few questions, and acts like a proper dick about it. Because he won’t let her go, Maria asks Anita to go warn Tony at Doc’s drugstore for her. Anita agrees, and leaves. Schrank asks who the boy was that danced with her at the dance hall, as the act upset Bernardo. She lies and says it was a boy named Jose.

At Doc’s, the Jets are protecting Tony, who’s hiding in the cellar under Doc’s protection, waiting for Maria. However, Doc isn’t there, and when Anita shows up with the message...it’s bad. They don’t let her through, even though she’s there trying to help. And their antagonism of her escalates to the point that...well, if Doc hadn’t shown up, it would’ve been very back. Fuck Action, by the way, and the rest of the Jets are pretty shitty people as well.

But Doc does show up, and helps a traumatized Anita up. Rightfully angry, she tells them that she wouldn’t help any of them if they were lying in the street, bleeding. Vicious words, but her emotion is palpable, give what just happened. But she goes a bit too far when she lies and tells them that Chino killed Maria in rage, before leaving in tears.

Doc chides them bitterly, and kicks the Jets out permanently, once and for all. Good. Fuck those guys, I don’t care how awesome they can dance. I mostly don’t care. He goes to the basement to see Tony, who’s excitedly raving about his future with Maria. Doc slaps him out of it, and tells Tony what Anita said. Fuck. Well, to be fair, this was never going to end well. It is a tragedy, after all.

And as the story goes, Romeo believes that Juliet is dead, so he goes out to look for Chino, wanting to go with her. He calls out for him all around, but ends up finding Maria instead. And they happily reunite...for 10 seconds.

And this is all somehow worse than any other Romeo-death I’ve ever seen. It’s hard. And it’s terrible. And Tony dies in Juliet’s arms. And this is genuinely the most emotional I’ve ever been for any version of this story. Goddamn. GODDAMN.

Both gangs arrive and watch on, and once Tony dies, they start going for each other once again, until Maria cries out to them all. She makes Chino give her the gun, and quickly holds it on him and ALL of them. And she gives...a terribly poignant speech. And Juliet lives...but her love dies.

Schrank arrives, and even he bows to Maria’s love. everybody gives into it, me included. And Action, as much on a little monster that he is, is the first to step forward. He, Ice, and A-Rab step forward to pick up Tony’s body, and as they’re about to drop it, Indo and Pepe (Gus Trikonis and Jay Norman), two of the Sharks, also step in to help. And the Jets let them. One by one, the Jets and Sharks leave, and Maria eventually goes as well.

 And...that’s it. That’s...West Side Story. And right now, I really want to give this movie 100%. I mean it. But I’ll think on it first. Understand, however: I’m pretty sure that this is my favorite movie of the month. See you in the Review.

[estrangedocean]

To whomever it may interest.

I recall a vivid memory in which I was in the living room with my parents and family. Being about four years old, my mom was speaking about the things I would do as I grew up. I would finish school; then I’d go to university, get my bachelors, then I’d finish my masters, and finally complete my Ph.D she said. All of this would take quite a long time, perhaps as much as 30 years. Funnily enough, as I heard closely every dreamed aspiration she had for me, I spurted out a slowly looming question that lingered in my head and said, “If that’s the case, then, when will I marry?” The sting of desire was alien to me, and it didn’t mean much to me back then. However, out of all the questions a kid would ask, why would I ask this one?

Love shared by two people for each other is intense, passionate, scary, and an all consuming fire. When I fall for someone, it is a cathartic process by which I empty myself so that I can fill my being with the object of my desire. For “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” If I truly love someone, I empty my heart and being (existence) for them; if I truly love someone, I live for them, and everything else comes afterward and is of little importance in comparison to my burning desire for the object or person. Once I’m burned with the insignia of love, I am truly and wholly theirs. This innate desire that props up for different objects in my life is an essential aspect to understand who I am.

I love God, I love philosophy, and I’ve devoted my whole life to them. Someone asked me “How do you wish to live your life?” I replied by saying, “by studying philosophy and theology, and spending my entire time thinking about them.” This is how crazy I am, greater than this motivation, greater than the desire to live for that which I love, I have nothing. If I do fall for a woman, it would be no different, my entire life would be forfeit; and it would not grieve me, it would make me happy beyond compare, as it would fulfil the deepest desire which lingers throughout my deepest crevices in my being.

The Snares of Language

Today, failure is widely considered unacceptable, and it is necessarily frowned upon. For most, “failure is not an option.” These are not cliches that people believe in, these are the core and fundamental values which make up many people today. In my take, the most important commandment in the Bible is “Be Holy, for I am holy.” Propositions like this can be found throughout the Bible, and there is a counter narrative that goes against the language of success that you find therein. God has plans for Israel to prosper, he wants her to multiply, and be fruitful. Being fruitful and being successful are the same thing, but a tree that is premature and has failed to grow can bear no fruit. Growth is a necessary part of begetting fruits; and fruits doesn’t necessarily mean children (just a reminder).

One can imagine being in a relationship that seems to have utterly failed, but failure is part and parcel of life. Failure is not the end of all things, it is an instruction from God that there is something that needs to be attended to. This is more important than merely gaining success from having a stable relationship with seemingly has no blemishes. For scars and imperfections are easy to hide, but they are very hard to embrace and ratify. For this reason; failure is essential most endeavours in life, and they don’t have to big ones, little ones count too, as any kind of failure is an opportunity to teach us something. This doesn’t mean that successes are irrelevant, it only means that failures are important aspects which signify an area that needs work, so that you may grow and finally succeed in being fruitful: that is success, and it cannot be had without the sweat of the brow.

Sacrifice & Love I

According to the modern practitioners of the distortion of the term sacrifice, they think it means to “give something up, for something else.” To give an example, if you wish to sacrifice yourself for someone, it means to give up something that you love, so that you can satisfy someone else. This interpretation has had terrible consequences on those who truly seek love. Consider for a moment that a woman who wishes to “sacrifice” herself for her man, and so she notes, that even though the man is deceitful and cheats on her, she has to give up her ideal of loving a man who loves her back just as much, in order to satisfy him. Here we see that she has a desire for an ideal, something that he fails to live up to, but she nonetheless uses her will to make a choice and abandon that ideal for him.

The curious dynamic here is that her will necessarily separates itself from her desire, and it moves to diminish her desire and aspiration to love and be loved by a man who loved her back just as much or more. She has “given up” her deepest desire, and her will has taken the forefront, even though she may not feel anything for the man anymore. This shows everything that is wrong with the idea. For there is a clear desire that the woman clings to, however, she has to abandon it for the sake of a promise made purely by the will. Naturally, this will become incredibly harder for her overtime. While such an act indeed takes a lot of courage, it is ultimately doomed to fail.

Courage is no substitute for the limitations of man. Torture him enough, and he will give. This is the nature of mortality, and it is the reality of things achievable with torture. By this definition of sacrifice, the wife has to give up what she desires in order to stick with a promise of marriage to the man. The word takes precedent, but it cannot substitute desire. If this continues, without the grace of God, her will will weaken and slowly fade; and even if it doesn’t, this paints for us a picture which divorces desire from the will, and makes love; an act of sacrifice, subordinated purely to the will of the human.

Although her choice to make the promise of marriage and seal it with a kiss is something that could only be done with her willing it, it couldn’t have been borne without love. Courage is underpinned by love, even if men and women are afraid to the brink of collapse, their bodies and feet move, because it is love which fuels their action. It makes no sense to say that a man is going to stand up for a woman because he simply wants to. A man stands up for a woman because he is motivated by something; either by virtues of justice and truth, or by love. Any man or woman who is not motivated by desire to do these things, is but an irrational being who does things purely on the basis of their whim, or something far worse: apathy. Justice, truth, love, these virtues motivate act, and action does not precede virtues and desire. Similarly, the seal of marriage and her kiss is posterior to something prior, to the desire tempered in the fires of love. It is ultimately this, that the modern definition which uses the language of “giving things up for what you want,” fails. It fails to capture the reality of love, her power of influence as a desire, and it eviscerates desires from will completely.

Sacrifice & Love II

Consider another scenario: suppose we raise a being in a cave, although we give him or her everything she desires, we deprive her of food and any knowledge of it. We shoot nutrients through her veins, and she has no concept of the notion of food. She might be inclined towards something; an outward movement from her soul would be present, but we couldn’t really say that she is ever hungry, or that she has ever felt what it is. Inclinations are such movements, which have no specified object, no goal.

Desires are different. When I desire, I desire “something.” There is always an object attached to the end, and my desire directs and leads me towards it. The job of the desire is to necessarily lead you to her object. Once we do know what we want, there is a final aspect to the puzzle, our dear friend will. The activation of choice is the final part which determines whether we indulge in our desires, or we overlook her force and change our course. The term sacrifice comes from two words, “sacer,” and “facere.” Sacer, means “sacred,” whereas “facere” means “to make,” and “artefact.” When conjoined, it means “To make sacred.” Although the term sacred has religious connotations, it doesn’t have to. For all it means by sacred, is “to set apart for specific use, purpose, or person.” Lots of things can be sacred, including persons. To love, means to sacrifice, to sacrifice, means to make sacred, to make sacred, means to set yourself apart for that which you love.

When in love, then, the desire one has for something will be overbearing, and it could not be merely willed away. This is why love is usually considered to be a desire that transcends and overpowers the will; you cannot merely will to fall in love, and similarly, will to fall out of it. It is an overarching desire that directs both your being and your will towards the object. If then, the woman truly loved her husband, then she desires to see him happy above all things. If that is the case, then she will not be “giving up” anything, it will be subservient to seeking happiness for what she wants the most: to love her man and make him happy. She will set herself apart to get what she desires above anything and everything.

Fencing

But what then should we say about her feeling upset? The infidelity of her husband will necessarily make her upset, and what place does it have in our philosophy? Jealousy is a strong tool because it means to be deprived of something that is rightfully theirs. After marriage, her husband is rightfully hers, and she is his, the good of both these people lie with each other, and not other men and women. For if other men and women have not set themselves apart for them, how then, can their efforts of desire surpass one who has literally forfeit her life for the happiness of her husband? They can’t.

One could now argue that we see that more than one person can pledge allegiance to a flag, and similarly, more than one person can swear their love for another person; however, now I turn the question on to the one who has ever felt such a thing as love. Why would you entrust the object of your deepest desires, someone or something you feel so strongly for, in the hands of someone else? Is your desire not strong enough to make you believe that the goodness of the object lies in your hands? Is your desire not strong enough to make you fiercely attack someone who wishes to threaten your man or woman, or your relationship? Don’t you know that you should have the task and that only you could make them happier than anyone else? If you don’t, then you should thoroughly question how strong your love is.

Can we honestly trust thing that we hold dearest to our hearts to someone else? I don’t, and I wouldn’t. This feat requires an extraordinary faith in other human beings, more faith than you’d have on what is necessarily in front of you, i.e., your desire for someone, and I refuse to have this faith. For if I love someone, I refuse to leave it someone else to make them happy. People are untrustworthy, and I have no reason to believe that the person who challenges my love with theirs will make the one I love more happy than I can. This is the battle of love, and only a defeatist with a confused faith in humanity would abandon their dearest in the hands of others. If you want to do something right, you do it yourself. You can only assure yourself that this task can be done by you, leaving it to others is playing Russian roulette, if you are cynical enough to do this; then indeed, you shouldn’t have ever loved at all.

Guarding their heart and directing their will, guided by the desire for their beloved everyday is the only way a strong relationship can be maintained. Only the ones who truly feel such a burning desire can raise their hearts and feet to have courage and act. Anyone’s hearts which hasn’t been raised to the level of action, is still young and their love has yet to mature. However, when it does mature, rushing with their feet will hardly be a problem; what will be an issue, is how jealous this will make others feel, as this will radically change your life and transform you, and it will keep changing you, making you stronger everyday as you grow deeper in that love.

Who do we love, and how do we know it?

Growing up, I always desired the ideal of helping a girl who is need. As a man, I’ve been taught to protect people, especially women. There is a natural attraction that occurs between the damsel in distress and the knight in shinning armour. However, this doesn’t tell us the full picture. We live in a world which is inhabited by more than 7.5 billion people, and there are many people in distress. If one is to choose who they love simply on the basis of need, then they’d have to love everyone, there’s only one problem: you can’t love everyone, you cannot be in more than one place at one time, and you will always have a priority in your heart. Being in need is a common attribute, lots of people need help. The bane of the knight in shinning armour is that he pours his heart out for that which is commonplace and everywhere.

Suppose that a man confesses his love to a beautiful woman, because she is beautiful. Beauty, although definitely desirable, is not that uncommon in our world. We see men and women with beautiful appearances everywhere. If the man decides to pour his heart out for a woman for this seemingly common trait, then, what if someone who is equally beautiful or more comes up towards him? Given that we do not control our desires, the man will not be able to control his desire, in the sense that it will plant itself in his heart, and there will be a war of attrition. This is an entirely undesirable state of affairs, and it is for this reason that one should be discriminative with love. One should love things which are noble and rare.

For if you love things which are rarer to find, there is less of a chance that this desire can be uprooted by other temptations in this world. The harder it is to find a man or woman who has a trait that you are attracted to? The harder it is for someone else to replace the object of your desire and uproot your beloved from your heart. This is not to say that beauty is irrelevant; if you are not sexually attracted to your partner, that is a decisive end to romantic aspirations about passion and love. While sexual attraction and physical beauty are important, they shouldn’t be the primary things you should be attracted to. When you’re looking into a person, you should be searching them for virtues. For these are rarer and harder to cultivate, and as for physical appearance, we have everything under the sun that can fix and rectify; and though important, it is of secondary importance to the primary traits that we are attracted to.

A kingdom needs to be defended from outside attacks, for this we have foreign policy, a peaceful way to resolve disputes. However, if a kingdom loves her own people, she shouldn’t be afraid to take necessary action in order to save them. The question is not whether it is justified that they should protect their people, it is rather, whether the actions it takes upon the rest is necessary to protect her people. Letting go of some people forever might be a necessary action in order to save a relationship, these are the hard facts about life. No heart can serve two masters, it will either hate the one and love the other; or vice versa. We can draw a scenario in which you are contacted by your best friend and by someone you claim to love, where your decision to save either one of them will necessarily lead to the death of the other.

This is what I call the victory of priority, and the heart can only ever have one thing above all else. Similarly, it is in times like these that we realise who we truly love. These are times of test to help us grow and see where our happiness really lies. Anyone who wishes to save both the friend and the one they claim to love, is but fooling themselves, and others. For no human being can be present in two places at once, and no one can be there for two distinct people, at all times. You cannot set yourself apart for two distinct things, where serving either one deprives the other of your aid. You can only ever set yourself apart for one thing, whoever hasn’t come to this realisation is living but a false and confused dream, and isn’t strong enough to love. That is to say, they haven’t loved. Only the ones who love can set themselves apart, to the exclusion of someone or everyone else. The moment you say “I do,” to someone, you’re saying, “I don’t,” to everyone else, this takes courage and is built upon the strong desire of love.

I for one, am attracted to courage and passion, something that I don’t see in most women. This saddens a part of me, but it also gladdens my heart, since if and when I do fall for someone completely, she will be very special and won’t be easily uprooted from my heart from he wiles of the world. In order to discern that you love someone, you should sit down and think of the person you like, then, write in the order of priority, the things you like about them. Then, consider whether the qualities that you like about the person are rare, and if they are incredibly rare? Then be assured that you’re very close to love; indeed, this kingdom is worth living, fighting, and dying for.

[thisisusuallyatearjerker]

S2:E10 “Number Three”

As speculated, this week’s episode was all about Randall. It has got me wrapped up in all the feels. To be honest, I could not stop the tears from flowing the last twenty minutes of this episode. I was shamelessly sporting my ugly crying face and all. For me, Randall represents a rare side of relatability to people of color. I connect with him the most out of “The Big Three”, not just because of matters in regards to race, but with relationships too. Randall goes all in when he deeply cares about someone; it is how he nurtures his relationship with others.

In hindsight, I should have known that the university Randall wanted to visit in D.C. was Howard University. There was never any question with Randall that he often inquired about his roots. Naturally, he was highly intrigued by other people of color and gravitated towards them. (Remember child Randall and choosing which swimming pool to visit?) It makes complete sense that he would be drawn to a university where he would not be in the minority and split between two worlds. Not just Randall, but I’d imagine any prospective college student of color would be drawn to a university where most, if not all, of the students and faculty look like them. I knew exactly how Randall felt sitting in that dorm room, in awe of the fact that there was a possibility that for at least his college career he would be surrounded by students with similar life experiences. He could enjoy, for just a moment in his life, living in a bubble. In that moment of realization, there were no words needed.

When Randall hesitated to introduce Jack to his new friends, the subtle awkwardness that crept in was also extremely familiar. Then, when Randall tried to explain how he felt to Jack on the ride home, honestly, I have felt that same anger and loneliness for most of my life. Even in today’s day and age, people of color are still fighting for proper representation. When I am surrounded by other people who do not look like me, I am very aware that I am different; I stand out. I do not have control over being a minority. Moreover, when white people are in the minority at a social gathering, event or work, most of the time it is because they choose to be. I think it is so important that is acknowledged. The awkwardness they may feel at times is because they chose to put themselves in that situation. Me? And people who look like me? We work through these feelings every day. Jack knows that he will never have to experience the same life struggles that Randall must endure. Although, I am not sure that he completely understands it. However, loneliness and anger are emotions that Jack knows and can emphasize with, which was why he took Randall to the Vietnam War memorial. The lasting impact Jack has had on his sons are so abundantly clear when the episodes jump back to the present after he drops his little nuggets of wisdom.

In the present, Randall and Beth are threatened with the possibility of losing Deja. The charges against Deja’s mother were dropped and her first course of action was attempting to intimidate Randall and Beth to return Deja to her. Deja’s calm and adult-like manner visibly portrays the dynamics in the relationship she has with her mother. It is what makes the decision Randall and Beth have to make that much more difficult. They are torn between fighting for Deja to stay in their home and letting go of Deja so that she can return to her biological mother. The Pearson family fell in love with Deja, as did I and the rest of TVland. Randall’s decision is heavily influenced by William.

Randall is incredibly special because he had the love of two fathers. I am just so sad that he did not have all the time he was owed with them. William was my favorite in the first season. So, when he popped in for this episode, my heart let out a squeal of delight. William is an intellectual. His perspective on life is incredibly insightful. I did not find it surprising that Randall reverted back to last Thanksgiving and his conversation with William after he discovered that Rebecca had been keeping his biological father from him. Last season, we saw Rebecca’s perspective and her encounter with William nearly a decade after their initial encounter. This time, we got William’s side. 

William’s recollection has the melodic effect of a musician skillfully telling a story behind each note. He recounts following Rebecca after she abruptly left his apartment. 

The tempo of the music rapidly progresses as William approaches that door. Then, a flurry of possibilities is strewn together in a hopeful, dulcet culmination of the music. William is introduced to Randall. He recognizes that his parental rights were limited as soon as he left Randall on the steps of that firehouse. So, he does not expect to be a part of Randall’s daily life, but at least be present for the big moments. Birthdays. Holidays. Graduation. But suddenly, the music rests to a halt. We already know that these jovial events did not transpire. A steady, melancholy tune picks back up as it dawns on William that he had no right to impose on a life that he knew nothing about. These are the decisions that are the most difficult to make. There was no mistake that William loved Randall very much and was doing what he felt was right by Randall. The same goes for Randall and Beth with Deja. Sometimes, the greatest act of love is to let go. 

Although Deja was only with us for a short time, her character arc was absolutely transformational. She had seen more cruelties in this life than any eleven-year-old rightfully should. Moreover, she is a representation of children in our country who undergo the arduous process of the foster care system. It is harrowing to think that Deja’s circumstances are considered fortunate when there are so many children who slip through the cracks of the system. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see Deja have to leave Randall and Beth behind after they fostered a nurturing trust that exists between parents and a child. Although I 100% understand where Deja’s mother is coming from, especially after the in-person warnings and threats exchanged between herself and Randall while she was in prison... she doesn’t know the Pearsons like we do! I still wish and hope that this isn’t the last time we see Deja. She acknowledged Randall as her foster dad for crying out loud! In public, too! However, the transformation that completely broke me was when Deja allowed Randall to give her a hug. The restorative level of trust it took to create that kind of intimacy between Deja and another adult male speaks volumes to Randall’s character. As aforementioned, he truly goes all in for those he cares about. I love, love, love Randall’s encouragement to Deja about working hard.

I also love how huge Randall and Beth’s hearts are. They want to try again, but maybe this time a boy. Randall and Kate have left us with a very hopeful end to the winter finale. But, it would not be This Is Us without a little tragedy. Kevin, who is in the midst of a loss in purpose, is pulled over for a DUI and with Tess as his witness. The last scene is an inviting glimpse through an open window that allows us to take a peek at what the writers may have in store when the season picks back up in January. It can be presumed that the focus will be predominantly on Kevin and reopening wounds that never healed when it comes to grieving the loss of Jack. It’s about to be a rough month without our favorite family, but speculations are welcome in the comments section! 

Until January... theorize away!

[tiw-rpg]

Basics

↳ Age: 207 25 ↳ Species: Vampire (Klaus’s Bloodline) ↳ Face Claim: Charles Michael Davis ↳ Currently U N A V A I L A B L E

Description

Reclaiming the throne of the Quarter was bittersweet this time. The mutiny of Klaus Mikaelson and fall of the Original family was all due to the tragic loss of Thierry Vanchure, a loss that Marcel still grieves to this day. Rather than taking back the Abattoir, he’s left it to ruins and started to rebuild his kingdom just across the river from the Quarter. All he could want at this point is peace, but it would seem everyone else has other things in mind. The city has been slowly sinking into chaos and most just don’t listen to him the way they use to due to the alliances he has made along the way. While he is of the strong belief that the Originals are gone for good, he is fully aware that some are still loyal to the fallen king and that some are just waiting for the best moment to strike back. He’ll do what he has to to ensure that everyone knows the time of the Originals is over for good .

Biography

Marcel was born as the son of a slave and the Governor, and because of that, he was a slave himself. His mother never wanted to name him before he turned then out of fear of losing her son to a fever. Unfortunately, his mother died before he reached that age, so Marcel stayed unnamed until he met Klaus Mikaelson. Marcel had thrown an apple at an overseer and was whipped for that offense when Klaus saw the boy and interfered, killing the Governor before the man could do more damage to the boy Marcel still was. Klaus gave Marcel a name, Marcellus, which means little warrior, because the Original had seen the way the boy was fighting against his oppressor and recognized himself in Marcel. That was also the reason Klaus took Marcel in and raised him as his own son. Marcel already had a crush on Rebekah since he was very young, and when he grew up, that never changed. Of course it didn’t take long before Marcel found out what Klaus and his family were, but having grown up among human monsters, he didn’t fear them. He also wanted to become a vampire like Klaus and when Klaus gave him the choice between getting Rebekah and being turned, he picked Klaus over Rebekah, something that didn’t please the female Original.

He stayed with the Originals for a hundred years, slowly growing closer to Rebekah during the years after he turned and she slowly started to forgive him for choosing his immortal life over her. They knew Klaus would never allow them to be together, so they made a plan to chase Klaus away by summoning Mikael to town. It worked, but it worked a bit too well, chasing away Rebekah too and almost killing Marcel. With the Originals gone, Marcel made New Orleans his own after he recovered, slowly gaining more and more power, until after a hundred years, he dominated every aspect of the supernatural life of New Orleans. He had built his own community and family by turning people throughout the years, most of them becoming loyal friends. He had rescued the witch girl Davina Claire from a gruesome ritual. He took her in and treated her as his daughter. That she helped him control the witches was only an added advantage to that relationship. Everything seemed to go exactly the way Marcel wanted it to.

Until Klaus returned to New Orleans. They started to seem to get along pretty well, but that was just play pretend, from both sides. Klaus wanted what Marcel had and Marcel was not willing to give that up. Once the hybrid learned how Marcel had chased him away about a century ago, he decided to retaliate, dethroning Marcel and punishing Rebekah. Marcel knew he would never be able to go that far in his battle against Klaus and kill his sire, which made his possibilities limited. Eventually, Marcel was forced to bend the knee and accept Klaus’ reign over the city that he considered to be his.

Marcel kept searching for a way to win New Orleans back. He hadn’t worked that hard to hand it over and do nothing to get back what was rightfully his. So when he found out his best friend Thierry was murdered by someone that could almost only could be Klaus, he knew he needed to come in action. Now Klaus hadn’t just taken his city from him, but also started to take his family, something he could not allow. It didn’t take Finn much effort to convince him it had indeed been Klaus and when the wayward Mikaelson brother had a way to get rid of the other Mikaelsons, Marcel welcomed him in his circle and went along with his plans. Finally taking down Klaus felt surprisingly satisfying, knowing that once again, Marcel could take what was his, without constantly having to fear his sire would come and take everything away again.

The last four years had been like the ones before Klaus had come back to town, even when his grip on the supernatural community was weakened and honestly? Marcel could get used to this.

Connections

Finn Mikaelson - Marcel can’t help but question his alliance to the last remaining Mikaelson, but he needed someone who was strong enough to take on Klaus. After Klaus murdered his right hand man, he knew he had to take him down. Finn forged a special dagger that would put Klaus down. But Finn’s plans include killing an innocent child, something tests Marcel morals and might just cause him to turn away from their alliance.

Davina Claire - Being like a daughter to Marcel, he feels protective over her and is concerned that she is in the middle of the conflict in the Quarter. He’s worried that her protectiveness over him could get her hurt, especially when it might be at the hands of someone she care very much about.

Tyler Lockwood - When he and the hybrid because friends, Tyler was welcomed to Marcel’s inner circle after they teamed up against Klaus. But he can tell Tyler is questioning their decision to kill and chase out the remaining allies. 

Samuel Gray - Samuel has always been one of his greatest back, one his most trusted among their inner circle. They bother lost a brother when Thierry died, causing them to become more bonded than ever. He knows no matter the threat against him, Samuel will always have his back and considering his age, he’s stronger than a majority of those in the Quarter.

Ivan Belikov - Marcel was not surprised that the Russian someone to get involved in the Quarter affairs. He knows Ivan is most likely their to kill him and despite Davina’s emotional ties to the male witch, he might just have to take initiative and kill Ivan before Ivan and strike at him.