#ITS ABOUT THE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

[trashy-greyjoy]

sometimes, it's not so much about the romance as it is about the devotion. the adoration.

[justaz]

merlin being hit with a truth spell or potion or whatever and being so stressed that he’s gonna reveal his magic to arthur only to find that he can’t insult or tease arthur anymore bc every time arthur instigates their banter, merlin starts to go on and on about how arthur makes him so happy and the love he feels for him is immeasurable and how he’d burn the world just to keep him warm

[wilchur]

I've seen a lot of people talk about how the game doesn't give you any leeway when you play The Dark Urge, how it makes it very clear that Durge was A Bad Person, but I haven't seen it pointed out that Sceleritas seems VERY well versed in gaslighting the hell out of them and steering Durge away from any doubt or guilt in regards to their actions. Makes me think that they've probably had those types of conversations before because Durge actually always had a soft spot, only it got smaller and smaller in time. I have not had the opportunity to see the Heal cutscene yet, but I've got the butler in my camp now and he had some interesting things to say, like

[Durge: Can you tell me the worst thing I ever did?

Sceleritas Fel: There was one time you gave a beggar some coin while we were en route to the Devil's Fee.

Sceleritas Fel: You didn't kick him or spot on him or anything! I was so shocked I almost fainted!

Sceleritas Fel: I still have nightmares about it to this day. But I'm sure you only did so to lower the suspicions of the Flaming Fist. Surely?]

and it struck me because tossing a coin to a beggar is a bit of a thoughtless act isn't it? You don't put much thought into it, you just see someone in need and you do it. Out of empathy, generosity, something The Murder Incarnate should not be capable of. Sceleritas' uncertainty of Durge's reasoning for it totally convinces me it was NOT intentional. A simple act of kindness that slipped out.

ALSO

[Sceleritas Fel: The only way for a Butler to die is if we are not of use to our Master. But you have always needed abundant assistance.]

They always needed abundant assistance. Why? Because they kept slipping out of Bhaal's grasp? We know they did at least once, with Gortash. Maybe it was not the first time, maybe there are more "Letters of Forgiveness" tucked away somewhere.

To me pre-tadpole Durge is just terribly mindbroken and indoctrinated person hooked onto the sense of safety, purpose and acceptance of their dark side that the cultists and their father give them. Yeah they enjoy murder, gore and all that. That's the curse of their blood, but I don't think they were ever entirely consumed by it. Morality, guilt and empathy have always been there on the edge of their mind. Losing their memories (depending on player choices I know, but bear with me) was what they needed for them to be finally brought forward.

[possamble]

What are your headcanons about Marcille's mom if you have any? It's interesting that what drew Donato to her was cause she lived the history he studied, or that was said somewhere at least. She must've had an interesting life.

so this was going to be just a normal answer but then I realized I have a Lot of Things To Say. so here goes, a compilation of what we know for a fact from the canon, what I've extrapolated from the visual cues and details, and my theories based on all of that.

Things we know for a fact about Marcille's mother because they were explicitly stated in the manga and supplemental materials:

She was a court mage for a Tall-man kingdom at the southern part of the Northern Continent

Donato, a court historian, fell in love with her because she had lived through the history he was studying, and he courted her for 17 years (age 15 to 32) before getting married

She was a cheerful person who rarely showed extreme emotion and took things as they came

She always cooked a huge meal for Marcille on her birthdays

She remarried a gnome after Donato's death and a short distance away from Marcille's childhood home

Pipi, Marcille's pet bird, was actually older than Marcille and originally belonged to her mother (bird died at 62)

She was extremely heartbroken when Donato died and ultimately ended up instilling a deep fear of mortality in Marcille with her words

the only time she showed extreme emotion in front of her family was when Donato could no longer eat his favourite dish near the end of his life.

She scolded Marcille for being cruel to ants (implying she can have a stern side when needed)

Things that are explicitly shown but mostly through visual cues

She has a very distinctive style of dress always involving a ribbon choker (mirroring Marcille's habit of always wearing a matching choker with any of her outfits that don't cover her neck)

She was almost stereotypically good at housekeeping and traditionally "wifely" things (very frequently depicted wearing an apron or doing some domestic chore when not at work, seems to have been an avid cook).

She knits? (also, note the affectionate smile as she's looking at Donato and Marcille reading a book together in the full panel)

She was as excited for Marcille's milestones as Donato was.

She didn't tell Marcille much about elven food

(there are a couple things that this panel in particular implies:

She lived a good deal of her life (if not being born and raised) in a mainly elven country in the West, implied by her knowing enough of an elven region's cuisine to prefer Tall-man food over it

seems to have a pretty carefree and casual demeanour overall, if this is how she replied to Marcille asking her about it (sounds like she never gave her culinary preferences that much thought to begin with)

slightly related to number 2, it seems like she and Marcille had a fairly casual parent-child dynamic (especially in comparison to the Toudens' memory of their father)

(local elf tastes Italian food once and never goes back))

However, she seems a lot more... serious in most of the other times we see her? Almost like the very stereotypical archetype of a graceful elf.

Subsequent conclusions about her personality:

Usually pretty carefree and cheerful at home, has been a loving and attentive parent throughout Marcille's childhood (while not being so doting that she didn't discipline Marcille).

Slightly more conjectural theories on her personality:

Had a much more graceful and professional personality at work, which would explain the more serious portraits we see of her.

Given that both she and Donato had positions at the royal court, it seems a little odd that she'd go out of her way to do all the housework herself, so maybe she just enjoyed doing it?

Now taping all the evidence together and toeing the line between analysis and fanfiction:

It's clear that she loved Donato very much and was utterly devastated by losing him. But there's one thing that really stuck out to me in what little we see of her:

Doesn't she seem... angry? The way she's gritting her teeth, clutching the tablecloth, and how this is the first and only time we see her eyes opened that wide. In the following panel, you see her being quiet and dejected after her initial outburst. She's still crying very intensely, but her brows are furrowed, and she's not really responding to Donato's affection in her body language.

We're not told the details of how she felt about losing Donato other than that it upset her. But this, to me, implies that she was angry and resented that he was aging, that the end of his life was approaching. An "it's not fair" type of preemptive grief. And if this was the first and last time she cried like this in front of her family, she was either very good at coping in private... or very bad at letting herself feel unpleasant emotions until they become unavoidable and end up overwhelming her.

It's not too remarkable a detail on the surface. It's even reminiscent of what the audience has seen of Marcille. But... when it comes to the big picture, you'd think an elf who voluntarily chose to marry a tall-man and have a half-elf child would have been better prepared for this.

It kind of recontextualizes her cheerfulness to me.

"I'm sure everything's gonna be okay!" (or some variation thereof, depending on what translation you have).

And this is stated to contrast her extreme grief when finally confronting Donato's failing body and eventual death. But I'm wondering if... maybe this optimism was why she was so upset. What if she went into all of it thinking "everything's gonna be okay"? What if she was a little young by elven standards, and just followed her heart thinking that her own resilience would get her through anything?

Of course, only to get completely overwhelmed when she actually loses Donato. She turns into a completely different person. And that's heartbreaking on its own-- but what the audience sees is the effect it had on Marcille. Can you imagine being her, watching your invincible and upbeat mother suddenly lose all the light in her eyes in one go?

I've already made a huge post about how I think Marcille models her "work persona" off her mother, but another thing that stuck with me as I was looking for more details in the manga was this:

copy pasting from the other post i made about it lmao it's like... the second she resigns herself to lifelong pain and terror, there's another portrait of her mother facing her like this. with their heads bowed, in mirrored body language of resignation and despair and sorrow. Except it's posed like Marcille is still looking at her mother but her mother is looking away.

It took me a second to realize, but I think that it's a visual metaphor for the fact that Marcille's mother was the only long-lived role model she had-- and she failed to model healthy grief for her daughter. I don't say this as an accusation or to disparage her as a character, but just as a matter of fact. In her, Marcille was seeing herself older and losing a short-lived spouse or loved one of her own, and all she saw was hopelessness.

But her mother didn't mean to instill hopelessness and terror in her. She wasn't really thinking of how it would truly affect Marcille at all (at least, that's how I'm interpreting her looking down and away from Marcille in the metaphor), she was just sad. And she, in her own way, was trying to protect her daughter and help her prepare for future losses.

What she meant was "loss is inevitable, and you have to learn how to be in pain but live on anyway." What Marcille heard was "loss is inevitable, and you will be scared and hurt for the rest of your life."

Again. Marcille's mother doesn't feature explicitly in the story the way her father does -- but in so many ways, her shadow, her silhouette, her reflection is always hanging over Marcille.

All that to say... headcanon-wise (everything from here on is 100% without evidence lmao), I'd like to think that she matured and realized that she failed Marcille. I imagine her being regretful about it, wanting a chance to fix it but never finding a way to insert herself back into Marcille's life when Marcille is so so so busy becoming the most accomplished mage possible. I imagine her being herself again, now, so many years after her loss and after remarrying -- but with her cheerfulness tempered with a lot more wisdom and the pain of having gone through loss like that. I think the second Marcille actually tells her what happened in the dungeon, she'd want to go running to her daughter again -- if Marcille tells her the full truth instead of just being embarrassed she let things get that far. (oh, the tragedy of her wanting to be more like her mother and an accomplished adult who doesn't need to be babied... being embarrassed to actually tell her mother how much she fucked up...)

There's also the tension of her having remarried -- I know that there's at least a little bit of resentment that Marcille harbours about that, because she's childish like that at heart even if she makes an effort not to externalize it. I think that her mother would be aware of that, potentially adding to her sense of guilt and apprehension at trying to reappear/intrude on Marcille's life. I honestly don't think Marcille has met her stepfather -- or even considers him a stepfather rather than "mama's new husband" and kind of a total stranger. I think she and her mother actively don't talk about it in their correspondence, like an elephant in the room.

but, ultimately, I think her mother is on her side no matter what. Ancient magic? Dark necromancy? Sure, she'll feel guilty and like she was partially responsible for setting Marcille down such a painful path, but she wouldn't care. that's her daughter!! she would've moved back west and been petitioning for her at the court, buying a house right next to the Canaries barracks and visiting her every day that she wasn't on a mission. And if her husband had opinions on Marcille becoming a "dark arts user," he either gets over it or it's divorce with him. Yes, she might have had her optimism completely humbled by losing Donato like that -- but she's still headstrong and self-assured and she doesn't care what people think of her. It's her way or the highway and she's always going to be in Marcille's corner.

(She also needs a name lol. I went with Juno, just to be cute about "Marcille"s closest real life equivalent being Marcella, which is the female version of Marcellus, which in turn is a diminutive of Marcus, which was derived from Mars. Absolutely in love with Marcille potentially being named after Ares/Mars the fucking god of war btw)

[the-pjo-analyst]

Currently going insane bc Annabeth believes love and trust needs to be earned and Percy looking at her like that's not how family and friendship should work

[teabutmakeitazure]

this might be just 3 am thinking but I think the saddest and most frightening thing, at least to me, is being alone.

not physically alone but mentally and emotionally alone. it legitimately scares me.

I'm a girl, so I know my parents and siblings are with me for only a while. it's scary to even think about loneliness. I'm fine with being alone, without a person, but being alone even when there is someone with you? that sounds terrifying.

the scent of dish soap, the soft whirring of a washing machine, the broom you forget to put back in place after cleaning. all that becomes a nightmare so quick.

it makes me sad that anyone, including me, is vulnerable to such a future. an other person who makes fears come true.

the very thought of being alone in such a circumstance makes me scared.

[goldenn-moments]

"the oracle chose you, the gods chose you-" YEAH BUT PERCY CHOOSES YOU ANNABETH, AND THAT'S ALL HE CARES ABOUT

[conivolos]

im still awake and im about to make it everyones problem (im writing about my ocs)

[ilynpilled]

i think the thing with me and how i see jc is that i think it is a brilliant dynamic for not what it “is”, or what a lot of people think it is bc of the show’s version, but what it “isn’t.” like it is a deconstruction of the tragic forbidden lovers destined to be together for eternity, from birth to death, with love and devotion that cannot be ended despite society’s taboos. nothing else matters, only them. they were born entangled!!! jaime was born holding her foot!!(rip to that hand 🫡)but then like. u see the actual relationship. and it is so… cringe. it is so not this. so many other things matter to them both. so many personal desires that are incompatible with the desires of the other. in some ways they are the same, in others they are polar opposites. and they both end up choosing those other desires in the end. it is all based on lies and illusions and a desperate need for self affirmation from a broken and distorted mirror. it is a need to be able to love yourself in some form despite how broken you are. but it is false as fool’s gold. and that is so rich

[the-moon-loves-the-sea]

Everyone’s love is conditional, everyone’s. Find people whose conditions you can live with. If their offered love is conditioned on general (not unfaltering, but consistent) courtesy, respect, good faith, that’s the conditions you want. Not making them feel good. Not agreeing on everything. Not denying your needs. But on the actual things relationships rest on.

[harmoniouseclipse]

Kaejean..... KAEJEAN!

[a-bit-of-cest]

Luffy the type of guy to let the dog watch

[shadystranger]

People need to accept that Dean never loved Castiel.

There's a reason for a good while i felt bad for cass and it's not bc i care about him profoundly but bc he was treated that bad

Like aside from the one liners about him being family here and there (which are unarguably few on their own) it never seems like it rings true in dean's actual actions. Alot of their relationship is purely convenient on dean's part and the 2nd it stops the fact dean's ready to exclude cass from this playhouse psuedo-family he put him in. 'Why does that something wrong always seem to be you?' 'You're dead to me', and he kicks him out of the bunker; He's family, but no typical extreme procedure is done to bring him back when he dies. Salted and burned right away with what's dead is dead it's over which we have seen dean not really uphold with certain few.

If Michael meant anything and take this with a grain of salt he tells cass about dean's "honest thoughts" and yes this was intentional to break their spirits but he didn't make it up when he said dean feels indebted to him (in the negative way) but thinks he's a screw up. Like this is telling to some extent (not entirely bc yk manipulation) but when you recall things from the beginning and till then it lines up here and there. The i need you speech was an insincere plea to get cass to not kill him, dean later tells sam he doesn't care if cass drops dead. And the countable other times is dean saying cass is family in retrospect to jack, its like he acknowledges cass only when he's othering jack but on a good day he's othering both of them normal.

Even the apology in s15 which sounded out of nowhere and shoehorned to the point its ill-fitting narrative-wise but let's take it, this one was also told at a time dean needed sth from cass desperately. Im not calling it insincere altogether but ehh appeal to authority and whatnot calls for question.

Like this hit cass for a reason bc it was true

dean screaming he'll trade everyone for chuck while cass is in the background but he puts the line at sam alone. dean happily eating pie and living a domestic life after cass's death, the only one who brings him up is sam (and later bobby) and dean looks like he has better things to focus on both times.

Im not saying dean hates cass bc it's factually false but i dont personally think he loves him all that either. He loves the convenience maybe the things cass symbolizes (family/friends/originally powerful allies) but he doesn't pour his all or even half the way he did with benny which just felt more genuine and raw from the get-go.

[creatively-cosmic]

POSTGAME

Red has won the championship. A prequel of sorts to the greater story of Missing Numbers. Told from Blue's POV.

CW: Suicidal ideation.

-

Before he got any closer, I made a grand effort to compose myself, puffing my chest out and shutting my eyes in what I hoped looked like a cocky expression, rather than me holding back tears.

“Well, I THOUGHT I hadn’t made any mistakes raising my Pokemon. But darn, I guess you’re the new Pokemon League Champion…”

I sneered at him, “Although I don’t like to admit it.”

I stuck my hand out, offering a shake as if to officiate yep, you did it, you’re better than me, good job in the way that I’d seen grown-ups do on TV. He just stared at it, still looking like someone had died, not like he’d just done the greatest achievement any Pokemon trainer could ever hope to do?

What an idiot. I couldn’t understand why he cared so much. It wasn’t like HE was hurt by any of this. He should be ECSTATIC. 

He opened his mouth, as if somehow this warranted him using his words. Before he could, though…

The door opened behind him.

If my stomach had already dropped, well. Now it was digging itself a grave.

[madame-mongoose]

OH OH DO ME DO ME! What song am I? 👀👀

I think you are Tarantula bc it makes me think of us :3

[rexscanonwife]

Sometimes I don't think I'm that sensitive but today my partner watched me immediately start crying over a tiktok of a bunch of different kinds of mama birds with their baby birds ; u ;