#as tatiana would say: .... choices

[allmothered]

omg not hannah telling me about dlc stuff and i already kinda am not into it

[forbidden-sunlight]

yandere!emperor with empress!reader scenario

warnings: infidelity, obsessive behavior, blackmail, non-con, regicide.

There may be possible triggers in this story.

If you do not feel comfortable venturing any further, please hit the back button on your mobile device or computer and read something much more pleasant than a possible series of unfortunate events.

You are responsible for your own Internet consumption!

Hey guys, welcome to my first yandere fic! Before we dive in, I want to let you know a couple of things; firstly, this is not the prologue of a series and never will be one because I simply do not have the time right now. It is a scenario, a prompt, that was inspired by the Fallen Kingdom series created by @cassanderasblog. I will leave a link to their work here. I credit them for giving me inspiration and being honest in their feedback when I showed them the initial draft. Credit also goes to @faux-ecrivain for helping finish a difficult scene.

Finally, please do not comment on here if you wish to harass me in some shape or form. I do and will not tolerate bullying. As the saying goes, "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say it at all." If it does happen, however, I will have no choice but to remove this scenario as soon as possible.

So, with that being said, sit back, relax, and enjoy :)

Yandere!Emperor had despised you with his heart and soul. The only reason he had allowed the marriage to even happen was to solidify the alliance between his nation and yours. He did not love you. The woman who held his heart, the one whom he trusted above everyone else in the world is Tatiana Adreeva. His mistress. A beautiful flower that should never be polluted by the nobles who dare to not allow her to become the Empress simply because she lacked the status equal to his own prior to ascension. You did. 

Yandere!Emperor did not lay a hand on you after the vows had been exchanged in the temple. He did not seek out your company, preferring to seek comfort in Tati’s bed and her arms. He had his crown, his woman, and allocated more power through his marriage with you. It was nothing personal. He simply did what he had to do so that his Empire would continue to prosper. 

Yandere!Emperor would not tolerate any rudeness targeted toward his lover, even if you had not uttered a single word to her at all or raised your hand against her.

 To him, ignoring her when she greeted you was enough to earn a lengthy lecture from him. 

But you did not cling to him or beg for mercy, as he thought you would do, or any other self-respecting maiden who did not want to anger her husband. You coldly stared at him with that, silent as the grave until he dismissed you from his office. Out of spite, he had his aide add more documents to your desk for the next month even when the work was not part of the Empress’ official duties. 

To his joy, Tatiana became pregnant with his child, his heir. Being by her side was suddenly all that mattered to Yandere!Emperor. His overprotective streak and ill temperament increased over time. He would lash out at you for the smallest of incidents, even if it was not your fault. And like before, you did not react to his words and continued with your life. 

Like what happens to him or with his mistress is none of your concern unless it is associated with the Empire and the citizens. As it should be. He did not marry you out of love. 

When the child was born, a healthy baby boy christened Nikolov, Yandere!Emperor held a banquet and invited ambassadors from neighboring kingdoms to celebrate. But it was on this day….that he knew the truth. 

Once he had made the necessary greetings and made sure the captain of the guards would immediately report anything suspicious or if Tati and Nikolov were in any danger, Yandere!Emperor retreated to his office. He looked over the stack of documents on his desk, trying to lessen his workload in the morning so that he could spend time with his Tati and his son.

Upon hearing a knock at the door, he did not look up from the outline of a treaty as he allowed the third person to enter his office without cutting off their fingers. His mistress, the head butler, and his advisor. Tati’s older brother, Marquis Aizel Adreeva. Yandere!Emperor had bought the highest status that he could give to his mistress’ family after receiving positive confirmation that Tati was truly pregnant and not a misdiagnosis.

Aizel smiled, closing the door behind him with his foot as he set down a tray, placing two silver goblets and a bottle of wine on the corner of his desk. He spoke softly, congratulating Yandere!Emperor on finally having an heir and making his sister the happiest woman in the world. He poured the wine into the goblets. He held one in his hand, and extended his other hand to the Glorious Son, Blessed by the Five Gods.

Yandere!Emperor smiled, taking the offered drink. They raised their goblets high in the air, and drank. Yet when Yandere!Emperor looked at Aizel…his merry smile was not right. Not the kind of joy that a new uncle would express at a nationwide celebration. It was tighter, almost anticipating something…to happen.

That was when he realized the wine tasted bitter. That was when the room began to spin, and it felt like his skull being split in half. Poison. He had been betrayed. Yandere!Emperor grunted, trying to steady himself against the desk when Aizel walked around the wooden structure and had the audacity to push him back into the leather chair.

“Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Emperor.” Aizel chastised, his amber orbs glowing with delight. “Not going to lie, I did not think the wine would accelerate the poison as quickly I had thought, but that works for me!”

Yandere!Emperor felt a rock plummet into the pit of his stomach at Aizel’s words. “You…did this?” He gurgled. “I thought…the Empress -”

“And deny me the opportunity to see the look on your face, choking on your blood? Absolutely not. Dear, sweet [First Name] would never have done this to you. You might not have loved her, but she did respect you.” Aizel shrugged. "If Tati were in her shoes, I reckon things would not have gone as smoothly as they have." He said casually, as if he were talking about the weather and not informally speaking to the most powerful man in the Empire. 

“I only have ten minutes before I must return to the party, so I will do the honor of answering your unspoken questions. Now, where should I start? Oh, right. Why? Why did I do this when I love you like a brother? When have you treated my sister and I with nothing but kindness and respect, providing support whenever we are troubled, mentally, physically, and finanically? Well, the answer is really, really simple: I don’t. I tolerated you. I respected you. But never once did I feel any affection towards you.” His smile widened. “The one who deserves to stand by Tati's side is the Rapid Dog of The Northern Border, my brother-in-arms. Remember him? He was engaged to Tati. The man she should have married, should have been the father of my nephew. But you had the engagement annulled because she had said a few nice words to you. You threatened to seize my family’s home unless she came to the palace as your mistress? Do you remember? Why do I even bother asking? You’re going to die anyway, and we will finally be free from this gilded cage. Seven years. Seven long, agonizing years of watching my sister playing the gentle, loving role of a besotted mistress when all she really wanted to do was slit your throat. I thought about that every day too, you know? Well, almost. I actually felt sorry for the Empress, you know. She didn’t deserve to have a husband who neglected his duties and blamed everything on the one person who kept the gears in this Empire going, until now.”

“E-Empress -”

“Had an assassin give her a clean, painless death. Made it look like an accident, and he delivered! That’s very impressive for an underground guild, you know. Investment was worth it.” Aizel giggled.

“Now, it’s time to let everyone know their beloved Emperor has retired for the evening and call it a night. Big changes are coming. Pity you won’t see it. Don’t worry though, I won’t kill Nikki. I do love him…and he will never know that his true father is a tyrannical piece of shit who died in his own pool of blood because he allowed love to muddle his mind when he should have put the country’s well being above all else. Farewell, Emperor Aleksander of the Moldova Empire. From the ashes of corruption, a new country shall be born. And my nephew will rule over it in his father’s stead once he is ready. The father he should have had and not the one who brought him into this world, Duke Matthias Starkov.” 

When he awakened, Yandere!Emperor realized he was no longer on the floor. He could breathe and he could see in the mirror that hung across the room that he looked younger again. He asked, no, demanded, a quivering servant  to tell him what the year and date were, now. It was The Year of the Moon, ----.  As the crown prince of the Moldova Empire, it is his duty to select a candidate to become his crown princess, his future Empress who would rule beside him when he ascended as the Emperor. His father, the current Emperor, is growing impatient with his sixteen-year-old son and annoyed that he is still fawning over the marquis’ daughter, Tatiana Adreeva, a woman who was already engaged to a duke. 

“Bring me the list, no, tell Josef to bring it to my office immediately. I will be there shortly.” Yandere!Emperor had never pushed the servants to dress him quickly as he did at this moment. He did not know how or why, but he had returned to the past, right when he had seen Tatiana for the first time. Seven years into the past, before Aizel had poisoned him and killed his Empress. 

Sure enough, he saw his Empress’ name on the list, five down from the most qualified and right in the middle of the lengthy parchment.  [First Name] [Last Name], born to the Republic of Greiran, the Prime Minister’s only daughter.

They are Moldova’s closest neighbor and primary source of spices and various crops that are able to thrive in the harshest of weather conditions. Rumor had it that the Prime Minister himself was the one who had collaborated with the magician’s tower on this project, saving thousands of lives from suffering another winter and no harvest after the king had collapsed from a broken heart, having lost his queen after she had given birth to the crown prince.

 That connection to the magician’s tower was the only reason Yandere!Emperor had married his Empress. Access to more magical resources than the ones in the Moldova Empire, enabling the creation of magical weapons and protecting the borders around enemy nations. And yet he still died like a damned dog, blind to the respect and admiration his Empress held for him in favor of  receiving love from his murderer. But not this time. This time….he will set things right. 

He will not get involved with Tatiana Adreeva. 

He will ascend to the throne as he is supposed to.

He will be devoted only to [First Name], never taking a mistress even if the aristocracy begged him. Even if their marriage is only on paper, and she never looks at him as a man and only as an Emperor. 

He will learn everything there is to know about his future Empress, and he will never let her go. 

Taglist

@impeakcharacterdesign

@ceeesxy-blog

@mitra555

@mooly-artistic

@lxdymoon0357

@xiaopleasecomehome

@lovely-nightmares

@aurora-rose-miller

@swallowtailcherry

@justcressida

@faux-ecrivain

@yandere-dark-cupid

@likesugarandcyanide

@angelltheninth

@kanroji-san

@suiana

@swallowtailcherry

©️do not repost or use any of the characters depicted here without the author’s permission. forbidden-sunlight, 2023

[missholloween]

Why Joey's EOTPII/Casino character was Owen: a theory

Tagging @smytherines , @toringo and @just-watching-dont-worry. This will be long

First of all, let's introduce our guy: waiter #4 or, as he's called in the subs (more on that later), the manager.

During the first Spies viewing, one usually pays attention to Joey, as they might be expecting Owen to return in one way or another. I personally got so caught up with this character because of Joey's body language.

Eyes on the Prize II is a very showy number: the ensemble must move at the same time, and they should all be in the same page. They are showy, yet classy; ostentatious, yet controlled. They have to be all the glamour and riches they are singing about.

That's why waiter #4 stood out to me: he's serious as the other are, yes, but he also seems angry. Here are some ensemble photos so that you can see it:

Why the intensity? Why those gestures? I really encourage you all to rewatch A1P6 so that you can see it, as he keeps the energy for the whole number (even the quick "keep your eyes on the prize" changes). He's not even the waiter that Curt knocks out after his PTSD attack.

It is also remarkable how these expressions are really similar to another (queer) villain of Joey: Wilbur Cross. Wilbur in Made In America and this waiter has a really similar body language. Coincidence? I don't think so.

If it was only Eyes On the Prize II though, I wouldn't be thinking that much about this... But waiter #4 is one of the three waiters with lines in that scene (the other two being Brian's and Lauren's), so let see what he does.

Joey's waiter first talks when Curt loses it and threatens the Informant, quickly jumping to defend them. Joey's character reacts almost immediately, so he must have been nearby, and is so aggressive that Curt backs down quickly. After threatening Curt with throwing him out of the Casino, he checks the Informant to see if they are okay.

The subs call this character "Manager", and it would thus explain the way he acts: he was nearby because he's in charge of everything that's going on, and he does have the power to expel costumers if they act inadequately. A manager also spends a lot of time with his employees, so it makes sense that he's protective with them.

Why then, is the next character Joey plays also called "Manager"?

This character (that, according to the subs, is the same person) has a foreign accent, something none of the other waiters had, and a silly high-pitched voice. His purpose in this scene is to finish humiliating Curt: he tells Curt he has an immense debt for the night and also rebounds his check. The manager is cordial to Tatiana, greeting her while Curt struggles with his payment. He also leaves once Tatiana suggests a solution, and, in a lower voice (similar to no moustache!Manager) says "thank you, ma'am".

Why are these two characters technically the same role? One may think it's because other actors need to be prepared for a quick change or something, but Tessa doesn't! Her next role is ensemble in Not So Bad, and they have a good 3-4 minutes until that. And if they are supposed to be different characters, why would the subtitles use the same name for him? Joey's choices also seem to be stage directions, especially in the coreo. There are too many details for it to be simply a coincidence.

What's the reason, then? Joey is playing Owen at the casino: after his first encounter during A1P3, Owen is on alert knowing that he might cross path with Curt again. He thus decides to go undercover in the casino to see if he'll meet him before attending to Von Nazi's plan. Owen wants to be close, but remain unseen, so he plays one of the waiters of the floor. However, when Curt threatens the Informant, Owen's feelings betray him and quickly intervenes, probably triggered by Curt "brutish ways". After that, Owen has to return with a new role (moustache), as he wants to know where Tati and Curt are leaving. He thus takes advantage of Curt's state to mess a little with him, a little bit of foreplay before what he has prepared for him.

TL; DR:

This also provokes so many fun little headcanons and possibilities. Like, did the Informant and Owen had a relationship then? Would Tatiana have noticed it? Does Owen really think Curt is stupid enough to not recognize someone just by a different voice and a stupid accent? I think it could give way to a lot of fun ideas (but also I do need to know why did they have Joey twice and not Joey and Tessa)

[holden-caulfield]

𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒, 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓?

━ 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐌.𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 - 𝐍.𝐋. 𝐌.𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

━ 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: as prince of Ravka, Nikolai had many privileges, one of these being having a personal servant. But as much as the reader can't resist the prince's charms, he doesn't seem to be immune either...

━ 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: nikolai lantsov x servant!reader

━ 𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃: yes

━ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: flashback are in italics

━ 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 2013

━ 𝐀/𝐍: i'm not sure this is exactly what the request asked for, but i don't (and can't for the life of me) write smut so i hope this is okay anyway :')

Queen Tatiana had been very kind, for her standards, gifting Nikolai one of his numerous servants. She had one for every single step of her routine and she liked to change them once she learned their names a little too well. Once a servant was done working for the queen, they usually stayed in the palace, taking care of what needed to be taken care of.

It wasn't all the times that the queen personally decided to assign one of her old servants to their new job, and it was even rarer that said job was to be the prince's personal servant. But you couldn't complain.

You weren't too sad to be leaving the queen's side and experiencing more of the palace, especially if it was to work right beside the prince. You found your new job to be even better once you realized the prince didn't have as many needs as the queen: he liked company, mostly. Someone to join him wherever he needed to go, someone that would bear his constant banter; and you didn't mind it.

You made sure to greet him in the morning when he woke up, follow him throughout the day unless told differently, and greet him goodnight so that you could finally sleep too. It was easier than following every single one of the queen's instructions, and it was much more entertaining too. Not to talk about the prince, lighting every room he walked into with the simplest of smiles.

"Good morning, your highness." You greeted the prince as he opened the door of his rooms, meeting you already up and waiting. "Any plans for today?"

"I was thinking breakfast to start," he said with all the seriousness of a war strategist.

"Excellent choice, your highness, but i believe the cooks already had such a brilliant idea."

The two of you started walking together towards the kitchens, side by side, like you always did. It wasn't common for servants to walk as freely as you did, but Nikolai had requested it and you couldn't go against the prince's orders.

"These cooks, they're getting better and better every day," he said, still serious. "If i were king, they'd be on the first line beside the first and second army."

"And i would agree," you said, matching his tone. "I would never mess with a cook, especially around noon."

He let a chuckle escape. A brief look down at you, which you couldn't acknowledge or you would have become redder than an inferni's coat.

The conversation died there but it didn't feel uneasy, it didn't feel uncomfortable; silence with Nikolai felt relieving. As if in those moments he could hear all the words you weren't saying, all the feelings you couldn't externalize. You hoped he actually didn't, or you would have been in great trouble: falling in love with a member of the royal family was embarrassing other than stupid.

A cliché, really. The servant falling in love with the prince. You swore you'd read some book about it and yet it didn't stop you from dreaming about the possibility of it all. And yet that was exactly what it was; a possibility.

The day went by like it always did: you followed Nikolai around, even when he had no particular event to attend to. You talked freely around him, making comments about certain situations like how unappealing the tie his brother had chosen that day looked. And he would answer, a whisper so as to not be heard, that he was pretty sure his brother had decided to dress by himself, 'like a big boy', that day and that it was an unfortunate decision for everyone that had to see him.

You would have never dared such a topic with the queen, but Nikolai made it easy. He had established since the first day that he didn't want a servant, rather a friend.

"I can perfectly dress by myself and, even if it might not always look like it, comb my hair all alone," he said letting his hand run through his blonde hair, as to prove a point. "I don't need that and i have no interest in that."

He started roaming the room while you remained at the center of it, composed and looking down, because that's what a servant is supposed to do when a royal member is speaking.

"I want something more... genuine," he continued. "A friend, a funny one if possible but i can always make up for both if that were not the case."

You didn't say anything, confused about the whole conversation. The idea that it was all a test of the queen roamed your mind so you preferred to not say anything.

You heard his footsteps approaching you until he was right in front of you. He lifted your chin so that you were looking at him and found him with his eyebrows corrugated, a small smile on his lips. "That's exactly what i don't want. I like talking to people and if the people only listen and don't answer, my ego just gets too big." He paused a moment, his smile widening. "And that's a problem, some would say."

You still didn't utter a word but at least now you were looking at him. He let a sigh escape his lips as he distanced himself from you and you finally felt like you could breathe again.

You grasped every ounce of courage you had and hoped it was not a test. "I was just wondering how desperate one must be to want a servant to be their friend."

You immediately regretted your words, but Nikolai seemed to love it. He turned around with the biggest grin on his face, running towards you to grasp your shoulders and shake you, maybe a little too vigorously. "She speaks! And she's funny! Not more than me, but she's funny!"

Since then, you and Nikolai had been more friends, as he wanted, than prince and personal servant and yet you wanted more. It was already unreal to be so close to him despite your social status and yet you wanted more.

But you couldn't have that, and so you settled with what you had: a dubious friendship with the most handsome prince you'd ever seen.

It was getting late and, as always, you left your room to bid the prince goodnight. Normally, the queen would have at least a dozen more things for you to do before bed but Nikolai never asked anything of you if not to have a good night and wake up a little later than usual. You never did: you had to be there when he woke up because, after all, it was your job.

You closed the door behind you and went up to Nikolai's, knocking twice. It took slightly longer than usual for him to open it, which never happened, but the state in which he was in solved all your doubts: in front of you was your prince, an immaculate bathrobe the only thing separating you from seeing what you hadn't already peeked at.

You immediately averted your eyes, looking down, but the image was engraved in your mind: his blond hair slightly wet and clinging to his forehead, beads of water stubbornly stuck to his skin, running down to meet the white fabric and end their run. In all the time you'd worked for Nikolai, you'd never seen him in that divine state and now you didn't know how to act.

Words escaped you, leaving you a mess in front of the prince, not even able to look him in the eye. You couldn't tell if it was respect because you'd already seen too much or shame because you would have loved to see more.

"You caught me in the middle of a shower, Y/n," he said, so non-chalantly, as if he hadn't just destroyed your ability to speak normally ever again. "Hope i don't look too handsome for you."

You opened your mouth to speak, even just a word to show him and yourself that you could, in fact, still formulate a sentence, but nothing. It wasn't until he let out a small chuckle that you found the strength to talk back, only to just shut his mouth and tone down his ego. "Don't worry about that, i was just coming to ask if you needed anything, before i go to bed."

"As always, you can go," he spoke. "Actually, there is one thing."

You couldn't resist anymore and lifted your head to look him in the eyes, letting your own scan his half covered body once more. You nodded your head, only once, brief and quick because you didn't trust your voice that much.

"I was wondering that maybe," he trailed off, looking away. It wasn't like Nikolai to look so vulnerable when speaking, to look almost afraid to finish the sentence. He was always too eager, if anything. "Forget it, it's late, i should let you go to sleep."

"No!" You responded, a little too fervently. "Anything i can help with."

He looked right into your eyes, so honest you'd never seen him like that. You swore that if only you'd wanted you could have read his entire soul right then and there, but it felt too personal, too intimate to look at him like that. To have him look at you like that.

"I was just thinking that maybe you could come inside."

Your eyes must have doubled in size because he immediately felt the need to explain himself further. "I don't know if you've noticed, but a servant is the last thing that i wanted and from the moment i met you i knew a friendship would've been impossible too."

"Why?" Was the only thing you managed to ask. You couldn't believe your eyes, your ears, your whole body. You couldn't believe Nikolai, your prince, was telling you exactly what you'd wanted to hear in such a long time.

"Because i found out it can be quite challenging to be just friends with someone you love." He declared and you knew he was honest: no mockery was concealed in his tone. He flashed you an infamous Nikolai smile. "That is if you love me too because if you don't, forget about it. Just forget i just declared my love to you with a bathrobe on my threshold. That would be ridiculous, right?"

"Right," you said, letting a giggle escape your lips. You looked down a brief moment then back up at him, resolution settled in your body. "Nikolai, i-"

You stopped, your face darkening. What would have everyone thought? What would happen if people, if the queen saw the two of you together? You looked down again. "Moi tsarevich, that would be unprofessional, what would the queen think and-"

He closed the distance between the two of you, gently wrapping his hand around your neck and pulling you in for a kiss. You could have stopped him at any moment. Anyone could have seen you as you let yourself melt into his embrace, as you let your fingers spread on the plain of his chest, as you let his tongue roam past your lips. You could have told him you wanted to change positions, to work for the queen again, to change job completely.

But you didn't. All you wanted was Nikolai's lips, Nikolai's embrace, Nikolai's hands all over your body. All you wanted and always wanted was him.

The queen and all the opinions people could have formed about you disappeared as he brought you closer to him, inside his room.

He grasped the door but before he could close it, he interrupted the kiss, holding your chin in his hand as he locked eyes with you. "I promise you one thing, lovely: you will never be just a servant again."

He kissed you again, this once soft. A kiss that contained a thousand words and even more emotions, and yet he chose to voice what was already clear from his lips: "I will make you my wife."

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[smytherines]

Once again thinking about when Curt tells Tatiana about Owen and it really really looks like he's about to say "boyfriend," but isn't entirely sure he can trust her yet so he says "partner" instead, and how much that must hurt him to constantly have to hide how deeply he felt for Owen.

Either I'm reading into it way too much (distinctly possible) or that was a really lovely, subtle acting choice that just stabs me in the heart every time.

And it's especially heartbreaking given the four year grieving period, but I feel like they were together for maybe a couple of years before that. I know the show doesn't delve into the Lavender Scare of it all (understandable), but it really hurts to think about years of having to pretend that the person you love is/was just a colleague, a friend. That you only get to see them and hold them and love them whenever your two countries decide to collaborate on something.

Someone you love so much you're willing to risk a public trial and prison time over.

You can't tell anyone when you're at your happiest, and you can't tell anyone why your lowest is so low. I don't imagine spies have rich, rewarding personal lives, so really... that's it. That's all you get to have. Ever. And then you have to lose that too.

Like... damn, I would probably stay drunk for four years too buddy

[stromuprisahat]

I never understood why genya staying there was in any way necessary though. Surely extraordinarily beautiful Grisha would have no problem on catching the eye of this one drunken foolish king. He could have easily removed Genya from there (in his own words he could have sent her away) and then sent some other grisha to seduce him/act as a spy. Or sent multiple to see whoever manages to catch his eye. Of all the problems they had, a lack of beautiful women was not one. Yes he gave her a choice, but she was so young and she wanted to impress him, not to mention revenge is a tempting offer. Her suffering was entirely unnecessary.

The problem lies in the King's preferences.

If he only wanted "extraordinarily beautiful" woman, I'm certain there are some among the usual classes, from which monarchs pick their mistresses. The fact he didn't feel the need to make even Genya official also speaks for itself.

This king doesn't want a willing woman, but helpless servant, who cannot possibly say no without repercussions.

He didn't want a sexual partner, but a victim.

Genya's also surprising, because she was a part of the Queen's household. Alexander III/Pyotr obviously doesn't mind crossing his wife, Fjerdan princess. If their royal family still had strong ties to her, Tatiana could cause decent trouble for being humiliated in such a way. Unfortunately at that point she also managed to cuckold him pretty publicly, so he decided it's worth the risk.

Seduction would be too obvious even for an idiot like A3/P. Besides, he despises Grisha. Either Genya truly caught his eye so well, he didn't mind he's sticking it into "a witch", or he went after her intentionally in retaliation for Tatiana's affair. There should also be a very good reason for presence of your hypothetical Grisha spy. Genya's obvious, but since there are no other Tailors, I can't think of anything that wouldn't be painfully evident. This generation of royal family bears no love for Grisha.

Genya's extraction would never be easy. Once she became the King's new favourite toy, nothing short of her death (true or staged) could get her out. Hell, even as the Queen's property, only the King could simply send her away.

From your wording, I assume you mind Genya's continued presence. For that I'd say she was already raped. That cannot be undone. Her age isn't specified, but she was maturing before the King approached her, so she was no child, especially once the deed was done. She didn't only have a choice to impress/avenge, as you're writing, but to regain as much control over her fate as she could. Not to mention in S&B, she's aware there are others like her among the servants. Why does it never occur to anyone she might not want to let more girls go through what she already did?!

I know current society likes to babify teenagers, but this is pseudo-historical setting, when teen's more likely to be expected to assume a role of an adult, than stay a child until they're in their twenties. Hell, they're drafted at sixteen. If she can decide to get herself killed, she can decide to make the fucker suffer.

[thevagabondexpress]

diagnosing the last hours characters with modern music tastes

Cordelia: I feel like she'd have two modes. The first would be soft, upbeat, folk and country but also piano-based stuff, anything major key and with big sound. Caroline Jones, Ruth B., Noah Kahan. I also thing she'd really like Shakira. That's her kind of day-to-day music, it's what she puts on in the car, around the house, when going for a jog, etc. But she also has a collection of women rap artists of the Megan and OSHUN variety which is what she puts on when she's doing hard workouts/training.

James: I agree that he'd be emo but I don't think he'd actually listen to a lot of "traditional canon" emo music. I think he'd find it too loud and intense in the wrong way. I think he'd prefer shoegaze, a la Radiohead, and bands like Five Three Eyes that are fast but fuzzed out. Generally anything with softer mastering where it sounds great at a lower volume.

Matthew: He'd love disco and neuvo-disco/retro-rock. Gloria Gaynor, Suzanne Somers, MonaLisa Twins, the Lemon Twigs. It's fun and silly and also empowering, besides which I think he'd like the fashion and the sparkle of it all. On his bad days, though, when the depression and/or ptsd and/or temptation to return to the addiction hits hard, what used to be his heavy drinking days, I think he'd fall back on an artist like P!NK or Florence + the Machine. Someone who can speak to the truth of the lowest lows of where he's been and remind him that he doesn't have to go back there, that there are other choices, things to live for. That, with time and effort, it does get better.

Thomas: He dug up the local college student indie rock station and he listens to it religiously. It's a habit he picked up in Madrid, he wanted to listen to Spanish music but didn't know where to look/how to search for it so he acquainted himself with radio and just flipped stations until he found something with a sound he liked. When asked to pick songs individually/curate his own music I think he'd end up falling back on his dad's taste in music: Eric Clapton, Bruce Cockburn, the Stones.

Alastair: I feel like Alastair would have unarguably the vastest taste in music of the lot of them, but also that it would generally run to music from well before his time. His mom has vinyls and cassette tapes from Iran before the Revolution and he's dubbed CDs and MP4's of them so he has his own copies and isn't stealing her. He enjoys listener-supported classical music radio, and also newer instrumental of the Haygood Hardy variety. He likes soft jazz and blues, Mahalia Jackson, Mama Thornton. He would ADORE Nina Simone. I think if I had to give a taste in music from after 1970, I'd say he also probably likes artists like Tracy Chapman and Mint Green that speak to a similar lived experience to his own.

Christopher: On one hand, I don't think he really cares that much about music. On the other hand, I think he would be the type to unapologetically listen to high school concert band music. He got hold of Robert W. Smith's storms series (Into the Storm, The Tempest, The Maelstrom), realized there's a crap ton of pieces in this genre that are Inspired By Science, and now every time Matthew comes down to the basement laboratory he ends up lodging a complaint about the sheer amount of French horn.

Grace: Living with Tatiana I don't think she was really allowed much if any access to music but I imagine she found ways around that anyhow. I think she's the other person who would really enjoy Florence + the Machine. I think most of her music would be older, melancholy women folk singers. Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, Claudia Schmidt, the McGarrigle Sisters. I think she'd find them soothing. They'd help her calm down when things get difficult, help her to find beauty in a world that's caused her mostly pain. I think her favorite artist would be Lenka. She's got this kind of upbeat, slightly silly vibe that would make Grace smile but I also think she'd find that songs like "Silhouette" and "Ivory Tower" could speak to her truth when she needs someone to, without getting too deep in and triggering her.

Lucie: She listens to Kpop and movie soundtracks. Also if it's appeared in one of those "badass women" edits over on youtube 100% she has it on her playlist or did at some point.

Jesse: Like Grace, he didn't really have access to music living with Tatiana. Also he was dead for like almost a decade so there's that. He probably mostly listens to whatever Lucie listens to, but I like to think he does experiments like picking a new genre/radio station to listen to every day, trying to figure out what he likes and doesn't like independently of his girlfriend.

Anna: idk. She strikes me as someone who'd like Siouxsie and the Banshees. Also Halsey and Hozier. Maybe bands like Linkin Park and Evanescence—she doesn't say it because she doesn't like being dissed for listening to "old cringe emo" but they got her through gender dysphoria when she was twelve so she knows there's some worth in them.

Charles: He really doesn't listen to music. He listens to NPR or Radio Canada or the British equivalent because it makes him feel up-to-date and liberal but he doesn't actually hear the content, it just goes in one ear and out the other.

@alastairstom @chaosandtwo

[queerbrujas]

okay i'm in a mood so we're gonna talk about my thoughts on the N route in twc book 3. they're not good so look away if you don't wanna read that etc etc

so i'd known for a while that i was going to have to bring in an oc that wasn't eva for this route because in the meantime i'd developed her enough and thought about her enough that she just didn't fit the route anymore anywhere other than in my head. i still tried it with her and i didn't like it one bit, but i thought hey, my own problem.

so i made a new detective.

let me tell you about tatiana.

tatiana is the definition of a uhaul lesbian. she's head over heels in love with nat, absolutely crazy for her, totally willing to gloss over any sort of conflict. exactly the kind of narrative the story wants you to go for (and we'll come back to this).

things that happened in tatiana's playthrough:

she confessed her love to nat only to get absolutely NO response, an attempt to initiate sex, and no commentary whatsoever in the narration on how nat didn't say anything back. like, i'm very sorry to mishka who seems to think that initiating sex is a satisfactory answer to that kind of thing and the Ultimate expression of love but i think a normal and expected reaction to this would be 'wait they didn't say it back'. i am NOT trying to say that N needed to say it back at that moment, before anyone comes for me, there are a million reasons why they wouldn't (i even had a theory that they'd freak out if they heard it!!!) but the fact that the narration absolutely does not acknowledge that fact is so excuse me what the fuck. i've been so pissed at this that i've been working on a fic purely out of hatred for that choice.

let's talk about the sex scenes. they're bad. i'm sorry, they're bad. not only in execution (who cares) but you are not going to tell me that what is essentially a quickie is Enough for a character who has been built up as an over-the-top romantic when it's supposed to be their first time having sex with their partner. i won't buy it. it's like mishka spent these past three years marinading in the asks about agent suavewell and how smooth and sexy and horny they are and when it was time to write the book that was all she wanted to write.

it all just feels so shallow. where is the romance, for fuck's sake. it all feels unearned. beat after beat after beat with nothing to make me care about it.

and, once again—this is playing the ideal version of this route. the 'head over heels' version of this route. i don't even want to touch the other variants that continue to exist despite it being increasingly clear they are Not how the story is meant to go. i'm absolutely someone who supports authors doing whatever the fuck they want with their stories, the fact that there's a playable MC doesn't mean the player gets to dictate every single aspect of their arc or personality, but don't offer the option of things if you're not gonna commit to it. don't tell me i can be hesitant about a relationship when the narrative is gonna fall apart if i decide to do that etc etc.

IDK MAN. i'm very very happy for anyone who enjoyed this route, love that for you, but also, what the fuck.

[tommygrace]

What I find interesting about these two villains, Tatiana and Diana, is how they knew what their wives meant to Tommy.

Tatiana, met Grace, and knew that there was no chance to conquer Tommy, she realized that Grace was an intelligent woman, difficult to be able to take down, especially Tommy and Grace, as a team. Only after she dies does she take advantage of the situation to "win" him, even realizing the power Grace has over Tommy, even after her death, that she uses it to get to him. Naming her, her perfume, that sex scene where she lets him see her. Grace, dead or alive, is very powerful, and she's the only one who's gotten to Tommy and the only one he's ever let in.

Diana. When he meets Lizzie, he realizes that her forte is not intelligence, that it is very easy to separate them and that it has no influence on Tommy. And Lizzie, by telling her that she knows nothing about the business, but that she slept with Mosley, she just implied that all she knows how to do is have sex. And lying about the honeymoon and that she knows about the company's business because she's the director, but then she can't keep up that lie. To Diana, Lizzie is a joke, something to entertain herself by humiliating her and so easy. That scene, in which he makes fun of Lizzie, saying that she is a woman of the world, for lying that they went to Paris, everyone there knew it was a lie.

You can see the two extremes, Mosley and Diana, a powerful couple, they want the same thing, they complement each other, and they have a connection, through evil of course, but difficult to be able to knock down. Powerful enemies for Tommy, but I know if he had been with Grace, they would be much more powerful and could have taken them down very easily.

But he's with Lizzie, and that couple is the opposite of powerful, they're not connected, they don't even keep up the same lie, they don't follow each other's game. She doesn't want to be there, and he didn't want to take her in the first place, but Ada told him she wasn't going to help him anymore, so he had no choice but to take Lizzie. Diana realizes everything, and the kind of relationship they had, and she didn't have to work very hard to get what she wanted, to sleep with Tommy and, in the process, humiliate Lizzie.

And the two scenes, in S3 and S6, the two women, Grace and Lizzie, are the opposite, and being so, the two relationships are the opposite as well.

[whineandcheese24]

so I was thinking about tlh and why it was so unsatisfying and I wanted to share my thoughts (major spoilers for the whole series so if you haven’t finished beware)

one of the biggest things in tlh that isn’t as big in the other series is the idea that the characters are their own worst enemies. most of the conflicts in tlh - especially the relationship problems -  are either created or significantly worsened by the protagonists' actions however justified they might have been. matthew might have never had a drinking problem if he had told James and his parents about what happened, or if he had never trusted the faerie in the first place. alastair wouldn’t have been friendless at first if he hadn’t been a bully. the entirety of lady midnight might not have happened if lucie had told literally anybody about her powers and Jesse instead of keeping it to herself. lillith wouldn’t have been a problem if cordelia hadn’t wanted so badly to prove herself. and there are a dozen more examples. that’s not to say that they didn’t make the right choices (or at least what they thought were the right choices) but they didn’t make good choices. 

and I think part of the reason that tlh (specifically chot) was so unsatisfying is that we never really see the characters change until the very end. we have the symbolism of james having to stab himself and the funeral scene at the end, but still. james doesn’t tell cordelia about the gracelet until 450 pages in. and even when cordelia admits that her pride was a problem to lucie in edom, she never really overcomes it and humbles herself (and that whole self-deprecation thing over lillith is not humility). 

i think the problem was that when you have something like this where the theme is (or is supposed to be, at least) overcoming your own self-destructive behavior, you have to show the outward consequences. CC tried to make it like tatiana and belial were a threat to everybody, and had them kill shadowhunters that weren’t directly related to or friends of tmt and co. but then we never really got to see the consequences of their own actions in the eyes of the other shadowhunters. what CC should have done is shown us the clave’s reactions to everything. show lucie standing trial for necromancy. show the clave’s reactions (not just bridgestock’s) to tessa’s dad. show christopher’s funeral. show the other shadowhunters’ reactions to tmt and co. not coming through the portal to idris. 

and more to the point, she should have made them cause more problems. at first I was happy that they all more or less came out unscathed, but it was unsatisfying. have them make more destructive decisions. have them make decisions that directly and hugely impact the other shadowhunters that aren’t important and then show us their reactions. all of their bad decisions are, more or less, contained within their own group which isn’t good because then they can just say i forgive you, end of story. we should have seen them start to think about the way they make choices and consciously overcome that self-destructive behavior way earier than the last 300 pages of the last book. really, they should have started making bad decisons back in chog (worse than they were making at the time) and then making better choices by the middle of choi, so that they could regress and go back to making bad choices in the beginning of chot and then start making good choices again by the middle/end of chot. this way we have an actual redemption arc that looks and feels more natural than the abrupt stop to bad decisions that happend at the end of chot. we sort of get that with matthew’s drinking problem, but it would have been more meaningful if he had stopped in choi and then him relapsing in chot would have been more emotional.

the tl;dr of this is that, tlh was unsatisfying because CC had a premise of overcoming your own self-destructive behavior to defeat the enemy and win, but it didn’t work out because a. she didn’t lean into it enough and b. it wasn’t something that any of the other tsc books really had in this quantitiy

(there’s also something to be said for the fact that they’re all upper class aristocratic teenagers who barely have to do the one job they’re raised to do but I’m not going to get into that now)

[xoverworkedandunderpaidx]

I hate the Vogikov thing, BUT it's also mad messed up that Rose kept going after the fight was called when Dimitri didn't want to fight AND she literally knew about his trauma regarding physical abuse. It's a lot more uncomfortable to me than the thing with Tatiana, because honestly as much as we have seen her suck, Dimitri hasn't been present for a lot of it and it's hard to say how much he knows about her involvement in these things. He's overcorrecting after Rose freaked him out last episode with the temptation of chucking in the towel and leaving everything he's ever known. I said it in a previous post, but she didn't just ask him to abandon his duty - she asked him to question his faith. And he does, for a little bit. But that's not an easy thing to do, and Tatiana offers an easier alternative.

Where Rose is rebellion and burn the system, Tatiana is a steadfast believer in tradition and faith - everything Dimitri has built his life and identity around. It's comforting, it's familiar, it's stable and risk free. A relationship with Rose would complicated and challenging because he would care so damn much that he just might have to burn the system down alongside her and face the unknown. A relationship with Tatiana, an elementalist Royal Moroi? Well, there's no grey area there.

Dimitri isn't making good choices, but they are understandable choices. He is afraid and confused, he's hurt and looking for ways to make sense of his world as everything becomes less black and white. He's trying to shake the one thing that made him feel like he had something to lose.

So yeah, it's horrible and icky and I hate it. But I get it. And when he does decide to burn it down? I will be living.

[smytherines]

Tiktok doesn't properly embed here, but if y'all haven't seen the Curt Mega scene study tiktok for Spy Again... you need to. Just. It kills me how much respect he has for this character.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLmasdPQ/

Also part two when?? The video ends before it gets to the big Owen lines that are most interesting to me, because other than A1P1 they're the only real indication in the show of what their relationship was like. That there was care and concern and genuine affection there.

And the way those lines are sung in the show is just heartbreaking, which makes you invest in this relationship before you even know the full extent of it. The staircase scene hits as hard as it does because the show gets you to buy into Curt's grief during Spy Again. Its an absolutely pivotal moment for understanding this character

I think the especially interesting bit is this:

"Owen, please if you could see what's become of me what would you think?

If a spy is a spy and I once was a spy, I think you'd want me to spy, again.

You'd put this drink down, turn my life around"

And of course:

"Owen would want me to do this, so I know that I'll get through it"

Spy Again is so interesting to me because for the rest of the show, Curt barely says Owen's name. I think he says it once when he's telling Tatiana, then the two flashbacks. He doesn't say it at all after the DMA reveal. He has so much grief around Owen's death, but (at least until Tatiana) can only really feel that grief privately

This is, I think, also the only moment in the show where Curt acknowledges the active role he played in Owen's death with "Doesn't even matter if I killed my best friend," because every other instance (except obviously his harmony in Torture Tango) he uses passive language, like I think what he says to Tatiana is "watched as my... partner was killed right in front of me."

And that's the conflict of the song. He wants to be the person he was before, but he's carrying around so much grief and guilt that he has to rationalize his desire to move on as something Owen would want for him. And in any other circumstance that would probably be true. That's what makes it so tragic.

I dunno, I'm probably just a little weirdo. I grew up in community theatre so scene studies and character studies are like catnip to me. I mean 90% of what I do on this website is just rant endlessly about plot and character minutiae, but I find that shit fascinating. I really enjoy getting to see the choices actors make, and especially finding out why.

Anyways its good, you should watch it

[nightspires]

After seeing the clip of the boxing match in 1x08 from the trailer, I couldn’t get the idea of Rose and Dimitri having an argument about the trials, layered by all the angsty goodness of what happened in 1x07, out of my head. So, here you go:

“Please tell me you’re not actually going to fight for Tatiana?”

Rose finds Dimitri after his name was announced alongside hers. The two of them will face one another in the trials to decide the next monarch of the dominion. Even while actively avoiding Dimitri, she can’t seem to escape him. If she was pious, she might think it was through some sort of sick excuse for divine intervention — but as it is, she’s pretty sure she just has terrible luck. 

It’s dark, Dimitri is outlined in moonlight, his arms crossed. Tall and broad and stoic, as ever. His jaw clenches. He takes a measured breath before responding.

“Yes, I am,” he confirms. Nothing more, nothing less. 

“Why?” Rose crows, anger bubbling to the surface. “Why would you agree to that?”

Dimitri uncrosses his arms, letting them hang by his side.

“For the same reason you agreed to fight for Victor.”

Rose actually laughs. He can’t be serious. She’s known Victor most of her life. He’s looked out for both her and Lissa. He is a good man. He would be a good king. 

“That's not the same at all, and you know it,” she says, venomous.

“I know you like to think you’re above it all, Rose, but you’re not. We don’t make the decisions here. The moroi do.”

Rose feels a stab of irritation, sick and tired of everyone around her telling who she’s supposed to be, how she’s supposed to feel, what she should be doing with her life. She doesn’t get to make many choices about her future. The one thing she really wanted for herself — the one thing she has ever ached for this much — is beyond reach. Even if he’s standing right in front of her.

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Rose cries, taking a step closer. She’s in his space now, close enough she can almost feel his warmth. She has a flash — a dark night, a warm embrace. It’s all gone now. 

There’s nothing left of what they were except this painful awkwardness between them.

“Rose, I—” Dimitri starts, but Rose cuts him off.

“You can’t do this, Dimitri. Tatiana is the worst. She’ll set us all back a hundred years. She’s the reason Mikhail is dead.”

Dimitri’s eyebrows snap together, a tick of annoyance. The first crack in the glass. 

“You think that I want to fight for her? That I have a choice in the matter?” Dimitri asks, frustration lacing his words.

Of course this all comes down to choice. 

When they first met, Dimitri had been buttoned up. He was closed off, and he liked it that way. A dutiful guardian, through and through. She could never get a read on him, and she wasn’t sure if she really wanted to.

But in the months since he unceremoniously tackled her to the ground (which, rude, by the way), Rose had started to recognize his tells. When Dimitri crosses his arms, frustration roils off of him. A roll of his eyes tells her that he’s exasperated — either at her, himself or a situation. When he clenches his jaw, Rose wants to kiss him. She’s pretty sure he wants to kiss her when that happens too. 

One thing Rose is painfully familiar with is Dimitri’s sense of duty. His fear of losing control. It shows in his careful gaze, the way he chastises her when she pushes the boundaries a little. She has weeks of wanting so badly her chest feels like it’s going to break open to show for Dimitri’s inability to ever choose something for himself.

She’s tired of it.

“Of course you have a choice! We all do. This place has you and everyone in it so fucking brainwashed,” Rose barks.

Dimitri’s eyes soften for a moment. His gaze roaming Rose’s face. When he speaks, his words are soft, muted. Almost pleading. 

“What would you have me do, Rose? Turn her down?”

“Yes!’ Rose insists. “You turn her down. You have to turn her down.”

Dimitri shakes his head, rolling his eyes ever so slightly.

“You want me to say no to the potential future queen of the dominion? A woman who, as you well know, is no friend to dhampirs? And certainly not to those that go against her.”

“If you wanted to do it, you would,” Rose says. 

“It’s not that simple.”

“Yes. It is that simple,” she replies. Rose hesitates for a moment. Then lands her killing blow. Drives her stake home. “You just don’t want to try. Which seems to be a pattern with you.”

Dimitri flinches, like he's been stung. His voice is low and measured. He's angry now. “Rose, not all of us have the luxury of a princess' favour. It's not up to me."

He's lost, Rose thinks. Everything she saw in him locked away, hidden behind a glass of fear and duty and fucked up morality. It hurts to look at him.

“Save it, comrade. I’ll see you in the ring. Maybe then you'll listen."

[thousand-winters]

Grace had a choice to stop for years. Was she possessed? Held against her will? A curse out on her not to speak of it to someone? If Jesse knew better she knew better too but she let herself people told what to do and let herself feel threatened and to believe obvious lies. She’s a victim but so is James who she stole his life from, exile wouldn’t have been that crazy when it comes to her giving into doing dark magic on him for that long

... You cannot be serious.

But I guess you are. And I assume you have never been in a situation in which someone with power over you gets you to do things you don't want to do, for which I'm genuinely happy for you, but you must understand it's not that easy.

Let's go point by point in your charming accusations, shall we?

Was she possessed? Nope. However, literal control like that is not the only way in which making someone act against their will is possible, as I assume you're implying here. You would be surprised, perhaps, to hear of this little thing called manipulation that's also very effective for that. Let's not forget either that Tatiana literally hit Grace for failing to comply with orders, even when she wasn't at fault for that. It's indeed brave to prioritize others over your own well being, but doing whatever you can to avoid being harmed is simply a survival instinct and not at all a moral failure, so Grace hurting others (that she has no personal ties with at that) to protect herself isn't truly a good thing, but it's understandable.

Held against her will? I hate to tell you this, but children generally don't get a say in where they live. And in a society like the shadowhunters one? Apparently they don't even check if you get adopted into a good house; Grace was literally bought. Tatiana technically owns her. If that wasn't enough, Tatiana made sure to isolate her, even with Grace being unhappy with her circumstances, who was she gonna ask for help? There was no one there, and until they arrived in London, she was mostly locked up in their family manor. Plus, even if she wanted to run away without a backup plan of who could help her, she wasn't going to abandon the only person who ever cared for her: Jesse. She was tied to Tatiana by her circumstances.

A curse to not speak of it? This whole ask really pains me, you know? Again, she had no one to go to, why would she think they would help her or even believe her? The only kindness she had known had been from her (dead) brother. Besides, if a curse was needed for victims of abuse to not speak of it, I believe the world would be very different.

You speak of her having a choice, but may I remind you that she is a child? You're putting a girl who has no one to help her to choose between being hurt and bringing harm to people her mother has made her believe are bad and expect her to choose to be harmed or killed like a martyr.

Also, friendly reminder that Jesse was both older than Grace (I can't remember how older exactly, but it was a significative difference since he got stuck at 17 after dying, so 5-6 years?) and treated better by Tatiana. Of course it's easier for him to reject Tatiana's ideology, especially since he had relative freedom as a ghost to wander around, and later he could talk with Lucy too, while Grace's options to communicate with others were limited.

"She let herself feel threatened"... buddy, no offense, but I don't think you understand how threats work. Plus, the "obvious lies"? Obvious for the readers, that's for certain, and I suppose for all the characters looking from the outside, but Grace? She was raised by this woman, kept away from all of them, she literally had no contact with anyone but Tatiana and Jesse; it's easy to believe something is true when you have nothing that disproves it. And one thing about that too: why wouldn't she think Shadowhunters are heartless and refused to help Tatiana when they're also not helping her?

Now with this part I agree. Both her and James are victims and the damage Grace brought should definitely be acknowledged, and I do. What I don't appreciate is the holier than thou attitude about what she supposedly could have done. Reminds me of that one lyric from Hadestown, "you can have your principles when you have a belly full". Easy to speak about what someone in a hard situation "should have done" when you're not suffering through that hardship yourself. But to each their own, I suppose.

Piece of advice tho? I feel like rather than arguing with me, finding blogs that agree with your views could be a better idea. This is just a silly little series of books, after all, and one must find enjoyment of silly little things in life. There are plenty of popular TSC blogs who dislike Grace, from what I've seen, so you have no shortage of options.

For what it's worth, I do hope you enjoy whatever way it is you like to engage in the fandom. Hopefully it isn't all arguments!

[isablooo]

Aaaa!!! forgive me, I simply couldn't pick one... if you'd prefer to separate out the answer per character, please feel free to do so! Heehee 🙈💦

Assana, ✂️🍩🌺

Umbra, 🎹🍀🥊

And for both Tatiana and Clemence, ❤️💼

Thank you for all the questions Bee, I'm beyond happy to get to talk about my OCs hehe!!!

Assana:

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories?

Hmm this might be getting into spoiler territory but let's just say, when things started to change in her home town.

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

Crabs. She is deathly afraid of them (but she loves how they taste in dishes...). Also hair bands. Do NOT get her to tie her hair up unless you're her father. In all seriousness she is not too keen on Willow at first but i wouldn't call him her arch nemesis- Assana is just a hater at heart but doesn't have a rival LOL

🌺- Do they have any love interest(s)?

Assana doesn't have a love interest atm, shes just a peculiar lil guy. But she's no stranger to having crushes, especially on physically stronger and more confident girls!

Umbra:

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

This emoji choice is a fun coincidence as Umbra's hobbies are in fact the pianoforte and the organ. She's fascinated by mortal arts because that's something previously unknown to her as a goddess. The idea of a 'hobby' itself is a very mortal conception but now that shes in an earthly body she can't help but indulge in them.

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

This one is hard because Umbra is such an old character 😭 I must've been 12 or 13 when i first made her. Originally she wore gothic lolita fashion and had twintails which was most definitely came from my interest in lolita fashion at that age (I desperately wanted to wear it but was too young to buy any myself). She was a bit younger and her personality was very different then too, a lot more cheeky! Eventually she pivoted to a more mature, femme fatale aesthetic and that was likely inspired by Lust from FMA (the manga) if I had to guess. Umbra's personality isn't particularly femme fatale-ish at all but she definitely has that aesthetic- she has a more of an anachronistic/modern look to her clothing style compared to the other characters which I think helps to make her appear more uncanny and out of place, as though shes from a different plain of existence. I'm trying to juxtapose this with inspo from faded/desaturated Minoan frescoes for the murals in her castle and for her makeup- she is at once ancient and brand new. Memento mori imagery is also a huge inspo for her whole aesthetic.

Currently I'm particularly inspired by Ichiro Tsuruta's illustrations for Umbras' sleek look:

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do?

She loves to play music, to explore new mortal fashions, and to reward her loyal subjects with boons. She is loth to supplicate to anyone.

Tatiana and Clemence:

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

I think both Clemence and Tatiana would say their wedding. But individually:

Clemence- One summer when her and Séverine were very little children and made perfumes together by filling jars with petals and water. It didn't smell great but it was fun! She misses that childish joie de vivre and spending time with her cousin

Tatiana- first using a cross bow with her father!

💼 - What do they do for a living?

Neither Clem and nor Tatiana currently work! Tatiana used to be a huntress in her village, Crescențiu, as part of their elite team of hunters but after she married Clem they've basically been getting by on Clem's ancestral family wealth. The family have been around for centuries so there's not much of that left and castle de shoulières is completely in disrepair since they can't afford servants or upkeep... Tatiana is really handy and spends a lot of time try to do DIY upkeep of the castle. She will also occasionally do odd jobs for people for cash, especially when she travels in to the city.

[stabbydragon]

Rooftop - StabbyDragon

When Grace told Jesse about the gracelet, he promised to speak to James on her behalf.

A rewrite of the rooftop scene from Chain of Thorns.

When Grace had told Jesse of the bracelet, he had felt angry at her. How could she manipulate a child, strip him of his free will, and use him as a tool? It was such a wicked thing to do and he just could not connect it with the girl he had taken under his wing a decade ago.

That anger lasted merely seconds before he heard a dry sob. He looked into his sister's eyes and saw not only tears that she would never let fall, but a deep, genuine remorse that was eating at her from the inside. There was also a flash of undiluted fear. Fear of Jesse’s reaction. His anger immediately gave way, overwhelmed by a different emotion.

Guilt.

This is all my fault. I should have been able to protect her. None of this would have happened if I had known this was happening, if I had stood up against Mo— her— sooner, if I had been a better brother.

Also, wasn’t everything Grace had been accused of much more applicable to Tatiana? How dare she manipulate children, strip them of their free will and use them as tools? It was a wicked thing to do. 

Yes, he liked James and Cordelia just fine. He was glad to know them and he felt anger at the pain they had been subjected to. But this was his little sister. This was his best friend. This was Gracie . He could hardly abandon her in her time of need. He was sure that the others would understand his choice to stand by his sister.

He cursed the iron bars standing between him and Grace. If not for them, he would have wrapped her in a tight embrace and let her cry into his shoulder while murmuring reassurances like he did when she was much younger. Instead, they both got as close as they could, Jesse taking a hold of her hands and squeezing them tightly and Grace returning the gesture. He whispered apologies, and she told him that it wasn’t his fault because Mama had made sure he didn’t know. He swore to her that he would speak in her defense. 

Which was what brought him to the London Institute’s rooftop to speak to James Herondale. 

“I saw Grace this morning,” Jesse said. “She told me everything.”

James gripped the railing hard, though it must have been gelid. “Everything?” he said quietly.

“About the bracelet,” Jesse said. “Her power. About what she did to you.”

James’ face turned several shades paler in colour. “Have you told anyone?”

“Of course not,” Jesse said. “It’s your secret, to share as you wish.” He looked out at the city. “Although I’m not sure how long I can keep it from Lucie, so I suggest you share it soon.”

“I have told no one,” he heard James say after a moment. “I suppose Grace told you that the Silent Brothers wish to keep this fact a secret—”

Jesse nodded.

“—but that will only be a temporary reprieve for me.”

“A reprieve?” Well, that was surprising. Should James not be rushing to patch up his relationship with Cordelia? “You don’t wish to tell your friends, your family?”

No,” James said quietly. “It feels to me as if telling them would be like reliving every moment of what happened. They would have questions, and pity, and I could bear neither.”

Dear God. Lucie had told him of an alleged Herondale family tradition of miscommunication, but James’ logic was truly astounding. Jesse took a brief moment to process the idiocy before asking James if he pitied him for having been possessed by Belial. Just as he had thought, James listed a number of emotions that did not include pity.

“Do not think so little of your friends,” said Jesse, “and of Cordelia, as to imagine they would feel differently than that.” He looked down at his hands. “I know they will be angry on your behalf. So am I, but…”

“But Grace is your sister,” James finished. “No one would blame you if… you forgave her.”

“Well, I don’t think anyone but you and Cordelia has the right to forgive her,” Jesse said, “and I would never ask either of you to do that. After what you went through, you’re fully entitled to anger. But I implore you to see things from her perspective.” He met James’ eyes and looked at him deeply. “That’s why I’m here.”

James shut his eyes and took a deep breath. “To speak in her defence?” he asked. “To play her attorney, so to speak?” He didn’t sound upset with his new friend, but certainly exasperated and weary. Perhaps anxious, too?

Jesse gave a faint smile. “In a sense, I suppose.” What was the line he had rehearsed in his head for hours to try and convince James to hear him out? “I swear, I’m not saying any of this because I’m biased in Grace’s favour because she’s family, or because I don’t take your situation seriously,” though he did not think he was being accused of either. “I’m here because I know Grace and her situation better than anyone else, even if she’s been hiding her powers from me.”

From the crease in James’ brow, the downturn of his lips, and his heavy sigh, he did not appear particularly pleased. Despite this, he nodded and told Jesse, “Go on.”

What was the first part of the speech he had mentally written again? 

“From the day Grace first came to Blackthorn Manor, she and I have only had each other. We were each other’s only support, and I suppose my support became considerably less practical with my death. After all, how can somebody protect you effectively when they’re semi-corporeal and only exist for less than half of the day?”

“It wasn’t your fault that this happened,” protested James.

“I know it wasn’t,” Jesse said. “My point is, she had the three people closest to her die one after the other. It doesn’t excuse anything she did, but it made her vulnerable to manipulation, and Tatiana took advantage of that.” He had almost said Mother , but no. Mothers do not invite demons to possess their children to commit murder or force them to put love spells on people.

James said nothing so Jesse continued. “Let’s not forget that she was only twelve when she was given that power, and thirteen when she was told to use it on you. Children can’t be expected to make the most morally sound decisions against their parents’ wishes when they have nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to.”

James, who clearly wanted nothing more than for this conversation to be over, said, “Well she’s not that young anymore, yet she’s kept the bracelet on me for years.”

At this, Jesse’s brows furrowed in genuine puzzlement. “But she told you, didn’t she?” he questioned. “Didn’t she tell you that she tried to remove it?”

James bit his lip. “She did…” he hesitated to admit, nodding at the pace of a snail. “I wasn’t sure I believed her, but she did  say that.”

“Then you know that twice this year, she tried to free you, and both times she was met with threats to both her safety and mine.”

“I was threatened by Belial too, and you were controlled by him, but neither of us gave in,” James countered in a tired, monotonous voice.

“Well, in my case, I couldn’t have fought him without Lucie,” Jesse pointed out. “He was defeated by the wills of two people, combined using magic, one of whom was using part of Belial's own power. You have a similar privilege. Because you share blood with Belial, he needs your consent in order to possess you. I highly doubt he would have asked Grace’s permission before taking my body somewhere out of her range. Not everyone can brush off a Prince of Hell’s threats to their loved ones.

“Besides, you grew up with some of the nicest people I’ve ever encountered,” he continued ruefully. “You were raised as a Shadowhunter, to be good, heroic, and brave, and to stand up to threats. As you can imagine, that wasn’t Tatiana’s parenting style. Like I told you before, she used fear to make us do what she wanted.”

“Then how come you’re so much…” James trailed off, presumably to maintain a sense of politeness, but Jesse guessed that he was about to say better or kinder than she is , or something along those lines. “After all, you spent more time with her.”

Jesse couldn’t help but look down, shivering with the cold. “What I regret most,” he crossed his arms and dug his fingernails into his biceps, “is that I never noticed Tatiana’s blatant favouritism. I never realized where Grace got her bruises until she told me this morning. They were always subtle enough so it could be denied that they were intentional, but I should have known better. I knew that Tatiana spoke more harshly to her, and I confronted her about it, but if I knew that the situation was this bad, I would have done more. I would have found a way to get Grace as far away from her as possible. But I didn’t, and I got away with doing things she would have punished Grace for. Even so, when I fought against her too hard, I ended up dying a premature, messy, painful death in the dead of night, so…” He scowled.

There was a stretch of uncomfortable silence where Jesse waited for a reply that he never got, so he ended up saying, “What was done to you and Cordelia was terrible. To have your free will overridden to the point where you can’t even trust your own thoughts and emotions—” he shuddered. “It’s not much different than what Belial did to me. You deserve to be angry at the person responsible for your suffering. I just wanted you to know that your anger should be targeted at Tatiana, and Grace was her victim as well. She had little more authority over the situation than you did, and suffered because of her role in it. You have a common enemy,” he pressed.

“I understand,” James sighed. “What do you want me to do about it?” He was clearly dreading the answer.

“You don’t have to talk to her or be around her,” Jesse answered, knowing it would make them both feel unsafe. “You don’t have to forgive her, or stop hating her or being angry at her, since we can’t always control how we feel, nor should we. Just please, please don’t villainize her or treat her as an enemy. And when you decide you’re ready to tell your friends and family, make sure they don’t do anything… antagonistic , not that I think they would.”

James, deciding that these were fair requests, said “I will.”

“If it makes you feel better,” Jesse added quietly, “I don’t think she would ever do it again. She really is sorry, James.”

“Thank you, Jesse,” he said sincerely, lowering his voice to match his friend’s gentle tone. “And I understand your concern about the situation.”

“I knew you would,” Jesse smiled. “After all, you have a little sister too.” They both looked up at the stars, though there were few that were not obscured by clouds. “My whole world changed when Grace became a Blackthorn. For so many years, she was the only person in my life who loved me, and before her I had no one. I feel as if I was born to protect her.

“I know exactly what you mean,” James nodded. “I was too young to remember Lucie being born. She’s been there my whole life. It would be impossible to imagine a world without her,”

They fell into another silence, this time companionable, which Jesse spent reminiscing on memories from when he and Grace were younger. In his mind’s eye he saw himself teaching her how to climb a maple tree in Brocelind Forest and tending to her scraped knee afterward. He remembered showing her how to weave crowns out of various wildflowers, which they used to officially crown her as the Princess of Idris. He remembered passing on what little he had learned of archery and throwing knives—

“Come with me, tomorrow,” James said, rather suddenly. Jesse raised an eyebrow. “I won’t tell you where—you’ll just have to trust me—but I think you will find it rewarding.”

Jesse laughed. “All right,” he said, curious to know what he was getting into. “I trust you, then.” He frowned down at his own hands. “And I believe you were right. I am freezing. My fingers are turning quite blue.”

As they made their way back inside through the attic, Jesse wondered what awaited him the next day. 

@lord-jethro @luciehercndale @tleeaves @faithfromanewperspective