#seeing her stand up show live is one of my greatest accomplishments

[sl-ut]

princess of the north

in case i dont end up posting again over the holidays, i just wanna say i hope everyone has a great holiday season and a very very happy new year!!!!

pairing: cregan stark x fem!targtower!pregnant!reader

description: cregan has grown older and happier throughout his years as warden of the north with his beautiful new wife at his side. however, when he married into the royal family, he had not considered how frequently he would need to interact with his in-laws. 

warnings: NO DANCE AU!!! (rhaenyra ascends the throne peacefully), weird blend of book and show timeline, slight description of character (silver hair, purple eyes, that’s it!!!), smut, reader gets pregnant like halfway through, pregnancy sex, oral, piv, SEX IN FRONT OF A FIREPLACE ON A BEARSKIN RUGGGG oml

words: 9.7K

date posted: 10/12/24

The winter had been very forgiving, thank the gods. It had been remarkably short, just under eight years in total, meaning that it had come to a close with plenty of food still in storage and northerners who were more than willing and able to transition into the oncoming summer with ease. 

Winterfell was left in a generally stable state, aside from the fact that there was a greater need for livestock now that they not only had an additional mouth to feed, but also a fully grown dragon who resided in a make-shift dragonpit only a few minutes ride beyond the walls of the castle–a wedding gift that the Lord of Winterfell had prepared in anticipation of his new wife’s arrival. Otherwise, the North seemed to be in greater shape upon the dawn of this new summer than it had in all of Cregan’s years. 

The greatest of Cregan’s accomplishments, of course, was his new wife. At the beginning of the winter, he had not expected that he would be married by the end of it, but with the arrival of Prince Jaeaerys on his official tour of the realm also came his proposal of marriage between Lord Cregan and his own aunt, the youngest daughter of the late King Viserys I and his second wife, Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower. He had been hesitant to consider this offer–he’d never met the woman, which was not uncommon for marriages of such high status, but he’d been fortunate enough to have been able to form some sort of friendship with his late wife prior to their union. Jace had brought along with him the terms offered by his mother, in her own hand, of course, as well as a portrait of the woman in question. 

Cregan was not above admitting how taken he’d been with the sight of the princess, even if it were only a recreation of her beauty on canvas. He’d heard of her beauty before, it was rumoured around the realm, but seeing it was entirely different, a sort of beauty he could not have imagined on his own.

“Tell me, my prince,” Cregan asked him, hardly drawing his crystal blue gaze away from the portrait, “you are her blood and have grown up with the princess, is this painting to her likeness?”

Jacaerys smirked, “Of course, Lord Stark. My aunt is known to be one of the most beautiful women ever to live.”

Cregan pursed his lips. He was aware of the strange customs of the Targaryens, having married brother to sister and uncle to niece for generations. Jacaerys could be speaking the truth, for he himself could hold some sort of affection for his aunt, but Cregan did not suspect as such. Intead, his greater question was whether Jacaerys could be lying to him out of political gain; as his mother’s envoy, it would do him no good to suggest that the artist had not accurately painted her. Her looks were of no concern to him, but he valued honour and truth over all else. If they were attempting to attract him to the deal by portraying the princess as such a beauty over anything else, he would be personally insulted to discover that he’d been lied to, a snub from the royal family would not be taken kindly by House Stark. 

“What say you?” Cregan turned to the group of men standing just to the left of the prince, all who seemed alarmed at Lord Stark’s attention being turned to them, “How do each of you vouch for the princess?”

The men, one at a time, attested to the princess’s beauty until he stood before the smallest and visibly youngest of the men.

“And you, lad?” 

“I’m afraid the portrait fails to depict the princess, milord,” The boy grew rosy in the cheeks as he imagined the princess in his mind, eyes drawing towards the portrait, “That is her, yes, but only as close as the Master Holbein could have made it, for I do not think it possible to recreate such beauty. She is gifted by the gods, surely, milord, both in beauty and manner. She is kind, brings food and toys to orphans in Flea Bottom and ev’rything, milord.”

Cregan, taken aback by the answer from the youngest boy, turned back to Prince Jacaerys, who seemed equally as surprised as he did pleased with the answers of his men.

“This is true, milord,” Jace said, “the princess is known among the people for her generosity, among her other talents and traits. It cannot be denied that her mother, the Queen Dowager, was not fond of my family, nor us of her, but the princess was raised better than any of us, I would say. Take the night to think on it, I would hope to send word to the queen before I leave Winterfell at noon.”

Cregan did as instructed, thinking on it long and hard. Her beauty had been their main selling point, something that could not be denied from the portrait sent of her. Lord Stark had half a mind to hang it upon the mantle in his bedchambers whether he takes her to wife or not, but it was not her beauty that had truly swayed his decision. Instead, he thought over the young lad’s words; a southern lady scarcely thrives in the North, a nation nearly as large on its own as all of the remaining six kingdoms put together. The weather was harsh, and the people were harsher, something he could not imagine a Targaryen princess handling well. However, he’d heard of Alicent Hightower’s assertiveness and ability to lead while her husband was incapable and Rhaenyra was in Dragonstone. If what Jacaerys had told him was true, the princess would be dutiful and loyal, and according to the prince’s men, kind beyond words. Beauty may have factored into his decision on a personal level, but he also met the prince the next morning with his acceptance mostly on the basis that he believed that the princess would be wholly capable of helping him rule the North.

He wrote to her a week after Jacaerys departed from Winterfell, certain that the news would have already arrived in the capitol and she would already be aware of their arrangement. He would have little time between her arrival in the north and their wedding to meet with her in private, so this was his best hope. He was pleased to receive a raven in return only three days later, neat handwriting befitting a princess scrawled across the parchment. It was not much, but Cregan was able to learn some things about her through the letters, making it seem like he was less-so marrying a stranger and more as if she were a distant friend. 

The month following, the princess would depart from King’s Landing in a procession he was told seemed a mile long. He waited with anticipation, Winterfell in a flurry of servants and guards to prepare the castle to house the royal family and their household, as well as for the wedding itself, and only one more month would pass before his bride had arrived within the walls of Winterfell.

Cregan had bowed respectfully to the Queen Dowager as she stepped out of her wheelhouse, then to the two silver-haired princes who arrived on their steeds. His eyes scanned the growing crowd for any sight of his betrothed, finally catching sight of her as she took the hand of a Dornish white cloak to balance herself as she exited the wheelhouse, a pretty white fur-lined cloak wrapped around her shoulders, almost blending into the pale blonde of her hair. She was, indeed, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had traditional Valyrian looks, but also held an aura of softness. 

She was nervous as she curtsied before her, but seemed happy enough with his appearance and manners as he greeted her with a kiss to her leather-gloved knuckle. The moment was broken apart by her mother’s level tone, requesting to be brought to her chambers for some rest before supper. That evening Cregan found the portrait of the princess that he’d received months earlier and personally hung it above the mantle in his bedchambers. He thought it was safe to say he was smitten.

The princess appeared bashful in his presence, though he was partially certain that her discomfort was brought on by her ever-present family, each looming nearby as if waiting to intercept his attempts of conversation with his betrothed. He could not decide who he had grown to loathe the most; Aegon had already drank a generous portion of Winterfell’s wine cellars even before the wedding, and often joined the conversation with the goal to tease his sister and see her shrink in embarrassment; Aemond was constantly looking to best anyone in his path, and seemed almost possessive over his sister’s attention; her mother had hardly allowed them a moment alone, constantly insisting on supervising any time that he would invite her for any sort of activity, or set one of her brothers after them instead. Alicent had a habit of speaking for her daughter, meaning that Cregan had no opportunity to truly know her while her mother was present, while her brothers made it impossible to even speak to one another at all. 

He was finally glad on their wedding night, when he’d arranged the head table to be broken into three, leaving the happy couple to sit above the rest and finally receive some alone time. She had been radiant in her gown of white furs and fleeces, meeting him beneath the weirwood tree with her eldest brother at her side to give her away. He’d been glad to tear away the cloak of red and black, intricately interwoven into a field of green and gold at the bottom–it would be unlike Alicent Hightower to allow her children to wear the Rhaenyra’s colours without her own as well. It would be hard to tell whether she looked prettier in the harsh colours of her maiden cloak or in the dull ones of his own, but he couldn’t help but note how greys and blues suited her better than he could have imagined. 

He could tell her family was less than pleased with this arrangement, making an effort to step in for every miniscule matter that caught their attention. Cregan watched her from the corner of her eye as she shakily took a long drink from her cup. He finally found time to chat with his wife, slowly watching in awe as her walls slowly began to come down as she found herself giggling along with him and whispering into his ear. 

“What of the leftovers?” She’d asked, breaking their previous conversation topic.

“Leftovers?” Cregan repeated.

She nodded, staring at him with wide eyes expectantly, “The food. There will be plenty of leftovers–they should be brought to the nearest towns.”

“Is that a command, princess?” 

She appeared bashful at his response, walls slowly building back up around her, “I-I- My apologies, Lord Stark, I–”

He grinned at her playfully, his large palm cupping her cheek affectionately, “If you wish it, you shall have it. I intend to make you very happy, my love.”

She smiled, her beauty shining through even stronger as she became more and more comfortable around him, “Thank you, husband.”

Cregan pushed himself to stand, the sound of his chair pushing back cutting through the chatter and music and laughter filling his hall, all eyes turning to him expectantly. 

“My lady wife has made her first official command as Lady of Winterfell,” his voice carried through the hall with stern ease, and the attention of the crows quickly turned to her, “Lady Stark has decided that all leftovers from our wedding feast will be donated to the people of Winterstown.”

The crowd had been quick to applaud, deafening cheers throughout the great hall, northerners seemingly pleased with her decision or, at the very least, just excited to have another reason to be celebrating. He caught the glance she sent to her mother, and the happy grin that covered her face as the Dowager Queen sent her a sign of approval. His lady wife was kind, and sweet, and he was certain that, once she gained her footing in the North, would serve as a strong and dutiful Lady of Winterfell, all of which he muttered into her ear as he had her for the very first time that night. 

Three years would pass, he’d been right to assume such things of his wife. He’d quickly discovered that she was able to thrive without the looming shadow of her mother and brothers. She had been slow to find her footing in the beginning, some of his bannermen even questioning his choice in wife, but she was determined to prove them wrong, and in doing so, warmed Cregan’s heart even more. 

They’d discussed children in the past, and both had decided that they were happy enough with Cregan’s son from his previous marriage for the time being. They were not trying, but they were also not not trying, which is how she found herself swelling with her first child just as winter came to an end. Her husband had been insatiable in their first year of marriage, but once he knew that she carried his child in her belly, there was scarcely anything that could stop him from having her each and every night. 

Summer brought a homier feeling to Winterfell. People were not quite so afraid or negative as the desolate conditions faded away. Summer in the North was nothing compared to the many summers she had spent in King’s Landing, where she had once enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her skin, exposed beneath her more revealing gowns than those she was able to wear in the North; the lords of the North had criticised her choice in dresses early on in her marriage, and she had no doubt that their wives spoke harshly about her in her absence. She was by far the youngest of them, and was also the only one who could afford to wear such fine silks layered over her thick fleece and fur underdresses. Cregan knew better than to try and argue against his wife’s will–Lady Stark or not, she was a Targaryen princess through and through, and now that he had helped her build up her confidence, there was no way he was about to take that away from her (especially when she looked so so beautiful). She was thankful that she was able to cut down on the layers she needed now that the weather had transitioned from inhospitable to frigid, though she knew it was coming time to transition her wardrobe as well now that her breasts and belly were beginning to swell. 

The change in season also brought a wave of new duties. Winter was undoubtedly the most difficult and busy season for the lord and lady of Winterfell, but the transition to summer also brought the beginning of the agricultural season. Farmers and fishermen alike flocked to Winterfell to speak their needs and wants to their liege lord and lady, and Cregan found himself busy with attending to the replenishment of all of the North’s resources for Winterfell, all of his bannermen, the Wall, and all of the towns in the North. He’d made his wife agree to take a lesser load of duties now that she was expecting, dealing with issues within their own household so he could instead focus on bearing the burdens of the North all on his own, though this meant there was less and less time that they were able to spend together. 

Each morning, Lady Stark was awake and on the move early enough to meet with the maester and stewards and advisors, sharing no more than a few sweet words and touches with her husband as he watched her dress before she was out the door. They would see each other in passing throughout the day, sharing loving glances across the courtyard as they attended their duties and occasionally catching each other in the corridors, and she was normally in a deep slumber by the time he came to her chambers every night. Both of them were growing restless in their time apart, especially with her ladyship’s heightened emotions and hormones. 

She had just finished speaking with the mistress of the orphanage in Winterstown when the maester came to her, a neatly folded piece of parchment in hand that bore her mother’s seal. She smiled to herself as she brushed her thumb over the thick spot of green wax, glad to have a response for her most recent letter to her mother to deliver the news of her pregnancy, along with a request for some new silks to be sent in order to accommodate her changing body. Breaking the seal, she scanned over the letter with her eyes, a small gasp leaving her mouth as she read over her mother’s words.

“My lady?” Maester Elryn asked, concern evident on his wrinkled features, “Is everything alright?”

“Yes,” she smiled tightly at him, “My apologies for my reaction. Could you ask Lord Stark to come to me when he is free?”

“Of course, my lady. Anything else?”

“That is all, thank you, Maester Elryn.”

Cregan came to her two hours later, finding her seated at the small desk in the corner of her chambers. He paused to drink in the way she looked, having scarcely seen his wife for more than a moment all day. Her body was changing in the most glorious ways possible, and the bodices of her gowns were growing even tighter than before, her breasts threatening to spill over the neckline with every breath, and her belly growing firmer and rounder to accommodate his child. His smile widened as she turned to glance over her shoulder, her eyes softening as she finally took note of her husband’s figure in the doorway.

“You called, wife?”

“My love,” she greeted, pushing herself to stand with a gentle hand cradling her barely-there bump, “It seems it has been forever.”

His heart thumped against his ribcage at her action, chest growing warm at the sight of her maternal instincts already kicking in before she had even passed through her first few months 

He closed the door behind him, crossing the room to meet her before she was able to move too far. His palm cupped her cheek, the other finding its place over her own against her belly, “Longer than forever to me.”

She grinned, leaning up to press a sweet, lingering kiss to his lips, giggling to herself as he chased after her and grunted as she pulled away. He pressed small kisses to her cheeks, across the curve of her jaw, and down the column of her neck, leaving small nips in his wake. His wife pushed at his chest helplessly as she continued to laugh, the soft growth of hair along his own jaw tickling her with every brush of his lips on her skin. 

“I called you up here because I needed to speak with you,” she whispered to him, body slowly relaxing against him as she sank into his embrace.

“Speak, then,” he ordered, thick fingers tugging at the laces of her dress.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes at his antics, “I wrote to my mother a few nights ago, I need silk for new dresses. I’m sure you’ve noticed that my own are growing rather…tight.”

His mouth dropped to nip at the bulging flesh of her breast peeking over the neckline of her gown, “I certainly have.”

Her head tilted back, letting both a laugh and a breathy moan at her husband’s attack on her chest as he quickly laid her back on the bed, “She has written back to me. She says I shall have as much silk in as many colours as I wish.”

Cregan hummed in response, quickly peeling the layers of her gown away until she was left in only her thin white shift, her words going ignored as he tugged and pulled at her clothing until she was bare before him. He stared down at her, running his hand over his jaw as his eyes trailed over her breasts, heaving and swelling with milk, then down over her small bump, and finally to the place where her thighs clenched together. 

She pushed herself up to sit before him, her own hands reaching out to tug at his clothing. He was quick to help her, shucking off his layers and boots until he stood before her in only his heavy leather breeches. His wife grinned up at him, pressing a gentle kiss against his own belly, a layer of soft flesh over his firm, almost inconspicuous muscle. 

He pushed at her shoulder, chuckling as the mattress bounced beneath her as she was laid back again. He crawled over her, returning to mouthing over her neck, over her shoulders, and finally coming across her breasts.

“She says she will deliver them personally,” she uttered, whining in protest as he paused, pulling back to focus directly at her face. 

“Personally,” He repeated, more for his own sake than a question of clarification, “your mother intends to come to Winterfell.”

She pouted at him, fingers carding through his long hair as she attempted to soften him to the news, “She wishes to be here for the birth. I know she can be…difficult, but it would bring me comfort to have her with me as I bring our firstborn into the world.”

He sighed, his head falling into her shoulder, “If this is what you wish, then this is what you shall have. 

She smiled, remembering when he spoke the same words to her on their wedding night. She pressed a kiss to his forehead, winding her legs around his hips and hugging her tightly to her chest. 

“Thank you,” she smiled at him as he finally pushed himself up to gaze down at her once again, “my mother can be difficult, as I said, but I wish for her to know her grandchildren, as she does my niece and nephews. I promise you, she will be on her best behaviour.”

“I believe you,” He pressed a kiss to her lips, mumbling against her, “but I must ask that we do not speak any more of your mother at the present. I do not think she would appreciate what I plan to do to you.”

Cregan did not allow her another moment of peace before his kisses grew in intensity, tongue intertwining with her own while his meaty palms pulled her legs further apart and began to rock his hips into hers. He smirked at the whine that escaped her throat, pressing himself further into her.

“Cregan–” 

“I have missed you, my love,” he moaned against her lips, “you cannot possibly believe how much I have been longing for you.”

She chuckled, “I think I can. The maester told me pregnancy can bring on many side effects; discomfort, fatigue, desire…”

Cregan pulled back for a moment, “Should I be concerned about these conversations you have been having with Maester Elryn?”

She scoffed, “You are far too jealous for your own good, my love.”

“You might be too, if you were married to the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms–nay, the world.”

“Flatterer.”

“Can it be called flattery if it is the truth?” Cregan pushed himself to kneel between her legs, palms continuing to push her thighs upward to bare her completely to him. He let out a desperate groan as his eyes settled on her core, barely hidden beneath a neat patch of silver hair, “gods, have you ever been this wet?”

She snorted, raising her leg to press her foot flat to his chest, “It is the pregnancy, as I said.”

His long fingers wrapped around her foot, tugging it up to press his lips against the slope of her ankle, “Then perhaps I should keep you like this, eh? Would you like for your lord husband to fill you with his child, again and again?”

“I am already with child, my love,” she smiled at him, drawing a deep breath from his throat, “I’m afraid you will have to wait a few moons longer.”

“And I will spend every second I have with you perfecting the craft then.”

She sighed in relief as he finally reached between her thighs, fingers catching against her slick hole.

“Cregan, please,” she whimpered, “do something, anything.”

“Anything?” He asked, breathlessly, his own chest heaving in anticipation as she nodded excitedly. 

A loud gasp tore from her lips as he finally sunk his fingers into her, her wetness audible to them both as he began moving with slow but purposeful thrusts. His thumb settled on her sensitive bud, making slow, tight circles over the swollen bud, his free hand gliding up from her thigh to tug at her breasts. Her hips rocked in sync with his every movement of his thick fingers, stilling as another one easily slipped inside.

“My love,” she panted, “e-enough, I need you.”

He quirked one of his thick brows at her words, “Should I not prepare you, my heart?”

“I am pregnant with your child, and as we can both tell, I am more than prepared.”

Cregan snorted out a laugh, withdrawing his fingers with a small whine from his wife, “How should you have me then, wife?”

Lady Stark smirked to herself, legs wrapping around his back and forcing him to fold over her, “Take me as you did on our wedding night, only you do not need to be so gentle with me.”

He slipped inside of her easily, a strained hiss sliding between his teeth while her own teeth sunk into his shoulder. Cregan did indeed take her like he had on their wedding night, but against her wishes, was almost as gentle as he had been, out of respect for his child’s personal space, as he had muttered to her. In truth, he simply wanted to take his time with her as he pulled her apart bit by bit, not wanting to rush their first time lying together in the few weeks since summer had come. 

When they were finished, he remained inside of her for as long as he could, but the warmth of her and the air around them was far too much. His wife, despite the progress she’d made in the years of their marriage, was a southern woman and despised how frigid the castle could be, earning herself the warmest room in Winterfell and a required constant upkeep of her hearth. Cregan did not mind coming to his wife’s chamber when she needed him throughout the day or early evening, but there was a reason that they’d made a habit of sleeping in his personal chambers each night, where the air was cooler but he was able to keep her warm at night. He carefully pulled away, meeting her for a final kiss before he peeled himself off of the bed, slowly strutting across the room to haul the window open and feel the cool summer air against his burning flesh. 

She watched him through hooded eyes, gaze raking down his muscular back, over his plump ass, and down his thick legs. She pursed her lips, pulling one of the heavy furs around her shoulders as she padded across the stone floor to wrap herself around him from behind, fingers hooking together around his belly as her bare chest pressed to his back. After a moment, one of his hands came over to cover her own as she pressed her lips to his shoulder blade. 

“My mother wrote that she expects to be here in two moons,” she murmured against his warm skin, “I should begin preparations for them on the morrow.”

Cregan hummed, eyes scanning over the horizon for a moment before he comprehended her words, “Them. How many attendants does she plan to bring with her?”

He felt his wife tense behind him, “About that…”

Two moons later Cregan found himself standing tall in his own courtyard, jaw set as a procession of horses and wheelhouses began to file through the front gate of his ancestral home. He’d been a touch angry with his wife when she had finally revealed to him that it was not only her mother coming, but rather the entire royal family; the queen, her king consort, and all of their children; the dowager queen, the remaining four of her children, as well as Prince Aegon and Princess Helaena’s three children. Winterfell was about to be overrun with heads of silver hair, something Cregan had hoped would only happen as a result of his wife’s genes overcoming his own among their children. 

At his side, his wife nervously chewed her bottom lip–a nasty habit he’d grown to detest after she’d drawn blood one night. He knew exactly how her family could be from their short stay during their wedding festivities, and the way that her mother and two older brothers alone were able to affect her, let alone the entire living Targaryen dynasty. 

On her other side stood young Rickon, gripping her hand tightly as he struggled to compose himself. The boy was only six years old, but he already seemed to understand the importance of his role as the heir to Winterfell. He’d taken to his stepmother rather quickly, having been an infant when the fever took his own mother. He’d been in need of a maternal figure in his life, and her presence in Winterfell had done nothing but draw father and son closer together with every family supper and breakfast she had insisted on over the years. Seeing her welcome his son into her heart so openly only further pressed Cregan’s instincts to bring their own children into the world, wishing for nothing more than to give his boy dozens of siblings for him to play with. 

The procession finally came to a halt just as two large, intricately carved wheelhouses entered the gates, flanked by the king consort and all of the elder princes on their horses. Lady Stark’s nerves only heightened at the sight of the silver-haired men, particularly her elder brothers who almost immediately turned their gaze her way. The queen soon climbed out of her wheelhouse, followed by her own litter of children, Aegon, Viserys, and Visenya. The second wheelhouse opened, producing Dowager Queen Alicent and Princess Helaena and her own children Jahaera, Jahaerys, and Maegor. 

The queen came before them, regal as ever in her red cloak lined with black fur. She watched stoically as the three bowed before her. 

“The North is yours, Your Grace,” Cregan spoke loud and true, “my family and I are honoured to host you and your family in Winterfell.”

“Many thanks, Lord Stark. I commend you on leading the North through yet another winter,” a smirk tugged at her lips as her eyes turned to his wife, who lowered into another curtsy under her stare, “I hear that Lady Stark has taken to her role quite well. I believe motherhood suits you, sister.”

“Thank you, Your Grace,” Lady Stark nodded in thanks. 

The next line of Targaryens filtered through the short lineup of Starks, first Daemon, who scarcely offered any of them a second glance (aside from his niece, who he stared at for a moment too long in Cregan’s opinion). Prince Jacaerys greeted Cregan like an old friend, clapping him on the shoulder heartily while he offered his aunt a polite hug, his younger brothers following, though with less familiarity. 

Then came her mother, who hardly offered Lord Stark a moment of her time before she began fawning over her daughter, hugging her tightly before pulling away and pawing at her swollen belly through her layers of fur. A tear escaped the red-haired woman’s eye as she pressed a sweet kiss to Lady Stark’s cheek, then offered a greeting to sweet Rickon, who had shuffled closer to his stepmother in his nervousness. Aegon skipped over Lord Stark altogether, though he certainly was not complaining as he could smell the stench of wine radiating from the eldest prince even before noon, throwing himself onto his sister. She’d stumbled in her attempt to catch him, sending her husband a warning glance as he moved to rip him away from her. Aemond, at least, was more courteous, offering Cregan a polite greeting and kissing his sister gently on the forehead. Helaena was soon to follow, her greeting to Cregan leaving him with a puzzled look as she moved on to place her palm to her sister’s cheek.

“I am so happy to see you, sister,” Lady Stark’s eyes welled with tears. Cregan had been aware of how disappointed his wife had been when her sister had not been able to travel with her for their wedding, but she had not blamed her for choosing to stay behind while she was in her sixth moon of pregnancy, not to mention the poor state of her mind.

Daeron was the most reserved of his good-siblings, showing both Lord and Lady Stark his respect, though he had no personal relation with either. He’d spent most of his childhood in Oldtown under the care of his grandsire’s brother, the Lord of Oldtown, and his own uncle Gwayne. He’d been rather hesitant to even return to King’s Landing after being away for so long; his own mother was a mere stranger, and his siblings had gone on to marry and produce their own children without even a second thought of their youngest brother. 

Winterfell’s hall was overflowing with Targaryens and those who served them. Cregan could hardly recognize any of the faces at the tables nearest to his own, his men being pushed farther back into the hall to accommodate the royal family. He, himself, had even been pushed one seat to the right to offer the queen the highest seat in the hall. He was not pleased to be doing this, far too used to southerners coming to the North with such entitlement, but he would take the treatment silently for the sake of his dear wife, who had been so excited for the arrival of her family and had been overtaken by anxiety of ensuring the visit went well. 

She sat next to him, dressed in a fine silk gown (new, a design brought by her mother), a deep emerald with golden stitching across the bodice and around the cuffs. Cregan hissed through his teeth when his wife entered the hall, a happy grin on her lips as she cradled her round belly over the dress of her mother’s house rather than her own, though he was eager to greet her and accept her gleeful kiss on the cheek, and he was glad enough to see that her hair had been braided among the stems of various flowers, all of which being indigenous only to the North. Her mother could try with all of her might to try and hold tight to her daughter’s familial tether to the South, but Cregan knew his wife had transformed into a woman of the North–she was no longer simply a Targaryen princess, a dragonrider, she was also his wife, Lady of Winterfell, and mother of his children. 

It never escaped Cregan’s watchful stare everytime the Dowager Queen gripped her daughter’s arm when her attention was not focused solely on her, or how she forced a smile each time he joined their conversation at all. If the woman had not been his wife’s mother, he would have gladly warded her away from his wife’s personal space. He understood well enough that his wife was bound to miss her family, especially her mother and sister, but he was afraid to see her begin to slip back into her shell, which had taken him a considerable amount of effort and care to bring her out from in the first place. 

He was quickly tiring from the responsibility of hosting an entire flock of Targaryen princes, all of whom considered themselves above the northerners and their laws, customs, and expectations. They most often gathered in the training yards, each more eager to prove themselves over the northerners and each other than the last, except for Aegon, of course, who would rather spend the mornings in his chambers before he would disappear into Wintertown, most likely gone to spend the rest of the afternoon in the only brothel within twenty miles of Winterfell. 

Throughout the two weeks to follow, they had barely found a moment to themselves that was not in the early hours of the morn or when the castle is alight with only the light emitted from torches and the moon itself, where Lady Stark was usually so worn out that she had barely enough energy to cuddle into her husband’s side and share a handful of words before her snoring would reach his ears. He made an effort to seek her out when he was granted a brief moment away from his duties, but there was hardly a moment when she could be found without at least one member of her kin at her side; in the nursery with her mother and sister, discussing her duties with the queen, reading with Aemond in the library, or comforting Aegon amidst another bout of alcohol-induced sickness. 

The one moment he did find her alone in her personal study, not wasting a single moment before he was hoisting her into his arms and kissing her breathless. He’d been pleased to find that she had no fight in her, easily melting into his embrace and winding her arms around his neck, smiling into the kiss as small mewls of pleasure vibrated against his mouth. He’d almost forgotten that the door to the study had been left ajar, making his good-mother’s entrance even more silent, though he likely wouldn’t have noticed even if she had knocked, fully taken with his wife’s affection. 

“Ehem.”

“Mother,” Lady Stark pushed away from her husband, face still with shock and, quite evidently, embarrassment, “I, we did not hear you come in.”

“Yes, as I could see.”

“My apologies, Your Grace,” Cregan nodded to the woman, though his tone was laced with his annoyance, “I’m afraid you’ve been subjected to a moment of weakness.”

“Nonsense,” Alicent’s lips tightened into a strained smile, a touch of tenderness on her face, “it comforts me to know that my daughter is cherished and loved, even so far away. We are not all so lucky to find love in these circumstances.”

His wife rounded the desk, meeting her mother with a tight embrace. For a moment, he felt a pang of sympathy for the red haired woman–it was true, most marriages of such caliber did not afford the couple any form of affection, and he was more than aware of the fortune that had fallen into his lap that day that Prince Jacaerys landed at his gate. The moment came to a crashing end all-too-soon as his good-mother once again dragged his wife away from him, not to be seen again until she was deep asleep in their shared bed.

He’d arranged for a hunt during the visit of the royal family, where he was forced to play the peacekeeper between the queen’s sons and their uncles, all while keeping his eyes peeled for the prize he’d been hoping for; his wife had mentioned more than once that she wanted to find the perfect blanket to gift to their first child, one that can be used again and again with each babe they brought into the world, so it seemed only fitting to him that he be the one to bring her the pelt. 

It would be weeks before the warmth in his chest subsided after witnessing her grin and laughter as he presented it to her, two rabbits of a similar white and brown pattern, drawing her away from the large elk that had been brought in for their supper that night. It was a brief moment of privacy amongst the crowd, where she curled her fingers beneath the neckline of his leather doublet and dragged him down to her height, pushing a soft kiss to his wind-bitten cheek, though he was thankful for every moment of it. Her mother stepped in a moment later, grasping her daughter’s hand and willing her to join her in the nursery, where she could continue to preach her wisdom and advice for the soon-to-be mother, though Cregan hoped his wife was smart enough to take it with a grain of salt. 

He’d spent the rest of the day both tending to his duties, which have seemingly doubled since the arrival of his wife’s kin, and also offering a hand in preparing the elk when he had a chance; his cooks could do wonders with elk meat, but the kitchen maids often made a fuss when such large animals were brought to whole or at least without being skinned first. He had barely even spared a moment to clean himself and change clothes before supper.

When he arrived in the dining hall, a smaller yet more formal area where he hoped he, his wife, and their many children would all dine together whenever they could. He was, however, miffed to discover the dining hall filled with princes and princesses and queens alike, only two seats left empty–his own, and his wife’s. 

His immediate thought was that perhaps she was still readying herself, perhaps she had gotten carried away in the nursery with her mother, and she would be there soon enough. Then, his eyes fell upon the red-haired woman a few seats from his own. 

He cleared his throat, drawing silence across his hall, “My apologies, I expect Lady Stark in only a moment.”

Alicent furrowed her brow, directing her words to the rest of the royal family rather than to Lord Stark, “I’m afraid she will not be joining us tonight.”

Cregan raised his own brow, “Why not?”

Alicent’s gaze flickered to his own, “She was unwell this evening–a pain many women know while carrying their children, all she needs is rest.”

“And why was I not made aware of this at once?” Lord Stark felt his blood beginning to boil.

She looked somewhat taken aback, “These pains are normal, they are expected for how far along she is. My daughter–”

Cregan’s heavy palm landed flat on the wooden tabletop, “My wife is my main concern. Any news concerning her or my children should and will be brought to me at once.” 

Alicent pursed her lips, appearing to have a few words of choice for her daughter’s husband, though he turned his attention to the queen opposite him on the other end of the long table and looked equally as surprised and amused at the altercation as she sipped her wine.

“Excuse me, Your Grace,” he pushed himself up to his full height, “forgive my absence this evening, but if my wife is unwell I would prefer to be at her side.”

Rhaenyra smirked at him, nodding her head at him, “But of course, Lord Stark. I am honoured that you take such care of my sister. After all, family is everything, is it not?”

He ignored the way that her words seemed to have been aimed at the red-haired woman, who had slouched back into her own seat as a soft pink tinged at the apples of her cheeks, instead nodding at the queen and fleeing the room at once, his hurried and heavy footfalls carrying him through the castle and up to his wife’s personal chambers. He was disgruntled to find that they were empty, save for a servant girl who had been tending to the hearth and directed him to his own chambers.

The hinges creaked as he pushed his way inside, finding two handmaidens hovering worriedly over his wife as she hunched over on her hands and knees atop the plush bear-skin rug, back arched upwards like he’d only seen done by a cat. The two servants froze at the sight of the broad figure crossing the threshold.

“Lord Stark,” one of them rushed to him, “Lady Stark, she is alright, but–”

“Alright?” He scoffed, “She is on the floor in pain, she does not look alright.”

“Cregan,” Lady Stark glared up at him, voice strained with discomfort, “do not speak to my ladies like that.”

He let out a deep sigh, offering the servant a quiet but genuine apology, “Now please, just tell me what is wrong with her, and what I can do to help. Should I call a maester?”

The servant fought a soft smile, touched at the lord’s concern for his wife and child, “Lady Stark is experiencing little more than body aches. Normal for women carrying a child, especially their first. I’m afraid all the maester could do is offer milk of the poppy for discomfort, which could potentially do more harm to the child than good to the mother,” Cregan swallowed at the thought, “We’ve allowed the princess to soak in warm water, and the stretching helps while we prepare a hot pack over the fire.”

His gaze flickered to the small grate across the embers of the fireplace, holding three large black stones over them. He nodded, turning back to his wife, who had turned her face back into the rug while the other servant girl carefully massaged gentle circles into her lower back.

“What can I do?”

“The hot pack should help with the aches, but I’m afraid the best thing may be to keep Lady Stark as comfortable as possible, anything to keep her mind away from the pains.”

He nodded, “Leave us, I should care for my wife on my own.”

The door closed behind the two women as they hesitantly left their mistress’s side, loyal to the very end. Cregan wasted little time in removing his leather doublet and abandoning it on the plush bed, leaving him in only his breeches and thin linen shirt. He crossed the room, kneeling beside his wife and carefully laying his palm flat to her lower back, a small smirk appearing on his lips as she sighed from the relief brought by his large, warm hand. 

“If you were not so obviously in pain, I would guess that you were enjoying this, my love,” he chuckled as his hand copied the same circular pattern that the servant girl had applied.

“Shut up,” she turned her head to the side so she could glance up at him, “this is your fault.”

“My fault?” He scoffed, “As I recall, your current condition is the result of your uncontrollable desires.”

She pushed herself up onto her hands, “My what? It was you who was gone to the Wall for more than a moon!”

“And it was you who kept me from my duties until midday on the day after I returned.”

She pursed her lips, “Alright, next time I will allow you to go about your duties without a word. Then we will see which one of us is so insatiable.”

“Be that the case, I’m afraid you may be with child for the next decade or more, my love.”

“Just get the hot pack,” Lady Stark rolled her eyes, lowering her head back down to the plush rug, muttering to herself with a small grin, “a decade or more…”

He obliged, wrapping the stones in a thick woolen cloth before pressing them against the small of her back, a dusting of pink coating his cheeks at the sound she released, back curving inwards as relief overtook her body. 

They remained there for a long while, one of his hands holding the hot pack while the other smoothed over her silver hair, braided and still damp from her bath. The stones began to cool against his palm until they were no warmer than her own body heat, finally being tossed to the side.

“How do you feel?” He asked her, hands cradling her head and hip as he helped her roll onto her side.

“Better. Still plagued with discomfort, but better nonetheless,” She smiled softly at him, “I only wish someone may have warned me of the unpleasantness of pregnancy before I agreed to it.”

He barked out a laugh, remembering the many times she had pointed out the many ways pregnancy could ruin any romance in their marriage before it even began, hence their decision to wait before finally trying to conceive. 

“If only, eh?” He smoothed the pad of his thumb over her cheekbone, “Is there anything I can do for you?”

A twinkle appeared in her eye, “Well Maryssa did say that you should be doing anything to keep me comfortable…”

Lord Stark raised his brow at her words, “And what was it you only just said about me being insatiable? How have you gone from crippling pain to reaching for my breeches in such a hurry?”

She gasped, faux offense in her eyes, “I am not reaching for you breeches! What do you take me for?”

He quickly manoeuvred her onto her back, leaning down to press a slow yet meaningful kiss to her lips, “My very pregnant, very beautiful, and very impatient wife.”

She whined against his mouth, “I think impatience is quite appropriate given the circumstances. Your child has brought me the greatest joy and greatest pain of my life, and yet I constantly yearn for you, my love.”

“Constant?” He laughed.

“The maester warned me of it,” she kissed him again, “all a part of my hysteria, he called it.”

He hummed, “Which brings me to wonder why I was not made aware of this. I could have…relieved you of this suffering.”

She snorted a laugh, a sound he knew he could never grow tired of, “Cregan, if you do not take my clothes off now I would like to go to bed.”

“And what was it I said about your impatience?”

She pushed at his shoulder playfully, gasping as he grasped her wrist in his large hand and pulled her to sit up, moving to lift her and carry her to the bed when she pushed at his shoulder, shaking her head with a sly grin. 

“Here,” she insisted, “it is so warm, and this fur is so soft.”

He shook his head at her, rolling his eyes. Only his wife would be demanding enough as to where he had his way with her and choose anywhere except their marital bed. Only he would be so foolishly in love as to oblige her every whim and allow her to make such demands. 

Growing impatient, she began tugging at her own shift, struggling to lift her hips just enough to slide it over her hips and off completely, leaving her bare before her husband while the firelight flickered off of her soft, freshly oiled skin. His eyes fell from her own to her breasts, which had seemingly doubled in size through her pregnancy, then to her rounded belly; only a few moons would pass before she brought their first child into the world, and he could not be any more in love with her. He knew how excited she’d been over the last few weeks as her body developed with their growing child, spending much of her time with little Rickon, who was just as excited to become an older brother as she was to become a mother. 

“I am not simply here for decoration,” she growled, reaching up to begin tearing the linen shirt from her husband’s body, ignoring his laughter as she struggling to pull the fabric over his wide shoulders and causing his head to get stuck for a moment, “As I said, fuck me or let me sleep.”

His booming laugh echoed through the chamber, scarcely hearing his wife, a Targaryen princess and Lady of Winterfell, use such coarse language. It was the northerner growing within her, he decided as he obliged, kissing her with every ounce of desire he’d been forced to swallow throughout the duration of her family’s stay, pressing her back to lay flat against the dark brown fur. 

Cregan made quick work of kissing down her body, taking a few moments to kiss and suckle and squeeze at her swollen breasts, encouraged by her response to his touch on her sensitive skin as he continued further down. He pressed several playful kisses over her belly, whispering to their child to go to sleep so he could take care of his wife guilt-free. She giggled at this, causing a flood of heat to spread across his chest as he finally crested over the underside of her belly, coming face-to-face with the silver curls safeguarding her womanhood. 

Her legs fell apart easily, and he found no resistance as he eagerly began to feast upon her most intimate place. Her fingers curled into the fur beneath her as her whines and whimpers filled the room, unable to reach for his long dark hair with her belly in the way. He was pleasantly surprised to discover how much of her arousal had pooled between her thighs, two of his thick fingers easily slipping into her heat with practiced precision while his tongue massaged her sensitive pearl. 

Her body seemed more responsive than ever, thighs quivering against his shoulders as her peak crashed over her once, and then moments later, once more. 

He pulled away, noting how her hips had begun to pull away from him, her womanhood more sensitive than ever. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, watching through lustful eyes as his wife grabbed hold of his other wrist, taking the fingers that had brought her to bliss twice only moments before between her lips and sucking them clean. She stared up at him through her lashes, leaning up on her elbow to reach down and paw at the tent that had formed in his breeches, tugging at the laces until they fell open and allowed her to reach inside.

He let out a low growl at the sensation of her hand taking hold of his member, head falling back in relief. Cregan was quick to pull her hand away, shedding his trousers and boots as efficiently as possible so he could lay her flat on her back once more and finally press himself inside of her. 

They both let out long, breathy sounds at the stretch; no matter how many times they would lay together, she never quit got used to the intrusion of his thick cock inside of her, He remained still for a moment, regaining his wits as he willed himself not to finish far too early, though he could not guarantee that he would be able to fight his peak for very long after weeks without his wife’s intimate touch. 

“Cregan, please,” she whimpered, nails scratching down his arm as she planted his fist next to her head, bracing himself as he began to work slow, deep thrusts into her warmth, his own grunts and gasps of pleasure falling from his lips while her lips fell open to allow wails of her enjoyment fall from them with every punch of his tip against her most sensitive place deep within her. 

“My love,” he panted, “For-forgive me…I do not think–”

“Give yourself to me, my love,” she whined, “I need to feel you.”

He nodded, eyes tightening shut as he quickened his pace, chasing his release with grunts and growls and groans until his hips began to stutter, his release pumping deep inside of her until he was shaking. His release triggered her own, pleasure crashing over her for the third time that evening, soaking his length in both of their releases as she clung to his broad frame for dear life. 

She whined when he pulled out of her, sensitive from her three climaxes. He took a moment to stare down at her, stormy gaze trailing from her cunt, where their mix juices had begun seeping from her warmth, to her belly, where their child grew. His eyes then moved to her breasts, which heaved with every deep breath the escaped her parted lips, and finally to her face, which shone with a layer of perspiration as she pulled him down to lay next to her on the fur, turning to press her back against his chest and settling into his embrace as he trailed sweet kisses over her cheek, jaw, and neck. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, sleep threatening to overtake her at any moment. 

“Thank you,” Cregan responded. “I love you.”

“I love you too, husband.”

Silence overtook the room for a moment, only the sound of their slowing breaths and the crackling fire in the hearth could be heard before he finally shared his final thoughts of the night.

“I cannot bear to not have you all to myself for even a moment ever again,” he mumbled into her flesh, “we are never hosting your family again.”

A small chuckle vibrated through her chest.

“I could not agree more.”

[veronicaleighauthor]

In Defense of Amy March

A couple weeks ago, I did a re-read of “Little Women.” It had been a couple of years since I picked it up and I was in the mood for some Alcott. Oh, and the March family. I’ve been deeply attached to the story since I was about fourteen. Jo March was the heroine after my own heart. There was one character though, I could never warm to. That was Amy March. I really couldn’t stand her. She burned Jo’s manuscript and got that trip to Europe, and she was just so snobby and selfish. Right? I mean, that’s how she’s portrayed in most adaptations. Jo has to toil and suffer while Amy gets everything handed to her on a silver platter. During this re-read I decided to pay attention to the youngest March sister and see if I was justified in my dislike of her.

“It’s nice to have accomplishments and be elegant, but not to show off or get perked up,” said Amy thoughtfully.

When the story opens, Amy is a kid. She’s twelve and the baby of the family. Mr. March is serving as a chaplain at war and Marmee works outside the home. Older sisters Meg is a governess, Jo is a companion, and Beth is the homemaker. Amy goes to school and deals with much of what most kids deal with. She struggles with her lessons, she is teased for being poor, she tries to sneak pickled limes in to eat them. Amy is on the receiving end of her teacher, Mr. Davis’s brutality when he discovers she has limes and raps her hand. She is self-conscious about her nose. She has to wear everyone’s hand-me-downs. She is determined to be a proper lady, she is artistic, and she tries to improve her vocabulary. Amy takes parts in her sisters’ theatricals, though doesn’t want to go to the extremes that Jo goes to, and avoids bruising herself.

If anybody had asked Amy what the greatest trial of her life was, she would have answered at once, ‘My nose.’ 

Amy and Jo often disagree with one another. One evening, when Jo and Meg plans to go out to the theater with their new friend Laurie, Amy is determined to join them. She and Jo go round and round, but Amy is bluntly told she isn’t wanted and it would be an intrusion for her to be there (my words, not the actual dialogue). While Jo is away, Amy burns a manuscript her sister has been working on. A fight ensues and though Amy tries to make up for what she did, Jo won’t forgive her. She tries once more to spend time with Jo, when her sister and Laurie are skating at the local pond, and nearly drowns as she crashes through the ice. Her live is saved and she and Jo reconcile. Jo forgives the girl and though Amy knew she was doing wrong when she destroyed the manuscript, maybe it’s time we as readers (myself included) forgive her too.

Amy opened her eyes, and held out her arms, with a smile that went straight to Jo’s heart. Neither said a word, but they hugged one another close, in spite of the blankets, and everything was forgiven and forgotten in one hearty kiss.

When Beth falls ill with scarlet fever, Amy is determined to stay at home with her family, risking her own health and wellbeing. Laurie manages to convince her to go to Aunt March’s, where uncertain of what the future may bring, she makes a will of her own in case she dies. Aunt March takes a liking to Amy and from then on, she is the older woman’s companion. Once Beth is well, Amy is allowed to come home, in time for her father to return home from the war and to see her older sister Meg engaged to John Brooke.

The next time we see Amy, it is three years later and she has grown into the proper young lady she always aspired to be. She dresses well, pays calls, dabbles in various forms of artwork, donates her time and energy to charity booths. Somehow, we as readers belittle this, when this was common way of life for ladies in the 19th century. Consider Marian Brooke, of The Gilded Age TV show, who embraces her own femininity and lives and thrives in New York society. Amy March is doing the same thing – while Jo breaks many of the societal rules, Amy wants to be part of that world. This is best demonstrated in Part Two, when Amy and Jo pay calls at various friends’ and relatives’ homes. Amy does her utmost to help Jo, but Jo (and don’t get me wrong, I love my girl Jo) is downright rude, improper, immature, and sloppy. Amy, on the other hand, is well-mannered, her appearance is neat, she is respectful, and she shows an interest in her hosts. This leaves an impression on Aunt Carol, who is planning a trip to Europe. She originally planned to invite Jo, but the visit shows her Amy would be a better candidate to take to Europe.

“You can go through the world with your elbows out and your nose in the air, and call it independence, if you like. That’s not my way.”

You laugh at me when I say I want to be a lady, but I mean a true gentle-woman in mind and manners, and I try to do it as far as I know how.

So, Amy didn’t steal Jo’s trip to Europe. She was true to herself and a wealthy relative rewarded her for it. She accompanies Aunt Carol and her family on their tour of Europe. This was another common practice in the 19th century. Family or friends would take a young lady along, to see the sights and with any luck, make a match there (think “The Portrait of a Lady,” by Henry James). Amy enjoys herself there, meeting new people, wearing the fashions of the time, learning about art and the countries she visits. The original plan of her life is that she becomes a successful, famous artist. In that way, she’s equally ambitious to Jo. However, while in Europe, she comes to accept her own limitations. Amy understands she has talent, but she doesn’t have genius. At least not compared to the greats or her contemporaries. She comes to terms with this; she will always love art and be artistic, but she must be practical now.

Very few occupations were open to women of that era, especially in the social circles Amy moved in. Teaching or being a governess would have been acceptable – many ladies of genteel and respectable families worked as governesses. Meg worked as a governess. But the pay wasn’t great and it would be a step down for a socially conscious young woman. The only way to secure her future was to marry well. By today’s standards, and many readers of “Little Women” it’s considered mercenary for Amy to think of marrying for money. However, again, think of The Gilded Age show, where some of the characters did or do want to marry for financial security – Agnes van Rhijn and her son Oscar van Rhijn.

Amy herself states: “I may be mercenary, but I hate poverty, and don’t mean to bear it a minute longer than I can help. One of us must marry well. Meg didn’t, Jo won’t, Beth can’t yet, so I shall, and make everything okay all round.”

If Amy marries say Fred Vaugn, one of her suitors, she intends to help her family and those around her. It isn’t a bad plan…but it isn’t the right plan for her. After spending some time with Laurie, who she met up with in Europe, she understands she can’t marry just for money. Marmee and Father didn’t raise her that way and it wouldn’t be enough for her. Love, respect, admiration, and friendship must be part of the equation. The more time she spends with Laurie, she slowly falls in love with him. However, Amy isn’t pleased with Laurie’s behavior as of late. If she had really wanted to marry for money, she could have ignored his vices and set her cap at him. He once loved Jo and after nursing a broken heart, he meanders around Europe spending his grandfather’s money, wasting time, and not living up to his full potential. It is Amy who inspires him to become the best version of himself…and it is Amy he truly falls in love with. According to the book, Amy didn’t steal Laurie from Jo, because he never truly belonged to her.

“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.”

Amy and Laurie both find their way, they marry, and after the tragedy of losing Beth, they return home. They find their happy ending together.

So was Amy selfish, shallow, prissy, or evil? Nope. No more than the rest of us. She was a young woman who found her place in the world. Her definition of happiness was different than Jo’s, but it doesn’t make her any less of a heroine.

What do you think? Do you like Amy March?

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Surprise!

*pant!* *pant!* *pant!* *pant!*...*pant!*...

*While on the run from Shuichi and his group, Tsumugi finally comes into a fairly large open area with many tables and machines in it. She hurries over to the table and starts throwing things off it, desperately looking for a particular device.

Where is it...! Where is it...!?

*She pushes things aside on the table until she finds one. A pair of glasses on top of a medium sized tub.

...

*She hesitantly reaches out for it.

I didn't want to do this...I swore I'd never do this...But...

What the hell...!

_______________________________________________________

COMING THROUGH!

*CRAASSH!*

*Kaito shoulder tackles the door, and everyone charges in alongside him. Maki, Kokichi, Kirumi and Rantaro all ready their respective weapons.

Alright Tsumugi! The jig is up! We've got you!

...Mmph...Grmmph...

Uh...What are you doing?

Huh? Oh, sorry, I just forgot that I left my burger in here before things ended up going south.

*She takes a large chomp out of the burger and starts talking with her mouth full.

Grd Brgur! Bsht ing Hishima. Jsht fugrd culdn't let it gr tr weste.

Careful...She's acting really overconfident right now...

Which means she's plotting something...Yeah, I get it...

*Tsumugi finishes eating and leans against the wall.

This factory is more important to me than you think, you know...Not only is it my home, but it contains the products of everything I've spent all these years working on...

A lifetime of memories and work...And now you're here, threatening to destroy it.

Hey girl...YOU struck first...

Oh really? When did I come into your home and try to destroy it?

How about the time you and Zetsubou put a big toxic cloud over the country we live in? Or the time that you threatened to destroy the planet we stand on.

THAT...is not your home. You and I and we don't BELONG here...! This is NOT our home! So why should I care what happens to it?

This place is even more of a home than the world we came from was! Quit talking out your ass!

And even if it wasn't, what makes you think that gives you the right to just...DESTROY all of it!?

Tsumugi...

*Rantaro steps forward.

WHY are you doing all of this!? The Killing Game's aren't real in our universe, but they ARE here! What makes you think they want to see another tragedy!?

Do you think I CARE what people think? I'm the leader of the Ultimate Despair! You think I give a second thought about how innocents are suffering!?

Ah, yes, how could I forget...Tsumugi Shirogane's greatest feat ever accomplished.

Copying a fictional character that she will never be as influential or powerful as...

Tch...! ...I don't want to hear that from the Supreme Leader who doesn't even have an organization.

Oh, you mean the character that you TURNED ME INTO?

The only thing that I ever knew growing up as a kid was ABUSE! Danganronpa gave me an outlet to show other people in that...sick...twisted world suffering...!

Only do I know now that they weren't real people, even if they were played by actors who were none the wiser...That kind of game SICKENS me...!

[howlingday]

Pyrrha: For as long as I can remember, I had to be perfect.

???: Remember, Pyrrha, that you are not like the others. You are destined for greatness! You will rise above those around you, and stand at the top!

Pyrrha: I have to be stronger than everyone! I have to be smarter than everyone! I have to be perfect!

Pyrrha: Except... when you're always perfect, it's not an accomplishment, it's an expectation.

???: Huh? Only a 95? I thought you were the smartest in our class. But if you can't get a perfect score, I guess that means you're slipping.

???: Her hair is so long! She should cut it!

???: Just you wait! Pyrrha Nikos is the one to carry us all to the top!

Pyrrha: After I realized that, I learned my purpose wasn't to mine, but another's. I don't live for myself. I can't live for myself.

Pyrrha: But I've accepted this. I've accepted my destiny, my burden to become the greatest, and to be the greatest.

Pyrrha: And then this kid showed up to our school.

---------------------------------------------------

Cardin: Get over here, loser!

Jaune: Ack! (Ducks out of the way)

Pyrrha: Hm?

Jaune: H-Hey! You gotta help me!

Russel: Gotcha! (Throws him back to Cardin)

Cardin: (Grabs Jaune's chin) You should know better than to squeak. Mice like you shouldn't even be looking at cats, let alone talk to the queen of the jungle here!

Jaune: (Lips squeezed) Hy! Hy, oo! Lp me ut!

Pyrrha: (Looks at Jaune, Turns away)

Cardin: WHAT DID I JUST SAY, PIP- ACK!

Pyrrha: (Turns around, Sees Jaune running towards her)

Russel: Cardin, speak to me!

Cardin: (Holding his groin) Ugh! That damn no-aura-havin bastard!

Jaune: (Running past Pyrrha) Thanks for nothing.

---------------------------------------------------

Goodwitch: Ms. Nikos? Please, come and pick up your exam results. (Hands them over) Congratulations on another perfect score, Ms. Nikos. Class, you should all be following Ms. Nikos' example.

???: That's not fair!

???: Yeah, all this stuff is easy for her!

---------------------------------------------------

Pyrrha: Easy? None of it is easy. I have to work hard to get where I am. Physically and mentally.

---------------------------------------------------

???: Hey, did you hear? We won another spot in the tournament!

???: Well, of course we did. We have Pyrrha Nikos on our side! The Invincible Girl! I mean, if we didn't make it, I'd be so mad at- Ow!

???: Shut up! She's right there!

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Pyrrha: And because I work hard, I'm the strongest. I'm the smartest. But what do I get in return?

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Jaune: Ah~! Peter Pipe's Extra Spice Pep In Your Step Barbecue sauce! Oh, this is going to taste great on my nuggies! (Grabs it) Huh? Doesn't feel like there's much left.

Pyrrha: Hey.

Jaune: Hm? Oh, it's you.

Pyrrha: Hand over that barbecue sauce.

Jaune: ...No. I got the last bottle, so I'm going to use it. I don't care if you're the queen of the jungle, king of the world, or the thing that shattered the moon, you can't have this bottle, so back off. Ghk!

Pyrrha: (Menacing aura, Grabs Jaune's collar) Give. Me. The. Bottle.

Jaune: (Lowers the bottle, Yanks it over his shoulder) Oops!

Pyrrha: (Watches as the bottle flies into the trash, Everything blurs and whines)

???: Did you see that?

???: Somebody just outsmarted Pyrrha!

???: Not just somebody! It's that flunkie kid with no aura!

???: No way! What she gonna do?

Pyrrha: (Hyperventilates, Slams Jaune into the wall)

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Pyrrha: He's nothing!

Pyrrha: He's beneath me!

Pyrrha: He's so far below me, he's not even trash!

HE DOESN'T GET TO STAND UP TO PYRRHA NIKOS!

---------------------------------------------------

Pyrrha: WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! (Kneels down, Grabs his collar)

Pyrrha: YOU THINK YOU'RE FUCKING TOUGH BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU JUST DID?! (Raises her fist)

Pyrrha: I HAVE TO WORK HARD EVERY DAY, AND YOU THINK YOU CAN WALTZ IN AND HUMILIATE ME?! (Slugs Jaune)

Pyrrha: WHO ARE YOU?! (Hits Jaune)

Pyrrha: YOU'RE NOBODY! (Strikes Jaune)

Pyrrha: YOU DON'T KNOW HOW THINGS WORK AROUND HERE! (Punches Jaune) BUT YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST WALK AROUND AND DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! (Slaps Jaune)

???: Yikes! What's gotten into Nikos?!

???: I better get out of here before she comes after me next!

---------------------------------------------------

Pyrrha: I made it.

Pyrrha: I'm at the top of the food chain.

Pyrrha: I'm the best of the best.

---------------------------------------------------

Pyrrha: (Huffing, Tears streaming down her face)

---------------------------------------------------

Pyrrha: So, why do I have to follow the rules? Why do I have to live for other people's expectations?

Why can't I get what I want most of all?

---------------------------------------------------

Pyrrha: (Sighs, Scroll buzzes)

Jaune: (Texts via scroll) Hey, I just passed my Grimm history exam!

Jaune: Wanna grab lunch to celebrate?

Pyrrha: (Smiles, Texts back) Be there in 5. (Walks down the hall)

???: I heard Pyrrha went crazy yesterday. She took down all of Team CRDL outside of school!

???: Isn't that against the rules?

???: It's not the only one she's broken. I even heard she-

Pyrrha: (Walks through the gossip, Smiling)

[dumdumsun]

To Nightfall

A/N: Enjoy!

Warnings: alcohol, mentions of alcohol and death

Word Count: 5119

—————————————

Chapter 17: Seven Bells

In mid-September of 1963, Sir Reginald Hargreeves found himself sending his daughter off to her very first outing with one of his colleague’s sons. He seemed to be a reasonable match for (Y/N). It was difficult to come by gentlemen her age with an intelligence like hers. Preston Hildebrand was in no way or degree of being smarter than (Y/N), but he would do.

“Reggie, she’ll be fine.” Grace reassured him from the lounge room. Reginald peeled himself away from the door, where he had been watching the two teens walking off down the street. “Come have a seat. Relax.”

Reginald sighed and sat himself in his usual armchair, gently taking his book from Grace that she held out for him. She sat herself down on the sofa and began looking through documents. “You don’t have to be afraid, Reggie. You know how your daughter is.”

“Yes, I do. Stubborn, relentless, emotional, sarcastic.” He turned a page. “She is also diligent… compassionate… sharp.”

“An absolute angel.” Grace grinned. Reginald hummed thoughtfully.

“May I repeat myself so confidently when I say that I truly believe (Y/N) is my greatest accomplishment?”

Grace chuckled. “You may.” Her laugh earned a small smile from him. ���It’s crazy to think that she wouldn’t be in our lives today had I not been walkin’ down that sidewalk… She probably wouldn’t be breathin’ if we hadn’t met.”

Reginald lifted his head to watch her smile soften with affection.

“Makes ya think about how impressively the world works. How some of the best people show up in our lives when we least expect it… Like they’re meant to be here with us.”

“Yes,” He mused with a smile of his own. “Like they are meant to be here…”

-------------------------------------------------

A dull ache settled into Five’s temples as he opened his eyes. The orange light from outside casted into the bedroom, which gave it a soft glow. It was nice, he thought. The Kugelblitz could hardly be seen in a positive light, but it did give off a nice view. With a groan, he sat up in bed, the duvet sliding off his bare chest and landing in his lap. Five massaged his temples in silence, save for (Y/N)’s soft breaths beside him.

“What did I get up to last night?” He whispered, staring around at the empty bottles and mannequin legs littered about the room. Blurry images flashed through his mind. Images of him drunkenly giving some speech at the wedding, chasing (Y/N) through the halls with plastic mannequin parts in his arms, taking many breaks to copulate in nearly every hall of the hotel. But the last thing he very vaguely remembered was what happened in the White Buffalo Suite.

“There is no time.”

Reginald was talking to someone the slightly ajar door obscured.

“I can’t do this without you.”

He made a deal.

Five furrowed his brows, his fuzzy brain trying to recollect any clues as to who the mystery second party was, but all he could remember was (Y/N) pulling him away. He tried not to dwell on it too much, for the frustration was only adding to his throbbing headache. “What was the old man up to?”

Beside him, he heard the sheets rustle and he turned to see (Y/N), creaking her eyes open just the slightest in order to see him. She only needed to glance at their bare bodies to remember exactly what they were up to the night before, the two sharing a smile in recognition. With a tired sigh, she stretched her arms.

“I feel like I wanna take a bath.”

In his room, Viktor stirred awake. It had been odd, not seeing Allison in the bed across from his. He figured she had found a new room, any empty ones open to her now that the other guests were no longer in the hotel. Part of him was relieved that the tension didn’t have to follow them in the room, but another part of him was hurt that she couldn’t stand to share one with him.

He jumped in alarm at the sound of a throat being cleared. He turned his head to see Reginald standing next to Allison’s old bed, a tray of food in his hands. “Bad dream?”

Viktor fought off a wince at his headache as he propped himself up on his elbows. “Why are you here?”

“What does it look like? To feed you, child. I’m sure after last night’s festivities, a hearty breakfast should bring you a bright start to your day.”

“It’s all such a blur.” He groaned as Reginald set the tray down on the bed and took a seat at the foot.

“Ah.”

Viktor gratefully picked up the glass of water on the tray and raised it to his lips. He halted when Reginald continued to stare at him. “Is there anything else?”

“To be honest, I have some concern.”

“Since when do you care?”

“May I remind you, I am not the Hargreeves you grew up with. Yes, we share the same DNA, impeccable style, and mannerisms, but I can assure you our life circumstances are very different.” He opened the tray cover to reveal two berry scones and two boiled eggs. “And being the only sober person at the wedding, I had the unique opportunity to witness your argument with Allison. Such a shame to see a family struggle so.”

Viktor scoffed as Reginald popped the food into his mouth. “Family… What does that even mean?”

“Family are the only people who know us whilst we endure our most epic trials. I think that should count for something.”

“Why don’t you tell Allison that?” He removed the blanket from his body and stood from the bed. Just outside his window, the Kugelblitz seemed to have moved even closer overnight, its orange clouds consuming what was once a bright blue sky. “Jesus…”

“He’s due any minute now.”

Viktor’s head snapped to Reginald, eyes wide.

“That was a joke.”

He chuckled with a raised brow, earning a smile from his father. “You do jokes now.”

“Actually, what I’m here to discuss… is deadly serious.”

-------------------------------------------------

The drip of the water from the faucet into the tub every few seconds was the only sound within the spa. Five sat in the hot water that rose to his chest, absently staring at his wife, who sat across from him in the tub, eyes shut and brows raised. She seemed to still be waking up since they had gotten out of bed. She hadn’t made a single sound since they sat down.

“Feeling better?” He whispered, receiving a quiet hum.

“I needed last night.”

“See? Told you so.”

She didn’t open her eyes, but she still frowned at him playfully. Moving her brows so suddenly slightly worsened her headache, so she released the expression to continue riding out her pain. “It was the first time in awhile where I celebrated something… and then something horrible didn’t happen right afterwards.” She gently opened her eyes and smiled sadly. “I don’t think I’ll get another night like that…”

Five reached out and caressed her scarred cheek in his palm with a soft look. “I’ll try my best to keep you happy, Starlight.”

“You already do… I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He whispered, leaning forward to sweetly kiss her lips.

Within Luther and Sloane’s room, the couple looked up from where they were sitting on their floor, in hardly any clothing, to see Allison standing in their open doorway. “Sorry.” She rapped her knuckles against the wood. “Door was open.”

“No, don’t worry. Come in.” Sloane scrambled to stand, Luther doing the same. “Sorry for the mess.”

“Oh, don’t be.” She smiled and stepped into the room. Sloane grabbed a cup of yogurt and sat in a chair on the side, Luther straightening to look at his sister. “Uh, look, I just wanted to come by and say I’m sorry. Okay, I’ve… I’ve been a really shitty sister lately.”

Luther widened his eyes at the unexpected apology, assuming Allison would never come to her senses. “You know, if you’re handing out apologies, Viktor should be top of the list.”

“No, I know. I’m…” She nervously stuffed her hands into her pockets. “I’m gonna get to him. I just, um… Working my way up.” She chuckled.

“Okay.” He whispered. “Well, I forgive you.”

Her smile widened, a gentle look in her eye. “‘Kay.” She smiled at Sloane, who smiled back, before heading towards the door. She stopped abruptly as if she remembered something and turned back around. “Oh, uh, Dad called a meeting at noon today. Are you both gonna come?”

His look of confusion melted into a sarcastic smile. “Oh, I see.” He pointed at his sister with narrowed eyes. “I see what this is.”

“Luther, he has a plan.”

“Mmhm?”

“No, a plan he thinks can save the universe.”

“Really?”

She sighed at his feigned interest in what she had to say. “So, please, come. Both of you.”

“No.”

“We’ll be there.” Sloane stood.

Allison grinned at her, then at Luther. “Great! Okay.” She nodded before leaving, Luther sighing as she shut the door behind her.

Back in Five and (Y/N)’s room, the former had just gotten dressed, the latter looking through the drawers for an outfit. He adjusted his tie and walked up to her, snaking an arm around her waist from behind. “I’m gonna have a drink outside. Feel free to join me when you’re ready.”

“You just got over a hangover, baby.” She looked over her shoulder to press the side of her forehead to his. Five smiled and kissed her cheek.

“Can’t let all those bottles go to waste.”

“No, I guess you can’t.” She chuckled. “Alright, go ahead. Love you.”

“Love you.” He pecked her lips and walked out of the room. Within time, (Y/N) shed her robe and put on her undergarments along with a pair of black slacks before a knock could be heard at the door. Thinking it was Five, she called for the person to come in.

She was taken aback when Allison opened the door and walked in. A long silence passed through as they stared at each other. Averting her gaze, (Y/N) went back to looking for a shirt. With her inebriation slept away, she no longer had much patience for Allison’s recent behavior. If she came in to argue once again, then (Y/N) was prepared to tell her off.

“Um… so…” Allison sat down on a small sofa near the bed. “I wanted to talk about… everything that’s happened between us. I’m… I’m not proud of it. I just wanted you to know why it went down the way it did.”

“I know why it did.” (Y/N) pulled on a light grey long-sleeve that stopped just above her navel. “You lost your daughter and your husband in our last jump and no one seemed to care. Barely even mentioned it, which just made it look like it didn’t matter. You were told to just accept it and move on. You were angry… angry that I appeared to be doing exactly what you weren’t. I get it. But I wasn’t.”

Allison stared as (Y/N) buckled harness straps to her waist and her shoulders. Her sister’s new style wasn’t one she particularly understood, but it did look very flattering on her. “You just… You looked so happy and I… didn’t know what to do with that.”

(Y/N) sighed and leaned against the wall behind her. “I’m sorry about Claire. Really, I am. I miss her, too, you know. She was my favorite niece.”

The two chuckled, Allison wiping away a tear. “She was your only niece, (Y/N).”

“That’s why it hurts so much more,” She pushed off the wall and strode up to Allison, sitting beside her on the sofa. She shook her head as her throat became restricted with unreleased sobs. “I lost my babies, too, Allison. I feel like… like I’m dying every second I’m not with them.”

Allison sniffled and pushed her sister’s hair back. “I know… I know. I’m sorry.”

(Y/N) sniffled and deeply inhaled, tears falling as she gently gripped her sister’s hands. “This family is all I have… And I’m holding on tight with everything I have. I need you to hold on, too, Allison. Because if you let go… you’re gonna slip, and you’re gonna fall.” She let out a choked sob. “And I don’t want you to fall, Allison. I wanna be in your corner, and I want you in mine.”

Sniffling, Allison pulled (Y/N) into a tight hug, letting out her own cries. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry, (Y/N). No matter what, all I’ve wanted for you was for you to be happy. But I couldn’t understand how you managed to do that when I couldn’t. Then I realized that… you weren’t telling anyone how you felt. You were just keeping it all bottled up. And I hated that.”

She pulled away to hold (Y/N)’s face in her hands. “Just… no matter what happens… I want you to remember that. No matter what I’ve done or said, or what I haven’t done or said yet, I just want you to be happy. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Allison nodded and hugged her sister again before they released each other and sat back. “Also… I’m sorry about the Sparrow (Y/N). You guys seemed close.”

(Y/N) sniffled and nodded, twisting the white bracelet on her wrist. “She deserved happiness, too… But it’s very clear that the children of Sir Reginald Hargreeves will always live in misery…”

“You’re still pissed at him?”

“Pissed? I-I’m fucking infuriated with him. A-And then he calls everything he’s done a fucking ‘rough patch on a verdant lawn’? What the fuck?”

“(Y/N), you have every right to feel that way. You do. But Dad has a plan that can fix all of this. And he called a meeting-”

“No-”

“-at noon. It’s at noon, and I really think you should come to at least hear him out.”

“I’m not hearing shit out, Allison. You expect me, after I nearly killed him with a promise in my actions, to sit there and listen to anything that man has to say? No. Hell fucking no.”

Allison sighed and stood. “Do what you want. And I know I’m not anyone to ask you to listen to me, either, but you said it before. We can’t think about ourselves when it comes to the end of the world. So, maybe, you can put aside some of that hatred to hear what he has to say.”

(Y/N) looked away with a clenched jaw.

“Okay… If you don’t, me or Five can just relay it to you. Think about it, though.”

Allison sighed and left the room, closing the door behind her.

-------------------------------------------------

At the edge of the world sat Five, tipping back a bottle and gulping down its contents. Behind him, on the other edge of the world, was the Kugelblitz. Everything on the other side was being sucked into the radiated black hole and he wasn’t trying to stop it. It was a jarring thing to think about.

He turned his head slightly when he heard footsteps approach him. For a second, he was about to call out to (Y/N), but those weren’t her footsteps. He’d recognize hers anywhere. Trailing his eyes up, he was met with-

“Reginald.” He greeted with a disregard to the man who stood beside him.

“I take it you know why I’m here.”

“How ‘bout I save you some time? Give you the ‘no’ upfront. I’m not the least bit interested in this bullshit plan you’ve been cooking.”

“It’s not, as you so colorfully called it, bullshit.”

Five only took another drink.

“Mind if I join you?”

“Actually, appreciate some…” His nerves were irked when Reginald sat down beside him. “...solitude.”

“Mmhm.”

“It seems I won’t get any.”

He handed the bottle over to his father. Reginald took a drink of it and winced. “Dear god!”

“Mmhm. Louis XIII, it ain’t.”

“I’ve had worse.” He set the bottle down and looked up at the new sky. “It is impressive, isn’t it?”

Five followed his gaze. “All the ways we could have screwed the pooch, this way is the most complete. I’m relieved, actually. This time, everything goes. There’s no Commission, no leaping away. No life spent going mad… with the desperation to see a familiar face.”

Reginald took another swig. “I’ve seen worlds end in ways that would knock your socks off, old man.”

“Wow! Reginald Hargreeves, you never cease to surprise me.”

“That is some comfort.” He smiled a bit. “You know, they all run together after awhile. But you never forget your first. Your home. Your original sin. You never stop wondering, ‘Did I do enough to save the people I loved?’.”

“Did you?”

“No… but I was hoping you children could help me out with that.”

Five raised his brows. “There it is.” He tossed back some more alcohol. “You can go ahead and scratch (Y/N) off your list of recruits. I think you’re the first person to ever land on her blacklist.”

With a genuine sigh of disappointment, Reginald glanced down at the nothingness below them. “One of my deepest regrets was hurting her so.” He looked up to meet Five’s curious gaze. “It seems I have underestimated the relationship you have with her. I see much of your influence in her, and I can’t say it is necessarily unhealthy.”

“What, is this your blessing or something?”

“You wouldn’t have accepted a blessing of mine.” He chuckled. “(Y/N) would have none of that. She has gained more nerve than she had when I last saw her. Though, it was only days for her. It was a change she needed, and perhaps a change that would not have occurred had you not been with her. That is the difference between her and my second-selected version of her.”

Five shook his head at that. “There were many differences between the two of them.” He gulped down another swig. “Sorry, Reg, but you can cross me off, as well. I got a message from the future.”

“What future?”

“My future self told me very explicitly not to save this world.”

Reginald quietly laughed in disbelief. “You are an arrogant son of a bitch, aren’t you? ‘Future you’. ‘Present you’. The past is as much a mystery as the future.” When Five only continued to drink, his amusement washed away. “You ruined your life once before by not listening to me. Are you prepared to do that again?”

Five stared him down with a clenched jaw, his teeth grit behind his closed lips. With a sigh, he relented. “Fine, I’ll attend your stupid meeting.”

“Excellent!” He smiled, standing to his feet.

“If…” Five gained his attention. “...you tell me what happened with you in the Buffalo Suite last night. Who were you talking to? Was it Klaus? Was it Ben?”

“No one. I was alone.” He shook his head. “Though, I doubt you were in any condition to remember. We should go. Don’t want to be late for the meeting.”

Five remained seated.

“I would move if I were you.”

He furrowed his brows. “What, are you threatening me?”

A sudden rumbling shook him, prompting him to hurriedly get to his feet and step back, the part of the ground he was just sitting on breaking apart and falling into the endless pit below.

“Shall we?” Reginald smiled and walked back to the hotel. With a scoff, Five set the bottle down and followed him.

Upon entering, an outburst of claps and cheers for the boy sounded from where the family sat. Five sighed and approached them as they all applauded for his drunken speech at the wedding, where, apparently, he had said some very heart-warming words. To the side, though, Reginald caught sight of (Y/N) walking to the lobby from the elevator she had just exited. With a deep breath, he approached her.

“My child.” He greeted, the girl flinching with a glare. “Before I commence the meeting, I wanted to deeply apologize for (Y/N)’s death. I can see that it has wounded you, and I regret my actions in the entire ordeal.”

(Y/N) sighed and crossed her arms, looking anywhere but at him. “You know, out of anyone, you should be apologizing to her. But she isn’t here for you to do that… Not even her clone.”

He sighed, scrambling to find the right words to say. Reginald Hargreeves wasn’t usually someone to be caught speechless, but (Y/N) never failed to bring out the unexpected. At his silence, she shook her head. “Why did you even do it? What was the point of it all?”

“My child… the day you and your mother left in 1963, it formed an unforeseeable hole in my life. Even your mutt left.”

“Mr Pennycrumb…?”

“Taken by Grace. All I ever wanted was a family like ours once again. So, in order to have even a bit of the past, I adopted you again in 1989. However, I never took into account that a different environment would cause such a drastic change in her character. She was nothing like you, (Y/N). In hopes of repairing what I had already damaged, I coddled her. I made sure to be more attentive with her than my other children. In my attempts, it only resulted in her nature to become cocky and entitled.”

(Y/N) frowned in confusion, but let him continue.

“My Sparrow (Y/N) suffered from underlying issues. She was a very disturbed and… sadistic individual. I first realized it when she was only thirteen, in a time when she was my Number One. She could not lead a unit to success, for her wickedness held her back. It held her siblings back. I was afraid… I was afraid that if she continued the way she did, she would shape the Sparrows into a team of endangerment.

“I demoted her and isolated her from the rest. She was unreasonable, ridiculously headstrong. There was no need for the Sparrows to know the truth, as it would only cause fear and rebellion. With a clone, it was a means to start once again. A blank slate. I instilled an entirely different personality within her clone. One where she was subservient and constantly seeking validation from me. From everyone.

“You have to believe me, it wasn’t what I wanted for her. It was a finer alternative than the person she truly was. I was keeping the children safe… I believed I was keeping her safe. I see now that my intentions blinded me from what I was truly doing to her. I would have ceased my wrongdoings if I had known I was corrupting her mind.”

(Y/N) stayed silent for a second, taking in everything told to her. The entire situation seemed so superfluous. All he had to do was talk to her. Her whole life, it seemed Sparrow (Y/N) just needed someone to talk to her, not isolate her. It didn’t make sense. “You were such a good father in ‘63…” She shook her head. “I wonder what happened in between.”

Reginald gave a small smile. “You were not there.”

“Don’t put this on me. If I had such an impact on your life, then how did I not teach you to be a good father to any other child of yours?”

“In every timeline, (Y/N), you are my daughter. I suppose you are the only one I planned to truly raise, for there is no other child to raise like you.” His smile widened a bit. “I love you very much, my child.”

She scoffed and walked past him, walking in the seating area. All irritation she had just felt washed away when she came face-to-face with her family, who greeted her warmly.

“Hey, there, Miss Maid of Honor.”

“Quite the entertainer last night.”

“Oh, yeah, the life of the party.”

“We need to book you more for events.”

(Y/N) chuckled and jokingly curtsied before walking over to the armchair Five sat in, sitting herself on one of the arms. Reginald returned to the room to stand before everyone. Without any context, he began to explain.

“The Norse had seven sleepers. The Blackfoot, seven stars. As a boy, I heard the legend of the seven bells. All these stories are the same. The village is under threat by flood, by fire, by a night that never ends. A shaman brings his disciples to a sacred cave. He tells them if they can ring the seven magic bells, the village will be saved, and all will be restored just as it was.”

Lila raised her hand. “Reggie? Can we get a little less Brothers Grimm and a little more ‘What the hell does this have to do with us’?”

“There is a truth to these myths. None of you can deny what’s going on around us. All of existence will be gone by the end of the day, but whoever or whatever wove together space and time, they left a way to put things back together if the universe ever faced total annihilation. There is a portal in the universe. I built this hotel around it… and on the other side… is the answer.”

Luther shrugged. “And… we’re supposed to, what? Just stroll in there, ring some bells, and fix this shit?”

“Sarcasm aside, you are mostly right. Except for the guardian.”

“What kind of guardian?” Viktor asked.

“Kinda guardian that does this.” Diego lifted his hand, where two makeshift prosthetics took the place of where his fingers used to be. “He had a sword.”

“It is a force to be reckoned with.”

Luther shook his head. “See? Yeah. This is where you lose me.”

“This is where he loses you?” Lila raised her brows. “I checked out at the sacred cave.”

“Why would the builders of this ‘back door’ need to have a guardian?” Viktor asked.

“Ah!” Sloane pointed. “To protect it from people who want to use it for nefarious means.”

Reginald nodded. “That is correct, Sloane.”

“So, I guess it’s gonna take all of us to defeat the thing protecting the bells.”

Five glanced over at Allison from where she sat in an empty luggage cart. “You’re actually buying his crap?”

“How is a guardian and bells any crazier than time-traveling briefcases and assassins with cartoon masks?”

“Actually, she’s got you there.” Luther agreed.

When no one else spoke, Ben stood and walked up to his father’s side. “I’m in.”

Five thought back to last night.

“I can’t do this without you.”

Could it be Ben?

“Me, too.” Diego stood, causing Lila to gently fall back on the couch. Five looked over at him.

“Do we have a deal?”

Diego? Did Diego make the deal?

“But I think some of us should stay back. Like Lila.”

Five immediately scrapped the idea. Diego only wanted to protect his girlfriend. It was the kind of person he was. He wouldn’t team with Reginald. Lila raised her brows at Diego and stood.

“Uh… or you can stay, and I can go.”

“No.” Allison spoke. “This is much bigger than all of us. Nobody can stay back.”

“You, my children, are all that stands between us and oblivion.” Reginald tried to convince them further. “Are we ready to go?”

Viktor looked around. “Well, I say we vote.”

“This isn’t a democracy.” Ben hissed. “Dad’s calling the shots.”

(Y/N) scoffed. “No the hell he isn’t. If there’s a chance we can avoid ending up like Diego or worse, I’d like to know it was because we actually thought on it first.”

“I agree.” Five grabbed her hand. “We vote.”

Reginald frowned at them. “The world is ending, and you want to count hands?”

“You’re asking us to risk our lives,” Luther reasoned. “I think it’s only fair you give us time to discuss it. Privately.”

With a disappointed scoff, Reginald left the lobby with a pat to Ben’s shoulder. Luther looked around and nodded. “Why don’t we meet back here in an hour?”

“Agreed.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Whatever.”

“Sounds good.”

Allison tried to hold back her anxiety as she clenched her hand into a fist. After the family dispersed, she quickly went after Viktor, who had known she was following him the whole time. When she called out for him to wait, he sighed and turned to her.

“For what? So you can hand me my ass again?”

“Look, I was really drunk last night-”

“Okay, you don’t have to make excuses. I get it. I am your least favorite sibling. I ruined your life-”

“Okay, no, that’s not-” She sighed. “Will you just stop and listen, please?”

Viktor motioned for her to speak.

“Last night, you were right. Claire and Ray are gone. But… hating you won’t bring them back. And my pain… doesn’t give me permission to hurt you.” She turned to lean against the railing, her next words choked on her welling tears. “But it’s real. And it’s something that I have to carry. Which is why if I don’t… If I don’t do something, if I don’t- if I don’t act now… it’s just another thing that slips into nothingness.

“If we stay here, we die. But if we go through the portal, we could… we could save the universe. We could save… everybody. So, can we just put our past behind us and move forward together? Can you give me that?”

At a loss for words, Viktor nodded, which caused Allison to smile.

“I love you.”

The words he had wanted to hear from her, the ones that he thought he lost, were finally spoken once again, pulling him into the routine to immediately repeat them back. “I love you, too.”

Allison moved forward and pulled her brother into a hug, Viktor reciprocating it. This was everything he wanted. All he wanted was for he and Allison to apologize to each other and make amends. To hug and become siblings again. However, something didn’t feel right. He tried to push the feeling down as deep as he could, but he couldn’t dismiss the suspicion he felt. He just hoped her intentions were pure from here on out.

On the other end of the hug, Allison blankly stared forward, all her sadness and guilt wiped away. Her mask had fallen. She was an actress, after all. She had to improvise.

—————————————

Taglist: @natewrightt @sapphicsyn @m00n-sh @starcurrent @alexander-hamilhoe @youcandalekmyballs @wonderlandfandomkingdom @yrdadjstcallsmekatya @sm0kingcrack @sbyderman @moatsnow @bubblegumflamingos @starstormssymphony @meowiemari @magicalgothpandamaker @keayastitties @hehehehannahthings @harryshomeismyhome @rhain3 @deigobonitooo @xxeiraxx @camerondiaz48104 @theyaremorethanjustfictional @that-can-of-fizz @luckyzipperscissorsbat @0range-slices @molzsecretspace @officialjypofc @dragon-master-kai @justsomecreaturewandering @fandomxo00 @roman0ffsheart @idktbhloley @wifeofcamillamacaulay @twsssmlmaa @teamspideyman @instabull @distinguishedmakerpandapatrol

[crellanstein]

Prodigious

I find it odd how the fandom focuses so much on Aang’s childhood being ruined when he learned he was the Avatar at 12, but there’s very little talk about how discovering she was the Avatar as a toddler affected Korra’s life and how she was raised.

But we’ll circle back to that...

Because this is a good starting point to talk about one of the most prevalent themes in the story, which the mainstream discussion of tends to only focus on a few characters -- That is the Child Prodigy. 

We’ll start with the two most obvious. The ones we always talk about.

Azula.

The clearest example of your typical child prodigy (if there is anything typical about a prodigy). Azula showed early mastery of very advanced Fire-Bending techniques, and is the only Fire-Bender to use blue flames, which was intended to make her stand out amongst the other villains but is also indicative that her Fire-Bending is more pure and powerful (blue flame is produced when burning pure O2 or fuel without contaminant at a very high temperature). 

All this lead to her being praised and favored by Ozai as a child, but as double-edged swords go, this also meant she had a lot of pressure on her shoulders to never fail, and she rarely did. Her ego matched her talent, and let’s be honest she was the baddest bitch the show had ever seen. Conquering Ba Sing Se, defeating the Avatar in combat, and dropping some of the most devastating lines of dialogue in villain history; she was a force nobody wanted to reckon with. 

And that become a problem for one asshole in particular...

Being jealous of his own child is just one item on a laundry list of reasons why this guy is the worst father in the history of fathers. Azula had begun to outshine him with her victories, and Ozai’s maniacal ego couldn’t handle that, so he left her behind to babysit the Fire Nation while he went out to burn/conquer the world, which also was her idea.

And while this wasn’t the only thing that aided in her demise, it certainly was the final straw which sent her spiraling down into this...

In the end Azula is a sad example of how certain unfair expectations are placed upon talented children, and the more they succeed, the more these expectations grow and weigh on the them until they either disappoint those looking down on them or surpass and embarrass their elders.

It is a lose-lose situation which inevitably destroys them.

There is a similar example of the child prodigy, but his story goes a little different.

Aang.

Even as a twelve/thirteen year-old boy Aang by far has the most impressive stats among any character in the Avatar universe.

Basically mastering 3 of the 4 Elements in less than a year, after mastering Air by the time he is twelve (not to mention inventing his own Air-bending move, the Air scooter). 

Aang is an example of a child prodigy who had too much thrust onto him at too young an age because of the talent he showed; because of this he panicked and ran away, and the world was worse off for it. 

Aang/Sokka/Katara’s story is all about how in times of War, responsibilities normally handled by adults are pushed onto kids who then have to grow up very fast in order to deal with it all.

The message is clear. War robs the young of their childhoods. 

Now, let’s talk about a different kind of child prodigy.

The Unacknowledged. 

Yes, of course I’m talking about Toph, the greatest Earth-Bender to ever live.

Because of her blindness, Toph’s family tried to keep her sheltered and safe by hiding her from the world. Refusing to believe she could ever be more than helpless. Anyone who has seen the show knows that is far from the truth.

But because her potential went unseen, there were some negative effects to her personality. Initially, she resented her parents, and rebelled; which established a certain level of independence, a bad attitude, and a hot-headed streak. Over time spent with the Gaang these behaviors subsided because she finally had friends and they accepted her for who she was. By the end of the series she was fully willing to accept aid from them when she needed it, like holding on to Sokka’s arm in environment where her bending couldn’t help her “see”. 

Toph’s story is a foil to Azula’s, both showed immense talent and badassery, but while recognition of Azula lead to ever-mounting pressure for her to succeed; the lack of recognition for Toph created a need for her to be acknowledged and set an undercurrent of frustration which leads to her acting out in the ways she does.

The lesson to take from Toph’s story is not to shelter your kid from the world out of fear for their safety, and to be open to recognizing their talents, not shun them.

Next are two more Unacknowledged.

Katara and Sokka.       

Their story, and the reason behind their circumstances, is one of the more complicated and nuanced ones in the series, so here we’ll focus on how it fits into the subject of discussion.

Because of the War, Katara was robbed not only of her mother but also of any Southern Masters to train her, and any role models Sokka could have looked up to left with his father to fight. Because of this Katara’s potential and Sokka’s genius went unacknowledged not due to neglect but rather due to circumstance. (Yes, I think Sokka is a genius, how many 15 yr olds do you know that can plan an invasion, design submarines, and spit poetry off the cuff?).

This is a further example of how War robs kids of necessary childhood experiences, and these two robberies had particular effects on both Katara and Sokka’s character developments.

Sokka had the responsibility of protecting his home put upon him at a young age. The men of his tribe leaving prevented him from completing his rite of manhood until the Gaang ran into Bato of the Water Tribe, and early on Sokka was constantly trying to prove himself as a man and a leader. Sokka is one of the smarter characters of the series, but he rarely got credit for it until the third season. Not to mention that because he wasn’t a bender he often seemed less useful than the others. The circumstances of war made his talent go unnoticed and because of that he often was unsure of himself and overcompensated to prove something.

Speaking of talent going unnoticed.

Katara is definitely one of the more talented benders of the series. After training herself for years with little progress, she essentially mastered Water-Bending in a few weeks under Master Pakku. While her anger towards the Fire-Nation mostly centers around the loss of her mother, it can’t be ignored that the delay in her training was a direct result of the Fire-Nations’ actions.  Toph’s anger and frustration vented itself as rebellion. However, the same frustration and anger is within Katara, but because she wasn’t as natural a bender as Toph she sought to learn and be respected, and when that was denied to her is when that anger bubbled to the surface in some terrifying ways. 

While Toph’s talent went unnoticed because of her families neglect, Katara and Sokka’s wasn’t acknowledged because there was nobody to acknowledge it. Because of that both brother and sister wanted to prove themselves to the world.

And then there is Zuko.

I know what you’re thinking. Zuko wasn’t a prodigy, his Fire-Bending skill didn’t catch up with Azula’s until the finale and he never mastered Lightning-Bending, but this section is about the Unacknowledged.

Zuko had many other talents besides Fire-Bending, he was a master swordsmen, and was able to successfully break into every secure facility he attempted in the show (which was almost every secure facility the show featured).  Unfortunately, these talents were never recognized, because the only thing the royal family cared about was bending ability (It���s possible the reason he learned the sword was because he lacked skill in Fire-Bending). 

As per usual with Zuko, this part of his tale is quite sad. Many can relate to being outshined by a sibling, and when it becomes all too clear that one cannot match another’s talent it’s quite understandable to focus on what they do excel at, but even then there is no promise of recognition for their own talent. Zuko was even mocked by his father during the solar eclipse when Ozai tried baiting him into attacking with his swords. 

This lack of recognition is one of many sad aspects of Zuko’s early life, but it is a definitive example of one of the hardest unacknowledged prodigy’s cross to bear. The Outshone prodigy, one whose talents are never noticed because a bigger and brighter star stands in the way of such recognition, and arguably the most frustrating type mentioned here. Toph/Sokka/Katara all came from situations were there was no recognition being given to them or anyone, but Zuko had to bear watching massive amounts of praise be piled on to his sister while he and his accomplishments went by the way side.

Ozai summed up the situation best.

“Azula was born lucky, Zuko was lucky to be born”

Alright now where have I been going with all this?

So, far we’ve covered a lot of wrong ways to treat a child, whether they show talent or not, and how the circumstances of war can also take many things from children.

But what happened to Korra?

(Before we get into to this I should state that I like Korra, and the purpose of this is not to bash her as a character or her arc, but rather to give a little of my insight into it.)

It’s well established that Aang was told of his heritage too young, and that was a detriment on his development into an adult, but what would have happened if he realized his powers himself not long after he could walk? We’ll never know, but we do get to see the effects it had on Korra. 

When she revealed herself as the Avatar, Korra set her entire life in a new direction, and because Aang tasked the White Lotus with finding and training her that direction was out of her control. There are two key differences between Korras’ and other Avatars’ lives.

1. She grew up in isolation on a White Lotus compound.

Every Avatar before Korra we know of spent a portion of their early lives traveling the world in order to master the elements; along this journey they not only learned how to bend the other 3 elements, buy also many things about the 3 other nations and the world they are tasked to protect as a whole. By confining Korra in safety and bringing the masters to her the White Lotus deprived Korra of this opportunity to learn and grow and understand the world and the people within in. It also deprived her of learning modern bending styles until she reached Republic City.

While this might have kept Korra safe from the Red Lotus, it grew within her a naiveté about how the world worked, and because of this when she actually did venture out into the world she was terribly unprepared for it.

2.  She was trained and mastered 3 of the elements by the time she was 16.

Most Avatars don’t know they have this power until they reach 16 and then they spend several years learning to control it. Korra’s natural talent in the bending lead to her training being expedited not by necessity like Aang’s, but due to her talent and eagerness. Korra excelled at the physical part of being the Avatar and because of this by the time she reached maturity she had become over-confident in her abilities and true to what her Fire-Bending master said in Ep.1 she lacked restraint.

I’m not saying her bending isn’t great, but rather because it is so great it’s her go-to solution to anything, and she enjoys that so she uses it with enthusiastic gusto and not a lot of thinking before striking.

This overconfidence coupled with her naiveté of the world is what lead to many of her rash decisions and actions, most of which had negative consequences, and I believe are the reason behind some fan are dissatisfied with her. Aang had been almost the complete opposite, even by the age of twelve he was an experienced world traveler and an incredibly humble guy. 

Some may have been dissatisfied by these character decisions, but they served a purpose, they are only the beginning of her arc. The internal challenge Korra must overcome through 4 seasons is to humble herself before the world, and learn from it. This was finally achieved in the 4th season when the metal poisoning in her body forces her to face others in the world as equals, only then had she completed her journey.

And why did it all go this way?

Because she is a very unique child prodigy, what she demonstrates in the first episode of LOK would be akin to a toddler playing the violin or hitting a three-pointer; she could bend 3 elements close to just after learning to walk. That is the kind of prodigious talent rarely seen because it is mostly impossible. How does a rational person handle a child like that? 

It’s a tough question, and something this essay has been circling around the whole time. Each example here is the wrong way to handle talented and different children, but what is the right way?

As always look to Iroh.

Who treated his surrogate son Zuko with both respect and compassion. 

Unlike Toph’s parents, Iroh worried over Zuko’s well being, but also allowed him to be independent, make his own decisions, and take his own risks.

Unlike the Nomad Leaders, he didn’t want Zuko weighed down by his position in the world and the responsibility that came with, and always encouraged him relax and take advantage of the moment.

Unlike Ozai, Iroh would always be there to support Zuko in his victories and his failures. Iroh shows him the right path but does not force him down it.

And even after Zuko betrayed and abandoned him.

Iroh was never angry with him, and embraced him upon his return.

He wanted Zuko to grow and be a better man. Even if Zuko wasn’t a prodigy like his sister. 

And that is the answer here. The way to raise a prodigy is the same way anyone should raise any child. Love, Support, a Guiding Hand rather than a Forceful Shove, Recognition of What Makes Them Unique, and Forgiveness When They Falter. The problem comes along when you start treating children differently because you see them as different or special. All children are different, all children are special.

Kids are kids, and they all deserve a proper childhood.  

[bumbleklee]

Hi! I love your work and I’ve been binging it for a while! <3 I was wondering if I could have some angst and a broken heart since it seems I like to suffer. ;’) Can I have headcannon with an insecure adventurer reader who’s in a relationship with one of the Mondstadt boys (or just the dark night because I’m down bad since he didn’t come home). They are insecure because while they are a great adventurer, ever since the traveler came, they’ve been living in the traveler’s shadow with everyone, even possibly the readers lover, praising the traveler. The reader takes on increasingly difficult missions, even putting their life on the line since they feel as though they have to prove themselves. In an attempt to stop the reader, the Mondstadt boys tell the reader that they aren’t the traveler, but instead of the good intent behind it, the reader takes it as if their lover prefers the traveler and decides to try and give up adventuring since they realized that not once did their lover go on an adventure with them, but they did with the Traveler. This was long, I’m sorry, but feel free to reject it! Stay safe and healthy!

hey!!! a few little notes: i ended up going with just diluc and instead of hcs, i wrote a little one-shot. i hope you enjoy it and i hope i nailed your idea lol <3 enjoy! (requests are open)  also: u will pull diluc!!! and thank u for ur support :3

before reading: 1.8k words, little mentions of blood but nothing graphic, kinda angsty w feelings of despair (tw?? idk), under cut for length

The first time you realized you had fallen into Lumine’s shadow is when your weekly commissions are given to her. Jean didn’t give you much explanation when she sent you home for the day but you could only assume it’s because Lumine could do them better

The second time is when you were absent for a weekend to clear out Hiluchurls from Wolvendome and when you returned back to Mondstadt to share the news, everyone was preoccupied helping Lumine find her brother.

The third time is when, despite your tireless efforts to protect your hometown this year, Lumine was chosen as the Windblume Star.

You had gone from the Knights of Favonius' greatest knight to a mere shadow. Your accomplishments and achievements felt like nothing when compared to Lumine’s and you became desperate to be known again. You watched your teammates pick Lumine over you, choosing to accompany her on adventures, and your friends constantly chatting about how amazing she was.

And, well, she was.

Lumine was beautiful. She was delicate and soft and fought gracefully, while you often came home covered in dirt or blood. And she was kind - so, so kind. She offered her hand to you on multiple occasions, never once seeing you as the threat you saw her as. And beyond her looks, Lumine was passionate and strong and everything you were not. She had everything you had and more except for one thing.

Diluc.

But when you saw Lumine sitting at the bar in the tavern, sharing a daring story with your boyfriend, you became doubtful.

From your seat on the second level of the tavern, you had a perfect view of the pair. Diluc looked happy - perhaps even happier than with you - and your heart broke. Would Lumine be the end of an era between you and Diluc? You loved Diluc to death and all you wanted was for him to be happy.

The truth was, you were running out of patience, running out of fake enthusiasm and fake laughs and fake smiles when Diluc bragged to you about what Lumine did that day. The constant praises and compliments towards a woman who wasn’t even in the room tore you apart bit-by-bit. You were finding it harder to get through each day as Diluc slipped through your fingers.

When you finally broke your silence, you talked to Kaeya.

It was an accidental breakdown - Kaeya had made a cheeky comment about how his brother was spending an awfully lot of time with the traveler and you just broke down. Realizing the severity of the situation, Kaeya pulled you into his office and closed the door. He let you sit at his desk until you calmed down.

“What’s going on?”

So, you told him. You finally let out the bottled up despair and, frankly, jealousy you had been holding in for the past few weeks. You told Kaeya about how you went from ‘hero to zero’ and how you didn’t even deserve to be a knight anymore.

“If I’m not a knight, I don’t have a purpose,” You said solemnly. “I haven’t picked up my sword in a month, Kaeya.”

Kaeya makes a noise of acknowledgement and urges you to continue.

“And I can’t stand how she’s better than me! I’m the Revolutionary Knight - not her!” Despite your angered words, you’re suppressing panic deep in your chest. “She’s already taken so much from me and she’s going to take Diluc.”

“Diluc loves you,” Kaeya reassures you. You’ve never heard his voice this soft and serious before. “Nothing Lumine can do is going to make Diluc ever stop loving you.”

Deep down, you knew that. You knew that Diluc loved you and planned to marry you one day, you knew that. It was just hard to convince your heart of that. As you stared down at the floor, you heard Kaeya sigh.

“Maybe you just need to show him you’re just as good at Lumine.”

That night, you packed a bag before Diluc got home from the tavern and left for Liyue. You would fight the Cryo Regisvine and bring back Diluc a hoarfrost core. He would see your heroic nature and forget all about Lumine - they all would.

***

When Diluc came home that night to find your absence, he began to worry. You were never one to leave without saying anything so Diluc rushed to the Knight’s Headquarters quickly. He was fortunate that Jean and Kaeya were still there finalizing some paperwork.

“Master Diluc?” Jean asked, rising from her desk as Diluc rushed inside her office. “Is everything alright?”

“Y/N is missing,” He said quickly.

“Missing? Are you sure?”

“Yes! They never go anywhere without telling me,” Diluc continued. He noticed Kaeya avert his gaze and snapped his eyes over to his brother, “Kaeya, what do you know?”

“I may have told them to do something heroic to win you back,” Kaeya said, realizing his idea may not have been the best.

Diluc’s eyes widened, “Win me back?”

Kaeya sighed and explained what was going on with you. Diluc’s heart dropped into his stomach and he couldn’t believe how stupid he had been. He should have been praising you, not Lumine. “They mentioned something about the Cryo Regisvine-”

Diluc didn’t let Kaeya speak another word before he took off. You couldn’t have gotten that far and when Diluc noticed the darkening weather, his feet picked up their pace.

***

A fierce gust of wind made you cover your face with your arms. Out of nowhere, it started pouring rain but you wouldn’t let that stop you. You pushed through the impending storm and made your way down into the cave where the ice monster lived. You gripped your sword tightly as the monster sensed your presence and unraveled, turning the downcoming rain into shards of ice that landed on your skin like needles.

Without much delay, you charged the Cryo Regisvine and landed three hits on its corolla before one of its leafy arms wacked into you, sending you hurdling backwards. Your sword was knocked out of your hand and you struggled to catch your breath.

More sharp icicles pierced your skin and a spray of freezing air coated your skin. Yet, you still managed to grab your sword and stand. Your hobbled toward the monster again and when the same leafy arm came towards you, you slashed at it.

The monster let out a screech and retracted itself before slamming it’s head down towards your body. You dodged the first hit but were caught off guard when the second hit knocked you off your feet. You barely had time to roll away when it slammed it’s head down a third time.

“Y/N!”

Diluc surged forwards, grabbing your arm and forcefully pulling you to your feet. Your sword became lost from your hold and the sudden movement caused the blade to scrape down your leg before clambering to the ground again. A nasty gash was left and you seethed.

He couldn’t even think as he pulled you away from the monster. You had never seen Diluc move so fast. He didn’t let you go until you were both far enough from the cave to feel secure. Diluc’s arms wrapped around your shoulders tightly and you were too stunned to say anything.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

Your mind felt foggy. You tried to open your mouth and speak but no words came out.

“Do you realize how dangerous that was?”

“I just...Lumine…”

Diluc pulled back at this and stared in your eyes. You couldn’t quite match the emotion on his face. “You’re not Lumine!”

His words cut deep and you felt tears soak your eyes. Maybe if your head was clearer and you could actually hear your thoughts, you would have realized Diluc didn’t mean it that way. But the only thing consuming your mind was that he was right. You weren’t Lumine and you would never be Lumine. “I know!” You cried out suddenly, “That’s why I have to go and kill that thing! So I can give you a hoarfrost core and you’ll love me again!”

Diluc only looked at you. His hands ran down from your shoulders to your hands and he brought your left hand to his lips. You heard him sigh before kissing your knuckle gently.

Your wet hair was dripping water down your face in freezing cold droplets. At that moment you felt useless. You weren’t able to fight the Cryo Regisvine and bring Diluc a hoarfrost core. He would leave you for Lumine and there was nothing you could do about it.

“You’re hurt,” Diluc said, motioning to your leg. In your desolate state, you had forgotten about the gaping wound on your leg that was pouring blood. “Come on - we’re going home.”

You were too upset to protest and let Diluc maneuver your body onto his back. You loosely wrapped your arms around his neck and relished in the warmth his vision released. You held onto Diluc like it was the last time you ever would.

The walk back to Mondstadt was silent and when you two arrived at your shared house, Diluc let you down on the couch. You could only stare at your lap.

“I’m sorry,” You finally mumbled, “Next time I’ll finish what I started.”

“There won’t be a next time,” Diluc said sternly, “No way you’re ever going there alone again.”

Your face stiffened into annoyance. “I’m the Revolutionary Knight - I can do it.”

“No, you can’t.” His words seemed cold and unusual but they were coated in concern. Diluc reached up and cupped your face with his large hands. You tried to pull away but his grip was firm, “It’s okay.”

The situation was suddenly overwhelming and far too much to deal with. The tears you had been holding back tumbled down your cheeks and your words were choked between sobs, “Lumine is so perfect and I’m not...I don’t want you to leave me...I know I’m not good enough but-”

He stopped your rambling with a kiss. “Don’t ever think you’re not good enough,” He whispered, taking you into his arms. You hid your sobs in Diluc’s chest as he whispered sweet nothings into your ear. Eventually, your cries settled.

Diluc spent the rest of the night dressing your wound and laying with you in your bed. He didn’t stop comforting you until every horrible thought about yourself was gone from your mind. In the morning he would talk to you more but for now, his job was to make you feel strong again.

And it would take a while but one day you would come to realize that you were just as good as Lumine and no one could truly compare to you. Like the storm on that horrifying night, this too would pass.

[winter-fox-queen]

Kisses Like Wine

The Thief x Reader

Warnings:  None

Reader is blank canvass female.  Age gap, maybe ten years?

Inspired by the new wine commercial, of course. I am not sure if the next installment will be during the next teaser or what.

Do you like legends?  Well.  Here is one for you.

Imagine a maid, seduced by a powerful man.  Imagine a stormy night…yes, a dark and stormy night, I know, I know.  But it was.  Imagine a frightened, naive young woman pushing a baby out into the world, laying on the paving of the wine cellar because that as the only place they could think to hide her. Several glorious and expensive floors above, another woman is laboring, drawing her last breath.  My father, my brother, my sister all sitting in a half circle as the power flickers out, as the staff hasten to light candles.

The maid, my mother, takes money, some silver, and leaves me.

I wonder what was going through my father’s mind, as he looked at me that first time. I wonder if his wife hadn’t just died he would have kept me at all.

But he did. And that, I thought, would be as interesting as things got.

I was wrong.  Of course. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a story worth telling.

Once a year, the family gathers into the vault. My siblings enjoy it, after all, this is their once a year visit of the treasures they will inherit.

Now, you will think, that my siblings hate me. They don’t. They are mostly indifferent, modeling after my father, warming up when he’s not around, or when they need me. So their going over the wealth I will never touch in my presence does not smack of cruelty, just carelessness.

As long as I behave myself, I will always have a roof. Always be fed. Have a stipend. My education was paid for, I have a nice, plain little car I picked for myself. So, I ignore a lot of things.  I live in a castle, after all. Really, what more could I want? I remind myself of these things more and more often, recently.

My interest picks up when he gets to the jewel cask. A crown said to be worn by King Alfred the Great sits over it, and he moved it aside reverently to open a plain, silver oval of a box.

“And here it is,” he croons. “The Star of the North.” It is beautiful. Even in the florescent light of the vault, the pale blue sapphire, large as a hen’s egg, sparkles with a galaxy of stars.  It is the only piece that moves me. I could stare at it forever, lost in the depths. Looking at the stars.

If you were to ask me, later, why I risked my life to go after it, I don’t know what I’d tell you. Was it for the jewel?  Was it to impress my family and maybe have my father actually look at me?

Or was it because of him?

**

The night that changed my life, I was standing in the corner of the third floor ballroom, humming “Masquerade” under my breath. It was an accurate song – A masked ball, people wearing dazzling costumes. I was dressed in a costume I’d seen once on the cover of a book – fake iridescent black swan feathers showed tones of blue and purple. I didn’t want to fool with actual wings, so I had hennaed butterfly wings, jeweled and sparkling, across my bare back. I thought I looked nifty, but it was not the warmest costume choice.  “You can fool any friend who ever knew you…” I whispered under my breath.

A flash of bottle green attracted my eye despite my best attempts. I was drawn to a man in a satin green jacket.  His mask was a fox’s face made out of green leaves. His eyes were dark, his hair dark, as well, with a slight curl. Our eyes would meet, over glasses, over shoulders, and I kept moving away from him, away from the danger he represented.

Away from the wanting that was curling, slowly, softly inside.  Want stirred by the way he held the delicate crystal stem of a wine glass. By the way his eyes traveled over my figure. The knowing smirk, as if he was a mind reader. I went and got a drink of my own, determined to not look at him again, and as if hearing my wishes, he disappeared.

I pretended not to look for him as I eventually settled in another corner. A hand, large, graceful despite that, holding a bunch of fanned playing cards appeared before my face. I barely kept from shrieking. “Pick a card,” a voice purred in my ear.

I didn’t want to admit he startled me, though it had probably been obvious. I turned enough to see it was him, the green fox mask. “You’ll see what I pick.”

He laughed. “Just choose with your eyes, keep it in your head.”

I looked at his hand. The ace of spades. Queen of Hearts. A mix of number cards. I picked the Jack of Clubs.

“Done.” I said, turning to look up into his eyes.

The alarms started ringing. “Forgive me,” he said, “That’s my cue.” He pulled me to him, and spun me onto the dance floor, among confused and worried guests.  I felt the strength of him, as he moved, the assuredness, the grace,  He turned me and gently pushed me into the arms of a man standing on the side of the dance floor, and in the chaos I lost track of him.

I recovered and ran towards the vault.

“It’s locked. The security are inside…” I heard my brother say. I backtracked, and ran down another hall, trying to think.

If the guards were inside, he could just waltz out the front door. So going up would be stupid.

But the lower floor was on lock down.  Probably. I didn’t really know what the thief had managed to accomplish.

A breeze across my back.  The tower room behind me – the door was partly open. I ran through it without thinking.

And there he was. The mask and jacket were gone. He had a pack on his back and he was lowering a rope out the arched window of the tower.

“Whatever it was you took, give it back.” I told him. “Give it back and I won’t tell them where you went, or what you look like.”

He was on me in a second, arm wrapped around me, my body pressed against the stone.  His free hand was around my throat, pressing gently. “Why should I?”

I am ashamed to admit, I was very aware of his body pressed hard against mine. That strength. He could hurt me, but I was not afraid. Not of him.  His hand on my throat was more of a lover’s touch than a threat, and I could see his eyes in the light from the hall. He was not angry. He was…pleased.

“I know who you are,” I whisper. “And you never kill.”

He shrugs awkwardly. “I only took a few trinkets. Your family has so much left, but it seems to me their greatest treasure they ignore completely.” He brushes his lower lip against mine, and I shiver. I can feel a slight smile before he claims my lips.

“Come find me yourself,” he whispers in my ear, and he is gone, out the window.

I slide down the wall and stare out the window, wondering at myself.  At the urge to follow him down, though he takes the rope with him, leaving only a metal spike with a loop in the wall.

Later, we find that he managed to trick the security guards into going into the vault, then, while they were in there, triggered the alarm.

We don’t know when he stole the crown or the Star of the North. We just knew they were gone. His plan was neat, meticulous, and hard to figure out.

When I undressed that night, I found a card in the corsetry of my bodice. The Jack of Clubs.  The back?  The face of the devil.  My guess had been right – I knew who visited us that night.  One of the greatest thieves of all time. No name. Some called him The Thief, some called him the devil.

I pressed the card to my lips.  Come find me.

Alright.

I will.

[husky-twst-and-obeyme]

Twst Mc being the child of Lucifer

From Anon: “ Um, could I have one were twst MC is the child of Lucifer and Obey me MC with the dorm leaders reaction? Thank you so much and have a happy holiday! “ 

 (I’m so sorry this is late qwq , i hope you had a good holiday!! )

Also yes the twst Mc is in a relationship with them in this scenario 

Riddle

He never thought too much about you , like he just sees you as a nice and well behaved student 

you two really bonded well with each other 

You felt comfortable enough to tell him that you were the child of the Demon of Pride 

He was frozen , now nothing changed , he still loved you but he now other things to consider 

Were you part demon or just human with small demon powers ? and other questions relating to that 

but it did get scary when her father himself showed up 

Lucifer just appeared out of no where , Riddle and whoever else was around was frightened but you just ran up to him saying “Dad! “ 

Riddle was intimidated but did his overall best to show that he cared and truly loved his child to the best of his abilities 

Lucifer appreciated Riddle how respectful he was to you, he was glad he has someone to care for his child as well as being a well behaved student 

Lucifer wished you both the best and hopes to see Riddle as a son in law 

Riddle felt fully accomplished 

Leona

oh no 

was your immediate thought when you dad said he was going to visit you at your school

it wouldn’t be too much of a problem but you mentioned to your father before that you had a boyfriend and that boyfriend was none other then Leona 

He wasn’t a bad boyfriend but you were afraid that lucifer would disapprove of him , meaning he might prohibit you from seeing him , no way you wanted that , you loved him (even if he can be a butt at times)

the day your father came , you nervously hugged him , and showed him around 

but to your surprise, Leona was prepared??

when you reached Savanaclaw for Lucifer to meet Leona and Leona acted somewhat out of character

He seemed non chalant but he acted more proper then he would - which is usually never 

 there were times Leona wanted to make a “smart” remark but he seemed to hold it in 

Lucifer accepted Leona as your lover, which relieved you heavily , but as soon as Lucifer left 

“Man, he really has a stick up his ass” 

“yeah he would of for sure gave you the whip if you said that .” 

“the what-”

Azul

Azul was having a breakdown and you had to calm him down , or try to-

Azul was nervous because now only are you the daughter of a Demon but a POWERFUL demon- 

he wanted to make the best impression , though you didn’t think it was necessary for him to do so 

They day lucifer arrive, he did his best to be polite and professional as possible at the monstro lounge 

Lucifer was already somewhat impressed that Azul was running his own business, but didn’t really trust the tweels that were with them 

 Azul’s nervous went off when an angry customer tried to confront him and almost took it on you and that very much pissed him off , to the point where he had the tweels “deal with him” 

after coming back to reality , he realized he showed Lucifer the self he wanted to hide 

but to his surprise, this impressed Lucifer “nani-”

“I would of taken care of those humans myself for dare to touch my child but i can be assured they’re safe with you . “

soon after, he patted Azul’s back but whispers before his leave “next time, i’ll show you some other ways to ‘take care “ of customers like that 

As soon as he left, he was relieved but interested in the next time he’d meet lucifer again

Kalim

This sweet baby- 

He didn’t seem to be fearful hearing about you dad, it just made him more excited to meet him! 

You were pleased but scared because you weren’t sure how your dad would react 

On the day Lucifer arrived, Kalim gave welcoming gifts to Lucifer, they weren’t overly expensive but it was still surprising to Lucifer (he better keep these away from Mammon)

Speaking of mammon, Lucifer thought he somewhat looked like Mammon , but he seemed more generous and kind 

that point was shown because Kalim was nothing but a ball of sunshine, he did his best to impressive Lucifer and showed how much he cared for you 

He even threw a party 

During the party, kalim would usually go wild but he was more mellow for your dad , that way he didn’t seem too rowdy 

afterwards it was time for Lucifer to go 

He told Kalim that he was grateful for the gifts and welcoming arua 

and finished off with “Please keep my Child smiling “

that really hit his heart 

Vil

Vil had no worries at all about meeting you father

he had to deal with meeting important people before 

but for this case, he did somewhat practice what he could possible say to your father to make a good impression

The day Lucifer arrived , Vil arranged for you two and him to have tea 

Vil was himself during the whole time he talked with lucifer 

You didn’t really worry too much since Vil doesn’t do anything to drastic for Lucifer to disapprove of 

Lucifer had a blank face, which was scary because it was hard to tell how he felt about the moment 

but Lucifer did approve of Vil but he did criticize him on certain points that involved his views 

like how he doesn’t understand why he would refer some as potatoes, he sees it as in insult Don’t let him know your vil’s sweet potato 

Other then that , he gets along well with Vil 

They talk for a long while , with most of it being about you 

Vil mentioned that he planned to live a happy life with you , such as marriage and (Depending if female or male/neutral by adopting) have children 

Which made you flustered to think about all that with Vil 

Soon after, lucifer said his farewell but before leaving “Yes, you may have permission to Marry “Y/N” 

Idia

Rip Idia 

He will admit he’s not the best at being a person but he will try for you 

but it’s pushing it because he’s going to meet your demon overlord dad 

He felt like he was getting pushed into a Hell escape game and versing a demon boss that was holding the princess captive or something like that 

He really tried his best to improve his speech but he always ends up stuttering even if no one was there 

When the dreaded day arrived , Idia nervously waited For you and Lucifer at the dorm entrance 

He formally greeted lucifer , he was slightly shaky but luckily it wasn’t that noticeable

idia barely talked and Lucifer already had a disapproving look 

sadly the entire time, lucifer was harshly judging him , which he was already used to 

but Lucifer struck a nerve when mentioning taking you away from him 

Idia confindenaly Disagreed which might i add was bold af and you were standing there shook he even said that period 

“L-look, i might be the greatest or best choice for “Y/N” but i love and care for them! They’re the only reason I even try to better myself! “

When he realized what he said , he froze but still was holding his guard 

surprisingly though, Lucifer approved. Not because he was suddenly a good choice but the fact he’s trying to do better just for you, which you gotta admire for Idia’s case 

Before leaving , he did warn Idia if he ever talked back like that again, he’d get the whip , Idia is well behaved whenever Lucifer comes back 

Malleus

oh this was an interesting case 

Now you weren’t sure how it would result , it could go really good or really bad 

Malleus gave the same vibes as lucifer but a bit more on the calm side (not to mention similar horns ) 

Malleus was pleased to hear he’d be meeting your father 

The day Lucifer Arrived , he was first greeted by Malleus who was already with you 

Lucifer and him seemed to be fine but you had a weird feeling they were just eyeing each other down , so a silent fight??

You were enjoying the evening with them and talk about things that they might agree on or having similar interest 

You were lucky because Lucifer was fascinated with Malleus’ interests and his history m], as well as being a soon to be ruler 

though Malleus jokingly challenges Lucifer, you can tell he wanted to actually test that 

Lucifer lowkey wanted to do the same but he had to be professional with him for your sake 

After seeing you two , he gives the ok that he’s fit but he still wants that challenge 

you laughed it off but Malleus seemed highly interested 

lord save us all from a Malleus and Lucifer Fight- 

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About Encanto

Salutations, random people of the internet who won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

And it's been a hot minute since I've written a full-length review, huh? Yeah, you can probably blame school for that one. BUT now that I'm on winter break until the eighteenth, I'm finally going to talk about the s**t that I love. Spending most of that time talking about the latest hit from the company that ruined its best-animated series by a long shot.

That's right! Today, I'm talking about Disney's Encanto, a movie that skyrocketed into my list of favorite Disney movies! And the craziest thing is, I didn't think it would. It looked cute from the trailers, but I didn't believe there would be anything that would make it stand out from Disney's other greatest hits. I didn't even go watch it until I looked at my workload for finals month and decided, "F**k it. I need something cute and fun out of sanity's sake."

And so I saw the movie...and fell in love with it.

It was fun, beautiful, highly emotional, and made me cry in a way no movie in memory has accomplished. What do I mean by that? Well, to explain how would require going into spoilers, and trust me when I say that this is your last chance to see the movie before reading more of this review. It's on Disney+ right now, and, believe me, it's worth the price.

With that said, let's get into why Encanto might be my favorite Disney movie...or at least in the top three.

WHAT I LIKED

The Animation/Designs: Let's get it out of the way and state that this movie is gorgeous. I wouldn't really say the animation is a game-changer in any way as there's nothing really new being done. It just looks like Disney has once again naturally progressed its 3D animation since its first attempt with Dinosaur, and I'd say they definitely got the hang of it this time. The movements are fluid, the characters are mildly expressive, and there are moments--but not many--where it feels like a 2D film with a coat of CGI paint. It's all really well put together. And to discredit Encanto because its animation isn't a game-changer like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse is doing the movie a huge disservice. There was clearly a ton of effort into making Encanto look astounding, and it shows with every scene.

The effort also shines in the character designs. For one, everybody looks so incredibly detailed, showing almost every hair and even a few pores to their skin. It's stuff they didn't need to do, but you appreciate and respect that they did. But what I personally adore is the designs of the Madrigals. Every Madrigal looks related to one another, having features that resemble their parents and even their abuela. Like how Julieta and Pepa inherited her sharp chin, and that trait went into...basically all of their children. And even then, there is a mix of features that the children share with their parents, like skin color, nose size, and even ears. Despite there being similarities between them all, though, each Madrigal still has a unique design that fits well into their character. Dolores has emphasis drawn to her ears, Isabela looks like the most generically beautiful Disney princess you can get, and Alma has sharp features and dark colors. That last one is a fact that I appreciate for two reasons, which I'll get into later. For now, I'll just say that there's no half-assing when it comes to this movie's animation. People behind the scenes cared about how great it looked, and, by golly, it paid off.

“The Family Madrigal”: Let's take a moment to appreciate that there are two Lin-Manuel Miranda musicals now under Disney's roster...Three if you want to count their taping of Hamilton...which I do not.

Now, some people are saying that Encanto isn't Lin's best work. To me, that's the equivalent of saying the sun doesn't shine bright enough because even though Encanto's soundtrack doesn't live up to things like Hamilton, In the Heights, and even Moana, the songs are still incredible. They're catchy, written well, orchestrated phenomenally, and will likely be played on repeat while I'm doing work. We're going to go over each of them, and there's no better place to start than the first musical number in the movie.

"The Family Madrigal" is a pretty good opener. It's a quick and entertaining way to introduce us to the main characters and even offer some motivations. Alma's portion of the song actually shows a lot about her character and why she does the things she does in the film. You see it in lines like, "earn the miracle/That somehow found us" and "But work and dedication will keep the miracle burning." It's a solid introduction to her point of view that future scenes expand on top of introducing the audience to these characters (Also, I’m going to return to Alma’s lyrics later, so, remember that). And the visuals are also pretty nice. Everyone and everything moves and dances with the beat, alongside a neat little detail that I don't think anyone's mentioned. When Mirabel talks about a family member, the mural behind her brightens up the colors of the Madrigal in question. Here it is when she talks about Pepa:

Bruno:

And Julieta:

It's another detail they didn't have to do, but the fact that they did makes you respect this movie even more. Overall, "The Family Madrigal" is still a great song that lets us know enough about the characters while leaving some details out so we can have the rest of the movie to get to know them.

Tha Casita: Two awesome things come with the Casita.

One, it is its own character. Which is crazy because, well, it's a house. And despite that, the Casita has so much personality within it, given how it moves around. It can be playful, cautious, and, most of all, protective of the family within it. The animators manage to express emotions and personality through subtle ways in figuring out what part of the Casita can move. Like how it used some furniture to show that it shrugged. It's superb visual storytelling that allows the audience to figure things out for themselves, making it a ton of fun to watch this house be a character on top of a setting.

This brings me to the second thing that makes the Casita awesome: It functions perfectly as the movie's setting. In fact, the Casita might just be the perfect way for Encanto to have this personal story that manages to be a grand-scale adventure. Everything within the film basically happens in the house, which makes sense. This is a story about a family, and you can't really tell that type of tale if the main character goes off on this globe-trotting adventure like other Disney protagonists. However, because the Casita has, what might as well be, these pocket dimensions within each family member's room, it gives Mirabel that grand adventure without leaving her front door. It's a sort of "have your cake and eat it too" type of decision that works well in making this movie look epic while, at its core, it is still a personal family story. And it's all done through the Casita.

The writers could have made it a character. They could have also made it the setting. But because it's both, it makes the Casita much more special than one might think.

Mirabel: And now we're onto the best character of the movie. You'll see people give that honor to Dolores, Bruno, and even Camilo, all for good reasons... except for maybe Camilo. I honestly don't understand the appeal with him. BUT more power to you if he's your favorite character. No judgment here.

To me, though, there's nothing really beating Mirabel. She's an incredible protagonist, and the main reason is that she's the glue that keeps this family together. A good percent of this movie shows Mirabel helping each family member through their turmoils and anxieties. The scene that sold me on her character was when she helped Antonio with his nerves for the gift ceremony. When he's worried about what he believes to be the worst-case scenario about not getting a gift, Mirabel is there to reassure him, saying that he'll be fine no matter what happens. And, when Antonio needed her the most, Mirabel was there to hold his hand and walk him to his door. It broke tradition and brought a few unhappy memories, but she did it anyway. Why? Because Mirabel cares about her family. Hell, her main goal in the movie is to fix the miracle for her family. Sure, there's the tiniest part of her that's doing it for herself, but only because she holds the rest of the family in such high regard. Mirabel feels that she has to earn the Madrigal name, doing all she can to prove she can be useful despite not having a gift. A fact that is perfectly seen in the song--

“Waiting on a Miracle”: Or as I like to call it: The best “I want” song in ANY Disney movie.

We all know the "I want" songs from Disney. They're musical numbers that have our protagonists sing about how they want more from their dull lives, whether it'd be an adventure in the great white somewhere, to be a part of our world, or to see how far they'll go beyond a reef. For me, "Waiting on a Miracle" earns brownie points because of how easily sympathetic it is. What Mirabel wants more of is respect from her family. She doesn't just want to be called a Madrigal but seen as one. And the girl's pretty explicit about it, too, given how Mirabel screams "Open your eyes" three times, downright begging and pleading that her family sees her. Plus, by visually showing the audience how it's Mirabel's family's approval she's after, it takes away any thoughts that she is fueled by a need for attention. If the animators favored showing the villagers admire her, then the purpose would have been lost, and I'm glad they kept all focus on the family rather than anyone else, primarily in that last bit. By the way, now that we're talking about visuals, can we appreciate how gorgeous this number looked? Not only is Mirabel walking past the party members stuck in slow motion a neat trick, but that moment of her singing her heart out amongst the fireworks still gives me goosebumps for how beautiful it was. The best word to describe this scene is magical, and I adore it...even though this is probably the weakest song in the soundtrack.

I know it's weird to bash it after singing its praises (ha), but to be fair, this is more personal reasons, if anything else. It's still good, really, REALLY good...the thing is it doesn't have that replayability as the other songs do. I can listen to the other ones, jam out to them, and get emotionally invested. Just not with this song. It may be one of the best "I want" songs Disney made, but to me, it's not the best one in Encanto.

“Surface Pressure”: This song, however, might just be my favorite in the film!

Whereas "Waiting on a Miracle" is best described as magical, there is no better word for "Surface Pressure" other than EPIC! The reasoning behind such a claim goes to the visuals alone. Shots like Luisa running through the geysers, standing up to Cerberus, and holding up the rubble falling onto her is pretty awesome to see, I won't lie. But what sells it all are the transitions from scene to scene, with it all being seamless and often making me wonder, "How did they manage that?" The collaborative effort between the animators, set designers, modelers, and especially the editors shows, resulting in a musical number that's a treat to the eyeballs. As for the song itself, it's pretty good. The lyrics nail the feeling of, well, pressure, how one's responsibilities often leave them in a position where they can crack at any moment. Lines like, "I'm pretty sure I'm worthless if I can't be of service," "If I could shake the crushing weight of expectations," and "Give it to your sister, it doesn't hurt/And see if she can handle every family burden" all feed into that idea. And huge credit to Jessica Darrow for doing a phenomenal job at portraying the right amount of emotion each lyric deserves, whether that be intensity, anxiety, peace, or, of course, dread. Even the instrumentals do great at portraying the right emotions that the moment requires, coming together for a song that is something I'd replay over and over again...too bad it's also the most pointless song in the movie.

Yeah, as much as I love "Surface Pressure," narratively, you can cut it, and little would change. I mean, yes, it shows us how much Luisa is struggling under her responsibilities, which is nice...if Luisa had more presence in the movie. After this scene, her powers start fading away, and she gets basically left out for the rest of the time, being nothing more than a showcase of the consequences that come if Mirabel doesn't save the miracle. That's a great idea but is a character with a minimum presence in the story really the best choice to give this grandiose musical number? I don't think so, at least. Characters like Mirabel and even Isabela deserve their solo numbers for having more essential stakes in the plot alongside some actual relevance. I still love this song with all my heart, but if you had to ask me what needed to be cut, then there's nothing that "Surface Pressure" has that a single conversation couldn't handle instead.

“We Don’t Talk About Bruno”: "ThEn WhY dId ThEy SiNg AbOuT hIm?" There, I made the obvious joke everyone else has made. Let's talk about the actual best song in the movie now.

While "Surface Pressure" may win as my favorite on the soundtrack, "We Don't Talk About Bruno" is still easily Encanto's best musical number. The imagery and instrumentals give it this eerie feel, added by lyrics that paint Bruno as this person who brings forth prophecies that causes distress to the people around him. In a way, with how this song is presented, it's the movie's villain song. There are just a few problems with such a claim. For one, Bruno's not the story's villain...that's clearly Alma (I swear, I'll get to that). The other problem is that Bruno doesn't do anything wrong. When you look closely at the lyrics, people describe Bruno predicting how these bad things will happen to them, reacting as if he's the cause of it. The thing is, he isn't. Bruno just tells them this stuff will happen. How they react going forward isn't his fault. It's like getting angry at a doctor delivering bad news about your grandmother's health. Yeah, it's not a great situation, but it's not your doctor's fault, is it?

This isn't exactly hidden. The fact that Bruno is not the bad guy is right there in the lyrics. You just got to read them carefully. Especially during Delores' verse when she sings, "It's a heavy lift with a gift so humbling/Always left Abuela and the family fumbling/Grappling with prophecies they couldn't understand." (Miranda). The thing is, even though it's blatant, it's still cleverly hidden behind the presentation, as I've already mentioned and praised the song for.

But the blatant message and fantastic presentation aren't what make this song the best. That goes to the choreography. This is the first Disney song that I could wholeheartedly see being on a stage show...Ok, maybe not Camilo's bit. But the rest? Definitely. It probably helps that they actually had a whole dance number as a reference for this song, which is cool as it shows how much the people behind this movie wanted to get things right. And boy, does it pay off, resulting in a song that looks and sounds as perfectly as it’s presented. We might not talk about Bruno, but we’ll definitely be talking about this song for a while.

The Dinner Scene: This scene is just funny. It's a perfect comedy of errors, aided by everyone's facial expressions and attempts to fix certain disasters. It's just great.

Bruno: Let's talk about Bruno!

"We don't talk about Bruno!"

TOO BAD! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BRUNO! Because I'm not kidding when I say that he's both the funniest and saddest character in the entire movie. At first, you're laughing at his whole crazy-man routine, with him pretending to be Jorge and Hernando and having rats reenact TV shows. It's a little sad that he ended up this way, I'll admit that. But with how well John Leguizamo delivers his lines, I find myself laughing at Bruno's insanity instead of tearing up from it. That is, until the revelation of where Bruno is exactly holed up. Yeah, if the reveal of him living right by the family dinner table isn't enough to clench your heart in a steel grip, then showing how he has painted a plate with his name on it for his own table is more than enough to destroy you. As he said, Bruno loves his family and couldn't force himself to leave even if he wanted to. So, the movie showing that Bruno's so close to his family, but feeling as though he's worlds apart, is disheartening in the very least. And the hits keep on coming when Bruno talks about his situation, revealing his anxieties stemming from the village getting mad at his visions. Remember how I said that the lyrics in "We Don't Talk About Bruno" don't really say how Bruno does anything bad? Well, when you hear Bruno explain how he left the family because he was sure people would expect the worst for the latest bad news he'll offer, it’ll show a sense of tragedy to a character that, let's be honest, we should have seen coming. After all, how else would you expect a man to go crazy if not for the dozens of people saying how awful he is. Those harsh words really got to him, and I wouldn't blame the man for cracking because of it. But, despite being the most tragic, Bruno's still the most hilarious character in the movie. His reaction to Mirabel's anger, him head butting his way out of the Casita, AND him failing to get off the horse are all moments that succeed in getting a chuckle out of me. I laugh at his antics, but I always manage to remember the sadness lying underneath them. It's an incredible balancing act of drama and comedy that would be hard to pull off, and kudos to John Leguizamo for voicing a character who has actual emotional depth instead of voicing Sid the Sloth again...Yeah, it's the same person who voices Sid the Sloth. And once you hear it, you can't un-hear it...You're welcome.

“What Else Can I Do?”: To me, "What Else Can I Do" is a better "Let it Go" than, well, "Let it Go." Think about it: What reason does Elsa have when it comes to singing a song about letting loose one's inner ambitions? Sure, she feels as though there's no point about hiding what she can do now that everyone saw that she has ice powers, but, literally, the worst-case scenario that her parents warned her about just happened. People saw Elsa's powers and were afraid of her because of it. At that point, the song shouldn't be "Let it Go," but rather "Keep it In," as Elsa should struggle with the fear and anxieties of her worst nightmare coming true.

Here, with "What Else Can I Do," it's the same idea but executed perfectly. Isabela has made something unique and imperfect, and she is riding that creativity high for all it's worth. By reflecting on all the perfect flowers she perfectly grew for a perfect purpose, she sings about how she's straight-up sick of perfection. For once, she wants to make something new, experimenting with her powers rather than do what she's used to. And the joy that comes with it is infectious, as I find myself smiling along with Isabela as she lets it grow.

As for the song and musical number itself...it's pretty good. The instrumentals really express that pure happiness that Isabela's feeling at the moment, Diane Guerrero really nails the right emotions each lyric requires, and it all does a fantastic job at showing more to this character we thought was nothing more than a mean girl stereotype. There's nothing to really hate about it. It's just a really great song.

Abuela Alma: Yup. Let's get into it.

Alma, in many ways, is the movie's antagonist. A fact that when I finally realized it, I went, "Oh, s**t. She looks like a Disney villain!" And can you really blame me for such a thought? Her design is sharp, stature strict, and colors dark and grim. So, yeah, she looks like a Disney villain...but I wouldn't really call her that, as antagonist really is the better word. Don't get me wrong, her actions could be better. A lot better. She forces this idea of perfection onto her family, making them think they have to do all they can to help the town. It's only in doing so that Alma inadvertently causes conflict amongst the family as they all gain anxieties about being as perfect as she hopes they can be. But there's a keyword in that sentence, and it's "inadvertently." Alma doesn't intend to cause such pressure on her family. Hell, I doubt she's even aware of what she's doing. Look at Alma's reaction when Mirabel confronts her. Or when the Casita has broken apart. It looks as though she finally realizes that her actions are problematic, which makes Alma somewhat redeemable to me. She sees the consequences of her actions, and instead of doubling down on her believes, she apologizes for it. Better yet, she apologizes to Mirabel.

Out of all the family members that found Mirabel after the Casita was destroyed, I'm really glad it was Alma all for the heart to heart she and Mirabel shared. It's their relationship that's easily the rockiest, with Mirabel not getting her gift ruining how Alma sees her. So, to have Alma be the one to find Mirabel and to apologize, it shows how much she's willing to improve and do better. It was Mirabel that Alma arguably hurt the most, and it makes great leaps and bounds in showing how she’ll do better. Especially when she explains herself.

“Dos Oruguitas”: I'm mostly talking about the scene and not the song. Because while the "Dos Oruguitas" is nice as its lyrics perfectly portray the life of Alma and Piedro in the first half and Alma and Mirabel in the second, it's not the essential part of the scene. As great as it is, any song could play over the scene that follows just as long as it conveys the right emotions. It's good, but it's also replaceable.

As for the scene itself, it is astounding. It visually tells the story of Alma and Piedro, revealing so much of why Alma acts the way that she does. Her actions are hard to forgive, but you at least understand why she did them. The love of Alma's life died right in front of her eyes, and because of that, she remained emotionally broken. Look at this face:

This is the face of pure, unadulterated pain. Pain that does not go away without some long-form treatment. And on a second rewatch, when I saw Alma drape her black shawl over her, another realization came to me. Her dark colors don't represent a classic Disney villain. They represent a woman in mourning. As such, it affects how Alma should treat the miracle. She felt as though life gave her a second chance, and in no way was she going to waste it. To go back to her verse in "The Family Madrigal" (told you that I'd return to those lyrics), Alma sings how they must "earn the miracle/That somehow found us." The issue is that she focuses on the wrong way to earn the miracle, thinking that "work and dedication will keep the miracle burning." Even Alma admits that she now realizes that it was meant to keep her family happy, not strictly to benefit the town. Her goals are admirable, but Alma's execution falters in how her heartbreak made her stop thinking emotionally, focusing more on the miracle instead of the family. Even though it's her family that's the true miracle. Something that Alma understands when she says Piedro sent her Mirabel when asking for help. It's a very heartwarming confession that, while it doesn't fix everything, certainly puts Alma on the right track. As nice as "Dos Oruguitas" is as a song, the scene that comes with it is much better with how much it reveals and wraps up.

Alma Hugging Bruno: ...I mean...that's just instant. Bruno comes in swinging, expecting an argument, only for Alma, so happy to see her son after he disappeared for years, to run up and hug him. No yelling, no anger. Just pure gratitude to see her son, disproving how Bruno thought everyone saw him in the process. And that...Dang it. It tears me up inside!

“All of You”: I'm going to level with all of you (ha): I'm a sucker for finale songs that try to blend motifs and reworks lyrics of other musical numbers. So, as you can tell, I really dig this one. "All of You" nicely slides in similarities to previous songs while still standing out on its own. But it's not just the song that I'm in love with. It's also the emotional moments that came with it. "All of You" is perfect for the times when it had my heart feel full. Like Julieta and Pepa hugging Bruno the second they see him, the townspeople coming to help the Madrigals as they helped them, and...that moment...in the end.

The family's all lined up like it's a gift ceremony, Antonio walks Mirabel to the door to pay her back for doing the same thing for him, and--Oh, man. And everyone...everyone sings...about how...how important she is to all of them, thus...disproving everything she thought was true. It all comes to a head when Mirabel looks at the knob and says, "I see me/All of me.” And THAT is where I lose it. Every time.

Remember how I said this movie made me cry? Well, it's not because it made me sad. Far from it, in fact. In actuality, the reason why I cried to Encanto...was because it made me happy. Seeing Mirabel get something she's been wanting, dreaming for, as exemplified by "Waiting for a Miracle," to then be told that not only does she have it but always had it, is something that makes my heart feel whole. So much so that I cry, feeling so happy for her. As far as I can remember, that never happens. I've teared up from bittersweet moments and especially tragic ones. But for a movie to make me feel so happy that I have no choice but to cry? That is something special. And that's what makes "All of You" and, to a greater extent, Encanto so amazing. It did something impossible, downright paradoxical, in how it made me so happy that I cried. And I can't complain about a movie that does that.

WHAT I DISLIKED

But f**k you, I'm doing it anyway!

Here are, like, two complaints that I have about the movie. Yeah, two. Compared to everything else I've praised; I doubt I'm going to lose sleep over it. But they're still worth mentioning.

Mirabel Seeing the Casita Cracking Apart: I...I still don't know what happened here. I've seen this movie three times, and I still have no clue what happened. Was this a vision? Did the house magically heal itself? Is Bruno--sorry--Hernando better at fixing the cracks than we thought? How did the Casita look cracked up one second, but when Mirabel went to show everyone, it was fixed?

And before you said "it was magic, obviously," it's implied that the only thing that fixes the cracks is family unity. Not much of that going on when Mirabel remains isolated amongst the others. So, again, I'll ask: How does it happen? Because the lack of an answer makes me think we have a problem here.

Not Enough Time for the Rest of the Family: Don't get me wrong, I love every character in this film. Each Madrigal's personality is clear as day, and almost everyone gets at least one scene where they shine. The problem is, narratively, there's not enough room for everybody. Alma and Mirabel have definite arcs, Bruno, Luisa, and Isabela have some major narrative functions, and Julieta, Agustín, and Antonio work well as supporting characters. The rest of the family, though, feel like there's not enough time for them to do much. They sing, have some funny moments, and...yeah, that's about it.

Oh, wait, my apologies. Apparently, Dolores has romantic feelings for Mariano...I forgot about this until the last second because the movie does too. It's addressed halfway through the story, dropped, and then comes back up again for a rushed and confusing pairing. Like...why do these two love each other? I can sort of see why Dolores would love him. She literally spits out a list of reasons. But what about Mariano? What's his reason for loving her? All we can figure is that it happened as she talks about how great he is, and if that's the reason...then it's pretty shallow, my friends.

Moments like that make me believe that the movie needs... let's say, twenty more minutes. It wouldn't give much, but it would offer more than they already have. Especially for Camilo’s sake because out of everyone, he's probably the one character the film could cut. Yeah, I know he's everyone's favorite, but he doesn't really do anything. Dolores at least gets Mirabel on track. And Pepa and Felix bring the precious baby boy that is Antonio into this world. What does Camilo do? Nothing. He's a pointless character, and a few more minutes could at least absolve some of that.

(People are going to think I hate Camilo, when the truth is I actually think his character’s fun. I just don’t understand the hype behind him 😂)

But if the biggest complaint to a movie is that I wish there were more time to spend with each character...is that really a criticism?

IN CONCLUSION

Encanto is an easy A to me. It has its nitpicks, but there is still so much more to appreciate. The characters are well-defined, the songs are incredible, the visuals and animation are some of Disney's best, and I really adore how it's a perfect movie for both kids and their parents. Kids can love how nice everything looks and learn that there's nothing wrong with who they are. And the parents can, hopefully, realize that they don't have to pressure their kids to be great and already appreciate how wonderful they already are. Add that as one of the movies that will make you cry tears of joy, then you've got something that earns its spot as one of the best Disney movies ever made. Given the company's roster, that achievement in itself is one hell of a miracle.

[fakecrfan]

could i prevail upon you to analyse Basira’s short-tempered paranoid phase ?

---

Okay I put off answering this for a while because I wanted to make it Super Well Researched and perfect and everything like that. But it seems my perfectionism has stopped me from like, actually making significant progress so!! Instead I am just going Blab all of my Basira thoughts in a disorganized manner without worrying about being perfectly insightful. 

So HERE IS THE THING. 

Most of the criticism I see of Basira is around her Being Mean To Jon in season 4, of her being too Cold. Like this comment on the wiki.

Anyway, this is really frustrating to me because in my humble opinion:

1: Basira’s flaw is not “too mean, too cold, and too practical.” It’s passivity and numbing down her own reactions to things. Therefore,

2: Her expressing anger and coming down hard on Jon is actually a positive development in her arc, even if not everything she does during this phase is the greatest. 

To elaborate on Basira’s flaw being passivity: When we are introduced to her, one of the things that came up in her statement is that another officer was racist to her, and she let it slide.

Basira is later revealed to--not have direct confirmation of Daisy killing, exactly. But she has a pretty good idea of what’s happening and she doesn’t rock the boat by trying to find out more. But I think the biggest glaring sign of her passivity is the fact that she gets basically forced to join the Institute on the threat of death and she just… goes with it?

MAG 102

MARTIN

Basira’s the only one doing – well, she seems weirdly calm about the whole thing. Like it’s… like she’s on a vacation or something.

ARCHIVIST

Maybe she just suits the academic life.

Basira, when threatened and forced to work for an obviously evil institute just… rolls over and shows her belly. Immediately starts to just sit in the library and read so quietly that Martin completely misses that she’s there. Passivity. Acceptance. Her philosophy, as she tells Martin, is that if you can’t change it you just hunker down and make the best of it.

Of course, the problem with this is… she hasn’t tried to change things very hard before shifting into Acceptance mode, has she? In her statement before the season three finale, we get her briefly talking about why she behaves like this.

MAG 116

My dad would hate me talking like this. He couldn’t stand people who just passively moaned about their problems. He always said, if you don’t like something, you accept it and you adapt, or you fight and you change it. Whining doesn’t help. I always tried to live like that. But I think sometimes you feel like you’re adapting, but it’s just denial.

But not anymore. I’m going to fight, and change it.

Regardless of Basira’s dad’s intentions, he raised her in a way where expressing discomfort is not allowed. You either change things, but if you can’t change them then you shut up. Which of course, if you are powerless and disenfranchised that’s just setting you up for a life of biting your tongue at every injustice that you face, every police officer who sneers “diversity” while giving you a significant look--because you don’t have the power to change it, do you?

But right after that acknowledgement, we get her resolution for moving forward: She’s not going to shut up anymore. She’s going to fight.

I think we really need to keep this resolution of hers in mind when we analyze her season 4 behavior. Yes, her s4 behavior is influenced by other factors: grief at losing Daisy, paranoia after getting attacked by monsters who are after the Institute, guilt at not being able to stop Martin from going with Peter Lukas. 

But more than anything, I think her fierceness in this season is fueled by this rock hard resolution to stop rolling over and fight back. 

If you’re someone who is passive and enabling in this way, and you’ve worked to change yourself, you might be aware of how easy it is to either fall back into old habits or overcorrect. Sometimes it feels like you have to be as direct and harsh as possible because you’re scared that it’s only option besides falling back into passivity. I think that’s what a lot of Basira’s aggression comes from. She wants to be someone who fights but she’s still figuring out how.

So she overcompensates, and she scrambles for how to accomplish this, and she sort of falls back to the example set for her--the one person she saw as resolute.

MAG 116

At least Daisy’s coming. I mean, I know she’s… difficult. Everything they say about her, it’s true, it’s fair. But, she’s solid. She’s a… a fixed point, and if she’s there, I know exactly where I stand, exactly what I’m doing, relative to her. She has no doubts.

Basira wants to be someone who fights. So in season 4, as she’s trying to reconstruct her whole ethos, she latches onto Daisy’s example. But so much of it is a facade, so much of it is her trying to… not be someone she can’t be, exactly, but to become something that she doesn’t know the shape of, yet. 

It’s difficult for her to sustain because it’s so different from her usual mode of interacting with the world. For example, people make a big deal of her threatening to kill Jon if he feeds on people again but… remember her first reaction when she directly saw Jon doing it right in front of her the first time?

MAG 141:

ARCHIVIST

Floyd Matharu. Served on the Dorian from 2011 to 2014. With Salesa.

BASIRA

John, I’m not sure about this.

ARCHIVIST

I am.

Tell me what happened.

Basira gets passive again. Politely indicates to Jon he should stop without raising much of a fuss. And how does Jon respond to Basira when she taks this passive, polite route to trying to stop him?

BASIRA

It wasn’t right.

ARCHIVIST

You could have stopped me.

…

But you wanted to know as well, didn’t you?.

Jon tells her that she could have stopped him. Implies that she’s just as much to blame as he is for what he did, because she didn’t try harder to stop him. And, well. The thing is? Basira believes him. Agrees with him. She’s clearly already trying to become someone who fights and she just rolled right over when an ally did something wrong. So the next time Jon does this she sort of rises to his challenge here.

MAG 148

BASIRA

Yeah. John, We’ve been over this. the key is to not force people to feed you their trauma. You know – just don’t do it?

ARCHIVIST

It’s not that simple.

BASIRA

No. It is. Or I put you down.

She fights him. Pushes back instead of rolling over and being nice and polite. And of course, the blueprint she has for this is Daisy. Using threats and blatant intimidation. 

But you know? Even though she’s not doing things entirely right here, I actually think this is still better than where she was in season 3. She’s seen where she has gone wrong in the past, and she’s struggling to turn herself into a different, better person who actually fights back against wrongness in the world instead of passively accepting it. She’s not there yet, but this? This is still progress.

[psychshalala]

Hold on what is this whole Stockholm syndrome thing?

My mind truly cant comprehend how people think sometimes. No wonder my arguments always filled with questions. I just simply dont get it.

“A hostage and abuse victim stuck with their abuser” and u define that hak and yonas relationship?

Let me tell u little about how hak loves yona.

He gave his heart to her. Has unshakable trust in her. Respects her. Her number one supporter. Finds the joy in seeing her grow. Yona is his strength, his inspiration and his love.

“Princess, if you can be happy then to me thats my greatest happiness” - hak.

Did ur bae ever say that to u?... yeah i thought so.

He loved her in times he believed she would never return his feelings back yet he was happy as long as she was happy with whom ever she chooses. (Talk about respect)

He thought about her and her loneliness choosing to stay despite his own longing for his family after missing them for so long. (Talk about care and selflessness)

He is playful and goofy around her and yes he teases her from time to time to get her energy up. Fighting? More like goofing around.  (Talk about cuteness)

His trust in her is unbreakable. When she says she can, he might not always agree (with good reason) but he always has her back. Always lets her know he will be by her side no matter what.

He respects her, has faith in her whether in training, in the battle field or everyday. and he never fails to show her that and let her know. knows her strengths and weaknesses yet never stands in her way when she takes a leap and instead he gives her a hand. 

He is always the most proud of her accomplishments and Finds the strength and joy in seeing her grow and become stronger. Loves seeing her struggle because from struggle comes growth.

Forceful? Abuser?

Yall forgot so fast how this man literally had to feed her with his own hands to keep her alive after the betrayal toke place. That man carried her pain with his own. Not to mention having to leave his family, name and home cause the guy he trusted with his life, loved as a brother and called his best friend forced him to. Yet he still prioritized yona and his tribe before himself, was even willing to leave on his own taking full responsibility of something he never did. 

That man cried for the first time in this whole anime so far when he first confronted soo wan. the moment u realize holy shit, that guy is in fucking pain. U realize that that man had held his feelings and pain inside this whole time to help yona recover. The selflessness this man shows sets fucking standard to its highest level. AND HE STILL CARES ABOUT SOO WAN!

What u talking about Stockholm syndrome? Where u getting that from? From him licking her hand filled with honey? U guys Acting like he raped her.

Talking about forcing himself on yona. From the beginning he was always playful with his flirting. 1st time he tried kissing her he told her she could easily refused. And threw most them yona was completely oblivious 🤦🏻‍♀️ telling me he convinced her.

The guy apologized after kissing her in the cheek cause he thought he wouldn’t see her again. He was always gentle with her while being his playful self. And u always find yonas Guard down around him cause she is so comfortable being herself with him, to the point she only shows hak her weakness.

So easy to talk about a characters flaws when ur only looking for flaws. U even start creating invalid shit like that as an excuse.

What u call Yona kissing hak without his permission? Where are the complaints please? Where are the human rights activists? Where the lawyers at? Thats sexual harassment. This bish stole what might be his first kiss and in what right and thats before his confession so bo excuse. Yona told him she wanted to touch him and he gave her a hug. The lord said ask and u shall receive, where is the force here? She ran away cause of her smell yet that man embraced her and told her she smells so good and ur boy friend be here screaming at u to put some deodorant. know u damn self worth!!! And dont get me started on yu-hon and yong hi if u wanna talk being forceful but NOOoo thats so romantic! Fucking kill me please!

Soo wan killed her father, tried to kill her and since he couldn’t he forcefully toke over the throne and chased her out of her home. Never trusts her until she begs all the damn time while treating her like a child And now just cause he spared her life 2 times which he didnt really have any other choice cause then hell would let loose or maybe just maybe cause of little fucking guilt for what he did to her and she hugs him one time to Comfort a guy in pain and suddenly they are a match made in heaven? 🤡🤡

Basically when u look at the general picture soo wan broke yona and hak helped put her back together with stronger material. And yall want him to get out the way of true romance? Cause he is rebuilding a country on the blood and wounds of the people he so call loves? The born Genius soo wan couldnt find another way. U guys break my fucking heart. To see such injustice.

What a sad world we live in.

[dogbearinggifts]

What are your thoughts on tua S2? Did you feel like the characters grew? What did you like? What did you not? I’m interested in your perspective. Your analysis are super thoughtful and interesting!

Aw, thanks, Anon!

Overall, I really enjoyed S2 and thought it was a solid follow-up to S1. I do have my quibbles about it, so I think (for ease of reference and because my thoughts are a little scattered today) I’ll list some of my personal highlights (in no particular order) before getting into what I didn’t like as much.

Big spoilers ahead.

Allison. I thought they handled her storyline especially well. Of all the siblings, I think she had the most difficult obstacles placed in her way (not only is she a Black woman landing in 1961 Dallas, but she’s a Black woman landing in 1961 Dallas who can’t even speak in her own defense for a year) and they sugarcoated exactly none of it. The writers pulled no punches when showing what civil rights protesters went through, which just made their nonviolent response all the more breathtaking. Allison’s fear and anger during those scenes were palpable even as she kept them hidden. But along with that horror, we see the kindness and warmth of the Dallas Black community, the women who take her in simply because she needs their help, and her love for Ray, perhaps heretofore THE most thoughtful husband ever portrayed on screen. I loved him, and I loved him and Allison together. While I understand and respect his choice to stay in 1963, I wish they’d gotten more time together. They both deserved it.

Vanya. We got to see how much the baggage from her past affected her by glimpsing what she might be like if it were taken away. It’s an interesting philosophical question, and it was explored well, in my opinion. She finds it easier to love and be loved, and she stands up for herself more readily—but she also doesn’t hesitate to use powers she can’t quite control and threatens Five without fully realizing how dire her threat is (or how it might dredge up traumatic memories she doesn’t know exist). The moment where Ben finds her curled up, fully convinced she’s a monster, was heartbreaking. I loved watching her find happiness with Sissy, even if that was fleeting (and dear god, Sissy deserved her happy ending with Vanya, dammit, I don’t care if it would fuck up the timeline). Her patience and sweetness with Harlan were just beautiful. And the way she used the confidence she gained during her amnesia to fully come into her own not to exact revenge on her siblings, but to save them, was fucking phenomenal.

The humor. There was a lot more humor this season, and it was awesome. So many iconic scenes—Olga Foroga, Luther babysitting two homicidal Fives, Elliot awkwardly lecturing his guests on the history of Jello, “NEW TIMELINE NEW ME,” “Your vagina needs glasses,” AJ the fish gobbling up the cigarette bubbles, Five getting to say “fuck”….this season was a lot funnier than the previous one, and I think that was one of its strengths.

Klaus’ cult. It was played for laughs, which I both expected and thought was the best way to handle it. He didn’t want to start a new religion with himself at the center; he just wanted to not get thrown out of any more diners, but Destiny’s Children had other ideas. The “I too am a fraud!” scene was hilarious and tickled the question of whether or not a religion founded on false pretenses can still help those within it find meaning.

Luther. Getting him away from his dad, his siblings, and the Academy was exactly what he needed to become the pure of heart and dumb of ass genius we always knew he was, but his first major step in that direction was heartbreaking. We all knew he’d be rejected once he got to the Academy. We all knew Reginald would rip his heart out and stomp on it in his admittedly fashionable shoes. It gets Luther out on his own and forces him to become his own person apart from his dad, but that doesn’t make it any easier to watch. He got the positive character development he needed, but the catalyst was tragic.

Diego. We see, for the first time, exactly how Reginald kept him in line—not with meds or with PTSD-inducing torture, but with words. Even when he knows Diego as little more than a stranger, Reginald is able to rip off his skin and fling it in his face with a single diatribe; and even at 30, with years away from his dad, Diego is left unable to speak, feeling as if all of his accomplishments up to that point were the work of a dumb kid who thought he was smarter and more capable than he actually was.

Luther and Diego sharing a braincell. Luther has bad ideas. Diego has bad ideas. When they put their bad ideas together, they get terrible ideas. I loved watching them work together as a team, rather than being at each others’ throats for most of the season, even if I’m left hoping Olga Foroga had a pleasant and quiet day after that phone call.

Reginald. At first glance, it may look like the writers were trying to make him likable so they could parade him around as your average abusive-parent-with-a-soft-side. But it’s more nuanced than that. Abusive parents (and abusers in general) often fly under the radar because they fool outsiders into thinking they’re good people. They’re active in their communities. They give to charity. They have friends who attest to their virtue, significant others who think they’re the greatest. And that’s what we see with Reginald. We see him as the rest of the world did: an intelligent, eccentric man with a sharp sense of humor who cared deeply about scientific advancement. That’s how he evaded suspicion—because there were stories from years past of lively parties at his mansion, of what a gentleman he was to Grace and of how he did everything he could to save little Pogo. But those stories would all have come from people he considered his equals. When he’s with people he considers his inferiors—aka, the Umbrella kids—he’s openly condescending and demeaning. We get to see how he fooled the world, and it is chilling.

Elliot. He deserved better, and you can ship him with any one of the Hargreeves kids and get the cutest thing ever. 

The Swedes. They said so much while speaking very little.

Ben. He got more personality and screen time, and it was glorious. His love of his family and resentment toward Klaus practically leapt off the screen. The way he says “I’ve missed you all…so much” once they’ve all left was one of those right-in-the-feels moments; and watching him get so much of what he’s wanted for years when he possesses Klaus was beautiful.

Now, as for things I took issue with….

Ben. I understand why they ended his arc the way they did. I get that they were probably afraid the Klaus/Ben dynamic would grow stale if they didn’t change it somehow and wanted to give him a larger role in S3. His death(???) was heartbreaking and extremely well-done. But it also wasn’t foreshadowed. We never got any sense of what ghosts in the TUA ‘verse are, so the fact they can be destroyed by a ton of sound-turned-energy or by going too far into someone’s psyche or whatever happened….it’s not that it doesn’t make sense so much as there’s not enough evidence to determine whether or not it makes sense. It feels like the writers just kinda made that up so they’d have a reason to change Ben’s relationship dynamics, but if that’s the case, couldn’t they have done it another way? Couldn’t they have made it so the immense energy or psychic woo-woo or whatever gave him a power-up instead of destroying him? Vanya transferred some of her energy into Harlan and brought him back to life. Couldn’t something similar have happened with Ben? And if it tied him to Vanya as well as to Klaus, great! More fodder for angst and humor! (”Vannyyyyyyyy, stop hogging Ben!” “You got him for 17 years, Klaus, you can part with him for 20 minutes.” “Guys, don’t I get a say in this?”) I’m glad they didn’t write him out of the series entirely, but I still wish they’d kept him and all the character development he’d gotten throughout S2.

Episode 10. It looks like they tried to cram half a season’s worth of developments into 45 minutes. Twenty minutes in, I’d already said “Wait what the fuck” half a dozen times. A lot of those moments were explained later on, and I was able to make enough inferences to fill in any lingering plot holes, but…still. Too much stuff, too little time. E9 was a perfectly satisfying ending to the season. Yes, it leaves the siblings stranded in 1963, but they could’ve tied up those loose ends in the S3 premiere.

Lila. She’s an incredibly fun character, but her arc is kind of a mess. Most of that is due to E10, and I do feel that more time to let her arc breathe would’ve worked wonders, but I’m left feeling like her turn from “Handler is the best mom ever and I lurve Diego too” to “KILL DIEGO AND HIS EVIL FAMILY” to “Handler is a bad mom and Diego is right” happened too quickly.

The Commission. Okay, so, the Handler announces the entire Board has been killed, and she’s stepping in as director even though everyone appears to know she’s been demoted (and demoted pretty severely—she went from having an office bigger than some apartments to being a case management drone). There’s suspicion and lots of it. But then, La Resistance is….ten or so people in a single room? And when she calls the temps agents to her side, thousands of them show up ready and willing to fight and die? I dunno. Just seems like there should’ve been more splintering going on there. Again, I think they needed more time to tie everything up.

Aside from those complaints, I loved the season. I set aside most of a day to binge it, and I do not regret that decision at all.

[seanotturom]

this is a cr positivity checkpoint :D

I'm sure there are plenty of these things floating around (and if you come across any, please send them my way!), but in the interests of cultivating a bubble of celebration and enjoyment (which is what I turn to fandom for!), let's go nuts over things we loved about the CR2 finale:

GET REKT TRENT! the confrontation could not have been more poetic. his showing up unannounced? the nein coming together in all their cohesive combat glory? the plan that the three empire kiddos came up with ages ago for trent...actually working? I'm so proud of them, you guys.

astrid queen behavior canon! and we got to see the volstrucker in action in combat (release the statblocks, mattholomew, I am intrigued by wulf's build).

SUPER MOVER FJORD! that mobile feat was just icing on the cake on one of the zippiest builds I have ever seen? absolutely iconic, mr. willingham.

nothing but respect for MY battle cleric, the illustrious jester lavorre, with both the dominate person and the heal. ALSO her conversation with marion about their relationship, her dad, and what the future holds for that whole dynamic was beautiful and I will be thinking about it and crying for the rest of time.

caduceus, absolute king, delegating chores and aggressively telling off wulf for desecrating a holy place quite literally watered my (flower) crops (in the blooming grove). and while we're on that topic, evil wizards learning to make things grow? additionally: xhorhas kids getting to garden together ;-;

"I go where you go, baby."

PLANTING FLOWERS ON ZUALA'S GRAVE AAAAAAAAHHHHH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH I CAN'T I'M STILL CRYING ABOUT IT I HAVE SO MANY FLOWERS TO BRING HER YES YOU DO YASHA YES YOU DO AND THE GREATEST BLOOM, the ONE THAT ZUALA WILL BE HAPPIEST TO SEE, is the SPRINGTIME FLOURISHING OF YASHA'S LOVE AND HAPPINESS IN HER FUTURE WITH BEAU SHUT UP I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING

stenographer beau :) chief prosecutor beau :) EXTREMELY RESPECTED EXPOSITOR beauregard lionett :) because she deserves the recognition of her talent and her intelligence and her hard work and just...how far she's come. this trouble-making rebel represents everything that the soul stands for, and all it took was one person recognizing that potential and giving her room to thrive for the whole world to see her for the hero she is.

also her closure with zeenoth and her father? beautiful. refusing to give her birth family control over her, her accomplishments, the trajectory of her life...they don't deserve her. so proud.

the culmination of veth's terror of water...the midnight swim, the passing on of the ring of water walking to luc and the flask to kingsley...and on a larger cosmic scale, her first level in wizard? I am brave, she says, and I am smart and talented and beautiful and enough. and she says, this is enough, and spends the rest of her life with the family she built, saved, and continues to love.

PIRATE PRINCESS JESTER! she's grown and matured and discovered how real life romance is so much messier and infinitely more beautiful than in her novels, has come into her own as an individual, and chosen a life of adventure. and she still gets her storybook moments (kiss in the rain! you and me and the horizon! all the romancing the stone vibes!), even if they come with the silly awkward elements that define life ("--wait no go back to sleep uhhh I cAST MODIFY MEMORY--")

kingsley is literally so funny, y'all. "I only know what booze is in theory, but you're my best friend now." this dramatic purble bastard. "...so I hear you have a ship." go depose the plank king and live out your thottiest pirate dreams, my liege.

the wizards went back to aeor!! the wizards recognized that some things are better left to the past!! that disintegrate was such a powerful moment--

two books of memories left on two graves...my heart...

JUNIOR ADVENTURER SUMMER CAMP!!!!!!!!!!!!

caleb's a teacher now :'')

please add more!

[pet-genius]

The Death Eaters as a Cult - Part 2

Follow-up post to this post, exploring the DE dynamics and speculating on how Voldemort got them on his hook. Trigger warning: Cult abuse, I suppose.

The Death Eaters’ behavior at the graveyard reflects what was expected of them during the first war. LV refers to his Death Eaters as his “true family”, and yet:

Then one of the Death Eaters fell to his knees, crawled toward Voldemort, and kissed the hem of his black robes.

“Master... Master...” he murmured.

The Death Eaters behind him did the same; each of them approaching Voldemort on his knees and kissing his robes, before backing away and standing up, forming a silent circle, which enclosed Tom Riddle’s grave, Harry, Voldemort, and the sobbing and twitching heap that was Wormtail. Yet they left gaps in the circle, as though waiting for more people.

If this is how anyone in your family has EVER treated you, go to the police. No: Death Eaters were expected to crawl on their knees and to kiss their master’s robe. He had enforced such discipline that they all remembered their place in the circle 13 years later. He expected to be worshiped and humiliated his own people.

He also tortures them, for their failure to try to find him and resurrect him:

“It is a disappointment to me... I confess myself disappointed....”

One of the men suddenly flung himself forward, breaking the circle. Trembling from head to foot, he collapsed at Voldemort’s feet. “Master!” he shrieked, “Master, forgive me! Forgive us all!” Voldemort began to laugh. He raised his wand. “Crucio!”

He also manipulates them:

“Get up, Avery,” said Voldemort softly. “Stand up. You ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years... I want thirteen years’ repayment before I forgive you.

Wormtail here has paid some of his debt already, have you not, Wormtail?”

He looked down at Wormtail, who continued to sob.

“You returned to me, not out of loyalty, but out of fear of your old friends. You deserve this pain, Wormtail. You know that, don’t you?”

Why does LV feel that Peter owes him anything? Peter resurrected him. But pleasing LV is impossible. He needs his followers to be driven by loyalty, not fear - they are not even allowed to be self-interested in the sense of wanting not to die. Peter might deserve pain, but one must ask why Voldemort of all people feels this way - Peter never hurt him.

Then, he expects Peter to show gratitude for what he would have had in the first place, had Voldemort not taken it from him: a hand. Peter falls for it:

“Yes, Master,” moaned Wormtail, “please, Master... please...”

“Yet you helped return me to my body,” said Voldemort coolly, watching Wormtail sob on the ground. “Worthless and traitorous as you are, you helped me... and Lord Voldemort rewards his helpers....”

[...]

“My Lord,” he whispered. “Master... it is beautiful... thank you... thank you.”

That’s how Voldemort rewards his helpers: He stops the pain he himself inflicted.

These are Death Eaters with obvious vulnerabilities for Voldemort to exploit:

Barty Crouch Jr. has a very dysfunctional relationship with his dad. Sirius: “Crouch’s fatherly affection stretched just far enough to give his son a trial, and by all accounts, it wasn’t much more than an excuse for Crouch to show how much he hated the boy... then he sent him straight to Azkaban”.

Voldemort clearly took advantage of this, played up the parallel between Tom Riddle Sr. and Barty Crouch Sr., and BCJ has clearly come to see him as something of a father figure:

“I will be honored beyond all other Death Eaters. I will be his dearest, his closest supporter... closer than a son....”

[...]

“The Dark Lord and I,” said Moody, and he looked completely insane now, towering over Harry, leering down at him, “have much in common. Both of us, for instance, had very disappointing fathers... very disappointing indeed. Both of us suffered the indignity, Harry, of being named after those fathers. And both of us had the pleasure... the very great pleasure... of killing our fathers to ensure the continued rise of the Dark Order!”

Bellatrix’s vulnerability is obvious: She’s in love with Voldemort. He is constantly toying with her, promising intimacy and reward, but never delivering. He only uses her: Her vault, her duelling skills, her home. It’s interesting that she’s the only female DE outside of Alecto. Perhaps she was insecure about being female, or felt oppressed by her marriage, or perhaps she was failing to live up to her family’s expectation that she make pureblood babies, and Voldemort promised her a future where she’d be free of these constraints.

She’s supposed to be the closest one to him, the one he cares about the most, yet she too fears his wrath. Following the prophecy’s destruction:

“Master, I am sorry, I knew not, I was fighting the Animagus Black!” sobbed Bellatrix, flinging herself down at Voldemort’s feet as he paced slowly nearer.

“Master, you should know —”

“Be quiet, Bella,” said Voldemort dangerously. “I shall deal with you in a moment. Do you think I have entered the Ministry of Magic to hear your sniveling apologies?”

“But Master — he is here — he is below —”

Voldemort paid no attention.

He really should have paid attention to her warning that Dumbledore was coming. Instead, he threatened her even as she was begging forgiveness for something that was not her fault.

The chapter Spinner’s End shows how giftedVoldemort is at spreading enmity and discord among his followers. Not only do they not all know each other, the ones who do can never conspire against their master, because of the atmosphere of distrust.

“Before I answer you — oh yes, Bellatrix, I am going to answer! You can carry my words back to the others who whisper behind my back, and carry false tales of my treachery to the Dark Lord! Before I answer you, I say, let me ask a question in turn. Do you really think that the Dark Lord has not asked me each and every one of those questions? And do you really think that, had I not been able to give satisfactory answers, I would be sitting here talking to you?”

She hesitated.

“I know he believes you, but...”

“You think he is mistaken? Or that I have somehow hoodwinked him? Fooled the Dark Lord, the greatest wizard, the most accomplished Legilimens the world has ever seen?”

He is accusing Bella of heresy. He has clearly learned a thing or two about manipulation, having spent his entire adult life either under Voldemort or under Dumbledore. He presents himself as selfish for staying with Dumbledore, and he presents Voldemort’s words as gospel: “The Dark Lord does not complain that I stayed, so I do not see why you do.” He also takes pride in being closer to him and more useful:

“But what use have you been?” sneered Bellatrix. “What useful information have we had from you?”

“My information has been conveyed directly to the Dark Lord,” said Snape. “If he chooses not to share it with you —”

“He shares everything with me!” said Bellatrix, firing up at once.

“He calls me his most loyal, his most faithful —”

“Does he?” said Snape, his voice delicately inflected to suggest his disbelief.“Does he still, after the fiasco at the Ministry?”

The master stroke is the subtle insinuation that lowly half-blood Snape is closer to Voldemort than Bellatrix is. This makes her lose what little composure she had, and plays on her insecurity. Her interrogation ends shortly thereafter, and she seems satisfied with explanations that are frankly not very convincing.

“If he has forbidden it, you ought not to speak,” said Snape at once. “The Dark Lord’s word is law.”

Narcissa gasped as though he had doused her with cold water. Bellatrix looked satisfied for the first time since she had entered the house.

“There!” she said triumphantly to her sister. “Even Snape says so: You were told not to talk, so hold your silence!”

Bella is enforcing silence on her sister. This phenomenon exists in real cults too: Members enforce the rules on each other, the leader’s hands are clean.

Bella tells Cissy off for caring whether Draco lives or dies:

“Draco should be proud,” said Bellatrix indifferently. “The Dark Lord is granting him a great honor. And I will say this for Draco: He isn’t shrinking away from his duty, he seems glad of a chance to prove himself, excited at the prospect —”

I think this was LV’s pitch to Bella: She is the one who wanted to prove herself.

Bella is willing to give him so much, and he gives her nothing. Also, twice she claims that it’s a point of pride to be willing to die for the Dark Lord.

In DLA, he is particularly subtly abusive toward her:

“My Lord,” said a dark woman halfway down the table, her voice constricted with emotion, “it is an honor to have you here, in our family’s house. There can be no higher pleasure.”

[...]

Bellatrix leaned toward Voldemort, for mere words could not demonstrate her longing for closeness.

Why is Bellatrix halfway down the table? She has been unfailingly loyal, why is he punishing her with distance? Is he punishing her for being related to Narcissa?

“No higher pleasure,” repeated Voldemort, his head tilted a little to one side as he considered Bellatrix. “That means a great deal, Bellatrix, from you.”

Her face flooded with color; her eyes welled with tears of delight.

“My Lord knows I speak nothing but the truth!”

Look how nice he’s being! Look how happy he makes her! Except this is immediately followed by teasing her about her niece’s marriage:

“No higher pleasure... even compared with the happy event that, I hear, has taken place in your family this week?”

She stared at him, her lips parted, evidently confused.

“I don’t know what you mean, my Lord.”

“I’m talking about your niece, Bellatrix. And yours, Lucius and Narcissa. She has just married the werewolf, Remus Lupin. You must be so proud.”

There was an eruption of jeering laughter from around the table. Many leaned forward to exchange gleeful looks; a few thumped the table with their fists. The great snake, disliking the disturbance, opened its mouth wide and hissed angrily, but the Death Eaters did not hear it, so jubilant were they at Bellatrix and the Malfoys’ humiliation. Bellatrix’s face, so recently flushed with happiness, had turned an ugly, blotchy red.

He is punishing with humiliation. Lucius screwed up the mission at the DOM and Draco didn’t kill Dumbledore, but what did Bella do? Nobody is safe. Instead of resenting the way she is treated, Bellatrix demonstrates her fanaticism:

“She is no niece of ours, my Lord,” she cried over the outpouring of mirth. “We — Narcissa and I — have never set eyes on our sister since she married the Mudblood. This brat has nothing to do with either of us, nor any beast she marries.”

[...]

“Many of our oldest family trees become a little diseased over time,” he said as Bellatrix gazed at him, breathless and imploring.

“You must prune yours, must you not, to keep it healthy? Cut away those parts that threaten the health of the rest.”

“Yes, my Lord,” whispered Bellatrix, and her eyes swam with tears of gratitude again. “At the first chance!”

“You shall have it,” said Voldemort. “And in your family, so in the world... we shall cut away the canker that infects us until only those of the true blood remain....”

Bella does not needanyone (a half-blood!) to teach her she must keep her family tree pure. She clearly doesn’t know crucial things about Tom Riddle, or is in denial. This is the same Bellatrix who killed her own cousin, so she is very capable of “pruning” her own family tree.

At the Malfoy Manor:

“Gold!” laughed Bellatrix, still attempting to throw off her brother-in-law, her free hand groping in her pocket for her wand. “Take your gold, filthy scavenger, what do I want with gold? I seek only the honor of his — of —”

She stopped struggling, her dark eyes fixed upon something Harry could not see. Jubilant at her capitulation, Lucius threw her hand from him and ripped up his own sleeve —

“STOP!” shrieked Bellatrix. “Do not touch it, we shall all perish if the Dark Lord comes now!”

She seeks only the honor of his [something], but she is scared to death of him. She will kill for him and die for him, but she is keenly aware of the possibility that he might kill her - yet she loves him. She is a true believer - without him, she is nothing, and her devotion controls her every interaction. In her defense, he does not let others kill her, at least - he saves her at the end of the battle at the Department of Mysteries and seems upset when she dies.

Bellatrix thinks independently once: She doesn’t trust Snape, even though her master does. This is not so odd - the half-blood appears to be undermining her, to have aspirations to griw even closer to Voldemort than her - her jealousy and insecurity override how brainwashed she is. The dynamic between the Black sisters exemplifies the way cults drive wedges between family members - not that the Black family needed any help with that.

Peter’s vulnerability is obvious: His own friends think he’s worthless. He clearly isn’t - he became an animagus too, and he tricked Sirius, kill 12 Muggles with a single curse, and perform the tasks to revive Voldemort - but Voldemort exploited Peter’s insecurity, and even whatever guilt Peter had felt at betraying his friends. Sirius says Peter always sought the protection of the biggest bully. His “uselessness” was the express reason Sirius switched with Peter - obviously, someone like that could never be pegged for a potential spy. Voldemort must have made Peter feel valuable, like there was something only Peter could do - and when Peter’s choices ran out, he showed Peter his true colors.

We’ve seen how LV treated Peter at the resurrection ceremony. We also have the way he bossed him around in the first chapter of GOF, and that he forced Peter to work as Snape’s “assistant”, as seen in Spinner’s End. Sending Peter to work for Snivellus was brilliantly cruel - Peter must have viewed this as the height of humiliation.

In Dark Lord Ascending, he is shrinking himself to near non-existence:

“Yes, m-my Lord,” gasped a small man halfway down the table, who had been sitting so low in his chair that it had appeared, at first glance, to be unoccupied. Now he scrambled from his seat and scurried from the room, leaving nothing behind him but a curious gleam of silver.

In part 3 - Draco, Regulus, Snape, Lucius, general dynamics, and more speculations!

[ramblingguy54]

True Colors: An Emotionally Fantastic Serious Game Changer.

If we’re to look back at Reunion as Season 1′s dramatic pay off for Amphibia’s message of toxic friendships, as Anne & Sasha’s conflicting dynamic showed us, then True Colors is a colossal expansive note on this big theme of the series. True Colors makes Season 1′s finale look like a walk in the park for what angst goes down between our three main heroins in Season 2′s climatic resolution. Everything that can go wrong does go oh so painfully wrong for these three kids. Anne, to no one’s surprise, gets double crossed by Sasha leaving things between them a Hell of a lot more bitter than they were previously, as if that couldn’t already be topped when Sasha tried to kill the Plantars before. Anne has had enough of her lies and manipulation not being afraid to tell Sasha straight up how awful of a friend she’s been in general, even hitting her where it hurts most of all saying, “No, I’m done listening to you! I’m done trusting you! You’re a horrible person and I am done being FRIENDS with you!”, going so far as to get a shaken reaction out of Sasha dropping her brave face act, making this girl try to wipe away the frog family.

Right off the bat, True Colors makes it highly evident this isn’t just another story of stopping a bigger threat, but one hitting much closer to home, overall. Yes, King Andrias is certainly a dangerous villain, who makes his presence and intimidating nature known to the others by True Color’s final act, which despite this Amphibia isn’t entirely putting him at the forefront, rather focusing on a more intimate study of Anne, Sasha, and Marcy’s big emotional conflict. This finale knows exactly where to put its focus of importance on, so I love that instead of it being action packed we’re getting the spotlight shined on just how screwed up these three of a friendship have, in spite of Marcy claiming in The Dinner episode, “We’re supposed to be friends for life. We don’t split up!’ . Very ironic stuff right there, indeed.

True Colors’ most powerful strength it adds to Amphibia’s ongoing profound story about healthy friendships is the thorough deconstruction of these girls defined “ideal relationship” as people. Before Anne came to the world of Amphibia this kid was afraid to stand up for what she believed in, even knowing especially well that stealing the calamity box was morally questionable, but did it anyway. Sasha was super manipulative, abusive, and used her power to control people, like she did a lot of toward Anne in their lives. Marcy, while very smart, wasn’t the most competent physically, who soon grew into being more independent without needing to rely on Anne always having to be there for her. These three were changed immensely by the events of being thrust into this world of sentient amphibian creatures. Anne benefited morally most out out of all three in taking up the mantle of responsibility and ironing out her own issues. She’s become a much stronger person all around. 

This episode asks us an important question though in nutshell with, “Have Sasha & Marcy truly changed for the better?”, since Anne has reached a point in her arc feeling genuinely content with who she’s become and the bonds that have been made with the Plantar family shown most notably with Sprig Plantar. Hence the whole purpose behind the song, It’s No Big Deal, with Anne feeling proud for who she is, yet not noticing a bigger issue right underneath her nose. That previous episode was meant to bring Anne’s happiness up only to bring it all crashing down in a devastating display of new revelations in True Colors. Every dramatic emotional beat isn’t just earned. Each significant moment is completely knocked out of the park by terrific voice acting, beautiful animation, and music composition that gave me serious emotional goosebumps. True Colors did exactly as Not What He Seems accomplished for Gravity Falls in shaking up its own respective dramatic stakes just when you thought it couldn’t get any higher for these protagonists. Shit seriously hits the fan here.

Did it ever occur to you, Anne? Sasha? That one of you knew more, than she was letting on? That ONE of you might’ve gotten you stranded in Amphibia on purpose...?

The big bombshell twist of Marcy playing a part too in getting them into this whole debacle completely flips everything upside down. Sasha pushed Anne into taking the Calamity Box, yes, but if Marcy never sent that photo because of her desire to stay with them together forever, then they wouldn’t have been stranded in basically a world full of dangerous creatures and who knows what else. Easily my favorite part of the episode, considering it adds more nuance to a situation that defined Amphibia’s story. It wasn’t just one person’s fault at the end of the day. Sasha bullied Anne into taking the box, Anne didn’t put her foot down to make a stand for something morally questionable, and Marcy took advantage of them both to benefit her own selfish desires for supposedly a “happy ending” not involving them staying apart, due to her parents moving away for a new job. All three girls played an important part on why they got landed into Amphiba. It’s why Anne’s statement to King Andrias, “The three of us may have made some mistake, but you...You’re evil and I’m gonna stop you!”, holds such a real weight to it, as this story continues to solidify how genuinely fleshed out their dynamic is.

Marcy’s super desperate plea to be understood by Anne & Sasha when Andrias revealed her getting them thrown into Amphibia purposefully was hard to watch. On one hand, I felt for Marcy because she didn’t want real life circumstances to tear apart that close connection she had to Sasha & Anne. Sure, she could’ve just kept in touch with them over the phone or chatting online, too. However, Marcy had known them since very early childhood. When you’ve been so attached to someone it can be a devastating thing, depending on just how vulnerable you are emotionally, to start drifting apart. Marcy represents that embodiment of toxic need for togetherness and couldn’t bear to let a possibility, like moving away, throw a wrench into her happiness and friendship, as well.

Never mind Marcy wanting to stay permanently in a different reality, rather than face her’s, but it made this person feel like something more. It gave her a chance to feel truly special in being able to live out a fantasy dream of having such power and freedom that a kid, like herself, couldn’t have had. The freedom to know she is plenty capable of making it out there on her own without Anne having to watch this kid like a hawk. So, to have someone, or something, try taking it away from her terrified Marcy of facing a terrible truth. That she isn’t strong enough after all to live a life without Anne & Sasha by her side completely, where Marcy will never feel truly worthy enough to blossom into her own person. It’s why that line, “I just...didn’t want to be alone...”, carries such a deep pain to it all. Marcy just crumbles into pieces accepting her greatest weakness. As much as Marcy fumbled the ball big time, it’s so easy to empathize with her on the idea of feeling competent enough. Marcy never meant to hurt Anne or Sasha, but the sad crushing punchline is she very much did.

Speaking of which, Anne had every right to be upset and mad, obviously. Anne has been missing so many things from her life before everything went off the wall. Hopping Mall especially highlighted Anne’s emotional desire to give anything just to hear her mother’s singing again. This teenager has been really dealing with a lot of grief in general quite honestly. Anne got into a high stakes battle against Sasha to save new friends, who’d practically became like an adopted family, which left the poor girl traumatized and heartbroken over the end result. She thought finding Marcy would help compensate for it and eventually be able to mend those complications with Sasha to boot. It’s simply painful to see it all blow up in Anne’s face to know not only Sasha betrayed her trust yet again, but realizing Marcy also played a part of responsibility in getting them thrown here. Matt Braly really just decided to slap future trust issues onto Anne finding out Hop Pop, Sasha, and Marcy were all super dishonest in their intentions at one point or another. Damn, I feel so bad for her.

It makes their embracing hug back in Marcy At The Gates so much harder to watch. Anne was super glad to see her again. Anne had wondered what became of Marcy or even possibly started to think she could even be alive at all. Then come to find out later on Marcy having intentionally ripped her away from a normal life must’ve felt worse then what happened with Sasha. Anne, already done with all of Sasha’s bullshit, thought she could at least expect better from Marcy not letting her down, but that too wasn’t the case. Marcy is very much as flawed as Sasha in what she has done. To think, Anne wanted so badly to get back home, yet she’s staring the very person dead in the eye, who ripped her away from it to begin with. Marcy knew Sasha would talk Anne into taking the box from that thrift shop, even if she wasn’t completely certain it would successfully teleport them away. Regardless of whatever good intentions someone can have in why they did what they did, it still doesn’t absolve them of said mistake. Fact of the matter is, Marcy tragically made her own bed, by choosing to mess with forces she couldn’t begin to comprehend and now has to face consequences, in spite of her not deserving them.

What really got to me was when Marcy tried to spin around Anne’s personal growth and close friendship with the Plantars as all entirely thanks to her. When she said, “I gave you this! I gave you everything!”, I was like, “Nope, that couldn’t be any further from the truth.”, seeing everything that has culminated in Anne’s journey of bettering herself. Marcy didn’t give Anne anything, but a one way ticket to cutting the kid off from her family, presuming she’d be fine with this idea. It’s all kinds of messed up, however what it boils down to is Marcy undermining Anne’s independence and agency. Anne’s moral judgement in decision making was what allowed her to create this new life she made for herself in Amphibia. Anne’s honesty as a whole led her down a path of togetherness, while Marcy’s lying landed her in a result of not wanting to be alone, costing her so much.

“I don’t believe this. We were so focused on each other we couldn’t see what was right in front of us!”

True Colors excels at earning each of its emotional beats because they line up with character motivations down to the last letter. Anne doesn’t want to trust Sasha anymore because of their already rocky past, which leads to her helping King Andrias regain control of his kingdom. Sasha not keeping a lid on her temper, wanting to rule over Amphibia, and trying to reinforce that power dynamic with Anne & Marcy only made things worse for her image of a changed good friend. There wasn’t a chance in Hell Anne would hear Sasha’s reasoning after she flat out tried to take away her frog family, by attempting to use the Calamity Box a bit ago in the episode. Marcy wanted to believe there was a happily ever after in seeing this world traveling idea as their only chance for salvation as friends for life, but it turned out to be something much more sinister, when learning of Andrias’ backstory and his true scumbag nature. All three of their motivations come clashing together, blinding them from a much bigger danger. Something that effectively puts everyone at stake.

Amphibia’s Season 2 finale works so excellently, given it covers important dramatic elements it’s been stirring around since Season 1′s early rumblings. Amphibia is a story centered around people’s need for emotional connections. True Colors builds miraculously off what Reunion already did quite well in showing friendships can become rough and they are never easy to deal with. When you have to make a stand it can be a tough pill to swallow on the reality check of maybe this “good friend” of your’s isn’t as nice as you previously thought them to be. Anne having been hurt one too many times now by her former friend sends that message close to home, so much so even Sasha begins to question her morality as a human being. It poignantly encapsulates how this trio’s complex friendship is a serious growing issue needing to be reexamined, overall.

What if Anne’s right..? What if I am a horrible person...?

Something I absolutely love to pieces about True Colors, also a testament to Season 2′s darn good writing, is how much introspective we get from each character on what they’re feeling. We’ve seen plenty of Sasha’s vulnerability before in other episodes centered on her issues, but now we’re getting to the root of it. Sasha is really taking everything more to heart, little by little. Sasha’s understanding what kind of an effect she has on people, seeing the damage it has caused made evident by Percy and Braddock in Barrel’s Warhammer. Grime once told her, “Some dreams have a price and not everyone is willing to pay it.”, where she’s questioning that idealism every passing minute the invasion plan proceeds further into reaching success. Sasha isn’t sure what to do with herself anymore feeling aimless. Those previous episodes had a real impact on her priorities more than she cared to let on with Sasha’s typical tough girl act. This kid has let her guard down more, which scares and confuses Sasha. She’s always used to playing the role of protector it contradicts everything Sasha stands for when the roles are totally reversed because now Anne has made her feel the tremendous change in their growth as individuals.

Sasha’s lifestyle has been all about control that after somewhat learning to be more considerate to Anne & Marcy’s feelings she feels beyond conflicted about what truly matters to her. The most screwed up part of it all is Sasha didn’t want to fight anymore, taking up a pacifist approach after seeing what King Andrias had been hiding from everyone. It’s a fitting punishment for Sasha to try bringing Anne over to work together once more, but getting her pleas for companionship outright ignored. Anne was correct that Sasha had wasted all the chances to be reasonable. Boonchuy tried to hear out Sasha before at The Third Temple. One wanted to start things over again to iron out their serious issues, but the other was driven by bitterness, while only remorseful to a degree at best, of seeing their once weak friend become so independent, mature, and stronger that it drove her up wall. Sasha wanted to take away that “problem” being the Plantars, since in her eyes they’re the source of Anne’s strength, driving a wedge further between the two girls in their heated Reunion 2.0 battle.

True Colors demonstrates the horrific price of no trust, communication, nor teamwork from the three main girls that Andrias smoothly took advantage of, as if they were fiddles. 

“That’s the thing about friends isn’t it? The more you love them, the more it hurts when they go.”

King Andrias is quite literally what I wanted Lunaris to be, where DuckTales’ Season 2 finale didn’t impress me on doing. He’s a serious big baddie to the main cast, who follows through on his threats of violence to demonstrate his wide array of arsenal and power. Andrias doesn’t just emotionally manipulate characters, like poor Marcy, but utterly crush them without an ounce of remorse for his actions. When he dropped Sprig out that window after Anne willingly let him have the Calamity Box back I thought they were legit gonna kill this boy off. The way Anne’s flashback montage of her good times with Sprig were eerily shot really didn’t help either on that note. Anne’s Calamity power finally activating is easily up there among stuff, like Dewey risking his life for Della’s disappearance in Last Crash, where the cinematography is shot and animated brilliantly. You feel Anne’s blind raging sadness in every hit she landed on those robots and Andrias. If anyone didn’t believe Sprig was like a little brother to Anne, then I dunno how anyone couldn’t view their bond anymore as such after this hugely defining scene. Anne went bloodthirsty when she believed Sprig to be dead further evidenced when she hugged him in relief afterwards exclaiming, “Sprig!? You’re alive!? Oh, thank goodness...”, which cuts deep so damn much.

Anne was ready to fight every one of Andrias’ troops in that castle to the death, if need be. Before Sprig came back from falling, thanks to Marcy’s quick acting, to comfort Anne, her only goal was to slaughter every opponent in that throne room, along with making Andrias pay dearly for even daring to lay a single finger on anyone of the Plantars. I’m not gonna lie, this pivotal power up reminded me so much Gohan turning Super Saiyan 2 after Cell curb stomped Android 16 into pieces with a smirk on his face. Anne Boonchuy’s maddening outburst is a classic testament to the idea of, “Piss off the nicest person and they’ll make it their mission to instill the biggest kind of fear/terror into you.”. showing this kid at her most vulnerable mental state, yet. Sprig & Anne’s cathartic embrace really messed me up in reinforcing just how these two respect, love, and would go above any of their limitations to help the other out. Sprig’s “death” scene was a masterful bait by the writers into making us think someone was gonna die and it was gonna be a poor kid, no less.  

However, it was actually all just a bait and switch for the real, “Oh, shit. They really just did that”, moment with Marcy unexpectedly getting run through with Andrias’ gigantic sword. In a last ditch effort, Marcy wanted to atone for what she had a hand in getting them all into. Marcy was ironclad determined in making her own stand for what was right trying to save the people she endangered. Akin to what Sasha did in Reunion for saving Anne’s life, Marcy does the exact same here. Although, unfortunately this time, no one is here to protect Marcy from escaping death, like Grime catching Sasha from plummeting at Toad Tower. Marcy couldn’t react in time because she was so focused on helping her dear friends out. She wanted to prove to herself at least one time, “I’ve screwed up so much stuff with my friends. Maybe, just maybe. If I get my friends back home, it’ll prove I’m not an entirely crappy person for setting these events into motion.”. Marcy’s own deep seeded remorse is what saved Anne & the Plantars, while being the cause of her own untimely demise at Andrias’ hands.

This scene is what no doubt encouraged the warning sign for younger viewers Disney decided to make for them. It’s impressive how far Matt and his crew are willing to go for intense dramatic content. Andrias trying to crush Polly with his fist after destroying Frobo with casual ease, dropping Sprig out of the window from up sky high, and stabbing Marcy with his powerful sword displays his cold blooded brutality. Doesn’t matter who you are. If you get in the way of Andrias’ plans for multiverse domination, then he’ll throw anyone into their own grave, be it man, woman, or child. That’s the mark of a truly terrifying antagonist.

Andrias didn’t care who had to be hurt or manipulated to get back the box, so he could invade other worlds with Earth being his next prime target for invasion. Marcy’s fate is a horrifyingly poetic statement, since Sasha stated to Anne in a flashback from Marcy At The Gates, “One of these days, she’s gonna get herself killed.”, with True Colors tying back to this line in a disturbing manner. Something that sends chills down my spine is we get to see the full extent of how far Andrias shoved the sword through her body. We don’t just see the entry point of where it hit her, but it even zooms out to show the whole thing. Real talk, I got serious Avatar The Last Airbender vibes from this scene. Reminded me so much of Aang getting suddenly zapped with lightning by Azula when he tried to enter the Avatar state. Marcy didn’t want to be alone so badly she ended up inevitably dying alone trying to send Anne back home to their reality. One Hell of a way to close off Marcy’s last moments in Season 2, until her inevitable resurrection happens in Season 3 now that King Andrias has her in a tube tank that looks tied to his master.

True Colors ends on a deeply bittersweet cliffhanger leaving the fates of Sasha & Grime totally unknown if they’ll get away by the skin of their teeth, or get captured by Andrias’ soldiers and robots. Anne finally returned home with the Plantars, but at a deadly cost of leaving her other close friends behind in Amphibia. After all the isolation, heartbreak, and endurance she went through with her frog family Anne finds herself at a total loss for words. Once again, Anne is in a state of solitude of not knowing if her friends are really okay or not, mirroring the start of Season 1 when she landed into Amphibia’s world. It’s safe to say to say that, “Finally me and it’s no big deal.”, lyrics have aged terribly for Anne’s realization of finding her own identity came at the expense of getting separated from friends she’s known since kindergarten. Definitely see Anne becoming a lot more protective of the Plantars now more than ever after watching Marcy drop to the ground from being stabbed in front of her eyes.

Amphibia’s Season 2 finale is exactly how you capitalize on a winning story telling formula of dramatic writing, lovable characters with layered depth, and increasing the stakes of your story in an organic manner. True Colors is a finale that should be talked about for a long time to come, as it not only showed how worth the wait it was, but reinforces why Amphibia is a truly great series. It’s unafraid to take its characters to dark places in a way that feels totally earned.

Amphibia Season 2 is everything a sequel to a first film should be.