#thank you miss for introducing us to anders

[catebees]

I'd like to request lirene pretty please 👀

Lirene of Lirene's Fereldan Imports fame

[lavellane]

spare some facts about cillian? 👐 i think "retconning" ocs and making new ones is such a fascinating process

oh anon im so sorry i didnt see this wth !!! thank u so much for asking abt my mans ive been so excited to introduce him and talk abt him over the last couple days !

like i said before cillian is heavily inspired by my last hawke, emeraude, mainly in that they're both half elven. cillian is technically bethany & carver's half brother, and not related to leandra by blood. he was malcolm's first child with an antivan elf who ran away to ferelden (disclaimer i havent played mota and im a lil rusty on the lore so this could still be up for changing lol). she died when cillian was about 2, so he doesn't remember her much and as far as he's concerned leandra is his real mother

all he has of his mother is an old green onyx pendant of hers which he wears under his clothes. he doesn't like letting people seeing it including his fam bc he doesn't want them to think they aren't "enough" for him if that makes sense

he's a rogue! tossing up between shadow & assassin but def another dual wielder like elspeth.

he's a very talented painter as well! though he doesn't do it a lot because after his father's death he became the main breadwinner and he felt obligated to put his energy into more practical stuff. so when he was doing crimes he mainly worked whatever capentry jobs he could find. after act 1 when he comes into the amell wealth he begins painting again.

he and carver both fought at ostagar, and cillian nearly died. the iconic red slash hawke usually has is, in cillian's case, a keloid scar from a darkspawn blade that nearly took his damn nose off :/ that, plus carver's death, plus just the horror of the blight itself and losing his home, TRULY traumatized tf out of him and when he does begin painting again, the blight is a strong inspiration for him. he finds a new appreciate for nature, flowers and plantlife, untainted by the blight. he also misses the forests of ferelden and it takes him a while to get acquainted with city life.

he's always had the lifelong nickname ciller like. like killer lol. it started innocently enough but when he got into his shadier line of work it really stuck. ironically varric is the ONLY person (with anders later) who doesn't use that name, because he notices straight away how uncomfortable and unhappy it makes him. varric just calls him hawke :)

he's very self conscious of his elven heritage. for most of his life he hides the tips of his ears under his hair, until about act 3 when he's accumulated enough power and cynicism confidence to not really gaf anymore.

he's primarily a blue!hawke, although it's a bit murky especially as he becomes more of a mythical figure to kirkwall and less of a person. he's also very reserved and likes hiding vulnerability behind humor. so with a few exceptions most of his friends think of him as a purple hawke, whereas the city sees him as red. at his core though, he's very gentle, thoughtful and selfless to a fault. he can be a complete pushover and really doesn't know how to say no to people, because he's so desperate for love and approval and acceptance. being a half-brother and also being half elven has always made him feel a bit like an outsider everywhere he went, and he compensates by doing the MOST for people who arguably dont deserve it.

speaking of that, cillian is an anders-mancer like i said the other day. after the chantry mess cillian is so broken up over it, but he forgives anders anyway and continues to protect him. he does that by lying and telling everybody that he killed anders so that nobody will look for him. varric and isabela are the only two who know the truth, and subsequently the name "ciller" inevitably sticks even though its. literally not true :(

sorry this was so lengthy but i have so much to say abt him and im thankful that you asked! i havent played da2 in years and this is actually gonna be my first full replay, so if there are any lore issues i'll get around to adjusting them eventually

[leemarkies]

my dragon age the veilguard thoughts after finishing the game (obviously spoilers below so read at your own peril)

companions

harding: she was an amazing companion, and imo the best companion to be introduced to rook first. she's a great tie back to inq for old fans and her va is amazing. i'm really happy they explored more dwarven lore with her personal quests. my only complaint is that i wish she was given her own "inquisitor faction" like the rest of the companions have. it wouldn't be a stretch to think that the inquisition wouldn't have SOME pull or influence in the north, considering how big it once was. they could have made a small inquisition faction camp in the crossroads since the inquisitor is still using morrigan's eluvian. idk it seems like a missed opportunity

neve: unfortunately since this is my first playthru i made some Mistakes (didn't finish her personal quests before recruiting davrin and then chose to help antiva) so she was veryyyy cold to my rook. i don't feel like i got to explore her character as much as i wanted to but ig that will happen during my next playthru lol. i think her story and role is super super interesting, we don't get to meet a lot of middle class vints ESPECIALLY middle class MAGE vints. i wish we could have delved more into tevinter society but maybe i just missed out on it. i also thought some of her lines were a little .. off. idk if it was the writing or the va but it was noticeable at times

bellara: ok i went into the game thinking i was not going to like her very much and boy was i wrong! LOVE HER. she might be a tad bit cringey (really only at the beginning) but i love having an elven follower who is proudly an elf (cough cough sera) i see a lot of myself in her (worried you're not enough, looking out for younger brother, etc.) and i loved how she was besties with emmrich. she wrongfully gets the "bubbly pixar" trope from dudebros which couldn't be further from the truth.

lucanis: definitely a favorite of mine and others for a reason! his va is amazing. seeing a possession of a non-mage was really really interesting. i wish we could have seen spite playing on lucanis's own emotions. like for instance anders already was upset about mage discrimination and the circles, justice just pushed the emotions FURTHER and out of control. is lucanis, on his own, spiteful? is what we see of spite partially based on lucanis's own thoughts? also the demon didn't seem like a "spite" demon, but more of a vengeance? or rage? demon. like i never saw lucanis spiteful? or spite being spiteful? just angry. also why are we retconning the crows. according to my trusted beloved zevran they are The Worst.

davrin: sooooo relieved on how bioware handled it's first (which is insane) black male main cast character. i loved seeing his relationship with the wardens and with asaan. he's multi-dimensional and honestly a pleasure to talk to. he's a good guy. confident. slightly sefl-righteous but that's ok!

emmrich: full disclosure i am feral for this man. i love how genuine he is. he is genuinely kind, genuinely compassionate, genuinely forgiving, genuinely friendly. there is no ulterior motive to his niceties and manners, he's just Good. he always says pls and thank you. he's the first person to ask if someone's ok when they're hurt. i love how they made him a bit posh and uppity as far as personal comfort but he doesn't treat the others with disdain for being different. he loves learning about the other factions and other cultures. my rook was a lord of fortune, decidedly NOT an academic, but he expressed interest in her work, even though their lives were so very different from each other. i also think the whole take of "necromancer who is afraid of dying" was neat.

taash: quickly became one of my most favorites of the group. loved their arc, loved seeing a character that has two identities: quinari and rivaini. loved seeing how they embraced both sides in their own way. also loved seeing a companion with their parent and how that relationship is. i think a lot of people can relate to taash and their mom's relationship, it felt very authentic. i think people who find them annoying need to see them as they are: a teenager or young adult. they are 19-22 MAX so yeah they gonna be a bit moody and that's ok

overall: wished we could yap with our companions more like dai/dao, i think that would have assuaged my complaints of wanting to know MORE. also loved how they very clearly have relationships/friendships with each other outside of rook's influence. i think the biggest thing missing is pushback and flaws. i wished these characters had bigger flaws that rook could either help them get over, ignore, or push them further in the wrong direction. it felt like regardless of the choices you make with each companion, everything ends up good in the end. i also felt like we had too many pointless cutscenes and also simultaneously not enough if that makes any sense. also, wtf was the gift thing, completely pointless.

cameos

the keep: i understand that bioware wrote themselves into a corner and that not every little decision you made in the past three games is 1) relevant or 2) worth bringing back but i really was disappointed with the limited past decisions. it made me feel like my past choices that were HUGE (who rules orlais?? who's divine?? hello????) didn't matter in the end, which sucks bc this is a role playing game? if my choices end up not mattering what's the point? who's to say that my choices in this game will matter? and i really hated how bioware devs were like "we limited the choices bc we didn't want the game to be riddled with cameos and one-liners" but actually bc they did this they MADE their cameos so bare and not worthwhile. dav morrigan may or may not have a son. varric mentions hawke in passing ONCE. huge implications to fan favorite and long lasting cast characters have been completely erased, it was like i was talking to a 3d print clone of varric and morrigan. yes they looked like them but what made them THEM was kinda gone. also don't even get me started on how all the choices literally revolved around solas and solas only. the devs also promised that they weren't going to retcon anyone's choices, but they did! harding mentions cole and blackwall and dorian acts like him and the inquisitor are friends, when people could have worldstates where none of these people were recruited into the inquisition!

morrigan: actually a cool use of her cameo, but it was jarring seeing her so readily accept her mother's role

varric: i will never forgive bioware for what they did

dorian: love him. wish we got more of him. noticing a theme here in my review.

inquisitor: unless your inquisitor romanced solas, it's kinda pointless having them here. the convos between rook and the inquisitor were like 2 min max. she shows up at the end to try to convince solas to stop being stupid, but really wasn't the catalyst to making him stop, mythal was.

combat:

i played on the easiest difficulty and turned off dying. <3 so i don't have much to say lol

environment:

i really prefer the more streamlined environments in da games so this was! awesome! loved how it wasn't open world HOWEVER you are rewarded for exploring more than what is strictly required for a quest. da thrives on small, detailed environments so the places we visited were amazing! really loved tevinter and antiva specifically. i wish the camera on our character was a little different bc i felt like i (the player) was staring down at the ground instead of looking up at the scenery. also, finding exactly where a quest objectives was pointing us to was sometimes difficult.

music:

meh. not horrible but not memorable at all. inq's music was sooooooooooooooo good. like elder scrolls level good and that's hard to compete with bc tes soundtracks are second to none. i just felt a lack of orchestral sound. at times the bg music was almost modern electric. i can't tell u a single time i was moved or touched by the music in this game, which is a shame bc it's hans zimmer. meanwhile i can put on wicked eyes and wicked hearts or in hushed whispers and immediately get goosebumps and imagine my inquisitor going thru those quests

plot:

i think the writing was a little disjointed in the first half of act 1, but after it got much much better. i do find it weird that bioware was obviously trying to make it friendly for new players, but i would never ever recommend starting dragon age with this as your first game (coming from someone who played inquisition first, then da2, then dao lol). there are some HUGE lore implications (which i will get into later) that will not make sense at all to new players, and honestly, might confuse them more. in contrast, inquisition didn't have that many huge lore changing issues so i didn't feel like i was missing out on the surprise by playing it first.

i also think this series in general has a power creep issue. and it's one that also makes no sense. last game you were fighting one self-proclaimed god and had an entire army, spies, stronghold, politicians, scouts, etc. at your disposal. this game you're fighting TWO gods and it's just u and ur besties <3 what's next? THREE gods? and honestly i get it it's tough for bioware to not try to outdo themselves in the next installment otherwise people would get bored. idk just a thought

i was kinda shocked that some MAJOR lore implications happened in side quests lol. like we disproved the entire andrastian faith in one cutscene of a side mission. and boom. everyone moves on. CRAZY. i liked seeing bellara and davrin talk about how all of this new information could make elves lives worse bc people will blame them for everything that's happening, but i wish there was more. let me see someone freak out over the golden city not being real. in inq we saw a LOT of character's struggle with their faith bc of corypheus's claims. now we have two confirmed elven "gods" wreaking havoc and everyone is like "lol this sucks. anyways" also there is a distinct lack of andrastian faith shown in this game. obviously comparing it to inq is maybe not the best example but even in da2 and dao there were tons of quests and npcs centered around the andrastian faith and i felt like that was missing here

not that i condone fantasy racism (or racism in general lol) but there wasn't enough of it. not one npc said anything about rook being an elf. apparently other players who played as a qunari rook said the same thing. meanwhile lavellan was being discriminated against left and right in inq. inq had some elves in higher statuses but they alwayyyyys remarked how they were outliers. for example, coulette from jaws of hakkon was an ASSISTANT to the professor and still said it was very rare for an elf to have her job and that she has to prove herself. but in dav there are elves everywhere in lots of different leadership roles. and the north is supposed to be WORSE for elves bc of tevinter slavery so??? and the qunari have invaded antiva and no one gives a qunari rook shit for it? it was just very jarring, felt like i was playing bg3

it was also weird seeing how every faction was just super happy to help! and got along with everyone! no! show me how the wardens are critical of the crows being assassins! show me the lord of foturnes being creeped out by the mourn watchers!

i also think the replayability isn't as strong as dai or dao. there's only like 2 really big decisions, one is at the very end. everything else doesn't really change the outcome of the game, unless you purposefully chose to not do the side/companion quests to get the "bad ending"

also, no zevran. which pissed me off.

tdlr: dragon age excels in making compelling, in-depth characters. i feel like the highs were high in this game, and the lows were low. i blame the crazy development process that went on behind the scenes for some of the issues. overall: 6/10. i had fun, i enjoyed it, but tbh it's probably my least fav game. will obviously still do dozens of playthrus.

[ass-deep-in-demons]

demons’ 31 Days of Dragon Age

Oct 13 - 20 (oops I lapsed)

Credit and thanks to @thievinghippo for creating this Dragon Age challenge!

Introduce your Hawke

Bioware's own (purple) Garrett Hawke is my canon Hawke 🥰​

Favorite DA2 romance & favourite companion

Favorite DA2 location

I just love castles what can I say

Favorite DA2 quest

Dissent. It's the one where you infiltrate the Gallows with Anders to find evidence that the Templars are abusing the Rite of Tranquillity. This was the first time I saw Justice's darker side. The angst that follows... hnggggg...

Favorite DA2 NPC

I like my women mad and power-hungry 💀​

Favorite DA2 scene/dialogue

[gif credit to dalishious]

Favorite DA2 lore/codex entry

Codex entry: The Amell Family

It's truly sad what happened to the Amells, isn't it? I still remember Grandmother talking about the balls that Lord Aristide used to hold at their estate and the Antivan violin players and dancers from Afsaana. No expense was spared and no one would dare miss it, lest someone think they weren't worthy of an invitation.

And then poor Revka had the child. Magical talent, running in one of Kirkwall's most prominent families? The templars had considered Lord Aristide to be viscount after Threnhold's arrest. Can you imagine the scandal had he been chosen? They whisked the child away to the Circle, and the Amells simply had no luck after that. Leandra ran off with a Fereldan mage and then Damion was accused of smuggling. Poor Lord Fausten almost bankrupted his family trying to get the charges dropped, but I hear Viscount Marlowe simply wanted the Amells out of the picture. And it worked, too, didn't it? By the time Lord Fausten got sick, there was only young Gamlen left and a mountain of debt.

I spoke to Dulci just the other day, and apparently Gamlen is now living in some Lowtown shack—sounds like the sort of character you'd cross a street to avoid! And let's not even talk about the estate.

Mother says we should remember the Amells because that sort of thing could happen to any of us. You know the old saying: "A Marcher's fortune rises and falls with the tide." If you ask me, this is just another misfortune that magic brings to honest folk. Andraste help that poor family, whatever lies in store for them.

—Excerpt from a letter written by Lady Amelie de Montfort

[marvel-ousnesss]

There for you (Valerio Montesinos x reader)

@nervousbailiffpicklecookie's request: 15, 16, 17 w/ Valerio from elite. from this promptlist. 

Warning: abusive parent, alcohol, angst

A/N: Thanks so much for reading. Love you all so, so much 

Wordcount: 3140

masterlist

You stirred the last sip of your drink in circles, blinking a few times before looking at it with a newfound interest. You were normally a gleeful drunk but at the moment you could only think of what awaited at home. All you wanted to do was enjoying the night but things had been going south ever since you had arrived. 

Samuel had shown up at the club, making Guzman more bitter than usual; hence, Lu was practically joint by his hip. Carla, her head had been spinning around Christian for a few months now and, even if you repetitively tried to drag her away from him and to the dance floor, she gravitated toward him every time. And Ander, well, you hadn’t seen him for like an hour… which left you out of options. 

“What the hell”, you mumbled while you emptied your drink and gracelessly made your way to Nadia and the new girl. They weren’t your usual crowd but you had worked with Nadia for a few projects and she had always been nice to you, so you went for it. 

"Nadia, hey! I can’t believe you're here, you look great." You plastered a smile on your face, determined to give having a good time one last try. You waved a barman and, with a gesture of your hand, ordered shots for the three of you. 

"Thanks, Y/N, you too". She smiled back at you. "Oh, this is Rebeka."

"Hey, nice to meet you."

She gave you a nod. "Won’t Guzmán kick you out of his little clique if he sees you with us?"

"I’ll take my chances", you shrugged. "But he's all bark, no bite."

At that moment, your drinks arrived. 

Rebeka took hold of one of the glasses and so did you. 

She raised one. "In that case, listen up.” She looked between the two of you, prompting you to pay attention. "I'd screw that guy after, maybe, four beers. That one, after two" your eyes followed her finger around the room. "And that one, she laughed, oh my god I would do him after a non-alcoholic beer, she pointed at a last one. Shit, I’d fuck him after drinking diet coke, what bout you." 

You scanned the club and, with a frown, pretended to consider all the different choices. After a few seconds, you drank your shot and smiled at them. 

"Okay, ladies, keep up." Your index finger jumped around the room while you chanted,  "Three, five, three, four, and," you paused, then pointed at a guy in the middle of the room. "Maybe seven," you giggled. "All of those being counted in tequila shots." 

Nadia rolled her eyes with a smile and Rebeka laughed. "What about you?" she asked Nadia. 

"Oh no, I don't drink so I wouldn't really know how to play."

"Your loss," you teased in a sing-song voice. 

"Yeah, you're really missing out," Rebeka lifted her glass.

Nadia's eyes drifted between the two of you and she gave in and took hold of Rebeka's drink. However, Valerio bumped into her when she was about to take a sip as he and Guzmán reentered the club animatedly chatting. 

"Sorry." He turned towards Nadia with a look of concern. "I'm so sorry about that."

She brushed him off and just laughed, "Now that's definitely a sign from above."

Rebeka snorted, "Well if you ask me, he doesn't really look like an envoy from heaven."

"I can be anything you want," his voice was smoky as he stalked behind her.  "A demon, an angel just-" he lifted his gaze and caught yours- "say the word."

He stepped past her and closer to you, then took a small leap and sat on the stool next to you. 

"That's a lie," you scoffed. "You're anything but an angel."

"True," his hand traveled to your waist. “But that has never bored you.”

Nadia gave you and Rebeka an awkward smile, "see you guys in a bit."

At least she knew how to read the mood. Rebeka, on the other hand, showed no intention of leaving. Just your luck, Lu appeared behind her with the plastic smile she had perfected over the years. 

"Hi, good evening, I believe we haven't been properly introduced." she beamed, "I'm Valerio's sister."

Rebeka forced a smile. 

"Half-sister," Valerio taunted, his hand stroking your side softly. 

You leaned into his touch, your body began to remind you how much you had missed him. 

"Anyway," Lu rolled her eyes, pretending not to notice. " Mind if I steal you off for a second? Later guys", she winked, leaving with Rebeka. 

Valerio mouthed a 'thank you' and hopped off the stool, bringing you closer to him. "You avoided me the whole day," he stated. "Why?"

You gulped, trying to find a proper answer. 

"My dad's in Valencia, and, well, my mom's been kind of in a mood lately,” you admitted. "But let's not talk about it now,” Your voice was velvety as you leaned toward him slowly.

Before he could argue, you pulled his golden chain for your lips to meet his in a tender kiss and your hands traveled around his neck. However, he saw right through you. Instead of urging to go deeper, like he usually would, he moved away from you and, when your gaze fell, used one of his hands to lift your chin. 

"I know it's technically not mine, but if you wanna crash at my place, just say the word." 

"Thanks," you smiled and took a deep breath. "But let’s not think about that now, we have some catching up to do.” 

Valerio knew exactly what you meant and, to say the least, was happy to oblige. He guided you to the dance floor, this time stepping behind you. Again, his hands found their way to your waist and began toying with the hem of your shirt, later moving to the sides of the waistline of your pants. Your arm snaked around his collar and tucked on his raven curls, prompting him to bury his face in the delicate spot where your shoulder met your neck. 

You had missed this deeply, even sometimes it troubled you to think of him. Most people didn’t get to see past the drug loving party boy facade, but he had been there for you in your darkest moments and had proven himself one of the most caring and loyal people anyone could ask for. 

That was exactly why you were afraid of losing him. It was one thing to have fun among friends, pretty much what you were doing right now; and a complete other to let any feelings into the mix. Feelings that, you knew, had been haunting you for a long time now. 

Although now was not the moment to think of that, so you let yourself enjoy the rest of the party. Having Valerio by your side gave you a significant boost of endorphins; you laughed, danced, and drank your ass off, momentarily forgetting what expected you once you arrived home. 

Huge mistake. 

A headache woke you up next morning, according to your phone, you still had half an hour before your alarm went off. But there was no use on trying to fall back asleep, your throat was too dry and, for some reason, your room had been invaded by some awfully fruity and cloying smell.

 With a groan, you stumbled to the kitchen and dove into the refrigerator. After grabbing a glass of cold water, you closed the door, coming face to face with your mother. 

She was in gym clothes, ready to head out for a run, so you prayed for your encounter to be as short-lived as possible. You weren’t in the mood to deal with her right now, and you had to get ready for school if you wanted to head to Ander’s before class. 

“Morning,” you greeted. 

“Glad you’re awake honey, I wanted to talk to you before you left.” 

She asked you to sit with her on the couch for a moment, giving you what she thought was a kind smile. 

You forced out a matching one, “what’s up, is everything okay, mom? 

She sighed. “Y/N, dear, you know I love you. But you can’t let loose like you did last night.” She grabbed one of your hands and you involuntary stiffened. “Our family has a carefully built name, and we all have to do our part to take care of it.” 

There was no point in arguing with her. “It was a mistake, mom, I’m sorry I went a bit over the top.” 

“A bit over the top?” She scoffed, “you arrived home at four in the morning, stumbling through the door. God knows where you even drank that much.”  

“I just went out with a few friends from school. Ander was there, and so was Nadia. Remember her?” 

 She let go of your hand and pinched her temples, exasperated. “It’s not about them. You are our daughter and need to begin acting like such.” 

“I'm sorry, it won't happen again.” 

"you better make sure of it," she foretold. 

Grateful it was over, you let yourself relax. Your hands tangled themselves in your hair and you put it into a messy bun. 

“Honey, I’m only gonna ask this once,” this time, she took hold of both of your hands and turned around to completely face you. “Where did you get those bruises?”

She sounded disgusted and defeated, but tried to evoke interest and concern. You looked at her, perplexed, and checked your hands and arms. "What bruises?" 

her cynical laugh made you gulp. 

Without warning, your mother's hand landed on your cheek, leaving a burning sensation behind. “I told you, I'm not gonna ask again.” 

You couldn’t bring yourself to speak, not knowing what was she talking about.

Grumbling something under her breath, she grabbed your arm and stood up, guiding you to the guest restroom. Once there, she pushed you toward the mirror. "These bruises, you little slag."

You mentally cursed, flashbacks of the party coming back to you at speed of light. Then you faced her once again, her arms were crossed over her chest as she looked at you with disgust. 

You released a breath, thinking of a plausible excuse. “I burnt myself with my flat iron.” Your tone showed no emotion, but your nose wrinkled, giving you away. 

“Like hell you did.” She breathed deeply, then looked at you in a much sympathetic way. "Please, don't lie to me."

“I’m not,” you insisted, "I burnt myself getting ready".

“Oh dear, why do you do this to us?” She sighed, pacing back to the living room. “Your father and I are just trying to do what's best for you, honey.” She sat back down burying her head in her hands. 

A lake of tears spouted in your eyes. "Do you even think of what's best for me, mom?

Sometimes I feel like you just see me as a vessel for all the label 'Y/L/N' is to you."

As soon as the words left your lips, you realized the mistake you had made. Again, your mother's eyes shot daggers at you. 

“You ungrateful brat, after all that your father and I have done, after what we've sacrificed to give you the life you have.” She stood up. “Of course, we see you as a Y/L/N 'cause that's you are. Without us, you're worthless.” 

As she advanced toward you, you stepped back.

"Please, don't hit me," your blurted, eyes invaded by fear. 

She closed her eyes and huffed, running a hand through her hair. "Just, go get dressed, you're gonna be late."

You quietly got ready for school and exited the house without saying goodbye. As you rode your bike to Ander’s house, which was a few blocks away, you found yourself stopping a minute to call your father, but didn’t say anything aside from the usual, awfully brief ‘good morning’ that was routine. 

You opened your front camera and relaxed a bit when you saw the slap hadn’t left any visible marks - yet. What you were going through was still a bit new to you, your mother had hit you for the first time a month after your uncle’s death, two years ago. No one at school knew about it, aside from Ander, and you intended to keep it that way.

You put your phone away and continued pedaling through the familiar streets. Once you arrived at your friend's house, you left your bike on the sidewalk and knocked on the front door. Azucena was the one to answer, making you unconsciously guide your hand to the spot on your arm where your mother's had been. 

She greeted you with a sense of warmth that put you at ease and invited you in while Ander finished getting ready. You almost spit your coffee when she nonchalantly asked about the red spots on your cheek but assured it was just an allergic reaction to a new powder. 

“Took you long enough,” you sneered. 

He rolled his eyes but greeted you with a hug. After kissing Azucena goodbye, the two of you left his house. You arrived at school with a few minutes to spare, even after the small detour to Nadia and Omar's shop. You fixed the folds of your skirt and stepped inside, parting ways with Ander and heading to your locker so you could fetch some books for the day. Staring at yourself through the small mirror hung on the small door, you sighed and used a small green stick concealer to get rid of the redness.

As if on cue, Valerio's frame appeared behind your shoulder as soon as you were done. You smiled at him through the mirror and closed your locker, turning around to face him. 

"Just who I wanted to see," he hummed, stretching a hand out for you. 

Once you took it he twirled you around, bringing you closer and landing his arm on your shoulder. Looking up at him, you quirked a brow

"Anything, in particular, that's got you this happy?"

"Nope."  He popped the 'p' sound. ''Guess it's your doing."

You dismissed him with a hum and a quick peck, then began walking to class. The rest of the day went by uneventful, until the classes ended. You headed straight to the locker room, changed into a tank top and a pair of gym shorts, and made your way to the school gym. That was one of the safest places you could think of, as none of your friends used it. 

Popping your earbuds in, you jumped on the treadmill and began warming up. The sweat ran down your forehead as you ran, panting and mouthing the lyrics to the song playing. Right after slowing the pace so you could cool off, you saw someone entering out the corner of your eye but gave it no mind. To get your attention, Valerio stepped onto the treadmill next to yours and began jogging. 

You took an earbud off.

"Hello, Jell-O,"

"Hey V," you snorted, patting your face dry. Once done, you placed the towel on your shoulder, covering the plum subtle marks that had began to appear on your arm.

"Wanna bother my sister? Guzman and I are headed to Cayetana's and-."

Your brows frowned as you took a sip of water. "Not really, no."

Any trace of excitement left his face as he turned the treadmill off and stepped behind yours, waiting for you to finish. "Come on, Y/N/N,"he whined. "Just gonna be like- two hours, and I'll personally escort you to the mass."

"I can't." You stepped down, facing him. "Besides, I have to shower and stuff. It's better if I head home."

"Why don't you shower here?" He strode next to you as you exited the gym. "That way, we can make a pits stop at your place and the three of us head over to Cayetana's."

"Sorry V, I can't, I-" 

You let your words die when you caught him staring at your face. The blush you got after running was already beginning to wear off, and the concealer you'd been wearing had worn off with all the sweat. Valerio's fingers caressed the crimson bruise that had appeared on your right cheek. 

"How long have you been hiding this?" His voice was barely above a whisper. 

"It's nothing, really," you tried to disregard the topic, "just an allergy I got from this new powder I'm using."

"Please don't lie to me."

Those words sent a chill down your spine, your eyes tried to widen but you forced yourself to kept a straight face, although it didn't last. Defeated, you looked at him with glassy eyes. You couldn't bring yourself to lie to him anymore, not when he was looking at you with concern and shock radiating from every feature of his face. 

"Two years," you disclosed, swallowing hard. 

It hurt him to know that you hadn't confided in him when you were at your worst, you could see it. But he knew that, now that he knew, he needed to place those feelings aside and be there for you, like he should have been from the beginning. 

"And, you've been dealing with this on your own?"

He moved closer to you and moved to bring you closer, knocking the towel off your shoulder. When he saw the rest of the bruises, he stepped back so he could properly study them. Your head fell to the side in shame. His hand trailed up your arm delicately and traced a feathery touch over the sore skin. When you gathered the courage to look at him, his eyes revealed a glimmer that match your own.  

He couldn't stop the question from rolling off his tongue. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I- I," "I'm sorry." Your throat tightened and, after a sharp intake of breath, you pleaded, "I- please, don't be mad."

Tears began to fall down your cheeks and Valerio's heart broke. As a harrowing whimper abandoned you he wrapped his body around yours and rested his head on top of yours, letting you bury yourself in the comforting scent of his Versace cologne and the warmth of his embrace. 

"Never," he mumbled against your hair. 

You immediately hugged him tighter. Hearing that soothed you, but your crying didn't stop, it had been a long time since you last let yourself go and, right now, this was just what you needed. You focused on the strong heartbeat pounding against your ear and relaxed, allowing yourself some much needed catharsis. 

"I love you," you breathed, tilting your head to look at him.

"I love you too." The smile he gave you took your breath away.

Requests open!

[the-lightning-mage]

OC Interview: Beatrix Cousland

I saw this floating around and decided to do it for some of mine (Graham’s up next). I’m including some of my own questions, and I’ve seen various other questions used by different people. If you specifically came up with some of them, let me know so I can credit you! This is for my Warden and is set anywhere from after the beginning of Act 1 of DA2 to before she leaves to find the cure.

Introduction

Can you introduce yourself?

She smirks and scoffs slightly before she starts talking, “Prepare yourself for a long list of titles. I am Beatrix Cousland, Arlessa of Amaranthine, Warden-Commander of Ferelden, Queen of Ferelden, and Hero of Ferelden. But those closest to me call me Bea.”

What is your gender identity, orientation, and relationship status?

“I am a woman. I like men and women, though I do have a preference for men. And,” her smirk breaks into a full blown grin, “I am married to the most wonderful man in all of Thedas. You may know him as King Alistair, but he’s more than that.”

Where and when were you born? 

“I was born in Castle Cousland in Highever, like all other Couslands before me, and I was born in 9:10 Dragon.”

What is your weapon of choice and fighting style?

“I’m good with any blade really, though I stay away from Greatswords. In front of people who have not seen me fight before, I enjoy dual-wielding longswords, because the look of intimidation is priceless. I usually spring for two daggers though. One of which belonged to Duncan,” a slight look of sadness appeared on her face, but she shook her head and continued, “As for my fighting style... I’m a rogue, through and through. My friend Zevran taught me some of the techniques that the Antivan Crows use, and a friend of his, a pirate, taught me her personal style of dueling when we met her in The... we met her Denerim.”

Lastly, are you happy?

“I am, now. I struggled to find happiness in the beginning of the Blight. I don’t think I would’ve made it without Alistair. But now? I’m happier than I thought I would be. I miss my family, and my friends, but I am in the best place I could be now.”

Family and Friends

What’s your family like? What is your relationship with them?

That look of sadness is back, “My... most of my blood relatives are dead. My parents, my nephew, my sister-in-law... The only close relative that is still alive is my older brother, Fergus, and he is very, very dear to me. I of course have Alistair. I love him more than anything in the world. Then there is the Wardens and my closest friends, and I consider them my family,” the sadness fades, and she starts laughing, “If you had told me that I would consider Nathaniel Howe family back when the Blight started I would’ve never have had believed you.”

Have you ever ran away from home?

“Hmmm... I’ve sneaked out, and I’ve fled from my home, but I’ve never ran away.”

Would you consider marriage or having children?

“I’m already married, so I did consider marriage. Now, I don’t think I would ever remarry if... well, I don’t want to think about that. As for children... I want to have children, but,” she places a hand on her stomach, “Wardens. Our fertility is so low that it’s practically non-existent. And given that both Alistair and I have gone through the Joining... At the very least we will adopt a child. Maker knows that they could use it. The nobles who oppose it can go to the Void.”

Do you secretly hate one of your friends?

“Why would I be friends with someone I hate?” She makes a disgusted face, “Am I friendly with people I dislike on the other hand? Yes, sadly. It’s part of being both a Commander and part of the nobility. It’s one of the biggest downfalls of the nobility.”

Which friend knows everything about you?

“Well, Alistair of course, but that’s a given. Other than him... it’s probably a rather odd tie between Zevran and Nathaniel. How Nathaniel and I got to that point... I still struggle to understand it. Leliana and I used to be closer, but I don’t get to see her as often as Zev.”

Other

Are you religious?

“It’s complicated. I believe in Andraste and the Maker, but the Chantry is a whole other beast. This world cannot be what Andraste had envisioned. I mean, look at how long it took for the Chantry we know to be established.”

What is one thing from your past that you would change?

“I would save Oren. As much as I hate saying it, saving my parents would change too much, but Oren. He was far too young.”

Are your parents proud of you, or would they be?

“I think so. When I said goodbye to my parents I think they believed that I would succeed as a Warden, but I don’t think they saw me becoming the Commander or Queen.”

Choices

Drink or food?

She gives an incredibly confused look, “What kind of question is that?”

Cats or dogs?

“I love all animals, but I am very Fereldan woman. I may or may not have an small army of mabaris in Denerim.”

Optimist or pessimist?

“I try to be an optimist. As Commander, I have to be. The Wardens under my command look to me, and I don’t want them to be scared. Though it can be hard sometimes. When I start to become more pessimistic, I focus on just the actions themselves.”

Sassy or Sarcastic?

“...Sarcastic?”

Have you ever

Been caught sneaking out?

“...yes. And no, I won’t be elaborating on that. I don’t think a certain person would appreciate it.”

Broken a bone?

“Yes, once when I was child. I was thrown from a horse. I broke my left arm. Then,” her face contorts in complete disgust, “when were dealing with the mess in Amaranthine, I broke some ribs. Those healed almost instantly thanks to Anders. It’s a shame he decided to leave, but I don’t hold it against him. The other Wardens are going to hate me for saying that.”

Received flowers?

“Look at my titles. Of course I have. The best however, was a single flower.” She gets a dreamy look as she continues to speak, “The first time Alistair really, really tried to flirt with me and tell me how he feels, he gave me this single rose. He had plucked it when we had stopped in Lothering. That moment when he had given it to me... Maker, it was easily the sweetest and cheesiest thing anyone had ever done for me. I am so happy to have him by my side.”

Ghosted someone?

“...No?”

Pretended to laugh at a joke you didn’t get?

“Again. Look at the titles.”

[koriandrsucker]

Hey it’s miss geek here I’ve finished the story I will need to post it in sections so I will label them part 1 by MG part 2 by MG etc

Thank u so much! It was really sweet. Reading Jason getting some love is always the best. If you want me to erase this, I will, but, I’ll post it whole here.

AU where Kori is the best baby sitter in the entire universe… or is she?

by Miss Geek.

“What the hell is this Harper”

“Well I’m pretty sure it’s called playing Jaybird”

“No you moron I mean why is Kori here” Jason growled in Roy’s ear away from the giggles and laughter.

Roy gives him his signature shit-eating grin and replies “I would have thought Bruce would’ve given that talk Jay, Ah well seems I have to do it you see young grasshopper when two people love each-“

“Shut up Harper, I meant why is Kori in your house” Jason was seething, to say the least.

“Ok jaybird listen Lian wanted Kori to babysit her. Jade and I couldn’t say no to her she gave me the eyes ” Roy said, looking at his girlfriend and daughter chatting animatedly with Kori.

Jason sighed, he knew those eyes pretty well. Lian Harper was one of those very few that could get through the lone wolf that was Jason Peter Todd. The five-year-old knew she had him wrapped around her small pinky finger and Jason, being her godfather, only added to the fact he could not say no to her.

“Ok, whatever she’s here to babysit that means I don’t have to be here. I’ll see you-“

“Uhhh well yeah you see about that-“ Roy said sheepishly.

Jason turned his steely blue-eyed gaze at his best friend (if he’s being honest his only friend) and said, “what did you do Harper."

“Well if we are being accurate I didn’t do anything it was your goddaughter that requested to you both being here,” Roy said while he glanced at his girlfriend getting ready to leave for their date and giving Kori any last minutes things she would need to take care of Lian for the night.

“So, Kori and I are babysitting Lian,” Jason looked at Roy in absolute skepticism.

“No...Kori is in charge and technically babysitting Lian you are just here for Lian's entertainment. She said, and I quote, ‘unca jay is funny’“ Roy said smirking the whole time.

“Why can’t I be in charge I can take care of her just fine on my own. I survived the streets on my own until I was 12 so I can handle babysitting her myself for a few hours” Jason protested.

Roy looked to his best friend/brother/partner in crime and replied “I love you like a brother Jaybird and I know without a doubt you will protect Lian with your life but..you can be a walking hazard at times”.

“What? How?“

“Well there was the time you burnt water while trying to heat her milk in her bottle-“

“That was years ago Harper, give me a break-“

“Ok, what about last week when you put the toaster on fire trying to make Lian cheese toasties”.

“I still can’t figure out how a five-year-old knew how to use a fire extinguisher. In my defense, that incidence speaks volumes about your household Harper”

Jason really didn’t want to be alone with Kori.

It’s not that Kori was horrible to be around, in fact, she was the nicest person Jason has ever met. Korina Marie Anders was a pleasant girl who he had been acquainted with six years ago at his adopted brother's 21st birthday. She introduced herself to him and Jason found himself lost for words for the first time in his life, much to the amusement of his entire adopted family.

Even to this day he still thought about her but he was always wary to talk to her for many reasons, one of them due to her history with his brother, “Prick” Grayson (no he didn’t get his name wrong, in Jason's mind that is the name he had christened his older adopted brother). Kori had a brief dating history, by brief meaning literally under three months. The reason why they broke up was unknown to everyone.

However, Jason was not afraid of his brother. If he didn't approach Kori, it was more the fact that he convinced himself of not being good enough and that she would never see him in that way. After all, if she didn’t want Grayson, who all of Jason’s life had known to be Bruce’s golden child, the best son, the prince of Gotham, and everyone’s favorite guy, why on gods green earth would she want him. HIM. Jason Peter Todd, the street kid Bruce Wayne took in, the troublemaker, the dark prince of Gotham.

The only people who he can handle their presence are Roy, Jade, Lian, Alfred, and maybe Tim, on a good day. It’s safe to say Jason got rid of any hope to catch the eye of Korina Anders, but that did not mean his crush went away.

He got out his trip down memory lane as Roy spoke again.

“I don’t really think your problem is about me trusting you.”

“What do you mean,” Jason narrows his eyes at his friend.

“The real issue is you can’t trust yourself around Kori,” Roy replied.

As his best friend, Jason did confide in Roy his crush on the redhead and since then Roy was on a mission to get the two together. Unfortunately, Jason always dodged every plan Roy had. Well, all except this plan. Unbeknownst to Jason, Roy knew what he was doing putting Lian into this. It would make Jason unable to say no.

His plan was working so far, he only hoped it would work in everyone’s favor. Jason’s silence was enough to convince Roy that he still had feelings for Kori. With that reassurance, he called over to his girlfriend. 

“Hey babe come on, we will have to leave now, our reservation is at 7. Thanks again Kors for the recommendation and for looking after Lian tonight.”

Jade turned to Kori gratefully. “We honestly can’t thank you enough it’s been a while we have been out without Lian.”

“Babe, please, she knew how to swear in Vietnamese at three years old, and I sure as hell can't speak a word of Vietnamese, so where would she get THAT from.” Roy retorted, knowing full well he won that argument and the look on his girlfriend meant she knew it too.

Instead, she rolls her eyes at him and turns to her daughter. “Lian be a good girl for your aunt Kori and uncle Jason, ok? Mommy and daddy will be back soon, and Kori, you have both our numbers don’t hesitate to call if you need us”.

“Ok, mommy, I’ll be good me. Aunt Kori and unca Jay will have buckets of fun, won’t we?" As she turned to her uncle and aunt.

Kori answered with, “yes, we will Lian”

Jason was still wrapping around his head that Lian called Kori her aunt. 

“Aunt Kori?” Jason whispered to Roy.

Roy’s reply was not what Jason expected. “Well, actually, Jade and I were hoping that title will change to godmother if all goes well.”

That left Jason lost for words while Kori and Lian waved goodbye.

Lian turned to her uncle and aunt. "What are we gonna do first? Can we play princesses? Oh, what about pony island instead or how about -?” 

Lian Harper was a talker and Jason didn’t know how to control, as he liked to call them, Lian's sugar rush mode.

Kori turns to Lian and says “Did you finish your homework from school?" 

Lian went sheepishly quiet and told Kori “Umm, no aunt Kori.”

Kori gave Lian a smile.

“Well, if you finish your homework we can do what you want.”

Lian thought carefully for a minute and to Jason’s surprise, she calmly replied. “Ok aunt Kori, do you pinky promise?”

She stuck out her pinky only for Kori to take and wrap it around her own. Satisfied that her aunt Kori won’t break her promise, she moved into the kitchen to start her homework. Kori then turned to Jason who had a blank expression.

Kori was concerned so she asked, “Hey Jason everything alright?”

“How did you do that,” he asked still in a daze.

“Do what?“

"Get her to listen to you. She never does that willingly, she usually needs to be bribed.”

Kori smiles at him and he feels his knees buckling. He sometimes forgets the effect she has on him.

“I’ve had a lot of practice with my brother”.

“Ah, right.” He replies and resists the urge to ask her what’s been on his mind.

Instead, she speaks. “Lian tells me you are favorite uncle,” Kori says with a knowing smile.

Jason gives her his signature smirk and tells her, “I’m her only uncle that she sees regularly, so there’s no competition. Not really”.

In a way, Jason has indeed been there for Lian since the beginning and she sees her other uncles, from Dick to Wally, only time to time as Roy isn’t hostile towards them anymore but still, the friendship will never be how it once was. Jason knows fully well how burnt bridges are beyond repair.

However, Kori shakes her head “No, I’ve seen her interact with others. It’s not the same way she looks at you. You should have seen her face when Jade told her you’ll be coming over. Her face lit up like the Fourth of July.”

Jason gives her a genuine smile, something she has not ever seen on the man before her. Always a smirk or a tight smile. So seeing this new smile she realizes it’s an expression she would like to see more of. Hopefully.

Before Jason has the chance to say anything, Lian comes back from the kitchen, finishing her work.

They all decided to play some games much to the embarrassment of Jason. Lian made both of them play pretty pony island. Kori thought Jason cooperating with Lian's demands was adorable. Jason thought he might die.

Kori then went to start making dinner for them all.

Lian turned to her favorite uncle and said “I like aunt Kori, unca Jay”

“Me too, kid.”

“Can you marry her then?”

Jason didn’t think it was possible to choke on air but he proved himself wrong.

“Wait what??? Who told- hold on a minute” Jason tried to get his bearings right before answering his goddaughter. “What are you talking about.”

“Daddy said you like her, so if you marry her she can come round all the time with you right?” She asked innocently and again she used those eyes.

Jason sadly replied, “I don’t think she likes me like that, kid.”

“Why not? your the best unca ever”

She ran over to him to give him the biggest hug she could give. Jason had a habit early in life not to live up to people's expectations because he felt he always fell short on those expectations. However, with Lian, it seemed he could do no wrong and with that, he hugged her back as much as the five years could handle.

That’s how Kori found them and she didn’t want to split them until they did themselves. They both turned to Kori as she explained dinner was ready.

Dinner surprisingly went smooth Lian didn’t make a fuss. It was then time for bed and Lian wanted a story. Jason knew her favorite story was Robin Hood, so as he read the story animatedly to her, Kori watched on the sidelines, smiling the entire time.

Lian then got put to bed as Kori left the room Lian turned to her uncle.

“Unca Jay, aunt Kori is the best babysitter in the universe but you're the best unca ever. I love you unca Jason,” and she drifted to sleep.

Jason smiled, kissed her forehead, and slowly crept out the room.

To his surprise, Kori was right outside the room.

“I told you, you're her favorite uncle. Not that I blame her,” she said with a smirk.

Is she flirting? Jason can say he wasn’t sure, so he tested his theory.

“Oh really,” he said.

“Around the people you love, you don’t pretend to be something you're not. It’s clear as day how you feel about them. You don’t hide behind a mask” Kori replied.

Immediately, Jason had the answer to his question about her flirting with him.

This must be why Prick Grayson and her broke up. Grayson was known to hide behind a mask, he portrayed one image but had another behind closed doors. As friends, it would not be as much of an issue, however, in a relationship, it’s another playing field and with a relationship with Korina Anders, who wears her heart on her sleeve, Jason was sure it caused them to clash.

“It’s difficult to show emotions when you're being raised by Bruce Wayne,” he isn’t sure why he was sticking up for Grayson or maybe it was for himself.

“Well you seem to be doing alright for yourself,” she said shyly.

“I won’t lie to you it’s not like that every day. Some days are better than others,” he admitted.

This is why he didn’t want to be alone with her. Stupid Harper.

"Why won’t you lie to me, I wouldn’t be offended if you did,” she said looking confused.

Without his brain's permission, he blurted out “You’re too good to be lied to.”

His face sure turned the color of Kori’s hair.

Kori smiled at him and admitted, “I heard what you said to Lian about me not liking you in that way. I wasn’t eavesdropping, I promise."

She suddenly turned, ashamed of Jason thinking the worst of her. However, Jason just wanted to crawl in an imaginary hole. Anywhere, please, Lord Almighty, but here with her.

“Please Kori just forget you heard that” Jason pleaded.

“Why” she whispered.

“Because I’d rather forget than you reject me.”

“Who said I would reject you” Jason looks at Kori stunned.

Kori is looking at her feet because she, like him, spilled her feelings.

“Are you serious? Since when?”

“Remember last summer in Gotham? You came back for a visit. I tried to go up to you but it was hard, I didn’t know if you saw me in that way, you always had that too cool for school vibe since I met you. I’m a nerd with an Astrophysics degree. Like I said I didn’t think u would look my way”.

Jason was floored. He never thought this would ever be a conversation but now it’s out in the open. He can’t help but wonder what if.

So right then and there he decides to throw caution to the wind and take the risk.

If anybody knew Jason Peter Todd, they would know he loves to take risks. He moves closer to Kori until there are barely inches apart and whispers to her.

“Trust me, I’ve been seeing you that way for six years, I’m pretty sure I won’t change my mind”.

Kori now was blushing and she couldn’t fight it down. This man in front of her could bring out emotions she never knew she was capable of but she accepted it.

“Me neither.”

She whispered back, afraid if she talked any louder their moment could break. And so with that, reassuring him, his feelings were reciprocated he went in for a chaste kiss. However, the moment his lips landed on hers, Kori turned it more passionate. Even if he was not expecting that from her, Jason allowed Kori to explore all she wanted, after all, he thought she might as well get used to what will be hers and hers alone.

So Jason could agree with Lian that Korina Marie Anders was indeed the best babysitter in the universe.

Now he owed the smug Roy a huge favor.

Hmm, maybe playful revenge is how he’ll show his appreciation. After all, he can’t lose his touch now, can he?

[travllingbunny]

The 100: 7x10 A Little Sacrifice

After The Flock - the show’s weakest episode in a long time - and an unfortunate hiatus after that episode, A Little Sacrifice helped get season 7 back on track. It’s one of the best episodes of the season: it was exciting, things finally happened - a lot, we got a big revelation about what the endgame is likely to be all about, there were fights, an attempted mass murder/genocide (what would a season of The 100 be without those?), some really good character work, and the first major death of the season. 

Yes, Charmaine Diyoza was not a main character. but after being introduced as a villain in season 5, she has grown into one of the most memorable and interesting characters on the show - in large part due to Ivana Miličević’s charismatic performance - with a complex and morally ambiguous characterization and backstory (which I really hope to maybe learn more about one day in the prequel flashbacks? Please?). She has been one of my favorite characters since season 5, and I loved her development and her relationship with Octavia, her mother/daughter relationship between her and Hope, her past fights to protect “expendable” prisoners and her S7 attempts to find peace and renounce violence, and hope (!) that at least her daughter will get to have a different and better life where she wouldn’t need to resort to it.  She became a (not so little) sacrifice for the better future we saw her dreaming of in season 5 in that conversation with Kane - maybe that dream is something we will see the new generations live in the series finale?

The one thing I wasn’t too happy about (I was OK with the lack of Bellamy cliffhanger since we got him in the promo for 7x11 right afterwards) was that Clarke did not have any more screentime than in the other recent episodes. But, especially on rewatch, she had some great subtle little moments.

You know what is not subtle? Sheidheda. He’s finding new ways to be completely OTT. This time he can finally stop pretending to be Russell, so he gets a makeover, more in tune with the...interesting Grounder fashion styles, chews the scenery even more, and then - thanks to Madi - he loses an eye (just as he did during his original lifetime), getting closer to his season 6 Emperor-like look, though he’s missing a cloak this time. He also doesn’t have enough facial hair to twirl his moustache, but he actually hisses at one point. This part of the episode was, this time, really fun and intense, including a really good fight scene and some really emotional and important moments for Indra, Madi and Murphy, but doesn’t need much analysis and doesn’t require attention on rewatch.

I’m still not sure how/if these two storylines will connect. But I can see a thematic connection of sorts: Sheidheda is the embodiment of the worst parts of the Grounder culture, with the worship of violence and power and killing all those who oppose you; and not just that - he’s all egotism taken to the extreme, the kind of “wild beast” as Anders would despise, but in this case, he would actually have good reasons to. On the other hand, we have the Disciples with their sterile white rooms, order and the propaganda of the abnegation of self in the favor of the collective, and dreaming of “transcendence” instead of trying to get back to the “old ways”. But they really come off as two sides of the same coin: both ideologies are about worship of and subjugation to a leader, both believe violence is the solution, and both are against love and see it as a danger.

Brand new opening titles - these opens start with a shot of Sanctum and end with the Bardo Stone Room with the Anomaly Stone - and guess what makes a cameo near the end of the credits? That’s right, Earth. I was starting to think that any return to Earth won’t happen, but now I’m not so sure.

Sanctum

The episode opens with the immediate aftermath of Shady’s massacre of the Faithful. We see Madi’s friend Rex (that’s his name according to the credits) - the Sanctum boy who offered Madi’s other friend, the null boy, to play soccer - mourning someone, probably his mother. This scene had to be there so we’d feel some sympathy and sadness over the deaths of the Faithful rather than just be relieved they’re (mostly) gone. One of the wounded ones is Jeremiah, the same guy who developed deep gratitude for Murphy for saving his son. Although the Faithful have been very annoying, I do feel a tinge of sympathy for this guy, who’s so clueless that he never understood he had any agency in what happened to his son and seemed really convinced it was all about the will of the “gods”. He now asks Murphy to take care of his son when he dies, but Murphy insists he will not let Jeremiah die. (Trey, the annoying a-hole who was brainwashing Jordan, and used to act as the leader of the Faithful, is credited in the episode but I didn’t see him anywhere - so I have no idea if he’s among the dead, or he survived and was in a deleted scene.)  

Madi has a really nice mini arc in this episode. She already had PTSD from her experience and possession by Sheidheda in season 6, so she is absolutely terrified when she learns he is back, and when he threatens her in a really creepy way. Excellent acting by Lola. Later, after being comforted by Murphy and joining the survivors,she shows strength in comforting Rex for his loss; and in the end, overcomes her fears and risks her life to save Indra.

Not that it matters, but Sheidheda’s real name is Malachi. (I’m still gonna keep calling him Shady.) We learn that when he recites the lineage - the names and clans of all the previous Commanders, which we know from S3 is a Grounder custom for a new Commander to do. Of course, we only get to hear some of the names in the middle (a couple of random Commanders called Maffei kom Boudalankru - the Rock Line and Kemji kom Trishanakru) and the end, when he mentions Lexa and Madi. The show wasn’t going to spoil the prequel by revealing the names of early Commanders,

The fight itself was really intense and maybe the best Grounder-style duel in the show (yes, I prefer it to the 3x04 one, which involved too much showmanship to look as a real death match). Shady is obviously going to be there for a while and things aren’t going to get so easily resolved, so he wins and is about to kill Indra - who refuses to kneel to save her own life - but just as he’s about to kill her, Madi finds the courage to come as the Big Damn Hero at the crucial moment, pluck out Shady’s eye and save Indra’s life. But then as he is about to kill Madi, Indra decides to (metaphorically, since she’s lying and about to pass out) kneel in order to save Madi’s life. Indra’s arc with Shady has come full circle: this may finally make her understand her mother’s choice and realize she was unfair to her. She grew up blaming her mother for agreeing to kneel to Sheidheda and considering her “weak”. The battle had been lost, her father was already dead, and her mother made the best possible decision and wasn’t just saving herself but her daughter, too. Otherwise, as we see in this episode, Shady would have ordered the daughter to be killed, too, after the mother - as he thinks children of the people he killed should also be eliminated so they couldn’t pose a threat and seek revenge.

That last order even shocked Knight, who may be having some second thoughts about the awesomeness of “Sangedakru’s greatest champion” (but this doesn’t mean he won’t keep obeying him). Penn and the other Trikru guy we know, who are loyal to Indra, reluctantly knelt when Indra asked them to.  

Madi, Rex and the other Faithful (including Jeremiah, who has indeed survived) have gone into hiding with Murphy and Emori - and hiding at the abandoned reactor. We didn’t see Jackson, but i’m sure he’s there. (Sachin is a guest star and must skip some episodes he’s not really needed in.) So now we’re finally reached the part of this storyline where Shady is in power and our heroes are the resistance. And Murphy is now, with Emori, a part of a power couple protecting these people and taking care of them (who would’ve expected that back in season 1?) - much like we’ve seen Clarke and Bellamy do over the seasons - even though most of the same people resented them for being fake Primes just a few hours earlier. Maybe they’re finally starting to get a clue and feel respect and gratitude to people who are trying to save them just because it’s a decent humane thing to do, rather than for being self-proclaimed “gods” who participated in their murder, oppression and exploitation.

Bardo

After 4 episodes, Clarke, Raven and Miller finally left the Stone Room! Yay! Jordan and Niylah stayed in it, and as it turns out, Jordan has a much more important and interesting role to play by reading the Anomaly Stone, while Niylah’s role in S7 has been to be exposition machine for Grounder history and have bad one-liners while Miller has the good ones. I’m glad there was no prolonged “OMG are they really brainwashed and on their side?” misunderstanding, as Clarke and the rest of the group, after learning about MCap from Gabriel, quickly realized that Octavia, Echo and Diyoza are only pretending, since they haven’t blown the secret that Clarke doesn’t have the Flame.

Speaking of one-liners, Miller’s “Get the flock out of here” really made me laugh out loud.

Callie is known as the Pramfleimkepa - the First Flamekeeper - which should mean she was never a Commander (I imagine that would supersede the position of the Flamekeeper or at least be as worthy of mention). I was afraid for a moment that Niylah had given the game away when she told Cadogan that - but fortunately, he didn’t understand what it meant, as he never knew that Becca called ALIE 2.0 “the Flame”.

Gabriel and Cadogan have a long conversation over dinner (or breakfast or lunch of whatever) about Earth before the bombs and Cadogan’s beliefs. The two of them are one of the few remaining humans who knew life before the apocalypse. (After Diyoza’s death in this episode, the only other people left from that time are the Eligius prisoners in Sanctum.) But while Cadogan is chronologically ‘older’ than Gabriel, as he was a Millennial, while Gabriel was born a couple of decades later, and because Cadogan has technically been alive for thousands of years on Bardo - Cadogan spent most of that time in cryo (same as Diyoza and the other prisoners). Gabriel is the real Old Man - at least 260 years old, having lived and experienced all those years. We learn a bit more about Gabriel’s background - that his family were from Colombia and his grandmother was poor, making him a “self-made man” - another contrast between him and the love of his life Josephine (which makes their season 6 parallel to Clarke/Bellamy even more perfect). Gabriel is the go-to-guy this season for having conversations about the worship of false gods and trying to challenge the Disciples’ beliefs. Cadogan, again, denies that he’s a cult leader (sure), reveals he doesn’t believe in God, and claims he doesn’t consider himself one (he sure doesn’t mind being treated like one, though). Instead, he claims his purpose is for everyone to “transcend” and become like gods - though he doesn’t really explain what that would consist of, and he also doesn’t offer any explanations as to why there is supposed to be a “Last War” and who the enemy in that was is supposed to be. Seven episodes have gone by with the characters talking to the Disciples, and no one has ever asked that question: who is the enemy? I guess they don’t even know that, they just think that, when they type in the code, they will learn who the enemy is and the war will begin, for... reasons? He also adds some BS about “this life” being unimportant compared to afterlife. (Now, to be clear - I actually do believe in the afterlife in general (though I don’t know in which form), but I really, really hate it when religions make the afterlife the focus and treat the life we actually know and are sure we have as less important, use it as an excuse to teach people to accept any sort of crap in their lives and not ask for more instead of living their lives to the fullest and trying to build something worthwhile in this life.) Gabriel is less than impressed with Cadogan, and challenges him by pointing out that “You can’t fight a war for the soul of the human race with an inhuman army” and that a life without love, individuality or freedom is pretty worthless, but Cadogan has the afterlife as a ready excuse, even though that doesn’t really answer the question.

The most important revelation that we finally get in this episode is that Cadogan has most likely mistranslated and completely misunderstood the ancient Bardoan text that he’s based his entire belief system on. And his mistake was in large part due to confirmation bias - he saw what he wanted to see, even though the idea of ending wars and violence by starting and fighting a war is absurd. (Niylah, for once, has a good line, when she points out that every major war is supposed to be the “last” but it never is.) Jordan’s interpretation - that it is really about a test that the species needs to pass - makes a lot more sense. Not a literal test - I really can’t imagine the show introducing some kind of godlike “higher beings” - but, I think, something that will require the characters to use all their strength and moral sense and all the experience they’ve had and wisdom they may have gained, to find the best solution to save the human race and rebuild the civilization, hopefully into something better (and it’s really not too hard being better than the mess of tribalism and constant wars and conflicts we’ve seen on the show). I don’t know what this will be, but the words “the orb becomes like a star” make me thing of a natural phenomenon. 

It’s also cool that it was knowledge of the Korean language that helped Jordan decipher the text - proving how helpful it is to be familiar with multiple languages and cultures and how much it expands one’s way of thinking. Do Disciples speak any languages other than English? They seem to foster cultural uniformity, so probably not. (it’s also confirmed now that Monty was half-Korean on his father’s side - Chris Larkin is Korean, but the actress who played his mother, Donna Yamamoto, is Japanese, so I assume Monty is half-Japanese.)

If you doubted that 7x09 flashbacks were a waste of screentime, we get a confirmation early on that Echo has just been pretending to be loyal to the Disciples, while plotting revenge all the time, when she kills a Disciple and saves Hope from being sent to Skyring. This plot could have continued straight from 7x07, when Echo’s Azgeda ritual was strongly hinting that she’s out for revenge. (And yes, the writing in 7x09 was just  that clunky as I feared - of course that Chekhov’s WMD that Levitt mentioned for no reason would be used in the very next episode for someone to try to kill all the Disciples in another Mount Weather parallel.)

A tiny bit of info about the Disciples - a Disciple addressed Hope as “Seeker Diyoza”. I don’t know if that’s a title for those trying to reach Level 1 or something else.

Hope, with her usual anger and impulsiveness, reminiscent of how Octavia used to be once, and her naive black and white views, is all for revenge-genocide, too, in spite of Octavia’s and Diyoza’s disagreement. Her mother tries to, again, teach her the lesson she tried to in 7x07, that she should turn to love instead of violence and killing (which carries a lot more weight when it comes from someone like Charmaine Diyoza rather than a hippy): “I know what it's like to kill innocent people for a cause, and I promise you, it's not gonna fill that hole in your heart. Only we can do that.” But Hope retorts that “There are no innocent people here”, echoing Nikki’s words to Nelson that “There are no innocent people at the end of the world”. It’s not that Hope doesn’t have a point that everyone in Bardo is a part of the society that’s been kidnapping and torturing her family and that stole her childhood, but collective responsibility is a concept that only works in terms of moral responsibility, not as an excuse to commit genocide because you’ve decided that everyone in the other group is evil and the “enemy” and deserves death. Some people have compared it to Maya saying “None of us is innocent”, but I don’t think this comparison works, because that line changes the meaning entirely depending on whether you are holding yourself and your society morally accountable for its failings and complicity in crimes against humanity, or if you’re using it against others, in order to justify hate and commit crimes against humanity.

Even though neither Clarke nor Octavia had huge screentime in this episode and may not have done anything big (like Diyoza sacrificing herself and saving everyone, or Jordan figuring everything out), they had some wonderful, subtle little moments that spoke volumes:

I loved the hug between Clarke and Octavia - where Clarke said her condolences to Octavia and then Octavia said them back, letting Clarke know she knew what Bellamy meant to her and that she is grieving just as much. (”I’m sorry, Octavia” - “So am I”)

Raven and Miller exchanged a wordless look - probably because of how awkward it was for Miller to see Octavia again. Although these 4 people all go back to season 1 (and it was the first time in a while they were in the same room), for Miller it’s been just a few weeks since she was Blodreina and he was her follower, and the last time they saw each other (in season 6), he yelled at her that he’s not following her orders anymore - which was about him struggling with his guilt and seeing her as an embodiment of it. But for Octavia, it’s been over 10 years and a huge character development, which Miller doesn’t know about. But they had no time to go over it - instead, she just hugged him and asked him to hug her back, and he did.

When the group went to find Levitt - still tied up and bloody after Echo had tortured him and killed two Disciples in front of him to force him to tell her about Gem9, the WMD that can destroy everyone on Bardo (he must be really traumatized one - Clarke obviously immediately realized what was going on when she saw Octavia come to check on Levitt, going by the look on her face, and her look when she turned to go and the others went after her, while Octavia was still there -as if saying "I realize you need a moment with this guy, but don't wait too long". Although Levitt looked disappointed and shocked that Octavia didn’t untie him, she was really doing what was the most reasonable way to try to protect everyone - the priority was to stop Echo from killing all the Disciples, which would include Levitt, but also to stop Levitt from alerting Anders, which he would’ve done, because Octavia also wanted to save Echo and her people. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t  care for Levitt, but she’s not the 17 year old girl who’d go: “I just met you but you’re immediately the most important person to me and I’m going to prioritize you over everyone I know”.

 And then we get to the final and most dramatic scene of the episode...  Echo’s attempt to commit genocide out of revenge, while Octavia, Clarke and Raven tried to talk her down.

Octavia tried to reach Echo by, again, talking about their shared grief over Bellamy, as she did in 7x07, but again, it did not work - because Octavia and Echo, and Clarke and Echo, are different people, who grieve in different ways and think and act in different ways. It doesn’t mean that any of them are grieving more or less than another one - but their responses are very different. Octavia - this mature Octavia who is more able to empathize with others and doesn’t react with impulsive violence as she used to -  responded by trying to reach out to others who were also grieving for Bellamy, Echo and Clarke, and validating their grief, too. Clarke reacted - after the initial shock and grief - by sucking it up, as she does, in order to take care of the others, and focusing on saving the people Bellamy loved, telling Raven “We do this for him” and focusing on saving Octavia and Echo. Echo, on the other hand, reacted destructively and violently and by killing people for revenge and then plotting genocide as revenge for 3 months. This is the only way she knows how to process grief - she’s never known a different way, as I’m sure Azgeda weren’t known for compassion and sharing feelings. When Bellamy was grieving Clarke in season 6, she asked him “When do we attack?”, because that’s what she expected him to do, too. She’s also lost because she hasn’t lost just a boyfriend, but a leader and anchor in her new post-Praimfaya life, and because she had made saving Bellamy her mission she was waiting to fulfill during the 5 years on Skyring. If she had carried out her plan, I’m not sure she’d know what to do with herself. (I don’t know what it says about the mindset of us, humans of 2020, that so many fans have decided that Echo’s way of grieving is the superior one and the one that shows that she loves Bellamy the best. It certainly doesn’t show anything good.)

Octavia’s next argument - that there are many good people on Bardo she’d be killing - was even less successful, as Echo threw her relationship with Levitt back in her face, pointing out that he stole her memories, talking of him as one of their enemies, and then even saying: "Way to honor your brother's memory!" Echo came off as very judgmental here, and more than bit hypocritical - after all , she personally almost killed Octavia twice, and Bellamy started trusting her and dating her on the Ring, after she had given them both far less reason to trust her than Levitt did. Levitt actually took a risk and was helping her against Anders just out of his feelings for Octavia, while Echo only helped Bellamy and others after she was exiled and had to in order to survive. She seems to value forgiveness only when it’s others forgiving her (”Who knows more about forgiveness than us?”), even though she never expected them to and was a bit shocked that they did.

Clarke then tried to use her standard “This is not who you are” plea, but it didn’t work with Echo, since Clarke doesn’t really know Echo, and the words felt empty. There really is very little reason for Clarke to think this is not who Echo is, except for her tendency to assume Echo must have changed for the better because she’s Bellamy’s girlfriend and Bellamy loves her (see their conversation in 5x12). Clarke also tried to use her own experience - as she did with Raven earlier in the season - telling Echo that “a choice like this” would haunt her forever (of course Clarke would bring up MW, it always goes back to MW for her), but Echo rejected that comparison and, for a moment, channeled me by pointing out that Clarke’s motivations were to save her people, while Echo’s are purely revenge. Which was, however, a strange argument in context - pointing out that Clarke’s reasons were much better and she had no choice but to kill all of the Mountain Men or let them kill all of her friends and family, while Echo wasn’t achieving anything good and could just save all her people and not take revenge on the Disciples. But Echo seemed to be telling Clarke that they different, and she cannot assume that Echo will feel the same way about mass murder Clarke does.

Then Clarke finally brought up Bellamy, pointing out that he would not want a genocide to be committed in his memory. I don’t know how anyone who’s watched the show for 6 seasons could disagree with Clarke. But Echo did. What’s more, she yelled  "You have no idea what Bellamy wanted!" in a really angry, resentful way. It felt personal. I don’t know if Echo has felt romantic jealousy of Clarke over Bellamy - she has sure kept it close to her chest - but it certainly felt like some kind of possessiveness, like resenting the idea that Clarke was as close or closer to Bellamy and knew him better. In any case, this was a moment of extreme dramatic irony - because we know (and really, Echo should know as well)  that Echo is the one who doesn’t seem to know, or is simply ignoring, what Bellamy would have wanted and who he was. And she should know. She was there when he talked down Riley from killing Roan, telling him “War made me a murderer, don’t let it do it to you too”, she was there when Bellamy refused to kill 283 prisoners in cryo sleep and said “Clarke didn’t die for us to go back and make the same mistakes”. And she was there when Bellamy was grieving Clarke but decided not to take revenge for her death - not even by killing the man who murdered her, Russell - but to try to honor her memory by doing what she would want and surviving and keeping their people alive. Which directly contradicts Echo’s statement that Bellamy would be doing the same she is if one of them (Clarke, Octavia or her) were killed. Does she really not know him? Most of the time they spent together were in a time of peace and boredom with just 7 people on the Ring. She seems to be projecting her own ideas and views and character into him. 

Then Raven went on to agree with Clarke (but Echo did not resent her for saying it), pointing out how Bellamy has grown and changed and that the post-season 3 Bellamy certainly would never do that. I was slightly annoyed when she said that Bellamy of season 3 may do that - but to be fair, she did say, “maybe”. Now, season 1 or season 3 Bellamy was certainly angrier and more prone to black and white thinking when it came to enemies, and he may very well have agreed to kill all of the adult Disciples if he thought they were likely to be a threat to his people (which is what he did when he agreed to help Pike kill Lexa’s army), but he sure wouldn’t agree to kill any of them just for revenge, or to kill children and non-combatants (the one time he did it was MW, when he and Clarke knew there was no other way to protect their people from being horrifically killed, and he hated it and was haunted by it then). Nevertheless, that’s a minor thing as the point of Raven’s speech was the way Bellamy has grown and developed. Echo hasn’t really changed, certainly not as much as Bellamy wanted to think in S5. Is there still time for her to change?

In the end, love did save the day - but it wasn’t Echo’s love for Bellamy, it was her non-romantic love for Raven and Raven’s for her. Raven calling her a sister only helped pave the way - but she had to actually threaten to stay there and force Echo to choose between killing Raven and giving up her revenge, for Echo to finally stand down. The fact she did shows that maybe there’s still hope for her to change and give up revenge and violence for things like friendship.

 But then Anders had to appear and ruin everything, He could have just tried to arrest the group, rather than threatening them and giving them speeches about how he despises them for being “beasts raised in the wild”. (I’ve wondered many times since 7x05 is Anders is supposed to be smart or a complete dumbass. He was definitely a dumbass.)

Diyoza took charge, as the most experienced and tactical one, and almost.  And then Hope was again being her impulsive, angry, out of control self - Anders is always the person most likely to set her off - killing Anders (which I wouldn’t mind) but then also making her own attempt to commit genocide. (It’s funny that the four Disciples just froze and did nothing while all of that was happening.)

What happened then was both a heroic sacrifice and one of the best and most heroic death scenes on the show, a fitting ending for Charmaine Diyoza (even a visually beautiful death in a creepy way, as Diyoza turned into a crystal statue), with her final message to her daughter to be “better” than her in the future - and a heartbreaking loss for Hope, who has just been punished by the narrative/fate for her devotion to violence and hate and attempt at genocide, by causing her own mother’s death. She was obsessed with revenge for her lost childhood and the fact her mother was taken from her - instead of focusing on the future and what she still had. I’m sure that Hope will survive to the end of the series, and will have to question herself and change. She still has Aunty O to help her and be her family.

As we’re approaching the endgame, the show here made an obvious point about violence, hatred and revenge and having to give up those things - not for Anders’ unemotional duty to the collective, but for love and compassion/

Rating: 8.5/10

[xihaveaplanxx]

Happy Birthday Jenny ^_^ (Short Story)

As promised, your birthday gift, well part of it, a story! I hope you enjoy it and enjoy your day too <3

“Jenny, Happy Birthday!” Erandur walked into my room at midnight on the dot. I was often so lonely moving from my family but he always made me feel just as loved as his own family. I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and sat up on my bed to be presented with a huge box. “You don’t need to open it now, but I think you’ll like it. Teldryn picked it up yesterday!”

“You guys didn’t have to get me anything.”

“You have been a good friend to my daughter for years and you are practically family. I’d be remiss to not have gotten you something. Today is your special day. Whatever you want, you got...so long as it’s legal but you aren’t like other people Dreama seems to hang out with. Especially that .... man.”

“Dutch?”

“Don’t even say his name. I fear she likes him and the very idea makes my skin crawl. She did always like wayward men. You remember Anders.”

“We all remember Anders. If he didn’t get locked up they’d still be together”

“I know.” Erandur sighed “But enough about that. Today is your day. I’ll let you get back to sleep. Got a surprise planned”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, but you didn’t hear it from me.”

In the morning

“Happy Birthday, Jenny!” I was greeted by Dreama running up to me holding a giant Chimmy plush with a bow on it. I could tell Teldryn probably tied it on him because she wasn’t the best at tying things around things. “I hope you like this!”

“I love it” I smiled as she placed it in my arms and then hugged her. I was meaning to thank Erandur too. He got me a few BTS albums, and some cards. He wrote me a sweet letter too. He truly was like a backup parent and I adored him for it. He had gone to work though and so did Teldryn leaving me with Dreama and giant Chimmy of course “Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome! We are planning something. Well, I’ll tell you we are going to Burger King! I got Bull to uh....maybe threaten Cullen ot let us hold it there”

“Dreama! You didn’t need to have him threatened so we can hold a party there!”

“He deserved it.” She crossed her arms. “Besides, it's your special day. We are going to keep it special which reminds me, wash up, we are meeting Dorian at the mall”

“For what?”

“Well today is your birthday, you have to show up as the princess you are! I’m even going to let you wear one of my tiaras”

“I feel honored because I know how you are.”

“I know but you can wear one since it is your day and you are my best friend. I can part with...one for one day.”

“Well thank you, I feel special”

“As you should! Now, go get ready. We have to meet him in an hour!”

“Right! I’m so excited”

“Good, you should be. You deserve to have a great day!” 

At the mall

“Happy Birthday, dear!” Dorian walked up to me, handing me a Gucci box. I opened it and saw a pair of big Gucci sunglasses, just like the ones Dorian was often wearing or had sitting on his head or hanging off his shirt. “Nothing is too good for one of my closest friends. Go on, try them on!” He encouraged me and I put them on. I felt they took up most of my face but the cheers from both he and Dreama made me feel like maybe I didn’t look as odd as I felt wearing them. “Oh now don’t you look cute!” 

“Well thank you!”

“You are so precious. Time's a wastin. We need to get you a new outfit and all for your party. Dreama don’t get distracted. Flirting with JAvier will make your dusty boyfriend upset.”

“Dutch isn’t my boyfriend!”

“Yes he is. Or something like that. Maybe he’s more of a hit and run.”

“He's nothing. He’s annoying.”

“Yes, and I know how you are when people annoy you. Cullen annoyed you so bad you dated him for a whole year. You think we forgot, we didn’t.”

“Shut up Dorian!”

“Fine, I won’t bother you, not on Jenny’s birthday but tomorrow, it’s free game.”

“Fine.” She rolled her eyes. “Let’s start at Hot Topic.”

“That’s where you want to go. What about where Jenny wants to go?”

“No, Hot Topic is good with me.” I told him. “Let’s go there”

“Perfect!” Dreama clasped her hands excitedly. “Then we can go eat a little bit then go home and get prepared for later.”

“Yes and maybe you’ll wear an outfit that covers your boobs. You don’t want your not boyfriend to be in some sort of stupid frenzy when he sees you.”

“Dorian, I.....”

“You don’t need to explain it to us. We know how you are.” Dorian shook his head. “But I do know one thing, we will be the best looking people in that Burger King. No one will be ready for us.”

“Damn straight.”

“You better be careful or Bull might knock you over and want to bang you on the counter.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time”

“WHAT?” 

“Nothing.” Dorian turned red and now I had questions. A lot of questions. “Let’s just go shop and forget I said anything.”

“I don’t think we can just forget that, Dorian.” I told him. “But....for today...we will but later....”

“I know I know...i’ll explain then... I promise.”

At Hosea’s house/Arthur’s pov

Whoever said money can’t solve your problems.

Must not have had enough money to solve em.

They say which one, I say nah I want all them.

Happiness is the same price as red bottoms.

I very much liked Dreama, but I just couldn’t find it in me to forgive her for introducing John to Ariana Grande’s music. All he did was dramatically sing along and pine over Farkas, this boy that lived a town over that he had a thing for ... sometimes. I don’t know. Shit was too complicated for me and frankly I didn’t care. John was as dramatic as Dreama so I understood why they liked to hang out and what not but still. All that drama, that just ain’t for me. John was always little to the left, but now more so. And he wasn’t the most intense person in that house, that honor went to Dutch. He was always in some kind of thing. Hosea honestly kept us all together. He had been getting better after getting treatment and honestly I was glad because the idea of him not being here, I knew John and I would be fine but Dutch, he’d go off the rails and he was barely on the rails as is. Then him and Dreama were another issue entirely. I didn’t know what the hell they thought they were but it wasn’t normal and they were both grown as adults which made it more concerning.  I think she drove him crazy and he just pissed her off and yet they liked to be near each other a lot. Once again, shit like that don’t make no sense to me. Love don’t make much sense to me especially seeing all the examples I got around me, I’m doing just fine in my own lane. 

“Farkas viewed my story on snapchat!” John came over to me to show me his phone. I didn’t know what the hell that even meant. I saw the little icon and John jumping up excited in front of me. Frankly I wanted to throw myself down the steps but that would be bad. I’d miss Jenny’s party if I did that but I think she’d understand my pain dealing with John like this....all the time....most our lives. “Maybe he’ll call me.”

“Aren’t you the one that made things...weird?”

“No. He did.  It wasn’t my fault. I....he’s so stupid.”

“Then why do you like him?”

“I don’t! I just .... you don’t get it Arthur.”

“You’re right, I don’t nor do I want to.” I sighed. “You getting ready for the party later?”

“Yeah, I was about to. I got her this cute shirt. I think she’ll like it! What did you get her?”

“A keychain. I know she collects those. Got her one of that BTS group guys, got them on it. I think she’ll like it.”

“That’s so nice!”

“Hosea is baking the cake to bring there. He’s so excited. Dutch is bringing his thoughts and prayers I guess. Didn’t see him pick up anything.”

“He’s probably not going for her...just to see Dreama.” John said honestly and he was probably not wrong. If Dutch was coming with us, he was probably going just to see Dreama and be pure chaos. “I don’t even know why he bothers her. She’s so on and off about him, mostly off.”

“I could say the same about you over Farkas.”

“That’s different! Farkas is a stupid guy. Dutch is a stupid man. It’s different.”

“Marston I.....nevermind.” I didn’t even have time to comment on this. John was so dumb....not even sometimes...all the fucking time. This was the tip of the stupidity iceberg with him. “I guess I’ll just finish getting ready.”

“So will I. I want to get there early and get a crown.”

“Course you do.”

“Oh come on, you know you want one.”

“I don’t.” I crossed my arms. “I’m going to finish getting ready. Also can you keep your bad music down. I don’t want to hear all that mess when I’m trying to be in my thoughts.”

“You need to have fun, Arthur. You never wanna have fun.”

“ I do have fun, y’all just don’t see me have it and that’s fine. I don’t need y’all in my business.”

“Party pooper.”

“You can think how you want.”

In the living room/Hosea’s pov

“This is Jenny’s birthday. Don’t you dare act up. I am upset I need to tell you this. You are 41 years old , Dutch. Acting stupid because of her friend is not what w need. You know better than that. You know a lot better than that. I know you can be dumb when you get in your feelings but this is Jenny’s birthday. This is her day so you keep your feelings to yourself. You didn’t even get Jenny a damn present . Just showing up empty handed after she got you a hat for your birthday and you got nothing for her. I’d chastise you more but I know how you think. You just want to see Dreama and for what? That girl don’t like you. At least I don’t think she does. Let it go. She don’t like you .”

“Oh Hosea. You don’t understand. She’s a tricky one. She can say she don’t like me but I know she does. I’m going to bring her something.”

“So you are bringing her a present on her friend's birthday..wow.”

“No. I got Jenny something too. I asked Arthur about things she likes and I got her a little wallet with them little characters on it she likes. I even wrapped it. She’ll like it. As for Dreama...I got something really special for her.”

“I swear to God if it involves you guys naked in a Burger King bathroom, I’m going to ask you stay home.”

“No! Not that. That’s disgusting Hosea. I just want her to admit she likes me. I’ll make her do it.”

“You can’t make her do anything.”

“That’s what you think.”

“Don’t ruin Jenny’s party please. I swear...”

“I’m not. Gee Hosea, you always act like I’m the problem.”

“You are. Usually. I love you like family, you know that so dearly but sometimes, your idea, your thoughts are off the rails. I just want you to for once, FOR ONCE to have all your ducks in a row.”

“They are in a row. I just.....they’d be more in a row if she stopped playing these games.”

“Or if you both just ignored each other.”

“That’s an option but you know that won’t happen.”

“I know, I just accept it now.”

That night at Burger King/Jenny’s pov

“SURPRISE!” The smile on my face when we walked in and I was faced with all of our friends and Hosea holding the cake. I can tell he worked hard on it. I saw all these presents along the counter and food on all the tables. They really did plan this out. It was so thoughtful. Everyone was even wearing a crown. John had two because of course he did, he had to feel extra special always. “Happy Birthday, Jenny!” They all said in unison as Hosea placed the cake on the table.  I truly did feel loved. In my new outfit. Dreama and Dorian helped me pick it. A cute red top and comfy black pants and one of Dreama’s tiaras with the Gucci shades, he more than insisted I wear them. Everyone seemed so excited, hugging me and what not. 

“Jenny, you might want to grab food. Your large friend has been eying those nuggets. Might not be any left in a second.” Hosea said pointing at Bull who already had a plate full of nuggets. “I hope you like the cake! Arthur helped me with it!”

“It was nothing. Really.” Arthur said. “Anything to help with your special day.”

“Thank you.” I smiled at them both. “This is all very lovely.”

“You look adorable. The sunglasses. Mr. Pavus idea wasn’t it?”

“Yes, yes it was.” I nodded my head. “They aren’t too bad.”

“Probably cost as much as a house but he does like the expensive things.” Hosea shook his head. “Javier is setting up the music. This is going to be a fun time. Glad we were invited. Even more glad Dreama somewhat kept it a secret....kind of I guess.”

“She didn’t say all of you were going to be here but yeah she kind....kind of told me.”

“Course she did.” Hosea shook his head. “No matter. Have a great birthday!”

“Thank you. With all of you here, I think that I will.”

Outside of the Burger King/Dutch’s pov

“You know you are really annoying. Like so much. You are what 40 and fucking stupid. I can not stand you. Ever. I don’t even see why we invited you. You aren’t even Jenny’s friend. You are Hosea’s stupid friend with the stupid face who does stupid things and has stupid plans and is a shitty maanger at the shitty Walmart!”

“Gee, tell me how you really feel.”

“Oh you don’t want that! You’ll probably cry.”

“No I won’t. Not over you. If you think you’d make me cry, you must think you are something so special.” I shook my head. “You know I could have any woman I want.”

“Then go to them”

“I said I could have any woman I want. I don’t want them though. I want you.”

“No.”

“I do. Believe it or not, I like you. Even though you are mean to me. Violent, rude but you are also brilliant, smart, intriguing.  You remind me of me.”

“That’s an insult.”

“And you only hate it because it’s true.” I reached in my pocket “John told me you like these weird things. It’s a keychain. Hello Kitty I think he said it was. I don’t know but I thought you’d like it and you can keep it if you give me a chance.”

“How about I take the keychain and you fuck off.”

“Now you and I both know that you don’t want that. If I fuck off then who will you chase around the Walmart. You know we can’t have non-employees in the back and yet...”

“Dutch....”

“I dont think your friends want to know what happened there a few weeks ago. Oh, they’d really know how much you hate me, especially that day.”

“Don’t....”

“Oh no, not you climbing on me, the lowly Walmart manager in the back room. You surely showed me how much you dislike me. I felt that....clearly.”

“I hate you”

“I bet you do.” I laughed at her and she reached in my hand and snatched the keychain. She broke the keychain part so I guess she was going to sit it on her desk or something. She glared up at me and she was angry, oh so much but also, I know she was considering my offer. I wouldn’t really tell everyone what happened.....unless she pushed me to it. Part of me felt she wanted people to know in some sick way. Like me, we had pride in the things....in the people we did. Why keep it such a secret ? But also like me she was complicated. It’s why she pissed me off as much as I liked her. “You broke it.”

“I don’t need it as a keychain.” She told me simply. “And I do not need you as a boyfriend.”

“Then what are we?”

“Nothing. You got lucky.”

“Lucky?” I arched my eyebrow. “So I’m what a rebound because of the crazy guy you were with? You know he’s not getting out of jail any time soon”

“Don’t talk to me about Anders. Your friend is in jail. That dusty ugly blonde dude.”

“I didn’t fuck Micah, you fucked Anders and you fucked me!”

“DUTCH!” She looked at me like her entire soul escaped her body. I doubt anyone heard us but even if they did, would anyone in there have been surprised. “Please, do not!” 

“But you did! Not even just physically, but mentally too. You just like broken guys. Anders was broken and you want me broken too. Maybe it’s why you are like this to me? Because I refuse to let you do that to me. I won’t worship you like him and it pisses you off.”

“Fuck you, Dutch.”

“I already have and if you keep this up I’ll do it out here and it would be a real shame for everyone in there to come out and see you bent over a Burger King dumpster! And by someone you hate oh so much! THat would be awful.”

“I hate you.” She tossed the little figure from the keychain at me and stomped into the Burger King. Maybe I did really piss her off ? Maybe but I doubt it. I could tell she wasn’t 100 percent mad because she waited for me to come in after her, even holding the door for me. Was it bold to reach down and hold her hand, maybe but she didn’t pull away like I thought either. She just let me hold her hand. “Maybe I don’t hate you....as much.” She told me as we were walking towards the food. “Or...maybe not at all.”

“It’s not much of a secret.” I told her, giving her the little Hello Kitty that was in my other hand. “Maybe we can be something.”

“Yeah...maybe.”

Over at the table/Jenny’s pov

I had just blown out my candles and was surprised to see Dreama and Dutch walk in, calmly. They were usually at odds but this time, they were holding hands. I heard Dorian comment about how he knew this would happen. He was never truly wrong about these things. The cake was being served and honestly, Hosea really did outdo himself. It was delicious. Bull was eating Dorian’s slice. Dorian barely even got to get any on his fork before Bull decided, his slice also belonged to him. Dorian’s face as he was eating it was priceless.  John was being relatively calm, talking to Farkas. I wish Vilkas would have come but since he and Dreama broke up he had kept his distance. Especially since he felt it was Dutch’s fault they broke up and the very idea of seeing him made him want to torch the entire town. He did send Farkas with a card for me which was very sweet. Farkas seemed quite confused most the party mostly because John confused him. John was a lot like Dreama and was just not good at expressing how he felt. When he and Dreama hung out it was always some kind of mess and often ended with them running from the police. They were the definition of sharing a brain cell. 

“Jenny, I got you this. I didn’t get to wrap it but...” Sean walked up to me holding a giant plush cat. “I got him at the arcade! I won it for you actually!”

“Aw, thank you” I smiled as I held it. “That was very sweet”

“I can be sometimes.” He told me. “This beena good party and I didn’t even drink!”

“You don’t need to be drinking Sean.” I told him remembering at Dreama’s party he got wasted and was screaming in the bar about fucking someone with a glass lamp. It was quite intense. “Being sober isn’t the worst thing.”

“Aye, I suppose but it was fun the last time....given I don’t remember”

“The rest of us do though.”

“Did I really threaten to fuck someone with a glass lamp? That’s what Lenny said I did.”

“Yes you did. It was...alarming.”

“Well..I didn’t actually do it did I?”

“No, because there were no lamps around and also you passed out a bit after”

“Well then there was no cause for alarm” Sean chuckled and I shook my head. He soon disappeared within the party and Dreama came up to me and jumped in my arms as she was prone to doing.

“I hope you enjoy your party!” Dreama told me, clinging to me. 

“I really am. Thank you.” I smiled as I set her down. “Thank you for everything. You guys didn’t need to go through all this.”

“Oh it was nothing at all. We wanted to do this for you. I mean you’ve helped all of us in a lot of ways so we wanted to show you how much you mean to us.”

“Well I do feel very loved so thank you.”

“Thank you for being there for all of us.” She hugged me once more. “We love you, never forget that.”

“I won’t. Thank you for everything. I really truly appreciate it.”

[elareine]

Prompt: something in the universe of The Reluctant Brides? Jaytim is OTP and I love RoyxKori (I'm really interested in THAT backstory if it's not spoilers for the sequel)

Hmmmm…. I like to think of it as less of a spoiler and more of a tease! This is set years before the events of TRB.

Roy took a deep breath, glad to taste the cool, fresh air. After the battlefields of Europe, the fancy ballroom just felt… wrong. 

Oh, Roy didn’t begrudge his friend this celebration. He was fully aware that Dick felt about the war as he did; that he had no taste for the riches in this room and instead would have preferred a private celebration with friends. Dick was also the Wayne heir, though, so he had certain obligations. 

Still. Roy would have preferred an intimate evening of gambling and drinking a thousand times over. 

A woman stepped out beside him with barely a sound. 

“Hello,” she said. “Am I interrupting?” 

He caught glimpses of her before—a stunning vision in a blue dress, her hair open and flaming in the face of expectations and the current fashion. 

“Roy Harper,” he introduced himself. “My balcony is at your service.” 

“Thank you, Mr. Harper.” Her smile was warm. “Kori Anders.” 

There was the slightest accent when she spoke. “You are French?” 

“Yes.” She glanced back at the crowd behind them. “I seem to have created a bit of a stir.” 

Now, that was a feeling Roy knew rather too well. He did his best not to look at his right arm. “Too much so?” 

“I appear to be rather… exotic to them.” Now, many people would have said this with disgust or excitement, Roy knew. Miss Anders, however, sounded lost. 

“A bird in a cage,” he said without thinking. 

“Yes. I am starting to wonder if any of them know me.” She looked startled. “I did not mean to say that. You are a man to invite confidences, Roy Harper.” 

“Now, that is a sentence I have only heard after an abundant consumption of hard liquor before. Are you sure you are quite sober?” 

She laughed and was about to reply when the door slid open behind them. 

Roy turned around. Dick stepped out onto the balcony, smiling, and as always, he took Roy’s breath away. Seeing Kori and Dick standing there in the moonlight reminded him of those stories his grandmother used to tell, about faery courts and enchanted dances and a night that lasted a year.  

Then Dick spoke, and the spell broke. “Roy! I’ve been wondering where you disappeared to.” 

Miss Anders moved beside him, and Dick slung an arm around her waist. They looked familiar with each other. Comfortable. 

Loving. 

Dick asked: “I see you met my fiancée?” 

[damfinofanfiction]

Chapter 8: To the East and The Gold Rush

Waking up in New York City was nothing new for the former Vaudeville performer. Buster was accustomed to whichever time zone he was in. He had gone to the east coast for a business trip/vacation with his wife Natalie and they’re staying at the Biltmore Hotel. The couple had attended the premiere of Seven Chances at the Capital theater. They were accompanied by people more favorable to Keaton such as his father Joe, a friend from childhood, Lex Neal, and Nick Schenck, a brother of his boss Joseph. Knowing that the missus missed their children and her sisters dearly, he held her hand the entire event. The screening had a good reception. Keaton was glad that the movie was well-received, although he remained resentful. Natalie was grateful for his presence, but nothing had changed as they still sleep in different bedrooms based on her insistence. After a few busy days, the real vacation began. Now he will be spending a day with his better half.

Once out of bed, Buster puts on his robe and went to the sitting area of their suite to call room service. He saw that Natalie was already awake and sitting frantically on the couch, he said to her, "Good morning Nate."

The missus stopped what she was doing and replied calmly, "Oh Morning."

Her fingers tapped on her knee as she appeared agitated. Buster had not seen her in this state in a while. Natalie was staring at the door and he shot his eyes at it, "Are you waiting for the letter?”

She quivered when she said, “I haven’t heard from mother yet.” Peg was watching the Keaton boys back in California.

He sat next to her and reassured her, "The boys are gonna be alright. We've only been gone since last Friday."

The tears started to form in her eyes, “This is the furthest I have been from our sons. Robert started babbling.” She wrapped her arms around herself, “What if he says his first word and I won’t be there to witness it?”

Buster patted on her shoulder, “I don’t think that would be likely.” He added, “I’m sure Bobby won’t say a thing until he sees his ma again.” To his surprise, Natalie hugged him in gratitude. Buster hugged her back until she broke the embrace to dry her tears. He went to the phone saying, “I’ll order us breakfast.”

That noon Buster and Natalie had lunch with the folks that went with them in addition to the Governor of New York. Joe Keaton shared stories of performing shows as The Three Keatons, dealing with wife Myra’s absences due to maternity leave, getting in trouble with The Gerry Society, and the times they fled out of burning Buildings. The couple spent the day together except when Natalie went out to buy gifts for the boys while Buster was catching up with Lex and discussing the latest film project. When he returned to their suite the middle Talmadge was already there, rounding out the toys and the clothes. He was going to ask her how much she spent on them, but he didn’t want to start another argument. 

She was in a cheery mood, “Got that letter back from mother. The boys are doing fine, they missed me. Dutch came over to cheer them up. She took them to the park for fun.” 

Keaton hid his hands in his pockets, “Did that letter said anything about me? Did the boys miss me too?” 

Natalie pulled a toy giraffe out of the bag, “It didn’t say anything about you. She usually didn’t acknowledge you in letters. I’m sure the boys miss you too. I can't wait to see their faces when they see what I got them."

What she said of the boys missing their father, Buster knew it might not be true. He wished to be a father, but had little time to spend with them because he was so busy at work. His fear arises with the thought of Natalie divorcing him and taking the sons away. He had to win her over to keep the family together. He asked her, “Nate, do you remember Coney Island?”

Natalie frowned upon taking a trip to memory lane, while neatly folding the boy’s overalls, “Why yes, it wasn’t long after Arbuckle made a short there. You took me because you wanted to include me and I obliged. You got us cotton candy to share, we rode on the carousel, and that one coaster you were begging me to ride along.”

Buster added with a narrow smile, “You were so scared that I held your hand the entire time.” he apologized for taking her to the coaster in the first place.

She concluded, “Then we finished the day with the Ferris wheel where we saw the bright spectacle and you pecked me on that cabin. It was a nice date.”

He sat gingerly on the bed, “I would be happy to take you to coney island again, but back then nobody could recognize me when I’m not with my folks, and then Roscoe and now if anyone took notice of me, that whole place would crumble.” 

She looked at him, “If you weren’t able to take me, why bring this up?”

He took her hands, “We were both very happy. I missed the days when you were in love with me. The same woman who proposed to me from another coast. I know the old Natalie is still there when you hugged me this morning.”

She took her hands off him to cross her arms, “That was only because I missed our boys.”

He put his hands behind him, “I missed them too. I can’t imagine life without all of you. I will take back the times I was unfaithful to you.”

“Buster, I don’t care if you embrace another woman behind my back. Please don't entice me to be in bed with you again.” She pointed him out of the door, “Please let me be alone to change for dinner.” Natalie closed the door behind him after leaving her room.

Buster was puzzled about the unusual pairings in his life; his parents, Joe and Myra, Norma and Schenck, and Natalie and himself. None of them shared the same age group except for the latter. He wished that his wife wasn’t a strict catholic so she could be comfortable with taking contraceptives and not worry about getting pregnant again and he wouldn’t have to cheat on her. But that’s the way it has to be. If he failed to win back his beloved, there are still less than 3 weeks of vacation to go.

****************

The hopes of Gail being a screen actress were dashed when production was delayed after Sennett comedian Ben Turpin backed out of the upcoming project due to personal matters. Gail wanted to take his place, but was unable to due to a lack of a contract. Though Sennett knew she wanted prominent roles, he was unable to fill them because too many actresses sought her out. But instead, he had heard his former employee Charlie Chaplin just returned from filming in Truckee to film more scenes in his studio and is seeking extras. So he recommended she find work in Chaplin's upcoming film The Gold Rush, and Gail was fine with it just to gain film experience. 

There at the Charlie Chaplin Studio, Gail is in the dance hall scene where Chaplin’s Tramp character dances with his love interest. She was busy dancing with a partner to watch the toothbrush-mustached comedian, but caught the part where he was tied to a dog and it chases the cat. She could laugh at this gag, but didn’t want to ruin a good take. The chestnut-haired woman across the hall seemed familiar. Gail didn't think she’s a famous actress. It must be on a tip of her tongue. Then the realization struck her, that was the same woman who was next to her onset of the seven chances. Their time between scenes was too busy to get them to chat. When everyone gets their lunch break, she located the woman eating with the other female extras in the studio courtyard. 

Gail sat at the same table as them, “Hi you remember me?”

The woman paused figuring out, “Oh goodness, we were extras in seven chances. Sorry we didn’t get to be properly introduced.” The woman extended her hand,  “My name is Eliza Smith.”

“I’m Gail Anders.” She shook it in greeting, “It’s good to see you again and I never got to thank you for saving me from the ridicule.”

“Don’t mention it. We actresses had to stick together.” 

Gail and Eliza were talking while having meatloaf and salad. Their discussion consists of their start on careers, Gail’s experiences as a bathing beauty, Eliza’s acting resume, their celebrity encounters, and then the subject fell to celebrity crushes.

"For me, it's Charlie Chaplin of course. I have a crush on him since I was barely a woman. Hell, if I was a virgin, I'd have saved it for him. Are you a virgin, Gail?”

Gail almost choked on her food being asked that. She replied with a blush, “That’s a very personal question to ask.” 

“That’s alright if you don't have to answer.” She raised her eyebrow leaning towards the raven-haired woman. “But tell me this is Buster Keaton the cat’s meow?”, When Gail couldn’t understand, Eliza rephrased, “Do you have a crush on Keaton?”

Gail's eyes were looking both ways as she drank her cup of water to try to avoid the touchy subject, but Eliza noticed the signs. “Please It’s all in your face. Your gaze was fixated on the stone face as if he was the king of England.” She chuckled, “It helped when you “pretended to faint” in front of him.”

Giving in, Gail confessed of the time she started seeing Buster in the Arbuckle films. She thought he seemed charming and took interest in watching his films because of his fascinating past, then when she heard the news of his wedding, she was a bit let down, but was happy for him and then she talked about her two other encounters with Keaton. In conclusion, She asked, “Is it wrong to have a crush on a married man?”

Eliza dropped a bombshell,  “Chaplin wasn't married when we dated.” Gail’s eyes widen and her jaw dropped hearing this “Really?!”

Eliza with a coy smile, whispered to her to avoid having others hear her “I met Chaplin when I started working in California. I took a job here as a part-time receptionist, but when he noticed me, He then hired me as an extra for his previous film, The Pilgrim. After production ended, we started a relationship. Spent countless nights with him,” she then frowned when she continued, “Then we broke up when he was seeing another woman, and another and another and another. But he did come back to me only for one-night stands and one of them happened while he’s married. Last I heard, if it's true, he has feelings for his leading lady."

She covered her face with her hand, trying to comprehend what happened, "Why are men so unfaithful to their wives?"

“Gail,” Eliza explained, “Men and women in Hollywood have unhappy marriages and have taken lovers. If Buster is one of them, you might have a chance.”

Gail stated, “But I have a boyfriend, I think I still do. And besides, I can’t see myself dating a married man.” Adding a final thought, “I would rather wait until he’s divorced.”

"True, but then where is the fun?” Before they finished eating Eliza looked Gail right in the eye and said, “I would recommend keeping this a secret. God knows what would happen to dear Chaplin if word got out.”

Gail returned to Lenore’s around 6 in the evening. Going inside she was surprised to see a finely dressed man talking with Sally and Lenore at the dining table. Upon noticing Gail’s presence, Lenore called, appearing to break away from her niece’s latest paramour, “Welcome home! We saved you fried cauliflower and turkey.”

The man said in his British accent told Sally, “I didn’t know you have a sister.”

The blonde chuckled, “She isn’t, this is my friend Gail Anders. I took her in when she moved from Nevada.”

The man stood up and bowed in greeting, “Sterling Thomas, my pleasure.”

As they shook hands, Gail said, “That accent, you must be British.”

 “Yes, Edinburgh very nice place.” Sterling’s dark hair was slicked back.

Lenore brought over her meal, “Gail just came home from work and you should be leaving too, sir.” This prompted Sterling to grab his hat and approached to the front door despite Sally’s protests for him to stay a little longer

He replied, "We can meet again. I'm here quite a while." She kisses him before watching him leave.

As Gail started eating, silence went on between aunt and niece. She later broke it when asking Sally, “How did you two meet?”

“Both of us were in New York City. I went to a nightclub and he was there. Same story, different ending.” 

“How did you find each other?”

Lenore added while crossing her arms, “I presume one of your nightly outings?”

Sally glared at her, "Well Auntie, we met somewhere, and I never felt lucky to bump into him again."

“How is Mr. Thomas any different from your last boyfriends?”

“He happens to be rich.”  

The aunt gave her a sarcastic look, “Oh, so now you're a gold digger?”

Sally stood up fumed, “How is that any different from you and Uncle Stanley?”

Lenore stood up in retaliation, “Don’t you bring my Stanley-”

Gail also stood up to soothe this out, “Could you not fight? I had a long day.” Sally and Lenore agreed and the table fell into silence for the whole dinner.

After all that was going on around her, Gail would end the day by kindling herself to a good book. After losing interest in the middle of chapter four she switched to another book. It was a journal about her interest in Buster Keaton. She would write down about the movies she had seen and clipped off the news article featuring a movie review of his and just news about him. Gail turned to a page in which the subject was Our hospitality. A news article glued there featured a picture of Buster and Natalie both wearing pork pie hats for a publicity photo. It was interesting to see husband and wife on the screen together, but now it was bittersweet knowing that buster is probably cheating on his wife. If it was truly something that must be wrong between the two.

The next afternoon, Gail was making herself useful in the Sennett studio, modeling the swimsuits for the other bathing beauties. A crewmember notified her of a call from her residence. Gail answered the phone, the voice at the other end was Lenore.

“The telegram came from your mother.”

Gail has already known what was happening around her family; her sister Geraldine is having twins and her father is due to retire from ranch work. Judging from the woman’s sorrowful tone in her voice, it must be bad news.

 “It’s your grandmother, she died in her sleep.”

Devastated, She covered her mouth as her tears began to form and a similar lump grew in her throat. Her whole body shook with the realization that the woman who got her to California is gone.

Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin around 1918

[probably-writing-x]

Take Two

Guzmán x Reader

Request from @oldfashiondisturb : Hello dear ! Maybe i have an other request, i don't know if you will like it, but Guzman and reader, first kiss ? But it's not so great so they decid to not do it again, but, finally, they can't help it ?

Requests are always open❤️

——————

The thought of a first kiss was always an exciting prospect. How it would feel, how they’d respond, how everything would result down to that one moment that confessed more feelings than you could do with any words. Especially when it felt like that kiss had been building up for years - as in for your entire life. You and Guzmán had met each other when you first started school, you hated each other for the first few years. But it was that kind of hatred where he’d still knock on your door to ask if you wanted to play, and then you’d just wind each other up for the whole time. Eventually, that hatred turned into a weird alliance between the two of you as you moved into high school. He’d throw rocks at your window past midnight and take you to random places he’d found around your area. He lived just opposite you so you never really went a day without seeing him. And that continued all the way until you both turned seventeen. Your birthdays, or what he classed as his birthday, weren’t far from each other’s. and that year, Guzmán had come up with the bright idea of the two of you sharing a birthday party.

You’d opted to have it at your house, the bigger of the two, and invited practically everyone from the school - at Guzman’s request. He knew you didn’t like big parties (though neither did he) but the idea of annoying you by creating the biggest party made him not really care about much else.

And it went a little like this...

“Thank you,” You smile to one of the housekeepers as they walk past with a few more trays of food.

You had your hair half pinned up and still hadn’t got round to starting your makeup yet but you’d been too stressed about making sure the house looked right before you did anything more.

“Where would you like this (Y/n)?” Another one of the workers at the house, Steven, asks politely.

“Maybe just up a little,” You smirk at the banner in his hands.

It was one that Guzmán had got made - far too loud and pretentious for your liking as it was decorated brightly with both of your names and a large Happy Birthday.

“I’d say a little to the left.”

The voice from behind you is distinctive without the need to see it’s source.

“I’d say it’s the worst idea you’ve ever had,” You fold your arms, waiting until Guzmán came up to you.

He stands behind you and settles his chin on your shoulder, “Are you sure about that Princess?”

You turn around and watch as he lifts up to tower over you like normal, a shadow of a smile tickling his lips proudly.

“What else do you have planned Guzmán?”

He pauses for a moment like he’s deep in thought, “Maybe just a few things.”

At that, a group of people come flooding through the doors of your house- each of them carrying a separate keg of beer.

“How much alcohol do you want us to have?!” You exclaim, watching as they try to find space amongst the crowd of other drinks Guzmán had already brought round.

“That’s just for you, Princess.”

“Can you stop, please?” You roll your eyes, “Shouldn’t you be getting ready?”

“I should,” He nods knowingly, “But I need you to choose which shirt I should wear.”

You walk over to where he’d thrown a clothes carrier over the back of your couch as you unzip it to check his options.

“Didn’t I buy you all of these?” You laugh, looking at the different presents you’d got him over the past year.

Normally, they weren’t ever for any particular reason. It was most likely because you complained that he had a terrible wardrobe and so you did your best to improve it with little presents here and there.

“I like this one,” You point to one of them that you’d bought him after you’d ruined one of his on New Years Eve.

“Then it will be that one,” He nods, slinging the carrier over his shoulder, “Oh, do you need any help with your outfit?”

“I still haven’t decided,” You roll your eyes, “But I don’t think your help is needed.”

He gasps in mock offence, “Check your closet.”

With that, he’s gone. And you’re left wondering what on Earth he’d done this time.

As half expected, when you walk upstairs to your closet, he’s hung a dress on the front door with a small note clipped to the neckline. It was a bold red dress you’d seen only a few weeks ago when the two of you were walking through town. It was after he’d convinced you to get up and watch the sunset with him. The note reads ‘Happy Birthday Princess. Don’t get too messy tonight, I want my deposit back for this x’

Typical Guzmán. He’d never accept that any of his gestures were genuinely nice, he’d always find a way to brush them off like that - trying to belittle the fact that he’d done something nice. And, more often than before, he did manage to give you a lot of reasons to think he did have a good heart. After years of semi- loathing.

- - - - - -

“That was Guzman’s idea,” You roll your eyes at Ander as he walks through with Polo, “The majority of this was Guzman’s idea!”

The party was already starting to fill with people, most of which you thought you knew. You’d tried to greet everybody but eventually got a little lost in the people you actually wanted to see.

“Sorry boys,” It’s Guzmán who comes up behind you, “Do you mind if I steal the birthday girl?”

He settles a hand on your back and begins guiding you through the crowd of people until the two of you reach the staircase and sit on one halfway up. It was always a little tradition between you when he managed to break into your house after your parents were asleep.

“Time for your birthday present,” He starts, pulling out a small bag from behind his back.

The distinctive blue was recognisable instantly. Tiffany.

“Guzmán this dress is already enough,” You assure him, already wanting to see what on Earth he’d chosen for you.

It all seemed very romantic for two people that were supposed to be their own version of friendly enemies.

“Well, I came prepared too,” You cock a brow, reaching into your bag and pulling out a small box that you’d kept his present in.

He grins and both of you rip into the gifts simultaneously. You open the bag to reveal a delicate necklace in the typical Tiffany and Co style, with two hearts dangling at the bottom of the chain. One was engraved on the back with ‘Princess’. His present was a pair of cuff links you’d picked out, they were simple really - two Dolce and Gabbana cufflinks, adequately shaped in the style of a royal crown.

His face lights up at the sight as he lets out a little laugh, “Nice touch.”

You pull out the necklace and offer it over to him, “Do you mind?”

He sets down his box and brushes your hair to the side as his fingers fumble to fix the clasp at the back of your neck. His fingertips brush over your skin for a second and you thank the summer warmth for preventing a chill from tracing your skin. When you turn back, he holds out a hand for you to fix the links onto the cuffs of his shirt. You do so with ease, having helped him with this for years whenever you had formal events to attend.

Your hands stop over his wrist as you attach the second one and you look up to see he’s looking at you in just the same way. He seemed closer now, only held back by the tension that was increasing between you. It seemed so easy to lean forward and press a kiss to those lips. But he beat you to it. His lips fell against yours in an action you’d been seconds away from initiating. But those fireworks didn’t really start, in fact, it was more like alarm bells. You suddenly became very oddly aware that this was the boy you’d spent thirteen years in a constant battle with - over nothing in particular. You remember all of the times he’d annoyed you, all of the times he’d shown up to your house unannounced. He thinks back to when you’d first introduced yourself, how you’d first argued back against him in Kindergarten and he instantly knew that it wouldn’t stop there. You’re (Y/n) - the girl he was supposed to annoy.

Both of you pull away abruptly.

“Thats not-“ Guzmán starts, clearing his throat, “Thats not how that’s supposed to go.”

You scoff, running a hand over your hair, “No, no definitely not.”

“I’m gonna go,” Guzmán confirms, quickly standing up.

He glances back as he starts to walk down the stairs but it only lasts for a split second before he decides to quickly turn back and jog down the rest of the flight. That’s definitely not how that’s supposed to go.

- - - - - -

That whole ordeal had happened a year ago now. Since then, you and Guzmán had made as much of an attempt as possible to keep things normal. You’d still spoken back when he made comments in class, he still came over when he needed the answers for a test. But it started drifting quickly. You still remembered the night where he’d thrown pebbles at the window and you didn’t respond. Or when you left him a note in class and didn’t get any response back. It was all of these little traditions that started falling flat as the two of you realised that things didn’t feel the same anymore. He was now the boy that kissed you and you were the girl that would’ve done the same. He wasn’t just the boy that mocked any guy you dated, and you weren’t the girl that complained about nearly everything that Lu said. You’d seen each other in a different light that night, and it would take a long time for that light to dim.

Now, you approached your eighteenth birthday and it felt oddly bittersweet to think back to that time with Guzmán. You missed that annoying sidekick. And you’d forever regret that both of you tried to change anything. In fact, you couldn’t regret it. Ever since that kiss, you’d questioned a lot. And you’d realised that you would’ve kissed him if you had a second chance. It would’ve either been that night or another night. Because you’d realised that the odd offset loathing had now turned to something far from that feeling. You did like him. And somehow his annoying antics had broken through and made you develop a weirdly successful crush on that boy.

You were sat at your desk pondering the thought when the first pebble hit your window. It was almost a year to the date since you’d had that party - tomorrow would mark a full year. When you stand up and walk out onto the balcony adjoining your room, it’s none other than Guzmán stood below, armed with a few more pebbles in his hands.

“Hey,” He says, slightly surprised as his arm falls from where it was preparing for the next shot, “I thought that would take longer.”

You smirk a little as he throws the other handful of pebbles back to the floor, “What’s going on Guzmán?”

“It’s our birthday,” He shrugs, “Well, it is soon.”

You chuckle a little, “I guess it is, yeah. Any plans?”

He glances down at his feet, “I say we go with the theme of a seventeenth for an eighteenth.”

You frown, “Is that... what is that?”

He laughs gently, “Take is as you will, Princess. I’ll see you tomorrow, seven pm sharp.”

“Guzmán!” You shout after him but he’s already hopping back over the fence and walking back to his house.

What did he mean by that? And why did he always feel the need to talk in half-riddles that you had to figure out?

But the thought excited you and you couldn’t deny it. It felt nice to have a moment like that with Guzmán again, to even speak to him like you had done before. And so, you flop back down onto your desk chair and start thinking through what that would mean.

- - - - - -

Seven o’clock comes agonisingly slowly the next day as you find yourself checking the clock every five minutes as though it would make any difference. You’d taken Guzman’s comment quite literally and chosen to wear the same red dress from last year. It hugged you just the same and fit as beautifully as it had done when you first slipped it on. You wore the same makeup, did your hair in the same way, even made sure to clip on the necklace that he’d bought. It all felt like you were being taken back a year to celebrate this next one.

At exactly seven, you hear a buzz at the gates at the end of the driveway before Guzmán lets himself in - figuring out the code long ago. You open the front door and watch, smiling, as he approaches. As you’d guessed, he’s dressed exactly as he was last year. The shirt fits a little tighter on his shoulders but he’s managed the cufflinks by himself and his grin matches yours when he sees you.

“You figured it out!” He laughs, jogging up the few steps to reach your door.

“Or I’d have looked like an idiot.”

“Happy Birthday Princess,” His voice is soft and it switches the mood almost instantly.

But it changes even further when his hand finds yours and laces your fingers together. You let him lead you through the house until you find yourself at the staircase once again, sitting in the same spot as you had done last year.

“So I know it’s not exactly the same, there’s no big banner, no drunk people, no loud music from your shitty playlist choices,” He smirks, “But I figured we should have a do over of last year.”

“And why is that, Guzman?”

“Because I expected that kissing you would confirm everything I’d been feeling for the past however long. Instead, it was just a bit weird and uncomfortable. But I think that’s just because we’d both been building it up for so long and expecting some big revelation to come from it because we’ve known each other for so many years. In actual fact, I think we shouldn’t have expected that much from something so simple,” He explains, “The first time we have sex? You should expect great things.”

You hit him on the arm as instinct and laugh a little. It felt so welcoming to have him back here.

“So, Princess,” He shifts a little so he’s closer to you, “How about we reset and see if there’s any improvement this time?”

“Guzmán and (Y/n) kiss, take two,” You reply, suddenly feeling that tension fall between you two again.

It doesn’t feel as scary as it did last time. This time, you’re both so much more certain of what you want. He leans in more slowly, taking in every second and every inch of space between you. His hand moves up to cup your cheek with just enough pressure to tell you he didn’t fear what could come of the next few seconds. And when he kisses you this time, those fireworks seem to set off in rhythm. Maybe that extra year was all you needed, because this time you’re so much more actively aware of how much of a damn good kisser he was!

“Any better?” Guzmán pulls away, breathless as he rests his forehead against yours.

Your lips curl up as you grab his shirt to pull him back to you, “Maybe we need a take three.”

“Your call, Princess.”

[housewarningparty]

Thanks for recommending Gideon the Ninth! It was so good! Do you have a book rec tag I could check out? :)

honestly i should, huh? i’ve read more books than probably ever before this year and i’ve talked about ‘em intermittently, but not with a consistent tag. i’ll recommend some right now, though, with a healthy dose of recency bias!

sf/f

the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon - a truly epic fantasy novel with one of the most beautiful, satisfying f/f romances i’ve ever read. the novel takes account nearly everything i hate about fantasy as a genre (overwhelmingly straight, white, and male centric, bland medieval European settings, tired tropes) and subverts them. incredible world-building, diverse fantasy cultures, really cool arthrurian legend influence. one of my favorite books i’ve ever read tbh.

gideon the ninth by tamsyn muir - which you’ve read, obviously, but for posterity’s sake i’m keeping it here! sci-fi + murder mystery + gothic horror. genuinely funny while still having a super strong emotional core and more than enough gnarly necromantic to satisfy the horror nerd in me. makes use of some of my favorite tropes in fiction, namely the slowburn childhood enemies to reluctant allies to friends to ??? progression between gideon and harrow. absolutely frothing at the mouth for a sequel.

the broken earth trilogy by nk jemisin - really the first book that helped me realize i don’t hate fantasy, i just hate the mainstream ‘medieval europe but with magic’ version of fantasy that dominates the genre. EXTREMELY cool worldbuilding. i’ve definitely described it as like, a GOOD version of what the mage-vs-templar conflict in dragon age could have been, with a storyline particularly reminiscent of “what if someone got Anders right?”

this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar and max gladstone - i’m not usually big on epistolary novels, but this one really worked for me. spy vs spy but it’s gay and takes place between time traveling agents of two opposing sides of a war. the letter writing format really plays to el-mohtar’s strengths as a poet, the unfolding love story is weird and beautiful. it’s a really quick read, too, if you’re short on time or attention.

empress of forever  by max gladstone - i just finished this one this week! if you’re in the mood for a space opera, look no further. imagine if steve jobs was an asian lesbian and also like not a shitty person. this is where you start with vivian liao. you get the classic putting-the-band-together arc with beings from all across the universe, your romances and enemies-turned-friends and uneasy alliances all over the place. really satisfying character development and some extremely cool twists along the way. it’s just a fun good time.

the luminous dead by caitlin starling - this one rides the line of horror so it’s closest to that part of the list. it reminds me of the most inventive low budget horror/sci-fi films i’ve loved in the best way possible because it makes use of the barest narrative resources. it’s a book that takes place in one primary setting, featuring interactions between two characters that only meet each other face-to-face for the briefest period. the tension between the two characters is the most compelling part of the story, with competing and increasingly unreliable narratives and an eerie backdrop to ratchet things up even higher. the author described it as “queer trust kink” at one point which is, uh, super apt actually and totally my jam. the relationship at the center of the book is complicated to say the least, outright combative at points, but super compelling. plus there’s lost of gnarly sci-fi spelunking if you like stories about people wandering around in caves.

horror

the ballad of black tom by victor lavalle - we all agree that while lovecraft introduced/popularized some cool elements into horror and kind of defined what cosmic horror would come to mean, he was a racist sack of shit. which is why my favorite type of ‘lovecraftian horror’ is the type that openly challenges his abhorrent views. the ballad of black tom is a retelling of the horror at redhook that flips the narrative by centering the action around a black protagonist. 

lovecraft country by matt ruff - more of what i just described. again, lovecraftian themes centered around black protagonists. this one’s especially cool because it’s a series of interconnected short stories following related characters. it’s getting a tv adaptation i believe, but the book is definitely not to be missed

rolling in the deep / into the drowning deep by mira grant - mermaids are real and they’re the ultimate deep sea predators! that’s really the whole premise. if for some reason that’s not enough for you, let me add this: diverse cast, a romance between a bi woman who’s not afraid to use the word and an autistic lesbian, really cool speculative science tangents about mermaid biology and myth. 

the haunting of hill house by shirley jackson - it’s halloween month so i’m thinking about hill house again. one of the greatest american ghost stories ever written. especially worth the read if you follow it up w the 1964 film adaptation (the haunting) and then the 2018 netflix series.

the hunger by alma katsu - i’ve always been fascinated by the donner party even though we now know the popular narrative is largely falsehoods. still, this highly fictionalized version of events scratched an itch for me and ended up surprising me with its resistance from the most expected and toxic racist tropes associated with donner party myth.

wounds / north american lake monsters by nathan ballingrud - nathan ballingrud is my favorite horror writer of all time. one of my favorite writers period regardless of genre. in ballingrud’s work the horror is right in front of you. you can look directly at it, it’s right there. but what permeates it, what draws your attention instead, what makes it hurt is the brutally honest emotional core of everything surrounding the horror. the human tragedy that’s’ reflected by the more fantastic horror elements is the heart of his work. it’s always deeply, profoundly moving for me. both of these collections are technically short stories, but they’re in the horror section of the recs because delineations are totally arbitrary and made solely at my discretion. 

short stories

her body and other parties by carmen maria machado - tbh i almost put this in w horror but there’s enough weird fiction here for me to be willing to straddle the line. it was really refreshing to read horror that centered queer women’s perspectives. the stories in this collection are really diverse and super powerful. there’s an incredible weird fiction piece that’s like prompt-based law and order svu micro fiction (go with me here) that ends up going to some incredible places. there’s the husband stitch, a story that devastated me in ways i’m still unraveling. the final story reminded me of a more contemporary haunting of hill house in the best way possible. machado is a writer i’m really excited about.

vampires in the lemon grove by karen russell - my friend zach recommended this to me when we were swapping book recs earlier this year and i went wild for it! mostly weird fiction, but i’m not really interested in getting hung up on genres. i don’t know what to say about this really other than i really loved it and it got me excited about reading in a way i haven’t been in a while. 

the tenth of december by george saunders - i really like saunders’ work and i feel like the tenth of december is a great place to start reading him. quirky without being cloying, weird without being unrelatable.

misc

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid - there’s something really compelling to me about the glamour of old hollywood. this story is framed as a young journalist interviewing a famously reclusive former starlet at the end of her life. the story of how evelyn hugo goes from being the dirt-poor daughter of cuban immigrants to one of the biggest names in hollywood to an old woman facing the end of her life alone is by turns beautiful, inspiring, infuriating and desperately sad. by far the heart of the book is in evelyn finally coming out as bisexual, detailing her decades-long on/off relationship with celia st. james, another actress. evelyn’s life was turbulent, fraught with abuse and the kind of exploitation you can expect from the hollywood machine, but the story is compelling and engaging and i loved reading it.

smoke gets in your eyes by caitlin doughty - a memoir by caitlin doughty, the woman behind the popular ‘ask a mortician’ youtube series. it was a super insightful look into the american death industry and its many flaws as well as an interesting, often moving look at the human relationship with death through the eyes of someone touched by it early and deeply.

love and rockets by los bros hernandez (jaime and gilbert and mario) - this was a big alt comic in the 80s with some series within running on and off through the present. i’m not current, but this book was so important for me as a kid. in particular the locas series, which centered around two queer latina girls coming up in the punk scene in a fictional california town. the beginning starts of a little sci-fi-ish but over time becomes more concerned with slice-of-life personal dramas. 

[heartslogos]

newfragile yellows [973]

He supposes that Ellana Lavellan is pretty. And she seems, overall, a very nice woman. For organized crime. He hasn’t heard anything about Ellana Lavellan in regards to that part. He thinks most of what he’s heard bout the Lavellan twins and organized crime pertains to the brother. It sounds sexist, especially, considering the fact that everyone is currently here to pretty much duke it out for Ellana Lavellan’s hand in marriage in order to get a foot in the door for elven crime syndicate alliances.

But he has a feeling that Ellana Lavellan’s hand in her crime syndicate is just very subtle, very quiet. It isn’t a touch meant to be noticed or talked about. Ellana Lavellan’s influence is one that isn’t meant to be seen, spoken about, or sensed.

It would be easy to say that Ellana doesn’t have influence upon her family. After all, they’ve pretty much thrown her up for auction. But based on what he’s learned about her second hand, Ellana isn’t the type of person to just kick back and reap the spoils of her family’s ill-gotten gains.

Ellana Lavellan knows everyone here, he’s sure. Or if she doesn’t, she knows a person who knows the other person and is about to be introduced to become very good acquaintances, possibly friends.

Bull didn’t realize it before today, but a startling amount of people he knows know her. And it’s not just how everyone in organized crime knows everyone else. It’s deeper than that. It’s not knowing of her, it’s knowing her.

Edric and Ellana haven’t spoken much personally, but Ellana and his niece, Malika, are very familiar. Ellana and Maxwell, apparently, hang out all the time at various events and gatherings, and catch up with each other for lake house trips and open air movies. Of course, Ellana’s got the entire Hawke family on her side; she’s best friends with Carver, knows Merrill through the elven crime syndicate’s intricate tangle of connections, apparently took some night classes with Anders at some point, and goes hiking with Fenris.

Bull had heard about her from Herah, too. Apparently she and Herah go back. They’re friends. Herah didn’t disclose how they became friends, but hinted that they’ve been friends for a long time.

And now Ellana’s just come off from a near hour long stroll with Aedan Cousland, looking rosy and fresh.

Bull didn’t even know that Aedan Cousland was capable of making friends. Alliances, acquaintances, and one night stands? Sure. Actual friends? Before tonight? Never.

Bull wonders how much Ellana uses her influence, her connections, to quietly steer things in directions she wants. He wouldn’t be surprised if the answer was ‘often’. He also wouldn’t be surprised if the answer was ‘rarely’. Maybe people are already acting with her in mind. Maybe not.

“I guess I should introduce myself,” Bull says, watching Ellana get frog marched into the ballroom by her brother and Carver. He turns away from the trio, turning back towards the bar and signaling for a refill on his whiskey.

“Are you planning on doing it drunk? You already arrived late,” Max wrinkles his nose.

“It takes more than this to get me drunk.”

“Is it for your nerves?” de Fer asks on Bull’s other side.

“Yes,” Bull replies. “And what’s that? For your entertainment?”

She tilts her own martini glass in the light before taking a generous sip. “You shouldn’t ask redundant questions. It’s quite unbecoming of you. Go on. Oh, look, she’s coming here. Do you want me to introduce you, or are you going to make yourself into a spectacle?”

“Don’t look to me,” Max says, “I’m just going to stand here and watch while drinking this delightful club soda. Sobriety is the key for me tonight.”

“And why is that?”

“Max,” Ellana calls out, dragging Carver and Mahanon behind her, “That better be soda. I’m not getting married to you because you got tipsy and I had to carry you to a guest room to sleep it off in front of an entire ballroom.”

Carver punches Maxwell in the arm, lightly for a Hawke in a way that’s probably friendly, and flags down the bartender. Mahanon nods at Vivienne.

“De Fer,” he says.

“Mahanon,” she says.

And then the two just stand there staring at Bull and Ellana respectively.

Maxwell raises his hands, quickly setting his glass down. “It’s a soda. And I’m going to pop on out of here. I think I see my cousin in distress. Talk to you later.”

“The Iron Bull, I would hope,” Ellana holds her hand out. Bull takes it.

“Ellana Lavellan, by all accounts,” he replies. She smiles, briefly. “You would hope?”

“If I somehow got you wrong then I’m doing worse off than I thought,” Ellana explains. “By all accounts?”

“You’re very popular. Even outside of tonight,” Bull says. “Drink?”

Ellana glances at his glass, hums, and says, “Perhaps not the best idea.”

Bull shrugs his shoulders and keeps his expression neutral when Vivienne kicks him. She doesn’t bother hiding it. She just kicks him with that sharp pointy metal tipped stiletto.

He’s almost tempted to ask her if he’s not being entertaining enough for her tastes.

He almost misses it as he’s taking a drink, but Carver and Mahanon both kick Ellana, too. They’re attempting for a bit more subtlety than Vivienne was in that they’re attempting it at all.

“So,” Ellana says, sounding a touch annoyed, “Thanks for coming, I’m just going to — “

Vivienne kicks him again. No getting out of this one, then.

“We should probably talk,” he says.

Ellana’s eyebrows raise. “Should we?”

Bull turns to look directly at Vivienne. “We should. Apparently.”

Ellana hisses, Bull guesses she got another kick too.

“Okay. Sure. Let’s go talk. Privately. Carver, Mahanon, maybe you should go pop in and talk with someone who isn’t me. Somewhere that isn’t here. Like. Say. The bottom of the pool?”

Bull offers his arm, Ellana takes it, and they’re moving through the crowd.

“I’d say the garden, but you’ve already been out there tonight and I don’t like being called a copy cat,” Bull says. “Take the lead?”

“Gladly,” Ellana replies, “The library?” Ellana glances at the whiskey still in his hand. “My mom has a private stash. Let’s top you up.”

“Breaking into the private reserves with a man you’ve just met? And here I thought you didn’t want to get a shotgun wedding.”

Ellana smirks, “I’m being forced to pick a fiancé in the name of furthering organized crime’s reach and tonight is just the opening of the festivities. Someone should have anticipated me breaking into something. Besides. It seems everyone’s very eager for you and I to meet. I do wonder what that is?”

“Everyone but you, Lavellan?”

“Everyone but you, the Iron Bull?”

Bull dips his head in concession, and then spots Aedan Cousland grinning broadly and giving them a thumbs up before slipping back into the crowd.

Ellana sighs. “For someone I just met an hour ago that man sure is a busy body.”

“An unwanted trait in a future fiance?” Bull asks.

“An unwanted trait period, and yet one I find in pretty much everyone I know,” Ellana retorts. “Let’s not talk about Aedan. I think enough people talk about him as it is.”

[clarosowrites]

Reunited

After years of fighting the Crows and missing his Warden, Zevran returns to Vigil's Keep. The reunion he looked forward to, however, doesn't go exactly as he planned.

The next installment in my Clara Amell series, set sometime in Awakening.

Zevran slunk along the wall, his footsteps quietly pressing into the fresh snow. His slender ears pricked up at the sound of metal clinking against metal and he pressed himself into the long shadows. A solitary guard walked past him, spear resting idly on his shoulder.

He briefly considered knocking the man out--it would certainly make his job easier--but decided against it. His Warden took the safety of her men seriously and harming a guard, even an inattentive one, would upset her. Though he would still have a talk with her about their training.

He peered up at the stone walls of Vigil's Keep. Icicles hung off the parapets and windows, reflecting the pale moonlight. The old fort looked exactly the same--solid and ugly and thoroughly Fereldan.

He grinned. Against all reason, he'd missed this damn miserable country. Or at least the company he had left behind.

Taking the grappling hook and line from his belt, he widened his stance. It had been quite some time since he'd had to infiltrate a keep the old-fashioned way, but the motions came back to him quickly. He swung the hook once, twice, then sent it sailing up. It latched onto the edge of the roof and he quickly hauled himself up to the windowsill.

He could just see the bed inside. That bundle underneath the covers must be Clara. Slipping a dagger under the latch, he slid the window open, already imagining the welcome his Warden would give him. She would be surprised, of course, but happy to see him. She'd light up with that smile she saved just for him and-

Zevran froze, half in and half out the window, as a sudden clatter drew his attention. Next to the bed, a boy stood, mouth agape. A cup lay at his feet, water spreading quickly on the wood floor.

He screamed.

With a flash of pale skin, Clara shot up from the bed. Fire rushed towards him. Scorching heat enveloped him and his vision went black.

The next thing he knew, he was flat on his back and looking up at a very familiar, red-bearded face. He squinted as his vision blurred.

"Oghren?"

"Elf." The dwarf grinned, showing his cracked and blackened teeth.

Something was soaking into his clothes. Maker, he hoped it was snow.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice strained. He tried to life his head and groaned as pain echoed through his back.

A blonde human appeared behind Oghren. A mage, by the look of his robes. "You know him?" He exclaimed.

"You got caught, elf."  He laughed. "Thought we trained you outta that!"

"Well," Zevran grinned, pushing himself up to his elbows. "You can take the assassin out of the Crows, but you can't take the Crow out of..." He coughed, spitting blood into the snow. He sighed. "...you get the picture."

Oghren elbowed the mage. "Anders, heal 'em."

"He tried to kill the Commander!" He shouted.

"Just do it, sparklefingers." He grunted, glaring.

Zevran chuckled. Ah, the dwarf had been his usual charming self, then.

He closed his eyes as a healing spell washed over him, like a warm ocean wave. He sighed. That was something he missed--he had no mage friends in Antiva and had to be content with his own sloppy stitches for too long.

"Thank you." He said to the nervous-looking mage.

"C'mon." Oghren said, pulling him to his feet. "She'll want to see you."

Zevran stumbled into him, his legs weak, and leaned against his friend.

He looked up to his most recent perch, two stories up. The window was blown outwards, the surrounding wall blackened and scorched. Bits of glass and wood littered the ground between him and the wall, a good twenty meters away.

Braska, his perfect plan all gone to shit. What had happened? Who was that child?

"The hell where you thinking, anyway?" Oghren asked. "Commander don't like surprises."

"Maker forgive me for trying to be romantic." Zevran sighed dramatically.

Using his short friend as a rather smelly crutch, he limped toward the keep, leaving a sputtering human in their wake.

Oghren pounded on the doors to the main hall. "Open up!"

The doors swung inward. A dozen people were scattered throughout, some in sleep clothes, some in full armor, and a few in odd mixtures of both. All of them held weapons.

To his surprise, he recognized a man in the crowd--the blood mage from Redcliffe. This night was just getting stranger and stranger.

And then he saw her. His lover stood on a dais, a few steps above him, in front of a carved wooden throne. Her short blonde hair was tousled madly and she wore her golden dragon scale mail over a robe and trousers, the clothing sticking awkwardly from beneath her armor. Her silverite sword shimmered with electricity, held loosely at her side.

And behind her, the same child hid. Small hands grasped at her pant leg as he peaked out at him.

Zevran looked back up at her, his brow knitting. It couldn't be him, could it?

He saw the moment that she recognized him. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. But instead of smiling and running toward him and any of the number of things he'd dreamed of in their months apart, her expression hardened.

"Everybody out!" Clara call out sternly.

A dark haired man stepped forward. "Commander, you can't be serious, he--"

"That wasn't a suggestion, Howe." She snarled, sheathing her sword. "You're all dismissed!"

Zevran found himself frozen as the other Wardens filed out of the room, shooting curious glances at him. As he watched, Clara knelt down to speak to the boy, smoothing a hand over his blonde curls. He nodded and ran over to the blood mage, who swung him up on his hip as he left.

"Don't let her kill ya." Oghren said gruffly as he left. "Nobody else 'round here is any fun."

Then, he was finally alone with his Warden. His lover, his love, that he hadn't seen for over a year, and now she was looking at him with such empty eyes.

"Well, this isn't exactly the welcome I hoped for." He said, aiming for levity and falling short. "I imagined candlelight, some chocolates, and... rather less clothing."

Her expression didn't change. "You should've sent a letter ahead."

"I could say much the same of you, my Warden. I was beginning to think you had forgotten me." He said coldly. He hadn't had a response from her in months. At first, he excused it--she was busy, running the Wardens and fighting darkspawn--but now he knew it was something else.

"No. I didn't... I didn't know what to say." Clara said shortly. She took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on the floor. "My son. His name is Lolan. He lives here now and I know this...that you never agreed to this. I understand if you leave."

"Leave?" His heart dropped. "Am I to be turned away so callously, then?"

"I don't want you to go, Zev." She looked up and he was startled to see tears in her eyes. He crossed the room to her, his hands coming up to cradle her elbows, wanting to embrace her but not willing to force it. "But a child--that was never part of our arrangement."

"Arrangement?" He asked.

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, I do." He said softly. "But to spend so many months away from you, dreaming of you, and to hear you speak of it so callously..."

"I don't know what else to call it." She sighed. "I'm sorry."

Zevran could feel her trembling in his arms. "You look almost afraid of me, mi amora."

"Oh, Zev." She pushed her forehead against his, closing her eyes. She reached up to him and carded her fingers through his hair. "I'm not, I promise. I'm just terrified of what you might say."

"I can say it in a funny voice if you like." He murmured. "I do a wonderful Neverran accent."

She laughed.

"Ah, there she is." He said, brushing a tear off her cheek. "You worry too much, Clara. Haven't I stuck around this long? Tell me what's frightened you and we can work from there."

"I don't know how this will change things. Being a mother." She whispered. "I want both of you in my life, but you might not want him around."

He sighed, not knowing how to respond. He'd never taken care of a child--and he thanked the Maker for that, knowing how the Crows treated their new recruits. Maybe he wouldn't like this one. Maybe Lolan wouldn't like him. Maybe Clara had outgrown him while they were apart. She was a mother now, as well as Warden-Commander, she surely had better prospects than him.

But as she melted into his arms, he felt his worries fading.

"Are you happy?" Zevran asked.

She nodded, her eyes shining. "I love him so much."

"Good. I won't ask you to give that up." He said. His Warden had spent so much of her life alone and he would never dream of taking any happiness away from her. "Do you really want me to be around him?"

"What? I'm not asking you to be his father, Zev."

"I know, I know." He shrugged. "But I hardly think I'm a good influence on anyone, much less a child."

"Let me worry about that." Clara pulled him in and kissed him quickly. "So you're staying?"

"At this point, mi amora, you couldn't chase me away." He smiled. "Why don't you introduce us?"

She took his hand, lighting up with that smile that she saved just for him, and led him away. And Zevran followed her, like he always did.

[carabas]

So I’ve just finished reading the Dragon Age Tevinter Nights anthology, and short reaction: enjoyably hit and miss right up until that final extremely thorough direct hit, thank you Patrick Weekes.

Much, much longer version:

1. I don’t know how reasonable it is to try to extrapolate about what’s going to be in the next game based on a random short story collection, but hey, the novels that came out before DAI were about the mage rebellion, the Orlesian civil war, and eluvians, so.

So things I’m now expecting to see in the next game, aside from the Tevinter-Qunari conflict and Solas of course: Nevarran necromancy, Antivan Crows, Wardens who are struggling with decimated numbers after DAO and DAI (would be the perfect time for Razikale and Lusacan to both wake up at once really), and the Lords of Fortune, a never-before-mentioned Rivaini treasure hunting organization which appeared in I think three different stories here. 

Plus a few stories were very much signalling This Specific New Character Will Be Showing Up Again, whether in the games or elsewhere; I'll be shocked if Lucanis the “Demon,” reluctant heir apparent of the Antivan Crows who just got into a cliffhanger conflict with a Tevinter magister, doesn’t have more to do.

2. THERE IS A MAP, there is a great big fantasy map surrounded by nifty little illustrative details to poke at.

There’s a label reading “White Spire,” not in Val Royeaux, but on a mountain beyond the Arlathan Forest. Is that an error or is there really a White Spire mountain? If not an error, has it always been named that or is that new, possibly a new center for the mages after the war, after the original Spire fell? At no point is either Spire mentioned in this book aside from this map.

Lots of astrological sun and moon patterns prominently featured around the edges. Is that one moon chart depicting moon phases or an eclipse? Is it too conspiracy theory of me to be counting the nine dark moons (or spheres? like in that DA4 idol illustration’s seven slots?) on the dragon’s wing? Probably. Or are those spheres a reference to the second moon that never seems to actually be visible, is that missing moon actually deliberate. 

Most of the astrological charts are fairly straightforwardly showing sun/moon phases but what is the crowned figure in the one on the lower right meant to represent? The Maker? What’s going on with the horizontal lines passing through it/behind it? The two moons beneath it - is that an illustration of the moon in two phases or being separated into two (metaphorical moon in that case, presumably), do those horizontal lines also indicate separation, do I need to move on from the astrological depictions here, definitely.

Love the big horseshoe crab sea monster.

3. Patrick Weekes’s first story in the collection: halla shapeshifting! An elf named Strife who I fully expected to be revealed as an agent of Fen’harel mimicking ancient elven names like Sorrow and Pride, though I was wrong - would it be charming or just annoyingly unsubtle if that became a thing among his agents. An ancient forest guardian with lyrium blades who hunts magic in a way that struck me an awful lot like a forest-themed equivalent of a golem, though I may be wildly off base with that one.

4. Nevarran necromancy story. An odd bit of the chant to highlight for a funeral: “And the Maker, clad in the majesty of the sky, set foot to earth, and at His touch all warring ceased.” I continue to squint suspiciously at overlaps between Maker and elven god imagery. Also, evidently mortalitasi believe that when someone dies, an inhuman spirit is pushed out from the Fade into the physical world, and that’s part of the reason behind their housing spirits in bodies - neat! The existence of Curiosity spirits, also neat!

5. Is Ghilan’nain’s horrible body horror place supposed to be spelled Hormak like in the title and previous canon references, or Hormok like throughout the text here? I know this was just a mistake but maybe I’ll use this to say that in-world there’s multiple ways of transliterating Dwarven.

6. Lukas Kristjanson story #1, the one featuring approximately a million minor Inquisition character cameos and a meditation on Solas’s regrets, introduces a character with the phrase “free mage by special commendation,” and I was briefly thrown by that little signal that we are Not In My Worldstate, that the mages aren’t all free by default - except then the story went on to destroy Solas’s fresco so I wound up quite grateful for that little heads up that this isn’t my worldstate actually.

(Unfortunately I can’t get into this guy’s writing style at all, which is a shame because it’s one of the big Solas stories in the book.)

7. There’s a little plot point in the Wigmaker Job story that demonstrates those elven artifacts Solas had us activate all over Thedas do indeed strengthen the Veil - like, he wasn’t lying to us about what those orbs do, that is how they work, here we see a Crow stab one in order to deactivate it, weaken the Veil and unleash a horde of vengeful demons. Nice confirmation.

8. Genitivi is the Randy Dowager. (Possibly. At least, Philliam wrote a scene in which Genitivi alludes to being the Randy Dowager. I do appreciate an unreliable narrator but after a certain point it does make the lore hard to keep straight.)

9. By the time we got to the story about adventurers stealing an incredibly powerful healing amulet just to donate it to a mysterious contact at a makeshift hospital trying to help people where the Qunari-Tevinter war has spilled over, I knew better than to expect any cameos from DAO/DA2 characters. And with the mention of the squire, I was pretty sure the mysterious contact was going to be Vaea, and it was. Still. Anders would approve. And for a moment I was fantasizing that it would turn out to be him, or connected to him. A new mental setting for him and Hawke post-mage-freedom - makeshift hospitals at the edge of the invasion, secretly sponsored by a certain pair of absurdly overpowered, dungeon-crawling, treasure-hunting fugitives.

Yes, my Dragon Age interpreting is still all about Anders even when he’s not remotely present.

10. You know, I really expected the leaders of the Crows to be a bit more ruthlessly competent than this. Someone is setting up a grand demonstration, recreating infamous historical assassinations carried out by the Crows but now with the leaders of the Crows themselves as the victims, incredibly flashy, incredibly clearly sending a message, and yet not one of the characters trying to figure out whodunit is speculating about the meaning behind that message??? the motive in going to all that trouble??? it’s all, hm, perhaps it’s the qunari invaders. hm, this one was posed with a pearl necklace just like the one in the historical murder it’s recreating, i bet the culprit owns a pearl-fishing business! I know they’re assassins not detectives but at least show the professional courtesy of paying attention to the message in the show your fellow assassin is putting on for you, geez.

Anyway. Interesting Crow details: they talked about neutral ground and territories divided between the Crow households here, does that just apply to Antiva or like, does Arainai have claim to all jobs in Ferelden? 

And the line “Teia's back was bare except for a tattoo marking her as a member of House Cantori” puts Zevran’s tattoos in a slightly different light for me - he’s mentioned that some symbols are sacred to the Crows, and logically it follows that having that symbol tattooed on him would indeed mark him as a Crow to other people in the know, but that his tattoos mark him as belonging to House Arainai is a thing that did not hit me from that.

11. An agent of Fen’harel muttering “Felassan” to activate a rune. In memoriam? Charming. I mean it’s a rune that’s intended to kill an entire city, so possibly the more literal slow arrow is meant, but I’m still charmed.

12. PATRICK WEEKES CLOSING OUT THE BOOK BY JUST DUMPING THE CONTINUING DREAD WOLF HUNT PLOT ON US. 

So much. 

An actual giant wolf in the Fade, I’m so happy for tumblr user corseque. 

A character again raising the possibility that Solas is not an ancient elf but rather a young elf who stumbled onto old magic, a theory I thought debunked by Trespasser but here we are considering it again. 

A minor side note that a lot of Kirkwall’s templars went rogue after the explosion - that’s not relevant to the post-DAI plot really, I’m just noting it for my generally-DA2-focused fanfic purposes. 

The possibility that somniari (presumably) can kill even dwarves who don’t dream in their sleep. Somniari in general or did Solas personally step in here?

A ritual involving the red lyrium idol resulting in the phrase “As if we were the blood and the cavern the body through which it flowed” right before the POV character enters the Fade, which is a rather Titan-esque turn of phrase. 

The Dread Wolf again asserting that all creation is in danger and he’s trying to fix that. A biased POV character recognizing that, huh, funny how those spirits around the Dread Wolf which surely must be demons actually look an awful lot like Justice and Valor. 

And Charter’s notes at the end, so direct, not only spelling out the new details on the idol for us (that the figure represents a crowned figure comforting another) but thoroughly hitting us over the head with Solas’s essential characterization in his own words, as if Weekes is still trying to clear up any possible lingering misinterpretations there. (Prideful, hotheaded, foolish. Doing what he must. Sympathetic to elves. Said that he was sorry.)

And the quiet simplicity of Solas coming to this meeting of spies in person because, pause, “...the Inquisition was involved,” written in such a way that you could read all sorts of things into that pause, whatever the Inquisition and the Inquisitor might mean to him.

The book would have been worth reading for this last story alone, what a note to end on.