#yes everyone and their mother draws this scene

[annimir]

They are my life now. All the characters are the love of my life, and I’m yearning for a place that doesn’t exist. If you even care.

[aquickstart]

i need to talk to you guys about the colors of the Cattons (Felix specifically) and Oliver. the clothes they are wearing are telling the story of Oliver taking over and leaving his mark throughout the whole movie, with Oliver's failures and successes and a final triumph. holy shit. get in. this is long and ends in ancient greek culture trivia. let;s talk please.

disclaimer: am starting from Oliver's arrival at Saltburn. before that the outfits are also very intentional, but it's a lot more complicated and it has been discussed before. the world distorts once we are at Saltburn and the story gets truly gothic there, and every detail—including color!—is enhanced in meaning. also, special thanks to @kivlaro for doing this with me, the thoughts on this specifically and the Saltburn craze on the whole. pics and detailed analysis under the cut!

let's start from the beginning. here is Oliver at the door. simple, blue shirt.

the shirt is sort of its own character. logically it makes sense as Oliver's suitcase is small and he spends the whole summer there, of course he'll rewear stuff a bunch. but it is blue.

in contrast to Felix, in yellow. yellow is one of Felix's colors (he is the sun, which i've talked about here btw, so this makes sense).

same to Pamela, in blue. first time we see her, she is next to Elspeth, wearing the color that is Oliver's, taking the place that he takes right away, in this very scene. the only other time she is physically present on screen is at dinner, in black and white, and black and white are a blank slate. she is stripped of color and gone very fast.

a bit of crucial data for later: Oliver, in blue, and Felix in pink. pink is very important on Felix. this is their first morning together. they are separate and opposite, solid, contained.

where it starts to get good is the morning after the vampire strike.

Venetia is a Felix extension, just as everyone in the house is to Oliver. i will eventually rant about Saltburn as a whole entity and Cattons as aspects of one self, and Oliver as psychosis, but not here. so, yes, Venetia is a pink riot, a euphoria of self-containment because Oliver gave her a piece of something she felt she lacked to feel whole (validation, attention, care), not a piece of blue, of himself. Oliver is expectedly solid blue. Felix is incredibly interesting and something i didn't pay much attention to at first: predominantly blue, incredibly upset at Oliver for ditching him, with a tile of bright red (on the left! close to heart! over-reaching here but like still!), which still tracks. i mean, really, if i had so much foreign color bleed into me and then abandoned, i'd be pissed, too. nice little touch is sir James' beloved hydrangeas, behind Felix, also pink, very pink, always pink; i don't think i've seen them blue in the movie, although the sort exists.

Farleigh. sweet baby Farleigh i love you. I'm not dead-set on my interpretation of this specifically but i think multiple things are happening with Oliver and Farleigh here. like Rent, which is their song, blue is their color of outsiders and the triers to fit in. Farleigh points out the favoritism and preference of Oliver to him and his mother here, so it may also be appropriation of color to draw attention to Farleigh as almost (but never quite) Oliver. it may also be as simple as that Farleigh, as much as he denies and resists, still retains Oliver's influence, which bleeds into him very slowly.

a nice little moment of Felix wearing blue swim shorts with just tiny specks of a pink pattern. Oliver's shorts also have a bit of pink, but less than Felix's. Oliver is pretty good at remaining unaffected and uninfluenced overall.

and we're getting to where it all clicked and started for me. the Quick family house, the failed reconciliation, and the immediate aftermath. oh it's so good.

on the drive there, Oliver is blue, Felix has a pink polo shirt with a solid blue pullover over it. this is the most blue Felix has ever been (this is the most blue he will ever be!), this is trust. however shaky and toxic it is, Felix loves Oliver and accepts him into his world. as a side note, Oliver's parents are also very blue, mom more so than dad. nice!

and then it crashes. immediately after, it's the evening of the same day, but Felix is not wearing the blue pullover anymore. this is very, very important. this is rejection. it's the end for Oliver in Felix's world and with his trust. Felix, again, in solid pink, Oliver in solid blue. Felix successfully rips him out with the roots and everything. ouch.

daddy. sorry. is that highlighter? sweat? fuck. let me- daddy. SORRY

no i actually have a point about this.

the clothes are replaced by the lights, but we roll with it. Oliver basks in the blue-green light, while Felix is on the other side, in pink and purple and red. sure, blue shines through, and Oliver also walks through the slashes of pink, but it is mostly pretty separate, Oliver watching Felix's pink in his own blue from a distance.

the morning after palette is deep. the wine color that is so prominent in these scenes is fascinating to me. if i were to over-reach again i'd say it's the Oliver in Felix's attributes and in his place that requires the robe to be so dark, not usual definite pink, because deep blue has leaked into the color itself, mixed with it, made itself integral to the shade. but it's also just a nice color, and it is pink in its core. the flowers (with sir James in the background) i think are also this specific shade for the same reason. you look at what remains of Felix everywhere here, and it is his color.

and finally oh the lunch scene. the last supper. the judgement day. the who's afraid of virginia woolf madness.

i think we've established what's up with Oliver, but i also think it's important that he is his own color at lunch but in Felix's pink/wine right before and after. lunch is where he attacks, whereas before and after is where he grieves and enjoys. Farleigh is almost completely blue save for a strip of the same deep pink, and he is soon cast out, and Venetia is striped, blue and pink/salmon, affected deeply by Oliver yet still clinging on to the Catton pink with grief, probably, but also love for Felix.

and after all this, Oliver leaves himself.

no, like, actually, literally himself. sure, he'd got a taste of the Cattons and the pink, but he is a monolith, a solid blue when he leaves Saltburn. he has not been affected by the house, he has taken what he wanted but stayed true and whole. what a power move, honestly.

but it's an even bigger deal that 16 years later, Elspeth runs into Oliver wearing all white and a blue scarf. oh, she's not let this go, alright; it was a long time ago, "but not to me," she says. What Oliver has been up to in that time is a great question, without a doubt he's been keeping tabs on the remaining family as much as he could; but Elspeth has never moved on, either. She has held on to Oliver's blue and the pink is not important at all now. Oliver, of course, is invariably, unwaveringly blue. welcome back to his show.

and welcome back to his triumph.

the only color (except for, again, white and black) we see him wear in the flashback about Saltburn inheritance is the all-too familiar deep pink. wine. bright pink mixed with deep blue.

now i will take a liberty and step back, over-reach, over-interpret and go insane. here's a fun bit on ancient greek culture trivia for you.

this is an interesting and complicated historiographical and linguistic debate that i will not even attempt to relay here, but the essence of it is this: for us, the sea is conventionally deep blue. historically, one of the most prominent civilizations considered "deep wine" to be the descriptor for it (not necessarily the color but the property. highly rec to look this up it's so fascinating). what it gives me here is that Oliver has changed color, but not his self. he has integrated, mixed, but persisted, completely winning over, triumphing. long live the king!

in conclusion, i would just like to propose "colors" by halsey as the next cattonquick anthem. thank you for your attention, please let me know your thoughts. yours, yes, you. cheers. god. peace out

[2xxelaa9]

Vi deserves none of the hate people give her and I'll die on that hill.

"She created Powder's trauma and abandoned her". No she didn't ? Did we watch the same show ? If anyone, Mylo made Powder feel like she was worthless, Vi had always lifted her up, she just asked her to stay behind that one day because she didn't want to lose her, which is super legit ? If she had brought Powder, everything could have turned out the same and everyone would have been like "it was so wrong for her to bring her very young sister in this". Like ??

And then she blames Powder for what happened but immediately regrets it and just walks a few meters to cool off. Yes, she snapped, but nobody's perfect, and she was just a child ? Why would anyone expect her to act as a grown and mature adult ? She had just lost everyone and lost her shit for maybe one minute and that's it. When she saw that her sister was in danger, she immediately went back for her but was stopped by Marcus. And she then ended up in jail, at maybe 15 years old, getting the shit beaten out of her for 7 years while thinking that everyone she ever cared about was dead. She is as traumatized and Jinx is. They just don't manifest it the same way. Let's not forget that during those 7 years, Jinx had a support system, Silco, someone to turn to even if everything was very far from perfect and that he was using her. She still had someone. Vi was alone, in a dark cell, getting beaten up every other day.

Until Caitlyn came and broke her out. The reason she accepted to talk to her was because Caitlyn showed her drawings that resembled her sister's !! She went with her to find Powder!! She even ditched Cait at the first occasion she got (in the brothel) to get the information from Sevika. And then the first occasion she got, she went to find her.

And then again, at the bridge, she left everyone to go find her sister, and went back for her friends because they were being blown up by Jinx's bombs. And then, Jinx lost it and fired that machine gun at her and Cait, and just then, it was the first time that Vi chose Caitlyn over Jinx in that moment. Because she had fired a damn machine gun at her. I mean, if my sister fired this at me, I'd probably run away too.

Then Vi's objective becomes to take down Silco to get her sister back from him (because one can argue that he was a nice and caring father figure, I still think that he was still using Jinx as a bomb maker, even if he cared for her. She was working for him.)

Next thing we know, Vi gets kidnapped by Jinx and spends the whole scene trying to convince her that she loves her deeply, she even suggests that they could run away far from Zaun and Piltover just the two of them and forget everyone else. It all goes down to shit when Caitlyn frees herself and starts threatening Jinx. Then Jinx kills Silco, nukes the Council, then probably disappears. And the only person she can hold on to is Caitlyn. Why ? Because since the beginning, Vi isn't interested in helping Cait find proof against Silco, she just wanted to find her sister. And despite Vi leaving, getting hurt and everything, Cait stayed besides her. She went to save her when Sevika stabbed her, she followed her when Vi ran after the blue smoke Jinx lit up in the sky, she tried to held her back in that "Oil and water" scene. So of course Vi stayed. Cait had proved her worth to her countless times. She even held back from killing Jinx (which had already committed terrorist actions, killed enforcers, firelights and probably many others).

Vi had nobody else to turn to. Literally. Everyone was dead, and Jinx had rejected her. And Caitlyn still didn't reject Vi, even after her sister killed her mother.

Of course Vi was going to stay by Caitlyn's side. It was the only person somehow caring for her. Even acknowledging her existence.

"But she became an enforcer and it was against everything she stood for". Again, have we all seen the same show ? Vi disagreed to Caitlyn's proposition. It was when Maddie met her that she told her she was "happy that she joined the enforcers". Caitlyn had enlisted her and didn't leave Vi a choice in that. Vi went along because she trusted Caitlyn and she only ever fought in Caitlyn's team. Vi was ready to let Cait end Jinx, because for her, Everything good in her sister was gone. There was nothing else to save. But when she saw Isha, it was not just her wanting to save the child, but also a part of her seeing Powder again. She saw that her sister was still capable of love and compassion. So she stopped Caitlyn.

And then Caitlyn hit her and left her. Again. At this point, everyone in the show had abandoned her. she was all alone, except for Loris who eventually also gave up on her.

Then Jinx went to find her again to save Vander. Then Vi started to gain hope again. Making plans with Jinx for the future. "Maybe we could stay here, help them out". Then shit went down again and Isha died (note : Vi's first reflex was to save her sister in that moment). Then Jinx surrendered, Cait locked her up and Vi went to free her sister. Who then proceeded to leave her again, hitting her in the spot that hurt her the most (both physically and emotionally). Let's note that in that scene, Vi called her "Jinx" and not Powder. It proved her that she loved her for who she was now. She loved Jinx.

Vi had again lost everything. She even thought she had lost Caitlyn by going against her orders again. She was even left alone in that cell, locked up, with no one she cared about, expecting another beating from life. She had come back to the point zero of everything. The concrete cell, the loneliness, the feeling of having failed everyhting and everyone.

But Caitlyn walked in and let her know that she had helped her free Jinx. That she trusted her enough to leave her desire for justice and revenge behind her because she knew how much Vi cared for her sister. And that was the first time in the whole show that anyone had made something for Vi. Hell, it must have been the first time in the show Vi might have felt loved. Like, think about it. Vi then let herself have one moment with Caitlyn, because she had started to become tired of being rejected and hurt by everyone. She had one single moment. And everyone blames her for that and says she's a terrible sister, when it's clearly not the case and has never been.

Time for the war. They fight. Then Vi sees Vander. Her first reflex is to try and save him again. Because she just loves her family so deeply she can't actually help it. And then Jinx sacrifices herself to save Vi. Have you really heard Vi's scream ? It's the most devastating sound and scream that we ever heard on this show. It even echoed louder than the actual explosion. Vi loved her sister so so so much.

With all that, I don't get how people can hate her. She just suffered so so much throughout the show. She is just a little love ball that constantly gets kicked by everyone. She did deserve that somewhat happy ending. I'm so tired of seeing Vi slander.

Also, props to the writers for breaking the doomed lesbian cycle. For once we got a win. Hurray !

[buggachat]

So, this is very important. Emilie or Amelie?

(Answer: Amelie. But seriously, I'm getting ahead of myself, let's talk about it.)

This is kind of a long post. If you don't want to read all of my ramblings, feel free to skip to the final point. That's the important one.

A mysterious woman who is clearly one of the two Graham de Vanily twins was in attendance of the party at the end of the episode. But is she Emilie (Adrien's dead mom, revived by Gabriel's wish) or Amelie (Adrien's already alive aunt)?

Here's the thing. The answer to this question is actually extremely important. Emilie being alive would be a HUGE deal and would have extreme consequences on the narrative and themes of the show.

Seriously. We need to know whether or not Emilie is alive. So, let's discuss— what do we know?

1. Amelie should be at this party.

Seriously. Amelie would be at Adrien's party.

You know who is in attendance at Adrien's party? Not just his friends, but also adults in his life. Nathalie. Su-Han. Jagged Stone. Penny Rolling.

You know what Penny Rolling's relationship is to Adrien? She's the manager/new girlfriend of his friend Luka's recently-undeadbeated-dad. And she was invited to Adrien's party.

Seriously. This is a party of any significant character. Everyone and their mother was invited and— hey wait, where's Félix's mother? Félix is here, and certainly our favorite mommy's boy would invite his mother along. Surely Adrien's aunt would be invited to Adrien's party.

You know, Amelie's aunt, who had a not insignificant arc in the story? A family member to the Agrestes, who we've seen struggle, who would well deserve a shot of her smiling at a party at the finale?

Amelie, who had some unresolved tension with Nathalie, centered around their respective relationships with Gabriel? Tension that would likely be rectified after Gabriel's demise?

Not only would Amelie be at this party, but I absolutely believe she would be sitting next to Nathalie. (I mean, they do know each other. Who else at that party does Amelie even know?)

If that's not Amelie, then where is she?

Oh, and side note, what was the shot just before the shot of the mysterious woman? Oh, that's right. Amelie's son.

2. She only appears for a brief flash, given no more significance than any other character in attendance.

There's a reason why everyone is using the same shot of the mysterious woman when discussing her. That is the only shot of her. There are more shots of Penny Rolling than of her.

Here's the thing. Either Emilie is alive in this final scene, or she isn't. So, how would you expect this scene to play for these circumstances?

Here is a complete list of everything I would expect if Emilie were not alive:

A brief shot of Amelie.

Here is an incomplete list of some of the things I would expect from a "Emilie, the mother of the deuteragonist and ghost that has been haunting the narrative for 5 Seasons, is alive now" reveal, at the bare minimum:

A shot that lingers on Emilie.

Emilie, seated with Nathalie AND HER TWIN SISTER.

A shot of Emilie opening her eyes during Gabriel's wish.

The newscast, which they watch during the party, having a mention of "... and Parisians are still celebrating the rescue of Emilie Agreste, who was previously missing but recently found!"

Adrien literally acknowledging that his dead mother is suddenly alive at all? AT ALL? Looking at her, mentioning her, literally ANYTHING from him? I mean, seriously, what did he think happened—

3. Adrien's perception of his mother's reappearance would need to be addressed. It was not.

Adrien does not know the wish was cast.

Adrien does not know anything.

Here's the thing. While, yes, Emilie has been described as "missing"/"disappeared" in the show, it is absolutely clear to the audience that Adrien has been under the impression that Emilie is dead.

We know this from the painting in the foyer that depicts Gabriel and Adrien in mourning. We know this from the way that Adrien (correctly) draws the conclusion that "Nathalie has the same illness as my mother, therefore she is dying". We know this from the way that Adrien speaks about his mother in past tense, how he encourages his father to move on and date Nathalie, how he has never once in the show seemed to be under the impression that Emilie could come back.

So, if Emilie suddenly came back........... someone would need to explain it to Adrien. He would need to be fed another lie about it. We would need to be made privy as to what he believes happened.

Examples of how this could have been easily achieved:

Again, the newscast. Nadja acknowledging that the missing Emilie Agreste had been found. Maybe mentioning that "she was found being held captive by Monarch" or something. I dunno, whatever lie that works.

Adrien, during his conversation with Marinette, mentioning what happened to Emilie from his perspective, the same way he vocalized to her what his perception of Gabriel's death was. I mean, seriously, Adrien was already doing this expositional dialogue... why wouldn't he mention his mom during it?

4. Leaked production material does not change the final product.

Yes, scripts were leaked of this season. There are deleted scenes in the storyboards. There are script changes and allusions to certain things and mentions here and there in these materials that suggest that the mysterious woman could have, at some point in production, been Emilie.

... at some point in production.

So, here's the thing. This is the most solid Emilie argument we have. In fact, I'd argue it's the only argument that holds any real ground at all. .......... and it's in content that we aren't supposed to have.

( Actually, it's the only real Emilie argument I've seen... period. The only other one I've seen is the fact her statue is gone, but I'd argue that the removal of her statue has symbolic weight no matter what. It was a symbol of Gabriel's obsession over her, the way that she haunts the narrative, the way she looms over the Agreste household. Alive or not, this is not the case anymore. So it makes sense to remove it. )

If your interpretation of the source material is solely, and I mean SOLELY based off of out-of-context snippets of things that were in the writer's room Vaguely At Some Point, things that now directly contradict the final product, things that the audience was absolutely under no circumstances meant to see...

You're not interpreting the episode. You're interpreting out-of-context snippets of a rough draft of it.

So, here's the thing. I've seen some of these leaks, I've seen a lot of people talk about these leaks, I've seen the rumors and I've heard the gossip. I'm not going to parrot it, because honestly, I'm still annoyed that the leaks exist at all. It feels a bit insulting to the art form, tbh, that incomplete scripts are being passed around and touted as significant and more accurate than the actual completed script.

But I'll say one thing:

If the rough drafts of scripts, deleted scenes, etc pointed to Emilie being alive.......

Why did they remove them?

(The answer is simple: because they changed their minds. And you don't have to stress about or mull over why they did it, because you were never supposed to know that it was changed, because you were never supposed to know about out-of-context rough drafts of the script in the first place. It doesn't matter. It's not the product. Writers are allowed to toss around ideas and scripts and then change them. It's unimportant and you're not supposed to be privy to it. It's not for you. It's not what they made. It's certainly not more accurate to the direction they're headed than what they settled on. )

Point is:

IF THE LEAKS DIDN'T EXIST, YOU WOULDN'T BE CONFUSED.

YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO SEE THE LEAKS.

YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE CONFUSED.

5. So, Astruc on twitter.

Okay, I love perusing Astruc's twitter for snippets of information as much as the next obsessive miraculous fan. I have perused his twitter a lot. Astruc always addresses comments and concerns under like 20 layers of coyness.

People ask him, "is it Emilie or Amelie"? And basically, every time, he responds with some variation on "pay attention and you'll know".

He's been shooting down people presenting the clues they find to him, on both sides of the argument. Some examples (which include the Amelie wearing black and Emilie wearing white thing):

So, what does this mean, beyond the already known fact that Astruc likes to mess with us?

Obviously, I'm not Astruc. I don't know his mind. I also don't have much of vested interest in dissecting everything he says, nor do I take his word at face value a lot of the time (again, he likes to mess with us).

However, I think two things are fairly clear here:

It IS possible to know whether or not Emilie was revived by watching the episode.

It's not the small details he wants us to look at. Admittedly, color schemes and set dressings are small details. It's not the big picture. It's not important. It's not the heart of what he, or any writer in his position, would want us to interpret.

( Side note, but if nearly every single Emilie argument is based off of things NOT ACTUALLY IN THE EPISODE, then doesn't Astruc saying the answer is in the episode shoot that down right off the bat? But hey! I digress. )

So, what is the big picture? What are the things that writers are truly proud of? What is the thing that a writer would want us to pay attention to? What are the details of the show that can help point us to what transpired in the episode? What—

6. The WRITING of the ENTIRE SERIES, INCLUDING within THIS VERY episode, the dialogue, the themes, the character beats, the symbolism— Literally. All of it. Points to Emilie. STAYING. DEAD.

This is actually the heart of my point.

Emilie absolutely was not revived here.

Here's the thing. The themes of grief and loss and mourning are extremely present within the Agreste arc. Throughout the entire series, the following has been hammered in by the writing:

Gabriel is obsessive for wanting to bring Emilie back. His desires are not healthy or sound. He is delusional. He is hurting Adrien and Nathalie by living in this fantasy.

Gabriel should have moved on.

Nathalie wants to move on.

Adrien has already moved on.

EMILIE HERSELF wanted them all to move on.

Emilie is a nearly angelic figure. Adrien is literally the deuteragonist of the series. Nathalie is a morally grey character with a clear redemption arc. Gabriel is the antagonist.

The "better" the character is, the more certain they are that Emilie should not be revived.

The CORRECT choice, if Gabriel and Nathalie chose the "right" path from the start, would have been for Gabriel and Nathalie to focus on parenting Adrien themselves, instead of obsessing over bringing a dead woman who has already come to terms with her death back to life. That's what Emilie wanted. That's what Adrien wants. That's what Nathalie has wanted but was too afraid to say. That's what Gabriel refuses to accept.

Look, if I go in depth into the scenes where this is addressed, I'd be here all day. Instead, have a screenshot compilation, I guess.

Again. That's been a core message of the series this entire time. And while I don't have screenshots of it being spoken so plainly in seasons 1 and 2, Gabriel has always been depicted as sinister, and his obsession has always been framed in the wrong.

Now, if you're one of those people who refuse to analyze the text at all or interpret what the messages of the show are on the grounds of "the writing sucks so who cares, it's probably just inconsistent writing and they forgot about the themes in the final episode" or whatever, then like. Ok. But here's the thing— this theme is even more hammered home in the finale.

Guys. I'm serious. What the hell do you think the scene before the wish was saying?

Gabriel, at his lowest moment, brought down. Gabriel, detransformed and on his knees before Bug Noir. Gabriel, at the final hour of his life, near tears, still obsessing over his wife, still thinking of his wife his wife his wife above all else, as Bug Noir lays out the literal themes of the show to him in all their beautiful glory.

And then literally forces him to watch the very videos that he had tried to force Nathalie to delete. Forces him to face the very words he refused to acknowledge. Forces him, at his lowest, to come face-to-face with the truth he denied.

.... And it hits him. What she's saying hits him. Because how can he deny Emilie's own words? The very woman he's doing it all for? How can he bring her back to life when she would want nothing less? How can he force the love of his life to live knowing that someone had died for her to, when she didn't want that? How could he have lost himself so much in the madness?

And then Bug Noir comes in with THIS

.... And Gabriel says....

.... Note that, he does not continue to deny it. He does not plead his case that Emilie should be alive. He is no longer arguing that. Here, he has seemingly begun to accept the premise that Emilie should not be brought back to life. Instead, he has a new premise:

He does not want to be alive if Emilie is not.

Gabriel is not selfless. Gabriel is not a good man. Gabriel says, earlier in the episode, flat out, that he is more than willing to kill whoever it takes, whatever rando he wants, to get what he wants.

Here's the thing.

Gabriel wants to be with Emilie.

Gabriel is willing to kill anyone, whoever it takes, to make this happen.

Gabriel realizes Emilie does not want to be alive.

Gabriel decides that he will honor Emilie's final wish......... only partially.

Because Emilie wanted both Gabriel and Nathalie to take care of Adrien. But Gabriel does not want that. It's not that Gabriel is above killing someone to save his own life, it's that he realizes that he, too, does not want to be saved. Because he does not want to live in a world without Emilie.

He would rather be dead, with her, than alive and caring for his own son.

Gabriel Agreste's wish is a suicide. I mean, we already knew this— but I mean, literally. It's not a selfless sacrifice. It's not one final act of goodness. It's a suicide. He decides he wants to die, and he decides that he will save Nathalie in the act— because it's what Emilie wanted, and Gabriel is obsessive. The only person who would reason with him is Emilie herself.

And what does Gabriel's wish look like? How is it depicted to us?

Gabriel and Emilie, cast in a white light. Emilie lifts from her coffin, notably still limp, as Gabriel rises up with her.

He rises up with her, notably supporting her limp head with his hand. She is still unconscious. And he is joining her.

One last selfish act. The final nail into his "trying to be a dad" coffin. He doesn't want to be a dad anymore. He only wants to be with Emilie. And he will gladly pass that responsibility, the responsibility of parentage, onto Nathalie— The only character in the show who has been showing an explicit, vested interest in LIVING to take care of and be a parent to Adrien.

Nathalie is alive. Nathalie is well. A life for a life. One life for one life. That's all that's depicted. That's all that's shown.

Is it TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE that more could've been a part of that wish? Is it TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE that the wish could've been more complicated? Is it TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE that some random other person died? Is it TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE that all of that dialogue and that entire scene and the entire buildup of Emilie's recordings were just soooooo lol random and that Emilie just decided that she's totally cool with being revived and alive now and that the entire themes of the series were a lie?

I also think it's technically possible that Marinette has secretly been a hamster wearing a human suit this whole time, and Lila is actually secretly a sentimonster made by Gorilla. And maybe this show isn't a romance, actually, and that Adrien and Marinette aren't meant to be endgame. In fact, maybe the entire series was a big prank. Maybe I'm adopted and my parents lied to me about it.

But how it looks, from what I see, from what I've watched, what just happened is....

Gabriel accepted that Emilie is dead.

This made Gabriel want to die, too. Because he doesn't care about Adrien as much as he cares about Emilie.

So, he did. And he shirked parentage onto Nathalie.

Is this "winning", by the way? By any stretch? Is this "Gabriel getting what he always wanted"? Is this "Gabriel being proved right"? Is this a lack of consequences? Are we really going to call a broken man, who has been slowly turning to ash and rotting away for an entire season, who suffered and was beaten down and, at the very end, had the only people ever in his corner (Nathalie and Adrien) cursing his name and wanting him dead.... him being right all along? Is him committing suicide the series justifying his actions? Is him committing suicide (again, not a selfless sacrifice) him "doing good" and "being redeemed" by the narrative? Is a faux image of him, a false narrative, a complete fictional person that he never truly was being celebrated by ignorant Parisians, him "being redeemed"? I suppose that's another essay altogether. But I'm tired of writing.

also, there was still only one goddamn twin at that party

[blessedbyahuntress]

Sword Through the Heart

A/N: This is actually insane. I had so many mixed feelings while writing this (and yes, I woke up at two AM just to write this) and the last part is actually just so sad???? 😭😭😭

Pairing: Luke Castellan x Daughter!of!Demeter!Reader

Warnings: Angst, major character death, blood, and possibly some swearing??? I forgot

Word Count: 2.9k

(Before the events of The Lightning Thief)

You’d always loved your mother.

The kind and caring woman you knew to be Demeter was always looking out for you. She gave you your first weapon to protect yourself as your satyr guided you to Camp Half-Blood- two curved scimitars that gleamed in the sunlight and turned to two silver bracelets with gold pendants when you touched the hilts together. It was with these you killed your first monster.

It was your first week at camp, and your first time sleeping in Cabin Four; you’d been claimed during capture the flag that afternoon, after stealing your opponent’s flag all by yourself.

You replayed the scene in your head, holding a pillow close to your chest. There weren’t a lot of Demeter kids- your mother wasn’t really the social type- and that meant that the head councilor allowed two beds to be shoved together for extra slumbering space. Unfortunately you couldn’t sleep.

You wandered around the border, helmet tucked under your arm. To everyone you were just another kid to place at random and use as a distraction. No one really expected anything of you. 

And you used that to your advantage.

You knelt close to the ground, brushing your fingertips against the moss. You seemed to draw strength from the plant.

There was a screech from the other side of the boundary, and you winced. It sounded like the Hephaestus kids caught a Stoll brother in their traps.

You narrowed your eyes at the river. The stones normally used to cross it were farther away than you had time to run to, so instead you followed your instincts. You dipped a foot into the water, but your combat boot didn’t stay wet for long; the reeds that grew at the bottom of the riverbed reached toward the surface and lifted you up with them. 

You hopped onto the other side of the border. You paused only for a moment, looking behind you as you left your designated area. 

“They won’t miss me,” you murmured to yourself before taking off.

But someone had watched your disappearance. Luke was furious of course- he didn’t like it when people strayed from their posts- yet he also felt a little impressed.

He would follow you, but only from a distance. 

The wind ran its cold fingers through your hair, and you nearly laughed with delight before remembering that you were in your opponents territory. 

Heart still beating fast, you slowed to a walk. The Hephaestus cabin surely had traps set everywhere, so you narrowed your eyes at anything suspicious and avoided it. 

And then you reached Zeus’s fist. A couple of Aphrodite and Apollo kids were supposed to be guarding it, but they were mainly just flirting with each other. You rolled your eyes as you heard a few cheesy pickup lines getting tossed around. 

You quietly touched the gold pendants together, your two deadly-looking scimitars springing into existence only a moment later.

An Apollo kid, one that was actually paying attention, seemed to tense. He aimed his bow in your general direction and shot. 

You watched the arrow sail above your head. 

You rose from where you had been crouching. “Is that all you got?” You asked teasingly, eyebrows raised. 

“No,” came the muttered reply of the Apollo boy. He notched another arrow.

You lunged into battle, scimitars moving so fast, they had to have a mind of their own. Arrows came from every direction, but the only one that touched you only cut a slit in your jeans. 

You started with the Aphrodite kids, planting a foot in one of their stomach’s before whirling around to sweep a leg out from under another girl. A boy came at you, dagger raised, but you could tell he didn’t know how to use it. You gave him a pitying look as you disarmed him with one scimitar, the other cutting an arrow out of the air. 

You turned your attention to the Apollo kids, but growled in frustration when you realized they had retreated to a safer distance to shoot you from.

‘Screw it,’ you thought, touching the hilts of your scimitars together. You scrambled up the rocks, taking the flag just in time to block an arrow with it. 

You ran back toward the border. You could hear Apollo kids shouting for backup, but you didn’t glance back. There were probably so many Ares kids on your trail by then.

The river was in sight.

A spear soared past your ear. You concentrated, soaking your power into the ground. A tree branch a few feet ahead of you curled its leaves around the weapon, suspending it in place until you leaped up to grab it. 

You didn’t notice the glowing wheat symbol above your head.

Your little plant bridge was still there, but you had enough momentum to just jump across. 

You skidded to a stop, breathing heavily. You managed to raise the flag in triumph before promptly handing it to Luke, who seemed to materialize right beside you.

Your eyes locked for the tiniest of moments, and you felt a shock run through you. The Hermes boy cleared his throat, opening his mouth. “You-”

Whatever he was going to say, he didn’t get a chance to finish. 

The conch shell blew, signaling the end of the game. “Hail, Y/N L/N, Daughter of Demeter!” You heard Chiron boom before your vision had been overwhelmed by your siblings coming to welcome you and teammates going to congratulate you on winning the game.

Luke stood back, a small smile on his lips. You were far more outstanding than any of the Ares of Athena kids. 

You made up your own category, he decided. Y/N L/N’s were a different kind of amazing.

Before you knew it, the memory turned into a dream as you slipped peacefully into sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The second time you encountered Luke, you were holding a blade to his throat. 

You yelped as you realized who it was, dropping your hand almost immediately.

You had come out for a midnight stroll through the forest, not caring about the monsters who lurked in the shadows of the vegetation. As the new head counselor of the Demeter cabin, you had many new responsibilities, and could not afford stable duty if you accidentally decapitated the counselor of the Hermes cabin.

“Sorry,” you said roughly, offering your hand to him. Luke gladly accepted, dusting off his pants as he stood.

You turned and started to walk farther into the woods. 

“Wait!” 

You turned your head slightly, giving Luke a confused look. “What?” You asked.

He jogged to catch up with you, ducking a tree branch as you moved it out of your way with simply a command spoken in your mind. Luke would never tell you how cool he thought your powers were, instead aiming to be the same airy, confident, and cocky boy he was before you came into his life and stomped all over his ego.

“Why’re you out here this late?” Luke questioned, slowing to match your pace. 

You released a breath. “I had to get out of there for a second.”

“Ah.” Luke nodded with understanding. “Can’t stand your siblings? Or is it the responsibility?”

You sighed. “I could never hate my siblings,” you said quietly. “It’s just the pressure of having to be a role model.”

Luke’s mind tried to find a response.

“I’m just used to being in the shadows,” you continued. “Sometimes because I want to, other times because I’m just ignored.” You barked a laugh as you looked at the demigod walking beside you. The moonlight glinted in his eyes, and the only sign of a hard life was the scar running down the side of his face. “You never have a problem with that, I’m sure.”

“Oh?” Luke tilted his head. 

You wrinkled your nose. “I mean- yes, you have to deal with quests and being the camp’s ‘Golden Boy’, but do you understand the true art of being ignored? Do you understand what that can do to someone? ‘Cause I think you don’t.”

Luke kept his head tilted, as if actually considering your questions. You snorted before falling into a comfortable silence.

At least, comforting for you. Not for Luke. As much as he liked the quiet, he preferred getting to know you better.

“So…” He started. “What’s your favorite color?”

You stopped, turning to give him a look that clearly said, what the hell?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You settled next to Luke.

The campfire roared, the golden flames higher than you’ve ever seen them. The warmth radiating off of the fire was almost too hot, but you were too tired to move to sit next to Annabeth. 

You rested your head on Luke’s shoulder, yawning. You and Luke had become best friends despite your differences. Since last week, when he’d started calling you, “Sunshine” and “Weed Wrangler”, you’d opted to call him “Cocky Jerk”. He seemed fine with that.

Luke watched as you drifted off to sleep on his shoulder. 

He was pretty sure he had a crush on you.

Luke tried to ignore the fluttering he got in his stomach whenever he was near you. He buried his feelings deep down inside him; he knew he had to leave soon anyway.

“What’re you looking at,” you muttered.

Okay. So apparently you weren’t as asleep as Luke thought you were.

“You,” he answered shamelessly.

You raised your eyebrows. “Wait!” You yelped, patting your face. “Do I have marshmallows on my nose again?”

Luke snorted in amusement before lifting your chin with two fingers. He’d gotten taller than you over the last few weeks, a fact that annoyed you. It continued to annoy you further when you realized you found it attractive. 

“No.” He leaned down. “Just admiring your pretty little face.”

You felt your cheeks heat up. “Oh shut up, you Cocky Jerk,” you murmured.

Luke dropped his voice. “I think you like it when I flirt with you.” It was more a statement, as if he already knew he was right. 

“Not a chance,” you said. 

His hand gripped your chin now. Not hard, of course. He would never forgive himself if he wasn’t anything but gentle with you. He dipped his head down so your noses were nearly touching. You felt your breath hitch.

“So this bothers you?” He whispered.

“Oi!”

Both of you whirled around so fast, Luke’s lips tickled against your cheek. If you weren’t already red, you were sure you were a tomato by now. 

Of course it was Connor Stoll. 

“Lovebirds!” He called. “Take it somewhere else, please!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(During the events of The Last Olympian)

The Empire State Building.

You hadn’t been up here since you saved Artemis. 

You followed Grover, Thalia, Annabeth, and Percy out of the elevator, and cracks immediately appeared at your feet.

“Jump!” Grover cried, hopping to the next slab of white stone. 

Percy grabbed Thalia’s hand and leaped after Grover. “Gods, I hate heights!” You heard her scream as they jumped over the chasm. 

Annabeth was in no shape for jumping. You looked down as more cracks appeared in the stone beneath you. You took in a shaky breath and grabbed both of the daughter of Athena’s hands. 

You lunged for the next slab, managing to throw Annabeth into Percy before gripping the side of the lab with one hand. 

Your feet were dangling in open air, gravity pulling at them. 

“Thalia!” You cried. 

The hunter grabbed your hand with both of hers. She let out a grunt, and then Grover was there, grabbing your other flailing hand. They lifted you onto the stone beside Annabeth. 

“Keep moving!” Grover grabbed your shoulder and hoisted you to your feet, Percy doing the same with Annabeth. 

The five of you sprinted across the skybridge, more cracks underfoot. 

When you made it to the other side, you glanced back at the elevator which hung there, suspended by nothing. 

“We’re marooned,” Annabeth whispered. “On our own.”

You nodded before taking off. You didn’t have time to stand there, talking about the final end of Olympus. You had to get to Luke.

Ahead of you, you heard Kronos’s booming voice. “Brick by brick! That was my promise! Tear it down brick by brick!” There was an explosion, but you didn’t pull your eyes toward the noise, instead keeping your eyes trained on the ground beneath you. 

“That was a shrine to Artemis,” Thalia muttered. “He’ll pay for that.” Still, you kept running.

You ran through a marble archway, complete with statues of your least favorite god and goddess- Zeus and Hera.  

The mountain began shaking, and with a loud crash, you finally turned around. 

“Thalia!” Grover cried.

You rushed back to your friend, already digging some ambrosia out of your pocket. The daughter of Zeus was trapped, squirming under the weight of a statue of Hera. 

You handed her a piece as Annabeth said, “It’s Hera! She’s had it in for me all year. Her statue would’ve killed me if you hadn’t pushed us away!”

Thalia took the piece of ambrosia; there was probably a broken leg under all of that rubble. She gave you a grateful look, popping it in her mouth. “Thanks, Y/N,” she said. “But I’ll be fine. Go!”

You didn’t need any more encouragement. You turned and sprinted to the hall of the gods.

Kronos stood in the middle of the throne room, arms spread wide. You froze. All you could see was Luke, all you could see were your memories of him. The first time he’d talked to you, your first kiss, your last kiss. Luke, Luke, Luke, Luke, Luke.

“Finally!” Kronos bellowed. “The Olympian Council! So proud and mighty! Which seat of power shall I destroy first?”

Annabeth, Percy, and Grover all took a few steps forward, while you stood back, watching Luke- Kronos- with a horrified expression.

“My lord,” the boy- Ethan Nakamura, you remembered- warned.

Kronos turned around. He looked exactly like Luke had when he’d started talking to you. Annabeth let out a strangled sound, yet you focused on his eyes, the only thing not Luke. You felt unconsumed rage boil inside you as he said, “shall I destroy you first, Jackson? Is that the choice you will make? To fight me and die instead of bowing down? Prophecies never end well, you know.”

You stepped forth, eyes glinting with fury. “Luke would fight with a sword,” you said. “But I suppose you don’t have his skill.”

Kronos sneered at you. “You’re not worth my time-” 

You cut him off with a throwing knife bouncing off his shoulder. Kronos blinked, and for a moment he was Luke, staring down at the blade in surprise, then up at the thrower. “Y/N?” he asked in a raspy voice, before his eyes flickered gold again.

Kronos barked a laugh. “Very well, L/N. You will be the first to die!” 

You summoned your scimitars with deadly calm. 

Kronos charged, and you sidestepped. The fight was more like two tornados meeting each other head on. Your skills were too well balanced. 

Kronos backed you up into Hephaestus’s throne. Sorry, you thought. Hephaestus had always been one of your favorite gods- mostly because he tried to interact with demigods every once and a while.

You hopped onto the throne. You already knew that standing on a mechanic’s seat would get ugly for more than three seconds. Defense mode, the throne murmured, only confirming your knowledge. 

You sprang over Kronos’s head, but as your back was turned, you felt a pain in your lower back. You looked down, eyes clouded with more confusion than pain. 

Sticking out of your lower back, was a sword tip, or more specifically, the tip of Backbiter. Luke had quite literally stabbed you in the back.

“Y/N?” 

You collapsed onto your knees, hands shaking as you grasped the ground with your fingertips. You gasped, the agony finally catching up to you. 

“Oh, gods.” You felt someone’s hands caress the sides of your face. You looked up into Luke’s eyes, tearstained and no longer golden. 

“What have I done?” He whispered. 

Your blood formed a perfect circle around you and Luke. The sounds of Percy battling Ethan seemed far away. 

You gave him a weak smile. “You did what you had to do,” you mumbled, stumbling over your words as you felt yourself slipping away. 

Your gaze was intense, holding Luke’s eyes with every ounce of dignity you could muster. 

“I love you.” Were your last words before life faded from your eyes.

Luke felt himself lose everything. He wailed, a screech that he had no control over, a heartbroken sound that just came tumbling out of his mouth. Tears welled up in his vision, blocking his sight of Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Ethan turning to see who had just made such a sound. 

“I’m sorry,” he croaked. “I’m so sorry, Y/N! Please come back.” He stroked your hair, the same hair he’d run his finger through countless times.

Only now he realized this would be the last.

[thatswhatsushesaid]

re: my tags about jgy and qin su in my reblog of that "does your blorbo have ptsd" tumblr poll, can we revisit that excruciating conversation in the jinlintai treasure room in cql? because one of my least favourite reads on jgy's expression and body language here is that he's being "creepy." and to be clear, i'm not trying to say you're wrong to draw those inferences here, because his behaviour is deeply, deeply unsettling, and i also find this scene hard to watch and to read in the novel. but i think if that's where your examination of him begins and ends here, you're doing yourself--and zhu zanjin's exquisite performance--a disservice.

so the 'creepy' bit is preceded by what jgy says to qin su while she has her back turned, and i find his words heartbreakingly sincere and very reflective of a man who has spent his life forced to feel shame and embarrassment over his mother, who he loves dearly and who he watched suffer right up until the moment of her death:

there are a few more very poignant lines in there about his mother and the depth of his gratitude to qin su (these show up in the novel, too), but i think the above encapsulates the same message. then the atmosphere shifts, and so does jgy's expression when he talks about jin rusong and how his death would have been inevitable--essential, even. this is also where i most often see him described as acting like a creep, and i have two separate responses to this that i don't really have the time to get into right now, but which have both doylist and watsonian components to them so 👀 you can probably make some guesses about what my arguments would be. if there's enough interest, i might come back to this later and put together a separate post about it, idk. anyway, i'm not going to get into the 'is he a creep' argument here because tl;dr no, i don't think he is, and also--

i find jgy's expressions here to be more indicative of a man who is, shall we say, Not His Best Self At The Moment 🫠 rather than a man who is intentionally trying to make a wife who, by her own admission, he has treated very well for the entirety of their marriage, uncomfortable. his attention isn't even on qin su or the hell that she is experiencing right now--because he is re-experiencing his own hell. because he, too, is traumatized by this knowledge! he's just had a decade and change to develop some deeply unhealthy coping mechanisms and masking techniques to hide it.

at this point qin su whips around and slaps him, which i know everyone likes to gif and fistbump and holler about in a positive way, but given there is no one in this scene who isn't enduring profound trauma in this moment, i, uh. you know. won't be doing that. i will focus on his face journey in the expressions that follow because they are just so

dissociating

dissociating

dissociating

/executive function switch is flipped in his superbly wrinkly brain, and then "qin su :) we still have so many guests to attend at the discussion conference :)"

a-yao? sir?? hello??? also i do not have the quote from the novel directly in front of me, but iirc he says something very similar here to what he does in the novel, which i'll have to paraphrase: that this revelation is only bothering qin su so much because she is actively thinking about it! it's only thoughts, you see! just don't think about it! haven't they actually been very happy all this time, while only one of them had to live with this knowledge and could not share it with anyone?

to which i can only respond with abject, horrified shock because, like. have you, jin guangyao? been happy and unperturbed by this devastating knowledge? because i think the answer is a pretty definitive no.

anyway i just wanted to quickly keymash my thoughts on this before they fled my brain completely but tl;dr yes, while jgy would not use this language to describe himself, he's absolutely got ptsd specifically around his marriage to his own half-sister, and their son.

---

this post has been added to my dreamwidth meta archive here: https://thatswhatsushewrote.dreamwidth.org/10607.html

[the20thangel]

The Emperor and His Lady Chapter 6

Summary: Arabella and Geta's reconnection brings more changes, leading to tensions from the Gladiator games and impending betrayal. Both Geta and Arabella are unsure of their future.

Word Count: 2.8k

Tags: Violence, angst, spoliers

Masterlist

taglist: @barcelonaloverf1life @justnobodynothingmore

If the court thought Emperor Geta would become softer after reconnecting with Arabella, they were wrong and right. While there were times when Geta acted kinder, those times were shown as more patience for the servants and towards his brother. As well as pushing away his previous concubines, for Geta had no use for them anymore, not when he had his lady ready to please him whenever he wanted her. Even with his softness, Geta was still ruthless in the Senate. Just yesterday, Geta threw a vase to a Senator who suggested his granddaughter as a potential empress—shouting that he would not be told when he and his brother should marry. 

At the end of the day, Geta always returns to his chambers, where Arabella greets him with a kind smile that reaches her eyes and shows the dimples on her cheeks. Allowing himself to shed the burden of being an emperor, Geta would gather his love, pressing a firm kiss on her mouth—the night ending with the two in bed, their bodies connecting again. The lady kissed her emperor sweetly on his mouth after the nightly activities, whispering affirmations of her love to him as her emperor would draw patterns on her shoulders. 

Soon, the time came for the games to recommence, and the buzz was for the water battle scene to be presented to Rome's people. As Geta prepared himself, he watched Arabella’s handmaiden, which he recognized as his old concubine, Marcella, ready her lady. He puffed his chest with pride as he saw his lady's garments for today; he had commissioned a particular piece for Arabella. He wanted her to match him at the games perfectly. To shine just as bright as he would, as he placed his golden laurel crown, he watched his lady place her veil on. Feeling she was not yet adorned enough, Geta walked to his chest at the corner of his chamber, rummaging through the tressures until he found the one he was looking for. Grinning, He rose, turning back to his lady as she stared curiously. 

“Place this on top of your veil.” Commanded Geta as he placed the golden tiara on Arabella. 

Arabella reached up to steady the tiara and gasped, recognizing it; it was his late mother, Empress Julia Domna’s tiara. 

“Geta…my love, are you sure?” she asked, knowing what people would assume should she wear it. 

“Yes, I want everyone to know your place at my side,” affirmed Geta, leaning down to kiss her neck. 

Arabella shuddered at being tickled by his kiss, nodded, and pinned the tiara in place. Standing, she turned to her emperor. 

“As my Geta wishes of me, I shall follow,” she announced, intentionally changing the title from imperator to his name, kissing him at the corner of his mouth. 

Grinning, Geta extended his arm, leading them out to the courtyard, where they would meet Caracalla down by the chariots. 

Seeing Arabella, Caracalla widened his eyes. Turning to his brother, he asked Geta, “Isn’t that mother’s tiara?” 

“Yes, brother, what a keen eye you have.” Geta taunted cooly, staring at the younger twin. 

Worried about a possible fight, Arabella moved past her transgression to Caracalla and smiled at him. 

“Your monkey looks wonderful today, Imperator. What is his name?” she softly asked, happy that both brothers snapped away from their internal battle to face the lady. 

Caracalla gave her a broad smile, bringing his monkey in front. “Isn’t he just wonderful? His name is Dundus, the magnificent!” exclaimed Caracalla, showcasing his monkey. 

Arabella smiled back, “Yes, quite magnificent.” looking back at Geta, who snorted, rolling his eyes at his brother’s antics. 

Kissing her cheek, Geta pushed her onto his chariot, waiting for Caracalla to climb into his own as the three rode off to the Colosseum. 

Again, a crowd was waiting for the emperors to arrive in their box; Lucilla and Acacius worried, not having seen Arabella in weeks. Their worries briefly subdued seeing her walking with the twins but then growing cold seeing what was on top of her head. Senators and concubines, too, stared in shock at Arabella. Her uncle and father shared a mischievous smirk. Growing shy from the attention, Arabella lowered her eyes, not wanting to make eye contact with her surrogate parents. Macrinus, looking at the people’s reactions, decided to be the brave one and ask the question everyone had at the tip of their tongues.

“Emperor Geta, Emperor Caracalla welcome… my, my Concubine Arabella-” 

“Lady Arabella… she is to be addressed as Lady Arabella, Macrinus.” Sneered Geta, growing annoyed at the man’s blatant disrespect towards his lady and, in turn, him.  

“My apologies, Augustus, Lady Arabella…that is a lovely tiara you have on today,” Macrinus commented, inclined his head to the right as he took in the young lady’s appearance. 

After feeding his monkey, Caracalla answered Macrinus, not realizing what his words meant, “Yes, it was my mother’s tiara...” 

The crowd quietly gasped as they stared at Emperor Geta and his lady in his arms. Not wanting to explain, Geta walked down the steps, seating Arabella behind him before continuing to his own. 

As everyone realized no clear answer would be provided, they, too, entered the royal box, with Lucilla sitting on the far right, away from Arabella. Arabella raised her eyes, trying to make eye contact with her lady and the general, but she was ignored. Feeling a flash of hurt, her eyes filled with tears as she shakily inhaled, bringing her eyes to her hands on her lap. She felt conflicted; on the one hand, she was finally happy to reconnect with Geta and enjoy his love…. On the other, she felt like she was disappointing the two people who she always strived to make proud. She felt like she was losing her parents. 

Once the battle began, Arabella raised her sight, trying to distract herself. As the boats clashed with each other, being led by Lucius, Arabella started to feel ill from the stench of blood mixing with the water. The crowd cheers rang in her ears; Arabella closed her eyes, stifling a gag as another gladiator was slain.  Geta briefly turned back, seeing her looking unwell. He wanted to check on her but did not want to show his vulnerability. 

“Arabella, bring me more wine... " he ordered, hoping his lady would follow without a fuss so she could be near him. 

Inhaling, the young lady rose with a jug of wine and a cup. Walking down the steps, she crouched between the two brothers as she poured for Geta. Geta, leaning towards her, was about to ask her what was bothering her when someone shouted, “Watch out!” 

Everyone turned towards the battle, and all seemed to be moving slowly. They saw Lucius or Hano turn to the crowd and notch an arrow with his crossbow. While to many, it looked like he was aiming for the emperors, Marcus Acacius knew it was aiming for him. Moving Lucilla behind him, Acacius watched in horror as a gladiator shoved against Luicus, causing the young man’s arrow to change from heading towards him to Caracalla’s throne, right where Arabella stood. 

“No!” Shouted Acacius as Arabella's eyes dilated with fear. 

Geta turned to grab his lady, pulling her roughly on his lap as she dropped the jug of wine, causing it to spill all over them. Then, moving at the speed of light, the arrow landed at the golden post of Caracalla’s throne as the younger emperor screamed in horror. Terrified, Arabella looked at Lucius, who looked remorsefully at her but glared at Acacius; the arrow was meant for him. 

“Praetorians!” shouted Geta as he stood, holding Arabella in his arms. Lucilla, shocked at what happened, turned to Acacius and then to Arabella, worried that the arrow might have grazed her surrogate daughter. She gasped, seeing the young lady’s face sickly pale. Geta, Arabella, and Caracalla quickly left the royal box, safely entering deeper into the Colosseum. Arabella, feeling sick, lightly pushed Geta away from her, walking away from the crowd; she crouched into herself, gagging as she tried to calm herself. As Caracalla and Geta finished shouting their orders, Geta turned to find Arabella leaning on the wall. As he walked towards her, he froze as he saw her gag one more time before throwing up. Worried that the wine might have been poisoned, he gathered her in his arms. He commanded his guards to return them to the palace and for a healer to be brought into his chamber. Both emperors hastily left the crowd as they all stared at the lady with fear. Should she perish, they feared what Geta would unleash on the realm. 

Once at the Palace, Geta continued to carry Arabella toward his chambers, placing her gently on their bed as he allowed the healer to assess the young lady. After a few minutes, Arabella woke to see Geta pacing. The healer saw the lady awake and smiled at her as he leaned away. 

Horsely, Arabella called for Geta as she raised her arms to him. Hearing his name, the emperor turned, running to her arms as he took off the tiara and placed it beside them. Once he saw no physical damage to her, he turned to the healer. 

“Well… what caused her to become sick and faint?” questioned Geta. 

The healer, the same one from years past, smiled at the lady, feeling a sense of deja vu, but only this time he was sure the outcome would be different. 

“The stress and blood of the games caused strain on Lady Arabella, but do not worry; everything is perfectly well. I suggest my lady take it easy these next few days, as it is still early. We must not place too much stress on your body, lest it harm your babe.”  concluded the healer. 

Arabella inhaled, shocked as she touched her current flat belly. Geta choked on his saliva as he processed the words. 

“Are you saying… Arabella is carrying my child?” He asked, looking down at his lover’s stomach. 

“Yes, Augustus, our lady is once more carrying the heir to the throne. I congratulate you both, but I must urge you to be extra careful this time so there will be no stress for the lady.” stressed the healer as he rose, bowing to them and leaving the expecting parents alone.

Arabella, although fearful, allowed a smile to grow on her face. A baby, she was to be a mother again. Lifting her eyes to Geta, she caressed her lover’s face, causing him to face her. 

“Geta…are you upset?” she questioned, worried Geta would not be happy with the news.  

Geta snorted at the ridiculous notion, “How could I be upset, sweet girl? You are making me a father again; this time, our son will be welcomed alive into this world; I will not let any harm come to him or you.” 

Geta leaned to kiss Arabella, who turned her face away, causing the emperor to growl in annoyance. 

“Geta, I threw up; you should not kiss me.” she gently explained. 

“I care not.” he countered, firmly taking her into his arms and passionately kissing her. As the lover kissed, Geta, allowing himself to be vulnerable again, whispered promises to his lady. 

“I shall marry you… you will be my lawful wife… my empress… our child will be the beloved prince.”  

His promises made Arabella's heart swell, shedding tears; she deepened the kiss, pouring all her love into the kisses. The remainder of the day saw the emperor and lady shed their clothes as they again connected their passion through the dance of their bodies. Ending with each other's embrace into slumber. Alas, their sleep was cut short, for guards began pounding at the door. Quickly, Arabella threw on a robe to cover her modesty, as did Geta, before opening his door. 

“What has possessed you to” 

“Imperator, there has been a conspiracy found against you and your brother, a means to usurper you!” shouted the guard. 

Geta's body grew rigid, the shock of the news leaving him speechless before he quickly turned to Arabella. 

“Arabella, come, " he ordered before turning to the guards. “Bring me my brother, and bring the traitors to us.” 

Arabella quickly pressed herself to Geta as the two left his chambers and entered another chamber. Only wearing his bedsheet, Caracalla soon joined them as Macrinus walked in. 

“My imperator, pardon my intrusion; I have discovered and brought the traitors to you,” Macrinus said, explaining while guards brought the person in. 

As the hood was pulled off, Arabella gasped in horror, looking away and pressing her face to Geta’s chest. There, in his glory, knelt General Marcus Acacius. 

“General Acacius, you treachery shall-” 

“Please, Emperor Geta, Torture me if you must, but do not lecture me.” scolded Acacius as he silently watched his surrogate daughter sob. 

Geta grew angry, not only because he was interrupted by the General but also because he was causing grief to his lover. He knew how close the two were, and seeing his lady’s reaction, he knew she was as shocked by the betrayal as he was. 

Caracalla shouted, grabbed a sword, and ran to stab the general, exclaiming how they would crucify Lucilla. Geta, releasing Arabella, rushed to his brother, stopping him from committing a drastic act. Pulling him away, he ordered the guards to remove the general and arrest Lucilla. Arabella stayed behind while Macrinus followed the emperors. 

“Wait, Praetorians!” shouted Arabella as she walked forward. 

The guards paused, inclining their heads in respect. Arabella, looking at Acacius, ordered the guards to walk a few feet away and turn their backs. The guards followed the orders of the future empress. 

Once Arabella was sure no eyes were on her, she knelt infront of Acacius; touching his cheek, she opened her mouth to ask a question… but no sound came. 

Acacius, knowing her torment, shook his head. “Whatever outcome comes, little one, know that I always have and will care for you like you were my daughter, and I cannot fault you for your actions to protect yourself. All I ask is that you continue to think of your survival; do not allow yourself to be blinded or lead to your doom.” 

Crying, Arabella nodded her head, not entirely sure what his words meant. She leaned to place a soft kiss on the general’s cheek, and she apologized. 

“I’m sorry, papa, I could not save you,” she whispered. 

Acacius, too, let tears fall from his eyes. “No, do not apologize, my dear. I hold no grudge against you. Protect yourself, my daughter, even now. Go to the emperor, but slap me before you go so that no one can use this interaction against you.” he pleaded. 

Sobbing more, Arabella nodded, kissing her surrogate father goodbye; she stood, riling her hand back, and slapped the general’s cheek with all her force. Just as Geta came back looking for her, watching the interaction in shock. 

“Praetorians, take him to the dungeons…” She ordered. 

“Yes, empress,” shouted the guards as they took the disgraced general away. 

Turning away, Arabella inhaled to control her breathing while rubbing her belly as Geta met her, pulling her into his arms. Geta kissed his lady’s crown as he led her towards where Caracalla was still trashing. Flinching at the younger twin's tantrum, Geta released her, grabbing his brother. 

“Calm yourself, brother, let this episode pass,” grunted Geta as he struggled with Caracalla’s trashing, forcing him to drink a cup filled with wine and a sedative to calm him. Caracalla grew angry and tried to bite his brother, which caused Geta to become upset and slap Caracalla. 

Arabella drew a sharp breath before scolding her lover. “Geta!” 

Walking to Caracalla, Arabella no longer saw a 24-year-old man cowering but the fourteen-year-old prince who welcomed 11-year-old Arabella to the palace all those years ago. A shy 14 - 15-year-old boy who used to call her sister before becoming cruel and began tormenting her. She saw the boy she thought would become her closest ally to play pranks against Geta playfully. As Caracalla held his cheek sobbing, he watched as Arabella knelt before him, reaching to caress his cheek. 

“Hush, sweet boy, he did not mean to strike you; he is just as nervous and upset by the betrayal as you. Shh, brother, don’t take it to heart.” She soothed the younger twin. 

Being reminded of when his mother used to comfort him, Caracalla placed himself in Arabella's arms, sniffing. 

“Sister, why does Geta hate me so…?” he questioned. 

Arabella glared at her lover, who lowered his eyes in shame for striking his brother. “Hush, such nonsense, sweet boy. You know that Geta does not hate you; sleep now.” She soothed, allowing the younger to take liberties with cuddling into her embrace. 

Geta, allowing himself to relax, knelt next to Arabella, gathering her in his arms as the three embraced, wanting each other’s comfort… fearing and wondering what tomorrow might bring.

[lemonhemlock]

I think a thing that bothers me the most is how fragmented TG (the fandom) is now. After season one, many of us had issues with character writing, but it still felt like we were largely on the same page. Now, some people can accept Aegon got bad writing but not Aemond, Alicent, or Helaena. They are all “good” or “bad”characters depending on how much they hurt Aegon this season. I’m so glad he got the time to be well rounded, and that TGC delivered on all his scenes, but I think people forget Aegon has received some poor writing as well even this season. His whole outburst about Jaehaerys’s death is not about his son, but the impact on his legacy- I thought this very odd at the time, but realize it’s because they can’t have him mourn Jaehaerys for a long time either. Nobody on TG is allowed to focus on this dead child, least of all his mother! Aegon goes out drinking with his friends next episode 😭 seemingly unconcerned. But somehow only Alicent and Aemond are called out for this, when it is a clear problem that Daemon is more affected by this loss than the greens. It feels like such an uphill battle to even discuss the faction and family anymore.

This is such a good point!

I know I am so contrarian about this rn, but I have had some issues in connecting with Aegon's grief scenes over Jaehaerys this season. And it's such an opinion I DON'T want to have, bc I'm fully on the Aegon/TGC bandwagon and I do think TGC is a competent actor.

But it's something about the general clownery of the framing, how everything is gloomy and dark but at the same time no one gives that much of a shit over Jaehaerys? It's very weird to describe. I know Olivia also shows Alicent crying and swallowing sobs and trying to conceal her grief, but, if you think about it, Alicent is just Kind Of Like That in a lot of her scenes anyway. Big doe wet eyes, filled with regret and unspoken emotions etc so that her acting similarly after B&C kind of doesn't hit as much?

And, in that context, having Aegon rage over this event is rendered kind of.....hammy and, honestly, comical. I'm reminded of the scene of the small council where everyone is somber and quiet and he kind of looks like he's pretending to cry. In other moments it's fine but there are frames where I can't take it seriously and it registers in my brain like a parody.

I realise how I sound right now, like I'm not satisfied with the subdued performances, but I'm not satisfied with the expansive ones either. IDK. I have a huge problem with the framing and direction this season, I think it's a huge impediment in making me enjoy the supposedly emotional scenes.

All of this to say that I agree, Aegon has also received some bad writing this season, especially him ALSO being kind of over Jaehaerys the next episode. But people tend to overlook it, because when you draw the line, the writing for him is still so much better than what he got in S1.

And, yes, this is why I can't really join the choir in blaming Alicent and Aemond for how they act with him, because it's not a naturalistic and organic progression, it's shoehorned in with little buildup or motivation and not even drawn to its natural conclusion. For example, Aemond should have been toast the minute Aegon woke up, because Prince Regent or not, Aegon is still the King and has the power to remove Aemond if he fears him. He doesn't have to justify himself in front of anyone, just give the order to arrest his brother and name someone else as regent, then just go back to sleep.

[spicyicetea]

My Forest spirit

A legend of Zelda BOTW/TOTK Yandere x Reader. This is obviously cannon divergent. Fem!Y/N is short and Curvy in this, and is often described with long hair. This story will contain NSFW!scenes, violence and profanity. MDNI

Next Chapter

Chapter 1: My knight in shinning armour

“Yahaha you found me!” A little Korok laughed as I stared down at him.

My ears twitched excitedly as it jumped up into my arms. The little forest spirits loved me. They always have. I grew up in this forest after my mother left me here. The clothes on my back are woven from fronds the Koroks brought me and I just ran around barefoot. I’ve only ever seen anyone like me once. He wore a cloak and was muttering about stopping the “princess” whatever that means.

A group of Koroks ran past my legs as the shaking of maracas grew closer. Their behaviour startled me, they shouldn’t fear Hestu… they’re a close friend of all of us.

“Sister Y/N! There are people, we must hide!”

I was dragged behind a tree as Hestu’s humming grew louder. Strange clacking noises grew closer, as well as other voices.

“I can’t believe you of all people will wield the Master Sword!”

“Revali ease up on Link, he’s a wonderful knight to me!” A feminine voice called back.

My eyes widened at the voices! No one ever enters the forest, what are they here for? What is a… Master Sword? I watched from behind the tree and the silent man in the middle of the group glanced in my direction. My large frond mask was still covering my face, so I scurried behind the tree with the other Koroks. They continued further into the forest and I ran between trees to watch them. As they approached the centre of the forest, I realised what they had come for, the strange thing in the ground. So that’s what it’s called, the Master Sword.

The silent one stepped forward and grabbed the hilt of the ancient blade. He grunted in pain as he pulled it up out of the ground and held it above his head proudly. I watched him from atop a tree, eyes wide and excited. Based off of Hestu’s cheers, this must be an amazing accomplishment. I should cheer too.

I clapped excitedly as the Koroks beside me seemed confused but then joined me in celebration. The group gasped and looked up to where we were, drawing these strange objects from their backs. Hestu gasped and ran in front of them.

“NO NO! Weapons down, you can’t hurt Sister Y/N!”

Weapons? My eyes widened beneath the mask as I slid to be hidden by the leaves. One of the women step forward, her tan skin and deep crimson hair complimented by the deep green of the Forrest. She placed her curved blade on the floor and held her hands up beside her head.

“Please don’t run dear, we had no idea you were friend not foe. The war has everyone incredibly stressed.”

“War?” I mutter, poking my head out of the leaves.

Hestu looks up at me and laughs gesturing for me to jump down. I slid off of the tree and landed on the stone beside Hestu. They shake their maracas happily as I smile at them beneath my mask. The woman who had spoken to me seemed shocked, I’m unsure why though.

“Ah… my apologies for staring, that was rude. My name is Urbosa, I’m assuming you’re Y/N.”

I nod as a few Koroks come and stand beside my legs, watching the group closely and protectively.

“This is Sister Y/N! She’s a spirit of the forest like the Koroks and I!” Hestu happily said.

“Sister? She’s clearly not anything like you all! She looks like your average Hylian!” The strange bird person yelled.

The large man behind him slapped him on the back. He winced but stayed quiet as the blonde woman stepped forward.

“I’m so sorry for us startling you Y/N. We had to retrieve the Master Sword to help win the war against Ganon. Do you… live here? What are you wearing?”

“Fronds.”

“Ah, so you do speak. I suppose you’re like Link then, he only speaks around his friends.”

“Link?”

“Yes, he’s my knight, the one with the Master Sword.”

“Master… I used to..”

“Did you guard the sword?” She asked.

“No, I used to use the zappies it made to start my campfires! How am I meant to start fires now?” I frown, jabbing the man beside her.

He just pulled a strange rock from his pocket and place it in my hand. I raised a brow and he pulled out a second, striking it against the stone on the floor and lighting a stick on fire nearby.

“Whoa! Pocket campfire! Fair trade fair trade!” I hold the rock in my hand in wonder, removing my mask to get a better look at it.

The man before me just stared straight at my face before grabbing my wrist.

“Huh? You can’t have it back, it was a trade!”

He just grunted and pulled me up off the ground and held me over his shoulder. One hand held the Master Sword while the other rested on the bump of my behind. The breeze ran right through me as his hand rhythmically squeezed. Is this how people interact? The Koroks don’t really have hands… maybe it’s to make sure I wouldn’t fall.

“Link! That’s inappropriate!”

“Hyaa!” He began to run, his grip becoming tighter as began to slip and held him in fear.

“LINK!”

“SISTER Y/N! Awww, maybe it’s good she sees the outside world, look after her.” Hestu sighed.

“Of course, we will,” Urbosa answered. Running to catch up with the others who were chasing Link.

New Yandere gained, Link.

Hey look at you, you managed to capture the knights heart! Now time for some facts about your new Yandere. (basically head cannons)

It's no surprise that Link is incredibly protective over you, he would let Zelda die if it meant he could ensure your safety.

He's also very physically affectionate. He must always have at least one hand on you and when he hasn't for a long time... He tends to get very handsy.

He gives you plenty of kisses the moment that people stop looking. If he feels like someone is moving in on his “territory” he will just begin groping you from behind until they get the message.

[kiestrokes]

Your thoughts on Seventeen as sex workers and their specialties

Seventeen as Sex Workers | NSFW

Rating: NSFW. Mature (18+) Minors DNI. Genre: headcanon, imagine, smut. Warnings: language?

Sexually Explicit Content: this is about sex work, we support sex workers on this blog, if you are not comfortable with that please do not engage with this post. All of these are consented acts, the services are very detailed, and everyone knows what they're getting themselves into (even Gyu).

🗝️Note: I gifted @minttangerines & @minisugakoobies with a preview of the ones I had drunkenly wrote back on Valentines Day. Finally finished the rest.

Disclaimers: This is a work of fiction; I do not own any of the idols depicted below.

Coups Grade A, mothering fucking camboy those eyebrows alone have his viewers coming on command. 

Jeonghan This man is a financial dom, that pretty face and scathing looks of disapproval without really getting his hands dirty? (Coups is his number one customer.)

Joshua  Similar to Han he sells his perversely used items to the very (large) freaky crowd of humans on the internet. Is he mildly worried one of his specimens will end up at a crime scene? Yes. 

Jun Ok the only thing I keep coming back to for Jun is a soft core pornstar. Just thinking about the members giggling over his one kiss scene.

Hoshi THE male stripper to end all other stripper's careers, because Hoshi simply loves to dance, and that magnetism really draws a crowd.

Wonwoo Welcome your happy endings massage. 

Woozi Y’all this man makes moaning boy audios on YouTube. And they SELL (in youtube streams that is). He finally collected enough to compile an hour live stream and is showering in the rewards. 

DK Our classy escort for the affluent crowd…that sometimes (always) ends up in an additional service.

Mingyu Gyu is kinda clueless (per usual) he makes his money cuckholding for some of the rich gym couples. But has conflicted feelings about if this is really for him. 

Hao Hallucinogenic tea ceremonies where he brings you to verbal orgasm.

Boo Ahem. Boo is the purest of doms, this man is clean, by the rule book and concise whenever you require his services. This is the safest domming experience you will ever have.

Vernon Listen it had to be someone, he’s our resident feet pic supplier.

Dino How do I properly explain this one? Dino sold himself to a singular client, one who spoils him, and he makes sure to take care of all their needs. The epitome of an amazing partner. The perfect little subby man.

© COPYRIGHT 2021 - 2024 by kiestrokes All rights reserved. No portion of this work may be reproduced without written permission from the author. This includes translations.

[jime777]

For day one, I chose to draw “a missing scene” from the games! Micaiah and Soren supports that would very probably have existed if there were supports in Radiant Dawn <3

Both Micaiah and Soren are my favourite characters from the duology, the fact they have so much in common and it's left unexplored is a little sad. They had so much potential!

During the RD epilogue, we learn that the two of them were supposed to be the rulers of their respective countries, Soren being the crown prince to Daein (and a prince of Goldoa as well) and Micaiah, the future empress of Begnion.

Not only that, but they also descend from two of the legendary heroes that fought Yune during the Great Flood and defeated her; Dheginsea and Altina. And they are the ones that more than 1000 years later join her instead to stop Ashera.

But for different reasons, they end up growing up far from court. Though they both are raised by a woman early in their lives, the treatment they receive differs greatly and doesn't impact them in the same way. The motive for this being they are “one of the Branded”, laguz and beorc blood alike flow through their veins, granting them special powers and marking their body with a “brand”. Plus, Micaiah and Soren´s laguz side come from herons and (black) dragons, the laguz who live the longest amount of time.

Micaiah´s “mother” raised her more or less as anyone would raise a kid, but she led a reclusive life to keep her safe. She explained what her heritage means too, telling Micaiah that she should hide it to be safe.

Soren´s caretaker was disgusted by him and displayed a very abusive behaviour towards him, going so far as to sell him to an old mage who mistook him for a spirit´s charmer. This led to Soren not realising what he truly was until he was 19 years old!

Growing up, both of them had one person, specifically a beorc, that they trust with their secret and their life. I personally think that Micaiah and Sothe´s base conversation is a little of a parallel to Ike and Soren´s A support in Path of Radiance.

Micaiah: Yes, I’m sure of that. Muarim seems very trustworthy. But, what about everyone else? What would they think if they knew all of my abilities came from the mixed blood running through my veins? Blood they consider cursed!

Sothe: Micaiah, stop…

Micaiah: Right now, when they look at me, they have love and affection in their eyes, but would they look at me the same way if they knew? I don’t want to find out, Sothe. I don’t think I could bear the truth.

Sothe and Micaiah base conversation in chapter 8

Soren: It’s a cross between a beorc and a laguz. Such a taboo union violates every teaching of the goddess. And of society. We are untouchables. Abominations. Condemned to a life of hatred and shunning from both races.

Ike: Wait, wait. Hold it a second. Let me make sure that I follow you… You’re part laguz?

Soren: Yeah. This mark on my forehead is the proof. I learned about it while researching ancient books at the Mainal Cathedral. I always thought it was a birthmark. Others thought that it was the mark of a Spirit Charmer.

Ike: What’s a Spirit Charmer?

Soren: Magic comes from interaction with spirits. If you let one into your body, it will give you tremendous power…for a price. That’s why the old sage was so interested in me. He thought I had struck such a deal. But instead, I was just a filthy Branded.

Ike: All right. I understand. So?

Soren: …What do you mean, “so?”

Ike: So, you have laguz blood in your veins. So, you have a mark to prove it. So… What’s the problem?

Soren: What’s the problem…? Don’t you find me repugnant!? I work beside you, eat beside you. I’m nothing! I don’t belong anywhere! Doesn’t that sicken you?

Ike and Soren´s A support in Path of Radiance

Micaiah and Soren have very similar thoughts about what it means to be Branded and how others perceive them, though Soren´s tend to be much darker especially in PoR due to his childhood.

The distinction is that, while Soren has already met two other branded characters (Stefan, and Petrine if you make them fight during chapter 23 of PoR), Micaiah still hasn't met anyone she can relate to.

This is the reason she is so moved after encountering Soren for the first time, and why she is more upset to be forced to fight him than the others.

Soren: …Ah, that explains quite a bit about the stories that surround you.

Micaiah: Who are you? You’re… You’re just like me!

Soren: Yes, they call our kind the Branded. As the years pass, I understand better and better how others see us.

Micaiah: You are so… cold. It’s like you’re cloaked in frost. Is there even blood in your veins?

Soren: There is. Blood very similar to yours, in fact. Blood that teaches us what it means to be rejected and alone.

Micaiah: Your heart is frozen, but I feel a warm core trying to melt through that ice. I see… You have someone you cherish very much. Someone you rely on.

Soren: Do not presume to understand me, you ridiculous girl. You have no idea who I am and what I can do. None at all. Daein has no business in this war. I will defeat you swiftly and send you and your army back to Daein.

Micaiah: I finally meet my own kind, and he is an enemy…… I will not retreat. I won’t let you go any further!

Micaiah and Soren battle dialogue during Part 3 - Chapter 7 of Radiant Dawn

Micaiah is also the first person Soren tells he is Branded out of his own volition after Ike. Having passed 3 years since then, he feels more confident about it. And knowing she is the same as he, he's not scared anymore. In this scene, Micaiah openly uses her power to read his heart too, the power that comes from her mixed blood and that he has as well.

Not many people know this since this conversation is actually impossible (in my experience) to get in game, but they have another dialogue if you make them fight during Part 3 - Chapter 13!

Soren: Our last battle, in the valley. Was that your strategy?

Micaiah: …

Soren: That was impressive. You killed thousands of beorc soldiers with your little ambush. Well done.

Micaiah: I…

Soren: The Maiden of Dawn… What are you? One of the Branded, that’s for sure. But there is something else about you… Power. Yes, I can feel it in you. You possess great power.

Micaiah: Yes, and you would know. There’s something very different about you, too. Your energy feels so…ancient. You and I seem to have so much in common.

Soren: That doesn’t matter in the slightest. The only thing that does matter is that you are a dangerous adversary. You are also in Ike’s path, so it falls to me to remove you. It’s almost a shame. Farewell, Maiden of Dawn.

Micaiah: So, you fight for someone, as well. So very much alike… But I will defeat you. I will protect the ones I love!

Micaiah and Soren battle dialogue during Part 3 - Chapter 13 of Radiant Dawn

This one is even more surprising, Soren is PRAISING someone! Micaiah brings up how much alike they are and actually hints to Soren´s heritage with that “ancient energy” meaning dragon blood. They both are able to feel the other is not only Branded, but that there is something deeper.

This interaction also shows a slightly softer Soren with him regretting having to kill her, be it for how capable she is or the secret they share.

They have one more interaction during the RD Voice Drama that took place in the 2019 FE Expo, but it is more of a funny moment intended to be comedy than actually exploring them. It always takes me out though!

Micaiah: Around this arm, it will grow thicker and stronger.

Ike: Ah, no, please don't touch-

Soren: Wait right there. You don't need to touch his arm to do your fortune-telling.

Micaiah: Eh? You have some deep scratches right here...

Ike: Ah, come to think about it, just now...

Micaiah: Please do not move. I will heal it.

Ike: Eh?

Micaiah: Get healed-

Soren: Step away from Ike.

Micaiah and Ike: Ah?!

Soren: No healing allowed from amateurs. Hmm, that's right. Tell MY fortune.

Micaiah: Oh, um, okay. Then, your hand, please. Huh? You... You are... The same as me!?

Soren: Huh? What are you say-

Sothe: Micaiah!

Soren and Micaiah during the Voice Drama stage (“Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn Voice Drama Converging Radiance and Dawn: An Interlude Tale” Eng subbed in YouTube by “Fudgenuggets”)

This is placed somewhere between PoR and RD, just when she is about to read Soren´s future she realises he is Branded as well and is shocked by it, which results in Sothe escaping with her and not developing it further.

During the Tellius CD Drama that takes place in Part 3 - Chapter 7, they appear in the same scene but sadly they do not interact.

Now, going back to what I started with, the way they approach learning about their past and their family is vastly different too.

Micaiah on one hand, as can be seen in the epilogue, seeks a relationship with her little sister, Sanaki, and wishes to have a talk with Sephiran as well during endgame.

Soren on the other hand is hinted to understand that the “random lady” who asked for his name is his mother (Almedha <3, I could talk about her for hours too), but even then he completely ignores it and treats her as he would treat any other person. And then, leaves Tellius with no intention to come back. With how smart he is, he probably connected the dots to when he felt so uncomfortable in Goldoa back in PoR.

“As far as Soren was concerned, his past as the prince of Daein among other things was not really of any interest - because he had forged and travelled his own path.”

Soren´s profile in Tellius II recollection book (Translated by “Kantopia”)

Fits his character a lot, and makes me feel SO proud of how far he has come!

Although Micaiah had the same idea as him, she ends up deciding to stay on Tellius and becomes the new queen of Daein instead.

Ike: You mean the blood of the laguz?

Micaiah: So you knew. Did you find out from the boy who’s always beside you?

Ike: Soren. Yeah. I guess you both know how to recognize people with a similar nature.

Micaiah: Yes. He and I are both Branded.

Ike: …Don’t use that word. You and Soren are both people. Just like me and everyone else.

Micaiah: People. You’re just like Yune. You call both laguz and beorc people.

Ike: Why should I care about the colour of your hair, eyes, and skin? Or your ears, wings, or tail? No matter how long you live or what powers you possess, we’re the same. At the end of the day, we’re all people.

Micaiah: … Sothe talks that way, too. His time with you changed him. Thank you, Ike. I’ve made up my mind.

Ike: About what? I didn’t realise we were doing anything but talking.

Micaiah: I thought I might travel to a far-off place after all of this was over. But I won’t. I’ll go back to Daein. No matter what happens, I’ll have Sothe by my side. I have nothing to fear as long as he’s with me.

Micaiah and Ike base conversation in Endgame - 3

And in this base conversation, she mentions Soren too!

It is definitely a shame that Radiant Dawn was rushed in the end and they did not have enough time to implement all that was planned. The Branded are barely talked about in PoR, and though expanded much more on during RD, I always think there was much more going on with them.

Writing this was something I had always wanted to do and very much enjoyed. Hope it makes people more curious about the similarities between these two!

[bri-the-nautilus]

Come To the Dark Side, We Have Hot Guys: A Star Wars Story

Spoilers below for S1 of Ahsoka and the first six episodes of The Acolyte.

I'm writing this with The Acolyte most of the way through airing its first season, with episode 6 having released earlier today. Say what you will about the show, but it's really brought out a lot of the uglier sides of the Star Wars fandom. Everyone and their mother has seen videos or Reddit threads dunking on the Critical Drinker or SWT and their mouth-breathing misogynist audiences at this point, so I don't feel particularly compelled to retread that ground. Instead, I want to talk about the... other side of the fandom, the hypocrisy therein, and how we're all being played for absolute fools by the creative team at Disney Lucasfilm.

Yes, this post is about Qimir.

Now I want to say that I have no problem with villain simping/shipping. Far from it. Most of my posts on this account are me simping for Shin Hati (we'll talk more about her later) or various Soulsborne bosses. Hell, my mutuals and I have a running joke about me having a weakness for evil blonde women. While I personally am too gay for my own good and couldn't care less about men as a concept, I absolutely see the appeal of characters like Qimir and Kylo Ren. I absolutely get why people thirst over them and love making fandom content for them. I think Qimir/Osha has the potential to be a really fun ship, actually. The point I'm making here is not "simping for these characters is wrong and bad," and I want to make that crystal clear before we continue.

That said, let's talk about Qimir, and how the landscape of the show and its surrounding discourse has changed since his reveal. Again, I'm ignoring the chud sphere here, partly because their little corner of the Internet has remained remarkably stagnant since then. The podcast bros still think it's woke, fucking Shadiversity is still whining about fight choreography (which as someone who actually has done HEMA/stage combat, Shad annoys me to no end, but that's an entirely separate can of worms), and it all seems to be business as usual over there. No, the most marked changes have been on the Acolyte-positive end of the fandom space. Here's what the top posts in "hashtag TheAcolyte" on Twitter look like tonight:

You get the idea.

Again, no hate to any of these people. This is tumblr ffs, we've all engaged in a little simping for a morally dubious hot person. I love seeing fans having fun engaging with something, and again I kinda dig the Osha/Qimir ship.

Anyways, if you were around for the Acolyte-positive discourse before the Qimir reveal, and especially the show's marketing and the reponse to that, you'll have noticed a marked difference.

Fans quickly began to see The Acolyte as " the gayest Star Wars ever." Showrunner Leslye Headland is an out lesbian, and her wife was cast as Master Vernestra Rwoh. Archetypical girlboss Carrie-Anne Moss was cast as Master Indara, immediately drawing comparisons to her role in the Matrix movies. Leads Osha and Mae Aniseya are played by the nonbinary Amandla Stenberg. The lesbian witches of Brendok were talked about in press releases before the show aired. Dafne Keen (Jecki Lon) stated in an interview that she portrayed the short-haired, serious Theelin as having a crush on Osha, something that fans were picking up on in their first interactions in the premiere before Keen even gave that interview. While Headland said in a post-premiere interview that she didn't set out specifically to make "a capital Q Queer show," it's an objective fact that no Star Wars movie/show has had as much potential in that area, and fans (especially the queer community) took notice. (For what it's worth, in the same interview Headland commented that she was proud of creating something that so many queer fans identified with.)

The show came out, and Master Indara was killed off in the first sequence, which I'm honestly fine with. It was a good scene and works on a lot of levels. Headland's aforementioned interview came and went. Episode three aired. The lesbian witches turned out to be even gayer than was previously thought possible, and people ate that shit up while the Critical Drinker's brain suffered a major cascade failure. Jecki became a runaway favorite in the premiere and episode four, as did lovable himbo Yord Fandar and the wise, paternalistic Master Sol. In Acolyte-positive circles, this was basically how it went. People thought Brendok was cool, the Yord Horde became the show's biggest social media sensation, Jecki and Sol cultivated devoted followings alongside Osha and Mae, there were a wealth of different ships involving various combinations of Jecki, Yord, and the twins... you get the idea.

Then episode 5 happened.

The writing was really on the wall when the Brendok coven was abruptly wiped out. Introducting such an interesting (and queer) Force-wielding culture only to exterminate them in the same episode was certainly a choice that somebody made. But episode 5 was a shock to the system for many fans, as the show's resident Sith revealed himself and killed Jecki and Yord in some of the most brutal recent onscreen deaths in Star Wars. To be clear, I think this was a great sequence. Two beloved main characters being suddenly and gruesomely killed off was a masterfully executed shock to the system, especially after viewers were lulled into a false sense of security by all the redshirt deaths in the previous scene.

This, understandably, completely changed the landscape of the Acolyte fandom. Virtually overnight, much of the simping and shipping involving Jecki and Yord dried up, and once the dust had settled as far as the "rip blorbo, gone too soon" posts went, what remained were the usual Sol/twins offerings and a wave of Qimir hype. Which is understandable. He's a badass emo Sith boy with a cool helmet who brutally murdered fan favorite characters in front of us and has palpable tension with the female lead. Who wouldn't love... wait a minute.

This feels familiar somehow.

But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing's changed at all?

And just like that, "the gayest Star Wars" is all about the (straight) sexual tension between an edgy, murderous Sith boy and a light-side girl plagued by dark thoughts whose friends said boy just killed. This is all eerily similar to how the Sequel Trilogy focused on Rey and Kylo while abruptly dropping Finn and Poe's character arcs. Even the fandom discourse is the same. I mean Reylo was so ubiquitous back in the day that it became a derogatory catch-all for good girl/evil boy shipping. Multiple authors now have either gotten their initial start/fame writing Reylo fics, or straight up published legally distinct Reylo fiction after the fashion of Netflix's After. You had the occasional person piping up to say "hey they kind of just left Finn and Poe hanging after TFA, it would've been cool if they got together but at the very least don't relegate them to being side characters/comic relief in separate story threads," and that was it. The same thing is going on with The Acolyte now, only the sequel trilogy wasn't marketed on the strength of being a queer story by a queer creative team. The Acolyte is, which makes it all the more baffling that by the midway point of the first season, all the gays have been buried and the show seems to be heading straight for Reylo 2: High Republic Boogaloo. And the fans are eating it up.

As an interesting aside, I think it's an interesting exercise to contrast the Kylo/Qimir pattern with the broader fandom's treatment of Shin Hati (told you we'd circle back to that), and the ship between her and Sabine Wren. On paper, Shin is very similar to Kylo and Qimir. Villain? Check. Edgy-looking armor? Totes. Emotionally damaged/stunted in some way? Sure looks like it. Tension with the heroine? You betcha. If anything, the only major difference is that Shin isn't as evil as the others. Compare her actions in Ahsoka (clearing out part of a light cruiser with Baylan and making repeated attempts on Sabine's life) to Kylo (oversees multiple war crimes, kills his fan-favorite dad) or Qimir (orchestrates the murders of several Jedi before brutally executing two fan-favorite characters). She's definitely bad, but I struggle to see her as on par with Qimir, let alone fucking Kylo, in terms of evilness.

Which makes it all the more interesting to me that the Shin/Sabine ship has received so much more mainstream skepticism/criticism than the Osha/Qimir or Rey/Kylo ships. "They have no chemistry!" "She's an evil murderer!" "She's a blank slate!" "Sabine is taken!" I may be a touch biased, but from where I sit a large part of the fandom, even the ostensibly progressive side, seems to look down upon Shin/Sabine shippers while swooning for heterosexual variants with far more evil villains.

This isn't a monolith, and I can't stress that enough. I'm not trying to start shit here. Villain shipping is awesome. We support women's wrongs in this house. You do see the occasional person decrying Reylo or Osha/Qimir as toxic, which I think is fairly unnecessary. Like yeah, maybe it's a toxic dynamic, but these are fictional characters. For these specific characters, part of the crowd appeal is the toxic badboy side of things. I don't think we should really spend much energy attacking any fictional ship (between adults, mind you) as toxic, which is why it puzzles me that an as-yet-unconfirmed lesbian ship in a niche show receives such a large proportion of this sort of criticism compared to the canon relationship between two main characters of a blockbuster trilogy.

At the end of the day, this whole affair has been rather sobering for me on both Disney Lucasfilm and the Star Wars fandom. For all the support the Shin/Sabine ship has received from Ahsoka cast members Ivanna Sakhno (Shin), Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Sabine), Eman Esfandi (Ezra Bridger, the other character people like to ship with Sabine), and Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka), I'm rather sour on the prospects of it becoming canon. The sequel trilogy dropped the ball on what many saw as a promising chance for an MLM romance between Finn and Poe in favor of trotting out the "why do good girls like bad boys" dynamic, and The Acolyte, "the gay show" overseen by a lesbian, has seemingly shifted to center a similar dynamic after killing off most of its prospects for a queer relationship among the main cast. Simply put, I think that Disney as an international company based in the frighteningly divided United States is reluctant to commit to anything beyond lipservice in terms of LGBT representation in their movies/shows, which again doesn't leave me feeling optimistic about WolfWren's canon potential. And the fandom takes the bait. People love the damaged evil badboy/good girl dynamic, and when the queer fandom suggests the possibility of a queer ship taking center stage in a show with no other extant relationships, even the more progressive side of the fandom tends to either ignore it or actively push back on its basis in reality until Disney Lucasfilm inevitably puts the kibosh on it. The amount of times I've heard people dismiss WolfWren for the same reasons they now like Osha/Qimir and liked Reylo (before that ship was fleshed out/canonicalized, anyway) is ridiculous, but at the end of the day you kinda feel stupid for expecting anything else. Again, I think Qimir is a cool character and I'm as much of a sucker for villain romances as the next girlie, but seeing how easily the fandom lets dangling heterosexual carrots lead it away from Disney Lucasfilm's broken promises of queer rep is a sobering ordeal.

[arek-ian]

Rewatching episode 2 of 괴물 stirred a gloomy mix of emotions within me. I was even on the verge of crying over some "ordinary" scenes.

Juwoon's facial expressions when talking to his father—how he tried to dodge his questions, trying to control his anger, carefully choosing his words before speaking. He smiled sarcastically, his eyes glinting with sadness, holding back the tears. This man ignited a huge fire of rage inside him, which led Juwoon to recklessly decide to move forward, to take many ruthless steps. He might have stayed up all night thinking of his next move, determined to prove himself to his father, to prove him wrong. That’s when he decided, first thing in the morning, to head to the archive.

Then, there was the scene where Dongsik was gently cleaning his mother’s hands. Jinmuk grabbed them and said, “You’re doing it so gently.” It showed how soft-hearted Dongsik was, how even the harmless wet towel seemed like something that could hurt his mother—the woman who couldn’t even recognize him. He loved her and was sorry for so many things he had brought into her life, things beyond his control. Maybe it even showed that lightheaded Jinmuk could see Dongsik’s kindness, before fully realizing who jinmuk really was.

And think about it—haven’t you ever wondered why Jeongje drew Juwoon? What was he thinking about him? Why did Juwoon occupy his thoughts? Did Jeongje feel that everything would change at Juwoon's hands?

And as for drawing him as a deer? Yes, we know Jeongje only draws deer, but he didn’t draw Dongsik as one, nor himself. But Juwoon? He was the bait, the prey. Even his police uniform, even those horns, couldn’t save him from his fate.

In another scene, Dongsik—gentle as always—covered Minjung when she fell asleep. He even came back to cover her exposed feet because he couldn’t let her feel cold. That girl, his adopted daughter, his deepest love, would freeze beneath the cold earth, her fingers exposed to the chill, all alone. The same girl whose feet he couldn’t bear to see uncovered had her cut fingers laid to rest in a faraway place.

That night, his first night without her after twenty years of her presence in his life—he didn’t sleep. Did that sleepless night feel the same as his first night without his twin? After sharing the same blood and half a soul with her for twenty years? Once again, Dongsik was left alone.

His previous pathetic, desperate, and mad attempts to stay sane—to not fall apart in front of everyone, to touch food, drink, and his friends, with the same hands that carried Minjung’s bloody fingers back to his house, hidden from the living, hidden with a long-searched-for body, in the cold stillness of his basement.

And yet, no one noticed his strange behavior. No one noticed the thousand-yard stare in his eyes. No one saw his red-rimmed eyes, the hopeless way he looked too long into their eyes, because they didn’t know. No one noticed. No one could see his tears if he held them back tightly enough, if he restrained his emotions and suppressed the loud, cruel cries. No one would notice, and his plan could go on, undisturbed.

Even when Jeongje visited his house, when they looked into each other’s eyes—even though they had been best friends for decades—Jeongje couldn’t see it. He didn’t.

But if they had looked deeper and seen him cry, what then? Nothing. Not because no one cared, not because they didn’t love him, but because Dongsik was beyond healing. He was shattered, a bundle of grief and broken pieces. So what if he broke out in tears or insane chuckles?

It’s nothing. Just the normal.

Finally, when morning came, Dongsik waited for the prey to fall into the trap. But because he’s a kind man, he wouldn’t let the deer fall alone. The second part of his plan was to switch roles with the previous deer, to mislead Juwoon, to let him bite back and gnaw at him.

Then, at last, Dongsik broke into real tears before anyone else could witness the horrors of the last night. Juwoon saw him, but he didn’t do anything. He wasn’t a friend who cared; he didn’t trust this man.

Juwoon saw him, but he didn’t understand.

And so what if Dongsik cried? It’s nothing compared to the chaos inside his heart. It’s just the normal.

Check this thread of pictures i take from ep2

[the-colourful-witch]

i'd love to know more about astrid cresswell if you're willing to tell us more. such as her family, is she dirk cresswell's daughter? what's her wand like? what year was she born? etc

Hiya! I can't believe you found her! I forgot I shared an illustration of Astrid on my page a long time ago :) Astrid Cresswell is my OC. And yes, I did take inspiration for her name from Dirk Cresswell, who is an Auror at the Ministry. He was one of the Aurors who was supposed to arrest Dumbledore if I remember correctly. In Order of the Phoenix. The two of them have no relation, actually. I took the last name when I was toying with the idea of her being the daughter of Dirk, but I went in a different direction. The last name kind of stuck, oops :) Anyway! Astrid!

Astrid is a Slytherin, in the same year as Fred and George (born 1978). My story for her is:

She was raised by her dad, who is a Healer at St Mungo's, in the permanent ward. Her mother was a Muggle, who died in childbirth. Robb Cresswell, Astrid's father, never told his girlfriend he was a Wizard. Astrid grew up with her dad, who was always working. They lived in the hillside village of Ottery St Catchpole where a few more magical families were housed in the hills. Robb regularly dropped Astrid off at the Weasleys, where Molly was more than happy to look after Astrid when he went to work. And so Astrid grew up with her two best friends: Fred and George Weasley. But that friendship didn't last very long after Astrid got sorted into Slytherin House. From that moment on, Astrid and the twins became rivals. They will do anything to destroy each other, both on and off the Quidditch pitch.

Astrid is a Chaser, the only girl on the Slytherin team. She's constantly dealing with Marcus Flint's sexist antics but is determined to play. She has something to prove, after all. Her patronus is a fox and her wand is 9 1/2 inches, Aspen wood with a dragon heartstring core. It stylishly resembles ivory; excellent for duelling and charm-casting. It's a wand made for revolutionaries but can be temperamentful, reacting to uncontrolled emotions. Astrid has two best friends: Maeve and Dorian, both Slytherins in her year. Dorian plays on the Quidditch team with her, as a Beater. He wants to be an Auror, like his father John Dawlish and is ahead of everyone in their class in all subjects. Maeve is the oldest of seven girls and the only one sorted into Slytherin. Hogwarts is the only place where she doesn't have to be a parent to her sisters. She enjoys reading and is Captain of the chess club. Oh, and she has a pet: a tubby black and white cat named Tibo. Tibo likes treats and scratches behind his ears. He has one of those loud purrs.

Astrid herself has a toad, which is a surprisingly uncool pet for a girl of her status. He's called Samuel the Second. You don't want to know what happened to the first. Sebastian usually hangs out in Astrid's room, but she takes him with her to the greenhouses sometimes when she's doing extra credit work. And Astrid is popular! After finding out she wasn't ever going to fit in with her Gryffindor friends (not really friends anymore), she decided to really embrace the Slytherin identity. She is clever and cunning. She knows how to get what she wants. To everyone who does not know her, she is perfect. Prefect, Quidditch player, star student. Behind the scenes, it's a little more rough... But she tries. She wants to become a Healer, after a successful Quidditch career, of course.

I am still figuring out Astrid's story, but it's fun for me to work on her every now and then. I admit, it's been a while. I dream of writing a fic for her one day, but I am not much of a writer. I start with something and then I can't finish, because I get distracted and instead draw my characters. What can I say, I like to draw! Maybe one day I'll actually finish a first draft :)

(an older version of Astrid - I don't love how I drew this)

I would like to share some more OC work in the future, but it's been a while since I worked on my characters. All the existing HP characters take up a lot of my time at the moment. One day :) I hope you like this. I'm happy to answer more questions if you have them <3

Magical wishes, Fleur

Some more earlier concepts of Astrid..

[antispopausandstuff]

you guys know the s5 scene where catra left adora to die?

here's another thing i noticed.

she's apologizing for dying. while it's really fucked up, it is within adora's character to apologize for something she couldn't control. i can't recall, but she did something similar to glimmer and bow a few minutes prior to this.

however, while the writers may not have intended for this, adora is also apologizing for this:

now, you might be drawing a blank at how this is correlated to her apology, until you remember what exactly catra and adora were talking about here:

adora is about to die.

originally, the conversation was about adora somehow choosing shadow weaver over catra ( which did not happen ), but when catra wasn't winning the argument, she shifted it to be about adora practically being led to her death.

catra's wording starts out as her acknowledging that adora doesn't have a choice in this ( which goes against her earlier reaction to just crying and running away from her when she gets the failsafe ), but then it changes its tune and becomes an accusation of choosing this path, when adora has been forced to take this.

basically, adora is apologizing to catra in the finale as if to prove that catra was right, even though she's literally dying right in front of her.

and catra never apologizes for leaving her.

speaking of which, would this apology even work on catra?

because we all know the real reason she left.

she left because somehow, someway, she twisted the entire conversation and everything related to shadow weaver as adora actively wanting to be around their abusive mother, despite showing multiple cases to catra herself that she doesn't.

adora doesn't like being around shadow weaver. she doesn't like her at all. she may not want the woman to suffer harshly, adora did heal her when she was sick, but she doesn't want to be around shadow weaver if she doesn't have to be.

and catra knows that. there's several instances throughout the show that she's smart enough to see and understand that. she even uses a torture method sw used on her previously on adora and swift wind in the previous season, because she knew it would severely hurt her. especially since catra, for whatever reason, put the electrocution on steroids.

so, it's not like catra has been blind to adora's distaste, she just chooses when to acknowledge it.

catra sees adora eventually dying as 1. choosing to die and 2. choosing shadow weaver over her, in this current scene.

adora has no idea catra thinks this way, so her apology for just dying is not only really fucked up, but is most likely entirely pointless.

these two don't see the same problem. at least, not the exact same one. catra may still be pissed off at adora daring to "choose" the universe over death, for daring to choose the lives of literally everyone on the motherfucking planet over herself, but she's still more upset at adora "choosing" their mother over her.

so, what is adora apologizing for exactly?

yes, for dying, but how does catra see it? knowing catra, the best case scenario is she probably sees it as adora apologizing for being "wrong" ( because she says "no matter what happens, i am staying with you", but then gaslights adora into staying ), and for choosing their mom over her, even though neither of those are true or correlated within the context.

this level of thinking is on par with stans, so i'm not surprised catra herself acts this way.

it sure did hurt my brain when i realized it, though.

[zvdvdlvr]

three strikes ✩ marauders

🥃 — synopsis. Don’t fuck with a Hufflepuff.

🥃 — warnings. Foul language. Ooc. Peter is a cutey.

🥃 — author’s note. Yet again: I nessed around with the timeline and wrote this on a whim. Enjoy!

“Someone was up late!” You exclaimed, wrapping an arm around your friend James’s shoulders.

The curly-haired menace shrugged you off of him and shoveled food onto his plate. Remus sat down beside you. “The wanker was up copying essays because he always waits to do ‘em until the day before they’re due,” he explained humorously. “And you wonder why the professors give us weeks to write these things.”

You chuckled and elbowed James in the side. “Spoiled baby boy just isn’t used to work,” you joked.

“Cutesy little Hufflepuff needs to shut up,” James muttered before picking up his juice-filled goblet and downing the whole thing.

As the only Hufflepuff accepted by the infamous Marauders, you definitely got your fair share of teasing from your fellow classmates. You were known as the ‘funny friend’ that had thick skin and an opinion on everything. There were times being known as the joker of the group was the best! You were the happily-dispositioned Puff that people came to for advice, jokes, or just someone to review notes with. And then there were the days where your opinion and feelings were completely overlooked- seen as just the clown.

You had gotten used to the days were you regretted being so extroverted and joking. Your skin was thick and you don’t remember the last time you let someone see you without your easygoing smile. 

But now that seventh year was drawing to a close and that everyone was ‘growing up’, it seemed like no one had any more patience. And since you always tried to help- though you sometimes went about it in the wrong way- you were often the person that got snapped at. To be honest, being the person at the short end of the stick when you had been nothing but a shoulder to cry on (not exactly literally) was tiring you out. You didn’t know how much you could put up with: especially if you had to deal with your friends’ anger.

“Funny,” you chuckled. You smoothly picked at the food on your plate and finished up what you were eating.

Sirius slid down across the lot of you, brushing his hair out of his face. “What’s funny?”

Remus answered with a “your mum’s face” that made James lighten up a little bit.

You snorted a laugh, knowing how strikingly attractive Sirius’s mother was. James’s comment was forgotten and you went about your day.

🥃.

The second strike was when Sirius got upset at your for making a lighthearted joke about his living arrangement at James’s house.

Now, to be fair, the infamous and noble house of Black was a bloody fucking mess. Incest ran in the family, the Unforgivables were a common occurrence, and the drama that surrounded that damn family was a laughingstock of it’s own.

The scene is set like this:

Sirius and James were discussing plans for the ‘escape’ that Sirius was planning. James’s Godsends of parents were quite common with all of you and were familiar with Sirius’s home-life. They had opened their home to Sirius and the rest of the Marauders should any of you need it.

On your left, Peter was absently fiddling with his wand. To your right Remus was munching on a chocolate bar. The full moon was coming up and Remus was already feeling the effects of his condition. Sirius and James were talking animatedly in front of you, discussing details.

“-I’m really glad your mum said yes,” Sirius rambled. “Fuck, I’d marry her if I could. She’s the best. Her cooking’s better the house elf’s and she’s a whole lot prettier than my mother.”

James gagged. “Don’t talk about my mum like that, Merlin. Disgusting,” he shuddered.

Sirius guffawed.

“It’ll be a big ass sleepover,” you jumped in, picking a hangnail. “Shit, we’ll all be over every weekend, Jamie. We’ll just be one big old happy family.”

Peter and Remus found your mindless babbling amusing, but for some reason Sirius did not.

“It’s not just a ‘big ass sleepover’,” Sirius told you. “It’s gonna be my life. Because, you know, I’m an outcast in my own home. Oh, and the constant torture whenever Mummy and Daddy think I have an attitude.”

You looked up, confused. “Fuckin’ hell, Sirius, I just said it would be fun-“

“It would be fun if you shut your fucking mouth for once.”

Sirius’s words made you stop in your tracks. “Rich coming from you, Mr. ‘Listen-To-My-Stories-Of-All-These-Girls-I-Fucked-Last-Night’,” you shot back. You tried to hide the hurt in your voice.

“Shut up, y/n! For once! Merlin’s balls,” Sirius yelled, throwing his hands up and striding away.

You watched him walk away, James jogging to catch up. Peter and Remus’s eyes jumped from you to Sirius’s retreating form. With a barely withheld sigh, you lifted the corners of your lips and shrugged. “He’ll cool off. He normally does… I’m gonna head to your common room. I’ll see you two later.”

“See you, y/n,” Peter replied. As you turned and headed to your friends’ common room, you blinked as fast as you walked.

🥃.

The third and final strike was that very same day. A few hours later, Peter and Remus returned to their common room to retrieve you for dinner. Your yellow robes were bright: illuminated by the fire as you curled into yourself and slept.

Remus gently woke you up. “Good morning, sleeping beauty,” he greeted coyly. “Dinner time.”

You needed and rubbed the sleep out of your eyes. “Oh, shoot. I left my books in your room-“

“I’ll go get it,” Remus nodded. “I’m going to go get some more chocolate.”

Peter plopped down beside you. “Sirius is sorry,” he began. “I know he doesn’t look like it, but he is.”

You just leaned closer to your blond friend. “I’d like to hear it from him… But thank you, Pete.”

In response Peter hummed and rested his head on yours. His eyes watch the flickering orange flames dance in the fireplace as the both of you waited for Remus.

“Y/n.”

You turned towards the staircase and saw Remus standing with your reading materials in his hands. “Thanks, Moons. I apprecia-“

“So.”

You stiffened at Remus’s tone. You’d heart it before: cold, cruel, infuriated. “What’s wrong, Moony?”

Remus laughed darkly. “You eat the only food that keeps me sane before the full moon, send me up to get your books like a mutt, and then play innocent?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Remus turned to Peter. “The wanker ate all my fuckin’ chocolate! The whole fucking bucket I bought last week!”

You gape at Remus. “Yeah, Remus. I ate the whole fucking thing- I didn’t do it! I didn’t even know where your precious chocolate was! Besides, you know I prefer vanilla.” You scoffed at your last sentence. 

“Well who else would have eaten it!? Huh?”

Remus threw your books to the table. “How does it feel to have your stuff destroyed, huh?”

You wantes to scoff. It’s just bloody chocolate, for Merlin’s sakes! But you knew Remus got volatile before the full moon. You took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Leave my shit alone, Remus.”

“Fuck you, y/n! You and your pathetic Hufflepuff house! You lie just as good as a snake,” Remus sneered in your face. 

“Listen hear, Remus John Lupin,” you said lowly, grasping Remus’s tie and bringing his face to your level. “I’d rather sell a fuck than give one. Especially about your fucking chocolate. I didn’t touch your damn stash. If I did, I’d admit it. Secondly, toss around my books like that and I’ll kick your furry little ass so hard you’re gonna wear my fucking shoes as a hat. Thirdly, don’t you ever- and I mean ever- compare me to one of those two-faced, green wearing, white-haired snakes! I’m tired of being yelled at, Remus, and I think you can understand that feeling. But by God, if I have to deal with another one of your stupid fucking comments, I will rock your shit. I have brothers and uncles. Don’t fucking make me have this conversation again. And you can tell the rest of the boys exactly what I said because I’ll beat their egotistical asses too.”

You released Remus’s tie and stood up a little taller, ignoring his wide eyes and open mouth. You collected your books and smiled warmly at Peter who hadn’t said a word. “Bye Pete!”

“B-Bye, y/n,” he stuttered, waving.