poisonousflora - Tumblr blog

poisonousflora · 2 months ago

Text

An Ode To Briana Matthews Part Deux

*Oathbound Spoilers Afoot!*

One of the many things I have enjoyed about this series is Tracy’s centering of Bree. She is allowed to be complicated, powerful, and flawed. She is shown being loved on furiously, being desired fiercely, and she is written in a way that makes you ache for her. She calls something forward in me that challenges the notion of who Black girls are supposed to be in the eyes of those who deem us as too much. Bree makes me proud because she makes mistakes, takes risks, and does not play about the people she loves.

We have come a long way from the girl in Legendborn.

Heavy is the crown.

Her Magic (The Consequences of The Choice)

“I push myself to my feet and walk toward him, a satisfied smile curving my lips. As I get closer, I widen my hands again, and the thuds grow quieter and quieter as I thicken the barrier. He can’t see me, but I can just make out the glow of his eyes. His irises are green with fury, and I imagine what I would look like to him if he could see me…”

“A young brown-skinned girl in a long formal gown, striding toward him with her palms out wide. A girl with deep purple magic flowing from her hand to feed the structure encasing him. A girl raising that sphere into the air, levitating him from the ground. A girl trained by the deepest Shadow himself, her teeth bared in an electric grin.”

Bree has come a long way from the Gala and the choice she made with the Shadow King back at the lodge. In this scene, her confidence is on full display. She looks strong, she flexes her prowess, and she is not holding back. All of this came from the choice she made to go with Erebus and to burn her ancestral stream. As I said in my first ode, I loved her choice. I knew it would be messy, I knew it would hurt. I also knew it would be necessary. We know Bree is a fighter, and there is little that would keep her from it. Choosing herself meant breaking herself down to the studs to become more. More physically, more mentally, more strategically. Like any king worth their salt, she makes the difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions. She is finding her balance and pushing her limits until she ultimately finds the formula that works for her. At the end of Oathbound, we see her more in control. To say that the order, Erebus, and Tor's funky ass will hate to see her coming, is an understatement.

Desire/Sexuality

“Then I remember the sizzling sensation when I touch the Pendragon coin, and I wonder if he’s the one who stamped that memory onto my skin. Boys, I say quietly. I know that much…”

“I think…,” I say, watching the crowd with new eyes, "I’m into people people.”

One of the other aspects of Bree in which she became more sure of was her desires and sexuality. We got a glimpse of it with Sel in the woods. It was she who took the lead and kissed him, leaning into how much he wanted her, and showing him she wanted the same. I am of the age that I remember girls being labeled as “fast” for doing something as mundane as wearing red lipstick. In the Black community, there tends to be (at least there was when I was this age) a looking down upon of Black girls for owning their sexuality. You get the, “Don’t bring no babies home” talk, but there is little discussion of the real world, practical shit. Even into adulthood, if you enjoy sex and are open about it (like the men dem), you are labeled a HOE (304s as they said back in the day). This scene was so dope because we get a glimpse of her thought process in her own words. I love that Zoe questions her, essentially prompting her to give voice to what she likes. There is freedom even in the thought of exploration.

So Drown and The Roof is On Fire

“I’m drowning in you, Bree. I shouldn’t want to. I should fight it. But I can’t”

“My eyes flutter closed, then open. I inhale a ragged breath. Exhale an answer. So drown.”

The challenge she levels at Nick made me squeal. The way he obliged made me gasp. Every moment where Bree is free to be a teenager exploring her sexuality is top tier. Tracy makes these moments count, doesn’t she? When I first started reading this series, I heard rumblings regarding the two white boys and their desire for Bree. Some conversations turned their dynamic into something dirty, and something that was happening to Bree instead of realizing she is a willing participant. There are some interesting takes out there. I love that she is being loved on by two love interests who would set the world ablaze for her. The fact that Bree disrupts their trajectory AND the trajectory in what Black girls deserve (love, respect, care, softness, a lil Selly Sazon) warms my soul.

“And if I want…?” My breath turns shallow, my skin burning beneath the winter coat. His brows lift in question. “If you want…?”

“Actually, I murmur, that might be the end of the sentence.”

Clever hands aside, the conversation between these two was endearing. The fact that she felt safe enough to express the longing she had been housing was nothing less than poetic. Too often in media, Black girls are the sidekick, the funny one, the token, never to be chosen in a real way. We are the wisdom or the sacrifice that helps the non-Black characters have amazing epiphanies, that moves their stories forward, making the Black character disposable. I know Tracy said, “Fuck all that!” at some point as Bree’s story progressed. In my younger years, I had NEVER seen a Black girl exploring in this way. Being wanted and revered in this way. Taking up space and challenging the status quo in this way. Don’t get me started on her wanting BOFFUM. Can’t a girl have her spicy black cat and equally as spicy Golden Retriever in peace?

Rootcraft Girls

“Rootcrafters are Black. Rootcrafter girls, specifically, make a good target, because a missing Black girl won’t raise alarm bells the way a missing white girl would.”

“I may not know the people in my life, but I know myself. I won’t be able to let this go.”

When I read Valec’s birth scene, I had suspected that demons had been ingratiating themselves in the rootcraft community (especially Erebus), and for the very reason quoted above. When Bree sees one of the girls being assaulted in the bathroom of the Rat, she springs into action. When the warlock escapes with her, a new mission is born. Bree understands what is at stake at that moment. She is not that far removed from the torture she experienced in the Institute. She would not let anyone forget about the rootcrafter girls despite all of the other plates she was spinning. My girl said, “We gon do both!” In Legendborn, Nick and Sel spoke of things kings must do. The sacrifice that lives under that banner. Bree’s growth has demonstrated that she is a far superior king than Arthur and the Shadow King combined. Her heart is what makes her more powerful than any magic she can wield. Her intentions are pure, and she makes room for her care to wrap around the people and communities she cares about. Bree makes hard decisions and faces the consequences head-on, plans be damned.

I love this character and have found her reach to touch a multitude of ages for various reasons. For me, she is the niece, the daughter, the sister. She is also me. Her fire and determination. Her refusal to accept the unacceptable and willingness to join a fight, because those being fought for are worthy. As Nick says, she is worthy.

Oathbound’s dedication says:

For the girls who face the unknown…and leap anyway. Bree has literally and figuratively taken the leap, and she challenges all of us in times of peril to do the same.

I am so glad to be alive in the timeline where Bree Matthews exists.

Rumble Black Girl, Rumble.

I hope you enjoyed part deux! Find part one here!

#bree mathews #my king #this is so 🥹🥹

59 notes · View notes

poisonousflora · 2 months ago

Text

😍😍

I need a soldier that ain't scared to stand up for me 🎶

Bree with her second-ranked Knight Nick

The amazing artist is @dotajis and this turned out so good!!

Characters belong to Tracy Deonn and are from the Legendborn Cycle Series

336 notes · View notes

poisonousflora · 2 months ago

Text

As always I love your breakdownsss!! Thank you! @ficnoire2

I actually really liked how little Sel was in OB while his impact was as if he was more present.

A Little Oathbound Top 10 Selwyn Kane Moments *Spoilers Everywhere!*

Happy Gemini Season! I could not let the month pass without showing love to my favorite grumpy sorcerer. While he may have haunted the narrative this go round, there is no doubt that when Sel appeared on the page, he made it count. Nick did not come to play in Oathbound, but Selwyn reminded us that he never does. I managed to squeeze out yet another top 10 Selwyn Kane moments (just for you @ashalightwood). Happy Gemini Season and happy reading!

10. Dear Mama

“I was five years old when they told me my mother died,” Selwyn states, his voice a crackle of electric anger. “I grew up thinking you were killed on a mission. I thought you were dead.”

The moment in which Sel decides to speak to his mother was heart-wrenching. When I think about this character and all that he has endured in his short life, this was another dagger aimed in his direction. You can virtually feel the pain in everything he does not say. The baring of his fangs, the studying of the physical changes his body has gone through, and the look he gives Natasia upon first seeing her after 13 years.

“When Selwyn truly saw me for the first time, his snarl faded. His eyes widened. I knew the exact moment he recognized me as his mother because when he did, confusion and hurt mingled on his features until they settled into disgust…and then fury.”

The two of them have an extremely long road to travel towards reconciliation. This scene shows how much Selwyn’s reality has been altered, leaving him as collateral damage.

9. Scent of A Woman

“I smell her on you.” His voice has shifted into a guttural rasp that I’ve never heard from him before…

“He ignores me, pressing his face into the glowing bars and letting them burn his skin. “I feel her on you.”

As a horror girlie, I loved how Tracy leaned into Sel’s darkness. It was unnerving, how feral he had become, how he was willing to burn to get to his source, to get to Bree. He embodies all of the chaos, passion, sensuality, rage, pain, and desire that live within unbalanced cambions. He wants. Reading this scene was like witnessing a lion lock in on prey. It was something not even Natasia was ready for.

8. Sel Squares Up.

“Selwyn chuckles darkly. "She is my Scion of Arthur."

"Your-" I stumble backward, shaking my head. "No, that’s…Bree can’t be.”

“Oh, but she is.” Sel prowls toward me. “Briana is mine. My Scion, My sovereign. My king,” Selwyn utters, lip curling. “Just like her mother was yours.”

First of all, Sel letting his mother know the place that Bree holds within his being was delicious. Over this series, he and Bree toyed with the idea of “mine” and “not yours.” In Legendborn, Selwyn makes a play to be hers, with “Cariad.” In Bloodmarked, he reminded her that he would protect her like no one else, with “No other Merlin.” In Oathbound, he essentially tells his mother that there are no others after him. She is his, and he is hers. It is a proclamation. One of the many hints that Selly is feeling himself and settling into his new form.

“Do not speak about Faye Matthews,” I call and forge my own aether staff to match his and make a silent promise that I will never forge a weapon against him that he does not forge first.”

The implications that Selwyn is down so bad for Bree, that even in demonia, he would whoop his mother’s ass was not something I had on my bingo card.

7. He Had Them Both

“When Sel leaned close, bringing his mouth to Nick’s ear, I saw the way Nick’s shoulders rose to his ears, then dipped, relaxing at Sel’s touch. I saw the way he shuddered, the anguish still there, working through him…”

“Thank you for your assistance, William,” Sel said as he turned to face me, voice firm and formal. “But I have it from here.”

“Bree needs-”

“I have them both,” Sel said, his golden eyes hardening, “and you’ve done enough. Please leave.”

If this series does nothing else, it will make your heart tighten. William’s realization that even though he is the healer, he could not give the trio what they needed in that moment. It showed that despite the tumultuous history the boys have, they love each other and can relate to one another like no one else. Nick is full of fear and rage, but Selwyn is the one to touch him, to say the words that can unwind him a bit. It shows the reverence and respect they have for one another. The love between Bree, Sel, and Nick is something that anyone outside of it cannot intervene in, cannot break. It has been hard earned, and I adore the softness and grace Sel afforded Nick. It is something that I, as well as others who love this character, understood he had the capacity for, and there is nothing more human than that.

6. Selly Knows How To Make An Entrance (Cat and Mouse)

“The clouds shift overhead to reveal the bright crescent moon hanging low in the sky. And still we wait…”

“Then a cheery whistle splits the silence. In the distance, a dark figure appears around the curve. Selwyn ambles toward us, whistling, in a long dark coat. Glowing green aether writhes around his hands and arms where they sway loose at his sides.”

Again, Tracy with the horror beats! This scene is reminiscent of Hitchcock-level horror. The symbolism of the crescent moon, meaning transformation, new beginnings, is chef’s kiss. Plus, this is SOOO Sel. Of course, he can’t just walk up and talk to two people that he knows like a regular person. Of course not, he’s got to whistle in the dark and be a certified creep! I love it! It was a call back to his first meeting with Bree, speaking of which…

“He grins. Got you.”

“Got who?" I whisper.

Selly is nothing if not a bit nostalgic!

5. Never Make It Easy

“You can try to consume my root a second time,” I warn, raising my chin, “but you should know that I won’t make it easy…”

“He leans closer infinitesimally-throat pressing against Nick’s blade–and I suck in a breath. Black blood beads along the silver sword where it cuts into his pale skin, but he doesn’t seem to notice or care."

"Please never make it easy.”

When the Incubus comes out to play, he comes out to play! This line in juxtaposition to Nick’s “My blade is yours,” is the delectable duality that a girl can appreciate. Selly is not demure. He essentially says, “Make me fight for every bit of it, baby!” It is the reckless tongue that we have come to know and love. Throughout this series, he has dropped some cipher-level bars, and this was no exception.

4. These Are My Confessions

“Nicholas Davis and Selwyn Kane.” Sel ignores Nick’s attempts to redirect him. “The sun and the moon. You are the warmth and the light and I am the bitter deep cold, or so it has always appeared. But we know the truth, don’t we, Nicholas?”

During Selwyn’s monologue, we see the underpinnings of his pain in relation to Nick. It parallels Nick’s confession at Penumbra. It is made clear that he has never seen himself as the light, that he has always stood in the shadow of the veneer the order has placed on Nick. I liken it to a child who has been sheltered, only to get a taste of the world outside of their bubble and realize how ill-equipped they are. Sel’s emotions are all over the place. He wants the rage and hate and loathing leveled in his direction. Despite Bree and Nick reassuring him that he is good and does not need fixing, he persists in his pursuit of pain. He continues to punish himself because, even despite the power he feels, he does not feel that his existence is valid. He can hardly forgive himself for the things he has done to Bree. It is child-like in that he tries desperately to gain a reaction from Bree and Nick to validate his feelings of inadequacy.

3. Baiting A Knight

“Did Brianna tell you that she kissed me?...”

“Well, she did. Pulled my face right down to hers, and I let her…oh, how I let her.”

This scene was equal parts hunger and Incubus realness. Selwyn was not unlike Mikaelaz in his hunt for emotion. On some level, he wants Nick to feel as insignificant as he has in comparison. He is quick-witted and smarmy, and Nick is not having it. He lays traps for both Bree and Nick to get them to react, but they refute him at every turn. In fact, he is acting a lot like Valec when they first met at the Crossroads Lounge in that he tells Nick exactly how he sees Bree.

“She tastes like heat and danger and honey and,” Sel shudders, “power. Addictive, even without her root.”

Where Valec admired Bree’s looks and scent to taunt Sel, here he taunts Nick with how she tastes. Nasty work!

2. You Yo Daddy’s Son!

“You don’t seem to be healing very quickly,” Selwyn drawls. “All those bodies to draw from, twenty centuries and all that, and a little hole in the chest is slowing you down?” He scoffs. “Pathetic. Maybe you should go back to being a Seneschal.”

I cackled at the disgust expressed here. For all of Bloodmarked, Erebus worked overtime to make Sel look incompetent. He went out of his way to be a ancient dick. In fact, despite all of his power and prowess, he holds the title of deadbeat dad of the ages, who was thwarted by the very magical teenagers he tried to use. It was high time Selwyn talked his shit to the main person who prayed for his downfall. He choked him in front of everyone, tried to replace him, and put his loyalty and duty into question. Chopping his hand off (Star Wars style) was long overdue. Sel got his lick back! The payback was delicious as Erebus was forced to scurry back into the otherworld and lick his wounds.

1. Selwyn Kane Is Dead

“When the writhing, grasping streams of ink reach his cheekbones, Sel’s head snaps back–violently. In a crack. In a snarl. His spine arches. Death slithers beneath his eyelids, slips between his teeth, then flows from his ears in raging black rivers.”

I don’t typically read the end of a book first, but a friend of mine always reads the last few pages first. She urged me to do the same, and in this case, I’m glad I did. My truck probably would have jumped the curb had I been listening to this while on my way to work. The line, Selwyn Kane is dead has a dual meaning. The Sel WE know is dead. That version had to go through, in order to get to the point of self-actualization we will see in book four. When you look back, everything about him is steeped in a person who walks the line between this world and the next. The obsidian feathers tattooed on his back symbolize protection, balance, and transition, a death if you will. His middle name, Emrys, means immortal. His now green aether can symbolize peace, harmony, and tranquility (think William).

Rules can change. Selwyn is finding himself, who he is outside of the order, outside of duty, outside of everyone and everything that has held power over him. He wears his crown like it has always belonged on his head, and I couldn't agree more.

“But here we stand and here we are. A king, a knight…and a prince.”

“What…shall…we…do?”

I love this for him and cannot wait to see what he does with his newfound power and agency.

Even though Sel was not heavily featured in Oathbound, his moments were top tier. I hope you enjoyed my second entry (the first is linked below). What were some of your favorite Selwyn Oathbound moments? Let me know in the comments. Happy Gemini Season

P.S. I feel another ode to Bree Matthews coming on.

A Little Legendborn/Bloodmarked Top 10 Selwyn Kane Moments

#selwyn kane #Selwyn emrys #Selly #oathbound #gemini szn #tracy deonn

59 notes · View notes

poisonousflora · 2 months ago

Text

Alice’s perspective plssss 😭

Bree: learns her own power, regains her agency, saves the Rootcrafter girls from her fate at the beginning of Bloodmarked, learns from past mistakes, that it is okay to put yourself first

Nick: Defends Bree while finessing the system that both subjugated him and gave him privilege, then uses his privilege to support Bree to the point where he's set ut up to sacrifice himself at the end.

Sel: Survives demonia, regains his own agency and desires outside of someone's weapon. Steps into his true legacy and heritage.

William: learns to put himself first, and that he is only human, he makes mistakes and has the grace to learn from them, truly learns what it means to be an ally

Mariah: learning how to step into her own power and not to hold herself to a higher standard, that she is enough and that she is powerful in her own right, readjusts her relationship with root and familial connections.

Natasia: a peek in on her and Faye's relationship, the complexity of her relatiinship with her son, the yearning and heartbreak can be translated to that of Sel's for Bree as they are Kingsmages not bout to their rightful charge.

Some of y'all, somehow: "Oathbound was just a bunch of filler."

Y'all must have been reading Oathbound from Alice's perspective.

#oathbound #the legendborn cycle #bree mathews #selwyn kane #nick davis #william sitterson #mariah rochelle #natasia kane

248 notes · View notes

poisonousflora · 2 months ago

Text

If we ever get a live action Legenborn Series I want Ryan Coogler to direct it. Personally I feel as though he would bring the story to life in way that would honor Tracy’s work. But that just my personal opinion.

47 notes · View notes

poisonousflora · 3 months ago

Text

Feral growl!🫣

“i heard you.”

“what?”

“when you screamed. I heard you.”

14 notes · View notes

poisonousflora · 3 months ago

Text

Thatcherrrr🖤🔪 Lyraaaa ; omggg love them!

thatcherlyra moments that make me lose my sanity

thatcher calling lyra DARLING PHANTOM???? #$%##$@$#adjsdk!*(@&%^$#&

lyra calling thatcher ANGEL????@#$$@#!@!#@$!^*&*%^

lyra was thatcher's muse in their own hauntingly beautiful way

thatcher putting coins on the eyes of phoebe's corpse so she crosses river styx and goes soundly into the afterlife (mind you, he was a CHILD, conditioned by a monster to believe that he was also one)

lyra's first kill being so as to protect thatch

little miss prim and proper diva pierson cussing only when he's around lyra

lyra jumping off of a cliff just to evade falling out of her deal with thatch of being tutored in the art of killing

thatcher finally agreeing to tutor lyra and picking thursday for their sessions just because she has chess games with silas every thursday

"She's so exquisite she makes me palpably ill,"

thatch calling lyra scarlett on rare occasions

their first time being intimate in the mausoleum, which in hindsight was very poetic actually

thatch having a full-on mental breakdown after the mausoleum in true aaron warner fashion

thatch almost breaking his carefully fabricated routine when he was about to kill player #1 for the whole circus stunt with lyra

this switch:

“I’m not a dog.” I bite out, even though I did what he asked. “You’re not?” He purrs, the edges of his lips tugging up. “Could’ve fooled me.” A strangled laugh comes from the back of my throat, pain tingling my side from what I assume is a fractured rib. “Did you just make a joke?” “If that will make you feel better about what I said, then sure. I made a joke.” The smile on my face is hard to remove, because he’s smirking and not in a wicked way. In this funny, happy sorta way. “Drop the towel.” He orders, kneeling on the ground in front of me

thatcher cleaning up lyra's wounds and being absolutely enamored with the freckles on her belly he discovered in the process

No, I won't explain myself for the following one

When my eyes open, fluttering in this state of bliss, I find him looking down at his lap. My brows tugging together in concern as I lean forward. My limbs feel impossibly heavy, exhaustion and pain slamming back into me with vengeance. “Thatch,” I murmur, looking down at his lap finding a dark spot on the center of his jeans, my jaw going slack. “Did I—Did you?” “It would appear,” he says, clearing his throat, but the haze of lust still heavy on his tongue. “My cock enjoys the way you taste as well, pet."

thatcher scaring tf outta a diner manager for being condescending towards his bug queen

lyra about to crack and out their little secret of screwing around in the background when she finds out about the threats thatcher has been receiving

Scarlett Lyra Abbott, I'm so gay for you rahhhh:

“If you die, it won’t just ruin me, Thatcher. It will be the reason behind the slaughter of this entire town.” I grind my teeth, knowing my grief at losing him would leave no one safe. “Do not shove me away, then allow yourself to be killed and blame me for what kind of monster is born in my mourning.”

calm down little miss cuntress:

If the Halo comes for me, like they promised, I’ll take it as a compliment. But her? If they figure out what she is to me. If they come for her? I’ll paint the town red.

lyra not giving up on thatcher once during their exchange at her old home, her pushing herself to the brink to make thatcher see all that they were, and all they deserved, pop off queen!

them being each other's firsts

lyra- the girl known for being laid back and gentle- turning into this nasty bittersweet person in the aftermath of thatch's disappearance

thatcher having to abandon his meticulously placed plan again following lyra killing player #2 (colin)

despite her early throws of anger at thatcher pushing her away and being cold when he came back, lyra was quick to realise the whys of him putting her at a distance, that he was afraid of losing her

aksjjaksjkajkjkdhfjdfh, naur shes so sassy for this i love her sm man:

It does what it wants. It takes what it needs, and it doesn’t care what it does when it leaves. “Maybe I’d die for you, Thatcher Pierson,” I mumble. “But death is inevitable for us all. It’s what you’d do for me that matters.” His eyebrow arches in question. “You’d disappear again, just like you did when you were a little boy, just to keep me safe.” I push off the doorframe, turning to walk down the hallway with his eyes still on my back. “And I didn’t even ask you to.”

the iconic:

"I don’t want to share my space with you either, Thatcher. But it’s all you’ve got.” “No.” She lets out a little sigh, rolling her eyes. “Jail it is, then. Rot for all I care.” “I—” “Did something happen between you two?” Briar interrupts me, calling Lyra out for the false narrative she is painting. Looking at me and spewing words she thinks will affect me. Pretending that little heart inside her pale chest isn’t beating for me. Like my ghost doesn’t exist just for me. Like she doesn’t bleed for me. However, the rest of the people in this room don’t need to know that. “Yeah, like fucking?” Rook adds.

COMMUNICATING THROUGH ANNOTATIONS. BYE. I'M SO UNWELL.

thatcher learning deeply about lyra through her home and falling a little more with every childhood picture of hers and every taxidermized collection

thatcher stabbing conner's tongue for forcing himself on lyra. in the school. WHEN HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AT THE CABIN, OUT OF SIGHT.

thatcher cooking for her, and asking her about her mom. especially significant because from this moment on, he had waved a massive fuck-you to the consequences and circumstances and had known deep within himself that he was always hers, as she always his

thatcher gifting lyra a taxidermized spider collection she'd secretly wanted for months

lyra killing conner for good

thatcher cleaning her mess up with the boys

oh they make me so sickkk:

"Death is trivial. He can't keep you from me. I'll follow you to the grave everytime and follow you in each life after."

111 notes · View notes