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archoniluthradanar · 11 months ago

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The test of a vampire : A Beauty and the Beast re-telling Part Six-Finale

The test of a vampire : A Beauty and the Beast re-telling

Marcus dei Volturi x female OC

Caterina still wants to go home, even though her time with Marcus has become pleasant enough. Her friend, Felix, proved to be a godsend, listening to her when she needs someone to talk with. In the end, will it be Marcus who gets his wish, or will Caterina get hers? Perhaps both will find their wishes fulfilled.

Chapter Six - Finale (so it's longer than previous chapters)

The Redemption

oooooooooooooooooooo

As the days passed, Caterina found she was enjoying the evenings spent with Marcus while he read to her. The timbre of his voice always relaxed her just before she was supposed to go to bed. She would finish her chores for the day, then have her supper. Afterwards, Felix would take her to Marcus' chambers, something she finally questioned him about while they were walking there.

"Felix, why must you always deliver me to Marcus? I do know the way," Caterina remarked.

"Sometimes, as you're well aware, he wants me to stay until your visit is over. Standing guard, as it were," Felix answered, careful not to say too much.

"Why does he require you stand guard anyway? Guard against what?"

"The castle is old and large, where one could easily get lost and end up in a dangerous area. Please don't question him or his orders, Caterina. It's for your own protection," Felix pleaded, unable to explain further. He knew not all vampires within the castle walls were trustworthy, and this human had to be kept safe at all costs.

"All right, I won't say a word, for both our sakes," Caterina said, not wanting her friend to get into trouble because of her. She gave the tall guard a smile and waited outside Marcus' doors.

Felix smiled down at her, thinking that this human knew nothing about the Volturi, yet she worried about him being punished by Master Marcus. He wished she knew the truth so he wouldn't have to hide his innate traits. For now, he would have to wait to see if Master Master revealed their secret. Hopefully, Masters Aro and Caius would not kill her for having that knowledge.

When Marcus opened the doors, he offered a welcoming smile to the woman who could prove to be his savior...and possibly more. He wondered if she thought differently of him, or was he still nothing more than her employer, the man forcing her to be here against her will. His need for her to love him was being superceded by his own growing realization that he was beginning to love her. He looked forward to their time together, having missed being close with someone for so very long.

Marcus allowed Caterina in and nodded to Felix. He then shut the doors after she had entered the ante-room. The fire was already blazing, Marcus knowing she loved its warmth.

Caterina had brought the book they'd last been reading. Her employer was almost done with it, and she was already looking forward to the next one. She sat on the sofa after handing Marcus the book.

"Did you have a satisfactory supper, my dear?" He asked, walking over to the sofa, carrying a carafe of red wine and a crystal goblet. He placed them on a small table next to the sofa. "Would you care for a drink?"

"I would like that, Marcus, thank you. Supper was amazing, as always. The chef is quite creative and there is always enough for seconds. I will miss his cooking when I go home."

Go home, she had said. Marcus was saddened that she still had the assumption he would release her, but what else could he expect. Each time she spoke with her father, he heard the joy in her voice, and he became jealous that her father inspired the happiness he wanted to bring about in her.

Caterina took her glass of wine, and made herself comfortable lying on her side by the fire. Marcus sat on the floor, using the sofa to brace his back. He extended his legs, crossing them at the ankle, and began reading.

While Marcus read, he experienced an ease he had not felt in so long. Was it her presence, or just the fact he had something to do that did not involve the other Volturi. He feared if he willfully forced the woman to stay, she would come to hate him. He needed her to be willing to stay of her own accord.

Caterina was feeling at odds with herself as well. She found herself admiring and liking Marcus more each day, but she missed her home. Even though she felt excitement at the idea of going back, she also felt some sadness at leaving the man who now seemed to be bending over backwards, in small ways, to please her.

While she listened to his deep voice reading the words from the book, Caterina had a brief image of her straddling his bare feet and climbing over his legs to his torso. These nights they spent together, Marcus dressed more casually in a pair of black slacks with a smoking jacket loosely tied closed. She imagined herself opening the satin jacket to kiss his neck while her hands caressed his hairless chest. Blinking her eyes, Caterina knew the wine was affecting her judgment.

When Marcus finished the book, he set it down on the floor beside him. He determined he would choose something more romantic for his next reading. He hoped to inspire something within Caterina that would bring her interest around to him.

Both moved to sit on the sofa, enjoying the last warmth of the dying fire. The wine was nearly gone, and Caterina was glad. It threatened her inhibitions, causing her mind to go places she needed to stay away from. She stifled a yawn, something not unnoticed by Marcus. He didn't want to let her go yet. His need for her was beyond sexual. He would be content to hold her in his arms while she slept, but he tamped down that thought, knowing he was jumping ahead of himself.

"You are sleepy, my dear. I can have Felix return you to your room." He hated parting from her, but he knew she would never agree to remain here in his chambers, let alone in his bed.

Caterina was tired, but was reluctant to leave. Marcus always had stories to tell that she found interesting. His knowledge of history was vast and unexplainable. He would often speak as if he had witnessed events firsthand. Realizing she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, she said, "Yes, I think I'd better go, Marcus. I'm sorry I don't have the stamina you do. You never seem to tire." She stood and let Marcus guide her to the doors.

With one hand holding the small of her back, Marcus suddenly leaned in and kissed her. It was a gentle kiss that held much promise, but Caterina pulled away. She looked up at her employer, then took a step back, forcing Marcus to remove his hand from her.

"I have to go," she said, and turned to head for the doors. She pulled them open while Marcus watched, dumbfounded. "Felix, take me back to my room." Then she was gone.

Marcus now knew she was not ready for this. He wanted to kick himself for the rashness of his action, but what was the point. The damage to their burgeoning relationship had already been done. Stupid stupid! Now what was he going to do? He closed the doors and retreated to his bedroom.

Caterina arrived at her room, entering with Felix in tow, then shut the door hard. She fell back on her bed, hands over her eyes, and huffing loudly.

Felix sat beside her, seeing something had happened to upset his friend, but what. "So, are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?" he asked grimly.

Caterina sighed, sat up and turned to the tall guard. "He kissed me, Felix. Marcus kissed me!"

"And?"

"I didn't come here to find love, Felix. I came to work off my father's debt, and when I'm done, I'm going home." He looked down at her hands, tightly clasped together and lying on her lap.

"Was it so bad, Caterina?"

"No, it wasn't bad. It was actually quite nice, but I am not staying here, Felix. I can't! I won't."

"Do you like Master Marcus?" the tall guard asked, wondering what, if anything, she felt for him.

"Yes, of course. After he flipped out on me, well, we got past that, and he's been very kind to me since."

Felix held in his laughter. So Master Marcus had "flipped out"? He'd love to have seen that. Marcus' expressions of any kind of emotion were few and far between.

Caterina looked up at Felix. "I like Marcus a lot, but I don't love him."

Felix understood. He also knew what that news would do to Master Marcus. "Oh," was all he could say. He saw Caterina try to remove the bracelet Marcus had given her, but he placed his hand on hers, stopping her.

"Caterina, do you really want to hurt him?" He knew Marcus would notice the bracelet's absence if she removed it.

Letting her fingers fall away from her wrist, she whispered, "No, of course not."

She looked down at his gift, remembering when he had given it to her. She had come to his chambers one evening, when he had asked her if she'd like to take a walk instead of reading. It was dark out, but Caterina inexplicably felt completely safe with Marcus at her side. They strolled the square which was now quiet. The marketplace was devoid of tourists and locals, the stalls empty of their wares. Tomorrow morning, it would be bustling again, but for now, all was calm.

He had stopped her when they came to the square's small fountain, and pulled a square velvet box from his jacket pocket. "I found this earlier today, and wanted to give it to you, Caterina."

She opened the box and gasped to see a gold bracelet set with several sapphires. "Oh, Marcus, it's too much. I can't..."

"Please accept it. A thank you for your company." He took out the bracelet and locked the clasp once he wound it around her wrist.

"It...it's beautiful, Marcus." She'd stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.

The memory was one that made her smile, but still, she did not want to stay here.

Leaning against Felix's shoulder, Caterina sighed. "Surely you have heard the rumours people spread about this place. How people enter...and never leave."

Felix frowned, knowing she could not see his face from her current position. "Do you believe those stories?" he asked, curious if she assumed the worst, which was the truth.

"I have never met anyone here, besides you, Marcus, and Demetri. There must be others. It's all very strange. All I know is I want to finish up my obligation and leave. I miss my home. I miss my father. I miss my own bed!"

Felix felt bad for Caterina, knowing Master Marcus wanted her to stay in order to break the witch's spell. But if she wasn't absolutely in love with him, what did it matter. "It will be all right."

Caterina sat up and sighed. "I'm hungry, my friend. Want to walk me to the kitchen? Just for a snack?"

"I thought you were sleepy," Felix said.

"How did you know that?" she asked. "You must have great hearing."

"It's late and I guessed." Felix stood, holding out his hand. "Come along then. I need to find Demetri anyway."

The pair left her room and walked the corridor to the kitchen.

"Want to have something with me?" she asked her friend while she rooted around the refrigerator.

Felix shook his head. "I'm not hungry," he replied.

"You never are," Caterina said with a wink and smile. "It must be those work outs. You probably drink a lot of protein shakes made up of green stuff."

Felix laughed, hoping he hadn't slipped up in any way that would clue her to their true nature. "Enjoy your evening, Caterina. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, the tall guard left her alone in the kitchen, since the short path from the kitchen to her bedroom was safe.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The next day, Caterina had finished her chores and was in her room, reading through one book that was in Italian. It was a travel diary from someone who had visited North America, a place she'd love to visit one day. It detailed various locations in both Canada and America. She fantasized visiting places like New York City and Niagara Falls. Her musings were interrupted when she heard a knock on her door. She set the book down and went to open it, surprised to see Marcus standing before her.

"Good afternoon, Caterina. I was wondering if you would come to have a private supper with me in my rooms this evening. Something a little fancier than what you're used to when eating with the staff. Just the two of us."

"Oh...that would be nice, Marcus, but I don't have anything really nice to wear," Caterina said, wondering if he expected the experience to be like a date. He did seem to perk up when she expressed interest in his suggestion.

"I will get you something to wear, my dear. We have people who can help you." His eyes seemed to light up while talking with her.

Inside, Marcus was more than pleased. He wanted to offer her a fine meal, and perhaps coerce her to dance. He had a device ready with a few musical pieces he hoped would delight her enough to inspire her to want to dance with him. She hadn't mentioned the kiss, so maybe she was not as upset as he'd feared. "Heidi and Chelsea you haven't met yet. They will be around later this evening, so look for them. As for now, I will leave you alone until later."

"Thank you, Marcus. I look forward to it." Caterina felt excited at the invitation. It would be different than their usual get togethers. She closed the door and went into the bathroom to shower and dry her hair until the two women Marcus had mentioned arrived.

Hearing a knock on the door a few hours later, Caterina met Heidi and Chelsea for the first time. Both women were beautiful, with flawless skin and violet-coloured eyes. They introduced themselves, the woman named Chelsea holding up a dress bag, before unzipping it to reveal a lovely full-length blue gown made of lace and chiffon fabrics dotted with sparkles that looked like stars. Once Caterina had donned the dress, Heidi did her make-up while Chelsea later pulled her hair into a loose top knot.

Both women did what they could to encourage Caterina to consider Marcus' favour.

When they finished their work, they smiled at her. "You look perfect. Master Marcus will be so impressed," Chelsea said, Heidi nodding in agreement.

She was given a velvet box containing a pair of sapphire drop earrings that matched the bracelet Marcus had given her. "Are these from Marcus too?" she asked.

Both women looked at one another, then at Caterina, nodding. "He is being very generous with you because he likes you. You are aware of that, aren't you?" Heidi said.

Of course she was aware, but to what extent did he care for her, she wondered while she slipped on the earrings.

Lastly, Caterina stepped into matching blue heels, which fit perfectly. Obviously they had done very well in choosing the right size and style for her. She looked in the full length mirror that sat in the corner of the room, feeling like a princess in such expensive clothing.

"Is this really necessary?" she asked Heidi. "I will never have use for a dress like this at home."

"Master Marcus wants tonight to be special," Chelsea replied.

"Like we're on a date?" Caterina asked, looking behind her in the mirror. She saw Chelsea and Heidi glance at one another again, and knew she was right. This was a date.

There was a knock at the door. Chelsea opened it, stepping aside so Felix could enter the bedroom. She and Heidi gave Caterina encouraging smiles and quietly left.

Felix walked up to the human and took her hands in his. He spread her arms open and gazed at her. Then he spun her around. "You are a vision, Caterina. Master Marcus will think so as well. He's waiting now, so are you ready?" He let her hands go and stepped back, giving her a respectful bow.

"Oh, stop, Felix. You're embarrassing me, but thank you for the compliment. I guess we should leave now."

The guard looped her arm in his, and escorted Caterina to Marcus' rooms, knocking on arrival. Marcus answered and let in the human woman, while telling Felix he didn't have to wait tonight, that he would take his guest back to her room himself.

While Marcus was speaking with Felix, Caterina looked around the ante room, seeing a table beautifully set, complete with lit candles. A cart sat next to the table, where she saw several covered dishes and a bottle of champagne chilling.

She then turned to peek at her host. He was attired in what looked like old-fashioned dress, with black slacks, a white shirt with white ruffles around the neck, and a blue satin waistcoat. The ever-present pendant she'd noticed when she'd first arrived hung around his neck to sit on his chest atop the ruffles. He wore over the shirt a navy blue velvet coat with gold embroidery, making him appear like someone out of an old painting.

Caterina looked down at her gown, realizing anything less elegant would have been inappropriate. Marcus must have known her dress was blue, so dressed accordingly. She bent her head and smiled. Then for effect, she curtsied low before him.

Marcus took her hand and lifted her up from her position on the floor. He felt satisfaction in seeing her smile, cherishing each and every one of them. He had hoped this evening would please her, and he would be able to show her a different side of himself.

Marcus gazed at Caterina, appreciating the choice in dress made by Chelsea and Heidi. The woman looked positively ethereal in the star-lit gown. He noticed she was wearing the sapphire earrings he had ordered for her as well. He thought they suited her well.

He led her to the dining table he had ordered set up in the ante room. "I hope you enjoy tonight, Caterina. The chef has prepared several dishes just for the occasion. Champagne?" Marcus opened the bottle after he pulled her chair out and waited for her to get comfortable. Then he poured a glass of the sparkling liquid. He removed the lids from the food, showing Caterina her menu.

"Pepper Roast with baby potatoes, and green peas with mushrooms." He began to serve her, filling her plate while ignoring his own.

When he sat himself opposite his guest, she spoke. "It all smells so good. Will you be having any?"

"Not tonight. Forgive me, but my constitution means I can't always eat rich foods. But please, have as much as you wish."

Caterina nodded slowly, not surprised. Why, she didn't know. She cut a bit of the beef, and was amazed at the tenderness of the meat. "The chef is so talented. This is wonderful! It's so easy to overcook beef." She took a sip of the champagne, finding it perfectly chilled.

While she ate. the pair discussed the history of the city of Volterra, including how the Volturi came to be here in the first place. By the time she had indulged in more champagne and her dessert of tiramisu, Caterina was feeling both full and in a relaxed humour.

Marcus mentioned that he had found some music, turning on his laptop. He set the saved file he hoped she would be willing to dance to with him. "Would you make me the happiest of men and do me the honour?" He held out his hand to her, feeling her warm hand being placed on his open palm. Leading her to the center of the room, they waited for the music to begin.

"I'm not an expert dancer, Marcus, so you will have to lead well," Caterina cautioned, looking up at the taller man.

"Rest easy, my dear. I'm a long-time expert," he replied, his free arm wrapping around her.

When the music began, Marcus spun Caterina around the room, twirling her beneath his arm, then drawing her against him. He so wanted to kiss her at that moment, but feared her pulling away from him as she had before. They danced as the music carried both from the lives they lived apart to this moment together. Her warmth seeped into his flesh through the fabric of his coat, so sensitive to their physical differences as he was.

Caterina looked up into Marcus' eyes, feeling drawn to him. Her lips parted, her top teeth biting gently into her lower lip. She leaned into his cool body, her heart beating faster.

Marcus not only heard but felt each beat against his chest. He took a gamble and lowered his head, then pressed his lips gently on hers. When she did not pull back, he pressed harder, his lips parting. He tasted her, his arms wrapping more tightly around her trim body. When he finally released her, Marcus stepped back.

"I am sorry, Caterina." He did not continue when two fingers rested on his mouth, silencing him.

"It's alright, Marcus. I'm not offended." She held her body close to his, happy when she felt his arms encircle her, again pulling her against him. His mouth captured hers, drawing in her breath through parted lips.

They continued dancing for almost an hour while talking and laughing together. The music finally stopped, leaving Marcus and Caterina in the middle of the room, staring at one another in silence. That is, until Marcus pulled her to him, embracing her in his arms. He gave her a chaste kiss in her forehead, then when she moved her cheek to his, he lowered his head to kiss her neck with a meaning that was not so chaste. At last, his lips moved to hers once more.

Caterina sighed, the pleasure of his kiss stronger than she had ever felt with anyone, not that there had been that many men in her life.

She lay her head against his chest. "Thank you for this evening," she murmured against his coat. She felt she had to end this now. "I had so much fun. But it is late, and I am a bit tired."

"Of course. Let me return you to your room." Marcus held Caterina's hand and led her from his chambers to her room. He kissed her hand before watching her open her door and turn to look up at him.

"Again, thank you. I had a truly marvelous time, Marcus. I'll see you tomorrow." She stepped back and shut her door.

Marcus felt had his heart been able to beat, it would have been beating fast and hard. Not in centuries had he felt so happy to be with one person. He returned to his rooms, hoping she felt as he did.

Once Caterina had undressed and showered, she hung the beautiful gown up in the wardrobe, and put on her nightgown. She then climbed into bed. A smile unconsciously formed on her face when she thought about the evening. The smile vanished when she considered what she was falling into.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was days later when Caterina was wiping down Marcus' desk and she looked out to the window to see it was snowing. She watched as the large flakes stuck to the grass in the garden. Excited, she quickly finished cleaning up Marcus' room, and after putting away her cleaning supplies, Caterina ran to get her coat to go out into the garden.

Marcus had returned to his room shortly after, and heard sounds of laughter coming from outside, and the garden below. He looked out the window to see Caterina spinning around, her arms wide as she danced in the falling snow. He smiled to himself, and decided to join her. Taking a coat for effect from his wardrobe, he strode the corridor to the garden door and went outside.

Caterina saw Marcus and waved him over. "Marcus, come join me. Isn't it beautiful?"

Marcus agreed in his mind, but he felt it was she who was beautiful, her cheeks pink and eyes shining with sheer joy.

"Have you ever had a snowball fight?" she asked him, attempting to sound innocent. She bent to gather snow in her hands, forming a ball.

When Marcus gave her a questioning look, he felt the unexpected smack of cold snow on his face. His entire body was as cold as the white stuff, but Caterina didn't know that. Marcus did something he had never done before in his existence. He bent down to gather snow in his hands and formed a snowball. He turned to Caterina just as another snowball hit him on the shoulder. He threw his at her, grinning when it hit her on the chest. Her ensuing laughter was like music to his ears.

They played like this for a while before the snow started coming down harder, and Marcus was afraid Caterina would become too chilled. He ordered her inside, and took her to the kitchen for some hot tea. She practically glowed from within while she thanked him for the fun while sipping her tea. He had never seen her so happy, and he hoped she felt it was due to his presence in her life.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Days later, Caterina was cleaning in Marcus' rooms. Once she had finished up, she went up to his desk where Marcus was sitting and working on some papers.

"Marcus, may I call Papa before I leave?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course, my dear." He fetched the phone from his desk drawer and handed it to her. He went to sit on the sofa to wait for her to finish.

Caterina went to sit on the sofa and dialed her home number. Hearing the line pick up, she said, "Hello, Papa! Oh, Signora Rossi. What? Wait, what did you say? Is he badly off? I'll try. Thank you for staying with him. Good bye." She handed Marcus the phone, a frantic look on her face.

Marcus stood, taking her hands in his. "What is it, Caterina? Is something wrong?"

"It's Papa. He's sick. He had been outside too long in the snow trying to get the last of the seasonal crop harvested and he caught a bad cold. One of our neighbors, Signora Rossi, went to take him some eggs from her hens and found him very ill. She said she has been caring for him, but he's asking for me. Please, please, Marcus, may I go home to take care of him?"

Marcus didn't want to let her leave him, but the look in her eyes compelled him to. She would be too worried if he forced her to stay. What would she feel for him if her father died. "Felix can drive you home, my dear."

"Thank you, Marcus," she replied with gratitude in her voice.

"Will you be coming back?" Marcus asked, but she was gone without having heard the question. He hoped she would return, but he determined that if she did not, he would let her know he was allowing her to stay home for good. He felt she had served her time and cleared her father's debt. His love for her enabled him to free her even as he sacrificed his own hopes for redemption.

Felix came to his friend's room to find her packed and waiting. Fortunately, most of the snow had melted by now, and the road was clear at least.

Caterina begged Felix to go faster, but he told her, "There are people in the road, my friend. Don't worry. I will get you home as quickly as possible."

Once they reached her house, pulling into the driveway, she jumped out of the car and headed for the front door. When she opened the door, Felix set her bags just inside the entrance. Caterina thanked him, giving him a quick hug. Once he saw she had safely entered the house, he drove away.

"Papa! Papa, I'm home!" she shouted, dropping her coat on a nearby chair.

"Shhh, child, he's sleeping," an older woman whispered, appearing from the kitchen.

"Signora Rossi, how is he?"

"He's better, my dear." She explained what the doctor had said, and gave Caterina instructions for the medicine she was to give her father. "Now you get re-settled. Since you're here, I'll leave, but do call me if you need anything."

"Thank you, Signora Rossi, for everything," Caterina said, letting the woman out.

She went to her father's bedroom to see him lying in bed, sleeping peacefully. She felt his forehead, finding it only slightly warm to the touch. She took the small pitcher of water to the kitchen to refill it with fresh water, and waited for him to wake up.

When he did awaken, he was overjoyed to see his daughter sitting on a chair next to the bed.

"Caterina, daughter, you've returned," he said, taking ahold of her hands.

"Yes, Papa. Marcus let me leave when I found out from Signora Rossi you were sick. I'm home to take care of you."

And she did, making him porridge for breakfast and soup for later in the day. She told him all about her time at the castle, and how things had slowly changed between her and Marcus. She had left so quickly, she had forgotten the dress, shoes, and jewelry he had given her.

"Have you feelings for the man, daughter?"

"I don't know, Papa. I know I care about him, and he was kinder to me the longer I was there. It changed things, you understand."

"Caterina, Guiseppe had been here, asking about you. He was not happy that you were staying at the castle. I only hoped he didn't make trouble for you."

"I never saw him, Papa. I pray he does not go there. The people who live there are...they're strange. Not that I was afraid of them, but there is something...well, I hope he stays away. I'm home now, so he has no reason to go there." She patted her father's hand and rose from the chair. "I'm going to get you some soup now."

While she ladled the hot meal into a bowl, Caterina wondered if she should warn Marcus. No, Guiseppe would not be so foolish, surely not.

After a few days of care, Mario Cassiani recovered from his illness and was eager to be up and about. He pulled himself out of bed and walked to the kitchen. Still a bit weak, he took his time and entered the kitchen to see Caterina cutting up vegetables for supper.

When Caterina saw her father, she frowned. "Papa, you need to stay in bed..."

"Child, I am fine and going crazy. You'll see. I'll take a quick shower and dress. By the way, Guiseppe doesn't know you're home. He wanted to go to the castle to retrieve you. If he goes there with others, who knows what will happen. Perhaps you should call him."

Setting down the knife, Caterina looked at her father. "I'm not ready to talk with Guiseppe, Papa. Did he say he would go there?"

"Call him, Caterina."

Sighing, she picked up the receiver and dialed his number. When he answered, she said, "Guiseppe, this is Caterina, I..." A man's voice spoke.

"Caterina, this is Guiseppe's father. He is on his way to the Palazzo dei Priori with some of the other villagers. They're planning to..."

"No! They can't do that!" Hanging up, she turned to her father.

"Papa, that fool is on his way to the castle. I have to stop him. They might hurt Marcus."

"Take the truck. The back way is faster on the county road."

"Yes, yes, and it leads to the garden gate behind the castle. I can get in through the garden gate, and find Marcus without the crowd seeing me." She gave her father a kiss and turned to leave. "I'll be back as soon as I can, Papa."

"Be careful, Caterina," her father called out as she left the house.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

A small group of male villagers, led by Guiseppe, headed for the castle. Armed with rifles, guns, even farm equipment, they followed the man who was determinded to bring Caterina home with him, even if it meant killing the residents of the castle.

Driving over the speed limit, Caterina mumbled the entire way. "Idiots! How can you follow a man like Guiseppe. Stupid!"

When she came to the back gate that led to the garden, she prayed it wasn't locked, and sighed in relief when the gate swung open. She ran into the castle through the side door and headed to Marcus' rooms.

On arrival, she went from the ante-room to the bedroom and didn't find him. She left his rooms and was heading down the main corridor, when she heard shouting and the sounds of gunfire. In the large audience hall she rarely saw, she noticed a small crowd of men fighting what she assumed were Marcus' family. Then she saw Marcus himself, fighting Guiseppe.

Guiseppe was holding an axe. He aimed for Marcus' neck, swinging it hard until it hit flesh. The impact left cracks on Marcus' neck, but the vampire was able to knock aside the axe and grabbed the human by the throat. He opened his mouth and leaned in to bite Guiseppe in the throat, his teeth tearing into the warm flesh.

Caterina saw Guiseppe attack Marcus, shouted "No!", then gasped loud enough for Marcus to hear. He turned around to face the woman he loved, knowing she was finally seeing him for the monster he was. Blood was smeared on his mouth, and he let his human attacker fall to the floor.

Her eyes wide, Caterina ran to Marcus, kneeling beside him. "Are you hurt? Marcus, are you hurt in any way?"

"I'm sorry," he said to the young woman next to him. I'm fine, but I..." He felt warm arms move around him, hugging him ever as she searched him for wounds.

"Oh, Marcus, when I heard what was going on, I had to stop Guiseppe." She looked at the man who was her captor, her employer, her admirer. "I had to...I love you, Marcus. No matter what has happened, I do love you. I was so afraid you'd be hurt."

Standing, Marcus pulled Caterina up off the floor. "You see me for what I am, my dear heart. A killer. A vampire." He wiped his mouth with his sleeve while Caterina only stared at him. She noticed his eyes, now red, but how.

"I don't care." She meant it. If he was really a vampire, an honest to goodness creature of legend, she didn't care. He was safe. She looked around her, and saw several bodies lying in the room. She should be mourning them, but it was their choice to follow that brute Guiseppe. The other Volturi, a few she knew, others she didn't, stood around as if waiting for orders.

Caterina had seen the blood on Marcus' lips as it dripped down his chin. What he had told her was true. He really was a vampire, and he had killed Guiseppe. She saw two men walk down the steps leading from three throne-like chairs.

Just then, a bright light blazed briefly in the center of the room, before revealing a beautiful woman standing in the middle of the audience hall.

Aro and Caius frowned at the sudden intrusion, but Marcus recognized her instantly.

"Marcus dei Volturi, you fulfilled the requirement of your redemption," the witch said. She seemingly floated over to Marcus and Caterina. "Child, you love this man?"

Gazing at the beautiful woman, she frowned. "Of course I do. With all my heart." She felt Marcus' holding her hand tightly.

"Then Marcus dei Volturi, you may choose to regain your humanity, and be mortal again. Or you may remain a vampire, and change your beloved to become an immortal like you."

Marcus held Caterina by the shoulders as he gazed into her warm brown eyes. "It means aging. But it also means a home, family, children. Things you won't have here if you're a vampire." He gave Caterina a kiss, and sought the answer to his question in her eyes.

"No children?" If Marcus was letting her choose, the answer was simple. "Marcus, I want to be with you, in my world, in my life. We can live together and watch our family grow while we grow old, together."

Marcus glanced over at Aro and Caius. Aro knew Marcus hadn't been happy, but Caterina had changed that. He nodded at his brother.

The witch held her hands up and began to chant a spell. Marcus felt a sudden and excruciating pain in his entire body, and fell to the floor.

Caterina started to go to him, but Felix held her by the arms, saying, "Wait. This is something Master Marcus has to endure. Let's see what happens."

Marcus writhed on the floor, pain written on his face while he tried not to scream.

Caterina struggled against Felix's grip on her arms. "Let me go!" she demanded. Reluctantly, Felix complied, letting her loose. Once free, she ran to Marcus, dropping down next to him.

"Marcus, I'm here with you, my love. Please don't leave me now." She held his hand with both of hers, squeezing tightly. She was tempted to pull back when she saw a curtain of light form around Marcus, but she decided to hold on. With tears in her eyes, Caterina glanced up at the witch, who only smiled down at the pair.

When the glow receded, Marcus caught his breath. The pain had finally stopped. Caterina helped him to sit up, checking him over, but seeing no physical damage. She did notice the changes in his body immediately however.

"Marcus, your eyes, they're brown." She realized the hand she still held was warm to the touch. She reached out and caressed his cheek to find it was also warm. They were not pale either, but pick with the flush of blood in his veins. "If you're physical changes mean anything, you...you're human. It worked." She wiped the tears from her face and helped Marcus up off the floor, the pair turning to one another and hugging each other in joy.

Marcus cupped Caterina's cheek and kissed her deeply. He felt different and knew he was no longer a vampire. He was human again, after so many hundreds of years and it felt more than strange. He could feel his heart beating in his chest, the sensation foreign to him.

A bright light filled the room, and the witch vanished.

Caius ordered the guards to clean up the room and dispose of the bodies. He had some damage control to work on, and began that task.

Aro stood off to the side, but took several steps towards Marcus, placing his hand on the taller vampire's shoulder. "You will always be my brother...our brother. You may still stay here with Caterina. Or you may leave to travel the world. We leave that up to you both." When he saw the surprise on Marcus' face, he huffed. "I know, I know, the rules, but I can make exceptions when I want. And I'm making an exception now. I don't expect you will tell anyone about us, and as your mate, I can assume Caterina won't either." He smiled when he saw her shake her head vigorously.

"Aro, we will let you know. If we choose to leave and return later, it's good to know we will be welcome." He turned to his mate, for that was what she was now. "We will marry the old fashioned way, if that makes you happy, my love."

"Ah, a wedding. I do love weddings, so you must have it here at the castle," Aro said with excitement.

Caterina responded with a nod of acknowledgement, grateful for their attitude and now the offer of a wedding. This was Marcus' home and she didn't mind it becoming hers. She would be able to visit her father, who would not have to pay for the cost of her wedding. When she had mentioned that to Marcus, his eyes glowed with happiness as he laughed pleasantly.

Caterina decided as long as her human guests were guaranteed their safety, why not have it here. Perhaps it would help dispel the nasty rumours if her family and friends were allowed to attend. They would see there was nothing to fear from the castle's residents after all.

Later, Marcus led his bride-to-be out to the garden, where they stood in the gazebo, Caterina's hands holding onto Marcus' arm. He noticed she seemed relaxed, which shocked him the most, and not freaking out about what she had seen today.

"You truly surprised me, my dear. I never imagined you to be so strong, and here I was so worried about you." Marcus leaned over to give his mate a kiss on her forehead.

Caterina smiled, and nodded, replying, "I never imagined I would have to be. You don't have any other secrets, do you?"

"No, my heart, you know everything. From now on, I am only a mortal man who loves you." Marcus leaned into Caterina and kissed her deeply, his arms around her securely. Her warmth was less noticeable now that they were the same body temperature. "I love you," he said with emotion in his voice.

"And I love you, Marcus, for always." Caterina hugged her husband-to-be tightly, knowing their life together would never be boring.

A/N : Sorry it took so long to finish this particular story. Lately, I just haven't felt much like writing. I'll go back over it later to fix any errors. Thanks for your patience.

#volturi fanfiction #the volturi #marcus volturi #felix volturi #aro volturi #beauty and the beast #caius volturi #Chelsea Volturi #Heidi Volturi

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febuary30thday · 2 years ago

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Drabble

If y'all don't know, I'm a self-insert y/n girl, and this just randomly came to me when I was re-reading the demon slayer manga's final battle arc, so I had to write it down. This is from my Spirit Hashira Y/N book. It's a yandere story and I'm just planning it out, but before I do that, I'm planning out her backstory. This is a rough draft. [Name] P.O.V I had really great parents. And a great twin brother. His name was Hiyashi. Hiyashi Kemuri. We were happy, even if we were rice farmers. I liked washing the rice and making dinners. I didn't mind being less fortunate than others, because I was happy. I could hear the voice of gods, I knew that. But the gods told me not to tell anyone. I could see spirits as well, but I didn't talk to them, because they looked scary to me as a child. Their mangled bodies, soulless eyes, and just the air of death they carried, was scary to me. But then, tragedy struck, and my family was killed by demons. I was the only one left alive, because I passed out, and the demons assumed I was dead, just like my family. I was 9, only 9 at the time. When I awoke, it was morning, and the demons were gone. I was found by Demon Slayers, and I was adopted by an old wealthy couple. I didn't have any siblings when I was with them, and they treated me right. I changed my name to Kaneko, and I was [Name] Kaneko. It was hard to get over my family's death, but I was happy with my new family. I even had a man to marry, so life was going well for me. I learned how to sew, how to arrange flowers, how to play musical instruments, and how to dance. I especially like reading and going outside to watch the fish swim around. But, again, the universe doesn't like seeing me happy. My parents and my fiance died because of demons. I had lost everyone I loved to demons, again. It was hard. It felt as if all the death in the world was meant for me. I was angry, then sad, then nothing. I was numb. I couldn't feel anything. I was 18. The gods told me that if I didn't want others to suffer like I did, I should become a Demon Slayer. They granted me with strength and speed to take down demons. I could still see spirits, and with enough training, I become a Demon Slayer.

I liked being a Hashira. It gave me the happiness that I needed. Thank you, guys, for giving me happiness. Thank you, Hashira. Thank you, Master, and Lady Amane. Thank you, spirits. Thank you, Mother, Father. Thank you all, for being my saviors. In return, live while you still can. I've lived for far too long anyway, so you should live. Goodbye, guys, and please remember, everyone of you should stay alive and live, for me, and for the Demon Slayer Corps. For the Master, and for all you've saved. Thank you, everyone, and goodbye, for good.

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ultraericthered · 10 months ago

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Anime Update V3 7

Vinland Saga S2 - Have seen the episodes covering Ketil’s counterattack against Canute’s forces which did not go too well and left Ketil completely broken and crippled, which is well deserved since his burst of violence against Arnheid led to her death. His two sons are left to grapple with their differing responses to having to face war for the farmlands. Thorfinn really shone here, taking after his father’s example and telling Arnheid about Vinland in her final minutes of living, then going to speak with Canute himself only to confront the limitations of his pacifist approach to conflict resolution yet still finding a way to avoid more senseless violence, taking 100 punches from the army’s strongest man so that he be allowed to speak with the king. And that last scene where Thorfinn and Einar are face to face with Canute…so much tension. Such weight to the drama! Four years (in-universe and for me) building to this. Can Thorfinn avoid violent engagement with the delusional young king?

Hunter x Hunter - As preparations are being made by Gon and his allies to raid the palace when the day of selection arrives, the best intrigue still goes to the ant king himself and how he’s now grappling with a huge contradiction to his sense of identity and purpose due to how much Komugi has rubbed off on him, and how he’s begun to care about her and wants her protected at all costs. And this soft spot is troubling for Pouf, who’s so fanatical about the strength and merciless evil of his king that the thought of him changing course from his agenda of violence and dominance drives him to despair!

SHUFFLE! - Saw the episode that finally gave Asa full character focus that gave us some glimpses into her past and her feelings for Rin that she tries to play off with teasing and provocative humor. The following one was even better since it gave us more Sia as she planned out her perfect date with Rin only for it to turn out more hectic than she’d hoped, with every main character getting to appear at each location Sia and Rin went to, but this ended up working to the date’s advantage and tightened the bond between the two. Sia is just delightful every time she comes along, so this was quite the treat!

The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II - Saw the series premiere, or rather premieres. This one started on an “Episode 0” that throws us into the present day life of Waver Velvet, currently Lord El-Melloi II in the stead of Kayneth’s teenage niece, as he and his supporting cast have to catch a hired hit man mage who’s inflicted Waver with a curse of misfortune that tied his life to that of a dying black cat. The proper first episode that followed went backwards to take us further back still as Waver has to recount his experience at Iskandr’s tomb to his crazy new sister who held him hostage and talked him into taking the El-Melloi mantle, teaching at the mage academy and dealing with the mages of Clocktower. Definitely gonna be an interesting one...

KonoSuba - Saw the one where the party goes to the snow fields and Kazuma gets re-killed by the Winter Shogun, which gives him a chance to respawn into a better life in another world but he decides he’s grown too close to the world he and Aqua went to, and his companions, to be done with it yet…which he regrets upon actually returning’ Just when you think he’s making some progress!

Symphogear XV - CAROL’S BACK!!! I had to start there ‘cause getting to not only see Carol’s doll autoscorer minions again but the return of Carol’s persona from within Elfnein gave me such a thrill, and even better, she’s on the good guys side for this situation! Also noteworthy, Fudou reveals he’d set Noble Red up to be eradicated after completing Shem-Ha’s revival because he’s a monster who wants to attain god-like power to live out his savior fantasy with, and Shem-Ha’s revival allows her to overtake Miku so that she’s now her physical vessel! The credits that followed this was just cruel, making it seem like this could really be it for Miku…

Eureka Seven - Went through the fallout period of what occurred in the previous episodes. The B plot of Dominic visiting Axel Thurston and Axel helping fix up Dominic’s motorbike was my favorite part of the first one, especially with the gruff old man’s kindness making Dominic abandon his plans to exploit him for information on his family, though Talho finally just snapping and telling Renton the truth about Eureka, that she’s a person made from the Coral who was the subject of what Renton’s father was pursuing, was sure something as well. Holland is taking small but sincere steps towards repentance of his old shitbag ways, Talho makes a change of her own (though I found the haircut to be gratuitous and a step down), and Renton continues his growth…and this leaves Eureka in a space where she’s just kind of bland now? Ever since she made her recovery from her ailment she’s lost a lot of the oddball characteristics she had at first and has been defined by her love for Renton and general kindness like with the kids. Given that the show’s got her name in the title, that’s a sad oversight, but not enough to ruin how good things are.

Gintama - The dual stories episode with the snow and ice festival and the crazy old fireworks artist.

AND

Girls Last Tour - A very different take on a "Cute Girls Do Cute Things" anime, with two hapless dumbass moeblobs travelling around a post-apocalyptic world in a tank, bridging the gap between comedy and tragedy the whole way. Unusual, but I enjoyed watching it, though it being one cours sadly meant it got cut short of ending.

#Anime Update V3 #Anime Update

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cblgblog · 1 year ago

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So I’m basically 100% with you here. Maria gets so much hate because how dare she even side eye wibble Joel, protect him at all costs oh my god poor baby. Love Maria, absolutely cannot wait for s2 Maria.

Couple things that I’m sure other people have said, the hellsite just makes it annoyingly hard to check all reblogs/replies easily.

Maria would be friggin stupid—which she isn’t—not to question the Joel/Ellie dynamic and what that is and wtf is happening there. Even if she wasn’t an ADA, which adds a whole other layer to it. Anyone with half a braincell would question it. Joel and Tess would’ve questioned it.

I don’t know that I agree on the Tommy/Maria living in Jackson timeline. It’s muddy as all hell, which others have said, but at the start of the show Joel says it’s been 3 weeks since Tommy last radioed. Obviously way longer by the time Joel and Ellie hit Jackson, but at the start it’s only been 3 weeks. Me personally, and this is just a feeling on my part, nothing more, Tommy wouldn’t have snuck around re Joel and the radio, especially not for this extended period of time that’s multiple years. Like, if you’ve finally found security and happiness after all these years, with these people you basically consider as saviors, you’re not gonna risk that by breaking one of their bigger rules. Their place, their rules, as Tommy says. I also personally don’t think he’d lie to Maria about it. Because, lawyer, she can probably spot him lying in like half a second, and I just don’t think he’d want to because he’s trying to be a better person, live a more authentic life, etc. So I doubt he was sneaking around or lying to her about it myself.

I can’t give you a firm timeline but I’d say maybe a year for Tommy moving to Jackson and starting his thing with Maria, and that’s on the higher side. He says they found him ‘after he left the Fireflies,’ but that’s vague as hell and doesn’t say how much after. The radio thing as far as why Tommy stopped contact when he did has always been a bit of a head scratcher to me, but my personal headcanon is that Tommy found out Maria’s pregnant, got scared to death like he told Joel—happy too obviously but also scared—and when something like that is on your mind, that’s the ONLY thing on your mind. And for all his faults, big brother Joel was an amazing dad, so there’s gotta be a huge part of Tommy that wants to ask him stuff and discuss all his fears, but he cannot do that because telling Joel the truth about this will break Joel. And also because they’re both southern manly men who’ve been semi-estranged for a long time and they don’t have those conversations easily…but mostly because it will break Joel and he knows it. And it’s really hard to chit chat and talk around something that big, and Tommy thought (read: convinced himself) that whatever, Joel’s a selfish asshole, he’s busy with Tess, he’s not gonna care or notice if I go silent for awhile while I wrap my head around this.

Again, just my interpretation based on a muddy af timeline and the weird way certain things were written.

“Tommy was following Joel.” Like you said, one of the most interesting things about that is that as much as Maria and Joel have this fundamentally different ways of looking at the world, they agree on Tommy being a joiner.

The defense itself is a weak one, as you say, and she’s a lawyer, and I think she knows that as she says it. She knows that Tommy was a grown ass man when he did that stuff, regardless of Joel’s influence. I think she’s just doing what everyone does in this series, which is make excuses for the person she loves. She knows he did stuff that’s fundamentally against her moral code, and she knows it was a desperate times, desperate measures situation, and that allows her to look past it. Mostly. There’s some part of her that’s still a little Not Okay with how the father of her kid behaved, she can’t reconcile it fully, so hey, here’s this super sketchy dude alla sudden that Tommy’s told horrible stories about, let’s blame him.

It has the same vibe to me as “He stopped killing people?” “Innocent ones,” just before. You can hear it in the way Bella delivers the line that it’s not something she believes, necessarily, she’s just Ellie and a teenager and not gonna concede a point, or let Maria talk bad about the only person she has left in this world. That’s part of why I personally love the haircut scene because it’s this tennis match between a grown ass woman lawyer and a 14 year old kid and they’re both scoring points on the other. Ellie’s going to the mat for Joel, defending him 100%, and I think Maria does that for Tommy in that ‘he was following Joel’ moment. Which, as you said, you have to look at the whole line in context because I think Maria could give 2 fucks about brotherly bickering honestly, and this guy was mean to my husband, her concern is for Ellie.

It wasn’t cool for her to take the guns without returning them, or burn Ellie’s clothes, or do a few of the things she did in that convo, as far as how she handled it, but everyone in this show is flawed, to say the least. She’s definitely one of the sanest people in the entire franchise, but she’s flawed, and she’s apparently not allowed to be even though *gestures at everyone else in the series.* If she’s not handling things perfectly 100% of the time, she very clearly cares about Ellie, immediately wants to check in on her, make sure she’s okay, etc. And she is not nearly as anti Joel as fandom likes to portray. If she was truly just, I hate this man I don’t trust him at all, she wouldn’t have asked Joel who his brother was, or taken him there at all. She’s just showing a healthy wariness.

And if people are mad that Maria’s not Joel’s BFF yet like…? The entire point of the first game/season is Joel and Ellie who can’t stand each other at first and then become each other’s everything. The franchise is full of people who start off rocky and then things happen, they learn about each other, and oh wait this person isn’t that bad. That’s how character development works, and it would be super friggin weird and inauthentic for these two people who both love Tommy and have a vested interest in him, but knew him at completely different points in his life were like, oh hey we’re family now, let’s pose for the Christmas card.

Anyway, rambling over now, sorry to hijack your post.

I honestly don't get why Maria was so anti-Joel oh he's a horrible person he's done horrible things he can't be around us, but accepted Tommy fully to the point he's the father of her child when both did the same things, ran with the same people and all of that.

I mean I love the character, but that confuses the hell out of me. Why's Tommy accepted but Joel damned?

okay, so… this response took me like half hour to write. my wrists hurt, my jaw is clenched, my brain is hot. i love u anon thank u very much for this chance to vent about just why my girl maria has been so misunderstood. let’s go

i personally think this is where many people fundamentally misunderstand maria’s perception of joel. she’s not cautious of him primarily because of tommy or anything tommy has said, in my personal opinion—she’s cautious of him for and because of ellie

ive said this on my blog a few times and i think so have @steeb-stn and @clickergossip (and maybe @liveandletcry23 and @bumblepony i have a shit memory so tagging just in case) so im gonna tag them to credit their words and ideas about maria as well, but the FIRST time maria sees joel, he’s with this rando twelve year old girl who he is seemingly so protective over that she cant even be sniffed by dogs who are just trying to detect infection, which would be good for ANYBODY. that’s his first strike for untrustworthyness, because why the fuck wouldn’t he let this girl be tested???—we know why, of course, but maria doesnt. shes working on the very limited info about joel/ellie’s relationship that she has from just her own observations, and i think we need to remember that as we go through analyzing why she moves how she moves

shes knows from tommy at this point is that joel had a daughter, but it is definitely not this little girl. so why the fuck are they so close. what have they gone through. are they okay. is ellie okay. is their relationship safe for her??? THAT’s what she’s thinking about, in my opinion, while shes staring joel down at that dinner table. she’s reasonbly suspicious, and i can’t blame her for it.

i had to cut this it’s literally maybe my longest post ever so. heres the cut

ALSO, it’s not like she’s a straight up bitch to joel like some of y’all seem to make it out to be??? she never says or implies that “they can’t be around” or anything like that. she offers them clothes and food and supplies. she sets them up in a house. before dinner, she gives them a personal tour (which, to be fair, she did because she was probably trying to keep an eye on them and figure out more about whether or not ellie is safe, but who wouldnt???? i know tess would! and yall would love her for it!). tommy literally says to joel before they leave that there will always be a place for him and ellie in jackson—you cannot tell me you believe he said so without already have maria’s green light for joel and ellie to stay

ALSO, i wanna consider some other things that i haven’t seen many ppl talk about. on that walk she takes with tommy and joel and ellie, she makes it sound like tommy has been with them for at least years AND she maintains the confidence to say that residents in jackson stay off the radio—i could totally be wrong, but it seems to me from the look tommy and joel share right after that it’s obvious tommy has been talking to joel BEHIND MARIA’S BACK???? did no one else catch that??? am i misinterpreting big time??? id assume because theyre married and from the way tommy talks about jackson that he’s been in jackson for at least 3 years maybe, and we know that he only stopped radioing joel a couple months before the show’s main plotline starts, so timeline wise there had to be some overlap of tommy still radioing joel from/around jackson. idk if anyone of my mutuals has thoughts on this but i personally think it’s important to point out, because it establishes that maria likely doesn’t know or think tommy and joel kept in contact, at least not as recently as up to some months ago. she knows that tommy and joel are close, but at the same time, she doesn’t think tommy really knows or talks to joel anymore, either. so how is she supposed to extend him any trust as tommy’s brother????? how and why would she give this man any benefit of the doubt???? it wouldn’t make any sense. she’s more practical and discerning than she is naive and kind, and y’all can think what y’al want about that but i love her for it. it’s very necessary for a woman like her to be the way she is

okay, so back to your question. back to why joel is “damned” and tommy is “accepted.” let’s talk about joel for a sec

y’all like to babygirl and idolize the absolute fuck out of this man

we know that not only was he a smuggler, but he killed and tricked and took advantage of people, shamelessly and brutally. we know that tommy did so too. maria knows that tommy has done the same things. maria also knows that tommy left that life because he couldnt do it anymore, and joel continued because he could

point blank period!!!!! yall can argue with me all u want but tommy left that murder life and joel did not. im not saying this makes either brother good or bad or better than the other, i love joel sm and i think both of them have an undisputed capability to do unspeakable things in order to survive. but tommy got to a point where he hit a limit, whereas joel doesn’t seem to have one. this is at least my personal interpretation of their conversations in the game and the show

tommy DID join the fireflies, which we all know now is not any fucking better than whatever the fuck joel was doing—the difference is the reasoning, though, and considering tlou is all about reasoning and the why, we need to consider the reasoning behind tommy’s decision: he wanted to do something better, something good, something he thought had a purpose. we all know now that the fireflies are bullshit, their purpose is bullshit, and they’re willingness to kill a child for the sake of the “cure” is it’s own entire paradox of bullshit. but they were a rebel organization fighting fedra, who fucking suck, and probably had somewhat of a better reputation back when tommy was interested in joining—or maybe they didn’t, to be fair, i don’t know! the point is, tommy went to them seeking some sort of better purpose, some type of redeption; in joel’s own fucking words, “tommy’s what we used to call a joiner. had dreams of becoming a hero... wants to save the world.”

tommy is idealistic. he’s romantic. he’s optimistic, almost to the point of being fucking naive. thats why he enlisted in the army, thats why he enlisted in the fireflies—he wanted to feel good about himself and the world he was living in. he needed it to have some light at the end of the tunnel for all the bullshit to make sense. and yeah, he was wrong both times in joining up. we know that, joel knew that while it was happening, and tommy knows that in retrospect, too. i think jackson is the first place he really found true, real purpose—not the kind that is propagandized to you and goes up in smoke, but the kind that is well and truly earned. that’s why he is so loyal to jackson and to maria—they finally gave him was he desperately spent his life searching for

and im just saying, from maria’s perspective, she’s someone who lives for purpose. she lives for jackson and for it’s people and for it’s future, and she has to maintain some sense of idealism in the face of all that fucking ugliness to be able to mentally live im and run a place like jackson, to believe that it’ll work. i think that idealism she has, she sees reflected in tommy’s desperation to be a better person who’s fighting for a better life. she sees that need for redemption and goodness in him, that need for things to be fucking worth it, and hears she hears it in his story. she gets to relate to him with this in a way she doesnt GET TO RELATE with joel YET (we STILL HAVE TIME PEOPLE. WE HOLDIN OUT STRONG FOR THE JOEL AND MARIA BEST FRIEND AGENDA)

but to continue, THEN maria spends YEARS with tommy, getting to know him, getting to know his guilt. just like tess with joel, she’s sees the worst and the best of him and gets to fall in love with all of it. so of course there’s gonna be a bit of a bias and a blindspot, towards him—just like any of are other characters have weak spots for the people THEY fucking love

so that’s i guess why i think tommy is “accepted” by her, i guess, and there’s honestly way more them and their romance that i could make a whole separate post about but i’ll leave it there for now. back to joel and why he’s “damned,” which i don’t think he is

again, from what maria knows, he made an active CHOICE to stay in the lifestyle of smuggling and murdering and QZ bullshit, even after tommy chose to leave—and idk what y’all imagine joel and tess to be doing in those many years on their own, but it’s not fuckin picking flowers, for me. they’re dangerous, dangerous people—more dangerous that fedra, and more dangerous than the fireflies, if we’re being fucking real about it. and we LOVE tess and joel for this, or at least i do

but jackson is not a place where people get by with smuggling or backstreet deals or threats. it’s not supposed to be that place. we all LOVE jackson in fics and hcs and aus because it’s literally a place where joel and ellie finally get to breathe and not worry about their safety/survival first. and you know who keeps jackson that way????? MARIA. AND HE BEING FUCKING PICKING ABOUT WHO JACKSON LETS THE FUCK INSIDE

so yall just expect her to by YIPPY SKIPPY when joel, THE JOEL THE SUPER SMUGGLER MURDER COWBOY, strolls into town????? WITHOUT TESS, WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE MORE PERSONABLE AND REASONABLE ONE???? what????? she’d be crazy not to at least try to be a little intimidating, to make it clear to joel that he will not get away with any of that qz bullshit here. she’d be naive not to, and maria is anything but naive

and i know most people don’t like her for that “a bad reputation doesn’t mean you’re bad” “not always, at least” line, but i actually think it really fits so well in establishing that she’s not afraid of joel, not afraid of challenging him or making him own up to things he’s done. it’s just so so cool to me, i just can’t hate her for that????? she’s establishing with him that she knows what tommy knows about his time in the QZ, and she’s letting him know if that joel shows up here in jackson, there will be fucking problems for him. which i think is a completely fair warning????

so let’s continue. let’s talk about The Scene, the one with her and ellie, the one with the “tommy was following joel” line. ONE thing i’d like to point out about this scene—MARIA IS THE ONE TO TELL ELLIE ABOUT SARAH, NOT JOEL. AND THAT IS A BIG BIG BIG REASON FOR WHY SHE WARNS ELLIE NOT TO TRUST JOEL COMPLETELY

we know what joel and ellie have gone through, at this point, but maria has barely any idea. she sees that ellie has this fierce protectiveness and lots of secrets when it comes to her and joel, which like—can we all be fucking objective here for a second. this can SO easily and SO reasonably be interpreted as something sketchy going on between joel and ellie that maria should be concerned about.

(slight tw about older men-younger woman relationships bc im gonna be personal for a sec, its quick) we don’t know maria’s past or what she has seen or been through, but personally as someone who has been in a situation where an older man has taken advantage of my naivety in the past, i am now extremely hyper vigilant when it comes to young girls around older men in my personal life today. ellie and joel’s situation and how it looks would raise MJAOR red flags for me personally, if i was in maria’s position. that’s just a personal perspective have that really affects the way i view this scene (end tw)

and so maria finds out that joel has kept the fact that HE HAD A WHOLE ASS DAUGHTER from ellie?????? WOULD THAT NOT BE SUS AT ALL TO YALL???? i mean we know why joel doesn’t tell ellie, as gameplayers and watchers of the show, but again. maria is operating on the info she has right in front of her, which is that joel has been omitting maybe the biggest fact of his life from this young girl who is willing to defend and trust him with her entire life, even after she finds out she’s being lied to. this is alarming

so at this point, she’s questioning joel’s intentions with ellie, and in my opinion, it’s not at all unreasonable for her to do so. she then continues to press, because the red flags are flying and she wants ellie to be crystal clear on the kind of man she’s traveling with (“there are CLEARLY things you don’t know about joel” — “so then you understand my concerns”)

AND THEN ELLIE. BLESSED SMART AMAZING ELLIE COMES IN WITH THE DEFENSE—“and tommy did it too, are you worried about him?”—which like, i love this line. i love this moment. i think because i go so hard for maria a lot of y’all think i’m blind to when ellie is making points, but i 100% cheered her on when i first watched this scene, like i’m sure y’all did—because it’s true! it’s fair! if maria is going to judge joel for those things, she needs to extend the same judgement to tommy

the thing is, it’s still fucking true that, as i said earlier, tommy left that life. both the smuggling, and the fireflies—he chose to stop, while joel didn’t—he was smuggling literally up until the day him and tess found ellie, so. there’s that. she continues to judge joel and not tommy because she knows for sure that tommy has changed. she doesn’t know joel enough yet to see that he has changed, too

so then, the dreaded line: “tommy was following joel.” let’s talk about it.

i don’t love this line either, tbh! i think it’s a weak defense on maria’s part, and a weak line on the tlou hbo writers part—probably my least favorite line of maria’s overall. but i do get why she says it, and i kind of think i get the purpose??? i think????

it reminds me a lot of joel’s line, earlier, about tommy being a “joiner,” and i think it’s funny that, as opposite as joel and maria like to think they both are to each other, the way they describe tommy is pretty much the same. tommy is a “joiner” to joel and a “follower” to maria, and in all respects they both love and hate him for it. idk where i’m going with that exactly, just something interesting to think about in terms of the joel and maria best friend agenda

but i also think this line get’s taken out of context a lot, because the full line is “tommy was following joel, the way you are now.” maria says this line to lead into her main point, the really fucking important line in this scene: “be careful who you put your faith in. the only ones who can betray us, are the one’s we trust.”

WHICH IS TRUE. IT IS THE POINT. AND WHEN JOEL LIES TO ELLIE, HIDES SOMETHING FROM HER YET AGAIN at the end of the season/game, IT BECOMES A THEMATIC CLIMAX POINT THAT CONNECTS BOTH OF THE GAMES

maria is not saying this to “damn” joel—and i personally don’t think she is “damning” joel in the way you imply here, as there’s definitely potential for them to develop a relationship in s2 once she has more information about the truth of how he thinks of ellie. i think she’s warning ellie not to trust joel, because she doesn’t trust joel, at the end of the fucking day—and that’s about it. she trusts tommy in a way that she can’t quite trust joel yet, and why would she, at this point? it would make no sense for her to

so y’all can blame her and hate her for her distrust all you guys want (btw not necessarily talking to you, anon, ive just gotten some very nasty asks about maria from others so im talking to them rn!!!!!!!), but i’m sorry—you can’t tell me that it doesn’t at least make sense. she’s MARIA. she’s MADE OF SENSE

#maria miller #tlou #the last of us

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the-assignment · 2 years ago

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Blog #3 - Candyman 🙄

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I found out that we were watching both the original and the 2020 version(s) of Candyman – Candymen? Oh, whatever – for this weeks class.

But I quickly discovered that my major issue is definitely with the original Candyman. And for a lotta reasons.

Full disclosure: I don’t quite remember how or why, but I do know I watched the original Candyman when I was younger – even though I was not a fan of scary movies. It could have been because that was the only thing on TV that looked sorta interesting, and I didn’t realize it was a horror film until too late, or it could’ve been because my older sister has always loved horror films and making me watch them. I.e., she loves scar(r)ing me. (I’m gonna go with that.)

But re-watching it – though I would say this is my first real time watching the 1992 version of Candyman – was WILD. I don’t know if I’m just “grown up” now and have a different view and perspective of the world, if I’m more formally and informally educated about issues, if I’m more aware of issues surrounding race and culture and problematic themes, or all the above – but my goodness was this movie incredibly problematic and frustrating.

One of my favorite parts of the class that I am taking is talking about tropes and themes. Not only those in individual movies but across movie genres as well. So, to understand and recognize that a major theme of Black trauma and Black pain is being done through a white lens, is upsetting. To see Black bodies being used as mere props in a movie where it literally makes no sense to do so, is ridiculous.

Mostly, I straight up don’t understand how Helen is supposed to be the protagonist in this?? I am honestly, genuinely, perplexed. The entire movie just makes me dislike her more and more. And yet, disliking her isn’t the point of the film. The subplot and subcontext of the film is supposed to make you feel for her and fear for her. And that isn’t what I was doing.

I was thrown off by how privileged and almost arrogant she seemed. Like she was entitled to people’s help and assistance, stories, and pain. Especially, and entirely of Black people’s help, assistance, stories, and pain. She exploited the little Black boy who she had show her around – never once to stop and think about why he was alone – where his family or his mother was. Did she just assume that it’s “normal” for Black kids to be away from their mothers in “that” type of neighborhood. Wouldn’t you want to shield a child away from some of the things and themes she was exploring??

Also, the way she spoke to people! The scene where she’s asking the janitor questions about what happened and about the legend and myth of Candyman, etc. and she automatically thinks they should / will / need to help her. No pleasantries. No, “do you have a minute” – Nothing. The privilege is unreal.

Additionally, her best friend, who is – shocker – Black, dies! Even though she doesn’t say “Candyman” five times – Helen does! Where is the logic?

Where is the justice?!

Make it make sense!

I just don’t get how or why we are supposed to feel sorry for a privileged white woman who goes on a “Slum Safari” with no concern for the people and stories and pain that she’s using / exploiting / bringing along with her.

And then to make her the literal white savior at the end – Ugh. I. Can’t. Even.

It really shows that the concern was never about telling the story of a (understandably) vengeful (Though! To! The! Wrong! People!) black man that was a victim of racism (and therefore having to address the history of racism)' but about making a story that reaffirms white people’s perceptions - I.e., fear - of Blackness.

And I for one am glad that movie and iconic character has been reclaimed.

#the assignment #the-assignment #ucla #homework #candyman #horror #horror noire

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thebetterluthor · 2 years ago

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Time to hate on Baelfire/Neal

Neal was a piece of shit of a man. He let Emma take the blame for a theft. When she was underage. He was much older than her, it was his fault she got herself in that position, and he abandoned her to deal with the system by herself. She gave birth in prison and had to give up her son, because of him. He then re-appeared on the show (and dropped into her life) and he was all "Well it was what was supposed to happen so you could fulfill your destiny."

Really, bitch? If everything that happens is just so that Emma can fulfill her destiny, I guess it's a good thing that Graham was murdered, because otherwise Emma wouldn't have turned against Regina so readily. Speaking of whom, they should probably stop calling Regina Evil, because if she hadn't gone on a rampage, Emma would have never had any reason to be a savior, and she wouldn't have fulfilled her destiny.

Neal's story was absolute bullshit. It's not his fault, the writers did a horrible job of it. But nobody come at me and excuse this garbage. Write your fics, fix the canon garbage fire, do whatever you want, make him a good guy, it's a free world. But don't come to me and tell me that CANON Neal was good for Emma, or Henry, or any breathing person, really.

#ouat #anti-Baelfire #anti-Neal #ouat rewatch

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rose-madder-gaze · 2 years ago

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Last game, let's go.

3:49 PM · Mar 17, 2021 You know the deal: next game, next thread. XIII-2 is in QRT, XIII-3 begins here. I'm gritting my teeth, kupo. Not spoiler-free.

3:54 PM · Mar 17, 2021 Lightning: Wh- Me: Where's Sazh?

8:33 PM · Mar 17, 2021 I grab Snow by his Riku KH2 haircut, I grab Lightning by her strappy not-armor, and I hold them hostage until someone brings me Sazh. 13 days pass, the world ends, I care not. I give Bhunivelze the middle finger. Bring me my mans.

8:39 PM · Mar 17, 2021 SNOW:

8:40 PM · Mar 17, 2021 I wish I had enough grace in my body to allow myself to feel connected to a new place, new people. But I do not. They're just going to take them all away from me again and again; they already said as much.

8:53 PM · Mar 17, 2021

7:55 PM · Mar 18, 2021 THE WAY ALL THE RANDOM WOMEN NPCS TALK TO/AT LIGHTNING IN THIS GAME SLDFKJSF They're just like "Thanks, please come again 🥰️," "Is she the warrior of Valhalla? 😍" as she slams through a crowd of people.

8:02 PM · Mar 18, 2021 Orion joked that Bhunivelze de-transitioned Hope and I almost started sobbing

8:02 PM · Mar 18, 2021 Being 14 is worse than being 24, and the only thing worse than being 14 is being 14 AGAIN

8:49 PM · Mar 18, 2021 If every rando on the street can just look at her and SARCASTICALLY GUESS that she's the savior, why doesn't Lightning simply do a T*witch livestream and tell everyone she is? It won't insta-save everyone, but hello???

8:49 PM · Mar 18, 2021 "You can't save everyone. It's a numbers game." Fuck you, check these numbers *points at her 100k subscribers* The human pop is down to merely THOUSANDS, we can do this. Get on that stage with those cat girls they had at Snow's party. Catholocize, bGR*MMARLY CORRECTED CAT GIRLS??

9:10 PM · Mar 21, 2021 NOEL

9:10 PM · Mar 21, 2021 HIS FIGHT MADE ME SO NERVOUS. I AM VERY GLAD TO SEE HIM, THOUGH. STILL OUT HERE DELIVERING THE BANGER LINES, I SEE.

7:41 PM · Mar 22, 2021 Having to watch Lightning beat up Snow while wearing cat ears and a tail is the universe paying me back for going through Zegnautus wearing the Choco-Mog Fest outfit.

7:41 PM · Mar 22, 2021 Lumina: [starts talking] Me: [starts re-reading Paranatural Chapter 5 in my head]

9:09 PM · Mar 26, 2021 ORION CALLED SNOW A CLASS TRAITOR AND I THEY'RE RIGHT

9:09 PM · Mar 26, 2021 oblivious lesbian Fang

9:14 PM · Mar 26, 2021 I said this, but I cannot resist becoming deeply invested in a well-wrought environment or two. I love all of these shitty little people with their shitty little problems in this shitty little world. [This Tweet Quote Retweets an earlier Tweet: I wish I had enough grace in my body to allow myself to feel connected to a new place, new people. But I do not. They're just going to take them all away from me again and again; they already said as much.]

10:52 PM · Mar 28, 2021 We've gotten to the last possible overworld location where he could be, and I am so impatient to see him that I am unreasonably disappointed that we didn't get off the train and immediately run into him.

10:52 PM · Mar 28, 2021 Feel like shit, just want Sazh back.

1:52 PM · Mar 30, 2021 The first mention of him in this thrice-forsaken place and they make a joke about his hair.

7:16 PM · Mar 31, 2021 The fact that Chocolina and Lumina have so far been the ones we talk to the most about Sazh's main quest, MORESO THAN SAZH HIMSELF………I hate it here…….I swear, if they don't at LEAST let him join our party like Fang…….

9:04 PM · Apr 1, 2021 Some real "thanks for wrapping up my character arc like that" shit. Can't wait to spend the rest of the game waiting for another Sazh scene and getting Maybe one there at the end.

9:06 PM · Apr 1, 2021 ANYWAY, this game's reuse and recoloring of character models is great because you have "leader of a band of hunters," "people-shy sheep scientist," and "a grown woman's dad who fakes his own death" and they all have their tits out.

3:44 PM · Apr 4, 2021

5:05 PM · Apr 4, 2021 Not to "is for me?" this shit, but that's for ME. All of the emo boys are back together in one game.

11:21 PM · Apr 4, 2021 Me, after finishing 13-2: I wish Serah was mad about what happened to her. Bhunivelze, pretending to be Serah: Everything that happened was a mistake! Me: 😶

1:20 PM · Apr 5, 2021 Me, when they were doing the "and all your friends show up to say 'hell yeah' at you before you fight god" but Sazh wasn't there:

1:27 PM · Apr 5, 2021 It's almost laughable how side-lined he is. Like, YEUL IS THERE, WHO LIGHTNING DIDN'T EVEN MEET UNTIL THE END OF THIS GAME, but not Sazh WHO LITERALLY FOUGHT BESIDE HER & WAS FRIENDS WITH VANILLE, NO LESS?? I'M GLAD WE SQUEEZED IN NOEL, BUT, I SWEAR, IF ODIN SHOWS UP BEFORE SAZH,

1:33 PM · Apr 5, 2021 Also, we were gonna finish watching it yesterday, but, after staying up late to do so, we discovered that the actual last vid of the LP we're watching has BEEN CAST DOWN BY SQEENIX FOR, I'M ASSUMING, THE SIN OF HAVING FF MUSIC IN IT. THIS IS HOW BHUNIVELZE WINS.

1:04 PM · Apr 6, 2021 HAHAAAHAHAHAHA ODIN DID, HE FUCKIN DID. EVERY PLAYABLE CHARACTER BUT SERAH SHOWED UP BEFORE SAZH, AND ONLY BECAUSE IT WAS SAZH WHO WAS PICKING HER UP FROM CHOIR PRACTICE INSTEAD OF, I DON'T KNOW, HER FIANCÉ??? [This Tweet Quote Retweets an earlier Tweet: It's almost laughable how side-lined he is. Like, YEUL IS THERE, WHO LIGHTNING DIDN'T EVEN MEET UNTIL THE END OF THIS GAME, but not Sazh WHO LITERALLY FOUGHT BESIDE HER & WAS FRIENDS WITH VANILLE, NO LESS?? I'M GLAD WE SQUEEZED IN NOEL, BUT, I SWEAR, IF ODIN SHOWS UP BEFORE SAZH,]

1:14 PM · Apr 6, 2021 Full-disclosure, I burst into tears at one point because I thought he wasn't gonna show up HAHAHA 😭 it got to the point where I was just like "of course it'd end like this"

1:14 PM · Apr 6, 2021 Me, fucking wiping my tears after that so I could get my shit together long enough to actually watch the last Caius and Noel exchange:

3:08 PM · Apr 8, 2021 Okay, on a second watch of the last cutscenes, we noticed that NOEL shows up with Brynhildr, so he is also guilty of standing where Sazh could've. It would've made more sense for Noel to find Serah - maybe less than Snow, but definitely more than Sazh. [This Tweet Quote Retweets an earlier Tweet: HAHAAAHAHAHAHA ODIN DID, HE FUCKIN DID. EVERY PLAYABLE CHARACTER BUT SERAH SHOWED UP BEFORE SAZH, AND ONLY BECAUSE IT WAS SAZH WHO WAS PICKING HER UP FROM CHOIR PRACTICE INSTEAD OF, I DON'T KNOW, HER FIANCÉ???]

3:38 PM · Apr 8, 2021 Some loose thoughts. I personally don't like "and then magic faded from the world" stories. The Great Tree of Avalon series hit me with that one in middle school, and I never forgave nor forgot. Normal Earth Adjacent is not something I wished for these characters.

3:38 PM · Apr 8, 2021 Even without playing the trilogy myself, I came to love these characters. Obv I have my faves, and I think the presence of some of them weakened with every game until they were almost solely cameos, but. After hanging out with them every night for two months, I'm gonna miss them.

3:38 PM · Apr 8, 2021 That said, I feel like more time could've and should've been spent on them, individually and collectively. There was a lot of stuff put into the side media (including datalogs) that should've been dealt with in-game (see: Hope's ENTIRE DEAL IN 13-3, HOLY SHIT).

3:38 PM · Apr 8, 2021 Because of that, some characters were very obviously more strongly implemented into the story over time: ex. Noel, even when only briefly touched on, delivered a LOT with a little in 13-3; Snow had a good chunk of screentime that they did almost nothing with in both 2 and 3.

3:38 PM · Apr 8, 2021 [this is a merger of two continuous Tweets] And it sucks because Snow could've been something and just…wasn't. Which is something I can say for a number of characters… The flip of that is that 13-3's quest system was overall well-done as far as I'm concerned? The NPCs and their stories carried a lot of story weight and absolutely enriched this newly introduced world. It felt like everything that FFXV's sidequests were lacking, and it's weird that these peripheral characters had more story presence than most of the trilogy staples. The ensemble cast ended up badly lopsided.

7:39 PM · Apr 10, 2021 [this is a merger of two continuous Tweets] I wish it was a bigger spectacle, but the fact that (as far as I understand it) all this shit happened bc the Yeuls that make up the Unseen Chaos nabbed Lightning bc they knew/saw that she'd ask for Serah's help thereby allowing Serah to meet Noel, THEREBY creating a scenario where Caius could provoke Noel into killing him and in doing so create the scenario where Caius could stay in the Unseen Realm with Yeul instead of wandering an empty world after the last human dies (ending her cycle of reincarnation). Teenage girl powers.

End thread.

Because I was too funny to die, here's the first of three posts archiving my "live" tweets for watching playthroughs of the FFXIII trilogy with Orion. Includes original timestamps, typos, and 2021 memes. I'll approximate GIFs if I have to.

4:23 PM · Feb 6, 2021 Watching a playthrough of FFXIII, so here's my not-really-live tweet thread for my own amusement; not spoiler-free.

5:23 PM · Feb 6, 2021 Me, seeing a pretty standardized "boy big and strong, girl small and nice" couple like Snow and Serah: T4T…

5:30 PM · Feb 6, 2021

7:19 PM · Feb 6, 2021 Love that every time Snow says something heroic and ends up digging his grave deeper, Hope is just like

7:19 PM · Feb 6, 2021 Admittedly, even if I had FINALLY resolved myself to abandoning revenge, if Snow Villiers turned around and burped at me, I would suddenly no longer possess the presence of mind to open a survival knife and would instead body him over the balcony of a Palumpolum rest area.

8:10 PM · Feb 6, 2021 Snow: I need everyone to stop trying to blow me up, these tits were expensive.

8:22 PM · Feb 6, 2021 okay this chapter is too long, WHERE'S SAZH

2:11 PM · Feb 7, 2021

2:16 PM · Feb 7, 2021 lmao when the Pompa Sancta parade started, I blurted out "oh, it's opera," and Orion immediately jumped into a baritone "MAAARIA!"

1:55 PM · Feb 9, 2021 YOOO SHE WENT FOR IT

2:04 PM · Feb 9, 2021 Serah 🤝 Vanille Head in tiddies

2:06 PM · Feb 9, 2021 Snow: [talks for too long] Fang: Man, I'm outta here. Lightning: We have to stick together. Fang: Oh. Okay :)

2:07 PM · Feb 11, 2021 WUH HUH SERAH AND VANILLE HAD A MEET-CUTE???

2:32 PM · Feb 11, 2021 One small thing that endeared me towards Hope is that we just watched a playthrough of The Sinking City, and both he and Reed do a similar pensive idle hand animation. Two good, complicated lads.

3:19 PM · Feb 12, 2021 Rygdea to Raines

3:22 PM · Feb 12, 2021 (As the old adage goes, all humor is derived from excruciating pain because, if they don't come back around to the gravity of what happened with Raines, I don't know if I'll be able to take whatever "face the future with hope" thing they're gonna throw at me next.)

3:27 PM · Feb 12, 2021 anyways, cannot BELIEVE the pope took the opportunity to put his face in Snow's chest. it served literally NOTHING to pretend to be Serah for 0.5 seconds, and yet, he went for it.

5:24 PM · Feb 14, 2021 Orphan: and I hit them with the goo goo gaga. *turns all your friends into Cie'th*

5:38 PM · Feb 14, 2021 The leading problem I have with XIII's story is that they'll present A Rule, and, if the rule gets broken, there isn't an explanation. It just worked out in a specific instance For Some Reason.

5:38 PM · Feb 14, 2021 Like, "we hoped really hard against all odds and it worked out" only works for the main characters. Lots of lofty ideas about faith and conviction that hold exactly zero water inside the narrative.

5:38 PM · Feb 14, 2021 It's a shame because characters will have an impactful moment that the story then minimizes in some way (again: Raines?!) or vice versa. Idk, some of the storytelling decisions are just too goofy to overlook when they abut emotional scenes.

5:44 PM · Feb 14, 2021 ANYWAYS THAT WAS PRETTY GAY OF THEM TO CRYSTAL FUSE INTO UHH HECAMUT. BAHATON. THE WAY THEY BAJA BLASTED TO SAVE COCOON. WHO HOLD THE WORLD? GORLS.

5:48 PM · Feb 14, 2021 Fang: I'm lesbian. Hope: I thought you were Pulsian.

End thread.

#Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns #Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII #FFXIIILR #FF13 Lightning Returns #FF13 3 spoilers #what the FUCK is the tag for this game #tweet thread #long post #chatter #alt-text embedded #caps lock #scheduling this one so it's not back-to-back w the other one #perhaps unpopular opinion but I think the story for LR was the weakest in the trilogy #the cast was huge and mostly wasted outside of a few really good moments #the stakes/scope of the world also felt like it had a lot of untapped potential #it's not BAD (none of them are bad per se) but I would've wanted more y'know #seems like you should hit some kind of mark after 3 games

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drarrily-we-row-along · 4 years ago

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Day 34: Using The Following Prompt

Here's the original prompt- I changed it a bit.

"So are you in love with Astoria, then?" Ron asked.

Draco downed a shot of... something. He honestly had no idea what it was. It was strong, whatever it was, and it was getting him drunk and that was enough. He pushed the shot glass away, "Nope," he replied, steadily not looking at his auror partner and gazing aimlessly at the bottles of alcohol lined up behind the bar.

"Then what's going on?" Ron asked, bumping Draco's shoulder with his. "Come on, we've been partners for three years and you've never even sat down for a beer with me this early in the day."

He motioned for the bartender to pour him another shot.

"Seriously. It's okay if you're in love with her, she was your fiance. And a right bint for leaving you for your best mate, if you ask me."

"Honestly," Draco groaned as he took the next proffered shot, "It's not about bloody Astoria. I don't give a flying fuck what she does with her life. I never wanted to marry her anyway." He swallowed the burning liquid and glanced over at Ron, "You know I'm gay, right?"

Ron shrugged, "I had my suspicions, but you were getting married."

"Yes, I'm quite an unsuitable candidate for a straight marriage," he agreed as the bartender poured him another shot and he tossed that one back as well.

"Seriously," Ron said, "You have to slow down or you'll end up at St. Mungo's with alcohol poisoning."

"Do you think Potter would come visit me?" he asked miserably.

"You like Harry?" Ron asked, voice unbearably loud and incredulous.

(Read more below the cut)

Draco shook his head, "Of course I don't. Because that," he said, stabbing at the bar top with his finger for emphasis, "would be ridiculous."

"Right," Ron said. "But for argument's sake what would be ridiculous about it?"

He sighed and traced his finger through the ring left on the top of the bar, "Well, for starters he's the savior of the world and I am a death eater."

"Were a death eater," Ron chided. "Mostly you were just a child, though, and we all know it."

Draco inclined his head, oddly touched by Ron's defense. It had taken them an extraordinarily long time to get here but Ron really was a good friend. "Well he's also so handsome," Draco said, then added, "If you're into the rugged, strong, man bun type of guy. And he's got that constant stubble, imagine how that would feel on your skin," Draco murmured, getting quite lost indeed in imagining that way his stubble would scratch the tender skin of his neck, his belly, his thighs-

"Draco," Ron said, snapping his fingers rudely in front of his face. "Look, you know I love you and you know I love Harry, but I have absolutely no desire to think about whatever it is you're imagining."

"I'm imagining nothing," Draco replied with a sniff, tilting his head up. "I said if you were into that sort of thing."

"Right," Ron said, nodding sagely. "What else would you be into, if you were into Harry?"

"I mean, he has those eyes, doesn't he?" Draco asked. "And he's really sweet and kind, but then once in a while, those eyes get that twinkle of mischief," he sucked in a breath. "Imagine having that mischief aimed at you in the bedroom. You think you're just going in for the usual and suddenly a well placed incarcerous has you tied to the bed, and-"

Ron cleared his throat, "Right, hypothetically speaking of course, are there things you'd like about him other than," he gestured vaguely, "Bedroom related activities?"

"Are you kidding?" Draco asked. "If I liked Harry," he paused, "Potter, that is," he corrected himself, "There are a million things to like. He already makes my tea perfectly," he said, "And he has like a sixth sense for when I'm in need of a good cuppa. He laughs at my jokes and he doesn't mind that I'm a sarcastic, prickly pain in the arse; he actually seems to enjoy it. And he's the type of bloke that would give you his jacket if you were cold."

"That's true," Ron agreed.

Draco nodded, "And he likes to play quidditch and he likes to watch quidditch. He's got decent taste in food; he likes his Indian food too hot though." He sighed, "I mean, what's not to like about him?"

"There are definitely a few things," Ron said. "But, hypothetically speaking of course, if he felt the same about you how would you feel?"

He shook his head, "He doesn't."

"But if he did," Ron pressed.

"I'd say we ought to check to be sure he hasn't been imperiused, or hasn't had a love potions slipped to him, or that he hasn't had a nasty fall and given himself a concussion, or that-"

"Right," Ron interrupted, "But say that all of those things checked out and he felt that way about you, too, how would you feel?"

"Honestly?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, mate."

"Like I'd won the lottery. Like every good thing that has ever happened to me was completely meaningless in the face of this revelation. Like I am the most undeservedly lucky man in the world. And I will never in a million years be good enough for him, but if somehow he wanted me, I would spend the rest of my life trying to be."

"Huh," a voice said behind him. "I would have said pretty much the same thing."

Draco scrunched his eyes shut, "Please tell me that I am experiencing auditory hallucinations."

"Afraid not," that voice replied once more and he was going to kill Ronald Weasley.

"Traitor!" he exclaimed, trying to slap Weasley. "I thought you were my friend!"

"I would have thought the same," Potter said, sliding onto the stool next to him.

"Leave me alone," Draco groaned, dropping his head onto the bar. "Just leave me to die. Bartender," he shouted, waving his arm, "Another shot, please."

He felt a wave of Potter's magic wash over him, feeling the pleasant tingle before the sobering charm crashed over him like a tsunami.

He groaned, "What the actual fuck is wrong with you?"

"Sorry," Potter replied unrepentantly. "I just don't fancy having this conversation when you're drunk enough to not remember it."

"I hate you," Draco growled, feeling mad and prickly, feeling betrayed and vulnerable. Really this day could not get any worse. "And I hate Weasley."

"That's a pity," Potter said, "because I feel quite the opposite."

"Yes, Weasley is your best friend. He's such a good friend to you, true and loyal-"

"I meant about you," Potter interrupted. "Obviously I love Ron, meddler that he is," he added with a little chuckle, "but I was talking about you."

Draco sat up and stared morosely ahead, "Don't do this, Potter."

"What?" the other man asked in confusion.

"The pity. I know you're feeling sorry for me because my engagement's been broken off, and-"

Before he could finish, Potter stood up and spun him around in his seat until his back was pressed against the bar, then he cupped his cheek and kissed him.

Draco groaned into the kiss because it felt even better than he'd imagined as Harry's stubble rubbed against his chin, his calloused fingertips caressing Draco's cheek before sliding into his hair and re-angling his head so he could delve deeper into his mouth.

He spread his legs, allowing Harry to step closer to him and the hand Harry hadn't threaded through his hair came to rest on Draco's neck, his thumb stroking over his jaw and his throat.

He clenched his fingers in Harry's jacket, tugging him closer, his entire body blazing.

When Harry pulled back, Draco almost tipped out of his seat; he certainly would have fallen if Harry hadn't caught him. "It's not pity," Harry said, his voice seemed to have dropped about an octave and when Draco opened his eyes to meet Harry's gaze he saw his pupils were blown wide. "It's a lot of things, one four-letter-L-word that's not so scary and one that is, but it's not pity."

"Fucking finally," Ron muttered.

"I don't even want to hear it," Harry said, looking over at Ron but not moving even one inch away from Draco. "How many years did I have to watch you and Hermione pine after each other?"

"Right, right. I'll just be," he looked around, "Anywhere that isn't here."

Harry turned his attention back to Draco and Draco realized that he still had his fists clenched in the other man's jacket. "I really like you Draco," Harry murmured.

"I really like you, too," he replied, feeling a bit dazed.

"I'm glad you're not getting married to Astoria."

Draco laughed, "Not as glad as I am."

Harry combed his fingers through Draco's fringe, brushing it back off his face, "Could I take you to dinner sometime?"

"Are you free tonight?"

Harry smiled at him, his bloody adorable dimples revealing themselves, "For you? I'm free anytime. And I promise not to take you for Indian."

Draco groaned and dropped his head forward on Harry's chest, "How much of our conversation did you hear?"

"Came in right around the bit about a well-placed incarcerous," he confessed and Draco could hear him grinning.

"You're not going to let me live it down are you?"

Harry laughed, "No," then he tipped his head down so his lips were pressed against Draco's ear, "Especially since I would be more than glad to tie you up and have you at my mercy. Or vice versa."

"Well," Draco said, his cheeks heating as he leaned back so he could look up at Harry, "My bedroom is only an apparation away."

"Dinner first," Harry insisted, tugging Draco up from the bar stool, "I have a feeling you're going to need your strength," he added with a wink.

Draco followed him out of the pub, feeling for the first time in a long time, that things were starting to look up.

Day 33: Chocolate | Day 35: Tears

#100 drarry drabbles in 100 days #drarry #getting together #pining #Ron's a good friend #idiots in love #drarry drabbles #drarry ficlets #my writing #day 34 #Thanks so much for the prompt #I hope you enjoy it!

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unknowconcreteflower-art-blog-me · 4 years ago

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Re-contextualizing Angel Dust: Charlie was not ready for this...

And for the sake of warning Hazbin Hotel is an adult cartoon containing heavy dark subject matter (such as rape and drug abuse, that maybe trigger to views so please tread carefully. Warning out of the way on with the post! I also just wanna get this out there older post my analysis of Val and Angel people kept commenting “what Angel Dust isn’t in love with Valentino” and my rebuttal was “no no that’s a past Angel Dust a younger one who didn’t reach that level of abuse just yet” while their argument was “no it’s the current Angel Dust” which can’t be the case. To prove my point I would like to refer back to the comics and the music video and looking at it with the context of the show. And please read my previous post if you want more explanation on Addict.

I just want to start off with explaining his relations to Cherri, needless to say Cherri is someone who Angel sees as a true friend and confines in her. And she is there for him as he is for her even willing to fight for her knowing well that he will get in trouble for it. Though one has to wonder why is there such this deep love and care for each other. Looking back to Addict, where we have Cherri singing her “Yeah you fell in love and you fell deeper in this pit...” and several times we have an unknown character pop up during her part of the song. With the little snip bits of info we get from the sequence we can tell that Cherri is in the line of work because of someone who’s over her head. And what they have over is an emotional hold over her if we want to lean in on what the lyrics it might in a romantic sense be we still don’t know who it is tho. So what makes this so important to Angel Dust.

This is because she herself is in the similar situation as Angel as in the both of us are trapped in the holes we dug ourselves into. Giving Angel someone who can understand the stuff he’s going through. Cherri knows why he’s acting out because he’s just trying to hide how hurt he really is cause” hey so does she”. And knows she doesn’t have to say anything but just be there; and takes him out on a night out with her when he’s down. That’s why Cherri is so important to him she’s someone he know that’s not going to look down on him or patronize him on his actions. And his number 1# go to person; which is why he probably reveal to her that he wants to get clean because hey that’s what binds them together... This connects why he broke streak and his stopped his sobriety.

During the opening scene of the show we have Valentino texting Angel to do work right after the extermination. Which I also have to point out that Val showing a lack of care for Angel safety after the extermination. He clearly wants his money and is making Angel put himself out there for work. And what does he do after he’s done with the job; he falls back on drugs. Now this is important to note... remember during the News broadcast Charlie confirmed that Angel was clean for 2 weeks before all of this happened! He was doing so well what could have possibly made him break his streak-Valentino.

People were theorizing Val gave drugs to his employees meaning Val isn’t only his pimp but supplier as well! Giving the reason why Angel stayed with Val for so long; when I did my analysis of the music video Addict I said Val maybe the first one to find Angel when he first came to hell. Manipulating Angel in a weakened state to view him as a sort of savior and made him forget his sorrows and how did this happen you may ask... “drugs” using sweet words to mask his hidden agenda. So Val basically trained hims like a dog on a leash in a sense of “you’ll get a love & affection with a treat” which translates to “if you do this job for me I’ll give you all the love you were denied when you were alive as along with the drugs you’ve been craving”. I will argue that Val made Angel even more dependent on drugs; because he made it his number one coping method he’s the enabler. After Angel was assaulted and raped by Valentino probably made it even worse for him because Val’s his boss, he goes to work he has to see him... triggering him to fall back on to drugs. That’s why Angel needs his drugs and needs to numb himself, so him breaking his streak clean after taking a job from Val wasn’t coincidence back then.

“he’a been behaved, clean and out of trouble for 2 weeks now” until Val got to him...

This makes Val even more dangerous to Angel’s road to recovery than we could have ever imagined. No only that but it makes it difficult to tell someone about it as well Angel is afraid of him and has to stay in contact with him since he’s his employer. This would be good time to bring up my rebuttal for my case of Addict: I get. I identified that the Angel Dust in the beginning of the music video is a younger one that still has some love for before figured out he was using him and he stood up to Val (pre-trauma). And the Angel Dust at the end credits of the music video and the one in the comic is the current Angel Dust and show (post-trauma). When you look at the interactions with Val (via comic vs music video) they are clearly different hence the two different Angel Dusts!

I will be referring to the comics in this section so if you haven’t read them please do.

When Angel is in the limo with Val he’s trying to make it very apparent that he’s upset that he’s not getting any attention from Val. Being very huffy and puffy not even looking at him as Val’ counting his money, forgetting that he’s right there. This is very important because Angel doesn’t hesitate to hide his emotions, this Angel is willing to show discontentment in front of Val being angry and annoyed at him which leads up to why he doesn’t kiss want him and outright rejects him. He shows he’s willing to fight back against Val’s mistreatment and neglect of him, becoming more aware of it. In my earlier post I deduced this scene is where Angel first time he’s disobeyed Val and finally gets the full picture he understands he doesn’t mean anything to Val and he’s using him. He’s no longer willing to put up with his mind games anymore and probably would have left Val that night... which is why he raped him to gain control over Angel.

Music video vs. Comic scene

Now looking at the interactions Angel Dust has with Val are completely different he’s submissive to Valentino when we see his conversation in the limo. Not only that but it shows why Angel Dust went on that drug deal for Val; to show him he can do something else other than being a sex-worker. Angel wants out and this was his way of giving himself another option but Val shuts it down completely! Even before he entires, he’s holding his arm in fear and discomfort, even when he’s trying to plead his case he is terrified. He’s no longer willing to fight back because of what Val did to him. And Val reminds him constantly that he could do it again if he wanted to by reminding him of that night! He does this by grabs Angel face when he tries to explain himself, like he did when he forced Angel to kiss. Val forces him to smiles when he leaves the limo he wants him to never show any form of disagreement or disobedience like the last time because that’s what got him in trouble last. To add more salt in the wound he makes him Angel call him “Mister Valentino” reminding him he’s in control! The man is practical holding a gun over Angel saying “the same thing will happen, if you disobey me again...” AND THAT IS SADISTIC AS HELL! It making me hate Val even more and after he leaves the limo all he can do is let out his anger in silence as when he smokes similar to when we see him smoke at the end credits to Addict this Angel is our current Angel Dust. This is his way of expressing his sorrow in silence why he’s an addict.

So you maybe asking how does Cherri bomb come into play, well I don’t think after the initial incident with Val who does Angel confine to Cherri and destroy a bar together. You see the pattern; Angel has a break down, uses his drugs comes off of the high, he goes to Cherri and in turn go out, and have fun well her kind of destructive fun! And it has been confirmed that he learn all about weapons from Cherri so basically this is the reason why! He wasn’t breaking his clean streak “to do his girl buddy a solid” he went because he wanted to be with the only person who could understand him at that time. And she just happened to be in a fight and he jumped in thinking “oh my home girl’s in trouble I gotta help her out...” and that’s probably did out of instinct to protect Cherri. Charlie and Vaggie cut in... now things start to get a little dicey I’m not trying to attack them but they didn’t handle it this best way. They didn’t know anything, and before know Angels story a lot of people are upset with Angel’s action but now that we have context they’re (Charlie & Vaggie) in the wrong.

These are the points of why Angel cannot confine to Charlie or Vaggie, I will also argue that they pushed Angel further from them. Angel is someone who’s very prideful and isn’t going to tell someone that he’s hurt. Unless they figure it out for themselves or feels safe with them (Cherri). Looking back Vaggie & Charlie made a huge “No-No...” and this scene is incredibly painful to watch. Let’s cut to Vaggie how does she address Angel by scolding him for his actions she goes right to the blame game, which is the last thing she should be doing if they really want to help Angel. They don’t even take the chance to ask him why he did it; unintentionally isolating him from help.

What bother me is that Vaggie is quick to call Angel’s actions are a result of being “selfish” which is not the case now that we have context. And probably why Angel just kept trying to piss off Vaggie because he knows that his actions weren’t out of wanting be “selfish”... and makes it clear that he still wants to go clean. It probably actually really hurt him to when she said that and I’d like to point out that people who struggle with addiction it’s not easy to stay clean and people can relapse. Basically what Vaggie did was shamed Angel for relapsing which is not okay and paints him as a bad guy immediately! To say he ruined the image of the hotel ... it made me furious at Vaggie putting all the blame on Angel. And we know that’s not the case even before the fight was broad casted the demons and sinners in Hell were already laughing at Charlie’s idea and let’s be honest it was reasonable. Because WE DON’T KNOW IF IT’S POSSIBLE YET so putting all the blame on Angel Dust was uncalled if anything it’s just the cherry on top. I’m not trying to attack Charlie but she really doesn’t know what she’s doing she doesn’t know how to send a soul into heaven. Is it irresponsible to broadcast a client before they are proven successful, not only that but it puts a lot of pressure on Angel to prove theory that we’re not sure is true yet.

And let’s be honest did Charlie really believe Vaggie’s word’s wouldn’t but hurtful they didn’t even take the time to ask him why he did it; immediately writing him off when clearly somethings going on now she’s painting the image that they don’t care about him, they just care about the hotel, and that they just wanted to use him as a poster boy! Hmm... now who has used Angel Dust in the past for their own personal agenda... oh yeah VALENTINO! Which is why he goes on saying “I made you look sad and pathetic...” he chooses those words not to just make Vaggie mad but that’s probably what he was really feeling on the inside. Angel really did want to apologize to Charlie but after what Vaggie said to him it probably made him feel like his apology meant nothing and leaves these actions carry on into Addict. This is where naivety is her biggest downfall she rushed into it thinking just keeping Angel clean is gonna redeem him she was so not ready to broad cast the hotel. She makes it sound easy but it so much harder than that!

THIS WAS A 100% CALLED FOR! AND SHE DOESN”T EVEN REALIZE IT!

This is why Angel flips off Charlie and doesn’t want to talk to her, he’s basically doing cause “Why should I tell you about my problems you don’t really care you just care about your hotel...” that’s why this is so important to highlight. They already gave him that impression, that they think little of him and that they aren’t going sympathize with him but scold him. And Charlie should have stopped Vaggie yelling when she had the chance. Vaggie sabotaged her chance to understand Angel Dust and help him. And did she really think her temperamental girlfriend was the one to help sympathize and redeem sinners. If she really wants to help Angel Dust she needs to stop thinking it’s gonna be a cupcake walk, people have reasons why they fall to these bad habits; people have issues, relationships, traumas, that they need to navigate before they can heal. Which makes me believe that Charlie isn’t the one who’s going to get Angel Dust to open up to them about his trauma. Vaggie’s out of the question if not then who...

HUSKER

Yup our favorite flying poker kitty... I’ll do a separate post on that because it deserves it’s own explanation! (Side note I really do love Vaggie we don’t know her story so don’t hate her) Hope you guys enjoy the post~

#hazbin hotel #angel dust #valentino #hazbin hotel charlie #vaggie #Cherri Bomb #huskerdust #husker #hazbin husk #hazbin hotel addict #vivziepop

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thebmatt · 3 years ago

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FFXIV Write Day 1

Foster – “encourage or promote the development of (something, typically something regarded as good)”

“I still cannot believe you built a bloody airship! I mean, I’ve done maintenance work on them under Cid or Stephanivien’s tutelage, but you BUILT one, from practically nothing!”

Tataru looked up from the pile of paperwork she was dealing with and grinned at Franks. “What, you didn’t think little old me could do it all by myself? No, wait, that’s not it, is it?? You’re JEALOUS!”

Franks threw down the cloth he’d been using to clean his gun and tools only moments before. “Of COURSE, I’m jealous! You know how many times I’ve tried to make time with either one of them to learn more about magitek engineering? I’ve lost count, because every time, without fail, either I have to cancel because the star’s in peril again or one of them has some company emergency or other to deal with! And now here you are, buildin’ an entire AIRSHIP! Hells yes I’m jealous!”

Tataru spasmed as she tried to hold back her mirth, covering her mouth, but there was no hiding the look in her eyes. First a few giggles escaped her, growing more numerous and loud, until she released peals of laughter, falling over in her chair. Franks eventually joined in, the pair enjoying a simple moment together.

Eventually Tataru managed to get herself under control. “Well, hopefully one day, this will all be in our pasts and you can spend the rest of your days building and maintaining magitek, if you wish. Think you’ll open up Cid’s first competition? Or maybe work for him? Wait, can you stand to be around Nero that much?”

Franks chuckled as he resumed cleaning a wrench.”Honestly, once you recognize and accept that his boundless arrogance is an attempt to mask both his profound fear at having to essentially restart his life in a formerly-hostile land AND trying to sort out exactly how he feels about Cid, he’s really not that bad. But while working at the Ironworks would certainly be enjoyable, I think my place is in Ishgard, in the Machinists guild. I want to be at the forefront of that discipline, both training new recruits and helpin’ Stephanivien come up with new tools for them to use. I foresee workin’ closely with the Ironworks to make that happen, though, so it’s really the best o’ both worlds.”

Tataru nodded. “I don’t know what the Scions will do once this is all over. I don’t even know if there’s really a place for us once the world is saved, if such a thing is even possible. But I might quite like working for Cid, I think. There’s a lot of upsides. Good pay, constantly getting to learn, don’t have to leave Mor Dhona…”

“Not to mention being in constant proximity to a certain Lalafell engineer…” Franks added, smirking as he looked over in her direction.

Tataru flushed and quickly looked away from his knowing gaze. “Y-yes, I suppose being near my good friend Wedge would be a nice perk!”

“Uh huh” Franks replied, not at all sounding like he was buying that description for one second. He finished wiping down the last piece of his aetherotransformer, and with practiced ease, began reassembling the components. With a final click, the device came together and lit up from within. Giving it a final examination, he returned it to its place at his hip and began reassembling his gun. “So…this next question might seem cruel, and if it’s hurtful please tell me so I can apologize, but I’m curious. You’re clearly a good engineer, which means math isn’t a problem for you. So why have you had such a problem with arcanima?”

Tataru had returned her attention to her paperwork, but the question stopped her mid-sentence. She looked back at Franks, her expression one of sad acceptance. “Thank you for saying it like…. that”

“Tataru, I’m so…”

“No no, it’s not bad. It’s nothing I haven’t asked myself and wrestled with, but I came to an answer a while ago.” She picked up a small clock that adorned her desk. “When I’m building, anything from constructing an airship to something simple like sawing wood…the math is there, a physical object in front of me. When I can see, can feel, the results right then, it all makes sense in my head. But with Arcanima….it was all in my head for me to unravel before it would manifest the magic. That’s harder for me. Not impossible, I don’t think I could have manifested a carbuncle or a Ruin spell otherwise, but I was a lot less confident, doubly so when I had to fight with it. I think that confidence, or lack thereof, is why my carbuncle didn’t do what I want.”

Franks nodded. “That absolutely is understandable. Everyone learns differently after all.”

Tataru’s smile brightened. “And really, I’m somewhat glad it didn’t work out! I wouldn’t have been able to find my talents as a crafter and intelligence gatherer for the Scions if I hadn’t accepted defeat with a grimoire!”

Franks laughed. “Absolutely true. I’ve no idea what would have become of the Scions if you hadn’t! We probably would still be wondering how we’d pay for the fare to Kugane! Definitely wouldn’t be eating as well, that’s for sure!”

She had to laugh at that. “Oh, I get it, I’m just your bank lender and chef, is that it?”

“In all seriousness, do you still wish you could join us in the field? Fight alongside everyone?”

She paused, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. “I won’t deny the idea doesn’t STILL have some appeal, but I know I’m way more valuable to the Scions in my current role. I do wish I had a more reliable way of defending myself, especially should the Garlands attempt another Waking Sands massacre, though. I suppose I’ll just have to hope the people of Revenant’s Toll are more capable of defending us than the citizens of Vesper Bay were.”

Franks looked back down to his gun, nodding. “Mmm, makes sense. Even if you aren’t in enemy territory, as it were, traveling around isn’t always safe. We might just have to….” he stopped, nearly dropping the assembled firearm.

“Have to what, Franks?”

“I can’t believe I never thought of this. How did it not occur to me?”. Franks stood up, slinging his weapon across his band into the holster that held it in place. He looked to Tataru with an almost manic gleam in his eye. “Go get something warm to wear, Tataru! We got someplace to be!”

Tataru looked confused “W-where??”

Franks grinned. “Ishgard!”

A bell later, the air around the Ishgardian aetheryte gave a slight pop as it was suddenly displaced by the appearing forms of Franks and Fearless. Both shivered, if only briefly, before their bodies re-acclimated to the colder temperatures that they had grown used to those many moons they’d spent in the city.

Both were quickly recognized by practically everyone they passed by, and while Franks had little hope of recognizing most of the people who spoke to them, Tataru seemed to know everyone, able to call them by name and ask personal questions that she’d had to have learned about on those random evenings in the Forgotten Knight. More than once, she was able to recognize fully helmed Temple Knights by voice alone. Franks, for his part, hurried them both along, seemingly eager to reach their destination.

“So where ARE we going, exactly?” Tataru asked in between a conversation with one of Hilda’s people in the City Watch and a noblewoman of a minor house. Franks didn’t reply aside from a grin on his face until a few minutes later when he stopped in front of a building and pointed. “There!”

Tataru bid one more person farewell and stopped to take in where the pair had arrived at. Sounds of rhythmic thumping filled the air, which smelled of flame and metal and soot. She looked up at the building. “Skysteel Manufactory? What are we doing here?”

“You’ll see!” Franks called back, already having made his way to the corner where one needed to turn to enter the Manufactory’s font door. Tataru squeaked and started after him as quick as her smaller legs could carry her. By the time she rounded the corner, Franks had already thrown open the wooden doors of the entrance and strode in.

“Franks, my old friend!” a voice cried out from within. Tataru quickly ran to catch up, and as she entered the door, the eyes of an Elezen man quickly jumped to her. “And mistress Tataru! What a surprise!”

“Good to see you too, Lord Stephanivien!” she replied, smiling.

“Whatever brings Ishgard’s savior, and most importantly my best machinist, and the Scion’s….erm…what IS your official role within the Scions of the Seventh Dawn these days, milady? If half of what Franks tells me is true, “secretary” would seem a woefully inadequate title! Perhaps ‘the very hull on which the entire ship is built’? No? Too long?”

Tataru giggled. “Oh no, milord, ‘secretary’ is just fine. I like it, makes people underestimate me! And that’s how I get em!”

“Who’s come calling, milord?” came a voice from the upper levels of the Manufactory. A woman’s head peaked over the railing, her blond ponytails dangling from the sides of her head. “I thought I heard….TATARU!” With that, she bolted for the stairs that led to the entryway, sliding down the rails. Tataru ran for the woman and lept right into her arms, hugging.

“What’re ye doin here, girl? I thought you were busy keepin’ them Scions from fallin apart!”

“I don’t know, rightly! Franks dragged me….” Tataru trailed off as she noticed that Joye’s braids had somehow completely undone themselves, and her hair was a wild mess. “Are you ever going to tell me how you do that??”

“Dunno what yer on about! FRANKS!” she turned and yelled at the man who’d been quietly conversing with Stephanivien. “Why you dragged this poor lass all the way out into the cold arse o’ this time o’ night without tellin’ her what’s goin on?”

Franks smiled, leaning away from Stephanivien, and crossed his arms. “Well, Joye, I’d like to introduce you to someone that, well, you don’t really need introduction to! That lady you’re hugging is Tataru Taru, Scion of the Seventh Dawn, the glue and rivets that keep the very organization held together, and-“

“We know who she is, ye daft sod!” Joy interrupted, setting Tataru back on the ground. “Ya literally just watched us have a mini-reunion!”

“-AND, assuming she’s amenable, the newest member of the Machinist’s guild!” Franks continued, as though he hadn’t been interrupted.

THAT got everyone’s attention. Both Joye’s and Tataru’s jaws dropped. Stephanivien simply smiled.

“Wait…this is your solution to me wanting to increase my martial skillset?” Tataru asked.

Franks threw his arms out, gesturing around to the manufactory around them. “It’s a perfect idea! Think about it! You’re already proficient with magitek, you’ve certainly proven that by now! You already know what I’m guessing is about 80% of the members already! You don’t need any extensive training in magic or heavy melee arms, all you really need to learn is how to shoot! I don’t doubt you can get the hang of that, especially with Joye teaching you!”

Joye looked down at Tataru. “Aye….aye I can! Tataru, this’ll be great!”

Tataru still appeared in shock. “But…I don’t…I don’t have a gun! And I bet they don’t keep ones sized for Lalafell around!”

Stephanivien knelt down to face her. “As it turns out, my dear, we actually made a custom one for a colleague of ours from Garlond Ironworks. He frequently comes to collaborate with our fair guild and commissioned a carbine with which to recreationally shoot. He keeps it here, as well. I believe you are acquainted with one Wedge? His weapon should suffice for you to practice with until we can build a custom one for you. I daresay he will not object either, would you not agree?” He winked almost conspiratorially.

“I know where it is! Come on Tataru, let’s go blast some training dummies!” Joye practically dragged Tataru behind her as she ran outside. Tataru didn’t require TOO much prompting, however, as pretty soon, she was running full steam out the door behind Joye under her own power.

Stephanivien turned to Franks. “Seems you have a knack for fostering talent in people, my friend. I heard of the fortune that befell the Baroness de Jervaint, and now you’ve added a new member to our guild’s ranks as well! I know you must wear any number of metaphorical hats, but I am quite glad the Machinist’s goggles are among them!”

Franks smiled. Whatever the future held, he was glad to keep building towards making it better.

#Final Fantasy XIV #ffxivwrite2021 #oldmanfranks

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archoniluthradanar · 2 years ago

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On Meeting a Vampire - Chapter Two

On meeting a Vampire : an Aro Volturi short story

PART TWO

So Aro has entrusted himself to a mute female who lives alone in the forest. He is alone and still too weak from a werewolf attack to take off on his own to hunt for the rest of the coven. Unfortunately his thirst forces him to break his own promise to himself not to harm his savior. He bites her, only to find her blood is not red and doesn't taste good. In fact, it makes him quite sick.

Chapter Two and Final Chapter

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Aro had never felt so sick, not in over three thousand years. I cannot feed from this woman, he thought with annoyance. He looked up at Don'ea, his expression one of disgust. "What have you done to me?"

Don'ea stood next to the bed and leaned over Aro as he lay writhing on his side. She reached down to rest her hand on his shoulder.

The agony Aro felt in his body slowly eased up until it had completely ceased. His head snapped around to stare up at the woman. "The pain is gone. Explain yourself!"

Don'ea pulled the collar of her woolen dress away from the bite mark Aro had left on her neck. After wiping away the purple smudge with a small rag, she showed him the wound that was slowly healing, the torn flesh visibly mending as her skin sealed itself.

Aro watched in amazement, his wide eyes never wavering from her neck. "You healed me, then you healed yourself. The power to repair physical damage. Fascinating."

Aro had never heard of anyone being capable of healing vampire physiology. It just wasn't possible. They could mend torn off body parts using venom as an adhesive, and minor flesh cracks would heal naturally in time. This gift would be an invaluable asset to the coven, if he could convince her to return with him to Volterra. But how, when she could not be changed without some discomfort to the vampire changing her. And even then, Aro wasn't sure if the change would take. Don'ea was nothing more than a mystery to him at the moment. He had to gather more information.

If only she could speak, he thought.

"I have no power to heal, Aro. I have the ability to strengthen a body, any physical body, into healing itself." The woman sat at the foot of the bed and watched the man she had been caring for, now free to talk with her. "I am called Don'ea." She then glared at Aro. "Why did you attack me?"

"You can speak! Why did you wait until now to say something?" Aro sat up, leaning against the headboard of the bed. He might be shocked that all this time this woman had been able to speak and had hidden that fact, but he was far too interested in her to let the opportunity pass. He had to know more.

Don'ea gave Aro an enigmatic smile, his violent transgression already forgiven. How much was she willing to share with him. As of this moment, she hadn't decided. She pulled the blanket away from Aro's legs, showing him that they too had been healed of the werewolf scratches and bites. "With the aid from my ability, you did that yourself."

Aro reached down in amazement as his hands ran over the pale skin, now smooth and devoid of even the slightest scars from the attack. He twisted his hand around, seeing it now functioned perfectly, the re-joined pieces of his arm good as new.

"Now that I can ask questions of you, tell me about yourself, Aro." She knew a few things from her sorting through his thoughts, but with so many memories of himself and others mingling within the same mind, it was difficult for her to tell which were his and which were those he had accumulated. She wondered how such a thing had not driven him mad. Don'ea, when reading thoughts, kept what she needed and excised the rest. Aro, apparently, kept every memory he had ever read.

"I'm a vampire, Don'ea. We immortals drink the blood of humans to survive. I was getting weak and needed sustenance. I truly didn't want to attack you. Even now, I'm going to have to hunt soon. Because of you, I'll be fit enough to do that. I hope you will forgive me."

Aro wanted her to know his remorse was real. "My coven was here to destroy a pack of werewolves. I got separated from my people and was tracked by one werewolf who managed to attack me before I killed it. I had to find assistance, hence my finding myself on your doorstep, for which I am grateful."

She nodded in understanding. Her home-made soup was not palatable to him. Even water wasn't drinkable. And when he finally attempted to take her blood, it wasn't the kind he could survive on. "I had no idea, Aro."

"How is it you can understand Italian?" he questioned, suddenly realizing they had been conversing in his long-time adopted language.

"Is that the language I'm speaking now, Italian?" Don'ea asked Aro. She knew he spoke many languages, but she didn't know what they were.

"You don't know?" Aro asked, a laugh in his voice, finding all this amusing.

"No. I can speak any language. I merely have to touch you, which I have been doing a lot. It's an immediate transference of knowledge from one being to another. " She smiled at Aro, who was still finding himself more impressed. She sat on the floor near the bed, after fetching a wet rag. Aro's shoes were stained red, she assumed it being the blood of his attacker. She attempted to clean them so that they would at least be wearable.

Aro watched her as she did her chore. "Tell me, my dear, you're not a witch or fae, are you?" the ancient vampire asked, a look of revulsion on his face.

Don'ea laughed. hearing his query. "No, Aro, nothing like that." She placed his shoes next to the bed. "You have improved faster than I anticipated. Soon, you will be able to leave."

Her voice suddenly seemed almost melancholy. He had heard that tone often enough with Marcus to recognize it. Would she miss him when he was gone?

Getting out of bed, Aro tested his legs, satisfied he was not in pain nor limping any longer. He walked the length of the cabin and back.

Don'ea smiled, clapping her hands. "You see, you're so much better." She tried to suppress a yawn. She suddenly felt the drain of the day's events. She headed to the kitchen to soak the soiled rag in soapy water and cleaned her hands.

Aro, on seeing the woman yawn, knew she was fatigued. "Please, take back your bed, Don'ea. I have no need of it. Vampires don't need to sleep."

Don'ea went to the small, curtained-off corner of the room that was her makeshift bathroom to take care of her personal needs and wash up. She slipped into her nightgown and returned to the outer room to find Aro waiting for her. She lay down on the bed, stretching out. She looked up at the dark-haired vampire, who placed the blanket he had been using over her body. "Thank you, Aro."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Aro asked Don'ea, feeling somewhat bold and assuming her feelings for him were ones of attraction, said, "If I grow bored and choose to rest, may I lie next to you? No more attacks, I promise. I will be ever the gentleman."

It was an assumption both knew to be true in any case.

"You may share the bed with me, of course. It's more comfortable than the chair. And Aro, I'm not afraid of you. I never was." Don'ea turned on her side, slipping her hands beneath her pillow. She tried to hide a smile, which Aro noticed and questioned the reason for her humorous expression.

"Your pants. Now that your legs are healed, it looks funny to see you wearing such torn clothing. Too torn for me to repair."

"Well, I can wear them without your critique, my dear, or I can remove them," he replied with a smirk, although Aro hated not being properly dressed.

Don'ea said, "No!", perhaps a little too loudly.

Aro merely smiled and blew out the candle sitting on the small table by her bed, then headed for the door. "I'm going to step outside, Don'ea. I won't be gone long. I just want to see..."

"I know, Aro. Trust they will come back for you." She smiled at him, then closed her eyes.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

By morning, Don'ea turned onto her back and stretched, her arm hitting a body. She turned again and saw Aro lying on the bed, far enough away so as not to touch her. His eyes were seemingly a brighter red. She assumed he must have fed last night. She raised herself on one arm, and peered over at him. "No sign of your people?"

"No," he said, feeling uncertain as to where they might be and if they still lived. "I may be alone now, and I was never one suited to the nomadic existence."

"You're not alone, Aro. At least you don't have to be."

Aro turned his head to look at Don'ea, her expression one of kindness, more kindness than he had experienced from anyone in a long while. The emotion was all but completely foreign to him now, not having been kind to anyone in a very long time. He reached out to her and touched her face, the skin smooth and warm. He had thought to draw her into his world, and here she was doing that to him. Aro inched his body closer, close enough to feel her breath on his cool cheek. He leaned in to kiss her.

Don'ea had not kissed anyone in a very long time, her imposed solitude keeping her from such an opportunity. She felt her heart race at the feel of Aro's cold lips on hers. He had pulled back, but she protested with a sound, to which he responded with an even deeper kiss, pushing her onto her back.

Aro had not felt desire for anyone since Sulpicia had left him, declaring herself free of her long-term imprisonment. How had this happened? He had experienced delight in learning of Don'ea's gifts, his mind pondering the uses of such gifts. Now he found himself wanting not only Don'ea's gifts, but Don'ea herself.

Her arms reached up to entwine her hands within his silky hair. Then she froze, pulling herself from beneath Aro.

Rising off the bed, she left to wash up and dress. Silently, she prepared breakfast while Aro watched her in confusion from the bed, wondering if he had offended her in some way. He wondered why she had responded to him so passionately, then turned off her emotions to take care of a mere chore.

Don'ea ate quickly, then drank a cup of hot herbal tea. She contemplated a problem nagging at her thoughts. She could not love this creature in so short a time, could she? Had she and Aro heart-bonded in some way through their interactions? She had known it to happen, but not with a creature so different from herself.

After considering the issue while eating, Don'ea decided Aro had to know the truth. She felt he was entitled to know everything if they were going to integrate their lives together. She wasn't inclined to tell him herself. Instead, she sat beside him on the bed, and stretched her hand out to him. "Go ahead. Read me. Learn the truth, Aro di Volturi." He seemed to hesitate at first, but decided to do as she asked. She felt his hand take hers, then he was holding it between both of his.

Aro sighed as he opened his mind to her memories. His eyes suddenly opened as he sifted through her past. He became intrigued by the visions he saw of her childhood with whom he assumed to be her family. Images of her home flashed in his mind. Tall towers, glistening in the sunlight. People dressed in strange clothing walking the streets. He saw her conversations with others in a language he wasn't familiar with. He reached her youth and educational years.

Aro felt a certain jealousy when he envisioned further conversations, this time with men. Then he saw her work. She was in something that rose upward from the ground, and into the sky that changed from light to darkness. When he saw how she had come to be in this place through her eyes, her vessel crashing to the ground, his eyes went wide. It was all there. Who she was. What she was.

His mind reeling, he released her hand, and whispered, "No wonder your blood is inedible to me. You aren't human. You're not even from this planet."

Don'ea placed her hands in her lap and looked at Aro, her gaze on him intense. Slowly her hair began to change colour from reddish brown to purple. The eyes that bore into Aro's were now a blue so bright, they seemed to glow with pure energy. "This is my true appearance."

Aro stared at Don'ea. She still appeared human, but with obvious and not so obvious variations "You never cease to amaze me, my dear. You're even more beautiful, if that's possible." He rose from the bed, and turned to reach out to touch her cheek. His fingers moved to her hair, gently pulling up a strand, then letting it fall. He looked deeply into her eyes, examining them with his vampire vision. They looked normal except for their intense colour. "How old are you? How long have you been on Earth?"

Don'ea thought a moment. "I've been here on your world slightly over one thousand years. My age is more difficult to say, since our accounting of years is probably different than your accounting. Suffice to say, I'm at least 1500 years old."

This news pleased Aro immensely. She was long-lived just as he was. If she agreed to return with him to Volterra, he would not lose her in fifty short years.

"If you joined us, your gifts would make our coven the most powerful on the planet."

"My abilities are not gifts, Aro. All my people possess these powers. And I will not allow you to use them for your own purposes." Her expression darkened when she gave Aro that warning.

The door suddenly flew open to reveal three of the Volturi guard. Don'ea saw a dark blonde man alongside a man with dark skin waiting by the door, while a taller man entered the cottage.

"Master Aro, are you all right?" Felix asked, scanning the room, only seeing Aro and a woman.

"Yes, Felix. I am well, due to the care I received from this woman. Is everyone else safe? Are they here?"

"No, Master Aro. Masters Marcus and Caius felt it best to keep everyone home. They sent us back to find you."

Demetri smiled, glad to see Master Aro in one piece. "By the way, we routed the pack, Master."

Felix glared at Don'ea. "So who is this human? Shall we kill her?"

Don'ea held up a hand, palm forward in a defensive stance, as if waiting to see what the tall man did.

Aro raised his hand to restrain the protective killer instinct of his guard. "No, Felix. She took care of me when I could barely walk. Killing her would not be a proper thank you to her for her assistance. And feeding off her would be useless. Her blood is indigestible to our kind."

Santiago, Felix, and Demetri glanced at one another. "How is that even possible, Master Aro?" Demetri asked.

"You all will know soon enough," Aro replied. "And a truly fascinating story it is."

He held out his hand to Don'ea, who took it, letting herself be pulled closer to Aro. "My dear, these are three of our guards. Felix, Demetri, and Santiago. Gentlemen, this is Don'ea, the woman who found me and provided me with care. She never stopped believing you would came back for me." He looked at her, and lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it.

"You'll be returning home to Italy now," Don'ea said in a whisper.

"Yes, that's true, Don'ea. And what about you. Do you still hope your people will return here to find you?"

"It's been far too long," she replied with a smile, but when she looked up at Aro, her eyes could not hide the utter misery she felt inside. Crashing on this planet, trying to stay away from humans, building a home for herself here, only to have this inhuman creature arrive and capture her heart. She didn't want him to leave. She didn't want to be alone anymore.

As if he knew this, he lifted her chin with his cold fingertips, then leaned in to kiss her with cold lips. He made to her the same offer she made to him. "You don't have to be alone anymore, Don'ea. Come back to Volterra with me. Join us. It's true, your abilities would be a great asset to our coven. But I don't ask just for that alone." His red eyes questioned her.

She smiled at Aro. "No one can change me into a vampire because my body can't be dosed with your venom. And I'm safe from your kind feeding off me, since my blood is not compatible with your dietary needs." She wondered if he really cared for her, or merely saw her as someone to make use of.

He held her hands in his, her thoughts non-existent to his mind's probing. "Stop blocking me, dear one. Open your heart to me."

She nodded as she stared into his crimson eyes. She found them intriguing, beautiful even. "I have never met a vampire, although I have heard of the lore. Humans can be quite superstitious."

Aro gazed at the female standing before him. She appeared human, but was not human. And he found himself wanting her more and more.

"If you decide to accept me, my dear, you may return to Volterra with us. We'll give you a home and companionship. You may use your gifts to defend the coven, if you're willing. I won't ask any more of you than you're willing to give." He took her hands in his, kissing the palm of one. "Perhaps some day, you will consent to be my mate."

The guards were surprised at what they saw unfold before them. Aro had met a human with whom he had formed some attachment, and was now going to bring her home with them to Volterra.

Her eyes went wide at his words. This was unexpected. "Aro, will I fit in?" Her eyes were fixed on his, something shining there he would later come to understand.

"We are alike, you and I, even if we are different. We both live long lives. Neither of us can be harmed. It seems a perfect match to me. " His hand brushed over her cheek while she felt his emotions flood her heart. The connection was so strong, she knew even time could not break it.

Don'ea looked around the cabin.

Aro asked her, "If there's anything you wish to bring with you, if you agree, Felix will gather them." He took his cloak off the hook by the door and put it on. He took her cloak that also hung by the door and placed it around her shoulders.

"No, there's nothing here worth keeping. All right, I'll join you, Aro. Your home will be my home, your people my people. And you..."

She wasn't able to finish before Aro gathered her in her arms and kissed her. He breathed in her unusual scent, so inhuman and unique. "You will be mine, my dear. Alien as you are and unable to be changed, I think we can make it work." Aro slipped an arm around her waist, leading her from the cabin.

"Wait." Don'ea went back inside and going to the small table that sat beside her bed, picked up a shiny metal box and slipped it into her cape pocket. Then she rejoined Aro and his guards outside.

Aro picked Don'ea up in his arms. "It's faster this way," he said, grinning.

The pair, along with Felix, Santiago, and Demetri, headed for Volterra...for home.

A/N : I was going to call this tale "Aro and the Alien", but felt it would give the reveal away.

#the volturi #volturi fanfiction #aro volturi #Aro/OC #werewolf attacked aro

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catharsis-in-a-bottle · 4 years ago

Text

AHSDHFHHJKKHD

THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT. WAS SO FUCKING GOOD.

[spoilers below if you haven’t seen it and you want to]

Here are some of my (not in any particular order) bullet points. This is gonna be long as hell because, you know, brain dumps amiright

First off, Anya Taylor-Joy’s acting. Is just incredible. In particular moments, you can tell what she’s thinking with a simple hand gesture or with the tiniest raise of an eyebrow. She develops Beth’s signature facial expressions and movements throughout the show, and you just feel like you know her. And during her chess matches, sometimes it feels like she’s staring into your soul. Especially when she gives that badass chin-on-the-hands look and she knows she’s going to win. Powerful energy.

Secondly, I fucking knew I recognized Harry Beltik from somewhere else but my mom didn’t BELIEVE me and then I looked up the actor and he’s DUDLEY DURSLEY, I WAS RIGHT MOTHER, I WAS RIGHT

I love love love how they didn’t make, like, a major romantic plotline. Beth doesn’t end up with a partner - she ends with a bunch of super supportive friends that have her back by the time she gets to Moscow, and like, she has a crush on Townes but they end up being just like super good and healthy friends and I love it?? So much?? Thank you producers

Townes. Just, in general. I really like his character, he’s super nice and his voice is oddly soothing

BORGOV. I LOVE BORGOV. HE IS SO GODDAMN RESPECTFUL. Like, he seemed like a very cold character at first - well-mannered and extremely professional, yes, but rather cold. But when she wins in Moscow? “It is your game. Take it.” I LOVE THAT SO MUCH. AND HE HUGS HER AND STARTS CLAPPING AND THE AMOUNT OF RESPECT AND ADMIRATION AND AFFECTION IN THAT SCENE IS INCREDIBLE. And you don’t see any of that in Borgov’s face when he’s playing. His facial expressions do not change at all. But then his face when she wins!! He’s HAPPY! He’s like, goddamn, I’ve spent my whole life mastering chess, it’s about time somebody fucking beat me! I know I’m repeating myself but just his RESPECT I absolutely adore it

And Beth’s officer-watcher-person in Moscow was all like “ahhh be wary of the Russians! communism!!” but they absolutely did not make this yet another evil Russian show, like please that trope works for plots but it’s about time somebody did something different - they showed the US government as suspicious of the Soviets but then they showed the solidarity between the chess players that Benny talked about earlier (”The Russians work together, Americans work alone” or something like that), and then they showed the kind and excitable people on the streets, and the amount of support they would have had no matter WHO won that goddamn match. The old man she plays at the end. Everyone is a community.

Continuing that - I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the old man with the very puffy white hair, but I loved him too. He sees Beth as the rising star she is, and he respects her. He admires her. The dynamic there is absolutely immaculate, contrary to the dynamic between Beth and the man she beats earlier, the one who walks off and doesn’t even talk to her. We don’t like that man - we like the ones who admit defeat and respect Beth!! I love them!! They are extremely professional, and they show the warm-heartedness that often doesn’t show with all of the cold stares and glares that pass between players during matches.

Joline. I’m so glad she came back. I love her. She’s extremely independent but she comes back for Beth because Beth needs her but she’s also like “I’m not your savior! Get your shit together!” which is fucking awesome. And the fact that the two of them interacted like the best of friends even after years of separation was really sweet to me.

I nearly cried when Beth went back into the school. (I say ‘nearly’ because there were other people in the room and naturally I can’t do that in front of other people. If I was utterly alone, maybe on my own planet, I would have.) Because of all of it. Because of her trauma, because that’s where all the shit began... and the music during that scene. It was hauntingly beautiful, especially when the melody began switching to cello. And then Beth saw all the pictures and newspaper clips that Mr. Shaibel had saved, because he cared about her so much, because he started it all - he’s the reason she’s going to national tournaments, to Paris, to Moscow. And in that scene, we know he’s too old to be alive anymore, and she does too. The whole school scene in general just feels so ghostly and ethereal.

I love Borgov, did I say that already? I just... strive to exude his energy. I want to be good at things but I want to hold deep, genuine respect and admiration for others who are also good at the thing, because sometimes I just have the biggest fucking ego and I can get carried away. ‘Borgov, Borgov, Borgov.’ A mantra. He wins respectfully and he loses respectfully.

BETH’S MOTHER (the second one) JUST FUCKING DIED OUT OF NOWHERE?? AND I WAS SO SHOCKED? Which is really an accurate reflection of reality because death often comes out of nowhere, but DAMN I was not expecting that shit

And the fact that the mother just,,,, let her chug a beer,,,, oof

THE ADDICTION. BETH’S DOWNWARD SPIRAL. IT MADE ME FEEL SO HORRIBLE BUT IT FELT SO REAL. Everything about her progression through addiction was just... I can’t find an adjective. But when she just fucking inhaled that bucket of pills as a kid and then collapsed. When that addiction lasted into her adulthood - it’s really impactful and horrible and just so real. She needed proper care throughout this entire goddamn show and she never got medical care, she just got supportive friends - which, btw, that’s one thing that kind of threw me off. Like, she didn’t have withdrawal in Moscow, she went from chugging like four bottles of wine a day to... not drinking at all?? Without withdrawal symptoms?? And I’m proud of her for throwing away those pills but honestly it felt really fast, idk

GIVING CHILDREN TRANQUILIZERS WAS AN ACTUAL THING THAT HAPPENED. I DID NOT PREVIOUSLY KNOW THIS. BUT LEGITIMATELY, IT HAPPENED. HOLY SHIT.

HARRY BELTIK. He was like, awkwardly in love with Beth and that shit didn’t work out but even afterwards he FUCKING CARED. He’d seen his father drink himself to death and he knew that would happen to Beth and he was scared. So he came back, he tried to help her, and at that point (when she had that fucking scary eye makeup, yeah that was rock bottom) she didn’t care much about the outside world anymore. She was angry, and she was closing herself in. It made my stomach clench in physical pain. Which is a good thing. But also not.

Harry Beltik in general just being so supportive and wanting to help her though, like yeah it was very awkward, but they were vibing

AND BENNY WATTS IS FUCKING GREAT. THAT WHOLE COWBOY LOOK, COWBOY CHESS PLAYER, NOW THAT’S AN AESTHETIC. He was concerned for Beth too. He wanted to help her. He wanted to create that American solidarity that he knew the Soviet competitors had, and ultimately he did when he and everyone else called her in Moscow. Benny is... chaotic good? Neutral? He is quite an interesting character, and Beth’s persistent social awkwardness fades away with him because he knows how to interact with her. He’s a dedicated and smart narcissist, and I’m here for it.

The fact that they made me love and hate Cleo at the same time, and also question Beth’s sexuality when she first met Cleo. Like, she’s from Paris. She considers ‘tomorrow night’ to be a very long time away. I love her mysteriousness. But also, she was the catalyst for Beth’s downward drinking spiral before the match in Paris, so like... I like Cleo’s personality, but not her choices in those previous moments.

The music. Did I mention the music? The soundtrack. The orchestrals. That one song that the mother plays on piano that I hear all the time and I still don’t actually know what it is PLEASE HELP. The music is melancholy in the right moments, upbeat in the right moments, intense and suspenseful in the right moments - and also absent in the right moments. There’s tacet. There’s silence. And it’s always been my firm belief that silence can hold just as much impact as sound.

Just an interesting note, my mom watched the whole show before me and then re-watched it with me, and when Mr. Shaibel showed up she quickly reassured me that he wasn’t a child molester, because quote “it may be a creepy basement but he’s just really nice” so... I was reassured

I love Mr. Shaibel, and Beth just kept sticking up for him in front of the press and,,, yeah

I hated that bitch from the high school, what was her name?... The one who showed up in the store with a child? It makes me think about the fact that so many kids are just jerks in high school simply because they can be... and occasionally their fuckery lasts into adulthood but oftentimes it doesn’t. You don’t have to be a jerk when you’re an adult, and you don’t have to be a jerk in high school! People remember, people always remember! So, to the bitch from the high school: fuck you for making Beth feel like an outsider and then trying to reverse gears and accept her, cuz Beth isn’t falling for that shit.

The twins, Matt and Mike. They’re so doubtful of Beth in the beginning but then bam, she’s competing nationally, and I adore how the three of them become friends. All those men playing chess in Kentucky in the beginning seem so condescending, but ultimately they show respect because Beth absolutely fucking deserves it.

I enjoy the fact that we never *really* know Beth’s age. It’s just like... she’s 9, she’s 15, she’s 17, she’s... twenty something? Who the hell knows? As many characters say, when it comes to skill level, age ultimately isn’t an important factor. This young woman beats the oldest man with the bushiest white hair in Moscow and age. Does not. Matter.

The Jesus people lmaooooo when Beth said “because it’s fucking nonsense” I just. Mad respect ma’am, don’t take their money, go be a communist and “sPrEaD tHe aThEiSt AgEnDa”

Wow I really just... wrote all that didn’t I damn wish I could write essays this fast at reasonable hours of the day

Beth’s relationship with her foster mother is so fucking sweet until she fucking dies

And fuck Beth’s legal father. He is an asshole. That is all.

The mother deserved Manuel, she deserved that sketchy Mexican salesman goddammit

As my final bullet point: This has made me want to play chess. This has made me want to get good at chess. You know that thing where you like, download the personality of the coolest character for like a day after you watch something... I don’t do that anymore (maybe), but I want to download those mad chess skills. This has made chess seem so cool. I want to wear a fancy suit and compete with people. I just have to, you know, actually develop some strategy and stop losing brutally against people online. I wAnT tO pLaY cHesS dO yOu HeAr mE

I’m going to stop now, but I just,,, peeps, I love this show. I’m absolutely going to require a re-watch in the future. I just love it. The characters and their development, their relationships with each other, the progression of time and of Beth’s maturity... it is simply incredible. This concludes my brain dump.

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galadrieljones · 3 years ago

Note

If you watched it, was there anything noteworthy in the Maggie origins episode?

Hey anon! I actually just watched it last night. I haven’t done a thorough analysis yet or anything, but there were definitely some things I noticed, and some big take-aways.

The first thing I noticed was how strongly Maggie was cast in her role as a wife. It did not surprise me, but it affirmed my feelings about her character. I have often thought of the different characters and how their roles fit into the family dynamic, ie: Maggie is a wife, Glenn is a husband, Rick is a father, Michonne is a mother, Daryl is a brother, etc.

For Maggie, her entire narrative arc, including her leadership role during the war with the Saviors, is driven by her marriage to and then her loss of Glenn. Every time there is a catastrophe, Maggie is consumed with finding Glenn. I know many people viewed her choice to pursue Glenn after the prison fell rather than Beth as selfish, but I didn't. Glenn was her husband. He was her other half. I, personally, understand this completely. I feel the writers did this to firmly cast Maggie as a wife. Not as a daughter, not as a sister. A wife. And after she loses her husband, ie: her other half, she becomes consumed with grief, which she sublimates into anger, fierce leadership, and revenge.

I believe Maggie was cast as a wife early on to reinforce the fact that she's no longer a daughter. Why? Because Beth is the daughter. In 4b, Beth goes searching for booze in the name of her deceased father who struggled with alcoholism his whole life. Beth places flowers on the "Loving Father's" grave. It's Beth who's carrying Hershel's legacy now. Beth becomes a symbol of Hershel, so when Beth dies, so, too, does the Greene farm. In the Origins episode, Cohen refers to Hershel as "Maggie's North Star." When Hershel dies, that symbolism is passed onto Beth. Then, when Beth dies, Maggie is lost. She has no direction, re: "Them." Also, if you're familiar with TD theories, you know that Beth and star symbolism is very important. Most associate Beth with Sirius, the dog star, or the morning star, connoting a return. But the north star is important, too. Carl shows Judith how to find the north star before he dies. It's a symbol of direction and hope for the future.

Another thing I found really interesting in this Origins episode was the way it reminded us of how, over time, Maggie and Daryl align as a single unit, like their own family. Over time, they even align separately from Rick. Their alignment begins with Beth’s death, for which they are both uniquely crushed, and they align after Glenn dies. Something, too, that this episode brings to light, which I had honestly forgotten, was Maggie’s key role in brokering the deal with Gregory, which prompts Rick to lead the team into the war with the Saviors. It is actually Maggie’s negotiations, which start the war. This is important, because later, Daryl will blame himself for Glenn’s death, but this Origins episode reminded us of how instrumental Maggie actually was in the early days at Hilltop and during the war. In some ways, it was her talk with Gregory that started it all. This monumental guilt she must feel certainly bonds her Daryl as well. Let us not forget, too, that Daryl knew Glenn even before Maggie. He helped save Glenn’s life all the way back in Atlanta.

Daryl and Maggie’s alignment was also explored in Daryl’s Origins episode, particularly in how they unite against Rick to try and take down Negan. Daryl even betrays and lies to Rick in order to distract him, so that Maggie can kill Negan in revenge. Daryl is the man who sets Gregory swinging at the gallows in Hilltop. In Maggie’s Origins episode, tptb wanted to communicate to us that Daryl and Maggie are brother and sister, that the two share a UNIQUE familial bond, which is ultimately rooted in their mutual loss of Beth. They are a family. We see it come to light, too, in "Home Sweet Home" when Daryl helps Maggie, saves Maggie’s life, they talk about the past, and they talk about Beth. There is nobody else left who really remembers Glenn from the beginning, or Beth anymore, nobody aside from Carol, and as we’ve learned in "Find Me" and "Diverged," Carol is currently on her own. I believe that Maggie and Daryl are being positioned as family as another way of remembering Beth, just like so many other references to Beth we've seen in 10c and Origins. All very convenient timing!!

I noticed a bunch of other small things, like, for example, that Maggie is wearing a red handkerchief around her wrist when they arrive at the prison, which echoes the red handkerchief that Daryl carries, as well as the bit of red fabric or handkerchief that Sasha wears pinned to her jacket in “Them.” Carol also, at some point, wears a red scarf, and so does Negan. Further, in 10c, Maggie and Daryl are both shown as having red fletching on their arrows. Does it have something to do with Rick’s red machete, and the episodes “A”/“No Sanctuary?” I don’t know. I think it may be a symbol for wrath, but that’s half-baked at the moment.

Also: Maggie refers to “the loss of Beth,” not Beth’s death. I don’t know how significant that is, especially since we’re operating from Maggie’s point of view. Of course Daryl’s POV communicated that Beth was killed, and also that Rick died. We know that, in that instance, Daryl’s POV is at least half wrong. As usual, POVs cannot be trusted as verifiable sources in TWD. That said, “the loss of Beth” is grammatically cumbersome, and therefore interesting. Why not just say “Beth’s death?” Tbh, there’s still so much we don’t know about the missing time between “Coda” and “WHAWGO.” I don’t know what Maggie knows or could know about Beth’s “loss.”

There was also the moment, as the prison was going down, when Maggie and Beth start off together, but then they separate. I forgot how that went down, and it’s interesting how they decided to show it, ie: Maggie tells Beth to round up everybody onto the bus, but Beth doesn’t want to leave Maggie. It reminded me of “Alone,” when Daryl tells her to go, and she shouts “I won’t leave you!”

In both episodes, Beth is told to do something, like stay behind, and it’s seemingly for her own protection, but it does in some sense remove her agency. Beth doesn’t want to separate or leave people behind. She wants everyone to stay together. Her instincts are right, of course. But I think a major lesson that Beth has to learn in 4b/5a is how to become her own kind of hero, rather than the babysitter for the hero, the damsel in distress, or the little sister. Because we see in “Still” how Daryl begins to view Beth as strong. He later tells Maggie so, in “Them:” “She was strong, too. She just didn’t know it.”

Another thing: I noticed that the guy who Gregory convinced to try and kill Maggie was named Otis. Very strange. Of course, Otis was the name of the family friend who accidentally shot Carl, and who was sacrificed by Shane to save Carl. There are a lot of odd name doubles in TWD so any time that happens, I give it a side-eye. Other examples of name repetition are Sam and Luke. Weird name repetition in fiction always makes me think of dream logic, ie: familiar names being used in odd, unfamiliar circumstances. It’s not a coincidence. I haven’t thought about this at all yet, however, so I don’t yet have a good understanding of what this is meant to conjure.

Per the season 11 preview: I was very intrigued by the silent walker, which had its vocal cords cut. For me, this echoes the broken music box, and is a reference to Beth (the songbird who can’t sing anymore). I think it's also a reference to Connie, the other "dead" sister. Connie says a great deal to Daryl during their friendship, but she doesn’t use her voice to speak. Very interesting choice, for sure.

The stuffed rabbit made me think of Lizzy, who kills rabbits. Lizzy is a symbol of madness and the deranged childhood. It also reminds me of “A,” and “Here’s Negan.” In both episodes, a dead rabbit is removed from a trap and seems related to the theme of predator vs. prey. Beth is certainly related to rabbits thematically, ie: she is a rabbit who gets stuck in a trap (Grady). But the stuffed rabbit also makes me think of childhood in general, and here it could be reminding Maggie of Hershel, or her own childhood back at the farm. Of course, she sets it down, because she is putting that stuff away.

Also, as you can see in the above photo, there’s a storm in the distance. There’s also “[thunder rumbling]” in the background of both “Still” and “Find Me.” The theme of the ominous, coming storm is very loud in general in TWD, but it’s especially loud right now.

Anyway, this is all I have for now. Any other thoughts?

#the walking dead #maggie rhee #the walking dead origins #bethyl #beth greene #daryl dixon #team delusional

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