#i'm just assuming he knows him bc he's a duke

[wisheslost]

A most delightful first day.

Wherein you, a new nurse for the Fortress of Meropide, have quite the interesting meeting with the flirtatious Duke and Prison Warden, Wriothesley, only you find out much later he's the duke, and the interesting meeting unravels quickly into much more.

cws : fastburn? like the opposite of slowburn basically bc im impatient. violence, not described in detail but wriothesley gets injured pretty bad . if you find i should add more warnings please tell me

a/n : not beta read im sorry i abandoned this in the middle of writing then had the urge to come back. please tell me if theres any mistakes

wc : 3.2k

Now that all the trivial paperwork was out of the way and you were finally recognized as a nurse affiliated with the Fortress of Meropide, it was just the meeting with the Duke that was left. roaming around searching for him wasn't the best option— hell, it was probably the worst out of all of them. but what else were you supposed to do? ask someone? ...surely the Duke would send for you if you lingered here long enough no? but then again, you don't know what the duke was like, maybe he'd reprimand you for arriving late instead, so you thought to not take any risks, and simply ask the next person you see. it's your first day of work anyway, so it wouldn't be too bad to engage with people you'll be seeing on the daily now either.

Not soon after spotting a young man who seemed to have quite the height, a somewhat tan skin tone and seemed to be in possession of woah? a vision? in a place like this, was kind of a surprise to you. Nevertheless, you approached that man to ask of the duke's office, only for him to be the one to start conversation.

"Hey, you must be the new nurse, right? It's a pleasure to have you, I'm Wriothesley, D-"

"Could you please take me to the Duke 's office, wriothesley?" you didn't realise until it was too late that he was going to say something after,but since he didn't seem to mention it either, how about just move on?

A little chuckle managed to escape his lips, followed by a "Sure I can." to your question. On the way there to his office, he asked you an array of questions, like why you were here, what made you work here, yada yada, but most importantly, he said, "The Duke's honestly a menace. I wouldn't get too close to him if I were you." now, you won't lie to yourself, that did make you much more interested in that duke than you previously were.

And in no time did you reach the Duke's office. Wriothesley lead the way up the stairs of what seemed to be the most grand part of the fortress, asking if you want to have tea with him later after you're done talking to the duke, which you politely declined, not because you didn't like the man—he was quite fun, yes, but tea? that awfully bitter liquid isn't entering your body anytime soon. not with wriothesley, not even with the duke.

now here we are, up the stairs and finally near the, what you assumed to be, the Duke's desk. But the duke isn't there. on the desk nor anywhere near. up until Wriothesley sits down on his chair and speaks,

"Here is the Duke of the Fortress of Meropide,Wriothesley. Though i prefer if you called me 'Your Grace' instead, people here usually refer to me as such. Please, feel free to ask any questions you have, I have already asked mine."

Oh, OH—

"Oh sir i- Your Grace i am so very sorry!! Really i- That time.. I shouldn't have cut you off.. Again, im really sorry!"

While you're worried sick, Mister Wriothesley here, or rather His Grace, is laughing his ass off. Does he find joy seeing you like this? well, whatever. When his laughing fit finally ends, and he sighs "Oh dear", and hes now looking at you, waiting earnestly for you to speak and break the silence. Unfortunately for him.. you're far too indulged staring at that pretty face of his, not remembering you were just asked if you had any inquiries by him. and so his voice beams once more,

"So....? Any questions?"

"Oh. Sorry, I got distracted, wri- Your grace, I don't." you knew it was best to call him by what everyone else calls him by, but 'Wriothesley', though you spoke for very little time, just came out easier.

"Really? well, okay" his answer was quite non chalant, because obviously, why would he want to be asked questions anyway, but it didn't seem like him— "I'm honestly surprised you have nothing to ask about." and there it is.

"No really, I don't want to bother you anymore. I shall take my leave, Please, Have a good day your grace." you excused yourself out that awkward situation somehow, and soon after heard a faint "You're not a bother y'know!~" from his side.

Cut to 2 a.m. in the morning next day, and you're in the infirmary cleaning glass jars, while the Head Nurse is probably sleeping her time away in the overworld. Not that you were jealous, but really, no soul here gets injured that seriously *ever*,yet this one garde told you you still need to stay awake the whole night. However odd that was, it was definitely not odder than— you stopped thinking the instant you felt a pair of hands creeping up to your waist, scaring you into dropping that poor glass jar and shrieking for your life, only for the owner of those hands to shut you up with one of the very hands that was on your waist just a moment ago.

"Oh c'mon.. You're in a prison of all places. Should you not be the least bit aware of your surroundings? who knows what might happen any moment... I wouldn't like to lose my new nurse so quick." and detaching his hand from your mouth, not that that could garner a response from you... what did he mean by "his nurse" anyway ? was this an attempt at flirting ? whatever it was, it was not much of your concern right now, it was the fact his voice wasn't like the one you heard before on your way to the Duke's office, or even in there, instead now it had a fatigued intonation to it, a voice that practically screamed "i want to sleep.", almost... sultry in a way.

And so he sat down on one of the beds, taking you by the waist to sit down as well on the same while he made himself more comfortable and laid almost completely down, and spoke, "First day on the job and you're already breaking things and screaming in the middle of the night.. are you really fit for a prison?"

Obviously, you were not fully capable, definitely not as capable as Sigewinne, but still,having someone say something like that directly is quite discouraging. and so you retorted, "Your Grace, it is actually my 2nd day on the job. And also, i feel anyone, prison premise or not, would be scared to be suddenly caressed by cold hands at 2 in the night. Though mayhaps that's just my opinion."

"Ahh dear, you're so smart .. it's a shame i was merely joking, I know the fortress is not such a prison-ly place anyway, and most if not everyone is just trying to get by and make it to the end of their sentence peacefully. I was merely testing you." to which you only nodded, and spoke "Sure. Well.. why are you in here at such a late time anyway? From the looks of it you're not sick, and i dont see any injuries..."

"You want me sick and injured? aw c'mooon, dear, im not even that bad of a duke, am i?"

"Your grace, please don't be silly. Are you here because you feel sick or just to bother me?"

"Ha! after i said you weren't a bother! how disheartening... I was just curious why you were awake this time of the night, though. What's keeping you up so late? or should i say Who?"

"Am i not supposed to be?"

"Of course not dear, did someone tell you you do?"

"Ah.. uhm. Not really, just a mistake on my part.."

"Hm? One of the gardes didn't tell you your duty requires you to stay up all night?"

How he came to know about that was none of your concern right now, what he'd do about it mattered more. You didn't want some helpless garde to be scolded off by The Duke because you were stupid enough to believe him. Surely that's not going to make the people of meropide have a good impression of you? Amidst your train of thought, his voice interrupted—

"What? Don't want a garde scolded off because you believe it'll harm that reputation of yours? awh dear, how cute. just like your face." this nuisance of a man and his attempt at flirting was somehow worse than his constant teasing, and the fact he accurately guessed what you were thinking was completely overshadowed by that "dear" and "cute" he threw in in his sentence.

"Too flattered?" was his response to your speechlessness. Being honest, you were too flattered. I doubt even archons know why this man was so coyly talking to you, did he do this to everyone?

"I... am not sure how to respond to that." was all you could manage to put together in your flustered, confused, but flustered state.

"I can stop it, y'know. If you're not feeling comfortable, just tell me. Whether that be with my way of talking, or someone else's."

"No it's fine.. really- I don't have any problems."

"Oh? So you're enjoying this? Haha, didn't know i had such charm." saying this, he rose up he was laying on, to come face to face with you, still sitting on the bed, but now, his face a bit too close to yours.

"I'll stop bothering you now. Go to sleep, you're gonna need to stay awake tomorrow."

You didn't make much of that statement, and you simply bid him sweet dreams as he went off to, what you presume, to be his office. That is, until, tomorrow actually came by, and near evening, you were greeted by none other than The Duke himself leaning on the doorframe of the infirmary, who, instead of his usual state, was now in a much more... uh, ragged? state. His vest not even present, and half his shirt ripped away, with his fresh wounds on display along with his old scars. Ah.... and you thought the Pankration Ring didn't allow such incidents to take place. So that's why he told you you need to stay awake.

"Dear, I'm here again to bother you." came in his voice from the door, and you stood up in concern. As far as you were aware of, Pankration ring fights were not supposed to get this serious. So it was either outside of the ring, or maybe the duke was allowed to get more serious in the Pankration ring? That became less of your concern as you saw a drop of blood drip down his cheek from a fresh wound. Gods, he was in such a pathetic state, blood everywhere, vest barely intact.. "Hey, its not appropriate to stare at someone in this state, is it?" he said, making you suddenly aware to what you should be doing. You're a nurse here, you should be patching him up, not staring into his soul while he's standing there in pain. "Your grace- I- Please, come with me to the bed. Do you want help walking? Oh lord why am i asking- Forgive me, I'm so sorry-" and a chain of sorries followed as you wrapped your arm around his waist in your best attempt to provide support to his frame, as you walked over to the nearest bed in the infirmary with Wriothesley's arm on your shoulder, grabbing it for support, though maybe a bit too hard, you were sure, this would at the least leave a bruise.

Arriving to the bed, you sat him down and knelt down to take a few things out from a nearby drawer, bandage, antiseptic disinfectant and a pair of scissors. And Wriothesley had his eyes set on your figure the entire time, not that you had noticed.

When you came back to him, you had to get him to undress in order for you to wash away his wounds, and before you could think to form an appropriate sentence regarding that- your tongue had already mumbled out "Please undress." to that poor duke. Oh lord, this was going to be a long, looong day.

A smirk crept up Wriothesley's face as he looked up at you, "Dear, I'm not sure I can... 'tleast not in this state. Would you help me?" and so his sly little smile shifted to a more puppy eyed face, glancing at you oh so sweetly. "Yes, Your grace." and you started by first taking his tie off, "I'm being honest here, I'm not sure why i said that earlier. I apologise. It was definitely very.. stupid of me." were the words you spoke as you were unbuttoning his shirt— the last piece of clothing left. His vest was mostly torn apart, so you didn't need to unbutton it or even put much effort in taking it off. Wriothesley didn't respond to that. You knew, it was because you were right, he didn't say anything because it would make you feel worse, but silently, surely, he agreed. Or atleast that's what you thought. Now here he sat, his upper body completely rid of any clothing, the cold air hitting his wounds.

"I'll wash your wounds now." as you went back and forth between the infirmary's bathroom to get water, the process was a bit slower than should be.

"Shouldn't you take me to the bathroom? Would be faster, no?"

"It would, yes. But it would mean you would have to go there, you wouldn't like sitting on that tiny ass- I mean, very small stool in the bathroom, trust me. Would just be uncomfortable."

"Awh. Didn't know my nurse was so, so nice. Thank you dear."

You finally washed what seemed to be the last wound, and god was it big. On your way back to him from the bathroom, you thought you would finally ask, "By the way, Your grace... I've been meaning to ask— What's with the 'my nurse' ? I'm not only your nurse, you know. I am to tend to any person in this fortress." was the best you could express your curiosity as you applied antiseptic on his wounds, recieving a little wince from him along with the answer to your question, "Well- I said that only because you were taking care of me at that moment, so you'd be my nurse then, no?"

"That is true, yes, but then what about before that? Last night? And also, the use of 'dear', to my knowledge, you don't seem to use that language or rather i should say- that word for anyone around here. Unless of course I'd be wrong and would stand corrected."

"Oh you... I'll stop, if you wish. You could have told me before‐"

"No, no. I don't mind it at all. Just want to know. Do those words hold any weight to you or are you simply throwing them around?" you said as you took the bandage out it's paper packaging, rolling it around his wound, making him wince once more, this time squeezing your right thigh out of the urge to hold on to something.

"Fuck, Sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-" was all he could manage to put together, and when you took his hand in yours to put it back on your right thigh, Lord, his expression was something to see. The way he looked at you so surprised yet so... lovingly? surely, not loving. But whatever it was, it was nice, to see him so in awe. You continued dressing his wounds as he stared at your face the whole time, and, from time to time, squeezed your thigh a bit. Not sure if it was from the pain, or just because he wanted to and could.

Done with dressing the last wound on his cheek, you got up and headed to a cabinet on the opposite side of the room. "That's all. I'll get you some pain relief medication for the internal bruising, just wait a bit. it's.. it's in here somewhere.." as you searched around the cabinet. "Ah! Here!"

You took the medication to Wriothesley, who was currently sitting upright on the bed, carrying along a glass of water. As you had poured the water in the glass, you heard him say something along the lines of "Don't break it again." with a light chuckle.

As you gave him his medicine and he swallowed it down, that was the last of your duties for now. "Anything else you want me to do?"

"Sit. Here" he said, patting on the space near him as he laid down on the bed. And so you sat, who were you to deny such a simple request?

It was pin drop silence for a while after that. Just you and him looking at each other. Well, up until he averted his gaze to your thigh, where you noticed his hand hovering over it. "May i .....?" and so you took his hand in yours, and it rested on your thigh.

Then you realized, he was on his side to face you, though he shouldn't be, one of his injuries was there, quite the big one at that, and it probably hurt like hell. "I don't think you should lie on your side. Your wound.. is it not paining?" He got up then, sitting upright, though now, your faces were a bit too close, and your noses touching slightly."Then, dear, do you want me to sit like this?" You were too flustered to manage a response for that. Both of your faces were so close– too close, actually that you could feel his warm breath, that, by the way, smelled of Earl Grey Tea, and that scent seemed to mix with the antiseptic's.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" You somehow couldn't reply to that either, and only stared into his eyes, and occasionally catch a glance at his lips.

"Can't speak already huh? I haven't even kissed you yet."

"K-kiss me??"

"Sure." and so he leans in, planting in a peck on your lips and caressing your chin with, what was currently, his good hand, as in it had way less injuries than the other.

"Satisfactory?" was all he asked, that smirk back on his face, and "Not.. really" in a low voice was all you could manage after that.

"Then show me what would be more satisfactory."

"This." and what followed was by far the boldest you had ever been in your life, and good lord, it was infront of- not even infront of, to your new, and well, the only boss you've had.

But damn did his lips on yours feel so good, and his slight biting, his hand tugging at your nape made you feel like you were dreaming. Unfortunately though, even dreams come to end.

When your lips separated, he was a exhilarated but exhausted mess, his chest heaving as his fought to breathe, and so were you, and all you both could do was stare at each other, until he leaned in once again to kiss you. This time, in a satisfactory way.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, for you two, this was about to escalate much further than just that satisfaction.

[gold-rhine]

(can answer privately if u want)

how did you manage to write enjou stirring shit up. i need to know for Reasons

(Reasons being: i wanna write him doing that as well so i need to know how you figured that specific brand of Manipulation out)

oh, i love talking about Enjou, he's so fun to write.

Okay, Enjou's main rule is that he doesn't *technically* lie. If you've ever written fae with no-lie rules it should be similar. Everything he says should be true, even if he's seemingly joking - like when he tells traveler you never know what can happen in magic rituals, I could turn into a flame-throwing monster haha! He only lies by omission or by using leading questions. He often answers direct questions with his own questions, which lets him evade, or by what he makes look like a joke.

Like in Enka when traveler arrived and asked him who he is, he asked question in return, like Didn't they tell you there's gonna be a priest who will guide you? Traveler went yeah, they did. Enjou was like Great! You can't be expected to learn new language haha! i'm here to help translate.

He didn't say "I'm the priest who Kokomi said will help you," he asked a leading question to make traveler think about the priest with connection traveler trusted, then he didn't directly confirm he IS the priest and instead re-directed to his function "I'll help to translate", which is true!

Enjou's second rule is that he's a little shit and also a corny nerd. Like there's often a boring stereotype of manipulators being cool and sleek and charismatic, but Enjou is not that. He's a jokerified librarian. He consciously acts lame and corny to make the other person underestimate him and roll their eyes. He loves repeating how he's just a weak bookworm. He will go on info-dumping tangents to bury the lead of manipulation.

He also loves playing with his food, burying little inside jokes which only make sense in hindsight, like "I could turn into a flame-throwing monster". He likes doing the weak nerd routine, he enjoys watching the other person feel superior to him, while knowing he's in control of a situation, and he says corny shit on purpose to make it more pronounced. He should sound corny and just a bit unhinged. He says shit like "Exactomundo". I had to physically restrain myself, bc Enjou absolutely would say Exactomundo while watching a man's world crumbling before him, but I didn't want to ruin the tone for the reader.

So, to write Enjou's brand of manipulation you need to first formulate his end-goal, like what is the purpose of this manipulation? I assume you read my fic since you reference me writing enjou stirring shit up, so i'll use it as example of my thought process. One of the examples in my fic, he wants to convince rizzley that Neuvi gave him the title to buy his loyalty. What are the true facts here? Neuvi did fight hard to give rizzley the title, he says it in his own voice lines. What do we need to add? Malicious intent.

Enjou can't say "Your title was a bribe", bc that's a lie. Instead, he starts with "you know what I would do if *I* was the Hydro Sovereign with an ability to take human form? <...>I’d make sure I have people loyal to me in some key positions. Such as Royal Duelist… and the Warden of the Fortress.” It's not a lie, bc if Enjou was a sovereign, he'd probably really do that. On paper, he's talking about himself, but in context of overall conversation it will be obviously extrapolated to Neuvi. This is a form of switching the goal posts from Enjou to Neuvi without outright saying so.

Then, he says true facts:

“He didn’t make me the Warden,” Wriothesley gritted out. 

“No, but he did make you the Duke, didn’t he?” Enjou smirked with a wink. “Our sources say the Court was not thrilled to give the highest noble title to you. And if the Iudex did not throw his own weight behind it, it would have never come to pass. How generous of him.”

It's true, it was actually generous, he doesn't lie. But in context of previous implied accusation, it will be read as sarcastic, as saying it was done with selfish reasons.

And then he reinforces with “Ah, you’re starting to get it, don’t you?”, which is a leading question that again, doesn't say anything false outright.

he should also offer the person hes manipulating to beat him up repeatedly, bc hes a freak.

[pendwelling]

You can’t tell me the first thing priest Dokja does when transmigrated to TWSB isn’t locking himself in the royal library and refuses to come out

(Crown prince YJH and Priest KDJ is the funniest image, and obviously HSY is in the background causing problems)

Meanwhile poor Yeseo is on the verge of a panic attack in ORV

(Yeseo trying to parse through his sisters tear filled rambles about her favorite book and therefore being the weirdest prophet know to man while Cedric and Christelle are just there wondering what is up with him)

OOOHHH KDJ locking himself in the Imperial library would be so KDJ of him to do HAHA, tho the main obstacle for that is to first get permission from the Crown 🥲 which, sadly for him.... would mean cozying up in some way to either whoever is the Cardinal and/or Empress/Emperor in this AU (it could range from Persephone and Hades, to Namgung Minyoung, or to even Kyrgios [but I think he fits Johann's role more], etc etc)

((Unsurprisingly I'm gonna go off on a tangent bc anything TWSB related makes my Freak™ show—)) (I JUST LOVE SOOKYM'S WORLDBUILDING SM.... IM SORRY I CANT HELP IT.....) 😭😭😭😭 but libraries—or rather books—actually have a rather important part to play in TWSB, or at least, in showcasing a noble family's strength, power, and prestige. In the Divine Kingdom of Venetiaan, the general populace has an incredibly purposefully low education and literacy rate (due to Queen Lilianne's plan of using the population's dumbification to manipulate their blind curated religious beliefs into having them conscript for her war), so owning books is seen as a symbol of wealth and high education, and the more wealthy a family is, the bigger they would represent that in their family's library. The Riester Empire is different in that education of the common folk is NOT something that they purposefully deprive them of (in fact, we've actually seen the Imperial Family invest in academies for different sorts of talents/skills that could accept even commoners as students), but the significance and importance of books and libraries is something both countries share!

ANYWAY, small tangent over wkdjdkd But all that is to say, a diplomatic hostage like Jesse Venetiaan (and KDJ in this AU) would not have casual permission to use something as precious as the Imperial Library sadly :')...... Which is unfortunate for our Reader bc in a lot of Fantasy AUs the library is a place that KDJ commonly escapes to WKWKKWKWK (IT'S ONE OF MY FAV TROPES NGL...... 😫😭 library lurker KDJ who eventually catches the eye of [usually Crown Prince or Duke of the North] YJH who is entranced by the peaceful figure KDJ makes, backlit from the light of the window and focused on whatever trashy novel he's reading......)

But assuming KDJ knows his chatacter's original fate in the original story (dying during the Riester-Venetiaan war), just like he does in ORV, I bet he would be the type to know exactly what to do and what to avoid, and how to achieve the perfect most "ideal" ending for the story. He's a scheming lil bastard and I trust his survival abilities (well..... until he dies. but he'll come back like the rat he is LMAO...) But considering his personality (at least with The Audacity that the Fourth Wall allows him to have), I think he'd head straight to scheming his way into the good graces of people that he could benefit from (and gaining access to the Imperial Library for some good reads def feels like an essential benefit wkwkwkk) with as much liberties as his complex position as a diplomatic hostage could allow him.

AND OHHHHHHHH YEAH..... POOR JUNG YESEO...... It's such a sad sad SAD image to think about, but also....the though of him frantically trying to organize hundreds of chapters of a repetitive regression scenario story VIA his little sister's tear-filled incoherent hyperfixated ramblings is. kinda funny in a very mean way (LMAO). CedChris would ask him/wonder if he's actually a prophet but when compared to /actual/ prophets like Camille Bacary, they'll kinda look at his sweating face and go "🤨😐 right... prophet huh....". Though it should be said that Yeseo is actually crazy smart when he wants to be/when the situation requires it, so I trust he could do his best to help his companions in an apocalypse with any valuable information he has absorbed thru osmosis via his sister. (And in the case of the "Acciddentally-took-Eunseo's-phone" scenario—canonically, Yeseo managed to get through all 302 chapters of QPB's part 1 in a few days, but it was mostly skimming haha but you can assume he'd be somewhat of a quick reader....... though the stress of scenarios would definitely make him a zombie over Eunseo's phone.) But regardless, considering the personalities of these kids, I still feel like an orv!TWSB(or rather QPB) would be more lighthearted(as lighthearted as it can be) to reflect its targeted Reader: Eunseo! Think of an Action Fantasy Regression novel with a persevering main character like Ham Ga-in Christelle who gets through difficulties with as much stubbornness and cheer as she can (though this would naturally dim throughout regressions, but the core of her character is still important). Idk how far into TWSB you are so I don't want to say much wkdjkdkd but yeah..... KDJ's relationship with TWSA and Eunseo's with QPB are SO similar and yet so different, and that difference can partly be traced back to the type of people they are, which is reflected in the type of genre their favourite respective novels are (which also reflects on the characters in said story too) TT

HAA.......... Somehow, I think I end up writing way too much in response to my Asks sometimes, but ANYWAY WKFJKDDKDKD

Thank you Anon for feeding into these AU thoughts, they're always fun to think about and hear what others have to say!!!!!! 🥹 SORRY THAT I KEPT GOING OFF TRACK. CERTIFIED TWSB YAPPER HERE....... 🥲

[zhaoly]

k so I didn't know this before but halsin apparently originally wasn't even intended to be a companion plus he's intended to be part of a poly romance... which is why his mono romance was barely developed??

man how were we supposed to know that :\ but suddenly it all makes so much fucking sense... why his character arc and romance fell so flat and why you can't romance him for so DAMN long. I suppose you're supposed to romance another companion and then bring halsin in to be part of a poly relationship instead and it's not intended that you get to act 3 with no romances--they assume you've romanced another companion already

i'm really damn disappointed that his mono romance is pretty much nonexistent and that his character development is so all over the place. I don't think I'll ever be doing a poly romance because I'm just not into that at all so unless they fix halsin's mono romance guess I gotta live with it

the only other companion who really interested me for a romance was karlach but her story is almost equally nonexistent and apparently she's got bad endings only?! like just kill me man. i want to try karlach's romance but i feel like her story is just... nonexistent, i mean all you do is find infernal iron and go to dammon. there's not even a specific quest arc or challenge for her, you just sort of naturally find the iron during regular exploration.

guess i'll be trying the other romances more out of curiosity rather than desire. like they all have aspects i like but then there's just like one (or two) things that turn me off.

i liked gale initially bc i was like holy shit an alistair/anders lovechild but then he started all that weird mystra stuff and i was like aight im outie. and i was also like wait we're supposed to be able to romance this guy?! isn't he very clearly not over this thing with mystra? i mean dude's gonna blow himself up for repentance or sth

wyll is like... fine i guess but too nice LMAO and i wont lie the dance scene was just like........... not my thing at all. just really not. and i honestly really don't like his devil appearance, i feel bad for saying it bc it's not his fault lol 😭 i liked him way more as a human but then quickly realized he doesnt stay that way for long. i think his story is definitely intriguing with the whole mizora thing and him being the son of the duke but man.

astarion is insufferable lord i can't stand the way he talks. i kicked him right after the nighttime blood sucking scene bc his voice/personality were so grating and i'm just not into the vampire shit at all. he also just like... looks like a creep and the way he talks doesn't help... tbh i think the only way i'll be able to tolerate him is to mod his face he just comes off as a creepy insufferable old guy i'm sorry

i like shadowheart as a companion but not really into her for a romance. her whole utter devotion to shar was also a huge turnoff lmao and for this first run I just decided that my tav wasn't into that. i did make the choice that basically had her turn against shar but i'm like yeah she can be besties with my tav i like that more. I actually really like sh's arc as a close/best friend

couldn't stand lae'zel initially either, left her in the cage after she wouldnt say please since tav is petty like that. found her later and reluctantly went the creche with her and then ended up killing her oops but hey she threatened to kill me first 🤷‍♀️ i'll def take her on future runs but i don't think i'll ever romance her

so like who does that even leave me with?? halsin basically fit a lot of parameters i like in a companion until i played through more of the game and realized that they really didnt deliver with him. i'm sure if i play through these companion quests/romances further in the future i'll warm up more to these characters but my initial impressions were just... not favorable and hey it's an rpg and my tav has opinions! who knows maybe i'll end up loving one of these character romances but rn i'm still lamenting over halsin's utterly lackluster one

[crystalmonk5579]

Haii totally not a suspicious blog post for my bestie @ninjapaste >:3c

Bazhagen/Duke Wyatt

A/n: NONE OF THESE ARE CANNON BESIDES THE EAR WIGGLES AND THE EAR PETS OK?! I'm literally just doing this bc Robyn is asleep and I don't wanna bother them lol anyways let's begin!!!

~~o⁠(⁠(⁠*⁠^⁠▽⁠^⁠*⁠)⁠)⁠o haiiiiio⁠(⁠(⁠*⁠^⁠▽⁠^⁠*⁠)⁠)⁠o~~

Bazhagen:

Ok, pets fucking start off with the obvious, his ears are sensitive. Like not really sensitive where it could be painful, but like, lil tingles when you touch em.

His bf Lucian(my oc) will pet his ears sometimes

This mofo can get jealous as easily as a fly and flap it's wings. Like Lucian could be talking to someone from Durmitch and if they do ONE WRONG THING IT IS GOING TO BE A FUCKING DEATH GLARE FOR THE REST OF THE COVO

Very into pda but I feel like that's a given bc of his out going natured personality

This man will constantly tease Lucian Abt anything so be fucking careful when you're around baz, he will never stop reminding you of embarrassing things. Like you guys could be talking and he could call you kale teeth in reference to when you were talking to your crush and you had a piece of kale in-between your teeth.

Doesn't trust wild animals in Durmitch for three reasons, 1.) They're probably dangerous 2.) They could be used as listening devices for some magical people! And 3.) Lucian might adopt them and they're gonna steal his bfs attention away from him >:(

Honestly, I think he might be really fucking good at rock climbing for some reason...

This man is willing to pick up his small 5' bf and just smother him with kisses in public, no holds back all out, just to either scare someone off or just to show he loves his bf sm

Willing to just show up unannounced and bring you gifts if he ever senses you are sad one singular bit. "Heyyy, I saw you were acting not like yourself, and really really sad for whatever reason so I bought out an entire bakery with my friends money, you wanna watch the real elf house wives?"

HEAVY ASS SLEEPER ISTG IT WILL TAKE A FUCKING MILLION MAN MARCHING BAND TO WAKE HIM UP A LIL BIT/hj

I think he might really be into soda or root ear floats in a modern au

I think he might also really like axe throwing too, both as practice for fighting and competition!

This man's hair is so so so fucking rough and jaggy like look at it, it looks like a susuwatari from studio Ghibli movies except they're all greased up and spiked to make him look cool

I don't think he actually likes the leather pants he wears, like they're very restrictive and not good for fighting, not to mention it must fucking itch badly since I'd assume Durmitch woods are kinda like rainforests. And we all know that leather pants + humid/wet rainy areas= ITCHY ITCHY!!!!/neg but eh, who gives a shit!?! He looks cool in em

Cry baby when he gets a cold "OUGHHHHH LUCIAN WHY MUST YOU ABANDON MEEEEE?!!?!?" "....babe you have a mild cold, you'll be fine in a couple of days" "*sniffling and sobbing* WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN TO MEEEEEEEE?!?!?!?"

Duke Wyatt:

His hair is so fucking soft istg, it looks so fluffy and soft and nice to touch

I bet he smells like dandelions and tree sap from the woods

Modern day au I think this man would have a skincare routine ngl

I think if he could I would actually be really really good at drawing!!! Like omfg I bet his penmanship from song wriitng

Man will sometimes unconsciously death grip Lucian while he's cuddling him by accident

Would slightly die inside if his favorite patisserie would go out of business and he couldn't get his almost croissants anymore

This man gives like the bestest hugs ever istg, they're tight and soft at the same time and theyre long but not too long that they over stay their welcome

Honestly....he'd slay in a summer dress, LIKE ESPECIALLY THOSE DAINTY WHITE ONES WITH SUNFLOWER PRINTS THAT GO SO WELL WITH A SUN HAT

Very very good at dexterity shit with his hands bc of wood carving, speaking of hands!

Very calloused and gritty on the sides bc of accidently nicking himself while making flutes and other wooden things, carrying logs, wood cutting etc etc

HE IS A FUCKING HEATER WHEN JT COMES TO CUDDLING, HE IS PERFECT FOR EXTRA COLD WINTER NIGHTS

(Modern au)Hates and I mean HATES SCARY AND GORY MOVIES WITH ALL HIS HEART

Actually more of a cat person than a dog person, as much as he gives off golden retriever bf vibes tho, they're just a lot calmer and more nice to be around...and they won't chew up his flutes!!!

(modern au) any movie relating to animals dying like a dogs purpose, Marley and me, etc etc. They make him go through all the stages of grief for a 5 day period.

He really really likes flannels too!!

That's it for now y'all!!! Have a nice day/night/evening!!

~~(⁠づ⁠｡⁠◕⁠‿⁠‿⁠◕⁠｡⁠)⁠づ byeeeeeee ⊂⁠(⁠・⁠▽⁠・⁠⊂⁠)~~

[autisticcassandracain]

I’m still thinking abt Duke’s comic in #19. It’s just so frustrating something that’s been sat on for like 2 years was ‘resolved’ so poorly. And maybe it would have been fine to end it with getting Duke’s mom back, but then they had to heal her and reveal Duke’s identity to her in so little time. And I just know that the next time we see Duke they’re going to do a time skip to where everyone’s settled into a new normal with no actual development from point a to point ‘everything’s great’. And the same thing happened with Cheer, where a writer had to resolve a years old chasm between Bruce and Jason’s ideology in 6 issues.

It’s not fair that Duke fans have to wait 2 years for 2 issues of comics, and then the writer making those comics has to fit 2 years worth of plot into said 2 issues. It leaves Duke’s character feeling too stagnant and too rushed all at once. Batman Secret Files gave a really good setup of two conflicts with a lot of emotional value: The growing schism between him and his community (shown by the Robins, but Gotham Nights #8 shows more people he’s found himself estranged from), and the disappearance of his mom. I was really excited to see how the resolution of the former would be executed, but seeing how the latter turned out I’m afraid of it being rushed to a shoddy, saccharine conclusion as well.

I've never read Cheer because I'm a known Jason Todd Hater and have no opinions on it for the same reason. I also really didn't like the direction Secret Files headed with the Robin Collective. I've talked about it before but I think the way the former Robin gang has been treated since We Are Robin ended is disgraceful and Secret Files in particular is outright character assassination as far as I'm concerned. Now that that's the only storyline they still have going with Duke I'm even more annoyed by it. I don't think it's possible to write a satisfying arc where the jumping off point is the complete assassination of the themes and characters of We Are Robin, and now I can't even hope they'll just forget it exists because it's the only thing left to be resolved with Duke.

I mean, there are things DC can still do with him; they still haven't properly gone in-depth on how he functions as a daytime vigilante, and they still haven't properly resolved the Gnomon mystery. But considering that Elaine's kidnapping was clearly a set-up for a dropped Gnomon storyline, it's safe to assume that the guy won't make an appearance anytime soon. And DC seems to try everything they can to avoid acknowledging Duke as a daytime vigilante in any meaningful way, so. With Duke's family conflict resolved (presumably, bc I doubt they're just gonna let his dad stay jokerized), that leaves Duke to flounder with no direction.

It's amazing how much a single issue completely kneecapped his story potential in future DC Comics, and it's impossible not to speculate about an editorial mandate, considering the clear departure from whatever arc was planned. At best, it probably has to do with whatever Dark Crisis is up to. At worst, this is editorial deciding to wrap things up since Duke doesn't sell well enough.

I hope something comes along soon that gives Duke a new ongoing arc, otherwise his future in DC Comics looks pretty bleak.

[amarguerite]

Hi hello, every time i re-read Pride & Prejudice (like once a week lmao) i think about what could Darcy have possibly been thinking throughout his and Elizabeth's acquaintance. Especially at Rosings, where, iirc, they're walking through the orchard and talking about the manor and he implies that Elizabeth will be staying there when she visits in the future. And Elizabeth thinks that he must be implying her marrying Col. Fitzwilliam, bc who the fuck else could he possibly be referring to??, but in hindsight he meant bc she would marry Darcy himself. Which I find very odd, bc to us the readers it seems like they havent really spoken much and Elizabeth def doesnt like him at all at this point. He says later in the book that he thought she was expecting his proposal even. It really astounds me the level of cognitive dissonance they both had going on during this time. I also think of the scene from An Ever-Fixed Mark where Lizzy and Fitzwilliam are walking outside the park at Rosings, after they agree to become engaged iirc, when Darcy finds them. That scene is so hilarious and also kind of heartbreaking bc Darcy is folding up the letter that we as the reader know to be his explanation from the book, but in this version he loses his chance to give it to Elizabeth, at least in his mind. Of course, this leads me to remember the several other scenes throughout the Ever-Fixed series where Darcy and Elizabeth are having a conversation where each is misinterpreting the other, leading to all sorts of confusion. Towards the end of Dalliance with a Duke, one such conversation leads to their years'-long estrangement, mostly bc Darcy can't/won't/doesn't know how to express his feelings.

Anyway! this is all to say that I love love love your work, the Ever-Fixed series in particular, and all your Austen content!! <3 :)

Wow, thanks so much for this! <3 <3 <3 I'm delighted to hear I successfully kept up the level of cognitive dissonance because one of my I-will-die-on-this-hill interpretations of Pride and Prejudice is that the vast majority of characters truly and honestly do not know that Darcy is into Elizabeth until the very end of the novel. I have several issues with The Lizzy Bennet Diaries, but one of my chief ones is that everyone is so certain that Darcy is into Lizzy and Lizzy's protesting too much about how he doesn't like her, which is in my view a fundamental misreading of their dynamic. In the novel, even JANE is shocked that Lizzy and Darcy are engaged and can't believe what Lizzy's telling her. I think it makes Lizzy looks stupid and misunderstands her character-- she's not being stubborn about Darcy because she's being willfully blind-- everyone else around her also dislikes the guy, which bolsters her sense of her first impression being right, and her being cleverer than most people because she realized it immediately whereas everyone else took the full assembly at Meryton to realize he's proud and disagreeable.

In terms of Darcy-- Elizabeth does make a point of valuing courtesy and social conventions. She gets mislead by Wickham because he was flattering and charming. Because Elizabeth is a very kind person (her inner monologue during her initial refusals of Mr. Collins are so kind!! she's trying so hard to be nice when turning him down!) and she's a very witty conversationalist, I think Darcy was misreading her wit as attempts at flirtation instead of a desire to gently needle him because she is annoyed by him and his attitude. And, given his own background and prejudices-- his sense of being a Darcy of Pemberley, who anyone would want to marry-- I think he just assumes that any woman would want his proposals if he deigned to offer them.

I think both Lizzy and Darcy had ideas of the other that they were carrying around in their heads the whole time, and only when they speak plainly to each other do they realize that they were wrong, and can actually understand the others' true character. Once they've gotten over those initial prejudices, things go much better for them. (not plot-wise thanks to Lydia, but in terms of personal interactions). They are actually really well-suited, when they're engaging with each other and not the ideas they have of who the other person is. 

[dreamwritesimagines]

i am once again telling you this story is a comedy this chapter- the duke is once again like the most iconic character ever (considerint hugh wasn't in this chapter i can grant him that easily) miriam is still a bitch with too much audacity but hopefully that's been solved now!! we can get elias and cecily back on track!!

“That she would like to invite you for tea tomorrow,” Lucie said, stealing a look at the lines. “But I think you’ll be more interested to hear—” first of all i love that cherie trusts her enough to just read her letters and also that lucie is once again being a real one and telling her her secret lover is there also talking about secret lovers love story by once again taylor swift IS them i mean it even has romeo & juliet as references in it?? okay im getting off topic but still-

“He’s with your brother and your brother said you’re welcome to join them if you wish.” elias i know you're trying to get the tea but you're joining the club of people accidentally assisting anthony in seducing cherie

Lucie reached out to fix your hair and smiled. “You look very beautiful my lady.” okay maybe the people saying lucie has a crush on cherie are right but also my girl deserves a requited love 🥺🥺

“Hyacinth is the loudest, apparently she wants an identical arrow hair pin as Lady Y/N.” okay but this is actually so cute i love how much hyacinth loves cherie

“I refuse to,” Elias said. “I do not want to read more of Miss Cecily’s courtship with Mr Randolph, thank you. It was already torment, seeing that.” well elias whose fault is THAT

Your eyes narrowed like a cat’s while Anthony raised his brows at Elias and shook his head fervently as if trying to warn him but Elias did not see it. well at least he tried?? also i love these two idiots ATTEMPTING to assist each other in regards to women but both failing miserably

“Well unfortunately that’s impossible, I’m shorter than her.” i know that this was in the sneak peek but arguably the funniest line ever written

“Lady Miriam is here to see you, my lord.”

It was almost strange, the impact of your words and how they managed to turn Elias into someone completely different in mere seconds. His head shot up and he slowly turned to you, the usually cheerful light in his eyes getting dimmer before it was replaced by a shadow, making you pull back slightly, taken by the sudden change. hmm bestie this is literally you ONE day ago it's a family trait!!

Perhaps it was because you and Elias hadn’t exactly had the chance to grow up together but this was the first time you were seeing him like this. i just KNOW that anthony does know this exact expression and on one side it makes me glad that elias at least had some sibling figures but also sad bc they didn't get to grow up together when they should have :((

“This is incredibly improper, I hope you know that,” Anthony taunted you as you shot him a look. anthony you literally can't say ANYTHING about impropriety shut UP

You made a face and felt Anthony tense up beside you. “What exactly did she say about your father?” he asked, his voice low as if he was trying to keep his anger under control and you stole a look at him, then shrugged your shoulders. “Nothing half the ton does not assume already, now hush.” i love anthony and elias being all defensive over her while she's literally like no shut UP i'm trying to hear the drama over here!!

Your jaw dropped and you covered your mouth with one hand while you reached back to grasp Anthony’s arm with the other, shaking him. in which cherie is literally me like if anyone was standing beside me while i was reading this-

“To repeat, I’m literally standing beside you—I’m going to need my arm after this, just in case you are trying to rip it off.” yes he probably needs it in order to do his marital affairs cherie letting him keep it is also for your OWN sake!!

“Lady Miriam,” Anthony’s voice cut through like a knife. “I suggest you show more respect to the lady of the house you’re standing in, you’ve already outstayed your welcome.” pretty sure that if bitchass miriam hadn't left after that his voice wasn't gonna be the only thing that cut like a knife-

Elias plopped down on the sofa, pressing his palms on his eyes and Anthony stepped closer to him before pulling him upright by his arm. i love these brotherly moments between them tbh they deserve it!! like yeah cecily and cherie are absolute bestie goals but these two definitely are too 😭😭

“The Parisian again?” Elias asked as he fixed his coat and you looked at Anthony before snapping out of it and nodded. god i am OVER pierre i bet his poetry skills suck as much as sinclair's and tbh at this point i'm almost as annoyed by him as literally everyone but cherie

“The bastard is nothing if not persistent,” Elias commented before walking to the door while Anthony just kept frowning at the bouquet as if it personally offended him. i love anthony just having one-sided beef with any object that came from pierre like those flowers themselves did NOTHING to you bestie!! and they never will!!

“No,” you said. “They can just stay here, I don’t need them in my room.” lol cherie is so savage without even meaning to be

“You have no idea what you’re doing to me,” he murmured more to himself while you played with the ring on his finger, twisting it just so that you could be busy with anything else. THE RING THE RING THE RING ANTHONY IS THINKING ABOUT MARRIAGE I DON'T CARE IF I'M READING TOO MUCH INTO IT THIS IS THE ONLY CANON INTERPRETATION NOW!!

Anthony thought for a moment. “Uh—marital affairs.” i swear to god- this man is just as stupid as elias around his crush only in like different ways

“Right,” he said, trying to control his impression. “I agree, I don’t think it’s your dowry either.” anthony you brought this on YOURSELF not everyone is horny 24/7 around cherie maybe you're just projecting onto pierre 😒😒

You quickly made your way to the drawing room where the voices were coming from, then stepped inside, the sight instantly making you feel at comfort. The Duke was talking with Lady Bridgerton while Benedict, Simon and Colin were by the corner with Elias. Francesca was busy with Hyacinth and Gregory, and Eloise and Daphne were in a deep discussion. no but do you know how cute it is that this sight immediately makes her feel comfortable?? her own family and the bridgertons?? i'm telling you she and anthony were MEANT to be- more and more i'm suspecting you put this chapter here on purpose because everyone was switching to team hugh

“Yes!” she said “And I embroidered this for you, look!” okay but this is literally the regency equivalent of a young child handing you a drawing and it's the absolute cutest

You undid her hair quickly before you started braiding it, and Eloise leaned back. no but this friendship between hyacinth and cherie is absolutely adorable and underrated also i'm betting anthony walking in on this interaction had complete heart-eyes too

“I think you should do it again to make sure she understood,” Eloise pointed out and Daphne gasped. you know what i think eloise is right and she should say it!! i for one think someone should get to punch miriam too but that's just my opinion-

“Thank you my lord,” you said airily, forcing yourself to repress the giggle and you entered the dining room, Anthony taking a deep breath right behind you as if your scent lingered in the air as you passed him—which it probably did. anthony is way too obsessed with scents i'm telling you is this explained in the books or is he just.... like that??

You turned to look at the Duke who seemed to be glaring at Anthony from the other side of the table, completely ignoring the quarrel that got just a little quieter, Elias and Simon continuing it in whispers in full speed. ohhh i'm getting the feeling that we'll be getting a lot more of disapproving duke these future chapters-

“You can continue your meal here yes. Margaret can bring your plate here—Gregory, you wouldn’t mind changing seats and sitting beside your brother, would you?” lol okay i know i've said this before but i LOVE the duke being a petty drama queen like bestie this was a bit much and unneeded??

“Of course not!” Gregory said and you stole a look at Anthony who was glaring back at the Duke with an annoyed expression on his face, drumming his fingers on the table before he forced a humorless smile upon hearing Benedict cough. lol anthony dueling the duke when?? also love benedict trying to have anthony save face here while everyone has probably already noticed 😭😭 at this point i'm surprised if elias hasn't noticed-

anyway thank you for this wonderful chapter as always!! i'm very curious about future disagreements between anthony and the duke- i hope you have a wonderful day!!

OMG OMG MEREL! ❤

Oh Cherie trusts her with her life! ❤ Like, they’re so close and I think Lucie is the only person who knows everything about Cherie❤

Elias has done nothing but help Anthony and Cherie get together ever since she arrived there and he has no idea😂 When he finds out...😂

Aww Lucie has a crush?❤

Hyacinth would be so happy for Anthony and Cherie if she heard they’re together 😂❤

Elias’s fault for sure! 😂

Omg yeeees! Anthony was really trying to save him over there like “No no, don’t tell her that, don’t tell her that!” 😂

“The audacity of this bitch” LOLLLL 😂😂

hmm bestie this is literally you ONE day ago it's a family trait!! Exactly! Like, the way they show their anger is usually the opposite, Elias turns cold while Cherie unleashes fire on the person BUT the signs! The signs are completely the same! ❤

He really can’t 😂

i love anthony and elias being all defensive over her while she's literally like no shut UP i'm trying to hear the drama over here!! She doesn’t even notice them being protective, she has other priorities 😂

Anthony was ready to have her dragged out if she insulted Cherie again 😈😏

I love their brotherly moments too! 😱❤

Wait you’re over Pierre already? 😂😂

Anthony hates him and everything he sends Cherie 😂

The ring, you say...😈😏❤

He one hundred percent is projecting! 😂 Like, he is sure he imagines her “inappropriately” and like...Anthony....🤦‍♀️

i'm suspecting you put this chapter here on purpose because everyone was switching to team hugh WHO KNOWS 😂😈

It was so adorable AND Anthony definitely got heart eyes ❤

anthony is way too obsessed with scents i'm telling you is this explained in the books or is he just.... like that?? Lolll nope! He’s just like that I think 😂 No explanation 😂

We are definitely getting more disapproving duke in the following chapters 😈 He does not trust him at allllll😏

lol anthony dueling the duke when?? OOOH MY GOD😂

Thank you so much honeeeey, you’re amazing! 😱❤❤

[lunartearrose]

Bestie tell me about xue rn on god I'm pointing my kensa splattershot pro with the mpu at u

WAAA OKEY OKEY-

Hehehe um. So. Like i said in the post! Xue is probably one of the newest in a long line of fankids (fansquibs as i affectionately refer to it as) umm- and like. For context there is a lot aloot of vintage ships i like and like. So. *cue visual of vintage holdin hands w skull, avi, emperor, double and kinda also specs bc everyone likes specs i decided like. What are we?*

And there is a generally deeper storyline i assure you that takes some explaining so im just gonna recap and keep in mind its generally a sorta inch resting story me n my gf have sorta made together (tho i do most of the art and writing and we bounce ideas off of eachother buuutt since i mainly wrote down a lot of it and have to keep changing lore to game standard i do a lot of the chara keeping and am rlly attatched to it)

Under the cut this got lengthy!

So the story of the fansquibs! Actually has backstory to it in the sense that there was a gross mean squiddyman called Sky. He was a big ol pain with no redeeming qualities and a lot of bad mafia man moneys. The basics is he meddles with the coroika cast in a way a lot of them refuse to talk about to their kids, but it ultimately ended up that the agents worked together to finally take the guy down, and he’s ended at the hands of skull, who regrettably couldn't catch the guy before he took out a family just to hurt the poor gentle-hearted squid, the only survivor of this drive-by massacre being Neon. The bab, a smol baby at the time and ten years away from turf maturity is rushed to the hospital bc like i said, Sky had intent to kill! Complications happen, she ends up with a blind eye and brain damage and the only person who she can remember from the tradgedy is Skull - who she connects as the person who must've killed her parents, cuz all she knows now is that she's in the care of Specs and Mask (the two even got a house built right by walleye to care for her in and care for her deeply). Anyways the day was severely traumatizing for Skull, he feels horrible regret for not being there in time to save Neon's mom and dad and removes himself without any explanation, keeping distance from Neon and taking comfort in his team and Avi, mainly, for support.

NOW, on the opposite end of things Vintage is a proud father of a mimic octoling he saved from octo valley. This is Xue, named so bc he wanted to give the lad an X name and Avi suggested such a short and elegant name. He was also involved in the hunt for Sky, and in this time Xue played a lot with the kids of those who Vin was close to (again this is the two aviskull kids, Rhodium and Sugar and Emperor’s son who i named somethin like Duke? But i wanna change that bc it sounds silly so doing research on royalty now ive decided on Majesty for now!)

Sugar and Majesty were, well, smol babies at the time and Rhodi was a timid adoptee that was only some years older and afraid of everyone, but regardless Xue liked them all and figured they were related since he saw them so often. Childhood attatchmrnt things! He would often take a sort of Vintage-shaped form to interract with them all.

But anyways, doing his part in wrapping up, Vintage soon discovered that Sky, in fact, had an Heir! This was Mint, an at the time just turf war aged kid who seemed quiet.

Vintage, rightly assuming his father mustve traumatized him and wanting to do right by Mint welcomes him into his home and just in general tries to be fatherly, giving a room and meals and all such things. Xue naturally tries to connect with mint, but very quickly finds out that Mint isn't nice, nor does he want to get better. The damage is done to Mint, and in his mind the only right way to be are the ways that his father had taught.

This results in not only the Near-murder of Vintage (kid literally nearly poisoned him and planned to finish him off with a house fire), but an arson attack with Xue that leaves him badly burned. Luckily the other Xbloods are back in time to save the two from death but Mint escapes into the night, not to bee seen again for some time.

Now, with Mint as a main conflict for a lot of the story years later, there are also a lot of ties to the damage his dad had done that were moreso gaping holes. What stops neon from being tricked by mint into finding Skull guilty? Who could have the time to spend to help Rhodium keep from getting back in his abusive relationship with mint? What would stop the innocent Majesty from becoming a ransom note? And who would simply intertwine themselves and his siblings with everyone to make sure that simply could not get an opening to hurt anyone else further?

The answer i came up with is Xue, a mischevious mimic that for various reasons can only use light weaponry. He tries to shoulder the whole sprawling mission himself having been witness to the worst tradgedies of team efforts, but two squids change this:

Neko cares more for Xue's well-being than Xue themselves, and gained a habit of tracking down Xue to make sure Xue sleeps, eats, and recovers when wounded. The only downside is Neko tends to get annoyed when Xue constantly gets up too soon and Xue finds out that if Neko has no time to cuddle Xue into submission hes getting cocooned snugly in a blanket! Neko also has a grappling hook setup so thats fun.

Now the other inkling that Xue knows:

That's Luci, hive's adopted daughter! Though she wasn't involved in the whole mint family thing directly, she is a guardian and intends to keep peace, not afraid to use the mind hacking she learned to accomplish it. She's more Rivals with Xue at first, especially bc Xue is teasing and rebellious, but over time comes to respect his drive to protect and often comes to his rescue in a tight spot. She's also neon's Cousin by blood, so take of that what you will take! She admires team neon of course, especially Mercury, but since they dont ever use Neon's silver ink Luci knows no connection.

Anyways, Xue ends up directing Neon in the right direction, giving Rhodi the push he needs to meet and connect with one of the strongest teams in Inkopolis for safety, and spends most of his time bribing Sugar with candy to stay out of trouble and driving off people that want to hurt majesty. Xue does a lot of work behind the scenes, all for the family that accepted him the most, all the while wishing to get Mint that sweet, sweet Karmaic retribution before he can do more damage than he's already done.

Oh, and he's also buddies with boron! Boron struggles with his reality and often suffers hallucinations and a few delusions, and Xue, taking boron's form, helped him out of a particularly harsh episode and stuck with him until Mercury arrived to collect. Boron wanted to pay her back for any trouble, but Xue assured him it was fine, and if anything, asked if he could keep using Boron as one of his main faces. Boron agreed, but made him tie his hair up so that people could tell them apart for the mostpart. They twin their gear in duo league, too! But buckets are heavy.

So that's the context for that picture, the shadow is no shadow self but Xue in disguise! Funny thing too, Boron’s team is slightly monster themed with him as the charming devil, whilst Xue is often reffered to as the Angel of X, as xe only does solo Q most of the time but his expertise often heralds a win the moment you're on the spawn pad with him.

Anyways tldr: Xue is caring, he loves xis family, they love their friends, and want to murder Mint for his crimes against her loved ones. Also goes by a lot of pronouns!

Abyways i hope you like the info dump! And sorry if the story is a bit too serious im trying not to introduce and kill my detested villain in the same chapter like i do because i fill them with every personality characteristic i hate. Abyways heres last nights doodle dump again cuz i love to see Xue in action

Eyes and teeth are giveaways btw

[awigglycultist]

Alright like last time I hit post limit and couldn't live blog I started writing my thoughts down on docs in real time whilst watching so I could post later, so here:

HES NEARLY 41!?

Cereal!

Hes such a brat

BECKY BARNES

Shelia is a Karen

“Dont you dare gaslight me” his teeth are FINE stop overreacting

Frank the moneys not worth it divorce that jerk

Peter Pan!?!?

I wanna say “yes frank! Stand up! Good for you!” but this isnt gonna end well is it?

Oh yup there he goes. A trap door in the ground.

“Goodbye daaddyy”

Ofc theres others, I wonder how many men exactly has she married and done this to?

Oh no oh no oh no

MIAH????????????

BERRY SWIFT?

Im just omg. BERRY. AHH.

Honey festival mention!

Looking for a new daddy already…

"onliNE?"

Wait is the feast or famine playing in the background?

Frank giving the food to Barry :)

DONT SAY YOURE GONNA DIE I DONT NEED ANGST FOR YOU PLEASE

HELEN?

“No matter what Im always gonna be youre……..daddy”

Wait so if he’s been down there for 2 weeks with toyzone closed whats Lex doing

Sherman dont go to your mom about it just let him out!

BARRY BARRY NO BARRY NO NO NO BARRY

TED

WAIT NO TED OH NO NO LEAVE TED ALONE

“You are a married women” “Hey works for me”

“Dont sass your mother or ill kick your ass old man!”

NO NOO WHY DOES TED ALWAYS HAVE TO GET SHOT WHY DOES HE ALWAYS DIE

OH GOD THAT MEANS PETER COMES BACK FROM CAMP AND TEDS DEAD STOPPPPP

Including homeless man Ted has died 7 times i think jeez

The gift?!?

Barry :(

Rip Marco

I hate her but she does look hot with a gun gotta say

BLACK BOOK

STARRY CHILDREN

Okay so Hatchetmen hate the witches and the starry children hate the hatchetmen right?

Yup stealing their lives

1920….. 1920

LIB!

Goat! Tentacles!

And I truly feel all lords in black in the chile's tonight

Omg sherman drew ontop of the black book

Omg he memorised the words and drew over it on purpose-

Bye bye milf

Ope hes 7

Poor frank that'd be toutre

Its not really forever tho technically bc frank will die eventually it'll just be for the rest of frank's life...

-killer track-

LOOK AT THEM

HELLO

Dangit Thrash is a jerk

Oh hes threatening to kill now

“YOU THINK I'M AFRAID TO DIE?” Clearly a gen z

“Lets go to Dennys >:(“

Thats Rose!?!?!!!!!

Yes it is Kale!

Oh god hes gonna show her the killer track isnt- yup

I don’t like you so much Kale

STATION WAGON? THAT MEANS DUKE

THERE HE IS MY BOY

“Well i dont know ive never done drugs duke!” “...I know.."

Just missed a little chunk bc of my dad but Duke my beloved and poor Rose

“Is it unbelievable? Yes. but this Hatchetfield”

Specialist… Holloway here we come

Miss Retros!

“Hiya Duke!” “Heya Darlin!” hngg

“Great. My life is in the hands of Barbie”

“Make me.” “...alright.”

A glass with a spiderweb inside

Thrash said he sold his soul to satan to get famous hfjhdkfj

Omg the black book! its so cool!

TINKY TINKY TINKY TIME TRAVEL HNG AHHHHHH EVERYONE SHUT UP also “The Tinker” ooh

Also so are there a few verison of the black book?

Ooh holloway is in Rose’s body

Oh theres taco bell

Holy crap. This song. Wtf.

Okay great rose never heard it now….but holloway did right?...

Oh god yeah she took the curse

Dukes face :( hes so sad and concerned

“Your phone” yeah her very super recent new phone…

“If its a ghost. I'll trap it in this jar.”

“If something happens to me i want you to read this” i really wanna know what it says but i DO NOT want ANYTHING to happen to her

Duke has watch right that down RIGHT THAT DOWN

Hey wait a second how come Kale has heard it hasn't died I mean at least i assume they've heard it before, did they make it?

HOLLOWAY :((

OH GOD NO ITS COMING FROM DUKE AND ROSE OH NOO NO

“dont worry im not going anywhere :)” oh god

“Holloway? What are ya doing darlin?” :((

“I understand” …..ominous

Dead. shes dead great. Ofc.

Duke :’(((

HNGGG I LOVE THEM SO MUCH STOPP DUKE ROSE WHY THIS IS MAKING CRY STOP BEING SO SWEET

‘You were in love with her werent you” “who wasnt?”

DUKE HAS A CAT

The envelope oh boy

“Welp. guess im dead!”

Wait about 2 hrs??

DON'T CALL AN AMBULANCE OR SEND ME TO THE MORGUE OH GODDD

“I was in love with her” “ya you and everybody” they really get the fans huh

Shes alive!

“Duke. what did my note say!?”

Ooohh the whole town knows about her dying that why she couldn't do to the morgue

Rip duke hes so confused

“It just HAD to be the jukebox”

Yes yes lore dump here we go! Learning more about Holloway!

Wait what.

HEY HEY WAIT KNOW GOOD JOB OF PROVING YOUR MAGIC IG BUT I WANNA KNOW THIS STUFF

This isnt first time shes told him?

Oh shes not making him forgot?

Oh god poor holloway

Omg the honey festival-

Oh are we actually seeing them going to honey festival

The mayor!!

Omg i cant wait to see how the stop the song. Like i KNOW itll be stopped we already saw the festival but like i CAANT WAIT

Oh trust me mayor… this will be a night to remeber for everyone…

HAHA HIS MIC WASN'T OFF

HAILEY

HAILEY MADE ZOEYS VOICE WORSE ON PURPOSE?

TED!!!

“At the point ill never get married. Be daddy.”

DEB AND ALICE AHH AND ALICE WAS IN NEW YORK OOH

Jkdfnjdfnj rip duke

God i love seeing everything connected and all these people together

Needy Beasts!

Oh no Kale

And Kale killed the audio guy

Oh poor Kale

OH NO ITS PLAYING

Ooh Holloways playing over it

Oh i love this

DUKE AND HOLLOWAY TOGETHER :))))

OH THEY FORGOT IT OOHHHHH AND THATS WHY THERE WAS ABSOTULEY NOTHING WITH KILLER TRACK IN HONEY QUEEN

DUKE

“The lanky goon”

Oh wow i understand why duke punched kale but im still surprised he’d every punch anyone

Oh oh no Kale oh no

OH GOD KALE

Aww Duke going on about him being the hero so proud of himself not knowing hehe

Oh a new persona? I wanna know all about her personas

Nooo dont say everyones gonna forgot about miss holloway noo dont :((

Shes gone :(

AND HES FORGOTTEN :(

HOLLOWAY or whatevr her new persona is

I literally missed the entrie convo between them bc of my dad

This songs a bop tho

THE BECKY BARNES BIT WITH THE IRISH ACCENT TOO AHAHFEFNSKLDJF

Paul is dead records?? Director Barry Swift??

Okay go the replay: I love Duke and… Holiday so much.

Alright so we're assuming that the girl that got hurt in shop class is Lex right? There's been the theory that Yellow Jacket is about Lex and I sure hope so so we can see what happened to her after Frank just disappeared for two weeks and what may have happened in shop class

She's a counsellor! The only school counsellor I'd trust!

Hey. Hey. Wait. Ofc this isn't Holloways first time changing persona. I wonder if Duke has met personas of her before, he probably has, I wonder how many times? Oh God this episode made be so emotional

[johncardozas]

Throughout Boston & during Broadway previews they tried about 5 or 6 different endings for the Duke if I'm correct based on what I remember & what I have been told/read from others. None of them worked though. I'm not a fan of how it ends, its definitely the biggest thing about the book that bothers me. BUT, I think most things DETRACTED from Satine and Christian at the end which is supposed to be about their love story. So I can't think of a better way to wrap it without taking away from them

i’d be interested to know what they tried to do just bc i’m curious but yeah idk what they could’ve done so that it’s very clear what happens to him in the end other than just assuming he leaves paris and never coming back. but i get wanting to focus more on christian and satine’s ending over the duke’s bc the story IS about them. but jfc john logan how did you not come up with something better in an entire year lol

[kkukkung]

Im crying in the school bathroom rn I seriously love wonho so much I'm in pain why is he my ideal guy in every way he's so amazing and handsome and sweet but whO CARES BEVause he don't kno me haha am I right

big mood all the time im always in pain bc he rly................ doesn’t KNOW i would let him shave off my eyebrows if he wanted 2

tardy replies as usual under the cut!

(sorted from oldest to newest)

I wouldn't even care if wonho was a high maintenance boyf tbh I'd just sit and comb his hair all day and tell him he's pretty

hdjkfh this was so long ago but i think i was mostly kidding abt him being a high maintenance bf... like he would do so much giving? but i guess the only thing he’d need is constant reassurance that his s/o loves him imo jfdhgjk... i also think he’d b someone who either doesn’t settle down ever or does it very late in his life!

annie 🌹literary queen ❤️ literally crowned with a laurel wreath! not be drum attic but this midsummer nights monsta au is so!!!! give me sistar as the four star crossed lovers then drag me to h*ll and give me this doctor faustus au i'm itching for with kihyun as faustus and k.will as mephistopheles bc i love to watch my faves s*ffer but don't let me rip until i get my much ado about nothing au with the entire cast of starship ent and a lil cameo from giriboy!

(in refence to this monsta x as shakespearean archetypes ask!) fjdshgkjs shh i lov u... why is k will as mephistopheles so Accurate esp no.mercy k will lmao. um u should write all of these? in fact if... if anyone has mx literary aus.... hmu...... i’ll n*t

another thing about that incident is that it seems like the fan doesn't think Changkyun and Jooheon undersood them?? (an extension i guess they assumed they don't understand english very well) and that's pretty problematic. it seems to me that when they didn't respond the fan assumed they didn't understand and kept repeating it, as a joke. but they literally did That to the two with the most proficient english in the group... it's rly a mess all around. it's disrespectful through and through

(in relation to that gross “d*ddy” incident from a while ago) ik i feel like some intl fans think korea is a land completely culturally and linguistically alienated/divorced from the rest of the world or something and while cultural relativism is real to some extent... the idea that koreans are completely unaware of ~outside~ things is deeply racist. like mostly white ppl think that diasphoric poc are completely Different from them? when my mum went to the states 15 years ago some ppl literally asked her if there were newspapers in china lol...

i just randomly thought of monsta x as sesame street characters mostly bc i wanna see kihyun and wonho duke it out as bert and ernie (kihyun w/ the waste paper bin on his head and wonho asking 'where's the waste paper bin' and kihyun saying 'ask me that again and look into my eyes') and also minhyuk being elmo tbh...

JKGHKJDF PLEASe!!!! when will something like this b photoshopped... minhyuk as elmo is... spot on... i remember once elmo appeared on a now-discontinued late night talk show program i used to watch when i was in primary school and he was like “elmo likes wasabi, that’s why elmo has no eyebrows” and idk why ive never been able to forget this????? very lmh. also this made me think of a monsta x muppets au n minhyuk is the pic of ass-gape kermit.... next post of mine will b monsta x as kermit reaction pics

Hyungkyun is such an under appreciated ship. Like, they just get each other so well? Why do people overlook it. ㅠ.ㅠ Do you have a moment that made you ship them? How would you describe their dynamic?

it’s bc they’re intp x intj they don’t rly... Understand each other with minimal effort/real communication lmao it’s very efficient. both quiet lil darlings who aren’t emotionally That Open but enjoy their own little space together sometimes?? their dynamic is like... they’re weird in different ways but they’re v chill together. u can tell hyungwon is super fond of changkyun like he has this Expression when ck does anything at all.... i think these two rly love each other’s personalities bc they’re both kind/gentle/peaceful types and their overall ?? vibe is just highly compatible... they’re absolute darlings... v soft together... i can’t think of a favourite moment but i rly rly love their birthday messages for each other last year like changkyun’s message for hyungwon was like “ur rly cool bruh ur rly such a great person” and hyungwon’s message for changkyun was rly... just him obviously doting on him n finding him cute jksfdhg i lov them a lot :(

soyou: i know how to make hair pretty :))) knetz: dirty fckn iljin why can't she be out there being being PRODUCTIVE in society by having babies and learning how to be a good wife for her future husband ://// smh how dare she be successful now when i'm stuck doing what society wants me to do but also anonymously attacking ppl i don't personally know on the internet bc THATS respectable the irony of ugly knetz is so transparent

The whole thing about Knetz and wonho's "scandalous" past reminded me of something. As a PSA to those people who are so insistent and pushy that idols aren't allowed to have sex/date/be anything but straight: Fuck all of you. You do not own these people, and if you really cared about them you'd be happy if they were happy. Like tbh, if anyone that famous and busy could also balance out a relationship at the same time, I'd be so happy for them. It really bugs me how all idols are supposed (1/2)(2/2) have this squeaky clean innocent image where they have to look and act a certain way and have these stupid fucking dating bans because once they don't meet up to that image their success suffers. Idols already give up so much privacy, and the last thing they need is millions of people scrutinizing every little thing they do. I don't even know where I started this rant from, but basically, GIVE IDOLS PRIVACY AND DONT JUDGE THEM FOR THEIR PASTS OR FOR BEING IN RELATIONSHIPS OR WHATEVER

yeth ty for highlighting the gross obsession w purity and productivity (like the first anon said -- a very confucian sort of ideal)... i don’t rly have anything else to add here i think. also i would fight for soyou i fact i would fight lmh who said she was his ideal type in no.mercy era... she’s rly one of my faves and the way she was slandered for the hairdressing thing was one of the most ridiculous things knets ever did lmao honestly yuk

u a kihyun stan now👀👀👀

im a @fhiz​ stan it’s the same thing tbh

ahh so i saw your tags on that jh gifset! as one of the few jh stans (or maybe there are way more than i think there are lol) i rly love his "reversal charm." he has a lot of what i lack as a person: a strong presence and a lot of confidence! i respect him so much as a person alth i rag on him a lot LMAO. sorry if this is a bit long winded but i just rly wanted to put this out there ;;

this is rly cute i lov hearing ppl talk abt their faves lovingly it rly... Heals Me. i think it’s strange how underappreciated jooheon is in this fandom especially bc he’s usually the one who catches ur eye first bc he’s so hyped by starship as being a one-in-a-million talented rapper u know? and he rly shines in mvs and no.mercy but............. y does he have the least fansites jkfhdg ?? you’re v right abt the reversal charm thing but i feel like sometimes it’s very overdone like... on lots of shows he’s asked to do aegyo when rly he should be asked to... idk... rap or dance or something?? i actually think jooheon is the most serious member of monsta x sometimes bc he seems to have a sense that he’s.. the pillar of mx if that makes sense? and that’s why he’s always pushing himself and working tirelessly like he feels very Responsible for this group, more than anyone else. idk if that makes sense!!! i love him and i want him to... unwind a bit bc sometimes he looks so stressed and tired but he still feels the need to pretend to be energetic like my heart rly hurts for him :/ this got so emo im sry i do rly love to hear that u respect him sm i love jooheon stans :(

i can see what u mean about jooheon being 1 of the most masculine. (iirc u also talked abt kihyun being that in a post a while ago) like with his face and his physique he really is striking; his body=like that slim,upside-down Y that you'd learn to draw men w/ in Anatomy 101 , but i think.. ,--not that u asked, but,, i think the jury's still out on if he's comfortable w his masculinity with the way he acts feminine lyk misogynistic comedians Can sound like dead ringers for women,? idk & i take +

(not sure if there was a 2nd part to this? there’s nothing else in my inbox so i’m sry if there was and tumblr ate it) yeth i think i meant that his demeanor is the most ~~masculine~~ whereas i think kihyun is still the most... idk... mature-masculine?? if tht makes sense, and i definitely agree w u on that second point! i didn’t think of that at the time but now that i... do... think abt it... ur right and also the way he comes back from it by putting on the >swag demeanor again in an attempt to polarise it is definitely a bit 👀👀👀 he probably doesn’t want to risk his Manly Rapper Image for real u kno? that said it’s ingrained in kpop that behaving cute --> “girly” entails that sort of “comedic” high-pitched voice + compact body language etc.... like i’m not condoning that ofc but i definitely think it’s broader than this particular case! :/ hm

maybe i'd be doing better in school if i could major in kihyunology ;~; i stan him but i def think we still don't know much about him even after all this time after debut. especially when i look at him compared to wonho who wears his heart on his sleeve (bless him i love wonho sm, gotta protect this bun at all costs!!)...but ya it just makes me wanna learn more about him like who is the real kihyun??

i want to write a kihyun meta when i have time... i feel like i Get him a bit more these days but it’s also very hard to put into words bc u kno when u kinda sorta mb get some1 but it’s a feeling rather than anything conveniently expressable gkjdhfjk.... idk if anyone wants to send in some Kihyun Thoughts + Meta feel free! :>> i don’t think he’s actually... as complex as we sometimes make him out to be lol like his behaviour is actually kind of predictable? more on his later

wait is the february comeback actually true? ugh i'm so conflicted cuz on one hand i'm excited if there's really gonna be a full length album, but i also think they need more rest but then there's the matter of getting their first win and idk i'm super psyched but i'm also worried that the boys are being overworked

i still feel like they had a comeback like yesterday lol like looking at their schedules stresses me out bc they do so much..... im glad wonho got to go to his mum’s cafe recently tho! all we can do is have faith in them rn and when it’s time... stream, buy things if ur able to, spread the news and the hype etc. i am definitely Worried abt some things like the competition they’re up against but.... gotta have faith u kno... and i feel like all active idols are kind of... permanently worked very hard but i think currently only jooheon and shownu are a bit Overloaded. also has the date been confirmed yet... it’s february already...

[dreamwritesimagines]

oh this chapter!! if you ask me it can be valentine's day 365 days a year if it results in this 😭😭 i loved it SO much once again (tbh by now this should go without saying) even if there was a distinct lack of elias and the duke which i can only hope assume means that there's something coming from that side soon.... also i very much appreciate lady whistledown waiting for the valentine's ball to spill the tea bc she would be very much right even if it's sad she didn't catch all their unchaperoned romantic moments-

though honestly what was lucie's reaction to the rose?? and elias' for that matter?? did she TELL anyone it was from anthony??

“Oh I don’t think…” she trailed off. “I don’t think today will be any different than any other day for me, my lady.” oh no lucie my darling i love you you CAN be gay 😔😔

“Either way, I’m sure you will be getting gifts,” she said. “One from the Monsieur Allard, and one from Viscount Bridgerton.” lucie knows what is UP i love her and tbh i need a friend like her

“But I happened to hear their conversation while I was passing by,” she said. “Not intentionally of course. The door was open.” once again i need a friend like lucie the only real one she deserves LOVE dream please give it to her

“The Viscount said his mother was almost done with the season’s lists with the help of Lady Danbury, and the Marquess said he didn’t know why they bothered, seeing that the Viscount wasn’t looking to marry, neither were his brothers.” okay but that list BETTER be just cherie's name several times over

“For some reason, she is against me accepting flowers from Mr. Randolph.” i think i will be entering an alliance with cecily's mother (and cherie) to get celias finally together bc they DESERVE it

“I heard he sired a child from a kitchen maid and pretended the baby wasn’t his.” SCANDALOUS!! also i just love cecily knowing all the gossip she and lucie could definitely be besties

“How vile and heartless! I will throw these away immediately and tell Elias to tell him never to speak to me again.” i know this was like common during regency but idk this just sounds so cute to me for some reason

“I just wonder what poetry book he got it from, that’s all,” she murmured. “Sounds a bit impersonal.” i know that cecily is just trying to roast monsieur allard but she doesn't know she's being anthony's biggest ally in this fight against him and i'm sure she'd hate that even more like this sounds EXACTLY like something anthony could say

Cecily raised her brows. “Are you sure?” she asked. “It doesn’t sound like him to be that thoughtful.” okay but she's actually the funniest person around i can see why elias likes her so much 😭😭 also i love how she's all like 'i bet he sent gifts to like 10 girls or something' while i'm pretty sure that anthony is the ONLY one of her suitors to only be invested in cherie and he's not even actually a suitor??

You had seen Anthony when you had stepped into the ballroom but he seemed to be in a very deep conversation with his brother Benedict, almost looking defensive. i would love to hear more about this conversation bc i LIVE for benedict roasting his brother and also someone needs to tell anthony to get his shit together and court cherie and elias sure as hell won't do it

You just…happened to appreciate Anthony’s gift more, as spoiled as it sounded. there's another innuendo in here somewhere i'm sure

“But I saw your notes, you read it,” you said, excitement laced in your voice and he nodded. okay but honestly if someone gave me a book with their own notes in it i would probably propose on the spot

He raised a brow. “Were you watching?” pfffft as if you weren't anthony what a HYPOCRITE

“It’s interesting you should ask, because I do.” i can just SEE anthony doing all this research trying to find good reasons why cherie should definitely not marry pierre and being all like 'well hypothetically i would objectively be the better option!!' and also i hope benedict caught him doing it bc in my head that scene would be hilarious

“It’s good to be informed. It’s not a lot, by the way. His income.” you know what i'm getting very scared by all these people thinking pierre is a dowry chaser and i WANT to believe in his goodness but i cannot- honestly pierre has served his purpose of making anthony jealous he can go back to france now!!

“Either way,” he said, “You know, having a wardrobe change every season might be very difficult for you on a budget of…let’s say, a knight.” i just want you to know i laughed SO hard at this i can just picture this with his exact voice and expression this man is trying SO hard to convince both himself and cherie that pierre is a bad option and that cherie should marry him instead and he should just admit that he's completely in love tbh bc he's fooling no one anymore with these desperate attempts

“And you’re convinced that he can satisfy you?” i cannot with this man- cherie is INNOCENT let her be!!

“I don’t think there are many quotes about business deals, but I can check if you’d like.” honestly i don't know what to say about this except i want you to know i actually laughed out loud at this i love cherie when she's being a savage

“I’m afraid you are mistaken once again, my lady,” he taunted you and held out the card, making your heart go crazy. You slowly pulled it out of his hand and he bowed. honestly the moment i read this i was like 'i bet he arrived early to look at all the cards and pick the perfect one for cherie and that's why he had to act all defensive in front of benedict' and looking at the quote and all the layers of meaning behind it i'm pretty sure i was actually right

Omg Merel hiiii! ❤

Oh yeah, we will see Elias in the next chapter 😈😏 And Lady Whistledown will have a lot to write about really soon 😏

Nope, she didn't tell anyone, especially Elias! 😈 Elias would lose his mind if he heard Anthony gave her a rose 😈

Lucie is amazing and I love her! ❤ She is so sweet! ❤

Speaking of those lists...😏 Things will get very complicated 😏

Cecily knows everything about everyone in the ton 😂 She is too powerful 😂

Elias is handling the suitors Cherie doesn't want 😂

Cecily and Anthony accidentally working together is hilarious, considering neither of them like the other much 😂

also i love how she's all like 'i bet he sent gifts to like 10 girls or something' while i'm pretty sure that anthony is the ONLY one of her suitors to only be invested in cherie and he's not even actually a suitor?? EXACTLY! EXACTLY THAT!

Benedict is very observant and Anthony is suffering because of that 😂 Like, he can see right through him whenever Cherie is around😂

I love innuendos 😂❤

Cherie also wants to propose I feel like 😂

Anthony was totally watching 😈

'well hypothetically i would objectively be the better option!!' I AM DYING-

I need that scene! 😂

Aw we will see more of Pierre though 😏

Anthony literally went there with multiple reasons why Cherie shouldn't marry Pierre even if it's hypothetical and he still doesn't see what it means 😂

Oh no, he won't let her be😏😏😏

Cherie will never let that go 😂

You were absolutely right! ❤ Like, he did it on purpose, and he looked for a Romeo and Juliet quote because of all those reasons and Benedict can see just how hard Anthony is falling but...😈

Thank you so much for this love! ❤❤❤

[dreamwritesimagines]

i would like to clarify, did i think Elias was harsh? Yes. did Anthony deserve it and possibly more? Abso-fucking-lutely. Elias had every single right to act the way he did. he could have been harsher even and i wouldn't have had a problem with it bc Elias loves his sister and seeing her in that state, of course it's going to affect him in certain levels. then add the betrayal he felt bc that's his best friend, and the going behind his back and all sorts. BUT that doesn't mean i'm not going to see Anthony's side of it and feel sympathetic for him. (that’s the empath in me probably lmao) like this man is struggling and that's putting it very lightly.

it's probably a me thing but i tend to try and see different perspectives and/or try to see where everyone is coming from. it's just more fun for me that way (which also can be quite frustrating bc when you understand both sides, you tend to get frustrated why character A does not see where character B is coming from hence why i have to remind myself that i know all the facts and they don’t 😂) this is also why i'm just begging for Cherie and Anthony to just TALK lmao.

but also, it's like you said! these characters aren't perfect. they've made mistakes and will continue to do so. there won't be character arcs if that wasn't the case and it would be sooo boring if everything was black & white. so i absolutely cannot wait to see how on earth Anthony redeem himself. like that man is going on a journey to hell and back. TWICE. also with what he said about it’s either Cherie or no one, i’m sure this man is going to do everything and then some. i also would like to see a scene where he’s on his knees in front of Cherie just sobbing and begging for forgiveness bc that would be whew imagine if that’s the first time Cherie actually sees him cry???? my heart </3

okay i'm going to put my devil horns again bc playing devil's advocate is kinda fun lmao: with what happened with Siena, would it be considered as cheating though? which also goes back to a problem they had from the start. They weren’t courting officially. It was all assumption and living in a bubble without actually TALKING about it. so if you think about it, they really had no grounds as to what they were right?? Cherie assumed they were lovers, i have no idea what Anthony thought they were. and then it all blew up before they could even get to that point of communication. my gOOODD were going to go back to the whole communication thing again. sigh. In today’s day and age, it absolutely was cheating. but sometimes we tend to forget, this is a different time period. this is also why it’s a struggle trying to judge everyone in this bc it’s set hundreds of years ago so everything is kinda different.

AGAIN. This does NOT excuse his behaviour. ANTHONY IS STILL A SHITTY IDIOT PREMIUM™️ and he will hold that title for as long as it takes until he grows a braincell or two. He still Fucked Up™️ and it’s his own fault why we’re here in the first place.

also, the duke and duchess story :(( i really hope we will get to see more of that soon and yeah now i remember that. it’s heartbreaking that these two siblings grew up separate so Cherie didn’t get to see what the duke was like and Elias didn’t get to see what his mother was like bc he only gets to see her in short moments.

YOU are amazing!! and I love !!!! talking to you about this and seeing your response and judgement to my thesis ahah so this is just as exciting for me. now i’m going to sit back and read the anons and different opinions like it’s the latest Lady Whistledown.

– TM Anon™️

Oooh please don't worry about it darling, I totally understand what you mean! ❤ And I really love hearing different perspectives and talking about it! ❤❤ It my favorite part of writing a story! ❤

I think Elias will be torn in the following chapters! Like, Anthony has been his best friend for years, and he can’t wrap his mind around the fact that he would betray him this way 💔 He doesn’t even understand Anthony is very confused about his own feelings💔

They definitely need to talk 😂

like that man is going on a journey to hell and back. TWICE. also with what he said about it’s either Cherie or no one, i’m sure this man is going to do everything and then some. YESSSS! Anthony will actually say that he’s in hell, like that will come up 😈  And he will be spiraling out of control 😏

Yesssss, exactly! ❤ Like, in this age it is absolutely unforgivable but the fic is happening in like…1815, and we’re talking about an era where it was seen as “normal” even within marriage sometimes, as heartbreaking as it is😱 Not that Cherie would ever accept that in marriage or in courtship but…😈 Like, if Cecily told about it to her mother for instance, she would have a “so what” reaction which is sad💔

Anthony will have to try so hard to get Cherie to forgive him ❤

We will definitely hear more about the duke and the duchess’s story, and a duke-Cherie convo is coming in the next chapter! ❤

Awwww thank you so much for this! 😱😍❤