#v: I'm FINALLY Emperor!

[boombambaby]

Woooow

Looks like I'm not the only one after Malina's hottie hot hottie heart.~

what little old me? pfft--

[verysium]

attractive things bllk characters (unintentionally) do?👀

i received this ask and decided to write this entire thing through a caffeine-powered fever dream. may have gone a little overboard. please pray for both your sanity and mine. thank you anon for your strong sense of imagination (or delusion, whichever you prefer.)

nagi lifts the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face, and you accidentally (or not so accidentally) get a good look at the droplets running down his abs and v-line. he also does the doorway lean while waiting for you to get ready. since he's so tall, he puts his one arm up on the top of the door frame while scrolling through his phone. when he feels drained of energy, he clings to you like a koala, face buried into the crook of your neck.

rin pushes his hair back when his bangs get in the way, and it shows off his ridiculously sharp side profile. sometimes you have to pause mid-conversation because the direct eye contact gets too intense. he has the brightest turquoise eyes in existence, and they stare right into your soul. pair that with the height difference and him towering over you. hang onto your ovaries because this man is about to snatch them. if isagi or sae are anywhere remotely close within your vicinity, he will personally drag your chair closer over to him. you know, the whole nick jonas chair pull thing? he also unintentionally clenches his jaw when pissed, the vein popping out and everything.

barou is polite to his elders. he holds the door open for others. he tips extra at restaurants. he is kind to service workers. he's just a gentleman overall even though he likes to act tough. he rolls up his sleeves while cleaning or cutting up vegetables, and you can see the veins bulging in his forearms. wears those form-fitting aprons where you can see the outline of his waist and the muscles in his back. he is not immune to raging pit bull moments, but he will calm down immediately when you ask him to.

kaiser requires physical touch to function. all concept of personal boundaries goes poof in his little ego-driven brain. he holds your chin so you look up at him while he's talking. also has that husky growl when he wakes up in the morning. he speaks german. what else is more attractive than that? if you stroke his ego, he will puff his chest out like an emperor penguin and flash that movie star smile. does not slow down his pace for you, and will laugh at your expense when you trip in heels and fall. but then he feels guilty about it and begrudgingly picks you up and carries you home. however, before that he will make you swear on everything holy to never tell isagi about his moment of weakness. (tbh kaiser is a menace and has some serious self-esteem issues. pls avoid dating a man like him in real life until he is fully mature. i still love him tho.)

reo mansplains but not in the condescending way. he does so in the "omg i'm so excited to finally get to share something with you and you're never going to believe it" sort of way. rambles on and on about his interests and gets that little glint in his eye when he's passionate about something. also not sure if this counts but he gets extremely depressed when you don't message him back within five minutes. what do you mean you were busy? he was out here dying from a literal famine. he needs your affection to survive. last but not least, he is good at styling. he knows what colors work best for you, and he will put together three new looks for you in record time.

hiori dreams that you left him for good and wakes up crying with his arms around you. will refuse to let you leave the bed even if it is just to get a glass of water. his rare moments of emotional vulnerability are what gets to you.

shidou does not condone any of your bad decisions. you want to get shit-faced and party until early morning? no complaints from him. you want to wear sexy outfits to the club? say less because he's about to enjoy the view and knock out the front teeth of every guy who dares to ogle you. i don't know if this qualifies as being attractive, but he would never be the controlling type. you can dress and act however you want. unfortunately for you though, this is also a textbook case of the blind leading the blind. if you get horrendously hungover, so does he. if you get pulled over, he's going to be too blackout drunk to even comprehend the officer's words. you can count on him for a good time, but not anything else. do not take any of his advice at face value.

oliver likes to show you off even if he doesn't notice it himself. any talk with his team, and he will find a way to make the entire conversation about you. at this point, the entire u-20 team is done with him. they placed bets that you two wouldn't last more than a month due to his philandering reputation, but the universe seems to think otherwise because you and oliver hit the six-month mark and are still going strong.

ness guards your drink with an unnecessary amount of protection. while you left to go use the restroom, he was looking left and right, and the hairs on the back of his neck were prickling every time someone even came close to your cup. he also shoos away any person who opens their mouth while standing next to your drink because apparently the condensation from their breath could be dangerous. definitely covers your cup with both hands even if it has a lid. no suspicious shit is happening on his watch.

yukimiya is well-read, and he wears glasses. he has a copy of every single classic out there in existence and will fangirl along with you over your virginia woolf collection. he was written by a woman with two cats and a wine glass. not much else to say.

loki absolutely clears the entire carnival/arcade game. you want that giant teddy bear that costs over three hundred ticket points? say less because he's about to win the whole damn pot. of all characters, i would say he's one of the only green flags. like celery green.

isagi always looks for you when he enters the room. intentionally or not, he always seeks your presence. if someone says a funny joke, he turns to you to see if you're laughing or not. also does that somewhat creepy stare thing where he just looks at you quietly while you do mundane tasks. internally he is screaming cus what do you mean you actually like him?

chigiri gives you that thankful little smile whenever you stand up for him. i feel like people don't understand how goofy he can get as he's canonically good at doing impressions/impersonations. also has the prettiest laugh. if he ever cuts his hair, i think i'm going to get a nosebleed.

noa unconsciously says yes to every question you ask of him. he'd be giving bastard münchen a hard time (and denying isagi's requests) but then immediately once you come over, he's automatically acquiescing to everything you say. the rest of the team is low-key shocked you can win him over so easily. when they confront him about it, he just shrugs and goes "y/n is always right."

kurona's entire existence is attractive. he's just perfect. nothing is ever wrong with him. will let you check out his shark teeth and lightly pokes your finger to leave an imprint. hopefully you'll always remember him that way. he's also quiet so he will listen to everything you say and give ample weight to your words.

sae is my baby girl so he gets a whole section dedicated to himself:

absentmindedly plays with your hair. when you're sleeping in his lap, he'll gently run his fingers along your scalp. sometimes in the morning when you're sitting up on the edge of your bed to do your makeup, he'll come up from behind you and brush back your hair. might also press a kiss to the back of your neck.

helps you put on your face mask. when he's shopping, he will buy you lotion along with his own skincare products. says that it was just a convenient store run but you know he personally made sure to get you the best quality ones.

this is canon because i said so: when he gets out of the shower, he slings the towel over his neck or his shoulder. he also involuntarily flexes his biceps when he bends down to grab something. has the world's most defined deltoids.

when you're stuck in large crowds at the airport, he puts his hand in your back pocket to keep you two from getting separated. if the TSA pat-down is anywhere too personal for his liking, he will openly glare at the officer once you've passed the security checkpoint.

bonus point: when you two brush your teeth early in the morning, he has that little bed head where his shorn-off bangs stick up in cute little tufts here and there. will have a dead look on his face, but his eyes soften when he catches your gaze through the mirror.

[anyarose011]

Agape

Pairing: Lucius x Reader

Summary: After the Roman Empire had fallen, birthing the Republic, you and Lucius had finally found a moment to breathe in each other's presence. Over a few years' journey of healing, you find that is both exhausting, yet all the more fulfilling at the same time.

Part 2 of 2 (Masterlist)

Warning(s): Past SA, Depictions of Grief, Violence, Angst, Miscommunication, Historical Inaccuracies [I tried my best to make it kind of accurate], Nudity (sexual and non-sexual), Mutual Masturbation, Oral Sex (f receiving), P in V Sex

Paul Mescal's facial hair in All of Us Strangers, if you can hear us, please save us. Nobody ask me how I went from "’Oh, I’m just gonna write some scenes about healing from trauma, and the rest is smut! Easy!" to then making it just a little longer than the first part. I'm a yapper, but holy shit XD. Anyway, this is just shameless pRopAgAnDa at what I personally view a husband to act like (even in modern times). So, without further ado, thousands of words of hurt/comfort and smut.

Word Count: 16.4k

You were a lucky child. When you were twelve and your friend was married off to a man who was forty-two, you asked your father when you would be married.

He tucked you in that night, saying that he wasn’t certain, and that you had nothing to fear; for he wouldn’t promise you to a man who was in a war the same year you were born. He would have to know him personally as well, saying.

“It’s easier to like a man than have to plan his assassination if he dared lay a hand on you.”

You like to think he would have approved of Lucius; he was the once heir to the Roman Empire.

You don’t think he would have approved of your…informal marriage.

“A year.” Lucius stated as the two of you sat together in one of the piazzas. “As long as we are not separated from each other for more than three days, Rome will view us as married if we live in the same household for a year.”

You hummed. “And why should we care what Rome views?”

“Men won’t stop their advances on you if they saw you as my sister.” he explained. “Even as a wife, that doesn’t stir them.”

“It’s a very Christian belief of you to have.”

“But it makes them think thoroughly on if they want to risk tainting you.” Lucius finally looked at you. “Knowing that I would break every finger they touched you with.”

Even with his proclamation, you merely shrugged. “Being the emperor’s favorite whore, I doubt they would care.”

He sighed. “Do you want to know what my mother wrote? Her final words that will forever be with me because they are in ink? ‘Take her as your wife.’”

It had only been one day since Lucilla’s death, since Rome had become a Republic, and no one knew exactly what to do.

Yet…even at the mention of her presence, you felt tears spring to your eyes.

How you hated crying; and crying and crying.

“It is wise.” You finally settled on. “The people here too must see me as a traitor.”

“You would be dead if they did.”

“It’s still early.” You smiled sadly. “I desired to be free of the emperors, but all they must have saw was lust for power.”

Lucius sighed. “If it is a concern, then I believe it is best to leave Rome.”

Suddenly, you were no longer afraid for your life. You scowled. “Leave the city you risked your life to liberate?”

“It is not just my own life I need to think of now, is it?”

“Then think of mine.” you began. “I don’t wish to leave. Where would we even go? I know nothing outside of Rome.”

This would have been solved if you somehow still had the house you grew up in. The moment Geta claimed you, it was gone. Even with the fall of the Empire, and the birth of the Republic, you could not take it back.

Among many other things, you could not take it back.

“We’ll live just outside the walls.” Lucius suggested. “A farm perhaps a few miles from here-.”

“-A farm?” You questioned. “You know how to farm? Because I sure don’t.”

“I’ve lived longer on a farm than I have in a palace.”

It shouldn’t have surprised you, but it did. You also weren’t in the position to bargain. Even though it wasn’t going to be what most would deem an ‘official’ marriage, he still owned you. That was how it always was, whether living outside of the Roman walls or not. Still, you had to try.

“I will learn as much as I need to,” You shook your head. “but I will find a job in the city. You cannot believe I will be shut out-.”

“-Do you want to share a room, or would you like your own?”

You furrowed your brow. “What?”

Lucius restated. “We don’t have any money to buy a farm, so I’ll build us one. Do you want your own room?”

You had only known him for a grand total of a day and a half (if you were to add up all the previous times you had spoken to him before Macrinus’ death), so needless to say, his offer shocked you; more so, it impressed you.

“Isn’t it odd for a man and wife to not share a bed?” You asked.

“So, you want to share a room?”

“No.” was your immediate response. “I just…”

Am not used to compromising with men without them threatening my life.

“Won’t it cost money to build a house?” You asked instead. “None the less, more for another room?”

“I only want you to be happy, if we’re to be married.”

There you were, asking every question and not being satisfied with his answers, yet he was remaining patient.

“Thank you.” You bowed your head in thanks for just a second before questioning. “I am still allowed to have a job in the city? It will help with the cost, of course.”

 “Where exactly do you intend to work?”

He said your name; not ‘Julia’, the name you had whispered to him in his cell. Lucius was the only one who had said it to you, for you did not even tell Lucilla or Marcus. It still felt strange hearing it on your lips, nonetheless, his.

Still, shaking your discomfort away, you hummed humorlessly. “I know two women who run their own businesses; hairdressing and tailoring. I’m better at hair than clothes, but not so much. And you?”

He sighed. “I’ll see if there’s any other farmers needing a hand.”

“You’re going to work for a farmer to build a farm?”

“It sounded more bizarre in your head than when you said it aloud, did it not?”

That was the first thing you found out about Lucius after all the bloodshed and heartbreak of the last week:

He spoke with such a straight tone, you did not know he was joking until he would smile just a hint; you couldn’t really call it a true smile.

You managed to grin. “I suppose it makes sense. You should find one that will let us sleep there.”

And he did. A farm just a few miles outside of Rome took both you and Lucius in. It was substantial, housing five chickens, two cows, three pigs, four horses, and seven human children. Albeit the children helped with the chores, but the eldest was only ten and could not manage any of the heavy lifting whatsoever, which was where Lucius came in.

From sun up to sun down, he’d work on the farm. The farmers, Atticus and Diana, let you sleep in the barn of all places. The hayloft was nice for the both of you; enough space to spread out but not be right next to each other. There was also somewhat of a wall between the two of you, giving the illusion of separate rooms.

It was certainly an adjustment for you; had been sleeping on the softest of beds for months, but even so, you just missed the bed from your old house.

Lucius fell asleep the second he laid on the hay.

Dreams and nightmares were always a peculiar thing. Some days, you would dream of your mother and father, some days, they would be of Lucilla and Marcus.

You had nightmares of what befell you before coming to the farm; Macrinus and his manipulation, Caracalla’s temper, Geta…

Yet, the worst that would happen would be you waking up more tired than the night prior. You knew Lucius was having nightmares too, but every time you approached him, he would lie and say he was fine, or simply not want to speak of it.

You stopped asking.

For the first few days on the farm, you were put to work by watching over the younger children when their mother was busy. Somehow, it was the older ones you didn’t mind, it was the youngest baby who was a handful.

It’s morbid to say, but you always wondered how any of them survived infancy.

Luckily, you managed to get back to Rome after perhaps a week of being stranded on the farm. It was almost an hour walk, and you had gotten up even before Lucius had, but it was worth it.

It wasn’t that you felt dead as you were on the farm per say, but walking through the streets brought a certain kind of life back into your steps.

You spent a good portion of the day trying to find the hairdressers you talk to Lucius about. Just as you were about to give up and try again tomorrow, something caught your ear.

Hebrew.

You turned over your shoulder and saw a man speaking in Latin to another man and a pregnant woman. The father had spoken in broken Latin before turning to his wife, speaking quickly in Hebrew as if to ask her what to say.

The Roman man began to yell, and you rushed over, speaking to the patriarch of the family.

“What’s going on?” You asked quickly.

His eyes grew as if you were the first person in Rome to understand him (you probably were). “I paid for a bag of peaches fairly; two bronze, yet they’re saying it wasn’t enough.”

You turned to the man behind you. “He says he gave you two bronze for the peaches.”

“It was three.” The Roman man gritted his teeth.

Tilting your head, you tried. “Show me your stand so we may see.”

It was perhaps stupid of you to challenge him; yet, he controlled his tempter and led you to his fruit stand. The sign by the peaches indeed said ‘2’, but there was also a good amount of peaches blocking the bottom half of the sign.

When you moved a few, it read ‘3’.

You smiled, looking at the man who spoke Hebrew. “It is three, but it’s not your fault this brute didn’t notice either.”

He nodded, returning your grin before handing the men another copper. With an few mumbled exchanges, the man and his wife were on their way.

“You have Judeans in your family?” The man crudely asked.

Still, you decided to reciprocate his crassness with kindness. “I actually speak five languages.”

He rose his brows. “Is that a fact?”

“Yes, yes it is.”

He hummed, holding his hand out. “Isidorus.”

“Julia.” Was your immediate response as he took your hand and kissed your knuckles. It wasn’t even your own choice to say that name; it was what you lived by. Retracting your hand, you shake your head and said your own name. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-.”

“-All of Rome knows who you are.” He interrupted. “Do not be afraid of your own people. Most of them were there simply a week ago when you tried to slay Macrinus but was there to comfort lady Lucilla in her final moments.”

You only nodded, not wanting to be praised. “I thank you for your kindness.”

“With certain.” He nodded. “You are with child; only a monster would harm a woman carrying.”

The events of the past weeks had made you forgotten about the false babe. Luckily, the fear upon your face could be used to your advantage.

“Are you not well?” Isidorus questioned.

You dropped your gaze, stammering your tone. “The…I lost the child.”

He looked down as well. “Oh…I’m so sorry.”

“No,” you shook your head. “it’s…it feels odd. His father was terrible but…”

“Why are you perusing Rome unchaperoned?” He changed the subject.

 “My betrothed is being put to work,” you immediately answered. “and I am scouring the streets to find my own.”

“What has your luck been?”

“Nothing.”

Isidorus hummed. “I could change that.”

Even at the thought of what he was alluding to, you smiled. “Good sir, I am not in the position to sell my body-.”

“-None of that.” he waved his hand. “My brother works down at the entrance of the city gates. They’re always in need of translators.”

You nodded, considering. “When may I meet with him?”

“Tomorrow?” He asked. “Midday at the gates with many people watching so you do not feel threatened?”

The two of you laughed, and you agreed. “I shall be there. Thank you.”

“Anything to help a woman of the people.”

You walked all the way back to the farm with a skip in your step. Even at dinner, you were more talkative with the rest of the family. Lucius certainly took notice as the two of you were settling down for the night.

“You seemed better today.” He complimented, laying onto his bed of hay.

“So, I’ve been absolutely horrible the rest?” You teased, peeking around the wall of the hayloft.

 “No, just what I think you were like before everything; more yourself.” He explained. “Did the hairdressers go well?”

Leaning against the wall, you crossed your arms. “I’m actually working as a translator down by the city entrance.”

He gave you a look. “How’d this come about?”

“Well,” you began. “I overheard two men arguing, one was speaking Hebrew, and I asked him what was wrong. There was a misunderstanding over peaches of all things, I helped them talk it out, and it was solved with no bloodshed. The vendor said his brother works at the gates and is always in need of translators and offered to meet with him tomorrow. It will be midday and so many people around; do not worry.”

Lucius nodded. “I’ll accompany you.”

“Did you not hear what I just said? I shall be fine.”

“I have no doubt you would.” You knew that was a lie. “One of the scythes broke today, I’ll need to buy another one in the city.”

You didn’t know if that was a lie or not, but it wouldn’t surprise you if Lucius would sneak out in the night and break equipment simply to go with you.

Sighing, you went behind the wall to your side of the hayloft. “Fine.”

To no one but Lucius’ surprise, Isidorus had not lied about his brother, nor the job offer. Of course, the brother had been off put at a woman being the translator (because everyone knows that they are the lesser sex). Still, after some convincing (you talked to a Greek family, a man from Anatolia, and two brothers from Persia), he said you could be put to work.

Lucius stood there the whole hour you had proved yourself.

“You couldn’t have gotten the scythe while I worked?” You questioned him while walking home.

He kept his gaze on the road before him, carrying the farm equipment. “It was engaging to watch.”

You hummed. “I could see how engaged you were while you stood like this.” You crossed your arms and scowled.

“I did not look like that.” He scoffed.

“You did so!” You refuted, lowering your voice. “My name is Lucius Verus Aurelius, the Last Gladiator, son of Lucilla and Maximus, grandson of Marcus Aurelius.”

He looked down, mouth upturning a little. “I do not sound like that.”

“Is that a smile?!” you gasped. “Gods above, I never thought you could unless you were attempting humor!

“Away with you, woman.”

You only laughed as the sun was starting to set.

There was something called a “Fullmoon” period in a marriage. Most now would say it’s “Honeymoon”, but the period in time where a man and woman were in a complete state of euphoria together was called “Fullmoon” because it only lasted for a month.

You and Lucius (even with your strange circumstance) were not immune to this.

A month later, when you had fully settled into a mundane life of working in different areas for hours upon hours, the only times you saw Lucius was when you ate dinner with the farmer’s family, and before going to bed.

It didn’t’ effect you that much for the first three months, as you both were still on good terms and were fine simply cohabitating without affection. This marriage was purely for protection and to honor Lucilla’s wishes.

Then…Lucius came to you one day, saying that together, you both had enough money to build a farm. He already had a patch of land picked out from the help of the famer who employed him. It was five miles away from the farm you stayed at. Five miles more of a journey to the city.

You would move in once the walls were built, which he said would only take a week or two.

It was too fast for you.

Still, you had to go along with it, because you were to be his wife; nothing more. Even so, nothing out of the ordinary besides your hidden, simmering annoyance happened between you two.

The first day construction was to be done was when light was shed upon it.

“Lucius!” You called his name as you approached him and a few other men hauling the wood and stone that would be used. It was mid-twilight when you ran to them.

He furrowed his brow, walking towards you. “Aren’t you meant to be in the city?”

Grinning from ear to ear, you shook your head. “I asked for the day off because of the house. He said I-.”

“-You need to go back and tell him you’ll work.”

Your smile fell from his usual, monotone demeanor. “He doesn’t expect me to come in today-.”

“-Then he’ll be happy to see you.”

“May I just talk for a moment?!” You yelled.

His said nothing.

Sighing, you began. “I will be useful in any capacity. If you need me to help dig for water, measure supports, lift anything-.”

“-Your shoulder cannot carry-.”

You retorted. “-It might be the shoulder you shot, but it’s the shoulder I have to live with, and I will tell you if something is too heavy to carry.”

It hadn’t been the first time you brought up your shoulder after Rome was free. Yet, in the past, it was always out of good fun; something to say to him when you didn’t want to carry as little as an egg from the chicken coop. You told the children the story too why you had to set one of them down after carrying her for so long.

You expected them to cower away from Lucius when he returned for supper, but instead, they all tackled him to the ground to defend your honor.

They didn’t hurt him of course, and you laughed until you couldn’t breathe.

Yet, at that moment, you said it with nothing but disdain; and he heard it in every word. You thought it would have been enough to guilt him into letting you help, you made sure of it.

Lucius titled his head back toward the main road. “Go on, now. The sun will be up soon, it’ll be better to walk without daylight beating down on you.”

The audacity he had. Usually, on the times you’d have disagreements of sorts, you’d try to leave with dignity; perhaps a word of sarcasm or two.

No, you simply turned on your heel and marched away in a huff.

You were harsher that day when translating, and you were still angry by the time the day ended. You ate dinner outside by yourself (until three of the seven children came outside to eat with you), and did not utter a ‘goodnight’ to Lucius before laying down to sleep.

Neither of you spoke to the other for days after that.

It was one morning, not even when the sun was out, as you tried to tiptoe around him, did he ask from his makeshift bed.

“Do you remember where the house is?”

You nearly fell off the ledge of the hayloft. “What is wrong with you?!”

“Do you remember?”

“Yes!” you whispered, afraid to wake the whole farm. “Why?”

“We made the water pump, and the walls and floors are finished. We’ll be able to sleep there now.”

“I don’t see the appeal in sleeping in a house with no roof.”

“I’ll put half of it on today. Tell your foreman too that you won’t be able to work for the next week.”

You furrowed your brow. “Why?”

“I’m teaching you how to tend to a farm.” He wrapped his blankets tighter around him and turned his back to you.

And you continued on your way; making the long trek to the city, which would only be longer when you moved to the house.

When your work was over, you walked and walked. You took a short break at the farmer’s house, making your final goodbyes to the children, and gathering what little belongings you owned.

As you tried to leave, Diana stopped you. She was leading one of the horses, a berber, behind her.

“Take her,” she handed you the reins. “you shouldn’t have to walk so far.”

You shook your head. “I simply cannot-.”

“-I insist.” She smiled. “She’s yours now. Think of it as payment for helping me with the little beasts that are my children.”

Smiling politely, it soon faded. She took notice. “What is it?”

“…I’ve only ever ridden once, and I was a child.”

She sighed yet was still kind. “Come on, my husband’s horse is at your farm. I’ll ride back with him.”

Despite your inexperience, it was actually nice riding a horse. It was perhaps the closest you could ever come to flying in your lifetime; maybe that’s why you enjoyed it. As you were nearing your soon-to-be home, you saw a familiar silhouette along with some others.

Atop the house, against the setting sun, you watched as Lucius continued to add tiles to the unfinished roof. His shirt was off, and even with night beginning to set in with the cold air, he was still breaking a sweat from the rigorous work. You would be a liar if you say that you didn’t catch yourself staring, and it was Diana who had to take the reins.

“What a fine home!” She broke you out of your trance, and when Lucius looked in your direction, you snapped your gaze away.

Lucius nodded. “All that needs to be done is the roof.” He jumped onto the ground just as you were sliding off the horse. He gave you his hand as you were, and you took it.

“Thank you.”

Atticus and the other workers went to a lone tree where their horses were tied. Atticus then approached both you and Lucius.

“Well,” he smiled. “it was lovely hosting the both of you. Please come back as often as you can; I’m sure the children will miss you.”

You all exchanged your final goodbyes, and it when everyone rode off away from you, did you realize something. This was the first time in a while you were alone with Lucius that wasn’t when going to sleep or waking up.

“Do you have a name for the horse?” Lucius asked.

Turning over your shoulder, you led the steed to the tree, petting her as you began to tie her up. “Not at the moment. She’s yours too, do you have any?”

“You’ll be with her more; you should name her.”

Humming you looked at him when you finished securing the horse. “You asked them to give her to me, didn’t you?”

He shrugged. “They asked how they could repay you for taking care of their children, I mentioned how it would be a longer journey to the city once we moved here. That’s all I did.”

…He was better at asking for forgiveness than for permission; that was another thing you learned about him. Still, you nodded your appreciation, inspecting the area around you. It was quite beautiful even with its plainness. The fields stretched on for miles, and there were no tall buildings to cover the night sky. Even the unfinished house brought a sense of happiness to you.

Something that was, at least partially, your own.

“Where will the barn and chicken coop go?” You questioned.

A hint of a smile played on his mouth, but in Lucius fashion, did his best to hide it. “You were complaining about not having a roof, and now you wonder about things for the animals?”

“Perhaps I’m more interested in farming than you are.”

“I’ll teach you.” he led you into the house. “Come on.”

 The front living space was large, and in the corner of it had an oven, so that was where the kitchen would be. Lucius showed you the two rooms as well; each having a single pillow and a blanket.

“We’ll begin planting tomorrow.” he announced. “I don’t think I’ll have to wake you up.”

“You won’t.” You nodded. “Goodnight, Lucius.”

“Goodnight.” He said your name.

You didn’t think you’d ever get over the sound of your own name from his lips.

You named the horse after your mother. Well…not the exact same name, but a similar one. It was quite a scene too when confessing to Lucius you couldn't exactly remember how to ride a horse by yourself.

He didn’t laugh at you, that was what greatly surprised you. He spent an hour teaching you, and you were able to ride her on your own.

Farming was more difficult than you thought it would be, but not so horrible either. Yes, where Lucius was patient with you for the first few days, he made a few snide comments as time passed. Nothing outright mean, but still enough to get under your skin.

Still, you managed to pick it up within the few weeks after that.

He had even let you help him finish the roof of the house; something you didn’t expect him to do. After living in the house for a month, both of you managed to buy actual beds for your rooms, among other luxuries like a few tables and chairs for the main living area, and utensils both for cooking and for eating.

The bathroom was completely bare. Having spent all the money on everything else, it would take time for the both of you to buy a bathtub. Bathing wasn’t a problem back on Atticus and Diana’s farm, but now being away from them, you would be forced to rely on the public baths in the city…

Even with some bathhouses having baths only for women, that did not stop men from forcing their way into them.

You didn’t mind being dirty for weeks on end.

The two of you fell into another pattern of life; you going into the city and spending hours translating foreign dialogue, and Lucius working on the farm for most days, sometimes accompanying you.

There was…something else strange as well.

It was always a coin toss on what weeks Lucius would speak to you or not.

Yes, he was always a man of few words, but this was different. There were some days when you asked him about his day, he would tell you what boring tasks he did. Than, on others, it was just one word: “Good.”

Never “Bad”, never “Just okay”; only “Good”. Even when you knew it wasn’t, that’s all he would say.

And you could endure it.

It had already been a little over half a year since the two of you started living together. In the eyes of Rome (as mere Plebians), you would be married once a year passed.

This was perhaps the best marriage you could ask for as a Roman woman. Still…every day that Lucius would not speak to you only brought more dread upon your shoulders.

When he stopped even looking at you, that was when you went to Diana one day.

“It’s so lovely to see you.” She smiled, setting down two cups of wine and sitting. “It’s felt like ages!”

With her youngest baby on your lap, you chuckled, taking a sip of your drink. “You honestly didn’t need to get the wine out.”

“Nonsense!” She waved her hand. “It’s a celebration just to be in your presence. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you as well.”

“How’s the farm? Lucius?”

“Well,” you took another sip, setting your cup down. “the farm has been alright. I know at least how to properly water crops and know when they’re ready to harvest or not. I help Lucius sometimes, but…he likes things his own way. He was a farmer too, I understand.”

She hummed. “And as a betrothed? I hope having your own home would help; to me, you two treated each other more like acquaintances than anything else.”

All you could do was avoid eye contact and bounce the giggling baby on your knee.

“Ah.” She sighed. “So not much has changed?”

“We both talk more than we had at your farm, but somehow, less at the same time.” You explained.

Diana reached over and held your hand, asking softly. “When was the last time you were intimate?”

As if she were a man, you tore your hand from hers. “What?”

“I do not wish anything to be forced upon you,” she stated first. “especially with what has happened to you. But…it is still important, especially to your future marriage.”

“We…we haven’t done anything in…months.” You were not going to tell her you hadn’t even seen him naked. You were not going to tell her you hadn’t done you “duty” as a woman.

She nodded. “There must be something plaguing his mind terribly.”

“I know that!” You cried. “He just won’t tell me.”

“Men do not like talking,” Diana sighed. “I have been married to Atticus for fifteen years, and even after seven children, there are parts of his past I still do not know of. What Lucius frets over is important though. You must dig your heels into the ground and let him know you are not doing anything until he tells you what he has issue with.”

The baby on your lap cooed as you held her, reaching for parts of your clothing. Diana took her from you once the baby started fussing, and you offered her a grateful smile.

“I’ll try my best with him.”

She squeezed your shoulder. “He will come to his senses. If not, then he truly hit his head too hard in the Colosseum.”

Except, you couldn’t confront him when you got home. Even though the sun was only beginning to set, when you arrived, the house was silent. You peeked into his bedroom and saw that he was already fast asleep.

With a sigh, you finished your nightly activities, and when the sun went down, you were in your own bed.

The nightmare was unlike any you had before.

Hands from all around you reached out to you. Some grabbed clumps of your hair, stuck their fingers into your mouth, caressed the most intimate parts of your body, or even tear your skin off.

You blinked and then you were in the palace, surrounded by cloaked figures. Someone forced you onto your back, and you looked up and saw Geta, raising a knife high above his head before diving it into your stomach. He carved it out before digging his hands into the opening he made and pulled out your womb.

After sitting up in bed, you had thought you awoken. When you opened your bedroom door, you were welcomed to a field of reeds, seeing nothing for miles. All but a silhouette in the distance. You could not make out it to be a man or a woman; all you knew was that you needed to run to them.

Yet, even as you dashed through the fields, calling out a name you do not even remember, your feet sank into the ground with each step.

The earth swallowed you whole before you could even reach them.

You didn’t awake with a scream; you didn’t even awake with a cry. You did awake in a sweat. Sitting up, you slowly pulled the blanket away from your body. Your stomach was unwounded, and nothing had happened.

Without knowing why, you rose from your bed and slipped on your sandals. Not even putting on a robe, you walked out of the house into the cold, night air. Numbly, you treaded through the tall grass away from the house and stopped.

The stars above you watched as you fell to your knees, and the past finally had the last laugh.

You wept for your mother (whose touch you never felt).

You wept for your father (who you had to take care of the same way he took care of you).

You wept for Marcus (the first man outside of your father to ever see you as a person).

You wept for Lucilla (the woman who saved you in more ways than one).

You wept for the innocence you lost to the twin emperors (and how you mercilessly killed them).

You wept and wept, until you felt bile claw its way up your throat and out of your mouth.

The tears did not stop even after you were finished.

Two hands grabbed your shoulders from behind, and you tried to tear yourself away with a sharp cry. You were turned around, and even though your tears blinded you, you could see that it was Lucius.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, his eyes grown.

You couldn’t speak clearly, only shaking your head and saying ‘No’ over and over. Lucius led you to the water pump and sat you down by it. Cranking the handle until the water flowed freely, he cupped his hand to catch some of it before gently washing your face.

The cool water grounded you, and your sobs began to slow. Once you were only left with shallow breathing and a stuffed nose, Lucius finally sat beside you.

“What happened?” He asked again, although, returning to his normal, straight-toned self.

“Bad dream.” Was all you said.

He said nothing at first. Then, looking down at the grass beneath him, he said. “Would talking about it help you?”

It was meant to be a helpful question, but it only angered you. “You ask that now? After I run out into the night screaming?”

Lucius squinted his eyes. “Why does that bother you?”

“I know you have nightmares too.” You scoffed. “I have asked you dozens of times if you wish to talk to me about them, and you have always said no. You’ve never once asked me about mine, so how dare you expect me to tell you about it now when you cannot even share yours with me!”

“That’s not fair.” He shook his head.

You stood up, walking back to the house. “You’re right, it isn’t fair.”

He jumped to his feet. “You can’t walk away without telling me why this is troubling you.”

“You first.”

“What?”

You turned to face him. “We are to be married in less than a year, at least ‘In the eyes of Rome’ as you say, yet you do not even look at me anymore!”

His shoulders fell, and he shook his head. “I am looking at you-.”

“-I ask you how you are these days, and you lie to me every time.” You interrupted. “The few instances you allow me to work beside you, you criticize every little thing I do. I understand that I am the farthest thing you wanted for as a wife-.”

 It was that word that struck a chord. Despite saying it every so often those past few months…it was only then it occurred to you that where Lucius was your first husband…you were not his first wife.

He tore his gaze away from yours, as if he knew you had figured it out. You sighed. “Gods above…I’m sorry for what has happened to her, and I will never know the loss of a love like that…but I cannot be viewed as her replacement-.”

“-Who told you that you were?” He sharpened his tone.

You swallowed, knowing that this would all end in tears no matter what you said. “You do not tell me anything. I will never ask you to care for me the way you cared for her, but she is gone-.”

“-I couldn’t do anything after she died but weep and watch her body float into the ocean.” He hissed. “I vowed to kill the man that slaughtered her, and I didn’t. It had been perhaps just a month since her death, did I promise myself to another woman. I have dishonored her memory three times.”

“I do not know how long you need me to apologize for something I could not control, but I will if that means you will stop hating me.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“You hate that I will be your wife!” Your voice was growing hoarse. “I don’t understand it at all. I will be whatever it is you wish me to be in few months’ time, because you will own me. Even if you wish me to be dead, it shall be done because what I want will not matter-.”

“-Must you make everything about yourself?!” He finally yelled. “Would it soothe you if I said I despised every part of you? That if Jupiter himself came down and offered me my old life in exchange for you, I would give you up to him?! Would it give you any peace of mind if I told you I would have rather died in the arena than live a thousand years with you?”

You had expected him to at least pause after he made his confession. To at least have the courage to look you in the eye and watch as the words sunk into your being. Yet, as soon as he finished, he stomped back to the house; and you were alone outside again.

The tears upon your face glimmered from the light in the sky above you, for all you could do was stare at the little farmhouse Lucius had built for you.

How strange that something you once saw as a sign of devotion, was now revealed to be one of complicity.

He had admitted his disdain for your future marriage. You knew that it would be loveless (you would never escape that), but you wished at least for respect. Seeing as how you were not even going to have that, you dragged your feet over to the tree where your horse was tied up.  Mounting her with nothing but the clothes on your back, you raced down the pathway.

For the first day, you had stayed at Diana and Atticus’ farm. You said nothing about Lucius, and tried to spend the most time with the children to avoid any questions.

On the second day, you finally went back to the city. Even though the man in charge of you yelled louder than Lucius had at you, it did not phase you. You merely nodded and returned to work. With what money they paid you for the day, you spent it on a room at the safest inn you could find. You had another nightmare that night. Not as horrible as the one two days prior, but awful enough for you to lay awake until the sun rose.

The third day seemed to be ordinary, until you finished your job, and you were promenading along the market. As you eyed the fruit at Isidorus’ stand, a man came to stand beside you.

“Good sir,” you heard Lucius’ voice. “do you have a wife?”

Isidorus nodded. “I do.”

“What from your stand would you give her if she was angry at you?”

He eyed you before smiling at Lucius. “My ears to listen.”

You turned, promptly walking away. Of course, Lucius followed.

“I didn’t know you confided into strangers about our qualms.”

“He’s not a stranger.” you kept trying to lose him. “And gifts will not suffice for an apology this time.”

He got in front of you, uttering your name. You stopped, sighing. “What else have you come to say to me?”

“That I am a fool.”

Although you weren’t necessarily expecting him to admit it, you only nodded. “You very much are.”

He began. “For my entire life, I was not allowed to be entirely truthful with others. Whether it was how I felt in the moment, or even my own name. I’m not used to the freedom of being candid with one another. And I have been mistreating you; I have provided a home, but I haven’t provided your wellbeing. Ari-.” Lucius paused, breathing through his nose. “Arishat and I lived on a farm, that was all I knew while being a husband. I will love her until the end of my days, but that does not give me the right to neglect you. I will…I will try with all my being to share my thoughts with you.”

You stared at him, feeling as if you would blink, and you would awaken from another dream. Yet once you did and saw that he was still in front of you, you said.

“I didn’t mean to insult your memory of her.”

He shook his head. “I believe she would hit me if she were here and saw how I treated you.”

“Thank you.” You nodded. “Truly, for everything. I…it’s not only you, I don’t know if I will ever feel like myself after…everything.”

Lucius already knew. Still, looking around himself, he then said. “Where is your horse?”

“The inn I’ve been staying at has a stable. You walked the whole way here?”

“It’s what I deserved.”

“You smell horrible.” You mustered a shy grin.

He mirrored you, looking away. “I have for a while.”

“I do as well. I was…I was going to brave the baths; would you like to join me?”

Your offer took him by surprise. Usually, a question like that would be an invitation to more salacious activities to take place. Still, what took him aback more was how you were initially so afraid of the public baths, yet there you were.

“I shall.” He agreed.

Thus, the two of you walked beside one another. There were many baths in Rome, yet it would be challenging to find one that had a separate bath for women and one for men. By the time you reached the third bathhouse, you sighed.

“This will do.”

Lucius shook his head. “I’ll ask the workers at this one if they know-.”

“-No.” You stopped him. “It’s fine. I wish to speak more with you.”

He was still hesitant, but gave in. The two of you entered and drifted off to the separate changing rooms. It was strange that the bathhouse had rooms for the different sex to disrobe, but not baths itself.

After locking your clothes away, you ventured out into the main pool. You were welcomed to an array of naked bodies. You weren’t entirely innocent of course, even before everything. You were never to see any of these people again; it was Lucius you would live with.

Quickly, you disappeared half of your body under the surface of the water and clung to the wall of the large bath. Other people around you laughed and socialized, only putting you more in the eyes of men who only came to the baths for one thing.

Yet, before you could take a moment to worry, your eyes fell to Lucius who entered. You soon averted them and felt the water shift beside you as he entered. You turned to look at him, leveling yourself with the side of the pool, essentially shoulder to shoulder with him. The hear radiating off of his body onto yours reminded you too much of that night months ago; the one where you whispered your name into his ear.

“What were you like as a boy?” You questioned in an attempt to hide how flustered you were.

He hummed. “Why do you ask?”

“If you wish to be more honest with me, than I think it should be best to stary with something minor.”

“I understand. I was spoiled growing up in the palace. Still, I wished nothing more than for adventure. All my life, the mere thought of war and battles were taught as a way to bring glory to the empire; pride for one’s family. I had gotten my foolish wish when Maximus died, and my mother sent me away from Rome.” He paused momentarily, before continuing. “I ran all across the land until I was thirteen, where I finally settled in Numidia. I had changed my named too many times to count and settled upon Hanno.”

Your attention did not waver for a moment. When he was finished you asked. “How old were you when you left?”

“Eight…” There was a sad silence between the two of you. A silence held in almost reverence for all the troubles he had been through. “What about you?”

Even with your uneasiness to answer your starkly different childhood, you did so; also have been promising to be honest with him. You spoke of your father, your past friends, the house you grew up in. He never once looked upon you with envy or hatred.

“Your father sounded like a good man.” He said.

“He was.” You nodded, feeling a weight settle in your chest. "I think he would have liked you.”

“I can only hope.”

The conversation halted after that, unknown if you should wait for him to ask a question, or for you to ask another. Both of your eyes drifted around the bath house as people filtered in and out. When your gaze fell back onto Lucius’ you watched his eyes flicker to something behind you. Before you could utter a word, he placed his hand upon your bare back, bringing his lips to the space between your ear and your jaw.

It all happened so fast you had no time to react, and your body shivered upon the feel of him being so close to you.

“There’s a man eyeing you from behind.” He whispered into your skin. “Don’t look at him, just keep looking at me. I’m sorry.”

You pulled away slightly, doing as he told. He traced circles on your back with his thumb, staring intently at you. Even as you shrunk under his eyes, they did not frighten you.

Deciding to play along, you trailed your hand up his bare arm until resting on his shoulder. You felt his skin erupt into goosebumps and he took a sharp intake of breath.

“Okay?” You asked.

He nodded. “Yes, it’s just…it’s been a while.”

Anyone with any sense knew that meant more than one thing. It had been a while since he felt anyone’s touch; nonetheless, a naked woman’s.

From behind him, you saw a small group of girls all looking at you. They all looked a little younger than you, and acted like so, giggling loudly and talking without a care in the world. It was only then that you noticed they were looking at Lucius.

“Is there someone eyeing me now?” He attempted to tease you when he noticed your gaze.

You nodded, no hint of humor behind your voice. “A good few of them.”

“Is that so?”

You removed your hand. “I wouldn’t mind, you know.”

“Wouldn’t mind what?” He pinched his eyebrows together.

“…Getting your release from a woman that isn’t me.” You were puzzled by his seeming ignorance. “You’re a man, I understand-.”

He said your name with somewhat of gasp. You didn’t listen one bit.

“No, I mean it. I will not be more selfish than I already have been, expecting you to remain celibate because I don’t think I will-.”

Lucius said your name again and you stopped. Even when you did, he said it a third time as if to know he had your attention. He continued to run his fingers up and down your back.

“I will not dishonor you-.”

“-I have been dishonored several times before, it does not matter-.”

“-Listen to me.” He said softly yet firmly. “Even if I desired someone carnally, it is not selfish of you to want my loyalty. I’m not a boy who wishes to bed anything that breathes. I don’t think I can do so with someone I do not have any deep feelings for. You are my wife, and I will not treat you less.”

He didn’t call you his ‘betrothed’. As if, the moment you accepted his apology, you were already his other half. To hear him speak with so much certainty after neither of you knowing what any day would bring…it brought an astonishing comfort you never knew you needed.

“Thank you.” You felt like your heart could beat again.

“You don’t-.”

“-No but I do. I don’t…I don’t think I could give you anything of myself if you wanted it. It’s still…I remember a lot of what Geta did to me, and I forgot it at the same time. It doesn’t happen a lot in my nightmares, but it still does. That one night you found me he…he cut out my womb and held it in his hands. I thought I woke up, but I didn’t, and I think I was in Elysian Fields, but I only saw a shadow. I don’t know what any of that means.”

Lucius let you finish all of the anxiety you had thrown onto him. Still, releasing a shallow breath, he said.

“You die in most of my dreams.” He clarified. “The bad ones, I mean. A lot of people do, but you’ve been in them the most. There are times I see both you and Arishat, or my mother, or all three of you and…those are the worst. The night I found you outside, I couldn’t…I had a horrible dream that I couldn’t even see your face, but I knew it was you when I found you hanging in the Colosseum.”

If the both of you weren’t naked and, in the bathhouse, you would have embraced him. Yet, with the most understanding look in your eyes, you brought your hand to the base of his neck, his loose curls between your fingers. You swore you felt him relax into your touch for just a moment.

“I’ve known everyone to have their own beliefs of dreams.” You whispered. “They’re meant to predict the future, they reflect the past, they are punishments, they are blessings, and they mean nothing. I wonder if it’s possible they are all of them.”

He nodded. “I don’t know what I believe in anymore.”

“I do.” Lucius unknowingly leaned into you just ever so slightly. You grinned from ear to ear, pulling your hand away from him. “I believe you need to cut your hair.”

He chortled. “I’m not spending anything on cutting it. It’s fine.”

“I’ll cut it then.”

“I would rather be stabbed.”

“Oh, quit being dramatic.” you playfully swatted him. “There’s a reason I would’ve been a better hairdresser than tailor.”

The two of you teased one another for a minute longer after that. Than, even though the conversation died, it was not in vain. There was a quiet gentleness and protectiveness as you both shared a short distance between each other while bathing. Lucius kept his eye on you more than you did him, knowing that it was always possible a man could try to take advantage of you.

When all was said and done, you got your horse from the stable at the inn, and the two of you rode back to the farm with a newfound understanding of each other.

More than a year and a half have passed since the fall of the Roman Empire and its subsequent birth of the Republic. Your strange marriage with Lucius grew into a friendship of respect and understanding. You both talked more than you had when you were first betrothed, even if your busy schedules remained the same.

The farm had improved after its first harvest, even raising enough money to build a chicken coop and house a few chickens. The house itself was more furnished, and the two of you managed to purchase a bathtub, no longer needing to use the public ones in the city.

Both of you had changed as well. Even with what minimal farm work you did, it built both your strength and stamina. Lucius had begun to grow out his facial hair; not much for it to be an actual beard, but more so just under his nose. You’d joke about it looking like a caterpillar, to which he would lightly shove you away.

After the intimate discussion the two of you shared, it was only then you both realized you still didn’t know much about each other. Most importantly, the little things that made each of you a person.

So, you’d take time to get to know one another.

You were helping Lucius pull weeds around the crops when you found out he had ripped a monkey’s throat out with his teeth during his very first gladiator fight.

You were reading a collection of poetry one night when Lucius told you that you mouth the words of whatever you’re reading if you find it most interesting.

During supper one night, Lucius ate the entirety of the plate only to then eat whatever else you hadn’t. That was when your theory was proven right; he does forget to eat sometimes.

Both of you had tried to keep the housework to an equal amount; if he cooked one night, you’d clean the kitchen and vice versa. Yet, some remained stagnant; you always cut his hair, yet he always changed the horses’ shoes.

Cutting his hair was perhaps your favorite way to speak with him.

“Remember to clean your sandals before coming in next time.” He reminded you as he sat on a tree trunk outside. “You tracked in mud.”

Standing behind him while trimming small hairs, you shook your head. “My apologies, master of the house; it was downpouring and I was freezing.”

“Serves you right, I’d say.”

You placed the tip of the shears against his neck. “What else do you have to say?”

He snickered. “That you’re an astonishing woman who I am blessed to be with."

“Wrong answer, all lies.” You pretended to stab him, only to bring the shears back to his hair.

“I’m not lying!” Lucius laughed.

You only gave him a ‘tsk’ before continuing. “Are you sleeping any better?”

He said nothing at first. Your eyes drifted down to his hands and saw him pull on his tunic; another telltale sign of his nervousness.

“I keep seeing my mother’s face.” He admitted. “Only her face, nothing else.”

“It was the third night last night, right?”

“Yes.”

You sighed. “Would you want to hear a dream I had a few days ago to make you feel better?”

“Better because it was happy, or because you think I’ll feel happy I wasn’t you?”

“The latter.”

“Tell me.”

You turned his head to the side gently, continuing your work. “I stood in front of the entire senate of Rome, and they were all laughing at me. I don’t even know what I said, they only laughed and laughed.”

“Is that not what happened to you in the waking day?”

“No, they listened…I think.” You shook our head. “It more so angers me that, in the waking life, I presented logic to them, and they still chose Macrinus who showed nothing of the sort.”

“Some men like to speak of only desiring logic yet run away with their emotions once it is presented.” Lucius stated. “What had you told them?”

“That all of Rome would continue to riot if they killed Lucilla.” You said grimly. “I still don’t understand; they had their proof of the rage Rome’s children could feel when their general was killed, the only reason the city did not fall was because Macrinus was slain. I’m done.”

You set your shears down and Lucius stood, shaking the fallen hair off his clothes. He turned to you.

“If it matters at all, I think the only reason this house hasn’t fallen is because of you.”

Grinning from ear to ear, you shoved him playfully. “Away with you, you’re just as much of the reason as I am.”

“I do all that I can.”

There were moments like this where you would not speak of childhood memories or events of your day. These moments were reserved for the days where it felt like time slowed down just to give you two the grace to speak about them in more detail.

With only a single candle between the two of you one quiet night, you told him how you have to walk a different path in the city sometimes simply to avoid brothels; hating the sounds you would hear from inside, the stench of cheap perfume and sweating bodies burning your nose, the men who would brag to their friends about the women they had.

At breakfast one day, before the sun had even rose, Lucius told you about a time when he was ten, still on the run. He had gone into a man’s house with the promise of food, only to then be hit the head with something so heavy, he was knocked out. He had awoken in a dark room, but managed to find a curtained window, and escaped. He never knew what would have happened to him if he had woken up just a minute later.

There was tenderness you shared with him that you had never shared with anyone in your life.You sht

That was only more apparent on one fateful day.

The first bad omen for the day that morning was when you had run out of sugar for breakfast. The second was when your horse was extra stubborn as you rode her into the city; it was so out of the ordinary, you wondered if you did something to make her hate you.

Still, everything was fine once you went to work. At least it was for the first half of the day.

There were aggressive people from across the land coming into the city you certainly had to deal with, but the worst was when a man twice your size bluffed you with a slap. Even so, the other men you worked with had yelled and sent him away.

That day though…there was a woman with a look in her eyes.

You thought you had seen pure rage when you had been with Geta. Yet, that day was a lesson to you; wrath had many faces.

She mumbled in Greek, but you did not know what she said at first. Then, she attempted to speak Latin. You politely told her you could speak Greek, and so with exhaustion, she told you that she was going to visit her mother.

When asked for her mother’s name, she didn’t say it. After asking again, she became enraged, yelling at you that she should just be able to be let in. When you resisted, she grabbed your bad arm, yanking it to pull you closer to her.

The pain shot through your shoulder like a bolt of lightning, and you cried out. She tugged on your hair as the men beside you tried to pry her away from you. Luckily, she didn’t manage to yank any of it out once the men forced her away from you. Tears fell freely over your face as you cradled yourself, unable to stop the sobs from leaving your lips.

They let you leave early yet paid you as if you were there the whole day.

The ride back to the farm wasn’t any better, but at least your steed took notice of your heartache and was more merciful to you. When you made it home, you slowed her down when you saw Lucius limping towards the house.

You both stopped where you were, staring at one another as if you weren’t supposed to be seeing the other.

“Why are you back so early?” He asked first.

“Why are you dragging your foot?” You asked second.

Lucius took a deep breath, and you saw tears in his eyes. “I fell.”

The only time you had seen him cry was when burying Lucilla; it wouldn’t be from simply falling. You slowly pulled yourself off your horse but did so quick enough before he could rush to help you. You wished nothing more than to pull him into the warmth of the house, to sit him down and tend to his wound to distract you from your own.

Yet, the moment you took his hand, he began to weep.

“Oh Lucius.” You whispered, bringing your hand up to cradle his face. He wrapped both of his arms around you, bringing you onto the ground with him. You yelped a little when he squeezed your bad shoulder too tight, and he pulled away.

“What happened?” He asked.

You shook your head. “You need-.”

“-What happened?!”

Knowing he wouldn’t stop asking, you told him. “Someone at the gate attacked me. Pulled on my bad arm, my hair…it wasn’t as bad as you’d think-.”

“-Where is he?” He lowered his tone and his demeanor.

Your jaw dropped into a surprised huff. “She is long gone by now, and even if she wasn’t then as my husband, you should stay with me instead of wandering the streets of Rome hoping to find someone to be your anger’s victim!”

Though he still wore that rage upon his face, it soon fell once he saw your own tears fall from your eyes like dewdrops on flowers. Lucius laid himself flat on the dirt, and you sat above him.

“I have been married to you longer than I had been to Arishat.” He confessed. “I knew her for longer, but-but not as deeply; no, I-I knew her more than…I don’t…It’s been long since her death, yet there are moments I think of her, and I cannot stop crying.”

You never knew this was in his heart. You knew to never speak of Arishat, only listen whenever he would bring her up (even so, it was once in a blue moon).

“I’m sorry.” He sniffled, trying to pull himself together. “I know she is gone, and I shouldn’t be-.”

“-You shouldn’t what?” You interrupted. “Remember her? You think I wish for you to forget the woman you so loved?”

He shook his head. “No, but it’s selfish of me to-.”

You were the one to make him lose his words this time. With both hesitation certainty, you placed his head into your lap. It was too late for you to stop once you did, and you felt your own body tense. Then, upon taking a look at his body battered from rigorous work, and another at his face, which relaxed with his eyes fully shut, you ran your fingers through his hair.

“Lucius,” you sighed. “never will I think you are a horrible man for mourning her. You missing her shows just how much you adored her, and how she was a treasure to you. In another life, above all, I wish I could have met her. You are not in the wrong for wanting to see her again. I know you do not love me-.”

“-I do love you.” He opened his eyes upon saying it.

Your heart felt as if it was going to beat itself out of your chest and run away when he said those four words. To preserve your sanity, you took it a different way and smiled sadly.

“Not in the way you loved her.” You said softly. “But what else more can I ask for in a husband than one who treats me with a gentleness I did not know was possible? One who has been there to protect me even before we were married?”

Lucius took a deep breath, rubbing his face to clear away his tears. “You’re too good to me.”

“Gods above,” you groaned tiredly. “we can go back and forth on who deserves each other. Let us just go back into the house, have supper, and sleep.”

“I would like that.” He hissed as he went to stand.

Helping him, once he was on his best foot, you said. “You never told me what you did to your leg.”

He looked behind him at the field. “There was a snake and a rock.”

You gave him a look. “And what happened with them?”

“I don’t wish to speak of it.” He said grimly.

In any other instance, you would have laughed. Yet, as his eyes were still heavy from crying, you just nodded. The both of you helped each other into the house, and you sat him down on one of the several cushions in the living area.

“Your arm,” he asked. “how bad is it?”

You shook your head. “Just really sore. I think she might have left a nasty bruise or two somewhere, but I won’t know yet.”

“Put one of the cloths in the pot with water and put it over the fire.” He told. “Take it out after a few minutes, let it rest for another, then put it on your shoulder. It should help.”

“Thank you.” You stood, doing so, saying. “I swore we had bandages somewhere. I’ll make something for you to drink too; I bought some herbs just last week.”

He nodded, not taking his eyes off of you as you worked. If it were any other man, you would have felt unsafe; yet, it was only Lucius.

Little by little that night, both of you helped heal one another.

Half a year passed since that night, and you and Lucius had only grown closer. Perhaps as close as you could be with a man who was not your husband by choice.

Not much on the farm had changed; you two were living comfortably, and happily, almost making all the turmoil from the first year worth it. The both of you decided to make more visits to Atticus and Diana’s home, realizing just how much you both missed having someone to talk to outside of each other; but that did not mean you had to keep things hidden of course.

If anything, you shared everything with each other.

So much so, that when Lucius asked you why you held onto him longer when he embraced you on your birthday, you told him the truth.

“I don’t want every time we touch to be when it is in turmoil.” You explained, growing meeker. “And I…I’ve missed the feeling of it when it has not been forced upon me.”

Lucius stared at you with a look you had never seen from him. He had been gentle with you many a times, but they way his eyes fell into yours…

He took a step closer to you, and when you showed no sign of discomfort, he took your face into his hands. Your eyes shut at the feeling of him, and he pressed his head against yours. Never in your life had someone’s breath upon your skin feel so immaculate.

From there on out, it always seemed like you had to have a hand on each other one way or another.

It started with holding hands whenever walking through the city together. He used to ‘lead’ you through the crowds in the past, but more so with a hand hovering over your back. No, him holding your hand meant he would have to go where you would go if anything were to happen.

Alongside this, he’d reach over and hold it at Atticus and Diana’s house; whether it was during dinner, or simply just talking. The eldest child had said what the rest of the household had been thinking.

“They’re finally acting like they’re married!”

Because even when there were no other eyes besides yours, he would still hold your hand. You wonder if it ever became a way for Lucius to ground himself; because it certainly did for you.

You hugged him more often as well. Those used to be for ‘substantial’ occasions; those being celebrations or heartbreaks. Now, they were incorporated into greetings and goodbyes. Of course, it only took a few weeks before they were than made into simple desires.

He would be cooking dinner, and you would come beside him to embrace him. You would be gathering eggs from the chickens, and he would wait for you to set the basket down before tossing his arms around you.

At night, it was normal for you both to trade spots as one of you would read a story, and the other would have their head in the other’s lap.

This happened on so many occasions, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise for what Lucius proposed next, but it did.

“If you don’t favor the question I’m about to ask you, then you are allowed to never speak to me again.” He said, his feet hanging off the arm of the lecti couch you both bought that year.

“Well,” you scoffed, sitting on the end of it. “I will have to speak to you again because we live together.”

“Would you want to sleep in my room tonight?” Never in your life had you thought that would have been his question. When you didn’t speak right away, he backtracked. “I don’t expect you to. I understand if-.”

“-The nights are growing colder.” You stated, no visible uneasiness. “I’ve noticed it, and I don’t think any number of blankets could warm me.”

He swallowed thickly, and this was perhaps one of the first times you’d ever seen him like this. “Yes…it’s cold.”

You nodded, and another beat of silence fell between you two. Standing up, you tugged at the seams of your dress. “I-I’ll go change.”

“Yes,” he sat up. “I shall as well.”

Disappearing into your room, you tossed your day clothes off then slipped on a nightdress. After pacing around the floor for a few moments, you gathered the courage to go out into the hall and knock on Lucius’ door.

It was opened as if he was standing right behind it.

He wore just a plain, tattered tunic, and said nothing; yet, you caught his eyes run down you before immediately bringing them back to your face. You were not even in his room yet, and already your body grew warmer.

“May I come in?” You asked.

“Yes, of course.” He stepped aside and you entered.

Somehow, you were no longer man and wife; you were two people who had just discovered a strange, yet burning, feeling that you both held for one another. A feeling that you were both afraid to say aloud…because then it would be real.

The only light in his room was from the moon just peeking through the curtain of his one window. Looking around, you saw that it was still just the bare minimum; a bed, a small table beside it with a lamp, and a dresser. The only others things of note were his sword leaning against the wall, and just a few dirty clothes on the floor.

“I-I tried to clean before you came.” He mentioned.

“Is the rest under the bed?” You asked.

He chuckled. “Yes.”

Before you could change your mind, you pulled the covers off one side of the bed and slid under them. Glancing behind at Lucius, you saw him wear a look where you knew he wanted to say something.

“What is it?” You asked.

“That’s usually the side I sleep on but-.”

You rolled over to the other side. “Are you content now?”

He wheezed, moving to his designated side, slipping under the covers. “Very.”

“Good.” You smiled up at him.

His own mouth lowered as you could see him thinking. He then said. “I don’t expect us to do anything.”

You watched as his eyes dropped from you, as if it was too invasive just to merely look. Thinking from only your heart, you scooted closer, resting your hand on his arm. You ran your fingers up and down his muscles, but then guided his arm to wrap around your waist.

“Okay?”

He hummed, pulling you just a little closer. “Yes.”

“And we’ll just lay together?” You whispered. “Nothing else?”

“Nothing else.”

And that’s what you did. The compete truth was that you would caress him only to remind yourself that it was Lucius and not Geta. His arms, his back, his face…he was nothing like him.

After a few more nights, you told him that as you both lay awake, unable to sleep. He had pulled you on top of him that night, saying that you could see his face better in the moonlight. You only giggled, hiding your face in his chest; even that was too much for you.

It was easier to tell each other things in the darkness. You always knew that, but with being in the same bed (you had not gone back to your room for a week), the words flowed out of both your mouths.

“After my father died,” you said one night as you laid on your side facing him. “I would stroke my own hair or even my arms and pretend they were someone else’s. Even when I was with Geta.”

Lucius stared at you, then immediately began to caress your cheek. You shut your eyes, sighing at the feeling.

“I never thought I’d be able to sleep next to another woman again.” He whispered.

“And now?” You looked into his eyes.

He stopped his movements, but did not remove his hand. You watched every part of him. How his chest heaved shallowly, his arms tensing ever so slightly, but his eyes…gods his eyes. They were heavy as they looked at you; a look that made your heart flutter and not shutter.

Swallowing your fear, you sat up and inched closer to him. Your face hovered above his, and your breath heated his skin. His hand continued to trace shapes about your cheek, and shutting your eyes, you placed your lips upon his.

It was the gentlest kiss you ever shared with a man.

You had pulled away, dreading to see how he felt. When your eyes befell his gentle smile, and his other hand came up to cup your face, you kissed him again.

And again, and again, and again.

You climbed upon his lap without pulling your lips away from him, wrapping your arms around his neck. He sat up, his own arm encircling your waist and drawing you impossibly closer.

Lucius parted from you, and as you whined at the loss of his lips, they soon settled upon your cheek, and then your jaw, and then your chin. Your heavy pants turned to soft grunts as he kissed down your neck, his mustache scratching your skin in just the right way.

Your hands settled into his hair the lower he traveled, moving your night gown off your shoulder to kiss your collarbone. You felt yourself becoming intoxicated from him, and only then noticed you had been for a while.

Oh, how you wished you could bottle up his laugh, his strength, his stubbornness, and get drunk every night. His kisses only added fuel to the fire that was your desire for him.

He sunk his teeth into your skin, and your body, once enflamed, ran cold.

“No!” You tore yourself from his lap, nearly falling off the bed.

Lucius said your name, leaning forward on instinct but soon stopped once he saw you crawl away. “I’m sorry.”

You opened your mouth, but nothing came out. All you knew was that you needed to go, so you did. Cradling yourself in your arms, you got up from his bed, rushing out of his room and into yours.

You half expected him to knock on the door, then, when you wouldn’t answer, him yell and curse you before breaking it down. Yet nothing of the sort happened. You heard his own door open, and you saw his shadow on the other side, but he did not touch your door. He left after a moment of waiting.

When his own door shut, did you finally cry.

You told yourself that night, you would wake up far earlier than Lucius would so you simply wouldn’t have to see him.

When you awoke, you did the exact opposite. You laid in your bed, trying to return to sleep, only to be forced to lie in the dark. The sun rose into your room, and you heard Lucius’ door open. Still, you did not get up.

It was quite comedic, actually. With your door still shut, he knew you were still home. How he tried his best to keep quiet for you, yet his footsteps had always been heavy, the front door had always creaked, and you could always hear him cursing under his breath every time.

When you knew he had left the house, that was when you stood from your bed, slipping on your sandals. You didn’t bother changing out of your nightdress, leaving your room, and then the house.

Lucius was amongst the chickens when he saw you. He didn’t bother hiding the surprise upon his face at the sight of you. You walked to him until there was little space between you.

“Last night-.”

You took his hand from his side, placing it upon your face. He rubbed your cheek with his thumb as if it was natural. Kissing the palm of his hand, you trailed it down to your clothed breast. He breathed your name with hesitance, but you shushed him. You held his hand there, not taking your eyes off him.

“I will show you, one day.” You told him. “I will show you the mark Geta had made. The one where I myself can scarcely see it, yet I know that it haunts me. But now…” You brought your other hand up to his face, tracing your thumb over his lip. “I just want you to understand.”

He kissed the pad of your thumb, nodding. You embraced him, and he held you with both gentleness and ferocity. The rest of the day carried on as normal, yet you aided him with the chores on the farm.

You went to bed with him that night, but it was the first time he did not entrap you in his arms. You knew he was still afraid of hurting you, but you would be a liar if you said you weren’t thankful for the space.

Still, he would feel your touch every day; whether it was something as small as brushing his hand, or as substantial as kissing his cheek.

As the both of you lay awake one night, you played with the sleeve of his tunic.

“Could I lie on top of you?” You asked.

Lucius looked over at you, nodding. “You never need to ask.”

“I want to.” You climbed on top of him, straddling his lap. “I never want to force you to do anything.”

His eyes fell to your hips before returning them to your face. “I’ll tell you if I wish to not do something. I hope you know you can as well.”

“I do. Would you like to touch me?”

“Where do you want me to touch you?”

You moved his hands to your hips, which he held firmly, yet not enough to hurt you. You leaned down so your lips touched his.

“No teeth.” You said.

“No teeth.” He repeated.

Lucius sighed into your mouth as you kissed. Despite how you were on top of him, the kiss was sweet, shy even. When you pulled away, you trailed your lips from his cheek to his ear.

“Do you dream about me?” You rasped.

He said nothing, and you continued to kiss every part of his face besides his lips.

“It’s okay.” You kissed his Adam’s Apple. “I want you too.”

“Yes.” His breath hitched.

“What was I doing in your favorite one?” You kissed his pulse point.

“You,” he breathed sharply through his nose. “you’re touching yourself.”

“Would that please you?” You sat up in somewhat surprise, resting your hands on his chest. “To watch me do so?”

He shook his head. “I want to do what pleases you.”

It felt foreign to hear someone say they want you to feel good. Instead of cowering from it, you faced it head on. You kneeled for a moment, hiking your gown up to your hips before sitting back on your ankles,  exposing yourself to him. Lucius’ jaw clenched at the sight of your naked center, and he drew his hands away from your hips, falling them into fists upon the mattress.

“I wish to watch you as you watch me.”

Without looking away from you, he drew his hand down to his cock, pulling it out from under his tunic. Your eyes grew just a hint. There was no doubt upon him being more well-endowed than others, but it was still different from how you imagined.

Shutting your eyes, you trailed your fingers over your cunt, your thumb playing with your clit. The sounds of Lucius’ smothered grunts, and the skin of his cock on his fingers only added to your pleasure. Digging deeper and moving faster, you felt a coil within your stomach tighten when you opened your eyes and saw as Lucius’ gaze bore into yours.

Light moans escaped your lips as your hips moved with a mind of their own, watching the man beneath you take pleasure from his own hand. It was him chanting your name like a prayer that sent you over the edge. With your eyes shut, the coil within you snapped, and pleasure filled your veins.

Not long after, you felt a warmth coat your nightdress. Opening your eyes, you looked down and saw the white-hot residue of Lucius’ release. Your gaze drew to his cock, still clutched in his hand, yet red with droplets of white running over his knuckles.

You don’t know what possessed you to, but you lowered your mouth down to clean him with your tongue.

“Gods be good!” He huffed, laughing your name.

“What?” You wiped your mouth.

 “You’re going to be the death of me.”

Grinning like the devil, you slid off the bed, walking towards the door. “I hope it’s a pleasant one then.”

He sat up. “Where are you going?”

“To change. You dirtied me as well.” You teased.

“Take one of my tunics from the dresser.”

It almost made you laugh that he didn’t want you to leave for even a second. You opened the top drawer, grabbing the longest tunic you could find before facing him. “Close your eyes.”

He laid on his side, putting a pillow over his head. Many would find it strange how the both of you would see the most intimate parts of yourself while doing one of the most intimate acts together, yet you didn’t want him to see you naked.

But Lucius never thought of it as strange. He knew what you had been through, and never once judged you.

When you were clothed, you slid into bed, wrapping your arms around his body and pressing a quick kiss to the back of his neck.

“You’re a good man, Lucius Verus Aurelius.” You whispered. “I will tell you that until the day you die, or when you finally believe me.”

He squeezed your hand, relaxing into your touch. You never slept so peacefully until that night.

You always had to see him whenever he would touch you so intimately. There would be nights where there was only a single candle in the room either while he caressed the swell of your breasts, or the inside of your thigh as you sat on his lap.

His fingers were too much for you at first, but he never ridiculed you. When you whimpered at the feeling, he retracted them, kissing your eyes. You asked him again to try, and he whispered praises into your hair as the pain from a dry spell soon turned into pleasure.

It was usually at night did these moments of exploration occurred. In the day, the most you would ever do was kiss. That is, until the first time you cut his hair since the discovery of feelings.

“I don’t want to get hair on your floor.” Lucius said as he sat on the floor, leaning his back against the foot of your bed. It was hotter than sin that day. He wore nothing but a loincloth, but that barely did anything to help him from the heat. You wore essentially a thin shift that would usually be under your dress; yet again, because of the heat, that was all you wore.

You sat on the bed, legs draped over his shoulders as you cut his hair. “It’s your floor too. You built the house.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I haven’t slept here for a while now. Besides, I will clean up.”

“I had no idea you favored doing domestic work now.” He turned and pressed a kiss to your knee.

You slapped the back of his head. “Don’t move! I’ll give you a bald spot if you do so again.”

“Yes, my mistress of the house.” He joked.

“You’re horrible.”

“You just told me I was a good man not so long ago.”

“And I can just as easily revoke that title.”

He stayed silent the rest of the time, but not from any underlining anger. Simply from his at ease posture, you knew he was smiling.

He smiled more those days.

When you were finished, you tossed your scissors aside, but Lucius’ hands settled upon your thighs, not allowing you to get up. You scoffed.

“What is it?”

He turned to face you, kneeling up to meet you. “I wish to try something, but only if you wish it as well.”

You rose your brow, but smiled, kissing his nose. “It will be difficult if I do not know what it is.”

Without drawing his eyes away from yours, he slid his hands up your thighs, bringing the bottom of your shift with it. It seemed normal at first, but once he lowered his mouth, your chest tightened.

“What are you doing?” You asked.

“I want to kiss you there.” His breath caressed your cunt and you mewled at the feeling. “I think you’ll enjoy it, but we don’t have to.”

Your heart changed from beating in fear, to then in anticipation. You loved how he kissed your lips, and every inch of your skin that was not covered, what would it feel like to have his lips there?

Kissing the top of his head, you laid on your elbows, nodding.

“Let me hear you say it.” He nosed the inside of your thigh.

“Yes.” You sighed. “Please.”

He lowered his mouth back down, pressing the lightest of kissed onto your center. You groaned through shut lips, only for them to part open as the hairs of his mustache tickled you whilst he began to lap at your wetness.

Tossing your head back, you sat up, running your hands through his hair, unconsciously rolling your hips to meet his mouth. His groan reverberated through your body, only adding to the pleasure you were feeling.

“Lucius, Lucius,” you babbled his name until it didn’t sound like a word.

His nose bumped against your aching clit the same time his tongue penetrated your cunt. You yelped as that familiar, tightening feeling swept over you. His half-lidded eyes would stare up at you every once in a while, as he would continue to drink from you as if he had been stranded in the desert. Just as you were on the brink of release, you drew him away from you.

“What-what is it?” He huffed. “What’s wrong?”

You shook your head, pressing your lips to his before scooting further up the bed. With one last breath, you pulled your shift over your head, revealing your bare body to him. His gaze ran over your figure unashamedly.

“Come here.” You beckoned.

He crawled onto the bed and over your body, yet still looked at your face. You took his hand and laid it over your breast. His body ran cold at what was on the side of it. A bite mark.

“He branded me all those years ago.” You confessed. “And it has not left since.”

Geta…

You ran your hand up his chest. “I love you, and I trust you with every part of my body. I need you to know that.”

“I love you.” He echoed, pressing the tenderest of kisses to the mark and you gasped lightly. “I have for so long now; I…I need you.”

“Then have me.”

He sat back on his knees, unwrapping his loin cloth and tossing it to the floor. Precum leaked from his sweltering cock as it stood upright like a pillar. You crawled over, kissing every inch of his face and climbing into his lap. He drew his arms around your waist, his finger tracing circles into the small of your back.

“I don’t know how long I will last.” He puffed heavily. “It’s been so long.”

“I just want you inside of me.” You kissed his jaw, taking his cock into your hand and sinking down onto it. It had been a while for you too, and while you were soaked, it was not enough to completely subside the tightness. “Just…wait.”

“I could die happy if all you wanted was for me to remain still as you’re above me.” He said into your ear.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, sinking your nails into his skin because that was the only way to remind you that he was still there. The further you sunk down on him, the easier and more pleasureful you felt.

“I’m going to move now.” You said into his shoulder, and you did.

Slowly, at first you relished in the quiet slapping of skin and the breath moans leaving both you and Lucius’ lips. He trailed a syrupy line of kisses down your throat until he bowed his head to place them upon your chest.

“Your name,” Lucius said into your skin. “tell me your name.”

You gave him a look as you rolled your hips into his, yet sighed your name.

“Again.” He breathed, latching his lips around the tip of your breast.

You did.

“Again.” He kissed the hollow of your throat.

You leaned into his touch, saying your name a third time.

He repeated your given name, than following it with ‘Aurelias’. Your movements stilled, yet he did not care.

“You are the most cunning woman I have met, and you are my wife.” He stated, never looking away from you. Tears sprang to your eyes when you saw the same for him, and you gave him a messy kiss before resuming faster this time.

After months of being called a name that did not belong to you, especially whenever in the bedroom, Lucius was doing everything to remind you that you were yourself again as you felt pleasure.

It felt as if, after two years, ‘Julia’ was finally gone.

You chanted his name as if it was your favorite prayer, burying your hands in his hair and kissing his lips.

“Lucius, Lucius, Lucius…”

Because, just like you, how long had it been since his true name was uttered whilst in the throes of pleasure?

He moaned into your mouth, holding onto you tighter. You squealed when he rose up onto his knees, latching your legs around his waist and only crying out sharply when your throbbing clit ran across his pubic hair.

“Come on, come on,” he urged into your ear. “I know you can give it to me.”

“Lu-Lu-!” You moaned, running your nails over the thick field of muscles that was his back.

He said your name over and over again, until it was one word that was the end of you.

“Please.”

You came with your vision blinded from the state of euphoria you had reached. Lucius still held you above him even as his legs began to quake, bouncing you on his cock. You felt as though you were suspended in air when his groans stammered, and you felt strings of his cum paint the walls of your cunt.

Slowly, he lowered the two of you onto the mattress, laying you on your back like you were the most precious treasure in the world. You kept your legs around his waist, breathing with him with your chests glued together from your sweat.

“Lucius-.” You began, trying to shift under him.

“-Just,” he grunted. “just another moment. Please.”

How could you deny him? Every kiss he gave was loving as he laid upon you. His cock had grown soft, and even you were aware that you could’ve fallen asleep if you weren’t careful.

When he pulled away from you, you let out an involuntary whine.

“I thought you wanted me to get off you?” He kissed your stomach when he stood up.

You shoved him playfully. “Just clean me up and come back.”

“So controlling.”

Still, he did what you asked, bringing a soaked washcloth from the bathroom and cleaning you. You groaned out of both the cold water hitting your hot skin, and the heat from the air itself.

“We should’ve waited until night.” You whined.

“Why?”

“I’m suffocating from the air outside!”

Lucius hummed, tossing the washcloth aside and looming over you. “Then that forces us to wear nothing today, so that we might cool down.”

You nodded. “Perhaps you aren’t as feeble minded as I thought.”

He settled behind you, tossing an arm over your waist and pulling your back to his chest. Even though his cock pressed against you, the two of you were completely exhausted from the heat of the day’s work, and the heat of what took place only moments before.

The only sound was that of the cicadas singing in the summertime. Sometimes, a breeze or two of wind would bounce the curtain off the window, but for the most part, just the even breathing you shared with Lucius was all you could hear.

Lucius’ mustache rubbed your skin when he placed a kiss to your neck. “What’s going on inside of your mind right now?”

You grinned. “A proper wife would say that I was thinking of you.”

“But that’s not what it is.”

“It’s something that has nothing to do with anything of note.”

He squeezed you. “Spit it out, woman.”

Sighing, you felt a sense of dread in your heart; both for your thoughts, and also how your husband would react. So, you tried your best to explain it.

“Do you even wonder how you will be remembered?” You began. “Spoken from mouths? Written in books? Painted on walls? They’ll remember Lucius, the Lost Son, the Last Gladiator…What will they remember of me, if anything? Rome’s Cleopatra? Her Delight? A whore to the twin emperors? I like to fantasize that they will name me the first woman who sat upon the emperor’s throne, even if it was as the last of its consul. Yet, even if they name me…I will be Julia. The name of a slave, the name I only accepted when he would press me into the bed so roughly. I only survived because I would need to tell myself that he was doing all of it to Julia, not to me.”

It felt quieter in that room, even though the sounds outside did not cease. Lucius gently turned your body towards him, and he stroked your face with the back of his hand.

“You’re crying,” he uttered your name, frowning.

You wiped your eyes, wanting to hide from him. Yet, he did not allow it, pulling your hands away from you and wrapping them around his shoulders.

“Would you wish I remain silent, or share with you what is in my head?” He asked.

“Talk to me.” You answered.

“I never cared of what history would see of me.” He stated. “Even as a boy. I know that we are different in most aspects of life, but I believe it serves no one to wonder away how we will be viewed long after we are dead. I do not care if or what a stranger thinks of me in a lifetime later. I care how Atticus and Diana see me. I care what their children think. Above all, I care of what you see me to be.”

You pressed your head against his. “You’re pigheaded and quite foolish sometimes.”

“And it matters you say that.” He pulled you closer. “Because that is what you will tell others when I pass on.”

“You know I don’t think that is all you are.” You remined him.

“I do.” He nodded. “I will know you for your wit, and your protective nature, and your kindness.”

“I never truly thought of myself as kind.” You gave a pained smile.

“That is how I see you.” He kissed your brow. “And what I will say with my last dying breath.”

You wondered how such a man as himself could exist at the same time you did. A man who hated you prior to everything yet laid with you in bed. A man who treated you with a tenderness you never thought possible.

A man who could be the last person on earth with you, and you would only feel at peace.

You did not need to say anything to him. Simply by the innocent smile that spread across your lips, did he know. You fell into the most comfortable of silences together as you laid naked in the summer heat.

The both of you were lost to time as we all shall be one day.

Perhaps you lived on that farm for the rest of your days, or perhaps you moved to a different land.

Perhaps you had ten children, perhaps you had only one, or perhaps you had none and were content with each other’s company.

Perhaps you died before him, perhaps he died before you, or perhaps you both passed onto the Elysian fields together.

All that truly matters, at the end of all things, is the life the two of you led together, and what you and loved ones remembered the most of it.

[slaytheusurper]

⭑ Patria Potestas ⭑ (Domina Mea, Chapter Seven)

Masterlist

A/N: Don't even look at me dude, I'm ovulating- Btw imagine it's your first time and it's with TWO emperors of Rome, yeah game over

Pairing: Emperor Geta & Caracalla x Noble!Reader

Warnings: +18 mdni, NSFW, pure porn this entire chapter-, making out, groping, breast sucking (yeah yeah I know), dry humping, handjob (both m and f receiving), oral (both m and f receiving), kind of pain play for Caracalla, p in v sex, dom going sub Geta, sub Caracalla, mommy kink, Geta unlocking new kinks as well as Caracalla, very very whiney emperors and....creampie

Summary: Waking up after last nights chaos, you and the Emperors cannot resist your want for one another any longer.

Word count: 3.9K

When you woke up, the sun was setting, purple and orange hues shining through Caracalla’s rooms. Geta’s fingers drew soft patterns on your extended arm, the arm that was wrapped protectively over his brother. 

Your eyes opened at the feeling, and you carefully looked back at Geta. When you feel Caracalla stir, your eyes flit back to him.

You still held the Emperor in a tight, secure embrace. Then his eyes opened, his face lifted finally from your chest and he looked up at you. A small smile now played on his lips as he looked at you with adoration. 

“I knew you’d come back.” Caracalla whispered. 

“Of course, I could never leave you… or Geta,” you murmured, your voice laced with devotion.

Geta nuzzled his face into the curve of your neck, his breath warm against your skin before his lips brushed over it in a slow, lingering kiss. A soft gasp escaped you, the sensation unraveling memories of the night they had claimed you, how they had marked you as theirs.

Caracalla’s gaze burned into you, his eyes dark and hooded with the same raw hunger he had worn that night, a look both possessive and impatient.

“I think I’ve decided how you can prove your loyalty to us,” Geta murmured against your throat, each syllable punctuated by another kiss, another shiver of warmth spreading over your skin.

“H-how, Caesar?” you whispered, your breath hitching.

Geta’s mouth stilled against your neck for a moment, his hands tightening around you. “No,” he corrected, his voice husky, but beneath the command, there was something fragile, something desperate. “Not while we’re here.”

His fingers skimmed your arm, his touch slow and deliberate. “Surrender to us,” he breathed. “Give yourself to us. Let us make you ours.”

A tremor of anticipation coiled low in your belly, but his next words made your breath catch.

“Your father can no longer protect you, nor can he speak for you. You need Patria Potestas. You need us, and we need you, so badly-” He finished with a kiss on your skin.

The weight of his declaration settled over you, sinking into your bones. Their words, their touch- it was almost otherworldly, cursing through you like a spell. Was this what love was supposed to feel like? A force so powerful, it consumed everything?

Your gaze remained locked with Caracalla’s, his lips parted, his chest rising and falling in quick, shallow breaths. His pupils were blown wide, drowning out the soft blue of his irises. You knew that look now.

Still, uncertainty swirled inside you. The risk was great, if they took your virginitas and then cast you aside, you would be ruined. But if they truly meant to keep you… if this was not just possession, but devotion…

Your hesitation was met with impatience.

“Are you defying our wishes?” Caracalla rasped, his voice hoarse with emotion. “Do you not want our love?”

“No,” you said quickly, reaching for him, threading your fingers through his. “It is not that, Caracalla. I want nothing more than your love and trust. I only fear my future- if that future is not with you, then I don’t want it at all.”

A slow, wicked smile spread across Caracalla’s face, flashing his golden tooth.

“Your future is with us,” Geta purred in your ear, his breath sending a shiver down your spine. “Next to us. Under us. I can promise you that.”

His grip on your waist tightened. “Did you think we would ever let you go?” His voice dropped lower, almost taunting. “Never, not after everything. Besides, where would you go?”

“You need us,” he whispered.

You shuddered, heat pooling in your core at the certainty in his voice. They had never so openly claimed you before, never so boldly spoken of you as theirs.

“I don’t want to leave you, Geta. Not ever,” you breathed, tilting your head as he traced slow, reverent caresses along your arms.

Caracalla tensed beside you, a sharp breath escaping him. “And me?” His voice was rough, tinged with something dangerous.

You turned to him at once, cupping his face. “Especially you, Caracalla. I could never bear to lose you.”

His tension melted, a flicker of relief softening the harsh lines of his face before his lips curved into a smirk. “Good.”

Then he surged forward, his mouth crashing against yours.

His kiss was searing, desperate, all-consuming. Heat flooded your veins as his tongue slid against yours, his hands tangling in your hair as if to make sure you wouldn’t pull away. Your breath mingled with his, a mix of wine and fire.

A moan rumbled low in his throat, swallowed between your lips.

Behind you, Geta pressed closer, his body firm against your back, his touch turning possessive. You could feel how affected he was, the hard press of him against you mirroring the growing ache between your thighs.

Caracalla’s breathing grew ragged, his hands roaming, his need palpable. The tented fabric of his toga left no room for doubt, he was so fucking hard- He needed you now, he couldn’t bear to wait any longer.

Geta’s body shifted lower, his hard length pressing against your back, his breath warm against the shell of your ear. A low, satisfied hum rumbled from his throat as he tested your response, rolling his hips in a slow, deliberate motion. The friction sent a shiver up your spine, a breathy sound slipping past your lips, echoing through the lavish chamber.

“I know how badly you need us too,” Geta murmured, his voice thick with purpose. "Give in- do not resist any longer." Each word was like honey, dripping into your ear, lulling you deeper into their dominion.

His hands moved with a restless hunger, tugging at the fabric that draped over you. The air between you crackled with something dangerous and intoxicating, a force neither of you could escape. You tried to help, though your movements were slowed by Caracalla, whose lips remained locked with yours, claiming, consuming.

Geta had no patience for hesitation. His fingers grasped at the silk, twisting and pulling, until the delicate garment gave way with a soft rip. The cool air of the chamber brushed against your skin, hardening your nipples. 

Sunlight spilled in through the grand windows, painting you in gold, as if the gods themselves had chosen to bear witness. Geta stilled for a moment, drinking in the sight before him. Fate. That was what this was. There was no other explanation. 

Caracalla, too, pulled back slightly, his heated gaze roaming over you with a look so intense it sent another wave of lust through you. His lips parted as if ready to dive back in but he found new purpose, trailing downward with an eager devotion. 

Geta’s hands followed, their slow, teasing exploration making your breath hitch. He guided Caracalla’s touch, his fingers brushing over your heated skin before settling against your breast.

There was something possessive in the way he did it, as though presenting you, offering you as something sacred. 

And Caracalla accepted eagerly, his lips moving over your skin, his breath warm and unsteady. His lips wrap around your nipple, his tongue swirling around it eagerly.

The ache deep within you grew unbearable, a fire smoldering beneath their every touch. The most sinful noises filled the room, your own moans and Caracalla’s suckling contributing to them.

Geta took the chance to remove his own garments, until he too, was left bare before the gods. When he moved back behind you, he positioned his hard cock against your skin, grinding his hips forward with low groans. 

The feeling of his bare body against yours made you whine. Caracalla noticed what his brother had been up to and forced himself to part from your heavenly breasts, if he could, he would nip and suck at them forever.

You missed Caracalla’s touch already but drank in the sight of his bare chest as he undid the white toga he was still wearing.

The Emperor had nothing underneath it, with parted lips you took in his hard cock, it was so soft but hard looking. Tip flushed and leaking, veins along his length, paired with heavy balls and his pelvic bone was decorated with ginger curls that matched his hair. 

He smiled as he noticed your wide stare, he loved the curiosity and intrigue of a virgin eyeing her first cock, but with it being you, it made him even more intoxicated.

Geta did not halt his movements, too eager to chase any pleasure he could get. Caracalla however, wanted nothing more to have your arousal on his tongue this time. 

Caracalla closed the distance between you again and left a trail of wet, sloppy kisses against your skin. With the experience from last time, you knew where he was heading as his trail went lower and lower, passing your breasts and kissing down your stomach, letting out the occasional grunt. 

Pushing you on your back, he positioned himself between your legs on his stomach. Forcing Geta to softly hump your hips instead.

“Want you to finish on my tongue, then I’ll be a good brother and let Geta take you first.” Caracalla mumbled against your skin, but Geta heard it, letting out a quiet groan. 

“Would you like that? Getting fucked by me?” Geta gasped in your ear, his cock getting the perfect teasing stimulation due to your warm skin having been slicked by his pre-cum. 

You could only nod, anticipating the feeling of Caracalla’s wet tongue delving into your cunt. Caracalla took you by surprise by letting his brother take your virginity, you thought he would demand to take you first.

The wet, warm feeling of Caracalla’s tongue swiping through your folds brought you back. 

A moan was ripped from you when he sped up his movements, the sound of his tongue lapping at you only spurring you on.

“Good girl, let everyone hear who you belong to-” Geta rasped, his hips slowing so he wouldn’t finish too quickly. 

“Caracalla!” You cried as he added a finger inside your cunt, curling it to reach that certain sensitive spot inside you.

As both his tongue and finger fed you your pleasure, Geta decided to force your chin towards him, it was then you could take in his bare form. He was more muscular than his brother, a statue of a god almost. 

His own cock was longer but a bit thinner than Caracalla’s, he too bared heavy balls, although he did not have the same curls as Caracalla, but was shaved bare. A smirk was plastered on his lips as his ego grew from your stare. 

You could barely react when Geta pressed his lips to yours with a huff. His tongue demanding all your attention.

But you could not focus on him, as Caracalla added a second finger to stretch you out, all while his tongue flicked over your sensitive bud faster. Geta drank all your moans, his own hand massaging one of your breasts. 

Sweat perspiration coated your entire body as it did the Emperors, the chamber had gotten heated so quickly, now smelling entirely of sex.

The squelchy noises of Caracalla’s fingers and his wet tongue filled your ears, only adding to the eye rolling sensation. 

When he curled both his fingers in your cunt, you were done for. He never seized the movement of his tongue either, as you held onto his curls with a grip so tight it must be painful. Your other hand held onto Geta, who only now let you regain fresh air. 

Your thighs started to tremble and your entire body tensed as your orgasm ripped through you. You choked on your breath as Caracalla did not stop, he forced you through it and reveled in your cries. “C’mon another-” He groaned. 

Geta chuckled in your ear as he watched his brother get high off of your pleasure. “Give him what he wants my love.” Geta ordered. The affectionate nickname had you grinding your hips against Caracalla’s face, who only egged you on. 

Heavy breaths and pleading cries left your lips, you were so sensitive but it only added to the sensation. For the second time this morning, you screamed Caracalla’s name as your legs spasmed. 

The Emperor finally slowed his movements on your clit and within your cunt and let you have a small break.

Removing his fingers from your hole fully, he brings his two fingers up, showing it to Geta proudly as he makes scissoring motions, your arousal completely coating his digits. You blushed heavily and let your face fall to the other side. 

Caracalla outright moans as he sucks on his fingers. When he’s cleaned them he lets go of them with a pop. “So sweet, fucking love your cunt.” He sighs.

Caracalla then moves back up to your face, kissing you with force. His tongue invades your mouth as he demands you taste yourself on his tongue.

Then he lets go of you. Admiration and lust on his face, sharing a look with Geta. Who starts to move at your side, Caracalla making room for him by joining you on your other side instead. You knew you were in for it now that Geta was taking over.

Said Emperor moved himself between your legs, resting on his knees as he brought his hand to your slick folds. Needing a reminder of what you taste like, he dips his own fingers inside and brings them to his tongue, all while his eyes stay on yours.

“You have no idea what you do to me.” Geta groans after releasing his fingers. 

You feel his dark eyes roam over your body, and you let him. His desire for you made you feel like you were in the clouds, your confidence grew as you realised you had not one- but two Emperors wrapped around your finger.

Caracalla peppered kisses on your cheek and in your neck, desperate not to be left out as he sat up to kneel beside you. He then took your hand in his and helped you bring it to his hard cock. 

With his hand over yours he guided you with your pumps, he couldn’t help but whine at the feeling of your warm hand tugging at his length.

Geta did not care, he had no patience left. So he moved closer to you, spreading your legs wide and bringing them up to your chest. Your sopping cunt was now fully on display for him and he let out a moan at the sight, no wretched concubine could compare to you.

He held his cock by the base and let his leaking, sticky tip glide between your folds. It earned a startled moan from you, and kept teasing himself by dragging his tip. When he couldn’t take it anymore, he nudged his flushed head inside with ease. 

The stinging pain of the initial stretch caught you off guard and the grip on Caracalla’s cock became very tight. The Emperor whimpered in response, never had he let someone hold his cock so tight it hurt- but he fucking loved it. “Fuuuccckkk yes! Like that-” Caracalla whined.

Geta smirked at his brother, Caracalla’s new found pleasure amusing him. He let out a whine himself as he let his length slide further inside you, you were so tight around him, he hadn’t felt a cunt like yours in a long time. Geta tries to keep his composure but he is slowly losing it.

You lost it the second they laid their hands on you, the pain started to somewhat ease but it still hurt. “M- hurts-” You whined, your hand still tight around Caracalla’s cock. “Yeah? I’ll make it feel better, I promise.” Geta caught himself off guard with the way he spoke.

Never had he cared if a woman he fucked had pleasure or pain, but with you- it was different. He didn’t want to hurt you, he wanted to protect you, wanted to please you.

Geta brought his thumb to your already very sensitive clit and rubbed it softly as he bottomed out. Your eyes squeezed shut and gave Caracalla another squeeze as well, who only cried out another fuck yes! in response. 

Geta’s heart almost exploded with how you were now fully connected, never in his life had he felt this way. Love consumed him and he never felt this good.

What were you doing to him?

After a few moments he felt your walls relax around him and he took it as his sign to move. Not that he could hold back any longer-

Geta carefully pulled out of you, but not fully, letting his tip remain before he sunk in again. It now felt a lot more pleasurable for you, letting your tight grip on Caracalla’s cock falter a bit.

As Geta leaned over you to bury himself back inside, you met his lips halfway and kissed him deeply. 

Caracalla was way too fucking aroused to let you stop, with a pang of jealousy he placed his hand back over yours that still held his length and urged you to squeeze hard again- he needed to feel it, the fucking pain and pleasure at once. 

You let go of Geta’s lips as he now set a steady pace, straightening his body and holding onto your hips. Caracalla demanded your attention and you turned your head to him. You gave him more than he asked for and pumped his cock while squeezing him tightly. 

And by the gods did he love that, as he let out very loud cries of pleasure. His hand did not leave yours though, showing you how you could slightly twist your wrist with each pump as well to add to the sensation. 

Caracalla was crying at this point, the pain and pleasure swirling in his gut as you pumped the life out of him. When he felt like you knew exactly what to do, he let his hands grip the sheets beneath him for support.

It got difficult to concentrate when Geta started to pound into you harder, for a moment the friction stung a bit again- but when Geta noticed, he was quick to place his thumb back on your clit.

He pulled another moan from you and his own pants and moans mixed with yours and his brothers. 

Gods help the poor person who could walk in right now, for the sight was one so depraved and obscene. Three bodies sweating and writhing together, their moans flowing through the room like a song. Geta and Caracalla had shared before, but not like this, never like this.

“Fuck! Fucking- harder- please-” Caracalla spit out, his strangled moans egging you on. You did as you were told and tried to squeeze him right under his tip, it looked so tempting- so swollen and slick with pre cum-

You didn’t know what possessed you but you leaned to your side and licked Caracalla’s flushed head. 

Caracalla let out a high pitched moan, your tongue licked his extremely sensitive tip and he had no restraint as he lifted his arse up and shoved his cock in your mouth, your hand let go again and blood flowed to his tip once more. 

“Mommy!” Caracalla cried, he was in it so deep, he didn’t even notice Geta smile. 

Caracalla helped himself to your mouth as Geta chased his own pleasure in your cunt. When he started to get annoyed at your attention being on his twin, he made you focus on him by thrusting into you harder- slower, but harder.

The sound of your skin colliding now adding to the unholy scene. 

Caracalla slipped out of you begging for your hand to grip hurt him again. You did as he wanted and resumed your previous movements with your hand. Crying Caracalla might now be your favorite as he looked so good doing it. His pleasure only fueled your own.

And even Emperors cracked, Geta couldn’t hold back his whimpers and whines anymore. He never really gave in while fucking, but with you, he couldn’t help himself. He felt safe though, safe to let go and fully unleash his desire. 

He let out a long broken whine as he fucked into you deep, you noticed he had held that back and the urge to praise him consumed you. “So good Geta- Let go for me-” You strangled out. He liked that a little too much.

“So good- so good- yes- yes-” He whined with each thrust into you. Now you had him- all of him. The entire bed started to shake with this new side of Geta released, mercy on you long forgotten as he drove his cock into you relentlessly. 

“M- gonna cummm!” Caracalla cried, his hands hurriedly searching to hold onto the sheets. When you gave him a particularly hard squeeze, Caracalla gasped and ropes of seed painted your mounds as the whiney Emperor came all over them. 

“Fucckkk!” Caracalla moaned, he was sure he had never come so hard in his life. 

Geta could feel his own release creeping up on him, usually he would last longer, but with you, how could he? He was desperate for you to come around his cock though, so with added pressure, he stimulated your clit. Drawing gasps and cries from you.

“Please- Geta please!” Was the only thing you could scream as your walls tighten around his cock. Your eyes rolled back and your legs instinctively wrapped around Geta’s hips, drawing him in further.

Geta knew he was done for, the way you screamed his name, his brothers cum all over your tits, your tight walls around him.

He only pounded into you a couple more times before he completely buried himself to the hilt, “Mommyyy!” Geta screamed. So. Fucking. Loud. The entire palace must have heard him.

He buried himself so deep, his seed directly filling your womb, with a couple more slow thrusts and whines, he emptied himself fully, balls aching from how hard he came.

He hadn’t even meant to scream that. He didn’t even know this about himself, but it felt right.

Especially when he saw your blissed and fucked out face. He was in heaven. Caracalla had in the meantime already snuggled back into your side, his fingers playing with the cum on your breasts. Geta let his head rest on your stomach, his cock starting to soften inside. 

You had laid there for a while, both Emperors flush against you. Geta then decided to get up, both of you winced as he pulled out. Your eyes followed his naked body as he moved to a bowl of water on one of Caracalla’s tables. He returned with a rag, climbing back on the bed to clean you up. 

Caracalla whined as his evidence was now washed away, but he knew it would feel more comfortable for you, so he let him. Caracalla instead started to lovingly suck on your breasts again, not necessarily for pleasure but more for comfort.

And it felt nice, good, to be this loved. Geta joined your other side, making sure to hold you as sweetly as you held them moments ago.

And you hoped, prayed it would forever stay this way. 

Taglist: @boywivlove , @delicioushottubpeanut , @littlemissholy

[faiszt]

. 𝆬 ⠀ ི᭨ᩧྀ⠀.⠀⠀ faiszt’s ε( ε ´O`)э。゜ BOT! dump⠀⠀❜❜

꒰ ︎ ♡ ︎ ´ ꒳ ` ꒱ ︎ ᐟ⠀⠀⎯⎯ ⠀⠀NOTES.⠀⠀💬⠀⠀hi, sweets! i'm so so happy to be ( finally ) back, i had writer's block during last month and missed writing so much :( so, consider this bot dump as an apology. also, i'd like to thank you all for the 5K followers and more than a million chats on c.ai, this is very important to me and i'm incredibly grateful for all of this. 𖹭

▸⠀ARCANE⠀*⠀˖⠀⚔️

𝅭⠀piltover's sweetheart⠀.⠀vi⠀૮⠀don't get her wrong, she was incredibly happy that you were successful in your modeling career, that's for sure. but, gosh, couldn't you spend a little more time at home with your girlfriend? or she'll probably be very grumpy, needy and kinda angry.

▸⠀CHALLENGERS⠀*⠀˖⠀🎾

𝅭⠀the god of love⠀.⠀art donaldson⠀૮⠀living among the humans was normal for most gods, even with some limitations. eros, for example, ventured into the skin of a young stanford student and for the first time in his existence, he wanted to change the course of his arrow.

𝅭⠀yellowstone⠀.⠀art donaldson⠀૮⠀save a horse, ride a... oh, your older sister's advice. the new cowboy from ohio could even try to hit on you, but not without losing his eyes the second your father, the infamous john dutton, noticed it.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀✶⠀⠀yellowstone!au

▸⠀DC COMICS⠀*⠀˖⠀💥

𝅭⠀renegade⠀.⠀jason todd⠀૮⠀obsessed with getting revenge for her death, jason was blind, living every day with the blinds closed and his thoughts clouded. it really be insensitive if you told him to get his shit together?

𝅭⠀acrobatics ’n ballet⠀.⠀richard grayson⠀૮⠀he didn't hate you, but he didn't know how to like you either. your past was similar, as traumatic as two children deserved, he had become a bitter former acrobat and you still loved being a ballerina, both irritating and fascinating.

▸⠀DUNE⠀*⠀˖⠀⏳

𝅭⠀good for you⠀.⠀paul atreides⠀૮⠀what could you expect from someone who has genuinely never been interested in anyone else before? an arranged marriage wouldn't make him like you, but maybe, it'd make him realize what desire means when you're proud to be his.

▸⠀FNAF⠀*⠀˖⠀🚔

𝅭⠀mrs. wife officer⠀.⠀vanessa shelly⠀૮⠀the days go by and each day, vanessa takes longer to get home. night shifts, traffic, suspicious behavior or, maybe, you just haven't understood yet that she's not the faithful wife she seems, even with her stupid lying words of love.

▸⠀GEN V / THE BOYS⠀*⠀˖⠀✨

𝅭⠀annie’s body⠀.⠀annie january⠀૮⠀when did america's sweetheart become a bloodthirsty monster? your best friend, killing boys... purely for fun and if you questioned her, well, boys are just placeholders, they come and go.

𝅭⠀high school enemies⠀.⠀jordan li⠀૮⠀they made your life hell all through high school, ruined your perfect years and even if you don't want to, you'll have to put up with them for a few more years, welcome to god-u, sweetie.

𝅭⠀overthinking⠀.⠀victoria neuman⠀૮⠀twenty years, the time it took victoria to realize that you were the only person she could trust, the only one who knew her real name and the only one she feared losing forever.

▸⠀GLADIATOR II⠀*⠀˖⠀🗡️

𝅭⠀disease⠀.⠀emperor geta⠀૮⠀how pathetic did an emperor have to be to lie at the feet of someone like you? begging for the relief that only you could give him, the cure for his disease, he needed you more than you needed him and honestly, you didn't need him at all.

𝅭⠀lady of ashes⠀.⠀lucius verus⠀૮⠀vengeful, ruthless, and resentful, there was nothing that could describe lucius—or rather, hanno—better than that. you weren't to blame for anything, but his hatred for you'd still be the same, even if you were as much of a victim as he was.

▸⠀HOUSE OF THE DRAGON⠀*⠀˖⠀🩸

𝅭⠀childhood times⠀.⠀aemond targaryen⠀૮⠀in times of war, there was no safe place aemond trusted, not even his own home. but, there was you, the closest thing to a safe haven he had in his life, and he'd always look for you, sooner or later, the only one who matters to him.

𝅭⠀dragon’s blood⠀.⠀daemon targaryen⠀૮⠀the rumors only grew louder, those whispers noting that your eldest son was more like daemon than he should be, what was the secret you were hiding and why didn't even the king know? silver hair and violet eyes couldn't hide the truth forever.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀✶⠀⠀TW: targ!cest

▸⠀ONE TREE HILL⠀*⠀˖⠀🏀

𝅭⠀sports car⠀.⠀nathan scott⠀૮⠀a player, in basketball and in life. he may have had a son and his things to take care of, but that didn't stop him from meeting you. same time, same place, it'd all end up in his sports car anyway.

▸⠀OUTER BANKS⠀*⠀˖⠀🏴‍☠️

𝅭⠀meaningless kisses⠀.⠀jj maybank⠀૮⠀you could've done anything to him, maybe even hit him in the face, but you crossed the line the second you kissed rafe cameron right in front of him. he doesn't need your shitty explanations, he just wants to feel hate in peace.

𝅭⠀guilty mind⠀.⠀rafe cameron⠀૮⠀a young but renowned detective, involved in several successfully solved cases. the question was: in a small town where you were indirectly and directly involved with all the missings and murders, how would you prove your innocence to him?

𝅭⠀twin babies⠀.⠀rafe cameron⠀૮⠀not that rafe ever imagined he'd be a father, but six months ago, he began to understand a little about it. well, he was prepared for just one child, until two babies appear on the ultrasound.

▸⠀SUPERNATURAL⠀*⠀˖⠀🏁

𝅭⠀tapping the bomb⠀.⠀dean winchester⠀૮⠀there was no competition he couldn't win, even if he had to pass over every other driver, he would. so, don't try to calm him down after a dnf, he's a two-time world champion, he doesn't need your pity now.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀✶⠀⠀formula1!au

▸⠀WIZARDING WORLD⠀*⠀˖⠀🪄

𝅭⠀losing his glasses⠀.⠀james potter⠀૮⠀first class of the day, what a beautiful sight. james crawling on the floor of the transfiguration classroom as if this were normal. oh, right, his glasses, where are his glasses?

𝅭⠀beauty and the beast⠀.⠀remus lupin⠀૮⠀knowing he was a werewolf was one thing, clearly caring about his well-being the next day was another, and for the first time, you were there for him—even though he was shit.

▸⠀X-MEN⠀*⠀˖⠀🧬

𝅭⠀too sweet⠀.⠀erik lehnsherr⠀૮⠀condemned to live with his own mind, erik didn't trust himself and thought it was a joke that people trusted him now. but, you did and that was the problem, you became way too sweet for him.

꒰⠀ small note: ⠀꒱⠀if the bot isn't available as soon as you click the link, it may just be a c.ai bug that only makes bots publicly available after a few hours, don't worry⠀!!⠀♡

⠀⠀

[edenesth]

Scarlet Requiem

Pairing: emperor!Baekhyun x empress!reader

AU: historical au (Goryeo era)

Word Count: 4k

Summary: In his reign, Baekhyun strived to be a virtuous emperor, all for the sake of his kind-hearted empress, steadfastly resisting the temptations of power that had corrupted those before him. He held onto the belief that this was the key to securing her eternal presence by his side. Yet, he learned, to his heartbreak, that this very resolve would lead to the cruellest loss of all.

Genre: heavy angst

Trigger Warnings: major character death, violence, gore, lots of blood

MAIN MASTERLIST

"Capture that demon before she flees!"

Her hands trembled as she gazed at her reflection in the ornate gold mirror. Once healthy skin now bore a sickly pallor, brown eyes turned crimson, tears staining her cheeks red. Even her jet-black hair had transformed to snowy white. Confusion and fear gripped her as she struggled to comprehend the inexplicable transformation.

As guards roughly seized her arms, she pleaded, "No, please! I've done nothing wrong! I don't understand any of this!"

"Of course, you'd deny it, Your Imperial Majesty," sneered the Minister of Rites, one of many who had urged her husband, the emperor, to accept their daughters as concubines. "Little did you know, those potions you received from the royal healer for the past month were meant to reveal your true nature by shedding your human guise."

Horror pierced her heart as realisation dawned. The tonics meant to maintain her health had been a ruse. She had been poisoned, it explained the sudden and alarming changes in her body and health.

"You," she whispered, the weight of the truth settling heavily upon her. "It was all you."

She was not naive; she understood the ministers' discontent with her influence over Baekhyun throughout his reign. Their persistent attempts to sway him, offering their daughters as concubines to bolster their own power and threaten her position, had not escaped her notice. Their frustration must have reached its zenith when her husband adamantly refused their advances, steadfast in his commitment to her as his one and only empress.

"Hm? I'm not sure I understand what you're implying," the man smirked, his deceptive tone belying his words. "We've long suspected there was more to you, Your Imperial Majesty. It appears you're indeed a demon, effortlessly manipulating the emperor. Surely a man of his stature would desire more than one woman by his side?"

Struggling against the guards' grasp, she retorted weakly, "You vile cowards. You'll rue the day my husband learns of this..."

The pieces of the puzzle fell into place, revealing their sinister plot. They had bided their time, seizing the perfect opportunity amidst the chaos of war. With Baekhyun, the virtuous emperor she had wished him to be, leading the army, they saw their chance to poison her, framing her as a demon to eradicate her while he was away.

"Or perhaps we'll witness the rise of the ambitious emperor we've long awaited. He will finally be able to reach his full potential without you here obstructing his path," he sneered, gesturing towards the approaching healer with another bowl of poison. "Just comply and drink your tonic, Your Imperial Majesty. Your suffering will soon end, and our nation will thrive under the rule of a new emperor, liberated from your naive ideals."

As the sinister men tightened their grip, she sobbed in agony, the relentless headache from the past month resurfacing with a vengeance. Each touch felt like a dagger through her skull, each word a cruel reminder of her plight.

With an apologetic bow of his head, the healer cupped her jaw, his hands trembling as he forced the bowl of poison towards her lips. "Forgive me, Your Imperial Majesty," he whispered, his voice trembling with remorse. "This will be the last one, I promise."

She gagged as the bitter liquid slid down her throat, burning with each swallow. Crimson tears streamed down her white face as she choked on the vile concoction, feeling her strength wane with each passing moment. In that desperate moment, all she could do was pray for salvation from the nightmare consuming her.

As the healer finally released his hold, she felt despair engulf her. The bitter poison settled within her damaged insides, coursing through her veins like a silent killer, slowly consuming her from within.

"It is done, my lord. The empress will not survive through the night," the healer declared, his voice carrying a finality that chilled her to the bone.

The minister's grin widened with satisfaction. "Excellent. Arrange for someone to confirm her death by dawn. Let her enjoy her final moments in the comforts of her own chambers. His Imperial Majesty will surely be grateful we've rid him of his treacherous demon of a wife upon his return from war."

Laying limply in the centre of her grand chambers, the very space she had once despised before ascending to empress, memories flooded her mind. She recalled the scepticism that clouded her heart when she first found herself falling for the crown prince of the nation. After all, history had taught her that no happy endings awaited the women who loved emperors. But Baekhyun was different—he was loving, caring, and considerate, going to great lengths to prove his devotion to her.

He swore never to take concubines, to resist the allure of power, and to remain hers, and hers alone. Despite the admiration of the entire nation, he remained committed to prioritising her above all else, even if it meant drawing the ire of his ministers and officials. Their accusations of his partiality towards his empress over his nation only served to strengthen his resolve, his unwavering loyalty to her.

But now, as she lay weakened by poison, she realised the tragic irony of his goodness. It was his very commitment to righteousness that led him to the battlefield, refusing to let his men fight in his stead. And it was this decision that ultimately sealed their fate, leaving her to face the consequences of his noble intentions.

As the darkness closed in around her, she couldn't help but wonder how Baekhyun would react upon returning to find her lifeless form in this state. Would he succumb to the poisonous words of his ministers, believing their accusations that she had been a demon all along? Would he entertain the notion that she had bewitched him, clouding his judgement and leading him astray?

Or would he remain firm in his loyalty, unwavering in his belief that this was nothing more than a cruel ploy to rid him of her for good? In the depths of her fading consciousness, she desperately clung to the hope that he would see through the lies, that his love for her would prevail over doubt.

On the brink of death, she yearned to trust in his endless devotion to her, to believe that he would never doubt the love they shared. It was a fragile hope, but in that moment, it was all she had to cling to as she slipped further into the darkness, awaiting the inevitable arrival of dawn and the fate it would eventually bring.

"Forgive me for not being strong enough, Baek," she whispered into the stillness of the chamber, her voice barely a breath against the heavy silence. "Please don't blame yourself for any of this."

As the darkness threatened to swallow her entirely, she couldn't help but reflect on the warnings of history, the cautionary tales of women who loved emperors, only to meet tragic ends. Once again, it seemed, she had fallen victim to the same fate.

Her vision blurred with crimson tears as memories flooded her mind—moments shared with Baekhyun before he departed for battle, blissfully unaware that they would be their last. Each memory stung with bittersweet intensity, a painful reminder of what could have been, had fate been kinder.

As her life ebbed away, flashes of cherished moments with him flickered through her mind like scattered stars in the night sky.

Wrapped in the warmth of silk sheets, doubts clouded her mind one morning, questioning her husband's resolve to remain faithful amidst the pressures of his position.

"Would you truly refuse to take any concubines, Baek?" she inquired, her voice laced with uncertainty. "You're aware that the ministers and officials desire it, and perhaps even the citizens of our nation. For all we know, the people might have grown weary of this same dull empress who has yet to bear you an heir."

He drew her close, pulling the silk sheets higher to shield her bare form from the chill seeping through the open windows. Pressing a tender kiss upon her head, he smiled reassuringly. "Never, my love. I do not care for their political machinations. I won't forsake my vow to you. You will remain my only wife, that is final. I did not ask to be emperor, the role was thrust upon me. Now that I am here, they should at least be grateful I am fulfilling my general duties."

She chuckled, nestling into the crook of his neck as he added, "Besides, if the ministers and officials are so displeased, they could just dismiss me. That would be even better; we could live in a quiet little village, just as we've always dreamed."

In another memory, standing before her reflection, plagued by insecurities instilled by the scheming ministers, his unwavering admiration melted her fears away.

"You look beautiful, my empress. You always do," he reassured, approaching from behind to envelop her in his arms.

"Not as beautiful as those young maidens, I fear. I am old," she confessed, feeling a twinge of self-consciousness after witnessing the ministers' attempts to seduce the emperor with their daughters.

Baekhyun gently turned her to face him. "If you're old, then I must be ancient," he teased. "I believe it's only fitting that I am with someone my age, and that's you, my empress. I have no interest in marrying children or anyone else for that matter; I am a taken man. Don't you dare compare yourself to anyone else again, you hear me? You're the most beautiful woman in my eyes, and that's all that matters."

In the final embrace before he departed for war, hearts heavy with the uncertainty of his return, they clung to each other.

"I will be back before you know it, my love. You'll wait for me, won't you?" her husband murmured against her neck, his arms tightening around her.

"Where else would I go, you idiot? Of course, I'll be waiting right here," she retorted, tightening her hold around his shoulders.

Amidst tears and laughter, he leaned in to kiss her deeply, pressing his lips against her soft ones over and over again to imprint the sensation into memory.

"I love you, my empress," Baekhyun whispered against her lips before pulling away, his eyes full of love and determination.

In the quiet of her chamber, she found solace in the fleeting recollections, clinging to them as the darkness threatened to consume her entirely. And as the crimson tears clouded her eyes once more, she resigned herself to the inevitable, silently bidding farewell to the life she once knew.

"I love you too, my emperor."

"I will not ask again, where is she?!" the emperor's voice thundered through the throne room as he stormed back into the palace, abandoning the battle upon learning the shocking revelation. According to the Minister of Rites in his letter, the empress had been discovered to be a demon all along, concealing her true nature under human skin to manipulate him and bend him to her will.

The eunuch panicked and fell to his knees. "Th-the empress is confined to her grand chambers, Your Imperial Majesty!"

Without uttering another word, Baekhyun stormed over immediately, his heart thumping loudly against his chest as fury overtook his being. Betrayal flooded his veins; he was seething with anger.

"You will regret lying to me," he growled under his breath, his vision zeroing in on the path towards her chambers, the place he frequented more than his own. "You will regret deceiving me."

Upon reaching the entrance of her chambers, he turned to the eunuch. "Gather all the ministers and officials who played a part in discovering the empress as what they claimed her to be in the throne room. I wish to speak with them soon."

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty," the eunuch hurriedly replied before darting off to carry out his orders. Baekhyun steadied his breaths, his hand resting on the door as he prepared to face her once more. Under his breath, he vowed, "I swear, you will all regret it. How dare you accuse my wife of being what you are—demons."

I'm here now, my love.

Stepping into the familiar room, the emperor's heart raced with anxiety as he mulled over a perfect apology. He needed to express his deep remorse for not being there when she needed him the most, for failing to shield her from the treachery of those vultures. Reflecting on his actions, he realised he should have never left her behind. In his rush to leave for war, he had neglected to arrange proper protection for her. In hindsight, he understood that he should have never left her side in the first place.

Determined to make amends, he vowed to do better. He resolved to never again allow those ministers or officials the opportunity to torment her in his absence again. From now on, he would be her shield, her staunch protector, and her unending support.

But it might be too late for any of that.

His steps faltered, his breath caught in his chest, and his heart skipped a beat as he beheld the sight before his eyes. The sword in his hands slipped, clanging loudly as it hit the ground, and he sank to his knees in disbelief at the last thing he expected to see.

His shock deepened as he took in his wife's unrecognisable appearance. Crawling towards her limp form on the ground, he pulled her into his arms, his voice trembling with anguish. The horror settled within him like a heavy weight as he tried to imagine what atrocities these monsters had dared inflict upon her while he was gone. His mind raced with images of torture and torment, each one more gruesome than the last.

"Oh god, what have they done to you?" he whispered, his heart fracturing into a million shards as he struggled to comprehend her pale skin, her white hair, and the blood-like tears staining her cheeks. With shaking hands, he gently cupped her cold cheek, his fingers tracing the contours of her face as if seeking reassurance that she was still there, still his beloved wife.

"Please wake up, my love. This isn't funny, stop scaring me," he pleaded, his voice thick with emotion. "You promised to wait for me. You promised..." His words trailed off into a broken sob as he refused to accept anything but the truth, shaking his head in denial even as he searched desperately for a pulse, even when she remained unresponsive.

"No, no, no... this can't be real. It can't be," he murmured, his mind reeling with the unimaginable horror of what he had found.

Despair and regret enveloped him as he sobbed painfully, holding her lifeless body tightly against his chest. The realisation that she was truly gone, that her final moments were spent alone in the very room she despised just to be with him, weighed heavily on his heart. He grappled with the bitter truth that he had failed her, just as she had feared when she hesitated to be with him.

Gradually, his sorrow gave way to seething rage as he recalled the faces of the ministers and officials responsible for this atrocity. They had callously taken her life, foolishly believing he would be deceived by their feeble attempt to frame her. With trembling hands, he picked up a shard of the shattered bowl nearby and brought it to his nose, recognising the metallic scent of mercury.

Suddenly, everything clicked into place.

They had poisoned her with lethal doses of mercury, causing a myriad of symptoms—tremors, headaches, muscle weakness, kidney damage, and breathing difficulties. And the deliberate administration of such high doses to turn her hair white revealed their sinister intent from the outset.

Just how much had they fed her? It was evident they had intended to kill her from the start. Anguish and fury surged within him as he vowed to make them pay.

Gently caressing her cold cheek, he leaned in to kiss her unmoving lips, his own trembling against hers. He blamed himself for everything that had transpired. Perhaps if she hadn't been with him, she would have lived a better life—a normal life with a normal man. She wouldn't have to endure such a painful and cruel death.

It was all because of him.

Regret hung heavy in his heart, but dwelling on what could have been served no purpose.

"I'm so sorry, my wife," he whispered, his voice thick with grief. "Just hold on a bit longer, alright? I'll join you soon, but first, I'll make those bastards pay. Wait for me—I won't let you face this alone. Not again."

With resolve hardening in his heart, he retrieved his sword and sheathed it once more before lifting her lifeless form into his arms. Like a man burdened by death itself, he trudged towards the throne room where justice awaited. Kicking the doors open with a forceful thrust of his leg, he was met with a sea of horrified expressions from the ministers and officials. Clearly, they hadn't anticipated the emperor's dramatic entrance, cradling his beloved empress in his arms.

Ignoring their shocked gazes, he strode past them, his eyes fixed on the throne at the far end of the room. With careful tenderness, he laid his wife down upon the ornate seat, arranging her robes and ensuring her comfort as though she were merely sleeping. Pressing a solemn kiss upon her cold forehead, he turned to face the assembled council, their unease palpable in the air.

The guilty culprits remained frozen in their places, uncertain of what awaited them.

As the emperor's gaze swept over them, the ministers and officials for the first time felt a cold shiver of fear trickle down their spines. His expression was unreadable, his appearance wild and dishevelled compared to his usual polished demeanour. Specks of blood and dirt stained his robes and skin, his hair a tangled mess, half tied up in a disarray that mirrored the chaos within him.

Gone was the warm smile that often graced his features; instead, a slow, unsettling grin crept across his face.

"My dearest ministers and officials," he began, his voice low and laced with an eerie calmness. "Your message has been received loud and clear. I hope you're satisfied now that you've succeeded in eradicating the empress, as you so desperately desired. I've given it some thought, and perhaps... you were all right."

The Minister of Rites, attempting to feign nonchalance, cleared his throat. "A-about what, Your Imperial Majesty?" he stammered.

Baekhyun's eyes gleamed with a frightening intensity as he smirked, his demeanour bordering on madness. "About what this nation truly needs," he replied, his voice carrying a chilling edge.

"Not a good emperor, but a mad one."

Without giving the men before him time to register his words, all Baekhyun saw was red. In a split second, he unsheathed his sword and transformed into a bloodthirsty animal, cutting down anyone and everyone in his path. The Minister of Rites tried to flee but to no avail. He watched in complete horror as his colleagues dropped dead one by one, their blood splattering over the grand walls of the throne room, their screams echoing.

The emperor went on a rampage, leaving no man behind. The Minister of Rites, who had been behind the idea of poisoning the empress, smearing her name by labelling her a demon, and executing her, was now filled with regret. They had turned him into the mad king his empress had feared. Perhaps they had finally achieved their goal, but it wasn't what they were prepared for.

The minister collapsed to his knees before the emperor, realising that His Imperial Majesty had saved him for last. Trembling, he rubbed his hands together in a desperate plea. "P-please, everything I've done, it's for the betterment of our nation."

Baekhyun's humourless laughter echoed through the hall, sending shivers down the minister's spine. "You truly believe that, don't you? Of course, that includes subjecting my wife to all that torment. Yes, because that is exactly what the nation needs. Unfortunately for you, I am the emperor, and I determine what's best for the nation. And in this case, I think it's better off without traitors like you. See you on the other side," were the last words the minister heard before his head was severed from his neck, rolling off to join the others on the floor.

The emperor finally turned back, his eyes softening as they landed on his beloved's lifeless body. Making his way back towards her, he knelt down beside her, tears streaming down his face as he reached for her hand. Holding it to his cheek, he missed the warmth it once had.

"I'm coming now, my love," he whispered brokenly. "I'm sorry you had to wait for so long. I'll be there with you soon."

"Yes, I understand His Imperial Majesty's orders not to enter, but it's been hours. Surely, any assembly would have concluded by now, wouldn't it?" With apprehension and curiosity, a senior court lady pushed open the doors to the once-bustling throne room, expecting to find His Imperial Majesty and his council of ministers. Instead, she was met with a horrifying sight—a scene of bloodshed and chaos spread across the grand hall.

Her piercing scream echoed through the silent room, jolting nearby palace staff into action. Rushing to the scene, they were met with a scene that chilled them to the bone. At the end of the room, amidst a sea of lifeless bodies, lay the empress on the throne, her appearance shocking all who beheld it. Beside her, her husband remained, his head cradled on her chest, their hands tightly clasped together. A gaping stab wound marred his chest—it seemed he had taken his own life before joining her in death.

Following that, the next prince in line promptly ascended the throne and found himself compelled to appoint an entirely new cabinet of ministers and officials. The entire nation descended into chaos, particularly since it was still embroiled in a war, with endless theories circulating about the events. While some speculated that the emperor succumbed to madness and killed his own council, others whispered of a conspiracy, suggesting that the ministers had orchestrated the demise of both the empress and the emperor.

Amidst this uncertainty, the new prince faced the daunting challenge of restoring order to the kingdom. With a heavy heart, he pledged to uncover the truth behind the tragic occurrences and ensure that justice was served to those responsible.

In the end, the truth of what truly occurred remained shrouded in mystery. All those involved had departed from the realm of the living. As centuries passed, that chapter in history became known as the Scarlet Requiem, a haunting tale that lingered in the collective memory of the kingdom. Despite countless efforts to unravel the enigma, the events surrounding the tragedy remained obscured by the sands of time, leaving future generations to ponder and speculate about the dark secrets of the past.

"What do you think really happened?" a woman asked her boyfriend as they studied a painting depicting the throne room scene in a museum dedicated to the events of the Scarlet Requiem.

He pondered for a moment before responding with a shrug. "It's hard to say. But judging by the way he's holding onto her, it seems he must have truly loved her. Let's hope they've found peace and happiness, whether in the afterlife or their next life."

She nodded in agreement, leaning into his comforting embrace. "Yeah, I hope so too."

He flashed a mischievous grin. "I'm just saying, if I were him, I wouldn't have left her for war in the first place."

She rolled her eyes and gave him a playful smack, though a smile danced on her lips. "I'm sure you wouldn't. I bet it's because the empress was described as beautiful as a celestial being."

He scoffed. "Doesn't matter to me how pretty she was. I'll stay only if you're my empress."

Unbeknownst to them, the couple had been contemplating their own past lives. Perhaps the emperor and empress had indeed found each other again in another existence.

Believe it or not, this has been on my mind for months ever since seeing those AI-generated photos of Baekhyun. I had an epiphany while looking at them again yesterday and just had to write this. It's my first EXO fic, and I hope it's decent hehe~

As always, thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts! <3

Master Tag list:

@the-kpop-simp @itstheghostofmypast @green-agent @vantediary @tinyteezer |

@hollxe1 @pandabur666 @lilactangerine @oddracha @evidive

All Rights Reserved © edenesth // DO NOT REPOST, TRANSLATE, PLAGIARISE OR REPURPOSE.

[enchantrum]

Body Language of the Emperor

NOTE: I have a habit of using they/he for Emperor but I understand that as a Mind Flayer, his gender contains multitudes.

So, I'm really eager to explore the body language behind the Emperor, and specifically how the body language of the DG reflects his own expressions and is essentially a V-tuber avatar.

I obviously have to replay the game and examine his animations for this, so a full examination will take some time. However, I'm already intrigued by his body language as DG and want to make some points.

Scott Joseph, actor for the Emperor, has remarked that a big challenge in playing the Emperor is their restricted movements. He'd leave filming/recording with pain in his shoulders, due to how restrained the Emperor's posture is.

The Emperor is extremely deliberate in all his motions, almost like he doesn't want to startle you, or is trying to contain his greater powers. While I played a recent scene, I noticed this is true for the DG.

This is their sort of neutral stance, but it's firm. Everything about them is tightly held. Shoulders, jaws, lips. The only exception are the eyes, which always look at the player with a very open expression.

A moment later, his posture firms even more, but is still restrained. He's leant forward in a beseeching manner, almost confrontational, but it's very subdued. Then in his shoulders and back, you can see again that rigidity. Interestingly, their eyes barely change. They continue to look on almost pleadingly throughout your conversation.

Now look here! A flourish of the hand! Something we see Emperor do a few times, but still very restrained. In scenes with the DG, it's very easy to miss these quick yet dramatic motions. But his shoulders, his jaw, his neck. The restraint is still there. And again, I must point out how his eyes betray all this restraint.

Finally, we have this. In this moment, he's pleased. I can't remember which dialogue option I chose, but it was an agreeable one to end off the scene positively. His shoulders have relaxed, but not much, and his jaw and mouth have relaxed, implying the hint of a smile. Yet, you can tell he's still not fully reassured- most notably, his eyes are no longer pleading, but they are withdrawn, darkened. I wonder if he might feel some guilt that he can't give you all the answers right then.

But overall, he's feeling a bit more confident here, a bit more trusting of you, but he knows he still can't fully relax.

All these screenshots were taken from the scene that starts with "you haven't been using your tadpole powers, you think you don't need them" in act 1, after speaking to Halsin but not eating any tadpoles.

Anyway, I'm really intrigued by all this. A big criicism of the Emperor is that he approaches you in an altered form, and rather than demonise him for this, I'm more interested in pointing out how his astral avatar still corresponds to his true feelings.

One thing I can say about BG3 is the animation is stunning and purposeful and really shows off the actor's physical skills through their mocap, and this is evident most of all with the Emperor, whose body language is micromanaged to communicate his purposes. Big shout out to Scott Joseph, I really believe he was given the hardest role to portray, and he killed it!

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 02x04 - King of Darkness, Digimon Kaiser / Iron Vegiemon

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Channeling the ancient powers of great mythical forces like Horus, Pegasus, Queen Nefertiti, fire-breathing dragons, and the digging of holes, the Chosen Children are finally all together and ready to stop the Digimon Kaiser from kicking any more puppies.

Starting with a loose end the last episode left hanging.

We open inside the Digimon Kaiser's gladiator pit from the previous episode. Daisuke, Iori, Takeru, and Hikari are there, along with Taichi.

Agumon: BABY FLAME!!! V-Mon: V-MON HEAD!!!

A shot of Agumon's Baby Flame blows open one of the cells. V-mon's signature headbutt breaks open what's left of the wrecked bars. As he crashes inside, he creates an opening large enough for the Gotsumon inside to escape through.

V-Mon: Everyone, run! Daisuke: Hurry! This way, everyone!

Daisuke leads the escape with six rescued Gotsumon. They keep running until they're safely out of the arena. The Gotsumon collapse, exhausted, into the grass of a nearby field while the children stop to catch their breath.

Taichi: Mission complete! Agumon: Great work, guys.

No idea what's become of those two Elecmon.

This connects to the three Gotsumon we saw outside the gladiator pit last episode. Back there, they mentioned that the Kaiser had taken their nakama. The dub made the assumption that they were talking about the captured Elecmon, but here we see there were four other Gotsumon imprisoned here. Or three, if the Kaiser caught that one that got away since then and now.

In the dub:

Agumon: PEPPER BREATH!!! Veemon: VEE HEADBUTT!!! (Agumon and Veemon break two of the Gotsumon out) Veemon: C'mon, let's rock! Davis: (out of breath) That... was... easy.... (They escape to the field) Agumon: You guys are officially fugitives!

A little shallow; I don't like that Davis is gloating instead of participating but it's not a big enough deal to make a thing out of.

Once they catch their breath, the children have a moment to unpack.

Daisuke: I'd love to see the look on that Digimon Kaiser asshole's face when he finds out about this.

Man, they are pissed about last episode. Up until now, the Kaiser has been referred to as yatsu, which is a generally rude and disrespectful way of saying "that person". But now he's been downgraded to yarou, which is "that person" spit out as a profanity.

He was a jerkwad, a prick, a douche, but now he's a fuckstain, a piece of shit, a motherfucker.

Takeru: It's weird, though. Patamon: What is? Takeru: There was barely any security here, and he wasn't here either. Maybe he had business somewhere else and had to go there? Daisuke: What!? He just got scared and ran away. Isn't that right, Hikari-chan? Hikari: Mm... I agree with Takeru-kun. Daisuke: -_- Hikari: But what could he possibly be doing? Taichi: Hmm... In any case, let's head back to school. Koushiro and Miyako-chan must be worried about us.

As the children leave, Tailmon stops. She turns to look at the ominous black obelisk in the distance.

Once again, Daisuke tries to be macho and expects Hikari to back him up but, like Takeru, Hikari knows better.

Takeru mentions that the security was poor, but that implies that there was some security. Maybe that's what became of the two Elecmon?

In the dub:

Davis: If that's the kind of puny defense that the Digimon Emperor's gonna put up, then this fight will be over in the first round! T.K.: Something was weird. Patamon: What was? T.K.: Well, the fact that it was so easy for us to break out of that prison. There wasn't a single guard anywhere around! It's like he wanted us to do it. I think he's up to something. Davis: You're crazy! He took one look at our awesome skills and he hit the road! Isn't that right, Kari? Kari: Um... Actually, Davis, I'm gonna have to agree with T.K. Davis: -_- Awww.... Kari: This guy is not gonna let us get away that easy without some kind of reasoning. Tai: We'll worry about it later. Let's get back to the real world. I'm starving! I can practically smell the cafeteria from here! Davis: That's my peanut butter and jelly bean sandwich I've had in my pocket since last week. Kari: Yuck! (Gatomon stops to look at the obelisk) Gatomon: What's that tower?

I... don't know why Tai thinks an elementary a middle school cafeteria would be open at like 6 PM.

The dub got the part where it's weird that this was so easy, but didn't quite grasp the part of why it's weird. The question here is, "What is the Kaiser doing that's so important, it takes him and his forces away from defending his territories?"

The dub seems to imply that the Emperor let us take the Gotsumon on purpose as part of some sinister machination he has in play.

Let's find out. Time to check in with the Digimon Kaiser, inside his command center with only Wormmon for company.

The Kaiser's attention is focused on a grid of white and black squares. Suddenly, one of the white squares clicks over to black.

Kaiser: Another one just became mine.

At a hillside town for Digimon, a black obelisk now stands atop the hill. The Kaiser lays down the new law to an assembly of Gazimon and one familiar Gabumon, backed up by five black-ringed Veggiemon.

Kaiser: Do you see that black tower? That is a Dark Tower. Wherever it stands becomes my territory. And you are all my servants. Do you understand? Gabumon: (thinking) They're all being controlled by those Rings....

I don't think Gabumon's on the same page as the Kaiser here. Call it a hunch.

In the dub:

Emperor: The next one should be in place right about now.... There!

The dub has no audio cue when the grid square turns black. The Emperor himself is the audio cue.

Emperor: Now to let everyone know who's the boss. (Cut to the hillside town) Emperor: This Control Spire is the most dominating object in the Digi-World! Wherever I build one, that area will be under my control and all those around it will be my slaves! It's useless to try and escape! Those who do will have to answer to my soldiers! Gabumon: (thinking) How do I get myself into these things?

Dub Gabumon does seem to be on the same page, and is regretting it.

Love the name Control Spire, by the way. Dub Team went hard on that one. It's a lot more creative than Dark XYZ.

While the Kaiser lays down the law, we return to elementary school to give the kids who stayed behind a startle.

Koushiro & Miyako: EHHHHHHHHHH!?!?!

Koushiro: Why did you bring the Gotsumon here!? Taichi: What else could we do? We have no idea when the Digimon Kaiser might return. Right? Hikari: Yeah.

That agreement might be more convincing if it wasn't coming from your baby sister. Let's see what Daisuke-- no, he's your kouhai. Anyone else want to weigh in?

Miyako: How am I supposed to explain this to Fujjiyama-sensei if he finds out? Iori: It will be fine. We've prepared something just for that. Now, pose!

The six Gotsumon each take their own pose and hold it.

Iori: See? Don't they look like sculptures? Miyako: -_-

Okay. Follow-up question, why are you doing sculpting projects in computer club?

Koushiro: Miyako-kun, can I borrow your Digivice? Miyako: Eh? Why? Koushiro: The power from your Digivices must be what's opening the Gate, right? Taichi: Ahhh. Yeah, ours can't do it. We can have Daisuke and the others open the Gate and follow them through it, but.... Koushiro: I'd just like to examine it for a bit. Would that be okay?

Saying nothing, Miyako smiles and hands over her Digivice to Koushiro.

(You know, seeing them onscreen together, I suddenly realize that Koushiro is only Miyako's senior by one year. As the oldest of the new kids, she's 12-13 while Koushiro and Mimi are 13-14.)

In addition to finally exploring what those black obelisks are, we're also moving towards explaining why the unreliable Gate conveniently always happens to be open whenever one of the new kids is around.

In the dub:

Izzy: ARE YOU CRAZY, BRINGING THE GOTSUMON BACK FROM THE DIGITAL WORLD!?!? Tai: But we didn't have a choice! We couldn't just leave them for the Digimon Emperor to make into slaves, right? Kari: Yup. Yolei: But how are we gonna explain it if Mr. Fujiyama happens to come in here!? Cody: Don't worry, I'll tell him I'm taking a sculpting class and these are some of my early masterpieces. Hit it, boys! (The Gotsumon pose) Yolei: Yeesh. Early rejects might be a better phrase. -_- Izzy: Yolei, I've got a big favor to ask. Would it be alright with you if I borrowed your Digivice? Yolei: But what for? Izzy: Well, it's obvious the power from your Digivices opens the Gate to the Digital World. Our own Digivices don't seem to work. Tai: Izzy's right! I've tried using mine, but no luck. The only way we can get into the Digital World is if one of you opens the Gate for us. Izzy: So I wanted to try an experiment with the new Digivices, if that's okay with you. Yolei: Mhm. (hands over her Digivice)

This is good. They play up the Gotsumon posing a bit, but the joke is already that Miyako is unimpressed so having Yolei outright shit-talk the plan fits in pretty well.

Also, I guess the dub team also had questions about why they'd be doing sculpting in computer club because Cody offers a reasonable explanation for where the "sculptures" came from.

Back in the Digital World, the Kaiser has already erected a prison to house the Gazimon and Gabumon.

He cracks his whip at a pair of Veggiemon workers, startling them so badly they jump and leave poops behind.

Kaiser: C'mon, to the next area! Move it!

The Kaiser takes his seat on a litter, which eight Veggiemon are forced to carry. They move slowly enough that it'd probably be faster to get out and walk, but he seems satisfied with himself.

Gabumon watches through the barred window of a cell, which he shares with five Gazimon.

Gabumon: Yes, he's leaving! Now it's time to escape. PETIT FIRE!!!

Gabumon's Petit Fire blows the door off its hinges, crushing a Veggiemon guard on the other side. He and the Gazimon make a break for it, only for the spiked club tendril of a RedVeggiemon to smack Gabumon in the face and knock him off his feet.

Gabumon: AUGH!!! RedVeggiemon: Did you guys think you could escape!? That's impossible. Gabumon: You're.... RedVeggiemon: The fearsome, ripe vegetable REDVEGGIEMON!!!

Y'all remember RedVeggiemon. Pinocchimon led an army of them against the Chosen Children in his final battle. Cutting one down when they wanted to flee with him was his final mistake that got him killed by Yamato.

RedVeggiemon is an Adult-stage Plant-type Virus Digimon. They're Veggiemon, but stronger because they're an RPG palette-swap. The "Goblin Elite" to Veggiemon's "Goblin Soldier".

Narrator: RedVeggiemon. A sly and cunning Adult-stage Digimon. His special attack is a gust of intensely bad breath called Hazard Breath.

The original rundown specifically mentioned that RedVeggiemon is bigger and meaner than a regular Veggiemon. I suppose that much is already implied by this one's status as the big scary boss to beat, amid all the Veggiemon grunts.

RedV isn't appearing as part of a grunt swarm this time, so the show's letting their actions speak for themselves.

(Their name is still RedVagimon according to the official romanization. I'm so, so sorry. At least someone has it worse than Holsmon.)

In the dub:

Emperor: Let's move out! I've got an early tee time in the morning.

Not sure if he said "tea time" or "tee time" as both are things, but "tee time" makes more sense contextually to me. Tee time is what they call when you're scheduled to "tee off", beginning a round of golf.

Golf is commonly known as the Rich Asshole Sport, so that's more likely to be the reference here than "tea time", which would be a snooty British reference.

Gabumon: We're bustin' out tonight, boys. Ahhh, why wait? Everyone, stay to the back of the cell! BLUE BLASTER!!!

To soften the blow of Gabumon being punched in the face, they add the sound effect of a bowling bawl colliding with pins. Additionally, a white flash obscures the point of impact.

RedVegiemon is voiced as a noticeable celebrity impersonation of Jack Nicholson, best known for playing batshit unhinged characters like the Joker from the "first" Batman film and Jack Torrance in The Shining.

RedVegiemon: Apparently you don't listen to INSTRUCTIONS. Gabumon: Who are you!? RedVegiemon: I'm the Digi-World's biggest salad bar REDVEGIEMON!!! RedVegiemon: (rundown) I am the biggest and the ripest of all Vegiemon. My Stink Jet attack destroys my enemies with NOXIOUS FUMES!!!

"Noxious fumes" is one way to describe it, to be sure.

Unsurprisingly, "RedVagimon" does not make it onto the screen in the dub. They censored that right out and replaced it with "RedVegiemon".

Gabumon faces down RedVeggiemon.

Gabumon: What are you going to do? RedVegiemon: Trying to escape is a serious offense. The penalty is 100 lashes!

RedVegiemon strikes Gabumon to the ground and proceeds to carry out his whipping, counting each lash. The Gazimon shield their eyes, unable to watch Gabumon's gruesome punishment.

They don't make it to 100, though. The 73rd lash comes out more as a jab, which knocks the prone and battered Gabumon off a nearby cliff. Gabumon, barely conscious, falls into a raging river.

RedVegiemon: We only made it to 73? That's fine, he's probably dead by now.

God, imagine dubbing this for Fox Kids. "Oh, that last series got pretty dark but now they just have to fight another kid so how bad could--"

ONSCREEN WHIPPING OF RUNAWAY SLAVES. And to a character we know and love.

I mean, it's not the .44 magnum episode but still. Have fun, Dub Team!

Gabumon: Try to stop us, Stinky! RedVegiemon: For trying to escape, you get to smell my roots! AND I HAVE ROOT ROT!!!

Yeah, they're. Not. Doing the whipping. They cut the shots of Gabumon being lashed, but keep abstract shots of RedVegiemon's tentacle being swung, which they recontextualize. They also keep the Gazimon averting their eyes and a wider shot of the region.

RedVegiemon: (swing) Smell this! (swing) Smell it again! Gabumon: That's disgusting! No more, please! RedVegiemon: You kidding!? I'm just warming up!

Freeze-frame of Gabumon lying prone on the ground without any of the lashing animations.

RedVegiemon: Hey, if you can't stand the smell, get out of the kitchen! YAAAAAGH!!!

And then the one hit they can't avoid: The 73rd lash that knocks Gabumon off the cliff.

Gabumon: (sinking into river) My fur is dry clean only! RedVegiemon: Let that be a lesson to all of you: Don't try to defy the power of the DIGIMON EMPEROR!!!

And we close with an ominous warning but also a quip to keep things light and silly.

Despite what RedVeggiemon thinks, Gabumon's alive. He pulls himself out of the river, too weak to even stand but within fifty feet or so of one of those Gate access televisions.

Gabumon: (weakly) I can't die here... I have to spread the word....

With what little strength he has left, Gabumon crawls towards the Gate.

Gabumon: Everyone... Yamato....

He doesn't make it. Gabumon collapses in front of the TV.

Meanwhile, in the other reality, Yamato's band is in the middle of a concert. He's playing his guitar onstage to a crowd of screaming fangirls waving glowsticks.

In a bit of fourth-wall breaking fun, Yamato is singing "Walk on the Edge". The song was released on a music and drama CD around the time the Pinocchimon arc started, and here it's contextualized as a song he wrote for his band about his experiences in the Digital World.

Specifically, it seems to be about the fight he had with Taichi, and where his headspace was at during that time. The full lyrics are:

We're not ready yet; Just look at us! If I'm right and they break us, then what was even the point? If this is what you want, then I won't stop you. But just because you're passionate, it doesn't mean you're right. Cool off. Keep a level head. No matter what the game is, there's always a chance to win. I'm just fine on my own! I'll walk the edge of the knife. I'm not trying to act tough. But the weaker I get, the less bratty I become. Still, I can't find the data. But you'll see me become myself. I'll be cool. Won't give in to myself. No matter what the rules are, I'll break through them. Possible. Impossible. But we, the Chosen Children, can do it. I have a passionate heart too, but I can't use it as a shield. I'm just fine on my own! I'll walk the edge of the knife. I'll walk the edge of the knife!

I love the implication that Yamato's musical career came out of him unpacking the events of Digimon Adventure. It's such a natural extension of him pouring his feelings into his harmonica.

And also, out of everything he says in this song, "I have a passionate heart too but I can't use it as a shield" is the sickest burn he delivers to Taichi. That lyric is, without question, about Taichi's retaliatory "We'll fuck 'em up and get revenge and then I won't have to feel this way!" trauma response.

And now he's playing it to a giant crowd so that every girl their age in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area knows how much Taichi sucks. Yamato truly did get the last laugh. Though we only come in at "I can't use it as a shield" and the closing chorus.

In the dub:

Gabumon: (straining) I've got to... tell the others... They need to be warned.... (Gabumon crawls towards the TV) Gabumon: I have to find Matt.... (Gabumon collapses) Gabumon: Man, I stink....

Again, closing with a laugh line to try and ease off the darkness here.

Dub Team also has an original song for Matt and his band to sing. It's called "I Turn Around" and was recorded exclusively for the show. The lyrics are:

You've got a boy, you've got a girl, sitting' underneath a tree. They sit there everyday and even though, you may think this is the way the things should be, it may not always be that way. You can't take nothing for granted! You've gotta live life today! I turn around and I can see what's behind me. I turn back around and I can see what's ahead. And if you don't believe I'll be here all along, just turn around. Just turn around You wanna get, you gotta give. There is no other way to be. So give it a try. If what I say is really so, you got to let somebody see. You can't just keep it inside. You can't take nothing for granted! You've gotta live life today! I turn around and I can see what's behind me. I turn back around and I can see what's ahead. And if you don't believe I'll be here all along, just turn around. Just turn around You can't take nothing for granted! You've gotta live life today! I turn around and I can see what's behind me. I turn back around and I can see what's ahead. And if you don't believe I'll be here all along, just turn around. Just turn around I turn around and I can see what's behind me. I turn back around and I can see what's ahead. And if you don't believe I'll be here all along, just turn around. Just turn around

It's a bit more Generic Pop Song but still has something to say about life's unpredictability. Which makes sense for something a kid that was Isekai'd suddenly one summer might feel about life, but isn't referencing any specific moment of Matt's journey.

Once Yamato's concert finishes, he meets with Takeru out in the hall.

Yamato: So then, the immediate problem is that we need a place to hide the Gotsumon? Takeru: Onii-chan, do you know of any good places? Yamato: I don't know....

Nipping that conversation in the bud, one of the girls from the crowd runs up to Yamato with a marker.

Girl: Hey, can I get an autograph? Yamato: Sure.

Yamato takes the marker. The girl turns around so he can write it on the back of her white shirt.

Yamato: And your name is...? Girl: Motomiya. Motomiya Jun. Takeru: Eh!? Motomiya Jun!? You wouldn't happen to be Daisuke-kun's older sister, would you? Jun: That's right, but... who are you? Yamato: He's my little brother Takeru. Takeru: It's nice to meet you. Daisuke-kun and I are classmates. Jun: Is that right? Well, aren't you cute? You sign too!

Having collected Yamato's signature, Jun hands the marker over to Takeru and presents her back for his autograph.

Takeru: Eh!? Jun: Daisuke isn't cute at all. I wish my little brother was more like you guys.

Takeru's startled by the request, but he goes ahead and signs Jun's shirt. Oh, to be a fly on the wall when Daisuke sees that signature.

The dub kicks us off with a tortured pun.

Matt: Listen, T.K., just because I have a rock band, it doesn't mean I can hide a band of rocks that happen to be Digimon! T.K.: Well, think about it. Maybe they can be your backup singers. Matt: They sound too gravelly.

Goddammit, it was a bait and switch! The bad pun lulled me into a false sense of security only for Matt to follow up with a killer dad joke. XD

Girl: OHHHH!!! Can I have your autograph!? Matt: Sure. What's your name? Girl: Just make it to Jun Motomiya. T.K.: Did you say Motomiya? You wouldn't happen to be Davis's sister, would you? Jun: Yeah, that's right. Who are you? Matt: His name's T.K. He's my little brother. T.K.: It's nice to meet you, Jun. Your younger brother Davis and I are in the same class together. Jun: Will you sign my shirt too? I get all the cute boys to sign it. (Jun gives T.K. the marker) Jun: You may not know it, but I haven't washed this shirt in two years! T.K.: There's not a lot of room. Jun: I know. I think all boys are cute!

In the original, Jun's fangirling out over teenage rock icon Yamato and wants signatures from him and his cutie-patootie little brother.

Dub Jun, I guess, is a boy-crazy shirt fiend committing crimes against laundry, who roams the land with her marker looking for anyone male-shaped to sign her shirt. She isn't here for Yamato in particular.

Additionally, the "All the boys sign my shirt" thing replaces Jun shit-talking Daisuke, which will have ramifications for the plot down the road.

As fun as Jun is, beeping from Yamato's Digivice interrupts this conversation. He pulls it out, seeing the same flashing red symbols on his Digivice as Taichi got back in episode 1.

A moment later, Takeru's pocket computer goes off.

Takeru: Ah! My D-Terminal too!

Finally have a name for those little devices.

Takeru isn't getting the same message as Yamato, however. Instead, his is an email from Miyako.

Takeru: "SOS Signal Received. Come to Clubroom. Miyako." Onii-chan! Yamato: Is it Gabumon!?

The boys race off as fast as they can, leaving a confused Jun behind.

Once they're all gathered in the clubroom, nobody minces words. With a fierce look in her eyes, Miyako opens the Gate.

Miyako: Chosen Children... Roll out!

Here we have the start of a Miyako catchphrase. Pretty much everyone who's ever watched the subs knows Miyako for repeated phrases like "Bingo!" and "Chosen Children, let's roll!"

While she does say the English word "Bingo!", you have the subbers to thank for "Let's roll".

The phrase is "選ばれし子供たち出動! Erabareshi Kodomo-tachi, shutsudou!

The first part is, of course, Chosen Children. 出動 Shutsudou is a military-style order to dispatch into the field. Chosen children, deploy! Roll out! Engage! March!

I went back and forth about whether or not to change "Let's roll" because it's pretty iconic. But I ultimately settled on changing it for one reason, which we'll get to in a second. I went with "Roll out" so that it retains some semblance of "Let's roll", but there is a critical flaw in having her say "Let's roll" here.

In the dub:

Matt: There's some kind of trouble in the Digital World. T.K.: I just got an email. It's from Yolei. It says "Emergency! Hurry back to school!" Emergency? Matt: I hope Gabumon's okay. (Matt and T.K. return to T.K.'s school) Yolei: Back off, Davis! You're making me nervous! Davis: Can't you go any faster!? Yolei: Alright, the Gate's open. Shall we go?

Gotta add a bit of dialogue because we haven't made Davis out to be a dick in a while.

Minor nitpick: Yolei asks "Shall we go?" but she's not coming with us. She's staying behind, so it's weird for her to include herself in the group of people who will be going.

This, incidentally, is also the problem with translating 出動 shutsudou as "Let's roll" in this instance. We are not rolling anywhere. You are deploying but I am not.

Daisuke, Iori, Takeru, Hikari, and Yamato all cross over into the Digital World. They arrive right in front of Gabumon's prone body.

Yamato: Gabumon! Gabumon: (slowly picks himself up) Ugh... Yamato...? Yamato: Hang in there, Gabumon!

Yamato quickly moves to Gabumon's side. However, his presence seems to rejuvenate Gabumon, who leaps to his feet with excitement.

Gabumon: Ahhhh! I've missed you! Yamato: What's wrong? What happened? Gabumon: Uh, you see--

Before Gabumon can get into it, the TV screen changes to show Miyako over in the human world.

Miyako: Everyone, I'm going over to Izumi-senpai's place to get my Digivice back. Poromon: In the meantime, I'll be serving as your contact. Daisuke: Got it.

Once that's settled, the TV shuts off. Tailmon offers some dry exposition.

Tailmon: This TV sends the SOS Signal to the other world. Agumon said the TV was how he contacted Taichi. Hikari: Is that right?

So as long as you're near one of these TVs, you can send one of those flashing red SOS messages to your Partner's Digivice. And not necessarily just your Partner, as Miyako picked up Gabumon's SOS as well.

In the dub:

Matt: Gabumon! Gabumon: ...oh, Matt.... Matt: Gabumon, are you okay? Gabumon: Let's just say... I'll never look at steamed vegetables the same way. Matt: Okay, I want you to tell me everything that happened. Gabumon: Good! We never talk anymore....

Gabumon sounds delirious. The smell must still be getting to him.

Yolei: Hey, everybody! I'm going over to Izzy's to get my Digivice back and then I'll meet up with you there. Poromon: (speaking rhythmically, as if reciting a poem) Have no fear while Yolei's gone / This place shall be guarded by Poromon! Davis: Stay in touch! Gatomon: Why do they call those things on top of the TV rabbit ears? Why don't they call them cat ears? After all, when was the last time you saw a rabbit sleeping on top of a TV? Kari: This is what you think of?

Miyako says nothing about joining them later. She will, though, so it's fair for Yolei to say that.

I don't know why Poromon is rhyming but I dig it.

They cut out Gatomon's dry exposition, replacing it with rambling. So we don't get to find out how the SOS Signal works in this version, but you can still glean it from context. It was pretty obvious that Gabumon was trying to reach the TV to send the signal out.

While Daisuke and Hikari were over at the TV, Yamato and Takeru have been debriefing Gabumon.

Patamon: Guys, we know our destination.

Gabumon leads them through the woods until the hillside town comes into view.

Gabumon: That is the city of Santa Geria. It used to be a beautiful city until the Digimon Kaiser came and imprisoned all of the city's Digimon. Tailmon: That tower! There was one at the place with the Gotsumon too! Gabumon: That's called a Dark Tower. The Digimon Kaiser built it. Daisuke: Alright, let's go-- Yamato: Wait!

Before Daisuke can get ahead of himself, Yamato stops him.

Yamato: Let me remind you that our goal is to free the captured Digimon. Daisuke: (dismissive) I know that! Armor Evolution will get it done in no time-- Takeru: That won't work. Daisuke: Huh? Takeru: If we do that, they might use the hostage Digimon as shields. Hikari: He's right. We're here to rescue the hostages. You're putting the cart before the horse. Daisuke: Gehhh!?!?

Everybody is trying to nip a Taichi Incident in the bud right now.

In the dub:

Patamon: Okay, break's over! Let's get back to work. (Gabumon shows them to the city) Gabumon: It's a small village called Santa Caria. Davis: Cool! Sounds like it's in California! Gabumon: It was always a quiet place. Everyone minded their own business. And then the Digimon Emperor came along. Gatomon: Look! There's one of those things that scared the Gotsumon! Gabumon: The Emperor calls them Control Spires.

...that scared the Gotsumon? The only person who reacted in any way to the Control Spire at the previous location was Gatomon.

Davis: Let's go-- Matt: Wait! Davis: Huh? Matt: We can't just rush in there. For all you know, he's in there waiting for us and this whole thing is just some kind of ambush! Davis: All we have to do is Armor Digivolve and blow them apart-- T.K.: It's not that simple! Davis: Huh? T.K.: He might be using some of the Digimon hostages as a shield to protect himself. Kari: T.K.'s right. We have to find a way to rescue the hostages and make sure that none of them get hurt. Davis: Gahhhhh....

Yamato, Takeru, and Hikari are all very clear in the original that this is a rescue mission and they can't have Daisuke compromising that mission because he's itching for a fight.

In the dub, T.K. and Kari still bring up the possibility of hostage Digimon used as shields, but Matt's main concern is that this is a trap.

It's not. The Digimon Kaiser is not out there claiming territories to trick them.

With Daisuke's passion now tempered, the strategy talk continues.

Patamon: The Guards are Veggiemon, right? They throw poop at you. Yamato: What do you know about RedVeggiemon? Patamon: Well....

While the veterans discuss shop, Daisuke gripes to Iori.

Daisuke: Tch! They're leaving us out of the loop. Iori, let's just go do it. Iori: No, I want to hear the plan. (Iori leaves Daisuke to join the others) Daisuke: TCH!!!

Iori joins the rest of the team as they start walking. It's time to move out.

Yamato: Alright, we'll infiltrate the prison-- Daisuke: H-Hang on a second! We're bringing Hikari-chan with us!? I'm against that! What with the poop enemies and all.... Hikari: It's fine. Takeru: You already saw the poop attacks in our last adventure, right? Hikari: Yep.

SHE WAS QUEEN OF THE FUCKING NUMEMON

Daisuke: Fuck you, Takeru! Don't you have even a bit of Telepathy!? Takeru: Telepathy? Iori: He meant to say Delicacy.

Specifically, he was trying to say the English word "delicacy" and landed on the English "telepathy". This joke will not translate into the dub. Nonetheless, Takeru, Hikari, and Iori all have a good laugh at the expense of Daisuke's poor grasp on English.

Iori humbly recognizes that he's new here and should defer to the wisdom and guidance of the veterans. But Daisuke is chomping at the bit, and is becoming increasingly a problem as his pride gets more and more wounded.

In the dub:

Patamon: They're being guarded by the Vegiemon. Watch out for the Digi-Sludge! Matt: Patamon, tell us everything you know about RedVegiemon. Patamon: Okay! Davis: (griping) Well, it looks like we're not needed around here. Let's go off and do things our own way! Cody: I think we should all stick together. Davis: UGH!!! Matt: Alright, I've got a plan to sneak into the prison. Davis: Wait a minute! It's too dangerous. We can't take the chance that any of us, especially Kari, might be attacked with that Digi-Sludge. Kari: No big deal. T.K.: Yeah, we've been attacked by a lot worse things than Digi-Sludge. Right, Kari? Kari: Yeah! Davis: GAH!!! I can't even believe you're not worried about Kari's wellbeing, T.A. T.K.: T.A.? Cody: He forgot how to spell T.K.!

Yeah, doesn't translate so they fit the running "Davis either can't or won't say T.K.'s name right" gag in. Though it doesn't quite fit; Davis has been doing this since episode 1 but they react like this is new.

But there's the added problem that they need to censor out poop. Davis refusing to let Kari encounter "Digi-Sludge" isn't something that makes a lot of sense. With poop, you kinda get what he's objecting to.

So they rewrote his objection to just... patronizingly feeling like this situation is too dangerous for Kari.

Which comes right out of left field as opposed to the poop thing, but still gets across the core point of this moment: That he's patronizingly talking down someone who's already walked these roads before.

Daisuke still sees Hikari as just this cool girl he has a crush on, and not the experienced Digimon veteran that she is. He only knows her as Taichi's little sister, and not as the Light of the Eight Gods. Which comes across just fine in Davis's dialogue.

The words themselves are a little awkward, but the spirit of the scene is captured pretty well.

Time to put the plan into action. The Chosen Children approach the front gate of Santa Geria, where five Vegiemon stand guard.

Veggiemon: HALT!!! Who are you supposed to be? Tailmon: We've captured the escaped Digimon and his nakama.

Per Yamato's plan, they've created counterfeit black Rings. Tailmon wears one over her right glove. Patamon and Armadimon have theirs around their waists. Then V-mon has his on his left forearm.

All are easily visible to the Veggiemon, as proof that they too serve the Digimon Kaiser. Meanwhile, the five children and Gabumon are tied together and forced to march.

Patamon: We'll throw them in prison! Armadimon: Come on! Double time it dagyaa!

The "minions" march the children into the city at a jogging pace, while the Veggiemon guards throw poop at them for funsies and laugh mockingly.

Once they're in the city and no longer in sight of the guard, they stop.

Patamon: They didn't even notice the fake Rings. Tailmon: That may be, but don't let your guard down. We're in the middle of enemy territory.

Seems like a solid time to go to commercial!

In the dub:

Vegiemon: STOP RIGHT THERE!!! Identify yourselves! Gatomon: It's okay. We're one of you. We just captured a Digimon and their friends. Patamon: Where are you taking us!? Armadillomon: Pipe down! You're all going to jail where you belong! (They march the children past the guards) Armadillomon: Move it, move it, move it! Patamon: Those guys didn't even notice these Rings are plastic. Gatomon: Don't start feeling too frisky yet. The first set of guards were just flunkies. We haven't even faced the pick of the litter, and even if we get past them, we still have to find a way to destroy the Control Spire!

Man, it's amazing that they didn't get caught given that Patamon blows his fucking lines. He's supposed to be one of the escorting troops but he talks like he's one of the captives. It's a good thing Armadillomon rolls with it so well.

Also, we are not trying to destroy the Control Spire. The dub is making the same mistake as Daisuke. It thinks we're here to kick ass and make the Digimon Emperor's forces eat dirt.

Coming back from commercial, a Veggiemon hurls the "prisoners" into a cell with the Gazimon.

Veggiemon: Quit wasting time and get in there! You'll each be punished with 100 lashes tomorrow! NYEHEHEHEHE GREAT JOB EVERYONE--eh?

While the Veggiemon is busy gloating, the other Digimon remove their fake Rings.

Tailmon: Great job to you too. NEKO PUNCH!!!

Tailmon's hit sends the Veggiemon back against the bars, knocking them out. V-mon and Armadimon jump the other three Veggiemon, with Armadimon pinning two while V-mon pummels the third.

(V-mon, your opponent is totally helpless. Punch the Ring, you dipshit.)

In the dub:

Vegiemon: Thanks for bringing the prisoners in. The Emperor will be pleased. We could have gotten 'em ourselves, you know. But I guess you beat us to the punch--DAH!!! (The team removes their fake Dark Rings) Gatomon: By the way, speaking of punch: LIGHTNING PAW!!!

I mean. They weren't about to have Veggiemon threaten the whipping, so instead they set up an ironic pun.

Jailbreak successful; Now we just need to get these Gazimon out of the city. Patamon scouts ahead and guides the team through Santa Geria's streets.

Rounding a corner, he does a sudden 180 and turns on the others.

Patamon: ACK STOP!!!

There are five Vegiemon down the stairs.

V-mon: This place is crawling with guards all of a sudden. Daisuke: (pulls out Digivice) Looks like we're up.

Daisuke takes a step to round the corner and confront the Vegiemon, but Yamato grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him back.

Yamato: Wait. After all the trouble we went to to rescue these Digimon, you're going to drag them into this? Daisuke: ...geh....

Daisuke isn't happy about it but he relents.

Gabumon: Let's go back up. We can head for the black tower on the hill. Patamon: Sounds good to me!

Patamon flies over Gabumon and the Gazimon's head, taking up a new scouting position for their new direction. The team moves out, except Daisuke and V-mon who hesitate in the back for a moment.

Daisuke stomps the ground in frustration.

Daisuke: WHY!?!? WHY!?!? V-mon: (concerned) Daisuke....

He's losing it.

In the dub::

Patamon: Quiet, there are more guards! Vegiemon: (faint) I got a straight, GYAHAHAHA!!! Veemon: The exit is blocked! We'll never get out now! Davis: (pulls out his Digivice) I'm tired of hiding anyway. Let's fight! (Davis tries to go out there but Matt stops him) Matt: Easy there, junior. You have to learn that fighting's not the only answer. It should only be your last resort. Davis: Mrrr.... Gabumon: Let's go back this way. We'll come out on top near the Control Spire! Patamon: Good idea! (Everyone heads that way) Davis: NNNNNNNGH WHY WON'T ANYONE LISTEN TO ME!?!? Veemon: What'd you say?

I love that the Vegiemon are playing poker. The original offers no explanation for why five of them are clustered together in this one random corner of the city.

Yamato offers a clear and concise reason for why Daisuke shouldn't go start a fight: It would endanger the Gazimon we came here to save, who are with us right now.

Matt only offers anti-violence platitudes.

The team makes its way up the hill towards the Dark Tower. Patamon seems to have given up scouting and flies near the back with Takeru. Yamato leads the way while Daisuke takes up the rear, pouting with his hands in his pockets.

Takeru: Oh, by the way, Daisuke-kun! I met your big sister today. Daisuke: Yeah, so what? Takeru: So what? Daisuke: My sister was talking trash about me. Takeru: That's not quite-- Daisuke: No, she was.

Yeah, she was. She called him uncute and said she wishes she had a brother like Takeru instead. It's pretty mild, but she was trash-talking him.

Incidentally, Daisuke refers to his sister with the slang term 姉貴 aneki instead of the more respectful お姉さん onee-san or お姉ちゃん onee-chan. This doesn't convey anything about their relationship; Just that, like Taichi, Daisuke's the kind of boy to use slang language.

Daisuke: My sister always has to badmouth me to every single person she meets. She hates me. Well, I hate that scary girl too, so that's fine. Yamato: HEY!!!

Overhearing this conversation pisses off Yamato, who comes running to yell at Daisuke.

Yamato: What the hell is wrong with you!? Daisuke: What!? Yamato: If you were my little brother, I wouldn't let that slide. I'd knock you on your ass! Daisuke: That's funny. Go on and hit me then! HIT ME!!!

Takeru grabs Yamato from behind, holding him back.

Takeru: Stop it! You aren't going to hit him, Onii-chan. You wouldn't do it, would you? Yamato: (puts down his fists) I won't. (to Daisuke) But watch your mouth!

With that, Yamato and Takeru turn back towards the front of the group and leave Daisuke in the back.

Daisuke's been pretty much a shit for this whole episode so far, but I feel for him with this one. Everybody's family situation is different. Daisuke isn't the good guy here, but he isn't the bad guy either. It's clear that his relationship with Jun is strained, but we don't know enough to know why.

By contrast, Yamato's behavior here is way out-of-line. He is, by his own admission, projecting himself and Takeru onto Jun and Daisuke's relationship. We don't know enough to know if Daisuke's being a brat and neither does he. Depending on context, Daisuke's statements may warrant correction, but "Shut the fuck up or I'll shut you up" isn't helping.

In the dub:

T.K.: Hey Davis, I almost forgot. I saw your sister today. Davis: Yeah? So what? T.K.: So nothing. Davis: She probably had a lot of bad things to say about me, didn't she? T.K.: Well, actually-- Davis: I know! She said that I bite my toenails and spit them on the floor and I used to suck my thumb until about a month ago! That I wet the bed every other Thursday; It was laundry day so it was alright. Well, she talked too much so when I see her, I'll teach her a lesson! Matt: Thanks for sharing but she didn't mention any of that! (Matt angrily runs to the back of the group) Davis: Say what? Matt: Your sister didn't say anything bad about you! In fact, she didn't even mention you! YOU'RE the one with the big mouth! Davis: If you've got a problem with me, why don't we settle it right now!? Matt: Hmph! (raises fists) (T.K. grabs Matt from behind) T.K.: Come on, Matt! Don't fight! He's younger than you are! He doesn't know any better. Matt: (puts down his fists) I don't care how young he is. He'd better learn some respect.

Here we see why they jettisoned Jun badmouthing Daisuke. It's so that they could rewrite this conversation as Davis being, just, the worst little shit who ever lived. Making wild, unreasonable accusations about his sister and then threatening violence against her to retaliate for the things she never said.

Absolutely wild to have Matt saying "Your sister never said anything bad about you!" and then it's true but only because they rewrote the scene where she did.

Now Jun is completely innocent of the accusation. At the same time, Davis is so much more nasty and aggressive and violent that it implies he might be abusing her.

Additionally, they cut out Yamato snapping and threatening to hit Daisuke. Instead, it's Davis who nearly provokes Matt into fighting because he's such a piece of shit.

What especially sucks is that the laundry day bit is a pretty solid joke. "It's laundry day so it's okay to wet the bed every other Thursday" implies that this is premeditated. That he plans to wet the bed at the time of least inconvenience. That's... absolutely hilarious, but it's ruined by the context it's in.

Once Takeru and Yamato are gone, Daisuke grumbles about how attacked he feels.

Daisuke: Asshole should stay the hell out of it! I can say whatever I want about that stupid girl. Hikari: Stop it, Daisuke-kun! Daisuke: Eh? Hikari: I hate anyone who'd badmouth his own big sister! Daisuke: Hate...?

Daisuke flinches as if struck. In his mind, he envisions a rose, with Hikari plucking petals as he imagines her speaking.

Hikari: (pluck) Hate. Hikari: (pluck) Hate. Hikari: (the entire rose disintegrates) Hate. Hikari: I HATE DAISUKE!!!

Apparently that was the end of the conversation, because Hikari returned to the group while Daisuke was spiraling into despair. As the team and their rescued Gazimon truck onwards, Daisuke remains behind, paralyzed.

V-mon: Daisuke.... Daisuke: She doesn't like me... Hikari-chan doesn't like me.... V-mon: (thinking) I've never seen Daisuke so depressed before. I have to cheer him up. V-mon: Daisuke!

Whatever V-mon intends to do, we cut away from it so we don't overhear.

In the dub:

Davis: Who does he think he is!? It's my sister and if I wanna call her names, that's what I'm gonna do! After all, that's what brothers are here for! Kari: That's enough, Davis! Davis: Huh!? Kari: I can't stand anyone who talks bad about their brother or sister! Davis: Me!?

Hikari specifies お姉さん onee-san, meaning older sister. She can't stand someone who'd badmouth their own older sister. She's clearly singling out Daisuke specifically.

Kari doesn't like hearing badmouthing of any sort of sibling.

In Davis's hallucination, he talks as if he's the one plucking petals even though it's clearly Hikari's hand.

Davis: (Kari plucks) She loves me. Davis: (Kari plucks) She hates me. Davis: (Rose disintegrates) She loves me. Davis: SHE HATES MEEEEEEEEE!!!

It's not well-timed to the animation. He almost gets all the way through "She hates me" before Kari's second pluck.

Veemon: Davis! What's the matter? Davis: It's Kari. She hates me. She thinks I'm a disgusting, worthless piece of dirt. Veemon: (thinking) I've never seen Davis so depressed. I've gotta cheer him up. (gasp) I know! Veemon: Knock knock!

That'll do it. Thanks, Veemon.

Once at the top of the hill, the group runs into a problem: There isn't a way down. The other side is an overhang above a vast chasm.

Takeru: We're going down from here? Hikari: It's too high! We won't make it!

(Hikari getting Piemon's observatory flashbacks. If anyone sees a basket with a rope in it, you leave that the fuck alone.)

Yamato: We'll need a rope or something.... Gabumon: I'll double back and try to find one. Gazimon: Wait for us!

Two of the Gazimon approach Gabumon.

Gazimon: To repay you for freeing us, we'll go. Gabumon: Thank you. In that case, let's go together.

Gabumon and the Gazimon head back the way they came. But as they pass Daisuke and V-mon, they're taken out by a poop barrage. The Gazimon in front both take poops to the face and fall back, knocking over Gabumon.

Gabumon: Euuuuugh....

While Gabumon whines, poops nail him in the face and shoulder.

The Veggiemon horde has found them. And, at their head, is RedVeggiemon.

RedVeggiemon: We won't allow that!

Okay, Daisuke. I think it's finally fight time.

In the dub:

T.K.: How do we get down from here!? Kari: There's no way to do it! It's too steep! Matt: If we only had a rope or something, we could climb down. Gabumon: No problem! I'll go look for one. Gazimon: Wait! We'll be the rope. We'll just hang onto each other and you can climb down the bunny slope. Our way of saying thanks! Gabumon: That would be great! Okay, let's go! (Gabumon and Gazimon descend past Davis and get hit by Digi-Sludge) Gabumon: Eugh.... RedVegiemon: Ha! No one's going anywhere!

Okay, first off, there are five of them. That isn't nearly enough Gazimon to form a monkey-chain all the way down this huge drop. Especially when they're like two feet tall apiece.

Second, this bizarre plan makes the following choreography confusing. There is now no explanation for why, after agreeing to this plan, Gabumon and the two Gazimon leave the cliffside and descend past Davis and Veemon on the way back to town.

Alright, we're boned and the stealthy approach is dead. Now is finally Daisuke's time.

V-mon: Yes, I'm in! Check this out, Daisuke. Daisuke: Eh? V-mon: They might be red, but they're still part of the Veggiemon nakama, right? They can't be that strong. I'll show you how cool I am, and that'll cheer you up!

V-mon charges into battle without another word.

Daisuke: Cheer me up--HEY, V-MON!!! Gabumon: V-MON, WAIT!!!

V-mon charges straight into RedVeggiemon's spiked club of a tendril. The hit knocks him back and causes him to briefly stumble, but he manages to keep his footing.

V-mon: Tch! RedVeggiemon: If this hits, it'll really hurt. RED HOT MACHINE GUN!!!

RedVeggiemon opens their mouth and fires a barrage of chili peppers. The attack completely blindsides V-mon, with multiple pepper bullets striking him in the face and knocking him on his back.

V-mon: WAUGH!!! Daisuke: Everyone, Armor Evolve! Iori: Right!

It's too late, though. The Veggiemon jump Daisuke and Iori, binding them with their tendrils so they can't activate their Digimentals.

Veggiemon: We won't let you!

With Takeru and Hikari also bound, Patamon makes a Hail Mary charge straight for RedVeggiemon. Their Red Hot Machine Gun shoots him out of the sky.

RedVeggiemon: HAZARD BREATH!!!

For the rest, RedVeggiemon lets out his noxious fumes, incapacitating them from the foul stench. Yamato, Gabumon, Tailmon, Armadimon, and the Gazimon are helpless against the foul odor.

Gabumon: Ugh, it smells like a bathroom.... Tailmon: It's killing my nose! Armadimon: I can't move!

The Veggiemon quickly descend upon them as well.

In the dub:

Veemon: Alright, Davis, it's time for action! Davis: Huh? Veemon: I'm gonna take that overgrown tomato and turn him into vegetable soup! RedVegiemon: Hehehehehe.... Veemon: I'm gonna make vegetarians around the world proud! That ought to cheer you up! Davis: But-- Veemon: VEE HEADBUTT!!!

Veemon calls his attack here rather than simply charging in blind. Still gets popped in the face for his trouble though - With a white flash to obscure the impact.

RedVegiemon: And now for side dish: CHILI PEPPER PUMMEL!!! (Chili Pepper Pummel takes out Veemon) Davis: VEEMON!!! ARMOR-DIGIVOLVE!!! Cody: YEAH-- (Vegiemon take out Davis and Cody. More chili peppers drop Patamon.) RedVegiemon: STINK JET!!! Digimon: (miscellaneous noises while being gassed)

They took out a few lines of fight banter. Davis directs his instruction to Armor Digivolve to Veemon, whereas Daisuke was calling out to the whole team.

With the Chosen Children soundly defeated, RedVeggiemon triumphantly hoists V-mon aloft, wrapped up in both tendrils.

V-mon: I-I'm sorry, guys.... RedVeggiemon: An apology won't save you now!

RedVeggiemon slams V-mon down hard on the ground and releases him.

Daisuke: V-MON!!! V-mon: (pained) Daisuke.... RedVeggiemon: Now, it's time for this guy to take his 100 lashes! Watch closely!

Calling out his lashes, RedVeggiemon strikes V-mon first in the face, then the second and third go to his gut. V-mon stands back up, defiantly facing down his torturer.

RedVeggiemon: You've got some guts, don't you? But how long can you hold out?

Lashes four, five, and six are all shots to the face, trying to knock V-mon back to the ground. To his credit, he manages to stay standing through four and five, despite offering no resistance to speak of.

Gabumon: I can't watch! Yamato: There's nothing we can do! Daisuke: L-Let go.... V-mon!

Despite having three separate Veggiemon holding him back, Daisuke manages to take a couple steps forward. It's a futile gesture, however, as they wrestle him to the ground.

V-mon, back on the ground, tries to crawl to Daisuke.

V-mon: Daisuke--AUGH!!!

A hard lash to his back puts a stop to that. As the beating continues and V-mon screams and yelps offscreen, we pan over the rest of the team. Everybody's averting their eyes from V-mon's torture.

In the dub:

Veemon: Put me down or I'll toss you like a salad! RedVegiemon: In case you've forgotten, I have the upper hand here! (RedVegiemon slams Veemon) Davis: Urgh... VEEMON!!! Veemon: ... RedVegiemon: The key to good cooking is to always tenderize thoroughly like so!

Yeah, no getting away with "smell my stinky roots" this time. It's hard to disguise Veemon's beating.

They do, however, obscure the first three hits. They use a white flash to obscure the impact from the first, though you can still see it pretty well. Then they cut away before the second hit, going to a wider shot from a distance that keeps the pair in silhouette for a second, third, and fourth lashes.

(I think they played the footage of the third lash in reverse and then let it play forward again, because this shot was originally for one hit. It showed him moving from second to third, but they managed to get three hits out of it. Pretty clever, honestly.)

Veemon: (standing up) Is that your best shot!? RedVegiemon: Are you kidding? We're just getting started! How do you feel about flying!?

They cut lashes four and five, keeping only the sixth that seems to knock him off his feet. They also add an "object sailing through the air" sound to go with RedVegiemon's comment, even though the distance between them isn't going to grow any.

Gabumon: I can't watch this! Matt: Veemon doesn't stand a chance against him! Davis: VEEMON!!! I'M COMING!!! (Vegiemon wrestle Davis to the ground)

The scene of V-mon crawling on the ground and taking a hit to the back gets cut.

Lot of slicing and dicing needs to happen to get this scene to broadcast without the censors having a conniption, and we're not even done beating V-mon half to death yet.

The brutality continues, with V-mon grunting and yelping in pain with each count.

RedVeggiemon: 69! 70! 71! 72! 73! 74! 75! 76! 77! 78!

For the 69 through 72, they replay the footage from 4, 5, 6, and 7 but make it transparent, transposing it over a slowly zooming shot into the Dark Tower atop the hill.

73 through 76 appear as triangles showing V-mon's face contorted in pain, appearing once after another as RedVeggiemon calls the hits.

77 just shows Daisuke looking away with his eyes closed.

Then, at 78, we return to V-mon right after the hit has landed. RedVeggiemon lifts their tendril off V-mon's back, and V-mon picks himself up onto his hands and knees. Slowly, he climbs back to his feet.

V-mon: I can't give in... If I do, It'll make Daisuke's depression even worse!

Though RedVeggiemon doesn't call it, 79 hits V-mon right in the gut, knocking him back a couple steps towards the Dark Tower behind him.

Daisuke hears that, looking up suddenly.

Daisuke: (thinking) This is my fault. It's because I was feeling so dejected. He's trying to help me through it.

Despite the three Veggiemon holding him down, Daisuke finds the strength to stand up again.

Daisuke: HEY!!! CUT IT OUT!!! BEAT ME UP INSTEAD OF HIM!!! V-mon: DAISUKE!?!?

Daisuke's outburst distracts V-mon right before the next hit lands. The shot glances across his face and keeps going, hitting the Dark Tower behind him and cracking it. Still, it's enough to knock V-mon off his feet.

In the dub, we're getting some more editing.

RedVegiemon: Combine all your ingredients into a bowl. Next: STIR!!! BLEND!!! MIX!!! FRAPPE!!! And VOILA!!! The first course!

The transposed shots of V-mon getting hit are kept as made into non-animated still-frames of him recoiling in pain. Each one timed to RedVegiemon's cooking instructions. The four triangle slices of pain are presented together instead of one-at-a-time for the final hit.

The brutality here is implied, but still unmistakable.

RedVegiemon: Now, the entree! Veemon: (standing) No matter what you do, I'll never give up! I have to do my best to cheer Davis up, whatever the cost! Davis: (thinking) This whole thing is my fault! Veemon is doing this just for me!

A couple more hits are cut, replaced by a frozen still-image of Veemon looking defiant before the beating starts anew.

Davis: VEEMON, YOU CAN STOP NOW!!! I'M HAPPY!!! I'M HAPPY!!! I'M HAPPY!!! Veemon: You are!?

A white flash obscures the point of impact with the hit that breaks part of the Control Spire.

Davis still tries to intervene, but stops short of volunteering to take Veemon's lashes for him. It's a little awkward that he's pleading with Veemon to stop being beaten instead of pleading with RedVegiemon to stop beating Veemon.

Davis might not realize that, from Veemon's perspective, the alternative to sticking it out for him is giving up and dying.

Daisuke: I'm begging you, let V-mon go! Don't do this! RedVeggiemon: Isn't this a beautiful friendship? Don't worry, once he's done, it will be your turn next. Daisuke: STOP IT!!!

RedVeggiemon cracks their tendril down on V-mon's back while he's trying to crawl to safety.

As he explained at the outset, RedVeggiemon intends to administer the 100 lash penalty for every single person here. There is no 'instead'.

Yamato has managed to fetch his Digivice from his pocket but with the suppression from the Dark Digivice in effect, it's doing nothing.

Gabumon: If I could evolve.... Yamato: It's not responding! Gabumon: It's hopeless.... RedVeggiemon: 99!

The 99th hit lands in V-mon's gut. It shoves him back against the Dark Tower, cracking it further. I guess the Kaiser did not program his Rings to instill respect for his property. Seems like a pretty major oversight for a programming super-genius.

Daisuke: V-MON!!! RedVeggiemon: You've held up pretty well! This next one will be the last. I'LL SEND YOU TO HELL!!!

Saying the quiet part out loud, RedVeggiemon confirms that you're not supposed to survive the 100-lash penalty. It's a form of execution.

For the final lash, RedVeggiemon raises both tendrils and shoots them forward.

Daisuke: V-MOOO-- Daisuke & Yamato: --OOOOOOO-- Daisuke, Yamato, & Gabumon: --OOOOON!!!

As the fatal shot hurtles towards V-mon, Daisuke, Yamato, and Gabumon all appear one by one, crying out for him in chorus.

V-mon ducks away from the attack, darting to safety while RedVeggiemon's tendrils slam hard into the Dark Tower.

Energy surges through the Dark Tower. It crackles, malfunctioning from the damage inflicted to it by Ken's shitty programming.

In the dub, Davis finally starts talking to RedVegiemon.

Davis: Leave him alone now, you hear me? He's had enough! RedVegiemon: I don't doubt he's getting a little full, but he must have saved room for dessert and I've cooked up a sweet SURPRISE!!!

The lash to V-mon's back while he crawls away is cut.

Gabumon: If only I could Digivolve! Matt: There must be a way! Gabumon: But how...?

Matt and Gabumon are feeling a lot better about their chances of getting in this fight than their Japanese counterparts.

The gutshot that slams V-mon into the Dark Tower is kept, with a white flash to obscure the hit.

Davis: Veemon! RedVegiemon: And now here's the surprise I promised you: A double helping of SPIKE PUNCH!!! Davis: VEEMON!!! Matt: DUCK!!! Gabumon: NOW!!!

Matt and Gabumon might just be offering tactical advice. However, with the "There must be a way to Digivolve", there's a kinda-sorta implication that they might have planned to disable the Control Spire? Gatomon also mentioned earlier that destroying the Control Spire is part of their agenda here.

In the original, the team never intended to destroy the Dark Tower and have no idea what it does. RedVeggiemon breaking it with their reckless brutality is a happy accident. It's this moment when everyone finds out what, exactly, it does.

Suddenly Yamato's Digivice lights up. Gabumon wastes no time shaking off the Veggiemon holding him. Gabumon SHINKAAAAAA!!!!

With the old familiar sound of Show Me Your Brave Heart firing up, Gabumon evolves into Garurumon.

RedVeggiemon: W-WHAT!?!? Patamon: Gabumon.... Yamato: He was able to evolve....

With RedVeggiemon too busy olive oiling themselves to intervene, Garurumon turns on the Vegiemon. The horde releases the children and flees for their lives, to no avail.

Garurumon: FOX FIRE!!!

As Garurumon's flames wash over the retreating Veggiemon, we'll... Uh... We'll hope for the best, that the attack only destroyed their Rings.

In the dub:

Matt: Gabumon! How did you Digivolve!? (Garurumon scares the Vegiemon into retreat, then attacks) Garurumon: HOWLING BLASTER!!!

RedVegiemon doesn't get to react with more than just his face, sadly.

With the children no longer restrained, the tide has turned. Daisuke whips out his Digivice to join the fray.

Daisuke: DIGIMENTAL UP!!!

Leaving punishment mode behind, RedVegiemon goes back into attack mode with another volley of Red Hot Machine Gun. Their chili peppers ricochet harmlessly off of Fladramon's right palm.

Fladramon's left punch, on the other hand, sends RedVegiemon cathartically tumbling across the hillside.

Daisuke: V-mon, you endured the enemy's whipping and managed to evolve! Now it's your turn! Fight with everything you have and finish this! GANBARRE, FLADRAMON!!! Fladramon: RIGHT!!!

V-mon has persevered through great adversity, and now it's time for him to push through to the end and overcome.

In the dub, Flamedramon calls his left punch as an attack.

Flamedramon: FLAME FIST!!! Davis: Boy, am I glad to see you, Flamedramon! It's time for a little payback! I think we should give this overgrown houseplant a real cooking lesson! Flamedramon, get 'em! Flamedramon: HIYAH!!!

Davis's triumphant energy doesn't quite match Daisuke's ganbarre speech but he's giving it his all nonetheless.

Ganbarre, Fladramon.

RedVeggiemon: What the hell!?

RedVeggiemon sends both spiked tendrils forward. Fladramon catches them, gripping them between his armored claws, and yanks RedVeggiemon forward onto their face. Then, using the tendrils for leverage, he hoists RedVeggiemon into the air and slams him down onto the ground again and again for some cathartic retribution.

RedVeggiemon: Is that all you've got!? Fladramon: KNUCKLE FIRE!!!

RedVeggiemon immediately regrets asking that, as Fladramon's fireballs tear into them and set them ablaze. They scream in pain until the fire relents, then fall flat on their back.

RedVeggiemon: I give up.... Daisuke: We won!

In the dub:

RedVegiemon: You want a piece of me!? (Flamedramon slams RedVegiemon over and over) RedVegiemon: That hurt.... Flamedramon: FIRE ROCKET!!! RedVegiemon: (on fire) Augh! I've heard of grilled vegetables, but this is ridiculous! (The fire recedes and RedVegiemon collapses) RedVegiemon: Ugh.... Davis: You did it!

Unsurprisingly, the dub covers up RedVegiemon's agonized screeching by giving him a quip.

Miyako: GUYS!!!

Only now, with the fight already finished, does the cavalry arrive.

Miyako arrives with reinforcements. She's brought Taichi and Koushiro as well as Hawkmon, Agumon, and the Gotsumon. They're all excited to see Garurumon in his Adult stage.

Taichi & Koushiro: GARURUMON!!! Agumon: How did you evolve!? Garurumon: Ah, I'm not sure either. Patamon: You were able to evolve after that tower cracked, right? Miyako: Eh? Then, if we destroyed the tower...? Armadimon: Got it! That's right up my alley. I'd be best for this dagyaa. Iori: DIGIMENTAL UP!!!

In the dub:

Yolei: DAVIS!!! (Reinforcements arrive too late) Tai: Garurumon! Agumon: How were you able to Digivolve!? Garurumon: I'm not quite sure. Patamon: You know what I think? When RedVegiemon's punch cracked the Control Spire, we were free from its power. Hawkmon: They're certainly going to need a lot of glue. Armadillomon: We should destroy the Spire once and for all, and who better to do the job than Digmon? Cody: Yeah! DIGI-ARMOR ENERGIZE!!!

Yolei calls out directly to Davis instead of the whole team, and Hawkmon and Armadillomon rob her of her line. Rude.

Armadimon Armor Evolves into Digmon so he can take the entire obelisk with his Big Crack.

Digmon: BIG CRACK!!!

Once the Dark Tower falls, RedVeggiemon pulls off their Ring.

RedVeggiemon: Huh? What have I been doing all this time?

The other Veggiemon slide their Rings off as well.

Iori: Ah! The Evil Rings have lost their power! Miyako: So that's how it works. That makes sense. Hawkmon: What makes sense? Miyako: The tower isn't just for decoration. It's like a radio tower, channeling the Digimon Kaiser's power and spreading it across a wide area. Isn't that right, Izumi-senpai. Koushiro: Yes, I believe your theory is correct.

We officially have a name for the control devices beyond just calling them "the Rings". They are now Evil Rings, in English. I think Iori came up with that on the spot.

In the dub, Big Crack is no longer Gold Rush.

Digmon: ROCK CRACKIN'!!! (Digmon brings down the Control Spire) Digmon: Sorry, I forgot to yell timber! RedVegiemon: Whoa, did I get married while I was asleep? (The Vegiemon all remove their Dark Rings) Yolei: Oh, now I see how it works. Hawkmon: May I inquire as to what you're talking about? Yolei: The Spire. It acted like an electricity rod. The Digimon Emperor set it up to send out power to the Dark Rings, making it possible for him to control all of the Digimon throughout the area. Isn't that right, Izzy? Izzy: Yeah, I'm quite impressed with your theory, Yolei.

I'm not. She specifies that the Control Spire powers the Dark Rings, which is an incomplete explanation. It's also suppressing evolution. It's providing the signal for all of the Digimon Emperor effects in the region, not just the Dark Rings.

With this new discovery in mind, it's time to talk shop.

Taichi: The Chosen Children's objective is clear! Yamato: Yeah! To visit each area controlled by the Digimon Kaiser and destroy the towers he's built there. Takeru: We'll help with that (ganbaru), Onii-chan. Daisuke: So will I! Agumon: Plus, if we destroy the towers, we'll be able to evolve! Tailmon: It'll be easy! Taichi: Yes! Agumon, let's get to the Gotsumon's area! Hikari: Yeah! We'll come too!

Taichi and Hikari leave with their Partners and the Gotsumon. Yamato climbs up on Garurumon's back.

Yamato: We'll take responsibility for defending this area. Gazimon: (together) THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

In the dub:

Tai: I wonder how many more Control Spires there are scattered around the Digital World? Matt: Well, whatever the number is, one thing we know for sure is they all have to be destroyed. Quite a tough mission for the new DigiDestined, don't you think? T.K.: Leave it to us! We can handle it! Davis: You said it! Agumon: I guess someone should take the Gotsumon back to their homes now. Gatomon: I'm all over it! Tai: Come on! I'll lead the way! Kari: I'm right behind you, big brother! (Tai and Kari leave with their Partners and the Gotsumon) Matt: Garurumon will stay here and protect you guys from the Emperor. Gazimon: GARURUMON!!!

Matt is eager to wash his hands and be done with all this. He singles out the new kids as solely responsible for destroying the Control Spires. Then he hands Garurumon over to the Gazimon and excludes himself from responsibility for their protection.

In the original, destroying the Dark Towers is now the responsibility of the Chosen Children as a whole, and the Gazimon will be defended by 俺達 ore-tachi, the pluralized first-person pronoun.

Leaving Taichi, Hikari, and Yamato to finish up in the Digital World, the rest of the team returns to Computer Club.

(Taking Hikari was a good idea. She's gonna be the boys' ticket home since their Digivices can't open the Gate.)

Daisuke: I know it was all my fault. You were worried about me. I'm sorry, V-mon. Chibimon: Daisuke, you've grown up a bit! Daisuke: Eh!?

Daisuke has learned a valuable lesson from all this. We're just not sure what it is.

No, I kid. Daisuke's learned that his attitude and behavior has a knock-on effect on the people around him. His foul attitude led directly to V-mon going off half-cocked to try and impress him, and getting his teeth kicked in from a fight they would rightly have won if they'd approached it more cautiously from the beginning.

V-mon made reckless mistakes trying to impress Daisuke because Daisuke was mad that no one liked his reckless ideas. He let his bad attitude compromise the mission and get his Partner hurt, and he's taking responsibility for that.

Once Daisuke's done apologizing to Chibimon while using the wrong name, Koushiro grabs their attention at the computer.

Koushiro: Everyone, please have a look at this. Miyako: What's this? Koushiro: While I was examining the Digivice I borrowed from Miyako-kun, I found this.

Koushiro pulls up the same grid of black and white squares that we saw in the Kaiser's control room earlier.

Koushiro: It looks like a Digital Map.

Koushiro taps a white square in the middle of a field of black squares with a pen.

Koushiro: This used to be black, but now it's white. Therefore, that must be the region where we brought down the tower. Iori: But the black areas of the Digital World are spread out so wide! Daisuke: (determined) Then that means we're just getting started.

Yeah, we're on episode 4. This ain't wrapping up that quickly. :P

The dub takes a commercial break before we return to the human world.

Yolei: I'm glad the Gotsumon aren't staying with us anymore. Every time they touched my CDs, they scratched them! Cody: And they clogged the sink when they brushed their teeth! Davis: They were kinda cool, though.

Davis's apology wouldn't hit nearly as hard when he didn't try and take Veemon's punishment for him. It especially doesn't hit as hard when the dub doesn't even bother. It spends that time having Yolei and Cody whine about the inconvenience of sheltering refugees for one day.

Izzy: Hey, everyone, I really think you should take a look at this. Yolei: Wow, what is that? Izzy: I found it when I was examining your Digivice, Yolei. It seems to be a map of the Digital World. (Izzy taps the white square with a pen) Izzy: Do you see this white square? Well, it used to be black until we destroyed the Control Spire. Unfortunately, there are a lot of black squares left and they all have Spires. Cody: Gee, Izzy, it's going to take a long time to turn all of those black squares into white ones. Davis: And how do we know he won't build new Spires?

Daisuke's gung-ho moment is turned into Davis asking what is honestly a valid question. We'll never be rid of the Spires as long as the Kaiser's still out there erecting more. We're basically playing Risk.

Meanwhile, back in the Digital World.

Greymon brings the Dark Tower back in the Gotsumon region crashing to the ground.

Taichi: (thumbs up) Agumon can evolve into Greymon too!

In his control room, the Digimon Kaiser seems to have noticed the second black square in his territory suddenly turning white.

Kaiser: Oh? That must have been their handiwork. Well, no matter. That area isn't tactically important.

It's just the gladiator pit where he makes slaves fight for funsies. He can always build another one.

Kaiser: At this pace, I'll have conquered the entire world in less than a year. (Digimon Kaiser stands up dramatically) Kaiser: Every last Digimon will bow before me, serve me, and worship me! Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

While the Kaiser laughs maniacally, the camera slowly zooms on Wormmon's concerned face, watching silently as Ken-chan loses it.

In the dub:

Greymon: They don't make Control Spires like they used to. Tai: Ha! Way to go, Greymon! You're a one-mon wrecking crew!

Yeah, the Emperor's been skimping on the materials to save money lately. The new ones they're building now are basically papier-mache over a wooden frame. Turns out a child's allowance only extends so far.

The cut to the Digimon Kaiser begins with his Dark Digivice and then cuts to a wider shot of him in his control room. The dub has his Digivice beep to alert him that a region's been lost.

Emperor: What!? A Spire was destroyed!? Must be those meddling kids! Oh well. Doesn't really matter. That area was pretty unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Within a year, I'll have every area under my full control. (Digimon Emperor stands up dramatically) Emperor: And then finally, every living thing in the Digital World will become my slave forever! And that includes those kids too! Hahahahahahahaha!!! Narrator: What is the Digimon Emperor's master plan? More pieces to the puzzle revealed on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.

...

This.

His master plan is this. He's going to build Control Spires all across the Digital World and enslave everyone.

He just. Told you.

Were you in the bathroom getting high all episode, Narrator?

Assessment: Surprised, after all the Yamato vs Daisuke build-up, that the episode never resolved that. V-mon's impulsive mistake to try and help Daisuke succeeded in pivoting the plot away from the growing tension between Daisuke and Yamato.

Daisuke learned a valuable lesson that relates to where he was at all episode emotionally, but he and Yamato never had the chance to bury the hatchet or have it out or what have you.

Yamato was definitely out-of-line when he threatened to hit Daisuke for trash-talking his sister. There is clearly hostility in Daisuke and Jun's relationship that we have insufficient information to assess, and it will be interesting to learn more down the road because this isn't the last we're seeing of Jun.

[annabelle--cane]

oh my god i love watching someone else go through the (absolutely batshit insane) masterpiece that is the locked tomb

i promise it will all make sense even if it seems impossible with harrow

i swear it is worth it. the worst part is that when it finally does start making sense you'll want to read the books all over again because it was right there this entire time

please keep us updated i love scrolling through your liveblogs in the morning, makes waking up early for work more bearable :)

v v intriguing + thank you!

latest happenings: god has officially absolved harrow from worrying about the circumstances of her birth and quoted a bit of king lear while explaining about blood of eden. I'm finding his characterization interesting, he has a bit of charisma and gravitas but it's more "summer camp director" gravitas than "immortal necromancer god-emperor" gravitas. he's being kind to harrow in ways that other powerful people haven't been, but the way he talks about the blood of eden rings some alarm bells for me. feels like he's playing the good cop to the other lyctors' bad cop, yknow?

[yen-sids-tournament]

Quotable Disney Final Thoughts

"In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun."

We really should have kept a running note of interesting things that happened... well this is going to be a look back entirely from the end!

First of all, this tournament had 173 polls to go with it. That's the tournament, the loser tournament, the mini polls, and the loser bracket interest poll all together.

A 173 total feels insane to us! but the other strange thing was once we got to Rounds 5 and 6 and 7, there were so few polls to keep tabs on! We went from making sure all groups of 8 were out on time to being done with all the posting in just a few clicks.

We have a recap of the podiums post. But here's a quick recap of the Bonus Mini Poll winners:

"If I had a nickel..." (Dr. Doof) won not only the whole tournament, but also the P&F mini poll (60.1%)

The exchange between Soos and Abuelita won the Gravity Falls poll (31.1%)

"Dishonor!..." (Mushu) won the Mulan mini poll (54.5%) as well as the final mini poll of the top 12 submitted quotes (30%)

"I'm a damsel..." (Meg) won the Hercules mini poll (71.1%)

"The poison for Kuzco..." (Kronk) won The Emperor's New Groove's mini poll (37%)

"Ten thousand years!..." (Genie) won the Aladdin mini poll (44.7%)

"Ohana means family..." (Lilo and Nani) won the Lilo and Stitch mini poll (51.7%) and the familial/platonic love quotes mini poll (41.2%)

"The Greater Good?!..." (Honey) won the romantic quote mini poll (28.2%)

["You were my new dream," (Eugene Fitzherbert) was second at 27.3%]

"I'll make a man out of you" (Shang) won one of the lyrical mini polls (42.3%)

"...Nor hide what you've done from the eyes, the very eyes of Notre Dame!" (the Archdeacon) won the other lyrical mini poll (24%)

"Hakuna Matata!" was the winner of quotes we were sad didn't even get submitted (22.7%)

Over all these polls we had three (3) ties! In round 1 Cinderella and Ben Gates tied, in round 4 Mushu and Dr. Doof tied, and in round 7 Kronk and Stitch tied!

Imagine how much different the winner could have been if Mushu and Doof hadn't tied! "Dishonor!..." was the most submitted quote, it won the top submissions mini poll, we had it as most likely to go to the Finals (likely against "Ohana..."). And yet, Doof's nickels refused to be defeated and in round 5 the three way poll went in Dr Doof's favor. Biggest upset for this tournament in our opinion.

Another surprise was how much support David Xanatos got. His polls were constantly getting the most votes in their rounds, overwhelming the competition we though had a real chance ("Do you want to build a snowman?" or the Hunchback lyric...)

When he was out, Kronk got a lot of attention thrown his way. Tumblr loves a morally gray himbo.

On the other side, it was a bit of a double take when the Gravity Falls quotes went down so fast. 3 did make it past the first round but lost in the second. the other 4 went to the loser brackets only had one poll win between them all!

Some polls had very very decisive gaps. In 5 of them, the winner had over 90% of the votes! The largest gap being the very first poll, Walt Disney (2.7%) v Mushu (97.3%)

When we were sorting these quotes back in December, we kept a few statistics to organize for ourselves and maybe for different mini poll ideas. Here are a few fun ones:

There is at least one quote in each decade between the 1930s and 2020s, the most being in the 90s and 00s by far

99 movies, 22 shows, 3 park rides, 2 real people, 1 book, and 1 stage production were represented

15 of these quotes were conversations

There were 19 villain quotes and 15 title characters speaking

The quotes at the tops of some of the bracket updates have been a delight to collect. None of them were submitted and we thought quite a few fit the vibe of the round. The one at the top here is from Mary Poppins (1964).

Every quote that was submitted that we could verify was used (a couple were edited). Submissions did not reach a full 128 so we added a few on our own. These quotes were not from another media already submitted and were not what we would consider "front runners" (like the ones on the mini poll) because it was just filler. The only one to win in Round 1 was Thumper's "If you can't say something nice..." Others were Cruella, Percy Jackson, and Maddie Fitzpatrick.

Finally, we do want to say we were shocked that a Meme won everything. And by so much in the final on this, the Found Family site. Perhaps we underestimated the power and influence of Dr. Doof, his nickels, and Phineas and Ferb. (And there probably was a boost in support with the new season announcement and tumblr sexyman polls?)

Since this is really long already, and we did have some notes between rounds, we are going to wrap it up here.

Thank you again for hanging out with us! We hope you stick around for a while yet, new tournaments are on the way.

[visionsofyouandme]

IV. this is a gift, it comes with a price

𝚜𝚢𝚗𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚜: Marcus is faced with a devastating choice. Rome goes to war. And you are thrust in the middle of it all.

𝚠/𝚌: 6.6k

𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜/𝚝𝚊𝚐𝚜: Angst, angst, ANGST. Dual POVs. Terrible parent/child relationships. Mentions of war. Canon typical (but kind of graphic?) violence. SMUT (18+ MDNI). Fingering. Unprotected p in v. Creampie. Some tags omitted to avoid spoilers.

𝙰/𝙽: Well, shit ya'll. This has been a long time coming, and I'm SO SORRY. But, it's finally here. Hope it was worth the wait! Enjoy <3

Part I, Part II, Part III, AO3!

Marcus was at a loss.

He knew he couldn’t not give in to your father’s demands. And some steep, deplorable demands they were. 

Your father, Remus, was an incredibly powerful man. You were not being dramatic when you said he had a hunger for power and control- he was seated deep with the Emperor, practically a snake in his ear. A prominent member of the Senate, he had influence over any policy that came across the ledger- and that made him dangerous.

War was brewing. At least, that was Remus’ goal- to find a way to invade a seemingly peaceful land to the east. Marcus had even thought that those lands were their allies, filled with good people and riches from the material to the essential. 

But, this was the exact reason why Remus was pushing for their takeover. He knew this campaign, should Marcus succeed in starting and finishing it, would make Remus the most powerful member in Rome besides the Emperor himself. Marcus was taken aback, questioning Remus if he knew what he was doing, starting a war with a peaceful land, their allies-

“You will do well to not question my actions, General. You have other things to worry about other than my aspirations. Just do as you’re told, and I may spare you, and her in the process.”

That was what made Marcus agree.

If it guaranteed your safety, he would do anything. Your father made demands for Marcus to sever all ties with you, still dangling the fact he could go to Caecilius and reveal your affair to him. Marcus was infuriated, but knew his hands were tied. 

“I will fight your petty war, but you will not touch her. That is my only condition, should I back you of this absolutely nonsensical war you so desire.”

With a smug grin, knowing he had successfully won the great General Acacius over, he snidely agreed. 

But, Marcus had a gut feeling that if he slipped up, even once, minutely, your life would be in danger.

So, he had to tread carefully. 

The Senate was easy to convince of war, especially from Marcus’ support. He hated seeing Remus sitting there, looking neutral and attentive, but with that glint in his eyes of a brewing victory. He wanted nothing more than to take his sword and strike him down where he sat in his chair that Marcus knew functioned as his makeshift throne. But, he held his tongue, steadied his hand, and endorsed the campaign.

The men would be gathered, and Marcus would lead them East in a week.

His heart was so heavy, knowing what he had to do next.

You came to his villa about a few days after the decision was made. Under the cloak of night, you waited for him in his tablium, fear, despair and anger simmering under your skin. 

When he arrived, you saw something in his gaze. Shock, surprise, and then a resigned look. His shoulders went slack, and you stood up, rushing to him, holding onto his arms.

“I heard of the war, Marcus- Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve been worried sick, and thought you would leave without saying goodbye-” You said, and Marcus looked at you sadly, raising a hand to touch your cheek. He looked so sorrowful, filled with a deep sadness that made your stomach churn.

“I know, mea amata. I am sorry.” he whispered, and the words hung heavy in the air, settling on your chest like a great weight. You shook your head, feeling like your eyes were brimming with tears.

“Why must you go? Surely there are other leaders, others who are just as capable… I can’t- I don’t-” you said, struggling to find the words, your lower lip trembling. He gazed down at you, swiping his thumb over your bottom lip to quell the tremors. 

“They need me, Rome needs me. I am at their beck and call, and I cannot deny the Emperor’s wishes. I had hoped things would be different, but… I am sorry, mea vita.” he said, and you shook your head, your hands holding onto his deep red toga with an iron grip. You leaned your forehead into his chest, and he embraced you gently, like you would crumble in his hands should he hold you any firmer. 

“I do not want to lose you,” you whimpered, feeling the hot tears of fear escape your eyes. He raised a hand and placed it over your hair on the back of your head, leaning his chin on it gently. You swore you could feel his jaw tighten above you, his arms twitch as he held you. 

He said nothing, and that terrified you.

“Promise me you will come back,” you said, your tone begging and desperate. He gave the crown of your head a soft kiss, and he was silent again. The weight on your chest increased tenfold, and you squeezed your eyes shut, your hand tightening on the fabric of his clothing. 

“I promise. I will return,” he whispered gently, and you looked up at him. He looked so broken, so filled with wretched sadness that you wanted to kiss it away.

So, you did.

You leaned up, capturing his lips in a deep, powerful kiss that felt overwhelming, but you refused to tear yourself away. His hand flew to your waist, and he returned the embrace with equal passion. You could feel it from the top of your head all the way to your toes, feeling like a fire was ravaging your body.

You pulled away when your lungs begged for release, leaning your forehead against his. You kept an arm around his shoulder, the other cradling his face with a gentleness that was so loving. 

“Take me to bed, Marcus.” you whispered. It was a plea for him to give you something to remember him by. A piece of him you could remember, store away in your memories, knowing it may be all you have left of him, should this campaign go awry.

He looked down at you, and his chest rose and fell with a steadiness that was almost infuriating. He was thinking, you could tell, weighing the options before him. You looked up at him, and you could see his face covered in an array of emotions. 

He touched your cheek gently, and kissed you softly. He leaned his forehead against yours, his thumb brushing against your cheekbone.

“Come with me, mea amata.”

You followed him to his chambers, hand in hand, and he gently disrobed you, taking his time to let the fabric slide over your skin. His eyes roamed your body, but always came back to your face. He held it when you were completely bare before him, and he kissed you so deeply that you were clawing for air in just moments. 

You assisted him in the same way, his toga falling to the floor and before you could look down to take him in he stepped close and pressed your bodies together, tilting your head up to kiss you even more. Your arm moved around his neck, and you could feel his cock pressed against your lower stomach. It was large in size, larger than you had ever felt before. But, this did not dissuade you from what you wanted tonight.

He pressed a hand to your hair gently, his touch gentle, reverent, like he was cradling something precious. He kissed you with that same gentleness, but also with a hunger that you could feel growing underneath the surface. You leaned into his body, holding yourself close to him, chest to chest, heart to heart. He lifted you gently, only to set you back on the bed. Crawling over top of you, he looked down at you, his eyes tracing your features. 

“You are lovelier than any sunset, mea amata.” he whispered, and you smiled up at him, remembering that was where it all began- with the sunset in the distance, and a conversation between two lost, lonely hearts. 

His eyes moved down, and he saw a gold chain around your neck. He pulled the pendant forward, and his gaze softened. It was the same one he had bought you that day in the market, and you could see his eyes shine with something. Longing? Happiness? Or could it be something more akin to tears?

You placed your hand over his as it held the delicate pendant of the goddess Juno, and you raised your other hand to card through his hair gently. His eyes met yours, and you said nothing. You didn’t have to. 

He kissed you again, grinding his hips into yours gently. A soft moan reverberated through your chest, and he reached a hand down between your bodies. His hand found your swollen bud, and he gave a few experimental swirls of it. You twitched, your body arching into his touch. Your mouth opened against his, and he traced his finger down your slit, finding it was slick with wetness. He kissed your jaw, your neck, your chest. He slipped a finger inside with ease, and your eyes scrunched together with pleasure as he began to curl his finger in and out of you.

Your hand flew to his bicep that continued to work you, and his muscles tensed with his movements and under your touch. You tilted your head down to watch as he kissed down your chest, and came to your breast. He placed a few gentle kisses on your left, then took the nipple into his mouth. You arched your back again, eyes squeezing shut as your head fell back onto the bed. You sucked in a breath, the combination of his mouth on your breast and his finger moving in and out of you was making your head spin. Your body tensed, answering his call to you.

“M-Marcus-” you whispered, trying to stave off the overwhelming feeling, not wanting it to end. He moved to your other breast, giving this one a more firmer suck, and then added another finger into your core. Your body was reacting like fire to tinder- taking it all in flames, all consuming.

“Let go, mea vita. Let go.” he murmured against your skin, finally leaving your breast alone to kiss back up to your collarbones, then neck. He gave a harder thrust of his fingers, and your toes curled, a gasp escaping you that was sharp. You fell apart under his touch, body trembling, cunt pulsing around his fingers, hand flying to his hair to pull on it gently as you flew to the stars.

He slowed his thrusts as you came back to level ground, your body still twitching, breathing a bit labored. He kissed your lips again, your hand moving to the back of his neck to hold him close. He pulled his fingers away, and you gave a soft sound of sadness. He then took his cock in hand, rubbing it up and down your wet cunt, coating himself in your slick. The sensation coupled with your recovering orgasm made you fly to the edge again, walls already fluttering at the excitement of his entrance into you.

He looked down at you, his brown eyes deep, wanting, and you thought you detected a bit of sorrow- but he kissed you, his eyes closing, and you were lost in the touch once more. He gave a gentle thrust, the tip breaching your walls, and you lifted your hips, chasing more. He kept one arm supporting him, the other feeding you his cock gently, like he was afraid to hurt you if he went too fast or too hard.

He said your name gently, and your eyes opened momentarily, but then he gave another thrust, this one a bit more insistent and purposeful, sliding in until he was completely settled inside of you. You moaned, and he leaned his head into the crook of your neck, a small groan sounding through him as his now free hand went to your waist. 

Your hips lifted to meet his, and he responded, moving his own to thrust in and out of you. The stretch was delicious, the fullness you could feel inside was intoxicating. You pressed a hand into his back, like he would pull away at any moment. He took the back of your knee in hand and pulled it over his hip, your other following suit instinctively. Legs wrapped around him, it brought you closer than ever before, and his body moving against yours made your head feel weightless. 

He began to whisper sweet words into your ear with every thrust that grew stronger- how beautiful you were, how your cunt felt around him, the scent of your sweet skin making him light headed-

The words helped you reach your second peak, and he could feel it coming. He moved his head to give your jaw a kiss, then your lips to try to drown out the cry that came from you. Your body shuddered, pulsing, begging for release, and he kept moving with more vigor, his hips faltering every so often, thrusts getting sloppy. Your lips parted, and you pressed a hand to the side of his face, eyes half-lidded as you looked up at him.

“Inside, Marcus. Please,” you whispered, and he let out a slight grunt of recognition. You moved your head to the side of his own, right against his ear, pants of his breathing filling your own. “I want to feel you when I dine with him.” 

And that seemed to do it- he shuddered, letting out a wanton groan as he spilled inside of you. He did his best to keep up the thrusts, but his body faltered, his breathing heavy and uneven. You kissed his neck, then his jawline, the spot where the hair never grew in his beard. You pulled away, looking up at him as you could see his face go through the motions of lust, relief, and…

“Te amo tam multum, carissime.”

Your breath hitched in your throat, and he finally calmed down his thrusts, his eyes slowly opening to see your beaming face tilted up at him. Your body felt alight with a new fire, one that roared and beat steadily like a heart- only for him.

“I love you, too, Marcus.” you whispered, and he touched the side of your face gently, swiping a piece of hair that stuck to your face due to sweat. As he looked at you, you could see a peculiar look on his face, but he smiled- though it didn’t reach his eyes. He nodded gently, softening inside of you, but didn’t pull out just yet. You could feel his spend seeping out of you, onto the bed, your body relaxing and legs dropped from his waist. He pressed another kiss to your lips before sliding out, and turned to lay on his side on the bed. He opened his arms to you, and you turned, body still reeling from your copulation, but settled into them with ease. 

You hummed in content, your cheek pressed against his shoulder while your hand pressed against his chest. You kissed the skin of his neck before settling back down, the only sounds in the room were the sound of recovering breaths and two heartbeats. 

He turned his head to bury in your hair, and you closed your eyes, reveling in the feeling of his lips against your hair. 

You would have to leave at first light, but this moment… It would be enough.

The sun had barely begun to paint the sky when you were roused from your slumber, Marcus’ fingers gently on your arm. You blinked, sitting up slowly, the blanket falling to your waist as you looked up at him with bleary eyes. He smiled softly, touching your cheek lightly. You knew it was time.

You dressed with a bit of purpose, Marcus helping you just as he had helped to take them off. When you were right again, you turned to him, and he kissed you softly. 

“Be careful, Marcus.” you whispered, and he nodded, pressing his forehead to yours. You both stood in sorrowful silence, until you finally moved. Undoing the clasp of the necklace, you folded it into his hand, curling his fist around it so he would hold on to it. He looked down at you, his eyes betraying his emotions. 

You had a sinking feeling, a horrible, horrible feeling…

“Will you see me again before you go?” you whispered, and he raised his free hand to clasp yours, bringing it to his lips and pressed a kiss there firmly. He gave a slight nod, and you knew that would have to do. You smiled, and he released you into the custody of one of his trusted man servants, watching you leave. You looked back at him one last time before he disappeared from your sight, a heaviness in your heart.

He never came.

Marcus marched with his men east, his heart heavy with a sense of despair in his chest. He couldn’t risk seeing you again in fear your father was watching carefully, and when Remus saw off the army before they left the city’s walls, he gave Marcus a smug grin,

“Fret not, General. She is safe under my careful watch.” 

But Marcus knew… You were anything but.

He wished he could be there to protect you in a physical sense, but this would have to do. Maybe the distance would be good, the war occupying his mind with one goal in mind- overtake them, claim the land for Rome, and return to you where he would find a way to be with you. Even if it meant taking drastic measures beyond his comprehension. 

He received your first letter about halfway to the area. It was pleading, desperate, begging for any kind of word from him. It was laden with love, and affection, but also an obvious sense of anguish and pain. He couldn’t read the rest, and simply folded it back up, holding it tight in his grip. He couldn’t write back, knowing your father was probably monitoring your letters, looking for a reason to go to Caecilius and reveal everything. 

He just couldn’t risk it.

He still kept it, though, your handwriting something he memorized like the back of his hand. He slept with it in a small box under his cot in his tent, never letting anyone close enough to see the contents. He kept your pendant close to him, wearing Juno’s likeness under his armor. A constant reminder of your hope and faith in him, the letter only reinforcing it. 

And then he received another letter. Then another.

Every single one was a stab to his heart. You seemed to become more composed, but the air was all the same- you wished him to write, to send word, anything- and wished for him to come home.

Home. 

He had never felt anything like it in a long time. He knew you didn’t mean his villa, where he lay at night, what he called home. No, he knew what you meant.

You wanted him to come home to you.

Even though he could not truly have you the way he wanted, he would make way for a safer Rome for you. When he returned, he’d see to it that you were safe, and free you from your father’s clutches. 

And, by the Gods, he would do what it took to make that happen.

Marcus’ men were talking.

Not about Marcus, but about the war itself. How unfair it was, and how pointless it seemed. The “opposition” were their former allies. The men knew them, having fought beside them many times, and now they were the enemy. There had been little fighting so far, but Marcus was preparing for a major battle to finally end this stupid war spurred on by power-hungry and vain men. 

He had several very close lieutenants come to him, and ask him what the war was truly for. The men were tired, and putting up small resistances to the war effort. Marcus could not blame them, knowing really and truly that this war was for greed and power. He hated it just as much as them.

Two nights before the major battle, Marcus got a letter.

He felt like it was some kind of last minute plea from you, and he kept putting it off to read further and further into the night, busying himself with planning and conversing with his men on tactics. 

When he finally sat down in his tent for the night, he paused.

The letter was addressed to him, but the handwriting was not yours.

He immediately ripped it open, hoping to the Gods it was some kind of ending to the war, and that they could avoid this. But, the handwriting was still unfamiliar to him. 

“General Acacius,

I have some news on our mutual Lady, Caecilius’ wife. She does not know I am writing to you, but I knew I had to get this information to you somehow, as soon as possible.

The Lady has been accused of adultery and treason, the latter for reasons I have yet to discover. She has been locked away, and I have tried campaigning for her release, but Remus is adamant on keeping her behind iron bars. He claims he has evidence of your affair- letters, eye witness accounts, and something far more grave. 

The Lady has been revealed to be with child, much to the surprise of Caecilius and the Senate. I tried to help her with abandoning the notion, but she refused. This only fanned the flames put against her as evidence of an affair. 

Remus has implicated you in the affair, but the Senate refuses to acknowledge such a thing under the grounds that you are an esteemed General, and fighting for the good of Rome. They claim they will await your return to Rome before they act on any charges against the Lady. I have begged for them to take her testimony, but the evidence is just too great. 

I implore you to act, to end this war as soon as possible and return to Rome. The Lady needs you more than ever, and I fear for my good friend’s life. I will supply as much information to you as I can about her wellbeing and developments of the case. Let me know if there is any action you would like me to take in order to help her. I am under your complete and utter service. 

Truly and Sincerely,

Jahiem Ventus”

Marcus stared at the words before him. So much information had been packed into this letter, and it was written with such haste and importance that Marcus could recognize the desperation in the handwriting. Marcus’ fists clenched, his jaw set tightly. He pulled the pendant out of his armor and off from around his neck, looking down at the small gold circle in his large hand. He gripped it tightly, leaning his fist against his forehead in anguish. 

Oh yes, he would act.

And Rome would never be the same.

He picked up his quill and another piece of parchment, quickly scrawling a letter and folded it up, sealing it with his wax sigil. He called Phabios inside, and handed him the letter, giving him strict orders to go to Rome and give it to Master Ventus and him only. When Phabios was on his way out, he stood and walked to the main campaign tent and called his council to it.

When they had all gathered, he could see the wariness in their eyes. The battle was in two nights’ time, and they were preparing for the worst news. But, Marcus already had a plan brewing in his mind, one that would lead him straight back to you. He remembered his dream- you had led him out of the battlefield, and extended your hand to him. He would follow you and your light anywhere, and now, he had to fight for it. 

“Gentlemen,” he said, his hands leaning on the table with the map sprawled out beneath them. “I am calling upon you to do something out of character, and could resort to treason, and therefore death. We are ending this war. Tonight.” he said, and the men looked around each other with skepticism. He looked around at them, his gaze hard, determined, and vengeful. Knowing they could easily veto his decision, and arrest him for such an outspoken plan that went against everything that the Emperor had said and ordered, he went on.

“We will go behind the battle lines, and come to a truce with the opposition, who should have never been our enemy in the first place.” he said, and there seemed to be a collective sigh of relief around them all. Marcus hated how their relief would be short lived. Their battle was just beginning.

“We will then gather our other allies along the way. I am not going to fight a rich man’s war and fuel their need for power any further. This stops now, and we will not live under the tyranny of the Emperor any longer.” Marcus said, his fist slamming onto the table with force, though the men did not move, not even an inch. They hung onto every word Marcus said. He knew he was going out on a limb here, that his men could turn on him at any given moment, but he could not let himself falter. He had to do this, he was given no other choice. 

He would do what it took to get back to you. And now, not just you- but your unborn child, as well.

His child. The product of yours and his love.

“We take Rome. For the people, for justice, and for freedom.” he said with finality, standing straight, proud, and tall. The men did not look at each other, like a silent unison came over them. His best man, Major Tiberius, stepped up, his helmet under his arm.

“We follow you, General Acacius.” he said, and Marcus’ eyes scanned the men, none of them looking defiant or doubting his words. He nodded, feeling a bit of relief come through his chest. Just one step close to coming back to you.

“ In two days’ time, we will march our way back to the gates of Rome. We will bring change, and we will. Not. Fail.” he said, his jaw tense, and he rolled his shoulders back.

“Rome will be back in the hands of the people. As it always should have been.”

And he will be back in yours. Whatever it takes.

You stood in the prison cell, arms crossed over your chest and stood looking up at the window that was unreachable to you. All you could see was the sunlight shining through, offering the only source of light in the cell. Your tears had dried long ago, but you refused to resign yourself to your fate. 

You should have known your father was behind the whole thing. He was evil, conniving, manipulative, and would do anything for power, even incriminate his own daughter and the greatest General Rome had ever seen. You were infuriated, and wanted to wrap your hands around your father’s neck, squeezing the life out of him just as he was trying to do for you.

You would have been left in the dark had it not been for Jahiem. He came to you many times with updates and information, supplying the fact that the Senate was going to wait for Marcus to come back before doing any sentencing. You knew it would be fruitless, though- the Senate had already made their decision once your father had opened his mouth to divulge the information to them. With how powerful Caecilius was, you wouldn’t be surprised if the Senate decided to veto their first decision and sentence you to a life of servitude or something far worse.

But Jahiem hadn’t been here in days. You were getting worried. Jahiem had come under the cover of night and disguises in secrecy, and you were thinking he was finally caught in it all and put into a cell similar to yours. You were praying to the Gods, giving every ounce of faith to Minerva to guide Marcus home safely, and in Juno to protect you and your child.

Your breathing trembled at the thought. You did not know the fate of your unborn child, what they would do with them after they were born. Most slaves were separated from their children by harsh and cruel masters, and the thought of your father ripping that piece of love away from you was enough to make you want to burn all of Rome down.

You put your hand over the slight bump of your abdomen, where your child slept soundly, blissfully unaware of the horrors that surrounded it. Tears welled up in your eyes, and you shook your head slightly, still finding this all unbelievable. You were being punished for love. You should have known your father would find a way to pin it against you. He always found a way.

But, you would not go down without a fight. For far too long you had submitted to this life, to have done as you are told, to keep quiet. Now, your anger was fueled like a raging fire and you would devour everything in your path, that much you could promise. 

If they wanted to burn your life down, you’d find a way to take them with you.

You were asleep when you heard it.

The sound of shouting, clanging swords, and firelight coming from your tall window. You sat up abruptly, your heart hammering in your chest. What had happened? What was going on? You couldn’t see a damn thing because the window was so high, but you knew there had to be carnage going on behind these brick walls. 

You stood up, and hurried to the cell door, craning your neck and trying to see around the bars. You heard yelling coming from all directions, the sound of cheering by other inmates. You could hear the sickening sounds of swords cutting flesh, cries of men in pain, the sounds of bones breaking. You moved to the corner of the cell, pressed between the wall and the bars. Someone was raiding the prison. Why?

You heard hurried footsteps and the clanking of keys, and your chest rose and fell with fear, your hands clutching your stomach protectively. You had nothing to defend yourself with, and prayed to the Gods and Goddesses to have mercy on whatever fate awaited you in the near future. 

You heard someone shout your name, and demand to know where you were being held. Your heart dropped into your stomach, and your hands balled into fists. If they were coming to bring you an early death, you’d make a scene. You would not go down quietly. 

You heard the rush of footsteps, your jaw clenching and came face to face with two men in soldier’s armor, different than the guards who you had seen in days’ past. 

“My Lady,” the taller one said, and you could see soot and blood streaked across his face. Your hands trembled, but you refused to move them from your stomach, adamant on defending your child until the end.

“My name is Major Tiberius, and I am sent here by the direct orders of General Acacius,” he said, and your heart seemed to fly up into your throat, your form coming to stand straight.

“Marcus?” you questioned incredulously, and he nodded, the other soldier finding the proper key and then unlocking the iron cell door, swinging it open. The Major nodded, and extended his hand,

“We’re to take you out of the city immediately to General Acacius’ countryside villa. Are you able to travel?” he questioned, and you knew you didn’t have a choice. You had to escape this city, especially with the danger that raged on outside of the walls. You had to survive, for all of you, your child, and Marcus, who was fighting in your name to get back to you.

“Yes,” you said and took the soldier’s hand. It felt like a God coming down to bring you to safety, back into the arms of your beloved.

You could not have been more grateful.

Marcus had taken action, making his way around Rome, letting his presence be known. He stayed away from the common people’s living, their areas and neighborhoods. But, when they saw him marching through the streets of Rome, they all came and praised his return. 

He went straight to the Capitol, and the Senate had already gathered to address Marcus and the army’s quick return. Marcus walked before them with his legion of men waiting, and his allies waiting outside the walls of the city, awaiting his signal should things go awry. 

He tried to be civil. He tried to reason with them, with a bit of a threat behind his words. But, the Emperor would not give away his power so easily, and a fight broke out in the Senate. It spread through the Capitol, fighting spreading through the area like wildfire. When the common people heard of the commotion, it took very little convincing for them to fight back, the oppression they had experienced being the fuel to the battle that raged in Rome’s streets.

Marcus had sent men after the Emperor who was trying to make his escape along with several Senators, Caecilius being one of them. But. Marcus’ attention was not on them. 

Remus was cowering in a council room, along with a few of his sympathizers. Marcus cut down the guards who attempted to conceal them, and sought out your father to give his vengeance. 

“You do not know what you have done, inciting this… this-” Remus began, voice shaky and hands raised like he could hold him off. Marcus’ eyes were alight with anger, fury that could even rival the gods. He felt like Mars had possessed him entirely, giving him enough energy to find your father and make him pay for all of his sins and transgressions he made against you.

“I will not let you out of this room alive. Not after everything you have done, ” he said, and Remus laughed dryly,

“You started a war for her? All of this for her?” he asked incredulously, and Marcus’ arms rippled with anger, his hand tightening around his sword. His brown eyes were alight, brighter than the fire of the torches that were above them. 

“Yes, all of it. I know, it is something you will never understand. I hope the gods have mercy on you in the next life, because I will not in this one.” 

And with a swing of his sword, Remus’ head rolled to the floor, his fellow Senators crying out in terror and dread. Marcus watched as it rolled to the side, his body crumbling like sand on the shore. 

Now, you were free at last.

It had taken 3 days’ time for the rebellion to calm down to smoldering embers.

Marcus had gathered his allies within the city walls, conversing and organizing with them a new but temporary form of government. They insisted he stay to oversee it, but he reminded them lightly that he was no politician, just a soldier to pave the way for the people to take back what should have always been theirs. The people already had a leader in mind, a former senator struck down for his advocacy for the people and their wellbeing. They brought him back with open arms, and when they began to talk more of the intricacies of the new rule, Marcus slipped away.

He rode to the countryside, where a trusted man of his said you were delivered safely to. His horse had guided him to the road that rounded to the villa, the tall grass swaying in the wind. Thankfully, the sunset was to his back, guiding the road and painting it in light. His heart hammered in time with the horse’s hooves, every beat just for you, every step closer to home. To you. Just as he promised.

Marcus came to a stop, seeing a figure coming from the villa in the distance in the tall grass, moving at a rapid pace. He broke from the road, urging his horse into the grass, unable to bear the news of what this figure carried with them with such haste. 

But then, the shape materialized more. An outline of a woman, hair flying in the wind, the sunset casting a glow on your face, cheeks shining with tears. You were running straight towards him, as fast as your feet could carry you.

He pulled his horse to a stop, jumping down and uncaring of whether or not it stayed. He began running, running faster than he ever had before. The grass caught at his arms and legs, trying to hold him back, but nothing could stop him now. Not Rome, Remus, not heaven or hell. He called your name, and you answered with his, floating across the field to his ears.

You met halfway, Marcus coming to a screeching halt as you ran into his arms with a force of longing and relief. He caught you, wrapping you up in his arms as he lifted you, spinning you around with emotions flying to every corner of his being. He kissed you achingly, what he had dreamed of doing since leaving four months prior. 

He slowly let you to your feet, your hand pressed against his cheek that was still smattered with dirt and blood. He couldn’t be bothered to bathe, seeking you out as soon as he was able. But, you didn’t care. He was back, he was here, he was within your arms once more.

“Is this some torturous dream? Or are you here, truly?” you whispered, your voice shaking with anticipation as you leaned your forehead against his. His hand settled on your waist, the other wrapping around your back to keep you close. 

“I am here, mea amata. I am here.” Marcus said quietly, and you looked up at him, touching his face gently, like you were trying to find tangible evidence that it was him before you. And he was, completely and totally, within your arms and before you in the flesh. Your hand swiped over his bottom lip gently, still feeling as soft and plush as you remembered it to be. You let out a sob, tears falling down your face. Out of relief, out of absolute and utter happiness that your love had returned to you.

“I knew you’d come back, that you’d find a way,” you whispered, and he smiled gently, looking between your shining eyes he never thought he’d hold again, the setting sun beating on his back and casting the grass in a golden hue that surrounded you both. It was like he was welcomed into Elysium, but the death was making him reborn anew. He kissed your lips gently, pressing you into his chest, his own hands trembling with relief at having you in his sights and his grasp once more. 

“I always will, mea vita.” 

Comment, like, reblog, anything is appreciated! Divider by @/saradika-graphics!

[boombambaby]

🌹 For the sweetest Emperor in the world. I'm so proud of you.

I'll even let you take me out on many dates as you'd like.

Ooh, I like the sound of that!

You like me-- I like me! This is perfect!

[empiredesimparte]

Interview : Louis Simparte, free above all else.

Journalist: You quit Maison Simparte as a teenager to join the Socialist Party. You claim to have found your freedom in this way.

Louis: At university, I took part in drunken student parties and joined student union groups. The final straw: I hung a portrait of Che Guevara in my room. It drove my parents crazy! It wasn't much, I'm sure you'll agree, but members of the imperial family are narrow-minded.

Journalist: Despite your family's exile at the time, did your parents hope to see you one day ascend the imperial throne in Francesim?

Louis: Oh yes. When I was a child, on my way to school, Simpartist soldiers and supporters would greet me as if I were a prophet. I lived completely out of touch with reality: baptized by the Pope, surrounded by old aristocrats who fantasized about empire and the old ways. My father fed off these fantasies and was convinced that one day we'd be back at the helm of Francesim. I had to be prepared to embody his dream.

Journalist: Your grandfather's dream was realized through his grandson, Charles, who became Emperor Napoléon IV.

Louis: My father forced me to marry an aristocrat, and I had Charles and Henri. To please the head of the family. But I was soon divorced, I couldn't live chained to my father any longer. So my father disinherited me and took it out on my son, Charles. He separated us from each other and made him think that I was the enemy of the family.

Journalist: And now? Would you like to reconcile with the imperial family?

Louis: I've come to terms with myself and my family history over the years. Charles and Henri never invited me to ceremonies in Francesim, and Napoléon V didn't either. None of them considered me in the Imperial Constitution, even though I am the true dynastic head. Today, I think I'm a blot on their imperial history.

Journalist: Did the tragic death of Emperor Napoléon IV change your position? Perhaps in the future, your destiny will be to return to Francesim, to the Emperor.

Louis: You know… I don't think so. No. I have a parallel life to all that, and I took my responsibilities when I left the Simparte family. For the past ten years, I've been working for the United Nations, helping countries and associations all over the world. For my part, I'm no longer angry with my children Charles and Henri. I don't know Napoléon V, my grandson, nor his sister Hortense. But my republican ideas are undeniably interfering with their lives.

Journalist: Yet you've decided to move back to Francesim next year.

Louis: With all due respect to the imperial family (sic), I think it's important for me to illustrate all the facets of Simpartism. I'm still a Simparte. And Napoléon isn't just a dynasty, a tyrant or an emperor. He's also the revolutionary, the general, the first president of the French republic.

Journalist: Your book is selling like hotcakes in French bookshops. You are conducting numerous interviews. From the shadows, you entered the light at the dawn of Napoleon V's reign. With your arrival in Francesim, few people think it's harmless. Some call it a "family settling of scores".

Louis: I don't want to challenge the Emperor, or Henri, or anyone else. I simply assume who I am without any complexes, I don't feel any scruples and I don't want to run away from debates either. I simply want to set the record straight, for the young Emperor's sake too.

Journalist: Do you think Emperor Napoléon V will read your book?

Louis: Probably not, but I sincerely hope so.

⚜ Traduction française

Interview : Louis Simparte, libre avant tout.

Journaliste : Vous avez claqué la porte à la Maison Simparte depuis votre adolescence pour rejoindre le parti socialiste. Vous dîtes avoir ainsi trouvé votre liberté.

Louis : A l'université, j'ai participé à des fêtes estudiantines arrosées et j'ai rejoint des groupes syndicaux étudiants. Le coup final : j'ai accroché un portrait du Che Guevara dans ma chambre. Cela rendait mes parents fous ! Ce n'était pas grand chose vous en conviendrez, mais les membres de la famille impériale sont étroits d'esprit.

Journaliste : Malgré l'exil de votre famille à l'époque, vos parents espéraient-ils vous voir un jour monter sur le trône impérial en Francesim ?

Louis : Oh oui. Lorsque j'étais enfant, sur le chemin de l'école, des militaires et des soutiens Simpartistes me saluaient comme si j'étais un prophète. Je vivais complètement déconnecté de la réalité : baptisé par le pape, entouré de vieux aristocrates qui fantasmaient l'empire et les vieilles mœurs. Mon père se nourrissait sans cesse de ces fantasmes et était persuadé que nous reviendrons un jour à la tête de la Francesim. Je devais être préparé à incarner son rêve.

Journaliste : Le rêve de votre grand-père s'est réalisé à travers son petit-fils, Charles devenu l'Empereur Napoléon IV. Pourquoi lui plutôt que vous ?

Louis : Mon père m'a marié de force à une aristocrate, et j'ai eu Charles et Henri. Pour faire plaisir au chef de famille. Mais j'ai divorcé rapidement, je ne pouvais plus vivre enchaîné à mon père. Alors mon père m'a déshérité et s'en est pris à mon fils, Charles. Il nous a séparés l'un de l'autre et lui a mis en tête que j'étais l'ennemi de la famille.

Journaliste : Et maintenant ? Souhaitez-vous vous réconcilier avec la famille impériale ?

Louis : Je me suis réconcilié avec moi-même et avec mon histoire familiale, au fur et à mesure des années. Charles et Henri ne m'ont jamais convié aux cérémonies en Francesim, et Napoléon V non plus. Aucun d'eux ne me considère dans la Constitution impériale, alors que je suis le véritable chef dynastique. Aujourd'hui, je crois que je suis pour eux une tache de leur histoire impériale.

Journaliste : La disparition tragique de l'Empereur Napoléon IV n'a rien changé à votre position ? Peut-être que à l'avenir, votre destin sera de revenir en Francesim auprès de l'Empereur.

Louis : Vous savez... Je ne crois pas. Non. J'ai une vie parallèle à tout ça, j'ai pris mes responsabilités en quittant la famille Simparte. Je travaille depuis une dizaine d'années pour les Nations Unies, pour aider les pays et les associations du monde entier. De mon côté, je ne suis plus fâché contre mes enfants Charles et Henri. Je ne connais pas Napoléon V, mon petit fils, ni Hortense sa soeur. Mais mes idées républicaines nuisent à leur vie indéniablement.

Journaliste : Pourtant, vous avez décidé de revenir vivre en Francesim l'an prochain.

Louis : N'en déplaise à la famille impériale. Je pense que c'est important pour moi d'illustrer toutes les facettes du Simpartisme. Je reste un Simparte. Et Napoléon, ce n'est pas qu'une dynastie, que le tyran ou l'empereur. C'est aussi le révolutionnaire, le général, le premier président de la république française.

Journaliste : Votre livre s'arrache dans toutes les librairies françaises. Vous menez de nombreuses interviews. De l'ombre, vous entrez dans la lumière à l'aube du règne de Napoléon V. Avec votre arrivée en Francesim, peu de gens pensent que c'est anodin. Certains parlent d'un "règlement de comptes familial".

Louis : Je ne veux pas défier l'Empereur, ou Henri, ou qui que ce soit. J'assume simplement qui je suis sans complexe, je ne ressens pas de scrupules et je n'ai pas non plus envie de fuir les débats. Je veux simplement rétablir la vérité, aussi pour le jeune Empereur.

Journaliste : Pensez-vous que l'Empereur Napoléon V lira votre livre ?

Louis : Probablement pas, mais je l'espère sincèrement.

[psy-kylo-gy]

Finally, Act V Day 3 of A Day in the Life of TchaikovsKYLO Ren! Our favorite messy boy has at last renounced the dark side and reclaimed his true self: Ben Tchaikovsolo! Surprises await for both him and his headstrong waifu who is challenging Emperor Ovaltine all alone. Reylo chaos ensues but can love save the day?

Catch up with the entire series here

Well first off I'm so sorry for the wait on this, I had it 99% finished since 2020 but just lost the heart to post it during Covid and my subsequent depression. I really wanted the people who love this series to know that I haven't abandoned it, and the finale is mostly done as well and I'm so excited to bestow Reylo with a GOOD ENDING they deserve.

As always, I want to dedicate this to some special folks who've motivated me and given me such kindness and patience over the years. I'm SO grateful for the love and support and I really hope you enjoy this one, Ben is (of course) a lot of fun: @pandoraspocksao3 @blackeyedlily @violet1979 @missrenaeann-blog @maryloki3000 @fangiosfriend

[skitskatdacat63]

catie I NEED more vettonso lore for your au. please. (love u)

Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! C!!! Thank you so much for asking!! This took me a bit cause there’s a lot of stuff I want to cover and I had to figure out how to balance the explanation of the historical context and how I apply it to my AU. But seriously thank you for asking because I did more research to write this post and learned a lot of things that make me feel deranged but I cannot bring any of this up to anyone irl without sounding like a lunatic. I’d apologize for the length but you should expect this from me by now! (I realized this doc for this was 1.5k+ my god)

Basic Info: early 1700s historical AU with arranged marriage plot 

Historical Context:

Okay, so this AU is based on a real historical event: The War of The Spanish Succession. Which is when the Spanish Throne was without a clear line of succession because the bloodline(Spanish Habsburgs) died out. So then, even though the previous Spanish King named his successor(Philip V, a Duke related to the French Royal family - representing Fernando in this AU), the Habsburgs still thought they should be allowed to keep the throne within their dynasty, thus offering up the second son(Charles VI - representing Seb in this AU) of the Holy Roman Emperor. So obviously they had to start a war because of it. But then the end result ended up being that because Charles VI’s older brother, the Holy Roman Emperor at the time, died during the war(because of illness though so it would have happened regardless), he became the next Emperor and Philip V ended up becoming the Spanish King after all, rendering it all pointless imo.

How does this relate to Vettonso?:

I'm not overly interested in either Charles VI and Philip V as people, but rather the roles they fulfill in this conflict, but obv I can’t help but draw on details from their lives. As I mentioned, Fernando is now Fernando I of Renault/France Spain and Seb is Sebastian I of Red Bull Austria. This is supposed to be like 2010-2012!Vettonso with Ferrari!Fernando and RBR!Seb(but like Fernando's title of Duke coming from France, because of his championships with Renault.) This AU is kinda just me looking at this historical event and thinking: wouldn’t a gay arranged marriage solve this succession quandary? But also just that it reminds me of Fernando and Seb’s rivalry, and the nationalities/kingdoms fit pretty well!!

Think about the throne of Spain as akin to winning a race, but becoming Holy Roman Emperor as winning the whole entire competition.(Also side note: real life Charles VI didn’t become a king until he became Emperor and adopted all of his brother’s titles, but I want Seb to be a boy king in this AU, so he can have a title as a treat.) Imagine you’re competing for something and you win it, but the only reason you win is because the other competitor won an even bigger prize!!!! Yay you got what you wanted but the boy king is now the emperor of most of Europe. And now you are stuck with him through lawfully wedded arranged marriage because they let you have what you wanted but only under the condition that the two kingdoms are still united. Yeah Fernando got the title, but Seb gained even more titles(get it???) 

They probably have a lot of animosity coming into the marriage, like “how could I ever build a relationship with the man who tried to steal my birthright?” but then realize they’re pretty similar after all. Though obviously Fernando has a lot more resentment than Seb because Seb won the whole damn thing! He would have control over Spain as he’s the king but since it's still within the domain of the empire, Seb would always have the final say. And Seb tries to be magnanimous like “Don’t worry, I won’t interfere”, and Fernando is all snide with comments like “Oh thank you great imperial majesty, can I really? Would you really allow me to do so?” But eventually become loving co-rulers that still constantly snipe at each other over different decisions the other makes. 

Some headcanons(I guess you’d still call it headcanons even if it's your own AU bcs it still comes from your head) + some fun facts from real life that have brainrotted me so I’m putting them in:

Their dynamic is just Seb being a very righteous, bratty boy king emperor who is unabashed about being that way, because he feels that it is his right, but still has a heart of gold and wants to treat his husband well no matter the circumstances leading to their marriage. And then Fernando is like a stray cat that keeps hissing and scratching because it’s really hard for him to accept the circumstances because he still feels humiliated, even though he got everything he wanted, but he still can’t help but be charmed by this baby emperor because he sees attributes of himself in Seb, and can’t really fault him because he would be the exact same, flaunting his power, if he were in Seb’s shoes. 

They would have to speak in French to each other because that’s their shared language but eventually attempt to learn each other’s native languages! Imagine Seb has to travel to Spain to give some Emperor speech and Fernando then bullies him for his bad Spanish. 

They would probably split where they live based on a schedule or by need. Yes, Fernando is the King of Spain but he is also the Emperor’s husband so he does have to spend time in the capital, Vienna. And then since Spain is a part of the empire, Seb has to go routinely, but y’know also to spend time with his husband. They find that their marriage as well as their politics is full of having to make concessions and compromises in order to make it work. 

Something I find funny is that as compensation for not getting the Spanish throne back, Spain had to cede some Italian territories to the Empire. That is literally the Ferrari plot with the transfer from Fernando to Seb!!

I’m not sure how the titles would work in this AU because obviously a m/m political marriage has not ever happened(as far as I know.) But I guess Fernando would just be King Fernando I of Spain and then Seb would be Holy Roman Emperor Sebastian I with the million titles that come with being in that role(though like most importantly Archduke of Austria and King of Bohemia and Hungary, etc.) I like the idea that Seb tries to share some titles with Fernando as a show of good will but Fernando is so affronted, mostly just from embarrassment, like “oh you think I need your good will?? I can’t be happy with what I earned in my own right??” But their kids would receive both titles and would be split in the traditional way, like first kid getting it all mostly, but the others still being nobility obv(yes.. there would be mpreg because of the plot need for succession….don’t ask who…)

They bond through their love of horses, particularly fast horses. The first time they go riding together, they’re both like awkwardly trying to act very proper as a sense of showmanship to the other like “I’m more mature than you”, but then can’t stop trying to get ahead of the other person and eventually break into a full-on race. Their aids are mutually like “oh god, they’re both the same type of insane.” 

Irl Charles VI was so salty about losing the throne that he wouldn’t stop dressing like a traditional Spanish monarch. I can totally see Seb doing that and Fernando getting so pissed with him like “you became emperor!! What more could you possibly want???’ and Seb then fixing him with his biggest pout and saying “your throne!” But also Fernando being weirdly into it because it’s basically Seb presenting himself blatantly as Fernando’s spouse. 

In that same vein, I’m going crazy over how there’s a painting from before the war, of Philip V wearing vestments from both the French order of chivalry and the Habsburg order of chivalry. Like basically stating the desire to see those two lines combined into one kingdom, which fits so well into this AU. Just Seb going crazy over how Fernando is willingly branding himself as belonging to Seb’s house. 

A testimony of Philip V’s personality is that he was a “neurotic, vacillating ruler, concerned with outward decorum and brave only in battle,” god can you not sense the energy of Fernando in that statement???

Very important to me that Charles VI reportedly had many male lovers, and that his soulmate was one of his courtiers. Maybe there can be a bit of Martian or Sebson cheating plot with them being his courtiers hahaha  

Not very relevant in this AU but there’s something about how Philip V had the longest ever reign of a Spanish monarch. Is that not Fernando??? Old man who will rule on forever, or should I say, forever keep his seat 

I already obv posted the wip for this but I'll include it here again as visual rep hehehe:

I've spent way too much time lately trying to research the fashion of the time ugh. But this, as I said, is like first joint portrait session into the marriage. And I guess I kind of want them to be wearing their corronation clothing, which I'm pretty solid on for Seb but still need to research more for Fernando. I think I'll maybe try and just put him in the afformentioned traditional Spanish monarch clothing, but the fact that it's all black kinda bores me, I'd rather he wear red!! This is like a typical royal couple type pose, except they're being more tactile. Also there's something to be said about the symbolism of Fernando being the one standing and Seb being the one sitting hehehe....

[heylittlethoughts]

One Piece Wano thoughts part 2

This arc was so damn long. Like almost too long. But also it felt like some of the end was rushed. (Like a chapter or two for Robins and Jimbeis fights didn't feel satisfying, minks where basically off acreen)

Did not see the Kanjuro twist coming. Love being surprised.

The whole Raid fight(s) was a lot. Like so much going on, everyone moving around every two seconds. It being more than just the crew fighting/we're tracking just was a lot. Don't feel like some things had enough time to shine.

Oda not keeping people dead made those that did die not impactful in the moment. Anytime some "dies" I'm just thinking are they really or will some random thing save them. (Kin dying could have been so impactful but then he just wasn't put together correctly since punk hazard, come on Oda, that kinda sucked).

Overall, loved Kaido as the villain of the arc. He's noble in some ways, evil in others. Very good villain overall.

Ace 😭

Finally getting to the big fight and it definitely paid off. Seeing the group all work together without having to say much was cool. Zoro blocking the Big Mom Kaido attack shows how damn strong he is.

Love how both Kaido and Big Mom find Law's powers annoying/they don't have an immediate defense for them.

Wait, what's at the end of Luffy's dream that's the same as Roger's?

Nami getting protective over Tama is cute. Mama bear Nami again with kids.

Eating up every Marco crum I get. He's so funny. Old veteran just happy to be there. Izo carrying him out of the battle as he rambled about old legends had me cackling.

Killer is cool as hell. His short screen time with the Hawkins fight, go get em partner. Loved it.

Law doing all this and saying it's so he can learn about history is hilarious to me. Boy is annoyed and always having a bad day and saying it's just to learn history just came off funny.

The time limit and bombs in the basement felt not needed. There was already so much going on, so many fights, the whole place on fire. I get it, but meh.

The that's how dinosaurs work joke did nothing for me. Kinda dumb.

Sanji having to battle internally of becoming emotionless could be really interesting. Hoping we get more of that.

Loved the Zoro v King fight. Getting to see Zoro work out internally about the sword and King's body's abilities. He is the GOAT for a reason!

King is hot. Why have I seen nothing about how hot he is. Nice surprise.

The way I squealed when Zoro said Luffy is his best friend!!

Gum Gum / Nika lore drop is great. Unfortunately kinda knew it from spoilers cause the Internet broke when that happened. Still cool to see it and I like the look of it far better than his gear three and four forms. Particularly the rallying people. He's been doing that since day one and that adds an extra layer to it.

I need, need, more information on Zoro and the fucking grim reaper. What the hell happened after the panel?! We're just skimming over that?!

Yamato holding they're own with Kaido, his wolf form is sweet. Helping keep Momo on track and getting used to his dragon powers. Cute.

The so-and-so samurai, Ushimari, is definitely related to Zoro right? SBS said not his father but could be uncle or something right.

Going to miss Law, Kid and Luffy bickering. They bring back the silliness of pre time skip.

Sabo didn't kill Cobra, there's no way. Cobra was dying and they probably planned it that for some reason and Vivi went with Sabo to fight in the revolution.

Questions though. Shanks presumably knew what he was stealing. Did he intend to eat it? Did he plan to give it to Luffy? So many questions there.

Are Kaido and Big Mom dead? Or just stuck floating in lava...cause that's a thing they can do ...

Shanks is on screen for two seconds, using haki from offshore and it's the hottest fucking thing.

Love the flag handoff to Mom at the end. The open invitation to join the crew. Luffy felt like a proper captain, proper emperor in that moment.

Haven't watched the anime in some time, it's pacing has been so bad in the past. Do want to sit down to watch Wano. Have seen edits of these fights and feel like they got to expand on what Oda was rushed to get out for weekly.

Anyways, onward to Egghead!!