#who'd in fact say she doesn't know what she's doing this is the void or some other bullshit like that

[thasdorah]

I should embrace my canon divergence entirely and say alleria got her divorce in bfa

[itsgrimeytime]

Magnolia in May (Part Twenty Five) || Rick Grimes (TWD) x Greene!f!reader Regency AU

Parts 1-20, 21, 22, 23, 24...

Taglist: @loliakeoghan23 @curlycarley @queenie32 @mgparker

rick grimes taglist: @golden-hoax @mgparker

AVAILABLE ON AO3

Inspiration (in honor of Speak Now Taylor's Version): Enchanted by Taylor Swift.

Summary: Your town was small, not the smallest you knew, but anyone of high fortune was the gossip of the week. Predictably, Richard Grimes was a thing of whispers -rumors of a search for marriage among the grassy hills. You weren't one to buy into town gossip, but something about him... just seemed a little too intriguing.

TW: none.

[[A/N: DRAMA. That's all I have to say. Happy New Year !!! Thanks for reading !!! ]]

He wasn't serious.

Or maybe he was, you were rendered rather speechless afterward, on account of his lips pressing into yours without much less thought.

You hadn't quite thought of an answer because he didn't present you with the opportunity; in fact, he'd acted as though he'd never said such a thing in his life. He still held that soft gaze, as you explored the rest of his lawn, but you weren't quite there then.

Eyes distant, you were as though you had a shock to the heart and perhaps you did. No one had ever proposed to you, there were a few drunks who'd gotten close at certain parties, but never anyone with any merit.

Mr. Grimes loved you. He was courting you, only officially for a few weeks, sure, but still-

The man who was courting you had asked for your hand in marriage, and you had said nothing.

Headmistress was going to kill you.

It's not like he'd given you much of an option, really. He'd begun kissing you after as if such a confession was void, as if the words were just well, words.

But they weren't.

It was driving you mad, beyond mad. Which is why you were currently wearing a hole into the dining room carpet -walking back and forth, pacing really.

Your Father sat at the table, files at the ends of his fingertips, and in his hands, he stayed rather busy. The rest of the house was out to the theater, you'd been asked to come but refused -Maggie would know too much. She already had-

"Darling," he spoke and you immediately straightened, "-is everything alright? You're bound to run a hole in the floor with all the pacing."

"When did you ask for Mother's hand?"

It slipped out of your mouth before you could take it back. And you really wished you could take it back-

"Why do you ask?" your Father questioned, white beard lit up orange by the candlelight, "-Are you expecting something?"

"No, I-" you started, before stopping, "-May I ask you a hypothetical?"

"A hypothetical," your Father pursed his lips, "-Does it have to do with a proposal?"

"Yes," you echoed out, a little shaky, "-well, if someone proposed out of nowhere and didn't give you time to respond, would you believe them to be serious?"

"Any man who asks for someone's hand is serious," your Father relented, something in his eyebrow twitching, "-It's quite a large thing to say, especially in today's age."

"Right," you spoke, slowly -convincing yourself, "-right."

The silence of the room was unwelcoming.

"What if," you started, trying to figure out how to word this, "-What if it was more of an emotional response? Like... after a confession or... or-"

"Something else?" Father asked, raising an eyebrow -teetering on the question of what exactly.

"Yes," you swallowed, "-something else."

"Still," he echoed, "-such words hold high accountability, any man who says it often means it."

"But, just because he means it doesn't mean he's serious-"

"In some way," your Father restated, "-he is. A man does not say such words without thinking about it, dear. Without realizing what it means."

"So," you began, "-he may mean it, and be serious about it? Even though it came unprompted?"

"He may not realize it himself," he explained, "-That moment, when he, hypothetically, said such a thing maybe when he realized he wanted it."

"And what am I-" you stopped, clearing your throat, "-What are you to say to that?"

"Whatever you wish," your Father stated, picking back up his files -eyes peering over them, "-Is there anything you wish to tell me, daughter?"

You sighed, running a hand through your hair, "I think... I think Mr. Grimes proposed to me."

The room fell uncomfortably silent, the sole tick of a clock and the shuffle of paper echoing through the room. You couldn't look up at him, only down at the carpet -tracing the design with your eyes.

"Two weeks," your Father answered, setting down his files and looking up at you, "-it took me two weeks to figure out I couldn't live without her. I... I'm not sure it was proper, but we made it work, even then."

"Two weeks, that's-"

"Nothing," he hummed out, "-I know. I loved her and she loved me, there was no reason to wait."

"I love him," you said, sort of weakly.

"And he loves you," your Father added with a smile -certain.

"But, he didn't let me answer," you sighed, pacing yet again, "-what am I to say if he didn't let me answer?"

"You wait," he answered, "-until he does."

"How is that fair?" You questioned, "-He asked me, I should get to answer! I will... I want to answer."

"Then, answer," your Father laughed, "-you know where he resides."

"This late?" You echoed, loud and a little squeaky, "-I can hardly explain showing up at this hour."

"He'll know," he smiled, "-he'll know, darling."

"That's even worse," you remarked, "-I can't just... confront him with my hand."

"Okay," your Father reasoned, "-then let's go for dinner. I'm certain your sisters will demand to eat before returning and I don't know about you but I'm famished."

"Just dinner," you echoed.

"Just dinner," he reiterated, "-and if you choose to confront him, so be it."

So, be it.

The walk was not one of note, as your carriage remained an option but you requested the fresh air and Father neatly agreed. He didn't speak a word, as to give you time to think, perhaps. But part of you wished him to say something, anything-

"I already gave him permission," he stated, echoing out into the falling sun of the evening, "-so, such a question requires no clarification on my part. But, if you wish-"

"No," you started, headstrong, "-it has to be me, Father."

And the rest of the walk was as silent as a mouse, Father only giving you a few forlorn glances -as if he didn't wish you to be in this situation. He most certainly didn't, and you imagined, if you let him, he'd say a few choice words about it to Mr. Grimes.

But, were you to confront him, you'd simply choose to do it on your own. It was your issue, you'd deal with it.

The idea of Mr. Grimes confronting you first, however, was a much scarier one. Would he apologize? Say he didn't mean it? You weren't sure you could handle such words.

The estate was covered in the evening sun, and you thought for a spare second how beautiful it was. The orange haze drenched the plaza, the fountains, the hedges. It was stunning, and you felt rather wonderful to see such a thing -to know such a thing.

"Mr. Greene," a deep grumble echoed, Mr. Dixon stood rather strong against such a soft skyline, "-Ms. Greene, wonderful to see the two of ya."

You curtsied, and your Father spoke, "If you don't mind, sir, can you ask Mr. Grimes if we could join him for dinner?"

"'Course," he echoed, guiding the two of you through the door, "-follow me into the foyer."

You entered the foyer with a sort of curiosity, still, despite everything -you loved to see such a space every time. Yet, something was off. You'd been in here so frequently. You knew the space, so well, so when something was different-

Your eyes landed squarely on the wall, an empty space on the wall. You weren't certain what was there before, but now it remained empty -beautiful walls clear and open to the viewing.

"Father, it's-"

"Empty," he hummed -something in his voice, "-perhaps for something new."

"Ms. Greene," a voice spoke, a little breathlessly and suddenly a little startled, "-Mr. Greene, hello."

You wordlessly curtsied again, something in you nervous -Mr. Grimes lingered on such a movement, he could tell-

"I assume we're welcomed to dinner, then?"

"Very welcome," Mr. Grimes hummed, eyes darting to yours -just for a moment, lingering, "-Your family is welcome at all times, you must know that by now."

"Certainly," your Father echoed, matching his eyes -something conveying that he knew. And he did.

You shrunk into yourself only slightly, but still, Mr. Grimes noticed -blue eyes laid squarely on you. Something in his lips twitched into a frown, as his eyes swam along your face -you couldn't quite meet his eyes. He noticed.

"What's are we to expect?" you asked, something crossing over your face, "-For... For dinner?"

"I'm not quite certain," Mr. Grimes echoed, making a note to meet your eyes, "-but Ms. Peletier is bound to make something worthwhile. And-"

You matched his eye, and something in your chest warmed, just to see him.

"-the children would love to see you, Ms. Greene."

You smiled, couldn't help it, "I'm quite delighted to see them too."

"Wonderful," Mr. Grimes echoed, smiling in that same way he had before like he couldn't believe you existed, "-wonderful."

Your Father cleared his throat with a teeny little smile, "Shall we go to the dining room?"

"Certainly," you echoed, hand itching to take Mr. Grimes's arm, but instead you met your Father's. It felt right then, despite the urge -to brush your fingers against his shirt, to feel the warmth of his skin against your gloved hand.

You righted yourself, and followed your Father into the room, still as beautiful as the first day you'd ever seen it. It could be yours-

You flushed crimson at the spare thought, pushing it away in your mind. Not now, such thoughts are useless without knowing his intentions.

I want to know his intentions, something in your head rang.

Which meant you were to confront him, you needed to know. You had to know-

"Ms. Greene?" a softer voice spoke, a maid -you realized, "-Would you like to sit?"

"Yes, I apologize, I just-" you faltered, accepting the pulled-out chair, "-Thank you."

Mr. Grimes looked to you, something shadowing over his face -concern furrowing in his brow.

You sat just beside him at the head of the table, the two children on the opposite side and your Father on your right. It was all a rather organized affair, and not a word was spoken.

The comfortable chatter was lost, as the room filled rather full -only Judith's small little hums of appreciation breaking through the air. The food was delicious, certainly, but you had a bit of a sour stomach -you picked at the dish, a little preoccupied.

Mr. Grimes hadn't eaten a bite himself either, eyes boring a hole into your side. You knew such a conversation would have to be soon, if not-

"Ms. Greene, may I speak with you?"

There was a beat.

"Privately."

[asheanon]

"Ethereal longevity and its behavioral effects"

Ethereals are - or can be - long-lived entities. Which can sound pretty rad to those who'd like to live "forever!" Part of the draw to Etherealism is that very element: its "immortality."

In itself, Etherealism is often an existence void of its own sentience - most Ethereals in their "purest" forms are akin to "space jellyfish," simply drifting about the cosmos, consuming to survive and otherwise fading into the, you know, the ether - which is to say the forms it can inhabit may not mentally or emotionally fair well with its lifespan. (As with many unwillingly "eternal" creatures.) This brings about some notable behavioral patterns in sentient and sapient Ethereals, in particular...

In their younger years, many Ethereals often come off as a bit bombastic; what one could consider to be the literal spark or fire in their veins gets to them. They can behave like energy itself; recklessly, powerfully and sometimes unpredictably even to themselves.

However, as most begin to accumulate the decades, centuries and so on (if they manage to without accidentally snuffing themselves out throughout those possible "young and wild" years, one way or another) there is a shift in psychology that most begin to see in the long-lived: a tendency to wander, withdraw or attempt to enter stasis.

Sal is a wandering type herself who sometimes withdraws; growing tired and jaded is only natural for everyone after a while - she does her best to "keep the wonder alive" by actually wondering about and wandering the cosmos. Its vastness could at least suffice in keeping her preoccupied - among many things!

Vance is a withdrawing type. He is beyond wanting to remain awake and aware and often enters a stasis of sorts until awoken once more (to his dismay.) While not all Ethereals attempt to "sleep" after they've grown "too tired," many do withdraw, one way or another. Some eventually tire of trying to coexist with a world they weren't designed to coexist with, really. In fact, they grow tired of many things and simply can't be bothered to entertain an audience of any kind! And again, this, of course, may strike many as very familiar as it is something often seen in a lot of sentient, "immortal" types - such as vampires and whatnot!

Now... having written that, I wrote a lot of that out to be able to better express certain scenes that transpire between fellow Ethereal characters; one in particular being between Sal and Tsun.

In Starlight, Sal and Tsun share a moment where they talk about Life™. They talk about various things, but among those things - relevant to this topic - Sal confesses to how it feels as if Life™/time moves, paradoxically, too quickly and too slowly. Tsuniah commiserates, mentioning how even he doesn't always have the heart to dive back into something deeper with others for that reason. She then mentions how she also grows weary of "the divide" (the divide between long-lived entities and shorter-lived ones) every once in a while and the emotional damage it can do; perhaps more than she used to. And, in turn, worries about the future, sometimes.

It is a very bittersweet moment that draws attention to this aspect of Ethereal lives (and again, other immortal ones as well.) 💙

[malaismere]

m9 classpects, continuing from the vm ones over here, because boy do I have a problem

Fjord is the Knight of Heart

Beau is the Knight of Mind

Caleb is the Mage of Light

Veth is the Thief of Void

Jester is the Maid of Space

Molly is the Prince of Blood

Yasha is the Maid of Hope

Caduceus is the Sylph of Time

I was tempted for there to be Even More Knights because boy howdy are the M9 a Knightly sort of party. But I think this makes the most sense.

descriptions below the cut

Also starting with lunar sway:

Fjord, Beau, Caleb, and Veth are Derse to Jester, Yasha, and Caduceus' Prospit. I am torn between saying Molly is Prospit, Derse, or a a dual-dreamer.

The rough idea for order (as a chain, idk who'd actually go in first) is:

Caduceus -> Fjord -> Jester -> Beau -> Molly -> Caleb -> Nott -> Yasha

Fjord: Knight of Heart

This is a bit of a tangent, but do you ever thing about Charisma saves and what they imply about Charisma as a stat? Like, Charisma seems pretty self-explanatory, it's how pretty/charming/persuasive you are, but it's the same save you make to avoid getting banished. That's because really, Charisma is about a sense of self, knowing your own truth, and that's what makes you so charismatic/persuasive/etc.

Fjord's the Charisma caster of the party, which is interesting, because he's got a fucked up sense of self. It isn't that he lacks a sense of self, but more that he refuses to accept it - you don't hide something you're unaware of, you hide something you're ashamed of.

Heart is very much the Charisma Aspect, because while, superficially it's about relationships, it's way, way more about yourself, your identity, and your soul. That is, I think, the center of Fjord's journey as a character - who he is, and who he wants to be.

Class wise, there's a fun read with the Destroy classes (Prince/Bard) as he does more than a decent job destroying hearts (see: any number of verbal takedowns of an NPC) but while he's tactical, he doesn't really ghost mind the way you'd expect. So, I don't think he's Destroying using Heart, I think he's weaponizing it - that is, he's a Knight.

Knights are defined by their inesecurity and the resulting mask, in Fjord's case, his false accent. That mask is literally a false confidence, masking insecurity by pretending to be great at their aspect (despite the fact they already are). Fjord's entire confidence is with a fake self, even though his normal identity is great, peak Knight.

Also, on a more literal level...boy's a Paladin.

Beau: Knight of Mind

Beau is a Mind player. She's smart, sure, but moreso she's decisive. Mind is all about outcomes and consequences, and as such, has a strong tie to justice, which is also something Beau has in spades.

Beau also couldn't more clearly be a Knight. Knights fight with their aspect (the Cobalt Soul style being quite literally fighting with your mind) and are most notable for their masks. While powerful, their very insecure, specifically about their aspect, and hide that beneath false confidence or some other shield. Their challenge is to accept themself and their abilities, and understand that they can, in fact, do this.

While she never reads as indecisive, Beau, like the rest of the Mighty Nein, shies away from important things, the stuff that really means something. She doesn't truly trust in her decisions, her ability to shape the world. She definitely hides behind a cool persona to cover for this, and also her general fears relating to her family trauma.

However, as she comes into her own as an expositor, Beau becomes way more of a focus as a leader, a gatherer of information, and a tactician. Endgame, we see her more literally becoming a lawyer, again Mind associated, and has faith in her decisions and how she chooses to shape the world.

Caleb: Mage of Light

So, Caleb would also make a pretty good knight-

Archetypally, Caleb is bouncing between Magician/Prophet, which are the two that are closest to swapping and are more fluid. He reads active to me, selfish and taking control rather than being moved by his aspect, but these are the classes where that distinction is the smallest. I think any of these could work, but wow is my boy a Mage.

Mages are defined by experiencing their aspect, usually categorized as suffering it, and through that gaining a unique perspective. And what can you say Caleb's done but suffer.

Despite his interest in turning back time, Caleb's not much of a time player, and it's not really what he suffers. I can see an argument for doom, but he's not quite so fatalistic; instead, I think, it's his greatest downfall and his greatest strength: Light.

Light is often associated with Knowledge, which is great for a wizard, but more than anything else, it's Plot Relevance. Light is attention - the spotlight shining on you, which is where things started to go wrong for Caleb - Trent focusing on him. It's also literally light, ie, fire. So, you know.

Now, Caleb's an interesting case, because I say that during the Volstrucker training, he inverts to a Heir of Void. Heirs are prodigies, their aspect comes naturally to them, but they're also easily manipulated by it. Void is darkness, secerts, the hidden, and irrelevance. All very Volstrucker qualities!

As Heir of Void, Caleb's an excellent Volstrucker. But, he's easily manipulated by Ikithon's lies, to the point of murdering his parents. And, well, Caleb's not really the Heir of Void - inversions are unhealthy and unstable. He breaks, and becomes made of Void - insane, irrelevant, hidden away in the Asylum.

I'd argue that most of C2 is Caleb recovering from this inversion, slowly moving back towards the Light. He's very much hiding when we meet him, after all, terrified of being seen/found again. But, eventually, we see him return into the Light, really pushing himself into the limelight and leadership. He also uses that information he learned from his struggles to change the world around him - not, to be clear, the suffering of killing his parents, but the suffering from Ikithon's attention, as his goal is to keep others from going through what he had.

To top it all off, Mages are prophets, but unlike their opposite seers, they are less about the telling of prophecy (not ones to be listened to) and more about the act of miracles. And Caleb has the most iconic miracle of Light in the campaign - the return of the Luxon.

Veth: Thief of Void

Veth's main associations are with sneakiness/secrets, water/alcohol, and shiny useless things. There's a lot of Void/Light imagery going on with her, which ties into a lot of her issues with attention/hiding. There's also some stuff with her and doom (death, obligation, explosion) but thematically I think Void wins out.

Class wise, she has a lot of aspects that are very Knightly. She's got a literal mask (doll's) and a figurative mask ("little goblin girl") and a bunch of layers on top of that. But, I don't think she's truly a Knight (and not just because that would make for a VERY Knight-heavy session) but that it's more a matter of roleplay/inversion - with the inverse of Knight being the very appropriate Thief.

Thieves steal their aspect for their own benefit. Same as Knights, they're hiding insecurities behind their natural confidence in it. Veth is, naturally, a quiet, fade in to the background person, uneventful, unnoticed, and incredibly sneaky, natural fit for a thief of Void. She both steals using Void (stealth) and steals Void (useless, unimportant objects, also alcohol).

Now, speaking of alcohol, let's talk inversion.

I don't think it's right to say that Nott represents a full inversion - to be honest, the change is less in her personality and more her anxiety/comfort. But there are definitely some points where Veth inverts to Knight of Light.

The biggest, I'd argue, is the event that got her turned into a goblin to begin with - where she goes from quiet background to taking the stage and being a hero, weaponizing attention to keep her family safe. This, arguably, doesn't go as well as it could of, because, well, inversion never goes well.

In general, alcohol also tends to represent an inversion, and we can see this with Nott's alcohol-induced confidence. Drunk!Nott pushes the plot forward rather than being caught up in fear, and is much more of a fighter, as well as in general being louder and brighter. Again, this is unstable and unhealthy.

Veth puts inversion aside, but in her healthiest form, she's definitely a brighter and more open person, having better integrated Light into herself. Part of the challenge for thieves is sharing their aspect - and for Veth, a big hurdle is sharing her secrets with others, letting them in, both in revealing her true identity to the M9 and in being more open with Yeza. The honesty doesn't make her lose her abilities as a thief the way inverting did; instead, it's made her better, a more stable confidence.

Jester: Maid of Space

Jester's main motif is art - cluttered drawings and paint and creation. That's all Space, baby! Also, on a more superficial aesthetic, while it's not one of the class colors, Space is associated with green (like the Traveler!)

I do think there's a good argument for Heart or Blood as Jester's aspect - she's a romantic, and she's got a lot of stuff related to manipulating people, both magically and, just, everyone's in love with Jester. But I think a lot of Heart is, in fact, her roleplaying her mother versus herself - while she leaves home looking for her dad and hoping to get them back together, I don't think that's really her arc. Instead, I think it's more about how she relates to her own power and the Traveler, which is way more a Space thing.

Archetypally, Jester's hard to placae. She's got some vibes as Prophet of the Traveler, and also with the Fairy, and Magician.

There's a fun connection between Seer and Scrying. She's got the rebellion of a Witch, and the natural talent of an Heir. But I think, inevitably, I'm going with Maid.

Maids start out relying on others for their aspect. Jester has been given everything she's ever wanted from her Mother, all the tools and art for creation, just not Space itself. She's also, notabbly, pretty lonely. And then she gets her new 'patron' in the Traveler, who gives her the powers of Space, and also, like, literally Space and travel.

Maids arcs are about coming into their own power instead of relying on others, and, arguably, Jester's is about the fact she doesn't need the Traveler - he needs her. While she is still a Cleric, their endpoint is as friends, not god/worshipper, and they're on pretty even footing. Also, like, the general vibe that Clerics aren't warlocks, their power comes from themself.

However, I don't think this 100% fits, and I think there's a good argument for Witch of Space, as Jester's definitely got that rebel Witch kick, or Heir of Space, as it comes naturally to her, plus inheriting powers from the Traveler, and in general she's more of a Change than Create/Heal, although, like, she may not be Cad but she does still Heal. For Witch, there's also the fact that the inverse is Seer, but I don't think Seer is really an inversion for Jester so much as just a thing she also does / roleplay, and even then it's more Seer of Space than Time.

Molly: Prince of Blood

Mollymauk Tealeaf is all about living in the moment, floating change, being free and clear of everything binding yourself to the past and reality, inspiring others with your actions, really, the cornerstone of Breath.

Anyways here's my read on Molly as a Hero of Blood.

Okay, joking aside, I do think that Breath/Blood is the cornerstone of Molly as a character. There is some fun Hope/Rage stuff (and the Rage/clown/circus motifs) but I think that's more aesthetic than anything else. Breath and Blood is the conflict between the worldly and the divine, the grounded and the free.

Mollymauk Tealeaf is terrified that one day he's going to wake up and be Lucien. Because he doesn't want to have those connections, he doesn't want to be stuck in this body, he wants to change and grow and escape.

Princes are one of the two Noble Classes, and they destroy their Aspect / using their aspect, while ghosting the inverse. Molly's breath aligned, flighty and chaotic and fun and free, and uses that to destroy connections, as well as to literally destroy using blood. Also, like, I am your King, Long may I Reign is huge Prince energy.

Molly I don't think ever fully inverts, but I do think he dances around it; I think his advice is, for the most part, shit, because giving advice is a Sylph of Breath thing. He's better at actually taking action, not just telling people what they should do, y'know?

The challenge of a prince is to not destroy themselves along their journey. Molly accepts his bonds to the Mighty Nein, and the doing of it kills him. A failure, but far from a disastrous one, although there's definitely still something reckless that's very princely to the whole Bloodhunter class.

For the other persons Tealeaf, I think they're all the same classpect (which I don't think Molly would especially like knowing). Lucien is much more about Destroying Blood - his entire plan is abandoning the physical to ascend to the spiritual. Kingsley, I'm less sure of, mostly because we haven't seen enough, but I think that it still fits; he's got a lot of the similar arcs, and is definitely very Breath oriented.

Yasha: Maid of Hope

So, there's a very fun Light/Void read on Yasha - Void for her being quiet/in the background/constantly leaving, then Light for her true, divine self. (Light is also the Lesbians aspect, notably. Yes, I gave it to Caleb. No, this doesn't mean anything). I think there's a fun take here, but it's not quite where I want to go.

Instead, I'm looking at Hope/Rage.

Rage is a pretty obvious get for the barbarian, but it's less anger and more chaos, skepticism, defiance, vs Hope's optimism and inspiration. As an aasimar, Yasha feels like she's inherently a hero of Hope, but in this reading, she's spent all of her time since she was a child and first fell to the Rumblecusp arc inverted as a Hero of Rage.

While Angels are a hope symbol in general, I think especially it tracks for one of the Fairy/Create classes inverting to the Noble/Destroy classes. I can't imagine Yasha ever being a Sylph, so instead, we're looking at Maid of Hope, with it's inverse Bard of Rage.

Bard of Rage is a very barbarian classpect - it's what I gave Grog! - where Rage builds up and becomes used to destroy. When Yasha is fallen, she's very destructive, and her fallen aasimar abilities are very Rage. But, as this is an inversion, it's not stable.

So, who is Yasha, Maid of Hope?

Well, to start off, the Maid of Hope is epitome of life and inspiration - Obann has chosen her for her unkillable nature as a Zealot barbarian, and I'd argue this is the Maid of Hope at work.

Maids start out kind of as doormats; a Maid of Hope relies on other as to what to believe in. This tracks for Yasha, who's pretty gullible (see: like any Nott/Yasha interaction) and in general easily manipulated; this ties in to both the Skyspear and Obann pushing her towards that Bard of Rage inversion (although it still being important she's Hope at her core, for the Zealot barb powers for Obann and because she's the future leader for Skyspear).

Maids, however, rise to their power, they decide what to do, what to believe, and gain confidence in themselves, earning their power. Yasha in Rumblecusp arc really feels like this; she's decided what she wants to be, and ascends on wings of light.

Also something something Yasha's ideal life is being a housewife, not a warrior. Yeah, it's not that kind of Maid, but you know what I mean.

Caduceus: Sylph of Time

Class wise, Caduceus is the easiest of anyone - he's such a Sylph! Sylph are the most passive of the classes, the most healer, and, most importantly, the ones who give the most advice! Boy do Sylphs love to talk! They both heal their aspect and heal with it, and grow their aspect from seeds. Lots of plant imagery, which fits lives in the woods Clay.

Caduceus' main aesthetic is, far and away, death. He's the keeper of graves, after all. He's also got a lot of thoughts about fate and destiny. Now, these aspects are ones I used on Vax to associate with Doom, but for Cad, I think these are Time.

Time's the most active, and the most destructive, and personality wise doesn't track super well with the more patient Cad, but I think a lot of that is Sylph. He's not super space-y either, while he does have a plant association, he's not who I really class as creative, and I also really don't think he's impartial. The more you dig into Time, especially a calmer Time, the more it fits Cad - empathic, relentless problem solver, defensive, etc.

As Sylph of Time, Caduceus heals using his aspect - in this case, I'd argue, Destiny. His main work is with Fjord, fixing his path and destiny, and to a lesser extent, Caleb, pushing him away from his darker timelines, and, literally, the time manipulation plan. He also heals via death, which tracks with his decay/rot vibe, as well as healing Death itself, being the gardener tending a graveyard.

We don't tend to see much as to what Sylphs need to improve, because Sylphs are pretty stubborn and think they know best. Arguably, they need to accept that they don't, and that their meddling in other peoples lives isn't always helpful. Caduceus never learns this lesson, nor do I think he ever will, because everyone is too fucked up to even consider calling him on any of his bullshit. The only one who I think ever came close is Caleb, and hsi path was always to just sit there, nod, and ignore it.

(Before anyone asks me, Caduceus is helpful, but he also, definitely, doesn't always know what he's talking about. I love his one liners, but he has a narrow view of the world. Like, literally every single one of Taliesin's charaters has this same tick, a very strong and well developed and fundamentally flawed way of viewing the world; Cad's is just flawed in ways that are helpful to the M9).

[riftwalker-limbro]

well apparently angst is in the air today and it bit me too so

i've always examined vince vs jay from his own perspective but what do pule and verica even think.

edit post-writing this: oh this is a hot pile of half-formatted brain vomit. click the read more at your own risk. my goal was to get my thoughts straight, and i did, and now this is a mess and i'm not fucking fixing it

pule did his grieving while he was still human, i think. he never did expect to see jay again, but once he remembers the worst period of his fucking life while sitting next to the two (well, 1.9) people who notable weren't there for it, it's... well, a shock is putting it lightly, i imagine. they know his name, they have the right vibes that, despite the fact he'd never felt them as human like he could now as a warframe with transference, just fit - mostly. not all of it is correct, but enough is, and the second he manages to ask if it's jay, he gets swiftly but gently corrected, that, well, yes, but also it's vince now.

once he finds out Why it's vince now, pule struggles hard with being confronted with the walking, breathing truth of accidentally getting his best friend actually killed for a while still. part of the grieving process gets reset entirely, and as friend fashion show has pointed out so excellently, it does do pule a lot of good to hang out a lot with others (bruiser, notably) that he doesn't have a painful shared past with. the threads he dropped with jay are easy to pick back up with vince, though: sharing old jokes and making new ones referencing stuff only they know, ways of thinking that are still almost identical after years of close friendship, etc. they grew together for a significant formative period of their lives, and that still affects just how suited to be each other's friend they are.

verica has a more complex headspace around this. she actively searched for him, knowing that he hadn't died but instead had become a warframe, even though he stopped pinging on the orokin radars even before she got apprehended and warframe'd herself. there's such a huge chance that he's dead, but dammit, if anyone can do the impossible, it should be the mathematician who'd managed to put a pencil into a pocket dimension between solid reality & the poisonous void. and she's... partially right.

when she wakes up on kelth's orbiter, she's going to think the idiot before her is jay. he'd done it, he'd managed to come back from the dead, and found her scattered clues. and, well, we know it isn't really jay anymore. he doesn't even confess the whole thing, at first - he just says, well, i go by vince now. and she rolls with it completely because why wouldn't she. it's only when the cracks start to show, both in his behaviour and in one certain scene between the three of them that i'm sure i'll die two and a half times while writing before i'll get it just right, that she actually realises that Nope, Not Jay. Not Like That Anymore.

she struggles with even just accepting it in her head, at first - he's so much like jay, pinging Correct in so many little ways, but he's Not, calling him by that name hurts him, and thinking of him as jay is wrong for the person vince is now. she goes through the period of grief she hadn't allowed herself even before everything.

and now, all three of them are in the same space, grieving the shit that happened to them, that one of them had to die, but at least they now have each other again. for reasons mentioned before, bonds with vince are built up extremely fast, and they quickly get to the same level of friendship they were at with jay. they go beyond, even - vince needs them more than jay did, even if he might not want to phrase it like that to not force them into anything, but they respond to it in kind. one of the consequences of the way warframes are fundamentally changed, made more rigid and less flexible, from humans in my lore makes it so that they will seek out familiarity at ridiculous costs. removing the memories from fresh frames was a fix for that by the orokin, but you can't just make something Rigid/Inflexible, apply a Change, and expect it to not eventually pop back into its original shape like memory foam.

pule & verica is also an interesting initial dynamic, i think. pule feels guilty for, well, everything - he's still under the impression that he'd gotten ghosted for life, and the fact that the warframe he'd been glaring at from the corner of his eyes, the one that had looked way too much like the recently-vanished artist octavia to be anything like a respectful tribute, had actually been her all along and he hadn't even bothered to look into it- he does struggle with it. of her own part, verica's shocked to see him at all, didn't realise that he'd whole ass up and volunteer for the program if she also disappeared, didn't realise that sitting down and letting herself grieve with him had also been an option. i imagine she does also initially carry some guilt over this, though she gets over hers significantly faster than pule does, both because it's just Less Significant Levels of Guilt & because she's just way more prone to Alright Oops Let's Move On than he is (hi. musician who's been in public about it here. making mistakes & moving on like nothing happened is a Necessary & Learned Skill. show must go on & all that)

i think pule would initially expect her to be hostile towards him, after he gets over the shock of "holy shit you're a warframe too? holy shit you're That Warframe? i was never ghosted on purpose??". but 1. even if she did have the right to get hostile, which she knows she doesn't, it wouldn't do anything, and 2. buddy friend we're still here after everything why would i be mad about getting this second chance at life. i've already lost my other friends and family and everything from that life, just let me hang on to you and this other idiot with all the strength left in me.

anyway, that's how the three of them become inseparable on an almost-physical level. a true triad. they get a shared bedroom and sleep together in a pile and everything. you'll find out

[this-is-a-name-dont-worry]

Chapter 7 opens with Lucy's funeral. Mina and Arthur comfort Lucy's mom. Mina sees many people she doesn't know, until! Jonathan!! They go for a walk, where Mina tells Jonathan about Lucy's sudden illness, and Jonathan tells Mina about all that happened to him. Also he escaped because Skinski is weak as shit so he pushed him and ran for his life.

Mina and Jonathan both thought they lost their mind, but thanks to the power of communication, they know they didn't!

Back to the Westenra's domain, Arthur is alone tk comfort Lucy's mom. Arthur wants to see Lucy at the cemetery, Lucy's mom doesn't, so Mina stays with her there, Jonathan and Arthur going to visit Lucy.

At the cemetery they see a non human looking woman, and Jonathan recognizes something similar to Darc, so he throws stones at it, without success. Arthur calls him, the creature was feeding on Swales! Swales is like "don't save me, I'm gonna die. Know this: there's a new vampire at Whitby, and young ladies in age to be wed? He doesn't kill them, no, he turns them into vampires too! Poor miss Lucy...that was her right now btw." Swales dies to close this chapter.

Chapter 8, Arthur recognizes he messed up in refusing to accept Lucy was sick.

The trio goes to the cemetery, and they see Seward who took out of the tomb Lucy's casket. Seward can't believe it, that Van Helsing guy was right about vampires. He opens the coffin so they can check, and yup, Lucy's a vampire. Seward says the book Van Helsing wrote gave a way to fix the vampire problem: pierce the heart with a knife rubbed in garlic. Arthur is like "I'll do it" and the scene is awful to watch for everyone. It works. Lucy is saved, Mina faints. Arthur tells goodbye to Lucy, meanwhile Seward goes to help Jonathan with Mina, who is.. convulsing. Jonathan is like "Oh god that was too much for her!" Seward is like "No wait let me check her neck... ok there's nothing" Mina is like "Actually it's been two days I've been growing weak and having nightmares that shows me things that both disgusts and attracts me. I'm fighting against something I don't know..."

So Mina was bitten, but Drac was sneakier that time, biting at her skull, in her hair. Garlic hurts her. Mina doesn't need explanation to understand what happened.

In chapter 9, the group goes to fight against Dracula in his Whitby home. The boys want Mina to go back to Whitby, Mina says "no fuck you I'm coming too. It'll be easy, right? It's day and we know how to kill that bitch, let's go".

Unfortunately, night falls. Jonathan is goad that Mina is with them, at least. I mean, imagine letting her alone and out of the loop when there's a predator who'd like to attack her, amaright?

Arthur makes the plan: they'll find Dracula, and all four will jump on him. In the stairway, Jonathan stays behind, having an idea in mind. He knocks on the door behind which Drac obviously is, and Drac opens it, acting as if nothing happened.

Jonathan in fact did not have a plan, he just wanted to be a lil hater in Dracula's face. Dracula laughs, asking if Jonathan is aware that he's deep in the shit now, and Jonathan claims his love for Mina. He's all "You won't bring Mina to your hell, I'd rather die! And even if you couldn't be deserving of it, Mina and I would." Basically "You were so shitty death didn't want you, but Mina and I would stay dead because we're better than you". Dracula laughs, and makes an offer to Jonathan: they'll go together at the top of the castle, and jump; Dracula will catch Jonathan and brings him down to Mina, leaving her alone, and in return, Jonathan will never tell a soul about the vampire thing. Jonathan smells bullshit, that's just a bad trap, but accepts it, because he realised that it's an opportunity to kill Dracula. Indeed, at the top of the stairs, Arthur jumps on Dracula... and Dracula blocks him. A short fight happens, where all three guys are easily beaten, and Dracula catches Jonathan, ready to throws him in the void... but he gets stabbed, release Jonathan, and HE falls to the void. Mina killed him.

She and Jonathan confesses, the end.